A long table stood in the cellar of the Blacksmith Association.
Tang San, Tai Tan, Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun stood on the left. Qian Renxue and the Golden Generation stood on the right. The two sides watched each other. No one sat down first.
Bai Jin sat at the center of the table and opened a bag of candy. "It's easier to start a fight when you're standing. Do me a favor and sit down."
Ma Hongjun whispered to Oscar, "Is he really an elder of Spirit Hall?"
Oscar lowered his voice. "Nine Soul Rings. What do you think?"
"He just doesn't seem like one."
"I heard that." Bai Jin popped a candy into his mouth. "But I forgive you."
The tension eased a little.
Tang San was the first to place the Ghost Mask Copper Clasp and a rough map of the Mine Tunnel on the table. "The Black Furnace has three entrances. Metal goes in through the east, people through the west, and the Exhaust Passage runs down the middle. The mechanism's core is on the fourth underground level. A Lead-Silver Layer that blocks mental power surrounds it."
Qian Renxue pushed over the Missing Persons Register and the Branch Hall Secret Ledger. "Miles provides the travel permits. Our people should be held on the west side, with Lou Gao's disciples near the furnace core. The Black Furnace is being moved tonight. We have less than two hours."
Tang San looked at her. "After the Palace Coup failed, you still dare show your face to me?"
"I won't deny what I did," Qian Renxue said evenly. "There are people underground waiting to be rescued today. Old scores can wait until the operation is over."
The aura of the Blue Silver Emperor flashed between Tang San's fingers, then