Chapter 9: The Blacksmith Shop

The group arrived at the ruins of the dwelling.

The so-called ruins of the dwelling meant that this was a place where people once lived, but due to special reasons, it was eventually sealed off.

Upon entering, Liu Chengchao frowned.

"The dwelling ruins here seem to have also been sealed off by the great mountain."

It was very clear that this had once been a small village.

However, it was ultimately buried in the dust of history.

"The things here are all severely damaged; one can only see the general outline," Liu Chengchao said from the side.

It seemed that when the Wolf Guard was annihilated back then, boulders fell from the mountain, sealing this small village inside as well.

Wang Jiao asked from the side: "This village must have suffered an unprovoked disaster, right?"

Such a tiny village had almost no influence on the grand trends of history.

Just then, a man ran over with an excited look on his face: "Old Liu, some interesting things were discovered here."

"Oh?" Liu Chengchao was surprised.

Could it be that some cultural relics were discovered here?

If so, that would be an unexpected joy.

The group hurriedly followed the young man over.

Soon, a dilapidated ruin appeared before the others.

Wang Jiao immediately asked: "Old Liu, what was this ruin in the past?"

Old Liu bent down; on the ground were some rusted iron blocks and quite a few square-shaped stones.

"This should be a blacksmith shop," Liu Chengchao concluded after some thought.

"A blacksmith shop?" Wang Jiao was slightly stunned. "If I remember correctly, Old Liu once said that during the period when the Wolf Guard was annihilated, there was a blacksmith with the surname Hei who treated the external wounds of a military officer."

"Is there any connection between the blacksmith with the surname Hei, the blacksmith shop, and Heize?"

"This... it is impossible to draw a conclusion for the time being," Liu Chengchao shook his head.

The chain of evidence was too thin.

At this moment, Wang Jiao seemed to have seen something, and a look of surprise appeared on her face: "Old Liu, are there any characters on this?"

Everyone looked over.

They saw that there was a stone tablet in front, and traces of some characters could be vaguely seen on it.

Liu Chengchao and the others immediately performed a simple cleaning of the stone tablet.

They saw that quite a few characters were carved on the stone tablet.

The characters among them were all from the Dafeng Dynasty period.

They shared the same origin as the current Daxia characters, but there were slight differences in the details.

"Hei Clan Blacksmith Shop." Liu Chengchao's heart was shaken.

This surname Hei again?

Could it be that the two really have some connection?

"Hei Clan Blacksmith Shop?" A radiance appeared in Wang Jiao's beautiful eyes. "Could this Hei Clan Blacksmith Shop be related to Heize?"

Liu Chengchao did not answer immediately; his gaze remained on the stone tablet.

There were still some traces of characters on the back of the stone tablet.

It was currently being processed, and he could not see them clearly yet.

At this time, the stone tablet had been completely cleaned, and the final characters appeared before everyone.

Liu Chengchao looked at the last three characters: "Left by Liu Xiu."

Seeing the new discovery, Wang Jiao immediately asked: "Who is Liu Xiu?"

"There was a Liu Xiu in the Dafeng Dynasty who held the title of Gun King."

He was a Wuwei General and also the teacher of the Fengxing Emperor, who was the Crown Prince at the time.

The fact that Dafeng was able to block the Wolf Tribe back then had a lot to do with Liu Xiu.

Historical records state that Liu Xiu obtained the troop deployment of the Wolf Tribe from a disciple," Liu Chengchao said slowly.

At the same time, he was also somewhat shocked inside.

Now, the information that had appeared seemed to be able to be linked together.

Wang Jiao grasped a key piece of information: "Old Liu, who was this disciple of Liu Xiu?"

To be able to obtain the troop deployment of the Wolf Tribe, he certainly was no ordinary person.

"I don't know," Liu Chengchao shook his head. "Liu Xiu had a total of six disciples, the most famous of whom was the Fengxing Emperor."

"The other disciples all sacrificed themselves while resisting the Wolf Tribe invasion, and their names are unknown."

"Do you think it's possible that this Heize was a disciple of Liu Xiu?"

Suddenly, Wang Jiao's eyes lit up.

"This blacksmith shop belongs to Heize's family."

"Was he taken in as a disciple by Liu Xiu, and in the end, carrying Liu Xiu's secret order, he came here to resist the Wolf Guard?"

"Otherwise, why would a blacksmith shop on the border be worth Liu Xiu specifically sending a stone tablet?"

Liu Chengchao shook his head: "If that were the case, why did Heize not appear in the history books?"

"He defeated the most elite Wolf Guard and was also the junior fellow apprentice of the Fengxing Emperor."

"Most importantly, if he were a disciple of Liu Xiu, he would certainly have died in battle."

"Since he died in battle, he would not have been a threat to the throne, and the Fengxing Emperor would have had no need to cover up the news of Heize."

When Liu Chengchao said these words, he was also half-believing and half-doubting.

Because this matter was strange from the very beginning.

"Old Liu, it seems a ruin of a Life and Death Shrine has been discovered up ahead, and there are quite a few murals inside!"

"What?" Liu Chengchao was stunned.

He knew of the Life and Death Shrine.

Historically, those who achieved great merit would have a Life and Death Shrine built for them.

For example, during the Great Feng period, the Little Xian sent troops to surround Taiyuan, and according to the Little Xian's custom, they would surely slaughter the city once it was taken.

The Taiyuan garrison commander Zhong Daowen defended Taiyuan for three months without surrendering.

In the end, the Little Xian's troops retreated.

Taiyuan City then built a Life and Death Shrine to commemorate Zhong Daowen.

A Life and Death Shrine ruin has appeared here?

Could it have something to do with Heize?

(End of chapter)