Chapter 910

"Those who seek black iron are really determined; this thing hidden in the deep pool was actually dug out." Chen Wuji sighed, then asked, "Is there a lot of it?"

Chen Li lightly laughed, "Family Head, this certainly isn't abundant; if there were a lot, the clan would have certainly forged more than just a few knives back then."

"Indeed, it's something anyone could think of; I really shouldn't have asked that." Chen Wuji felt some regret, then persisted, asking, "If I were to purchase this on a large scale, could it be done?"

"It's hard!" Chen Li said.

"First, the black iron capable of forging divine weapons is extremely scarce; whenever a piece appears, it inevitably triggers large-scale conflict in the Rivers and Lakes. This thing counts as a great treasure there—a fist-sized piece of black iron inevitably brings a bloody storm, and many have lost family and home over it."

Chen Wuji instantly had an image in his mind.

Isn't this just a plot from martial arts novels?

"Once something gains the name of a great treasure, obtaining it becomes difficult." Chen Wuji muttered, but he still hadn't given up the idea of getting black iron.

The Chen family's heirloom Tetanus Blade helps in combat enormously; once you experience its advantage, ordinary weapons in hand instantly feel cheap.

"Shi Yi Shu, what do you think about sending people from Ciji Zhai to look for black iron?" Chen Wuji suddenly had an idea, muttering to himself.

Chen Li nodded, "That's indeed possible; the people of Ciji Zhai are spread across the four seas, other matters are hard to say, but their intelligence capability in the Rivers and Lakes is unquestionable—if anywhere has news of black iron, they'll surely know."

"Then it's settled." Chen Wuji immediately decided, "But where is Lao Kong? He's been out for so long, why hasn't he returned? We've talked this long; shouldn't we have finished by now?"

"I'll go check." Chen Li said helplessly.

Outside the Zhongjun Camp, the venerable grand master Kong Jianshi was like a student who had failed an exam, silently reviewing in the corner, reviewing the old to learn the new, checking if he had missed anything.

Originally he had made all preparations, but as he was about to enter the tent, he suddenly recalled Lord Lu San's final words; this sudden inspiration made him a bit uneasy again, so he squatted in the left-side corner of the tent to continue reviewing, just to be safe.

When Chen Li came out, he saw exactly such an odd scene that almost made him laugh and cry; he held back his laughter and asked aloud, "Mr. Kong, why are you squatting here?"

"After reflecting, I just realized today how terribly stupid I am." Kong Jianshi patted his butt and stood up; although he looked listless, his gray robe still bore an unrestrained, carefree air, hinting at a modest master's demeanor.

Chen Li forcibly suppressed the corner of his mouth, which twitched uncontrollably.

The little doubt he had in his heart is now completely gone.

This person.

Really, saying he's pretending is hard to believe.

"Come on, the Lord is waiting inside!" Chen Li said, laughing helplessly.

Kong Jianshi took a deep breath, raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, followed Chen Li back to the Zhongjun Camp; the moment he entered, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "My Lord, I seem to have made a mistake."

Chen Wuji stared, "Why do you say you seem to have made a mistake?"

After talking this long, how can it still be just a seeming mistake?!

"I probably got tricked by the Old Shopkeeper. The current situation of Ciji Zhai is absolutely wrong, but the Old Shopkeeper's instructions to me were too vague; I'm now unsure of his meaning, so I can only say 'seem.'" Kong Jianshi said, "Please forgive me, my Lord; I must consider the Old Shopkeeper's side."

"I understand your meaning; this was originally just a tug-of-war between me and my master; you actually just need to follow orders." Chen Wuji now considered he had laid it out completely.

From Kong Jianshi's meaning, Lord Lu San's intended words should have been mostly clarified as well.

"Please, my Lord, give me a few days; I need to meet the elders of Ciji Zhai's various mountains." Kong Jianshi said with clasped hands, "The personnel of Ciji Zhai's mountains and what they do—only the Old Shopkeeper and each mountain's elders have the list; Ciji Zhai has endured so many years thanks to its secrecy."

"I also have some people in my hand; I'll later write them down for you, my Lord. But those I hold are only a tiny fraction; their fundamental purpose is to coerce the mountains, essentially to surveil for the Old Shopkeeper. Originally going straight to the Old Shopkeeper for the list would have been easier, but I don't want to go there for now."

Chen Wuji's expression was calm, he slightly nodded, "This is also the issue you were just torn about, right?"

"Yes!"

"Do as you think; I'll inform my master by letter and clarify this matter." Chen Wuji said.

"Thank you, my Lord!"

"Don't rush to thank me yet." Chen Wuji raised his hand to interrupt Kong Jianshi, "I couldn't possibly accept all those people from Ciji Zhai wholesale; whether I take the list or not doesn't matter. But when you go, you need to bring some people over, hand them over on the spot, and handle any objections as you see fit."

Kong Jianshi fell silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Should we eradicate them completely?"

"Look at their behavior." Chen Wuji thought, then gave a relatively lenient condition, as a favor to Zhang Lao and Kong Jianshi, and also to avoid making things too ugly.

"The five divisions of Mountain Doctor Divination's mountains now have only three options: infantry, military medics, and spies; the first two go entirely into the respective units, while spies fall under Qin Zhanhong's command."

"Yes." Kong Jianshi nodded seriously, hesitated a moment, then asked, "My Lord, many of the elders in Ciji Zhai are grand masters; they're capable and extremely proud—how should we handle them?"

"They can join my retinue like you, becoming my retainers." Chen Wuji said, "For masters, naturally they deserve the treatment befitting masters; serving as offerings to my marquis estate shouldn't be considered a disgrace to them."

Although he currently doesn't even have the foundations of a marquis estate, such things will surely come someday.

"I understand, my Lord; I can set out tomorrow." Kong Jianshi said.

Chen Wuji nodded, "You handle the arrangements."

"Besides, don't worry about your relationship with my master; this matter actually has nothing to do with you—Zhang Lao had already prepared for this step from the start, otherwise he wouldn't have insisted on taking me as his disciple."

"It's just that the Old Master still harbors some feelings in his heart, which is why we have today's situation!"

Kong Jianshi's face finally showed some smiles, even appearing somewhat moved.

"Thank you, my Lord; this way I finally feel at ease in my heart." Kong Jianshi said sincerely.