Chapter 194: Invitation to Lou Gao

194. Chapter 192 Invitation to Lou Gao

Three days later, Li Xuan drove the carriage to the outskirts of Gengxin City, where the carriage slowly came to a halt, and Li Xuan patted the carriage door, wanting Bang Chui to see the grandeur of Gengxin City.

"Brother, is this Gengxin City? The smell of metal is so strong here." Bang Chui's head poked out of the carriage, and the awe that had been drawn to the massive city turned into discomfort from the metallic scent, so Bang Chui furrowed his brows and asked Li Xuan.

Ginseng, being the essence of Yi Wood, naturally despises metal, so when digging ginseng one must not use metal tools, but wooden sticks or planks.

"Yes, this is Gengxin City, the Metal Capital of the continent; the person we're looking for this trip is here." Li Xuan nodded at Bang Chui.

"Oh, then I'll go rest. There's not only the smell of metal but also of flame; I don't like it." Bang Chui muttered, then returned to the carriage and fell back asleep.

Li Xuan looked at Bang Chui's demeanor, smiled and shook his head; Bang Chui's attitude was exactly what Li Xuan expected.

Nevertheless, Li Xuan paid no mind to Bang Chui's state and drove straight into Gengxin City.

Upon just entering Gengxin City, Li Xuan noticed a problem: the once bustling city was eerily quiet, with no pedestrians on the streets and even the street vendors had vanished.

"Why is Gengxin City so quiet today? Could something have happened? It shouldn't be like this," Li Xuan scratched his head, speaking with puzzlement.

Li Xuan thought for a moment and finally decided to head to the Blacksmith Guild first.

As Li Xuan kept driving deeper into Gengxin City, he suddenly heard Si Long's voice.

"The way of forging lies in materials, timing, and skill; the mysteries within are endless, countless…"

Li Xuan kept driving forward, and after rounding a bend saw countless blacksmiths gathered, sitting or standing, all their gazes fixed on Si Long standing at a nearby table.

Si Long stood on a small plaza outside the Blacksmith Guild, delivering an impassioned speech.

This is a lecture the Blacksmith Guild holds every month to improve the blacksmiths' techniques, enabling them to live better.

"What unlucky timing, Brother Si Long actually has a public class today," Li Xuan said with a smile, glanced around, then drove the carriage away.

Obviously, everyone in the city had come to hear Si Long's lecture; although Si Long is not a Divine Blacksmith, he is a master‑level blacksmith, and his teaching greatly benefits ordinary blacksmiths.

Seeing that Si Long had just begun his lecture, the road ahead would likely be blocked for a short while.

So Li Xuan took a detour, arrived at the back of the Blacksmith Guild, and entered through a small door.

The small door had no guards; it is only used for emergency evacuations. Lou Gao, fearing that Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had eyes in Gengxin City, disclosed the door to Li Xuan to prevent him from being discovered by the sect.

Li Xuan brought Bang Chui straight to the fifth floor of the Blacksmith Guild, pushed open the door, and saw Lou Gao perched on the window, listening to Si Long's lecture.

It seemed Lou Gao was listening with great interest, perhaps hoping to spot Si Long's weak points and help him improve.

"Young Li Xuan has seen you, Elder Lou," Li Xuan said respectfully, bowing to Lou Gao.

As Lou Gao was his senior, Li Xuan's bow was normal.

"Hm? Xuan Ge'er? Why are you here? When did you arrive? How come I didn't hear you?" Lou Gao was startled by Li Xuan, turned around with a surprised smile and asked.

Perhaps he had been concentrating on Si Long's lecture, trying to find Si Long's issues, and thus didn't notice the surrounding sounds; otherwise, with Lou Gao's Soul Saint Realm cultivation, he couldn't have missed Li Xuan's entrance and would not have been startled.

"Elder Lou, it's been half a year since the auction, and the space in Ladi Canyon is almost finished. I've come especially to invite you to Ladi Canyon to help me forge the Heaven-Shaking Cannon," Li Xuan bowed deeply to Lou Gao and said earnestly.

Lou Gao's eyes lit up upon hearing Li Xuan's words.

Even today, Lou Gao can still picture the blueprint that haunts his thoughts, though it is a fragmentary one.

That blueprint records many things he doesn't know; if he could obtain the complete set, his forging skill could be elevated once more.

