Chương 126: Idle Affairs

Steel ball bearings? Springs? Iron wheels? Hearing the Great Chieftain 'Impermanence' request the forging of these items, the blacksmiths felt as if their heads were lost in a fog. This... The men of the Forging Camp exchanged confused glances. Could it be that this Lord Impermanence is eccentric and is just looking for an excuse to snap the necks of us non-combatant weaklings?!

One man, seemingly the leader of the blacksmiths, suppressed his anxiety, stepped forward, and asked in a trembling voice:"Chieftain, could you perhaps describe it in more detail for us?" This stumped Grandee Song. Song Que had just been asking them to forge steel carriage axles. However, he wasn't entirely clear on all the specific details; he could only vaguely explain a few of the principles. If you give me a car, I only know how to drive it!

Asking me about its internal mechanics is just asking for trouble, isn't it?! I'm not Tony Stark! With his novice-level understanding of mechanics, how could he provide a more detailed explanation? He could only brace himself, grab a pen and paper, sketch out a rough model, and vaguely explain the operating principles. The rest would have to be left to these men to figure out themselves. Knowing he was making things difficult for them, Grandee Song didn't issue a strict order.

He merely instructed them to set aside some time to research and try building a prototype. If it works, great! If not, there's nothing to lose. I have plenty of time to find capable people later. Confirming that the Chieftain genuinely just wanted them to make something and wasn't there to find fault, the Forging Camp men finally set their hearts at ease. Once Grandee Song and Knife left, they huddled together to discuss the project.

As blacksmiths, being able to forge complex items was a challenging task, and they were all eager to try.... On the way back, Knife couldn't contain his curiosity and asked:"My Lord, what do you intend to do by building a steel carriage?" Song Que saw no need to hide it and replied:"I plan to personally establish a merchant convoy to trade with Lingjiang Commandery. But you know the road through here. An ordinary wooden carriage will be completely scrapped after a few trips.

Therefore, I want to try building a durable carriage that can carry more goods and is safer."

"So that's how it is. My Lord thinks far ahead."

"Mm, relying on banditry has no future. Since we have an advantage here, it would truly be a waste not to fully utilize it." Sighing, Grandee Song suddenly asked:"How is Buck-Toothed Su doing?"

"To answer My Lord, according to my investigation, this person isn't entirely evil. But wary of his considerable martial arts skill, this subordinate hasn't dared to release him arbitrarily; he is currently locked in the dungeon."

"As for the others from his stronghold who wished to surrender, they have all been released. Lord Horse Face has broken them up and integrated them into our stronghold's existing squads. There shouldn't be any major issues."

"Mm, that is good. Keep him locked up for a few days; it won't be too late to accept his surrender once the situation stabilizes. Also, find out how One-Eyed Dragon managed to get his hands on military crossbows. If possible, we should buy a few more."

"Ah... and send one of the crossbows to the Forging Camp to see if they can reverse-engineer it."

"Understood, Chieftain!" With the tasks completed, Song Que took a stroll around the stronghold, showing his face to familiarize the brothers and intimidate those harboring impure thoughts. Afterward, he returned to the mountain villa to study martial arts with Old Nie, Xiong Ba, and Li Xin. Four bald heads huddled together practicing martial arts... An outsider who didn't know better would think they had stumbled into a Buddhist temple!

When the night deepened, the three finally had the stronghold gates quietly opened and left secretly.... Returning to Plum Garden, Zhong Hong, who was still awake, hurried out to ask:"A'Que, where have you been these past two days? I heard from the servants that the three of you left in a hurry. Is everything alright?" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Hehe, Brother Hong! A bunch of weaklings tried to attack the Black Iron Stronghold, so Big Brother took the two of us to wipe them out! You should have seen it! I charged into the middle of the enemy's encirclement, striking left and right, beating them until they cried for their mothers and fathers!"

"Tsk tsk, that posture was no different from the heroes in the novels! Hehehe!" Before Song Que could answer, Li Xin—who was still boiling with excitement from participating in his first battle—couldn't hold back and shared the story. His mouth chattered away like a jumping shrimp as he recounted the events from beginning to end.

"There were no problems over there, right?" Zhong Hong asked with concern. Grandee Song smiled and nodded to reassure him:"It has been completely stabilized. We also took the opportunity to pacify this entire mountain range. There won't be any more incidents in the future."

"That's good then!"

"Brother Hong, were there any issues at home while I was away these two days?"

"Ah, just a small matter. I found several helpers the day before yesterday, and they moved into the Plum Garden yesterday. They are all honest and reliable people; you can use them with peace of mind."

"Also, Miss Tie has come looking for you a few times. She truly has fallen in love at first sight with you, Young Master Song!" Zhong Hong gave an ambiguous smile as he said this. Grandee Song felt a headache coming on and quickly changed the subject:"How did you handle the goods?" Speaking of this, Zhong Hong instantly became excited:"Everything has been sold! A'Que, I have to tell you, doing business is absolutely the right path! Do you know how much we made from one round trip to Yellow Leaf Town?"

