Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron

Madam Liu clung to him and wept,

and when Master Li saw her, his heart immediately softened!

Madam Liu's eyes were red-rimmed as she gently dabbed at the corners with a handkerchief. Choking back sobs, she said:

"My lord, Zhao Dezhu is a distant cousin of mine. He's always been honest and dependable, and would never abscond with money. I think the authorities simply didn't want to investigate the matter thoroughly, so they found some excuse to pin the blame on a dead man. My poor cousin's fate is still unknown, and now he has to bear such a stain..."

As she spoke, her voice grew increasingly tearful, and she looked utterly pitiful.

Li Jiwu lowered his head at just the right moment and spoke with great sincerity. "Father, I was indeed negligent in this matter, and I'm willing to accept punishment. But Zhao Dezhu never caused any trouble while working at the residence. There are indeed many suspicious points in this case. I hope you'll look into it carefully, Father."

Master Li watched his second son bow his head and sincerely admit his mistake, then glanced at Madam Liu, who looked ready to burst into tears beside him. Thinking of how his eldest son had just earned merit and how the residence was celebrating, he felt it would be inappropriate to fly into a rage at such a time.

He was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh and waving his hand. "Forget it, forget it. It's already happened. The man is dead, and the money is gone. There's no point pursuing it further. If the authorities find anything out, keep an eye on it. Zhao Dezhu is your second mother's cousin, after all. Whether he's alive or dead, we should at least get an answer."

He paused and glanced at Li Jiwu again, his tone softening. "Don't blame yourself too much. Get up. Just be more careful when hiring people in the future."

Only then did Li Jiwu straighten up. With gratitude on his face, he bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your leniency, Father."

And so, the storm was lightly brushed aside.

The next day, Li Chengwen eagerly made his way to the Sword-Forging Courtyard.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, he caused a small stir among the workers.

Several smiths who had been swinging their hammers hurriedly put down their work and came forward to greet him. Li Chengwen waved a hand and said with a broad smile, "Don't stand on ceremony. Get back to work. I'm just here to see everyone and say a few words."

With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled around the courtyard, looking over the orderly rows of workstations and neatly stacked materials. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, good! The courtyard's been running smoothly, and none of the work has fallen behind while I was away. You've all worked hard! When the government's order comes in, we'll put in some extra effort. Do a good job, and I'll treat everyone to a drink!"

The workers' expressions turned somewhat complicated at his words.

Several smiths who had once been close to Zhao Dezhu lowered their heads guiltily, not daring to meet Li Chengwen's eyes.

They knew that a lot of unpleasant things had happened in the courtyard while Li Chengwen was away.

Fortunately, Zhao Dezhu had disappeared, and those troubles had been suppressed. Li Chengwen seemed to know nothing about them.

Li Chengwen didn't notice anything amiss among the workers. After looking around, his gaze landed on Shen Chu, who was bent over sharpening a tool in the corner.

His eyes lit up, and he strode over.

"Shen Chu!"

Shen Chu looked up at the sound of his voice. Seeing Li Chengwen, he quickly put down his work. "Young Master, you're back!"

Li Chengwen smiled and patted him on the shoulder, motioning for him to come speak with him off to the side.

They walked to a corner of the courtyard, where Li Chengwen mysteriously untied a bundle from behind his back and carefully set it on a stone table. He peeled back the silk wrapping layer by layer.

When the silk was unfolded, a dark silver gleam caught Shen Chu's eye.

It was a piece of iron about the size of a fist, its entire surface gleaming a deep, dusky silver. Fine, even patterns ran naturally across it.

In the sunlight, those patterns seemed to come alive, reflecting rippling, flowing light.

The moment Shen Chu's gaze fell upon the iron, he couldn't look away.

"I found this while doing business in Qingyang Prefecture. I bought it from an old blacksmith."

Li Chengwen's voice held a hint of pride and sincerity.

"It's supposedly called Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron, a rare treasure. The old blacksmith refused to sell it at first, but after I talked him round and offered him more money, I finally pried it out of his hands."

He patted Shen Chu on the shoulder and smiled.

"You spend every day forging iron, and it's all you ever think about. This is perfect for you. Take it. Make good use of it, and forge yourself a handy weapon. Don't let this fine material go to waste!"

Shen Chu accepted the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron with both hands. The instant it touched his palms, a cool, heavy sensation traveled up his entire arm.

He lowered his head and studied the patterns on the metal, feeling the texture and density that set it apart from ordinary iron. He already had a plan forming in his mind.

The quality of this material was more than a cut above any iron he had ever seen at the Li Residence.

A powerful intuition suddenly came over him:

If he wanted to raise the level of the Thousand Hammer Refinement skill and improve his innate constitution, this Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron might be the key!

He looked up at Li Chengwen's smiling, round face and nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Young Master. I won't let this material—or your expectations—go to waste."

Li Chengwen nodded in satisfaction at Shen Chu's words and smiled. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Work hard, and you'll surely go far!"

After offering a few more words of encouragement, he continued strolling around the courtyard.

Shen Chu watched the young master walk away, then looked down at the heavy piece of Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron in his hands. He carefully wrapped it back up in the silk and tucked it against his chest.

His hands were itching to get started. He wished he could light the forge right away and test the quality of this fine material.

But after glancing at the people coming and going in the courtyard, he managed to restrain himself.

There were too many people around, and he knew better than to flaunt his wealth.

He could take his time examining it after work, once he was back in his room.

Shen Chu took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Then he picked up his forging hammer again and bent back to his work.

Meanwhile, Li Chengwen wandered around the courtyard with his hands behind his back, humming a little tune and looking this way and that.

He was in such a good mood that everything looked pleasing to him. As he went, he occasionally nodded and greeted the smiths he passed.

But as he strolled around, something suddenly seemed off.

Whenever he showed up, Zhao Dezhu would usually hurry over with a beaming smile to flatter him. Why hadn't he seen him anywhere today?

Li Chengwen frowned and stopped an old smith passing by. "Old Wu, where's Zhao Dezhu? Why haven't I seen him?"