The Heaven-Shaking Cannon is not a Soul Guide Device but a magical artifact!

The manufacturing method of Soul Guide Devices, whether in material or forging technique, cannot match the systematic methods for creating magical artifacts, so Li Xuan believes Lou Gao can gain more.

"Xuan Ge'er, since we're setting out, could you show me the full set of blueprints?" Lou Gao thought for a moment then asked Li Xuan, eager to see them because they are so enticing.

"That's no problem at all," Li Xuan gladly complied, retrieving the Purple Gold Box containing the full set of Heaven-Shaking Cannon blueprints from the Heaven-Grasp Bottle's space and handing it to Lou Gao.

Lou Gao carefully took the Purple Gold Box from Li Xuan's hand, opened it, and found stacks of blueprints inside.

Looking at the blueprints, Lou Gao was overjoyed; with enough of them, he could grasp the characteristics of this forging method, just like the armor and weapons Li Xuan had produced.

Lou Gao carefully took a single blueprint from the Purple Gold Box, slowly unfolded it, and examined it closely.

Li Xuan and Bang Chui stood nearby, quietly waiting for Lou Gao to inspect the blueprint.

Lou Gao pulled out a blueprint of a Third-rank Zhentian Cannon, essentially an introductory Heaven-Shaking Cannon blueprint.

The more Lou Gao looked, the more excited he became; his complexion flushed with excitement, and his expression of obsession deepened.

"It can even process Leijing Stone like this! Amazing, it's beyond comprehension!" Lou Gao exclaimed, clutching the blueprint and dancing, clearly finding it immensely helpful.

"Brother, is this uncle a fool?" Bang Chui shrank back fearfully and asked Li Xuan.

"Of course not. Don't be rude; call him 'Grandpa Lou' later," Li Xuan said with a smile, soothing Bang Chui.

"Alright," Bang Chui nodded, yet still looked at Lou Gao fearfully.

After a moment, Lou Gao realized Li Xuan was still there, stopped his frantic dancing, swiftly shoved the blueprint back into the Purple Gold Box, and slammed it down hard.

"Xuan Ge'er, this blueprint is truly valuable, and I agree to go to your domain to forge this item, but I need to pack some things, discuss a few matters with Si Long, and then set out; it will take about five days," Lou Gao lowered his eyes, furrowed his brows, calculated, and gave Li Xuan a timeframe.

"That's no problem. While you pack these days, I'll procure supplies from nearby towns, and after five days I'll come to Gengxin City to pick you up," Li Xuan said after a moment.

"No problem, five days is enough to settle matters at the Blacksmith Guild," Lou Gao nodded, his gaze fixed tightly on the Purple Gold Box in Li Xuan's hand.

However, Lou Gao also knew that the Blacksmith Guild, to other major powers, is riddled with holes and holds no secrets; indeed, if he forged a divine artifact, the first to know would not be his disciples but them.

"Then, Elder Lou, I shall take my leave," Li Xuan said, nodding after hearing Lou Gao's words. With Lou Gao now agreeing to go to Ladi Canyon, the main goal of this outing was accomplished, and the next step was procuring supplies.

However, this time Li Xuan didn't intend to acquire every supply; getting Lou Gao back to Ladi Canyon was more important, so he would purchase as much as he could, and after sending Lou Gao back, he could simply go out again if needed.

"Xuan Ge'er, see you in five days!" Lou Gao said, clasping his fists to Li Xuan.

After speaking, Lou Gao didn't attend to Li Xuan and began packing his belongings inside the Blacksmith Guild.

Seeing Lou Gao already in motion, Li Xuan nodded, then left the Blacksmith Guild with Bang Chui.

"Brother, the smell of metal here is unbearable..." After leaving the Blacksmith Guild, Bang Chui whispered to Li Xuan. "Haha, most of the land in Ladi Canyon will later be used to grow herbs and crops; you should like that smell," Li Xuan said with a smile.

"Mm, I like the scent of plants," Bang Chui replied, nodding.

"Alright, besides bringing Lou Gao back, we also need to purchase supplies from several nearby towns. Ladi Canyon has begun constructing surface buildings, so more building material is needed, and we must also acquire a batch of slaves..." Li Xuan muttered, rubbing his chin.

"Mm, Bang Chui will help you," Bang Chui said earnestly to Li Xuan.

