Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron

Madam Liu's embrace and tears immediately softened Master Li's heart.

Seeing Madam Liu's eyes turn red as she gently dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, she choked out, "Master, that Zhao Dezhu is a distant cousin of mine. He has always been honest and dutiful, and it is impossible for him to have stolen the funds and fled. In my opinion, it is likely that the officials were too lazy to investigate thoroughly and simply found a pretext to pin the crime on a dead man. My poor cousin, his fate unknown, yet he must bear such a stain..."

As she spoke, her voice grew thick with sobs, and her face wore a look of utter pitiable helplessness.

Li Jiwu also lowered his head at the opportune moment, his tone extremely sincere, "Father, this matter was indeed my oversight, and I am willing to accept punishment. But while Zhao Dezhu worked in the residence, he never once made a mistake. This case truly has many suspicious points, and I hope Father will judge clearly."

Master Li looked at his second son's sincere attitude of admitting his fault, then at the tearful Madam Liu beside him, and finally thought of how his eldest son had just performed a meritorious deed. With the residence in a festive mood, he really did not want to lose his temper at such a time.

He remained silent for a moment, finally let out a long sigh, and waved his hand, "Enough, enough. Since this has already happened, the man is dead and the money is lost, there is no way to pursue it further. If there is any news from the officials, keep an eye on it. After all, Zhao Dezhu was your second mother's cousin; whether he is dead or alive, there must be some explanation."

He paused, looked at Li Jiwu again, and softened his tone, "Do not blame yourself too much. Get up, just be more careful when employing people in the future."

Li Jiwu then straightened up, a look of gratitude on his face, and bowed his head, "Thank you for your leniency, Father."

The storm was thus brushed aside with a light touch.

The next day, Li Chengwen could not wait to arrive at the Sword-Forging Courtyard.

The moment he stepped through the gate, he caused a small stir within the courtyard.

Several masters who were swinging hammers hurriedly put down their work and stepped forward to bow and offer greetings. Li Chengwen waved his hand and said with a chuckle, "Don't be so formal, just get back to work. I just came by to see everyone and say a few words."

He walked around the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the rows of neat workstations and orderly stacked materials, and he nodded with satisfaction:

"Hmm, not bad! In the days I was away, the courtyard has been in good order, and the work hasn't fallen behind. You have all worked hard! Once the official order arrives, we will put in more effort, and if we do a good job, I will treat everyone to drinks!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on everyone's faces became somewhat subtle.

Several masters who had been close to Zhao Dezhu lowered their heads in guilt, not daring to meet Li Chengwen's eyes.

They knew clearly that during the time Li Chengwen was away, many troublesome things had happened in the courtyard.

Fortunately, Zhao Dezhu had already disappeared, and those messy affairs had been suppressed; Li Chengwen seemed to be completely unaware.

Li Chengwen, oblivious to the strangeness of the crowd, scanned the area and his gaze landed on Shen Chu, who was buried in his work polishing blades in the corner.

His eyes lit up, and he strode over.

"Shen Chu!"

Shen Chu looked up at the sound, and seeing it was Li Chengwen, he hurriedly put down his work, "Eldest Young Master, you have returned!"

Li Chengwen smiled and patted him on the shoulder, signaling for him to follow him to the side to talk.

The two walked to the corner of the courtyard, and Li Chengwen then mysteriously untied a bundle from behind his back, placed it carefully on a stone platform, and peeled back the silk cloth layer by layer.

Once the silk was opened, a dark silver luster caught Shen Chu's eyes.

It was a piece of iron the size of a fist, glowing with a deep, dark silver sheen, its surface naturally distributed with fine and uniform patterns.

Under the sunlight, those patterns seemed to come alive, refracting a luster that flowed like water ripples.

Once Shen Chu's gaze touched the iron, he could no longer look away.

"I picked this up from an old blacksmith while I was negotiating business in Qingyang Prefecture."

Li Chengwen's tone carried a touch of pride mixed with sincerity,

"They say this thing is called 'Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron,' a rare treasure. The old blacksmith originally refused to sell it no matter what, but after much persuasion and adding more money, I finally pried it out of his hands."

He reached out and patted Shen Chu's shoulder, laughing:

"You kid only know how to forge iron all day long, your head is full of it, so this thing is best suited for you. Take it, use it well, and forge a weapon that feels right in your hand. Don't let this good material go to waste!"

Shen Chu took the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron with both hands. The moment he touched it, a cold and heavy sensation traveled from his palms through his entire arm.

He lowered his head to examine the patterns on the surface of the iron, feeling the texture and density that were completely different from ordinary iron, and he already had a plan in mind.

The quality of this material was more than a grade higher than any iron he had seen in the Li Residence so far.

He suddenly had a strong intuition:

If he wanted to raise the level of his [Thousand Hammer Refinement] skill and improve his own constitution, it would likely depend on this Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron!

He looked up at Li Chengwen's smiling, chubby face and nodded solemnly, "Thank you, Eldest Young Master. I will certainly not waste this material, nor will I fail your expectations."

Li Chengwen nodded with satisfaction at Shen Chu's words and laughed, "With that promise, I am at ease. Work hard, and you will surely have a bright future!"

He offered a few more words of encouragement before continuing to stroll around the courtyard.

Shen Chu watched the Eldest Young Master walk away, looked down at the heavy Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron in his hand, carefully wrapped it back up in the silk cloth, and tucked it into his clothes against his chest.

His heart was itching with excitement; he wanted nothing more than to light the furnace immediately and test the quality of this fine material.

But he looked at the people coming and going in the courtyard and suppressed the impulse.

He understood the principle that one should not flaunt wealth in a crowded place.

It would not be too late to study it carefully once he finished his work for the night and returned to his own room.

Shen Chu took a deep breath to calm his mood, then picked up his forging hammer again and buried himself in his work.

On the other side, Li Chengwen walked with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune as he wandered around the courtyard.

He was in an excellent mood and found everything pleasing to the eye, nodding and greeting the masters he passed along the way.

However, as he walked, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Usually, the moment he appeared, that Zhao Dezhu would always come up with a smile to curry favor; why was he nowhere to be seen today?

He frowned, pulled over an old master, and asked, "Old Wu, where is Zhao Dezhu? Why don't I see him?"

When asked this, the old master's expression turned unnatural, and he stammered, "Replying to the Eldest Young Master... Steward Zhao... he... he..."