Iron Pot

The snow fell harder and harder, and the accumulation on the ground grew thicker by the moment, already covering their ankles.

A biting wind swept past the caravan, forcing everyone to wrap their clothes tighter around themselves.

Yizhe walked at the very front of the group, activating his Byakugan from time to time to scan their surroundings.

The farther north they went, the flatter the terrain became, and the sparser the vegetation grew. Judging from the landscape, he did not think it offered the enemy suitable conditions for an ambush.

Still, there were always exceptions.

That was why he had spared no effort to walk ahead and patrol the route. He did not want to give the enemy an opening.

When it was time to rest again, Yizhe suddenly remembered that there was something he had not prepared.

"Leader Qing Shi!"

"Whew—"

"Lord Yizhe, you... you have... what instructions?" Hearing Yizhe call for him, Qing Shi hurried over at a jog.

The snow was deep and difficult to move through. For a fat man like Qing Shi, jogging over this ground was especially exhausting. After only a few steps, he was already panting heavily.

"Does your caravan have anything like a bronze bell or a large cauldron?" Yizhe asked softly.

"My lord, you must be joking! Things like bronze bells and great cauldrons are usually found only in temples! They are rare even in ordinary households, let alone in trade!"

"I transported one for someone once last year, but aside from that, I have never encountered such things!"

"What? Are you planning to buy one? Once we finish this trip, I'll make a special trip to the Land of Craftsmen and have one custom-made for you. How about that?"

The caravan did not have what Yizhe needed, so Qing Shi could only keep smiling apologetically and promise to have one made later.

"You really don't have one?" Yizhe asked with a stern face, shooting him a glance.

"We really don't, my lord!" Qing Shi said mournfully.

"Still, my lord, what do you need those useless things for?" Qing Shi wiped away the few tears he had squeezed from the corners of his eyes and asked cautiously.

He was rather curious. A ninja like Yizhe ought to be interested in ninja tools, so why would he care about bells and cauldrons?

"You don't... That makes this troublesome!" Yizhe frowned deeply.

"Huh? Are those things important?" Qing Shi's heart skipped a beat as he asked in a low voice.

"I need them to prepare for repelling the enemy! What do you think?" Yizhe turned and glared fiercely at him.

"Ah—To repel the enemy?" Qing Shi froze, then wailed, "My lord, could you think of another way? We really do not have any bells or cauldrons!"

"Could you use something else as a substitute?"

"A substitute?" Yizhe's eyes lit up as he fell into thought.

Seeing Yizhe's thoughtful expression, Qing Shi stopped wailing, afraid of disturbing his train of thought.

"I've got it!"

"What have you got, my lord?" Qing Shi hurriedly asked.

"Go find me several large iron pots. The bigger and sturdier, the better! Hurry!" Yizhe urged.

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll go right away!"

After hearing that, Qing Shi did not dare ask what Yizhe wanted large pots for. He hurried into the caravan to look for them.

Before long, Yizhe saw Qing Shi and two samurai carrying over two large iron pots.

"My lord, these two pots are used for cooking in our caravan. They are also the biggest and sturdiest ones we have!" Qing Shi wiped the sweat from his forehead and directed the two samurai to set them down.

"You two can leave now. There's nothing else!" Qing Shi dismissed the two samurai.

Clang, clang, clang—

Yizhe casually struck the pots a few times, producing a series of clangs that drew everyone's attention.

"Sorry! My apologies! I disturbed you!" Feeling everyone's eyes on him, Yizhe quickly waved and apologized.

"My lord, we have brought you the pots. Is there anything else you need?" Qing Shi asked quietly.

"That's all. Leader, you should go rest as well."

Yizhe crouched down and carefully examined the two pots as he answered him absentmindedly.

"Mmm..." Qing Shi agreed aloud, but his feet did not move an inch. He craned his neck, trying to see what Yizhe intended to do.

Yizhe did not explain the pots' purpose, which only made Qing Shi more curious. How could he bear to leave?

Of the two pots on the ground, the smaller one was nearly two meters across, while the larger one was nearly three meters in diameter. They were about a finger thick and entirely black, with plenty of soot still clinging to their bottoms.

They were much like the massive wok-like cooking pots Yizhe had seen in cafeteria kitchens in his previous life.

"The larger pot is certainly big enough, but it is a little thinner than the smaller one. When the time comes, I'm afraid it won't withstand the force and will be difficult to use!"

"Then... I'll choose the smaller one!" After comparing them, Yizhe chose the smaller pot.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Yizhe stood up and asked Qing Shi helplessly.

He knew the fat leader was curious, but Yizhe had no intention of explaining. This was a secret weapon he intended to use against the enemy, and the fewer people who knew, the better.

Moreover, given the current situation, not every guard in the caravan was trustworthy.

Especially the batch of men Qing Shi had recruited at the inn.

Yizhe suspected that aside from the young samurai named He Feng, there were others among them whose intentions were unclear.

If he had been Red Ant's leader, he would have taken advantage of Qing Shi recruiting people at the inn and slipped his own men into the group.

Therefore, he had no intention of telling anyone about his preparations against the enemy.

Not even Qing Shi, the caravan leader!

"Heh, heh! I'm bored anyway, so why don't I stay here and watch what you're preparing, my lord?"

"Don't worry! I absolutely won't disturb you! Just put your mind at ease!" Qing Shi declared, raising his head with complete confidence.

Seeing Qing Shi acting so shamelessly stubborn, Yizhe was helpless as well.

His requisitioning of the pots was probably impossible to hide. The entire caravan would likely find out. But as long as he kept his mouth shut, no one would be able to guess what he was planning.

If Qing Shi wanted to watch, then let him watch!

Yizhe circulated chakra and coated both hands with it. He lifted the smaller pot, turned its opening toward himself, stood it upright on the ground, and carefully pressed the rim inward with force.

He wanted to bend the pot into the shape of a bell!

Round after round, Yizhe repeatedly pressed and folded the iron pot. Only when Qing Shi had grown impatient enough to consider leaving did he finally stop.

The original pot had completely changed shape. Its rim had been forcibly folded inward, reducing its nearly two-meter opening to just over one meter across.

It was still some distance from the great bell Yizhe had envisioned, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he was not a professional craftsman and truly did not know how to forge ironware.

It will have to do! Yizhe thought.

"My lord, are you finished already?" Qing Shi asked, struggling to suppress his laughter as he looked at the strange-looking "bell."

"There's one more step."

With that, Yizhe pulled a kunai from the pouch at his waist.

"Wind!"

At a thought, a faint glow coated the kunai's blade.

"My lord, what are you...?" Qing Shi's smile vanished as he asked quietly.

Yizhe did not answer. He flipped the newly made "great bell" upside down on the ground, gripped the kunai, and lightly traced a circle across the pot's bottom.

Once he was done, he put away the kunai and lightly flicked the "bell."

A dull sound rang out. A round iron disc fell from the bottom of the pot and smashed into the snow, leaving a hole the size of a face in the bottom.

"Lord Yizhe, why did you break such a perfectly good pot?" Qing Shi asked, utterly baffled and dissatisfied.

"You'll find out later!"

Yizhe did not explain. He took out a scroll and sealed the completed "bell" inside it.

One "bell" might not be enough! He might as well process the remaining pot too!

After all, it was better to be prepared.

With that thought, Yizhe began a new round of work on the other iron pot.