Chapter 71: The Relatives Came Really Fast

In the afternoon, Shi Manqiang came by once more. Thanks to the patronage of Zhao Jin, Chen Sheng, Wang Zhaojing, Sun Dalei, and other friends from well-off families, his family's blacksmith shop had taken on a great deal of business. Though Xuzhou was in decline, their shop's fortunes had improved considerably. Shi Manqiang was always deeply grateful for this, and aside from maintaining their friendship, he was forever looking for something he could do for Zhao Jin and the others.

This visit was about forging iron armor. Cotton armor, mail armor, scale armor, and mountain-pattern armor used by the military were all forbidden for private civilians to forge; being caught meant a serious crime. But the bamboo armor Zhao Jin had designed, which resembled an iron barrel, did not fall under any of those categories, so a blacksmith shop could forge it.

Shi Manqiang and his father wanted to make a few sets to give away for free, but Zhao Jin refused, saying they could make them, but he would pay silver to buy them.

Moreover, the Shi family had also discovered that while weaving bamboo strips into protective gear was simple, forging iron armor according to those specifications was not easy at all. Many structural aspects were completely different, so they inevitably had to come and consult him again. Zhao Jin naturally told them everything he knew, but this time, what Zhao Jin described was not the bamboo armor, but the plate armor sets from his memory.

Plate armor, long spears, and square formations were complementary in Zhao Jin's memory. He remembered a friend explaining that in Europe, weapons workshops could mass-produce them, using water-powered machinery to manufacture the components of plate armor with great efficiency.

But after Zhao Jin explained all the requirements of plate armor to Shi Manqiang, Shi Manqiang was dumbfounded. He repeatedly said he would go back and think it over. The second time he came, his face was full of misery. It turned out that he and his father had calculated that for their blacksmith shop to forge a single set of such armor, it would take at least thirty days and cost no less than fifteen taels of silver. Such armor, let alone giving it away—even at fifteen taels a set, their own shop could not afford to produce it.

Shi Manqiang had thought he had made a fool of himself this time, but unexpectedly, Wang Zhaojing, Chen Sheng, and Sun Dalei were very interested in it. Both Wang Zhaojing and Sun Dalei said they wanted to buy a set. Chen Sheng could not come up with that much silver, but he was also very tempted.

Seeing this situation, Zhao Jin directly set the price for this suit of armor at twenty taels. He could not let the Shi family work for nothing. Twenty taels of silver was a huge sum for common folk, but for wealthy young men like Wang Zhaojing and Sun Dalei, who had ample funds at their disposal, it was simple enough. The very next day, they brought thirty taels of silver as a deposit. On the third day after Dong Bingfeng learned of this, he too brought silver from home.

Although Chen Sheng's family had money, they were not as extravagantly wealthy as the Wang and Dong families, and with his parents close by, he could not spend money recklessly like Sun Dalei. So he was hurriedly trying to find a way. It was said that his younger brother Chen Hong had already given him the five taels of silver he had saved.

What had originally been an awkward matter for the Shi family had, under these circumstances, actually turned into a money-making job. Earning five taels per suit of armor was big business for a blacksmith shop, not to mention this was for four suits all at once.

Shi Manqiang was grateful and thankful, but he also knew this was the trust of his friends. He dared not be the slightest bit careless. During the process of crafting the armor, he would come to consult whenever there was a problem. But Zhao Jin also only knew the general idea; many things still required discussion between the two of them. However, this research itself was also a pleasure.

The main body of the plate armor consisted of two iron plates, fastened over the chest and back. How these two iron plates connected—the two men discussed it for half the afternoon, drawing diagrams and gesturing on the ground. They finally decided to punch holes along the edges and use leather cords to connect the two plates, with separate shoulder guards to be added at the shoulders.

Normally, Zhao Jin and his friends would train until dark before dispersing, but today, with Mu Shulan at home, Zhao Jin constantly felt his mind wandering to her. So, an hour earlier than usual, he said goodbye to everyone and called it a day.

Everyone understood why Zhao Jin was going back early. They all smiled and said their farewells. A few of his closer friends even asked him to pass on their regards to Mu Shulan. And so, the group dispersed.

Carrying his long spear, he walked all the way home. That commercial street was desolate again. Anyone who had ever done business would not choose such a lifeless place. Although Xuzhou city was in decline, the Hubu Hill area was where officials and the wealthy gathered, and there were a few bustling streets there. With these thoughts in mind, Zhao Jin arrived back at his own home.

He set the long spear down in the courtyard, pushed the door open, and entered the house. He Cuihua poked her head out from the bedroom and asked, "Why are you back so early today?"

