Treason and Rebellion

Peng's Blacksmith Shop was not very large. A black plaque with gold lettering hung above the entrance, and several rows of sabers, swords, spears, and halberds were displayed outside—all ordinary goods.

Lu Li walked in, and the smell of rust rushed at him, mixed with the dry heat of the forge.

A shop hand came forward, his face wreathed in smiles.

"What would you like to see, sir? Sabers, swords, spears, halberds—we have them all, at fair prices..."

"I'm looking for your manager."

Lu Li cut him off, pulled out the wooden token from his robes, and handed it over.

"This is Young Master Peng Shan's token. I want to speak with your manager."

The shop hand took the token and glanced at it. His expression changed at once.

"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll fetch the manager right away!"

He turned and ran into the rear courtyard in such a hurry that he nearly knocked over a weapon rack by the door.

Lu Li stood in the shop and looked around.

Peng's Blacksmith Shop was an asset of the Xunshan Peng Clan. The Peng Household had practiced Mechanism Arts for generations. Forging iron and weapons was merely a side business; their true expertise lay in creating mechanisms.

Yet this branch was just an ordinary blacksmith shop, with no visible trace of Mechanism Arts.

A branch wouldn't put its most prized craftsmanship on display...

Lu Li thought to himself as his gaze swept across the weapons hanging on the walls.

They were all common iron. There was not even a single high-grade weapon among them.

Before long, a middle-aged man hurried out. He wore a gray linen robe, a ring of keys at his waist, and a smile plastered across his face.

"I am Zhao De, manager of Peng's Lanzhou