Chapter 289

Speaking of Wuchang City, one cannot leave out the Prince of Wuchang's Mansion.

Its predecessor was originally the separate palace of the King of Chu. During the previous dynasty, the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom invaded the south and destroyed it in the flames of war. It was rebuilt during the Great Xuan Dynasty.

Located in the north of Wuchang City, it occupies a small half of Wuchang City.

Li Yan held an umbrella and passed through the streets and alleys, and soon saw this Prince's Mansion. The city wall was built of giant stones and painted with white lime, standing majestically in the rain, with great momentum.

The vermilion gate of the Prince's Mansion was tightly closed, the copper door nails were bright as gold, and the light was dazzling. Through the city wall, one could see the towering green trees inside, and the flying eaves and bucket arches were hidden among them. Raindrops fell on the tiles, like bright pearls splashing jade.

This Prince's Mansion clearly had a military fortress style.

In front of the Prince's Mansion, there was a wide horizontal street, and a vertical road leading directly to the city gate. If necessary, a large cavalry could be sent directly.

Of course, Li Yan already knew some things on the road.

Because the location of Wuchang City is important, such a scale of Prince's Mansion was also specially supervised and built by the Great Xuan imperial court to guard this important waterway connecting the north and south.

Cooperating with the garrison troops of the three cities, it just formed a horn.

Therefore, the position of the Prince of Wuchang is also very critical, usually trusted by the imperial family. For example, the current Prince of Wuchang is the son of the uncle of the current Great Xuan Emperor.

Not only that, around the Prince of Wuchang's Mansion, there were a large number of separate courtyards and workshops, which increased with the ocean trade.

It can be said that the livelihood of most of the common people in Wuchang City is more or less related to the Prince of Wuchang's Mansion.

At the gate of the Prince's Mansion, there were also many soldiers patrolling.

Now it is an eventful time, and they are clearly very vigilant.

Li Yan naturally wouldn't approach at will, but turned a corner, turned into a nearby street alley, and after asking a few passersby, came to a small courtyard.

The small courtyard was also the property of the Prince's Mansion, originally for the managers of the Prince's Mansion to live in. The area was not large, but it was built exquisitely, with white walls and black tiles, towering horse-head walls standing, and the windows were also high-quality brick and stone carvings.

Knock, knock, knock!

After Li Yan knocked on the door, a sturdy man immediately opened the door, and his mouth was full of Guanzhong accent. "Who are you?"

"I am Li Yan from Guanzhong."

Li Yan carried the gift in one hand, took out the visiting card from his bosom with the other, and Wu Honglin's letter. "I came here today to visit Master Yuan."

"Hmm, wait a moment."

The man took the letter and turned to enter the courtyard.

But soon, an old voice came from inside, full of disgust. "Li Yan? Tell him to get lost!"

Li Yan frowned and, without any politeness, pushed the door and entered directly, immediately seeing an old man squatting on the steps smoking a dry pipe.

"Humph, no rules!"

Seeing him enter the door, the old man flashed a trace of vigilance in his eyes and scolded angrily: "This is the Prince of Wuchang's Mansion separate courtyard, you are not allowed to be presumptuous!"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "Do I have a grudge against the senior?"

The old man hummed twice. "Xiong Baodong has grace to me."

Li Yan understood immediately and nodded. "Since that's the case, goodbye."

After saying this, he took his visiting card and letter, and without looking back, left the separate courtyard.

Walking in the martial world, not everyone will look at you favorably.

You will make friends, and naturally you will accumulate enemies.

This old man looked stubborn, perhaps he wouldn't avenge Xiong Baodong, but he certainly wouldn't cooperate with him.

After going out, Li Yan didn't care and opened his umbrella to continue looking for the next one.

In today's Wuchang City, there is really no shortage of Mystic Sect craftsman masters.

He didn't hesitate and went directly to find that Master Zheng from the Beijing Blacksmith Camp. Although the other party's price was expensive, the craftsmanship was definitely no problem, and he was well-informed.

What Li Yan wanted to forge was not just firearms.

There were also the earth dragon scales obtained from Qinglong Mountain, which also had to be made into a few sets of leather armor. Even if it cost more money, it couldn't be ruined.

But when he arrived at Master Zheng's door, before he even got close, he frowned tightly.

In the hazy light rain, many people were already waiting at the door, all carrying valuable gifts, including merchants and people from the martial world.

"Next!"

With the disciple's shout from the courtyard, a merchant nodded and bowed and walked in. Soon, bursts of flattery came from inside.

Li Yan was puzzled and hurriedly found a merchant at the end of the line and asked in a low voice: "Old brother, why are there so many people?"

"You don't know yet?"

The merchant raised his eyebrows and said in a low voice: "Master Zheng has exquisite craftsmanship and extensive connections. He has been appointed by the Prince to fully supervise the construction of new warships for the merchant fleet."