"Then, let's go," Li Xuan replied with a smile, and the two rode the carriage out of Gengxin City.

…

Five days later, Li Xuan and Bangchui returned to Gengxin City.

During those five days, Li Xuan purchased all the supplies on the list from the eight nearby towns around Gengxin City, but some supplies were not available in the nearby towns, so he must wait until Lou Gao is sent back to Ladi Canyon before going out to buy them again.

Li Xuan made a rough estimate and found that this time he only managed to purchase half of the items on the list.

There was nothing he could do; the towns near Gengxin City are all relatively small, so supplies are somewhat scarce, and many precious building materials are unheard of by the locals.

However, there was another gain: Li Xuan bought a full 1,800 strong and robust slaves, all gathered from the labor force of the nearby towns, which is exactly the kind of manpower lacking in Ladi Canyon.

Li Xuan discovered that buying slaves in small towns in small batches repeatedly is far more convenient than purchasing large numbers at once in a big city, and it also draws less attention, so if Li Xuan wants to procure supplies again, he can go to the small towns.

Today is the day Li Xuan and Lou Gao had arranged; Lou Gao was already waiting for Li Xuan early in the Blacksmith Guild.

At this moment, waiting for Li Xuan besides Lou Gao were his two or four apprentices; Li Xuan knows Si Long and Si Yu, the older of the remaining two should be Sidi, and the last young apprentice should be Sikai.

"Lou Lao, how's the stuff being packed?" Li Xuan asked Lou Gao.

"It's all packed. Besides me, I also want to take my apprentices Sidi and Si Yu with me to your Ladi Canyon," Lou Gao said, pointing to the two apprentices behind him, and then spoke to Li Xuan.

"Naturally, you are warmly welcomed. Rest assured, Lou Lao, I've already arranged an excellent forge for you, and you can bring all four apprentices along," Li Xuan said with a smile, nodding at Lou Gao. Lou Gao's apprentices are all bona fide master-level blacksmiths, which will greatly aid the forging of the Heaven-Shaking Cannon, and there are many forging sites within the Fentian Twelve Pavilions, so Li Xuan can fully provide them with superb forging conditions.

"You youngster are quite greedy, Si Long also needs the daily matters of the Blacksmith Guild, Sikai is responsible for liaising with those blacksmiths, and Gengxin City cannot do without them," Lou Gao said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Time is tight, Lou Lao, let's set off," Li Xuan said to Lou Gao.

Lou Gao nodded, then left this place together with Li Xuan, and Sidi and Sikai followed Lou Gao downstairs.

Lou Gao didn't intend anyone to know he had left the Blacksmith Guild, so he slipped away quietly.

However, as the continent's only reliable Divine Blacksmith, Lou Gao's departure from the Blacksmith Guild shouldn't stay hidden.

Li Xuan also quickly led Lou Gao, Sidi, and Si Yu away from Gengxin City.

After leaving Gengxin City, Li Xuan immediately switched to two horses with a hundred years of cultivation, spurred them forward, and in just one day rode back from Gengxin City to Ladi Canyon.

When they arrived at Ladi Canyon it was already night; entering the Fentian Tower at that hour would be too late and too arduous.

Therefore Li Xuan, Lou Gao, and the others stayed at a temporary camp outside Ladi Canyon.

"Lou Lao, let's rest here for the night. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to see the forging site I've prepared for you," Li Xuan said with a smile to Lou Gao.

"Fine, rest today, recuperate, and tomorrow we'll start working overtime," Lou Gao said, looking at Li Xuan and smiling brightly.

"By the way, Xuan Ge'er, it's already on your turf; you can show me the Blueprint now, right?" Lou Gao suddenly said to Li Xuan.

"Of course," Li Xuan replied without any hesitation, taking the entire Purple Gold Box out of the Zhang Tian Bottle's space and placing it into Lou Gao's hands.

Lou Gao's eyes widened with excitement.

"Xuan Ge'er, we'll head back to rest now; see you tomorrow," Lou Gao said, hurriedly leaving Li Xuan's room with his two apprentices, disappearing to wherever they would study the Blueprint.

"Lou Lao, get some rest early," Li Xuan said, smiling at Lou Gao's demeanor; he didn't mind, as Li Xuan liked such simple-hearted craftsmen like Lou Gao, who have no ulterior motives and are easy to communicate with. (End of chapter)