"It's 500 taels! Even after deducting all expenses, it's 500 taels! If we make two trips a week, couldn't we easily earn four or five thousand taels a month?!" Looking at Zhong Hong's bright, shining eyes, Grandee Song smiled and shook his head:"Brother Hong, you can't calculate it like that. Yellow Leaf Town has a scarcity of supplies, which is why the goods we bring are valuable. But the market there is only so big. If we bring too much, the goods might stagnate and become unsellable.

Therefore, I believe making one trip a month is the most reasonable."

"Only once a month? Then aren't we unemployed now?" Song Que found it amusing:"Brother Hong, how can you not figure this out? Yellow Leaf Town isn't the only place around Qinghe County! There are three other towns and dozens of villages! Not to mention the massive market of Lingjiang Commandery! Don't worry, there will be plenty of work for you." Hearing this, Zhong Hong slapped his forehead in realization:"Look at this brain of mine! I couldn't even think of such a simple logic."

"Haha, alright. You should go back and rest, Brother Hong. In a few days, we'll assemble the merchant convoy again to head to the surrounding towns. I'll have Xiong Ba go with you to protect the convoy."

"Alright. A'Que, you must be tired from these past few days, I won't bother you anymore." Watching Zhong Hong leave, Song Que finally went to his room to wash up and rest.... Ever since the arrival of over ten new servants, the Plum Garden Mountain Villa finally gained some lively human presence. Several women gathered together from all over, naturally unable to endure loneliness. They gossiped all day, with an endless supply of topics to talk about.

Fortunately, they were considered honest and hardworking, so Grandee Song didn't restrict their 'entertainment life'. However, if Song Que knew that the subject of these aunties' discussions was the three of them... no matter how refined and polite Grandee Song was, he would undoubtedly have rewarded each of them with a hundred lashes! The thing was... The women, sweeping the manor early in the morning, heard noises coming from the courtyard, causing their faces to flush red and their imaginations to run wild......

Bang... Bang... Bang...

"Ah... ah... ah!"

"Xiong Ba, go lighter!"

"Hehe, I'm already trying my best to be gentle!"

"Your rod is too long, too big! I can't take it, go a little lighter... ah!" Bang... Bang...

"No, no! Don't hit there... ahh!"

"Hehehe..." Bang, bang... Bang!... These young masters... so full of youthful vigor and excess energy, they don't even know restraint! The 'battle' can be described as darkening the heavens and earth, the cries echoing endlessly like waves crashing against rocks! Listening to this, the sweeping women didn't know what to think, but their faces were flushed red, their limbs trembling with excitement, almost reaching a climax right then and there.

"Aunt He, are you already sweeping?" Seeing the new servants diligently cleaning, meticulously wiping an object until it shone like a mirror, Grandee Song was in a good mood and approached to greet them amiably.

"Ah! No... I don't know anything!!!" Startled from her daydreaming, Aunt He reflexively denied it. Only when she saw the person in front of her did her face turn crimson as she stuttered a greeting:"Young... Young Master!"

"Mm, Aunt He. What were you thinking about so intently?" Aunt He blushed and shook her head:"Nothing, Young Master! I was just having random thoughts." Having only greeted her in passing, Song Que didn't press the issue. He nodded, offered a few words of encouragement to the aunties, and quickly left. Only then did the group of aunties breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at the Young Master's retreating back—his sturdy figure, handsome face, and extraordinary stamina—they sighed sorrowfully. What a fine man...

what a pity!!! What a waste! They looked toward the courtyard where the sounds of the two people 'battling' were still echoing. It's all a waste! Such a squandering of heaven's gifts! If only... Sigh... there's no point in saying it.... The next few busy days passed, and the harvest for Song Que's trio was extremely abundant. Not to mention that they had all grasped the basics of the Thousand Hammer, Hundred Refined Art. Now, the skin and flesh on their bodies had thickened visibly.

The epidermis had begun to become sturdy and tough like cowhide. The price was that, aside from Xiong Ba who was already dark, the two Song brothers' skin had also become swarthy, taking on a metallic sheen. Their former handsome and elegant appearances were gone, who knew when they would return! Furthermore, having spent these past few days teaching the foolish bear the hammer technique, Song Que had gained significant insights after practicing it for so long.

When practiced to the extreme, this hammer technique actually embodied the conceptual intent of "lifting something heavy as if it were light"! It was countless times more profound than those cheap saber techniques he practiced! Since that's the case, why hesitate? Grandee Song immediately paid attention to practicing it. He could use it as a reference for his saber techniques in the future! Today, Xiong Ba had gone with Zhong Hong to escort goods.

Having free time, Song Que grabbed a newly bought pair of sledgehammers and practiced alone in the courtyard. Just as he was getting a feel for it, he heard a commotion in the distance. Frowning, he stopped and stepped out of the courtyard, only to see a servant running over to report:"Young Master, Miss Tie has come again! This time, she is determined to see you! She's causing a scene outside the manor gates! Please think of a solution quickly; Old Li won't be able to hold her off for much longer!"

Grandee Song's head throbbed. But hiding wasn't a solution. He gritted his teeth and went out to meet her.