Chapter 555: I Saw His Face

Xiao Er and Lu Qi were shocked, Feng Zhou's face full of delight: "Can you do it? How? Using that Wu Jin Mud?"

Xiao Jin and Gongsun Yue widened their eyes.

Kang An glanced at them, his gaze returning to Tuan Tuan's face, his blue eyes sparkling.

Tuan Tuan blinked: "Xiao An'an, can you really connect the key?"

Kang An nodded, took out a small white stone from his bosom, and handed it to Tuan Tuan.

Tuan Tuan looked: "Wow, Xiao An'an, you also like picking up junk? This little stone is pretty nice, where did you pick it up?"

Picking up junk?

Kang An stared, then shook his head firmly.

Lu Qi, standing aside, looked exhausted: "Let's go back, get him paper and pen to write, when will we ever explain this?"

Xiao Er nodded: "Right, this is no small matter, Ninth Prince, you go play with Xiao Yueyue, we'll go," he thought, "Xiao Ningxun is the most resourceful," "to the Third Young Master's place."

Xiao Jin and Gongsun Yue nodded: "Tuan Tuan, we're going to the Training Ground to play with slingshots, come find us when you're done."

"Got it!" Tuan Tuan pulled Kang An's hand and ran toward Third Brother's tent.

The group walked into Xiao Ningxun's tent.

Xiao Ningxun put down his book: "Tuan Tuan? Why did you come play with Kang An here?"

Tuan Tuan flung himself into his embrace: "Third Brother! Xiao An'an says he can put the key back together!"

Xiao Ningxun startled: "What?"

Xiao Er prepared the brush and ink: "Third Young Master, let Kang An write; we only just learned of this, so we came to you, wanting him to write it out."

Xiao Ningxun held Tuan Tuan in his arms, waved at Kang An standing at the door: "Come, sit down, write slowly, no rush."

Lu Qi pulled Kang An's hand and led him to sit beside the table.

Kang An placed the white stone in his hand on the table, picked up his brush, and wrote: "This is Wu Jin Mud."

Xiao Ningxun looked at the stone on the table, puzzled: "Is this stone Wu Jin Mud? Is it the Western Regions' supreme treasure you spoke of?"

Tuan Tuan picked up the stone, turning it over: "This is Wu Jin Mud? No, Wu Jin Mud isn't supposed to be black like ink and soft like mud?"

Kang An nodded, then shook his head,

Tuan Tuan was confused: "Did I say something wrong? Xiao An'an?"

Kang An hurriedly continued writing: "Wu Jin Mud is black and soft, but you need to take this raw stone, soak it in medicinal water for three days and three nights, and only then will it become black and soft."

Xiao Ningxun softly read it aloud to Tuan Tuan, who suddenly understood: "Ah, so Wu Jin Mud is what this little stone turns into!"

Feng Zhou cared most about whether the key could be repaired, hurriedly asking: "Can it really be done, to fuse and reforge the broken weapon without leaving a flaw?"

Kang An nodded.

Xiao Ningxun looked at him: "How do you know?"

Kang An wrote: "I have seen it with my own eyes."

Xiao Ningxun frowned slightly: "You've seen it with your own eyes? Where?"

"Right, since this is the Western Regions' supreme treasure, how could it be in your hands?"

Kang An's head drooped, the brush in his hand hovering over the paper, motionless for a moment.

Tuan Tuan patted his hand: "Xiao An'an, you don't want to say it, right? If you don't want to, you don't have to, it's fine."

Kang An lifted his head, looking at her, a thin mist rising in his blue eyes.

The next moment, he seized the brush and wrote swiftly, Xiao Ningxun softly read it aloud to his sister:

"My family runs a blacksmith shop; my father is skilled, supporting me and my mother by forging iron, and we also raise a few sheep."

"Two years ago, on my sixth birthday, my father gave me this stone."

"My father told me this stone is called Wu Jin Mud, and had me memorize the medicinal water's formula."

"He said this is our family's ancestral secret, even my mother doesn't know. I must keep it in my heart and not tell anyone."

"A few days later, my father and mother rescued a person from the mountains."

"That person had fallen from a cliff, his injuries not serious, and stayed at our home for a few days to recuperate."

"Every day he would take out a broken dagger and stare at it, tears falling."

Tuan Tuan asked: "Why is he crying?"

"He said it was his ancestral dagger; his parents are gone, leaving only this cherished memory, which he accidentally broke."

"He wanted to fix it, seeing that my father was a blacksmith, and hoped to ask for his help."

"My father agreed, telling him to wait three days."

"My father took me, produced a stone, soaked it in the medicinal water, then used the soaked Wu Jin Mud to repair the dagger."

"When he received the dagger, he was overjoyed, pulled out silver to thank my father, but my father refused."

"He asked my father how he repaired it, saying it was as if it had never been broken."

"My father told him, 'I helped you because I saw your filial piety, not to take your silver.'"

"My father told him, 'Do not spread word of the dagger's repair.'"

"He agreed, thanked him profusely, and left."

"A few days later, I went to the mountains to herd sheep."

"It was getting dark, one sheep had run off, and I searched a long time before finding it."

"After finding the sheep, I hurried home; as I neared, I saw from afar that there were people in our courtyard, more than one."

Kang An's hand paused, trembling slightly.

"People rarely come to our home, I felt something was off, so I climbed a tree to look into the courtyard."

"My father and mother were kneeling on the ground, being beaten repeatedly by several masked men."

"I could hear them asking: 'Where is the Wu Jin Mud? Hand it over!'"

"Father didn't speak, they just used knives to kill Mother, Father flung himself onto the knife, dying beside Mother."

"Tuan Tuan's eyes turned red, and Xiao Ningxun held his sister tighter."

"Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance, their faces showing reluctance."

"Feng Zhou let out a soft sigh."

"Kang An's hand trembled even more; he gritted his teeth and then wrote:"

'"I covered my mouth in the tree, not daring to make a sound."'

'"They dragged Father and Mother into the house and waited there all night."'

'"The next morning, they came out."'

'"Someone pulled down the black cloth on his face, saying that brat didn't know where he had run off to."'

'"At that time, I saw his face."'