Where Were the Blades?

After greeting the few people at his table, Little Six staggered out of the tavern.

He leaned against the wall and walked a little farther. After looking back to make sure no one was paying attention to him, he immediately quickened his pace, jogging through the alleyways toward the Sword-Forging Courtyard.

It was deep into the night, and the Sword-Forging Courtyard was already deserted.

Little Six crept to the storeroom door and took a key from his robes.

He had secretly copied it a few days ago. Familiar with the process, he unlocked the door and slipped inside.

Rows upon rows of finished longswords that had passed inspection and were ready for delivery were neatly stacked in the storeroom.

Little Six took out a small cloth pouch from his robes. Opening it, he revealed a packet of grayish-white powder.

He pinched up a small amount and carefully smeared it onto the blade near the hilt.

The powder was colorless and odorless, and no abnormality could be seen in the short term. But after two or three days, it would react with the iron, making the blade brittle and hard; with even a little force, it would chip or even break.

After coating several blades, Little Six was about to speed things up when he suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

He stopped what he was doing and looked around the storeroom.

By rights, the first batch of finished blades should have numbered fifteen hundred, neatly arranged on the shelves.

Yet at this moment, the shelves within his sight were sparse. By rough estimate, there were no more than seven hundred or so.

Where were the rest of the blades?!

Little Six froze on the spot, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart.

As he puzzled over it, a calm voice suddenly sounded from the doorway.

"Little Six, what are you doing?"

Little Six whipped around and saw Shen Chu standing at the storeroom entrance, arms folded across his chest, staring at him expressionlessly. Moonlight spilled in from behind Shen Chu, stretching his shadow long.

A chill rose through Little Six. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back, but he still forced out a smile and stammered, "Master Shen... why are you here too? I... I just drank too much and thought I'd come back to see how the blades were arranged, so we wouldn't be running around like headless flies first thing tomorrow morning..."

Shen Chu could not be bothered with nonsense. He strode forward, grabbed Little Six by the collar, and drove a clean, decisive fist into his abdomen.

Little Six let out a muffled grunt and doubled over like a shrimp, his eyes rolling back as he nearly vomited everything he had eaten. He collapsed limply to the floor.

Seeing that Little Six could no longer move, Shen Chu found a bundle of hemp rope in the corner. In no time, he tied Little Six up securely, then casually tore off a rag and stuffed it into his mouth.

Then he left the storeroom and called over a servant. "Go to the tavern and bring the Eldest Young Master and Master Sun back. Tell them there is an urgent matter at the Sword-Forging Courtyard and have them return at once."

Seeing his grave expression, the servant did not dare delay and ran off at full speed.

Around half an hour later, Li Chengwen and Sun Ping rushed back one after the other.

Li Chengwen reeked of alcohol, his face still flushed with lingering enjoyment. The moment he entered, he shouted, "What was so important that I had to be called back in the middle of the night? I was just getting into it with Old Wu and the others..."

Before he could finish, he saw Little Six tied up on the floor, struggling and making muffled noises. He could not help but pause in surprise.

Sun Ping was older and more experienced. At the sight of this scene, more than half his drunkenness vanished at once.

He hurried forward, swept a glance over the disturbed blades in the storeroom, then looked at the packet of grayish-white powder on the floor. His expression darkened slightly. "What happened?"

Shen Chu explained the matter concisely.

"Tampering with the blades?"

More than half of Li Chengwen's drunkenness instantly vanished.

He rushed to the shelves, picked up a longsword coated with powder, and held it close for careful inspection. He rubbed the layer of powder between his fingers, and his expression changed drastically.

"This is... Brittle Iron Powder? This stuff will make the blades brittle. Not long after delivery, they'll chip and break!"

Li Chengwen spun around and charged at Little Six. He grabbed him by the hair and rained punches and kicks down on his face.

As he beat him, he cursed, "You ungrateful bastard! When have I ever treated you badly? Why would you do such a vile thing?! Speak! Who told you to do it?!"

Little Six rolled across the floor from the beating. With the rag stuffed in his mouth, he could only make muffled "mmph, mmph" sounds.

His face was covered in tears and snot, yet he could not say a single word.

Li Chengwen beat him for quite a while until he himself was panting for breath. Seeing that Little Six still said nothing, he grew even more furious and turned to Shen Chu.

"This brat's got bones of iron! Come on, let's beat him together! Beat him until he opens his mouth!"

Shen Chu stepped forward with a helpless look and stopped Li Chengwen's raised fist, pointing at the rag in Little Six's mouth.

"Eldest Young Master, before you beat him, shouldn't you at least take the rag out of his mouth? His mouth is blocked. What is he supposed to speak with?"

Li Chengwen froze. He looked down at the rag stuffed tightly into Little Six's mouth, then at his own reddened fists. The expression on his face immediately became rather colorful.

He gave two dry coughs and complained, "Why didn't you say so sooner? You made me waste all that effort beating him!"

Shen Chu rolled his eyes helplessly, then stepped forward and yanked the rag from Little Six's mouth.

The moment Little Six could speak, he dropped to his knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing as he wailed, "Mercy, Eldest Young Master! Mercy! Lard blinded my heart, and I was muddleheaded for a moment before doing such a vile thing! Please spare me this once, Eldest Young Master!"

Li Chengwen could not be bothered to hear his sob story. He kicked him in the shoulder and barked, "Cut the crap! Speak! Who sent you?!"

Little Six was kicked crookedly onto the floor, his face full of terror and hesitation. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, his eyes darting evasively.

Seeing this, Li Chengwen was about to strike him again. Little Six finally could not hold out any longer and cried out tearfully, "It was the Second Young Master! The Second Young Master told me to do it!"

The moment those words came out, Li Chengwen's face turned ashen.

He clenched his fists sharply, his teeth grinding with a crackle as he turned and rushed for the door. "Li Jiwu! I'm going to skin you alive today!"

Shen Chu reacted swiftly and grabbed his arm. "Eldest Young Master! There's no use going now. He can deny it flatly, and you have no direct evidence."

Held back by him, Li Chengwen shook with rage, yet he had to admit that Shen Chu was right.

Shen Chu released him, turned to Little Six, and continued questioning him. "Besides tampering with the blades, where did you transport that other missing batch of blades?"

Little Six shook his head frantically, his face full of panic. "Master Shen! I was only responsible for tampering with the blades. I really never stole any blades! I don't even know when those blades went missing! You have to believe me!"

Li Chengwen snorted coldly. "I'd believe you when pigs fly!"