"Everyone agreed to end early. How is Xiaolan?" The clay teapot was wrapped in a cotton cozy, and the tea inside was not too cold. Zhao Jin poured some into a bowl, took a sip, and then asked.

He Cuihua walked out of the room, sighed, and said, "This afternoon, relatives from Xiaolan's family came and took her away."

Relatives took her away? So fast? The news of the Mu family's "relatives" was even more well-informed than he had imagined. Zhao Jin casually asked another question: "Did they take that bundle of silver money?"

"They left in a hurry, didn't take it."

"Mother, did you not mention it?"

"You rascal, what kind of person do you take your mother for, that I would covet such a small thing? That cousin-uncle from Xiaolan's family was in a great rush. I said I would go back and get it for them, but he said the family was waiting to see Xiaolan and to forget the silver for now. You know yourself, those people in Xiaolan's family aren't ordinary common folk..." He Cuihua rambled on.

He did not know when he would see her again. Zhao Jin set down his tea bowl, feeling somewhat melancholy.

Before the tea bowl even touched the table, Zhao Jin's body suddenly stiffened. Something was wrong!

The Mu family was not that extravagantly rich, and neither the White Lotus Sect nor the Smelling Incense Sect had that much money. Nearly two hundred taels of silver was not a small sum. How could the people who came to pick up Mu Shulan just say they didn't want it?

Last night, Mr. Mu had been murdered. Today, it was ruled a homicide by enemies. There would be no official pursuit or arrest. The Mu family's "friends and relatives"—those people from the White Lotus Sect or Smelling Incense Sect—had nothing to worry about or fear. Why had they come and gone in such a frantic hurry?

Since Mr. Mu was a regional leader of the Smelling Incense Sect, when he was killed last night, there was not a single subordinate by his side. He had been completely alone. When he died, no one cared for him, so how could someone come so quickly to inquire about a little girl not even twelve years old?

Thoughts raced through Zhao Jin's mind. The peddler he saw when he went out in the morning—peddlers often appeared around here, but not this early. And at noon, those people he saw on that perpetually deserted street—after being dead and silent for so long, how could there be merchants coming to look at shopfronts?

Everything was off! And he had not noticed!

"Mother, how long ago did they take Xiaolan away?" Zhao Jin asked urgently.

"Less than half an hour. It's almost time for dinner, what are you doing?" He Cuihua answered a couple of sentences, then saw Zhao Jin bolt out the door.

"Something urgent!" Zhao Jin shouted, grabbing his long spear in the courtyard and running out quickly. Less than half an hour—they probably had not gotten very far.

After charging out of the courtyard gate, Zhao Jin stopped before he had taken two running steps. The street in front of his door was cold and deserted. Where had Xiaolan gone? How was he supposed to find her? He had not a single clue.

The setting sun was already obscured by the city wall. The sky was full of afterglow, a brilliant sunset. Zhao Jin glanced at it, and an idea formed in his mind. The city gates closed an hour before dark. Now that the days were getting longer, the closing time had not yet been adjusted. If Mu Shulan had been taken away less than half an hour ago, they should not have been able to leave Xuzhou city yet.

After a moment's deliberation, Zhao Jin ran quickly toward the nearby Wang residence. Unlike the formal visit of the previous night, he simply greeted the gatekeeper and said he had something to discuss with Wang Zhaojing. The Wang family's gatekeeper knew this was a good friend of their young master and dared not be negligent, immediately going inside to announce him.

Before long, Wang Zhaojing, dressed in casual clothes, walked out, a puzzled expression on his face. Before he could speak, Zhao Jin pulled him aside and said in a low voice, "Go back and get your weapon. It's something urgent about Xiaolan."

Wang Zhaojing was taken aback. Seeing the seriousness with which Zhao Jin spoke, he asked no further questions. He turned and ran quickly back through the gate. Moments later, he came out swiftly, sword in hand.

"... I feel something is wrong. It might really be her family's relatives who came to get her, but I must see her with my own eyes to be at ease. Otherwise, regret will come too late..." Zhao Jin said in a deep voice on the way.

"Brother Zhao, how can just a few of us handle this kind of thing? I'll go back and ask my father to write a note to the yamen..." Upon hearing this, Wang Zhaojing immediately spoke up.

"No. You should have some idea of what Xiaolan's family does. We can only investigate this ourselves. If the yamen gets involved, there will be unnecessary trouble!" Zhao Jin cut him off decisively.

Wang Zhaojing paused, stopping in his tracks. Given the Wang family's power and information network, he had certainly heard something of Mu Shulan's background. Wang Zhaojing hesitated for only an instant, then immediately nodded and silently followed Zhao Jin.