"This is a big project, and the spiritual materials required are counted in huge amounts. Not to mention us merchants, even many craftsmen in the city want to find a job under him."

"I see you are a person from the martial world, brother. You want to ask Master Zheng to forge weapons, right? Give up this idea as soon as possible. He can't take care of it at all, and even his disciples don't have time."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

A flash of disappointment flashed in Li Yan's eyes, and he turned and left.

The new warships of the Chamber of Commerce are to deal with those terrifying evil objects in the sea, and even Baotong Zen Temple and some Dharma lineages have to participate.

In the eyes of the other party, his job probably wouldn't even count as fly meat, and they wouldn't take it at all.

Next, he looked for a few more.

Unfortunately, these Mystic Sect craftsman masters had all run to Master Zheng's place to listen to his orders.

Supervising such a level of warship not only had generous rewards, but also could accumulate experience during the construction process.

Even these craftsman masters were unwilling to give up.

Of course, Li Yan also heard a piece of news.

That Master Lu from Zezhou Prefecture also had powerful craftsmanship, but he and Master Zheng couldn't look at each other, so he was excluded from the team.

At this moment, he was packing his things, preparing to return home.

Hearing this, Li Yan hurriedly quickened his pace.

When he arrived outside the separate courtyard where Master Lu was, sure enough, there were several disciples inside packing things, and there were two donkey carts at the door, piled full of various sundries.

Li Yan hurriedly stepped forward and presented the visiting card. "I am Li Yan from Guanzhong, specifically here to visit Master Lu."

"Please wait a moment."

The other party's disciple was quite polite. After taking the visiting card, he hurried into the residence.

It could be seen that the Prince of Wuchang also valued this Master Lu very much. He arranged a two-entry separate courtyard with a small garden inside.

In the garden pavilion, two people were sitting opposite each other drinking.

One of the old men was over fifty, with a sturdy figure, a dark face, wrinkles like anvil patterns, hair like messy grass, tied behind his head.

He was wearing short coarse cloth clothes, revealing knotted muscles. The most eye-catching thing was the huge wine-red nose. It was early in the morning, but he was already drunk and hazy.

Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, dressed as a merchant, but the color and style were very low-key.

After taking the visiting card sent by the disciple, the wine-smelling Master Lu flipped through it a few times. "Li Yan from Guanzhong, tell someone, the old man is leaving, ask him to find someone else..."

"Wait!"

The middle-aged man opposite heard this, and a flash of essence flashed in his eyes. He said in a low voice: "Senior Lu, I have heard of this Li Yan. That matter is probably going to fall on this person."

Saying this, he whispered a few words.

"Oh?"

After hearing this, Master Lu thought thoughtfully and said to the disciple: "Invite him in."

Soon, Li Yan carried the gift into the door and bowed respectfully. "I am Li Yan, I have met Master Lu."

During the conversation, he glanced at the man opposite without a trace. This Master Lu is a Mystic Sect craftsman, and there is a flow of Gang Sha energy on his body, which is not surprising at all.

But the man opposite gave him a very strange feeling.

The other party also had Gang Sha energy, but it carried a cold and solemn feeling, icy to the bone.

He had seen this kind of aura before; it was the same taste as the disciples of the Doumu Academy on Mount Taibai, who practiced Dharma methods related to star evil.

Not only that, the other party's eyes seemed very strange. Although calm, they seemed to be able to see through many things.

Instinctively, it made people raise their guard.

Master Lu spoke with a rich Jinzhou accent. "Since you are a fellow in the martial world, just right, sit down and have two drinks."

"Thank you, Senior."

After Li Yan sat down, just as he was about to speak, this Master Lu, who was full of alcohol, raised his hand. "Heaven and earth are big, drinking is the biggest."

"Come, the old man will drink first!"

!.

After saying this, he picked up the wine bowl in front of him and drank it in one gulp.

And the man opposite had already picked up the wine jar and poured him a bowl.

Good fellow!

Sure enough, he is a complete drunkard.

Li Yan had no choice but to pick up the wine bowl and drink it in one gulp.

The wine was fragrant and pure, and it was soft when it entered his mouth.

"Good wine!"

Li Yan praised: "I didn't expect that in this Wuchang City, I could drink such good Fen wine with years."

"Hehe, you know the goods!"

A smile appeared on Master Lu's face, and he pointed to the man opposite. "Without this mouthful, the old man wouldn't want to leave Jinzhou at all. If it weren't for this kid promising enough wine, the old man wouldn't come to suffer this grievance!"

Saying this, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn, the old thing has eyes but doesn't know Mount Tai!"

Li Yan knew that the other party was scolding Master Zheng.

He was too lazy to talk about these things and said directly: "To tell the truth, I came here this time to ask the Master to take action on a big job."

"Big job?"

Old man Lu curled his lips. "There are too many big jobs. Tell me, how big can it be?"

