"Shikizaki! Long time no see!"

Suddenly, Qingdeng heard a loud shout from behind him.

Following the sound, six young men with strong physiques and sturdy backs were walking straight towards them.

In this feudal era with underdeveloped productivity, it was not easy for farmers to maintain such a body.

It can be seen that the living standard of "Blacksmith Village" is extremely high, far better than that of ordinary rural areas.

Looking at this group of strong men who suddenly appeared, Shikisaki Jiyori immediately put on a warm smile.

"Eitaro! We haven't seen each other for a long time. You seem to have gained a little weight."

The strong man who was called "Eitaro" - he was the one who called out "Long time no see" just now - chuckled:

"I can't help it. Who asked me to marry a good woman who is good at cooking? Shikizaki, are these two our employers?"

Eitaro said, turning to look at the master and apprentice.

Shikisaki Jiyose nodded lightly:

"That's right. Tachibana...Mr. Tachibana, Boss Kiryu, this is Eitaro, one of the top blacksmiths in the 'Blacksmith Village', especially good at forging knives."

When setting off today, Qingden specifically told Shikizaki Jiyue not to reveal his true identity casually.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Qingdeng wanted to hide his whereabouts as much as possible.

Therefore, just before he spoke, Shikizaki urgently changed his title from "General Tachibana" to "Mr. Tachibana".

As soon as Shikizaki Shiki finished speaking, Eitaro looked at the master and apprentice with a respectful expression, and bowed in a solemn manner:

"Mr. Tachibana, Mr. Kiryu, it's our first time meeting you! Your Excellency, Eitaro, I'm honored to meet you today. I hope you can give me your advice!"

Qingdeng nodded lightly and responded in a calm tone.

After both parties briefly introduced themselves, Eitarō looked at Shikizaki Shiyō again.

"Shikizaki, let's talk about the topic. What are you trying to forge this time? You actually invited this 'Zhurong Furnace' that has been dusty for a long time."

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at the huge furnace, with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

Shikizaki Jiyō chuckled a few times, half proudly, half excitedly:

"Eitaro, our job this time is incredible - we will use 'Wanren Steel' to reforge the blade of a precious sword!"

As soon as he said this, Eitaro and the other companions around him all looked surprised.

"'Wan Liangang'?!"

Yingtaro screamed out in surprise, and then asked impatiently:

"Is it the 'Wan Liangang' I know?"

Shikisaki Jiyori nodded vigorously:

"That's right! It's the legendary 'Wan Liangang'! And it's of extremely high quality!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Qingdeng.

Qingtou immediately understood what it meant, took out the tightly wrapped "Wan Lian Gang" from his arms, and unwrapped it - the cold yet soft black luster illuminated the faces of Eitaro and others

.

Instantly, as if being sucked into a black hole, Eitaro and the others were staring straight at the black steel in Qingdeng's hand, their eyes wide open, their bodies leaning forward, not even daring to blink more, their faces

His expression was dominated by intense shock.

They are all blacksmiths who are skilled in forging.

Therefore, they can tell whether the steel is good or bad with just one glance.

"Good steel...really good steel!"

Eitaro murmured, a look of intoxication appeared in the depths of his eyes.

"I never thought that a country man like me would be lucky enough to see such fine steel!"

"Using 'Wan Lian Steel' to forge swords... Then you really need to activate the 'Zhu Rong Furnace'..."

Eitarou raised his head as he spoke, looking at the huge furnace in front of him with mixed emotions.

"Shikizaki, after learning that you gave up being a swordsmith, I thought that this furnace would never be restarted."

Shikisaki Jiyose shrugged:

"To be honest, I have indeed made up my mind to retire and let my name as a swordsmith fade into ancient history along with this furnace."

"But... who made our employer give us too much?"

After saying this in a half-joking tone, Shikizaki Jiyue changed to a serious tone:

"Okay, let's stop with the greetings and chatting.

"Now, business matters!"

"Everyone, I'm so incompetent that I have to ask for your help again!"

Yingtaro grinned and smiled freely:

"No problem, as long as you are paid enough, we will work hard without complaint!"

Shikisaki Ji sent a stall:

"Have I ever wronged you?"

He and Eitaro looked at each other and smiled.

"Eitaro, pour the coal!"

Following Shikisaki Jiyue's order, Eitarō shouted with great momentum:

"Brothers, let's go!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh!"

At this moment, the atmosphere of the scene changed.

The scene, which until just now had been a bit desolate due to the cold wind, was now filled with a warm atmosphere, as if even the temperature had risen several degrees.

Under Eitaro's personal leadership, they trotted toward the cellar not far away, pushed open the cellar door, and took out sacks one after another.

I saw them turning around and running towards the "Zhu Rong Furnace" with a sack in each hand, then untied the bag and poured the contents into the furnace.

Looking closely, the contents in the bag were black lumps - coal.

After pouring out the coal in their hands, Eitaro and others turned back to the cellar and took out new coal - and so on.

Bag after bag of coal was poured into the furnace with a "crash", and gray coal dust floated everywhere.

According to what Shikizaki Shiyuki just said, every time the "Zurong Furnace" is lit, at least 1,000 coals (3.75 tons) are used.

Nearly 4 tons of coal...both its cost and the physical effort required to transport this huge amount of coal are jaw-dropping.

Fortunately, Eitaro and others are all strong men with no shortage of physical strength.

The half-meter-long and wide hemp bags were as easy to hold in their hands as light bulbs.

Without pause or rest, they poured coal into the furnace in an orderly manner.

About half an hour later, Shikisaki glanced at the coal pile in the furnace, and then issued a new command loudly:

"ignition!"

In the blink of an eye, Eitaro picked up a burning torch and stuffed it into the furnace——

call!

A raging fire burst into flames.

Black, choking smoke drifted outwards, straight into the sky.

The next moment the flames ignited, Shikisaki Jiyose's third instruction came:

"The wind rises!"

Eitarou and the others responded in agreement, taking off their clothes one after another until only a piece of crotch cloth was left, revealing their strong flesh, and then stood on the pedals on both sides of the bellows with a huff.

There is a thick rope hanging from the top of the pedal.

Eitaro and the others raised their hands, grasped the thick rope tightly, and used it to use their strength to step on the pedal.

Step down on this side, lift up on that side; step down on that side, lift up here... In this way, press and step on the pedal repeatedly like playing on a seesaw.

Under the repeated blowing of the bellows, wisps of new air are poured into the furnace to help increase the fire.

The orange-red flame "hooked" and jumped straight up.

In the blink of an eye, the smoke condensed into black clouds, and the fire swelled into a sea of ​​flames.

The fire produced by nearly 4 tons of coal... is really like Zhu Rong coming to the world!

"Zhu Rong Furnace" is well-deserved!

A surging heat wave hit his face. Although he was far away, Qingden felt that his eyebrows were almost burnt.

The fire soared into the sky, illuminating everything around it.

Looking up and around, everything he could see was distorted by the heat wave into an illusory and uncertain state.

Even if you use all the words in the world, you can't accurately summarize the shock Qingdeng felt at this moment.

From just now, Shikizaki Shiyose has been giving out step-by-step instructions in an orderly manner.

The engraved image of him looks very much like a general commanding thousands of troops!

The general commands the troops and horses, while he commands the wind and fire!
To be continued...