Chapter 311: Chapter 129 Forging Iron and Blades! Refining Blade Qi!_2
The Mu Family father and son left temporarily, and a sense of calm returned to the room. Pei Yang leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples, sighing helplessly, “It truly is an eventful autumn. Two Chiliarchs died not long ago, my brother was tortured, and now Mu Jin has died… and it might have been done by one of our own. Recently, the rebels have been restless again.”
As the State Governor of Dafeng State, Pei Yang’s status was extremely high and, naturally, he had no lack of troublesome matters every day.
Then Pei Yang instructed Hong Zhenxiang, “Go immediately and ask Ye Lingfeng, Hai Xue, and the others to come see me! I have some questions for them!”
If Mu Jin was really killed by a martial artist of the Dafeng Iron Cavalry, it could only be those few. By eliminating those who have alibis, the list of suspects is much smaller. Questioning each one might yield some information.
Hong Zhenxiang nodded but paused for a moment, then said, “Is it possible that the one who killed Mu Jin isn’t one of our people? Maybe the perpetrator knew they had provoked the Mu Family and then came to the territory of the Dafeng Iron Cavalry seeking refuge!”
“That’s not impossible! Have someone check the list of recent recruits to the Dafeng Iron Cavalry, and pay close attention to those names!”
Hong Zhenxiang’s words made sense, Pei Yang added after a moment’s thought.
These past few days, the Dafeng Iron Cavalry had indeed been recruiting from outside, with over a thousand new members. Was the murderer among them? Although Pei Yang felt this was improbable.
A martial artist capable of killing Mu Jin would easily slip up in the strictly disciplined military camp, where daily rigorous training and constraints could reveal flaws!
As long as the Centurions kept an eye on the new recruits to see who stood out, who behaved oddly, who intentionally hid their skills, they might discover something!
“Have they left?”
Su Changkong naturally did not know the conversation between the Mu Family father and son and Pei Yang, but he felt the once restless Wood Snake Seal become calm again under the suppression of his True Qi, indicating the Mu Family people should have left the vicinity of the military camp.
“One cannot be too careful, but there’s no need for excessive worry. All I need to do is attend to my own matters well. So long as I don’t leave the camp, nothing will happen.”
Su Changkong was not entirely relaxed either; if the Mu Family decided to wait outside the camp, meeting them head-on would be troublesome if he left.
But this was not a problem. Su Changkong had no intention of stepping out of the military camp at all! He would only consider leaving once the Wood Snake Seal had completely disappeared. Until then, forging was his best recourse!
“Clang, clang, clang!”
With that thought, Su Changkong felt even more motivated, swinging the hammer and forging the iron in front of him, removing its impurities, refined into steel!
“I’ve been asked to keep an eye on this Su Tailai, as he could be the murderer of Mu Jin. But there’s nothing wrong with Su Tailai! A martial artist capable of killing Mu Jin would have to be outstanding in martial arts. How could such a skilled master possess this level of forging skill? I’m afraid the Casting Department couldn’t find a second one like him!”
In the following days, Geng Zheng, the head of the Casting Department, made frequent visits to the Forging Room, primarily to observe Su Changkong, with a frown hidden in his brow.
The Mu Family father and son, Mu Xin and Mu Xun, had come because of Mu Jin’s death, claiming that the murderer was within their own military camp. Pei Yang, fearful of losing a great general and harming his reputation amongst his subordinates, did not cooperate with Mu Xin and Mu Xun to find the perpetrator but instead prepared to handle the matter internally.
Pei Yang not only summoned several military high-skills with the time and ability to kill Mu Jin for questioning but also instructed to watch those who had recently joined the Dafeng Iron Cavalry.
This naturally included Su Changkong, who handled logistics. If an outsider had killed Mu Jin and then sought refuge in the Dafeng Iron Cavalry, hiding in the logistics department would be a very good choice.
Geng Zheng had even been summoned personally by his superior to inquire about Su Changkong and to pay extra attention to him.
But Geng Zheng felt it was an overcaution. How could such a young man have the strength to kill the Chief of Ten Thousand, Mu Jin?
Moreover, Su Changkong’s forging skill, profound mastery at such a young age, could not be achieved without starting from childhood. It could not be faked!
A young person, powerful enough in martial arts to kill Mu Jin and with leisure to delve so deeply into forging skills must be a monstrous talent!
Geng Zheng shook his head; his job was only to observe and report his findings.
Su Changkong practiced the Turtle Breath Technique, which had the specialty of concealing one’s aura. And his forging was his old professional skill, masquerading as a blacksmith in the Casting Department was seamless!
In the following days, Su Changkong occasionally felt the restlessness of the Wood Snake Seal. He guessed it was the Mu Family people hovering and investigating near the military camp, unwilling to leave just like that, yet unable to take direct action.
More than half a month passed, and the Wood Snake Seal no longer gave the feeling of restlessness. Perhaps the Mu Family people, having found no leads, had given up and left, knowing that dragging things out would ultimately lead to the seal dispersing and their efforts being in vain.
But Su Changkong paid it no mind. He was simply content to improve his forging skills, just as he had at Black Iron Manor—unhurried, not arrogant, both refining weapons and himself!
Back then, Su Changkong saw forging as a job to make money and gather resources, as well as a hobby. Now, he was picking up his hobby again! Every finished product gave him a sense of achievement!
Forging (Profound Mastery 27% at level 7)
And with that came a rapid improvement in Su Changkong’s forging skills.
Moreover, upon finishing his own work, Su Changkong would proactively help others meet their quotas. Bows, armor—these were all things he wanted to practice more, forge more, of course, the aim being to rapidly advance his forging skills!