Li Yan said: "I want to ask the Master to help forge some Dharma artifacts, but keep your mouth tight and don't leak it out."

As he spoke, he took out a booklet from his bosom and handed it over.

The booklet was completely a cover, which he found from the Chamber of Commerce temporarily. The outside was a hard shell, and the inside was what he wanted to forge.

Earth dragon skin scale armor, firearms, and weapons for Lu San and Sha Lifei. As for him, he needed to re-refine the Soul-Severing Blade.

All items needed to be refined with top-grade spiritual materials. They collected them all the way, and they were all placed in the Tian residence in Hanyang at this moment.

"Hmm?"

Seeing the earth dragon skin and those Dharma artifacts, this Master Lu didn't care at all, but when he saw the new firearm, he immediately closed the booklet, handed it directly to Li Yan, and shook his head: "Can't do it!"

"You kid is bold enough. And even if the old man is willing, I don't know how."

Li Yan glanced at the middle-aged man opposite without a trace.

"Don't worry about him."

Master Lu shook his head. "This kid is also a disciple of a branch of the Mystic Sect orthodox religion, doing business with the old man, and won't talk nonsense."

Li Yan hesitated for a moment and said: "We have secret method drawings. If the Master agrees, we can offer them with both hands."

This was his trump card to persuade the other party.

New firearms will definitely become a trend in the future, but few people know how to make them.

But any craftsman would probably be unable to resist the temptation.

Sure enough, Master Lu came to his spirit after hearing this. "You really have it? Don't lie to the old man!"

"Naturally, I won't deceive you."

Li Yan said solemnly: "It's just that there are many secret methods in it. I don't know if the Master is proficient?"

This was the reason why they were looking for experts.

The "Thunder Fire Sutra" clearly stated how to make new firearms, but how to configure materials and how to master the timing of the fire were all professional terms he had never heard of.

Sha Lifei was confused after reading it, and several techniques in it required practice from childhood to master, so he could only ask an insider.

Master Lu was not angry after hearing this, but instead became interested. "Tell me, what secret methods are needed?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "Gang Sha steel clamping method, inner carving method, open fire opening method..."

He said a few casually, and Master Lu's face also became serious. "It seems you really have it."

After saying this, he shook his head: "To tell the truth, the old man naturally knows these secret methods."

"But what the old man does will definitely not be ordinary tools. If you rely on the power of the treasure, you will cause a lot of karma, and it might implicate the old man. The risk is too great."

Li Yan smiled: "Senior, please rest assured. The imperial court has already opened up some quotas, and I am sure I can get them."

"And in the future, this thing will inevitably spread. If you can master the refining method in advance, you can be one step ahead of others."

"If I'm not mistaken, other craftsman masters staying in Wuchang, by supervising the construction of treasure ships, will definitely master this method."

As soon as these words came out, Master Lu's face became ugly.

He originally stayed because he wanted to participate, but now he was excluded, so he was naturally unhappy in his heart.

Thinking of this, Master Lu said coldly: "Kid, don't provoke me. It's okay to agree to you, but there is a condition."

"Hu Ming, the old man can't explain it clearly, you talk to him!"

Li Yan turned his head to look at the black-clothed middle-aged man upon hearing this.

This man smiled and bowed: "I am Hu Ming, a lay disciple of the Doumu Academy, staying at the Jade Emperor Temple in Zezhou, considered a fire-dwelling Daoist."

Jade Emperor Temple?

Li Yan suddenly realized.

He had heard Yu Linzi mention the Jade Emperor Temple. It not only enshrined the Jade Emperor but also the Three Enclosures, Four Saints, and Twenty-Eight Constellations.

The temple is proficient in calendar, observing celestial phenomena, and art calculation.

It is a branch of the Doumu Academy of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Religion, but it mainly believes in the Jade Emperor. There are many lay branches on the outside, proficient in art calculation, and quite famous in the Gold Gate of the martial world.

It seems that this person is also practicing by drawing star evil.

Thinking of this, Li Yan smiled and bowed: "So it is a fellow Daoist from the Jade Emperor Temple. Why did you take off your Daoist robe and wear merchant clothes?"

Hu Ming shook his head: "To tell the truth, I passed by Mount Taibai on the way and learned of the fellow Daoist's name. I didn't expect that when I arrived in Ezhou, the fellow Daoist was already famous everywhere."

Saying this, he said helplessly: "It's all because of those masters on Mount Taibai. Once the star-gazing platform was built, everyone was jealous, so I had to take off my Daoist robe and join the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce to raise money everywhere."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan almost laughed out loud.

Who wouldn't be poor for a while if they built that star-gazing platform.

Of course, these things have nothing to do with him. Li Yan asked again: "What conditions do you two have? Might as well say it, let's see if I can do it."

Hu Ming's expression became serious: "We want a treasure in the Prince of Wuchang's treasure house..."

(End of chapter)