Qingxiao paused briefly, a little puzzled, but did not hesitate. He followed close behind the old man into the forge, filled with scorching heat and the smell of iron.
The residual heat of the furnace still lingered inside. The walls were covered with all manner of unfinished cursed tools, while fragments of meteoric iron and forging tools lay scattered across the floor. Everywhere were traces of a craftsman wholly absorbed in his creations.
Tao Gang walked to a wooden cabinet and opened a small, antique wooden box carved with ornate patterns. Resting quietly on its velvet lining was a pair of pitch-black Brass Knuckles with markings identical to those on the ring.
His fingertips brushed lightly over their cold striking surfaces as he said slowly, "I named this pair of Brass Knuckles Xiqu."
He raised his hand and offered Xiqu to Qingxiao, his voice still carrying a trace of emotion that had yet to subside. "Try putting these Brass Knuckles on.
"They work on the same principle as the ring. Feed in cursed energy, and you can attach imaginary mass. The only difference is that their imaginary mass can only be fixed to Xiqu itself, but Xiqu can be coated in cursed energy."
Qingxiao reached out and took Xiqu. They felt heavy in his hands, their cold, hard surfaces resting against his palms. They were made of exactly the same material as the ring on his hand and fit the curve of his palms well.
He examined them for a moment, filled with questions, then looked up at Tao Gang and asked, "I've never heard of anyone forging someone else's cursed technique into a cursed tool. How did you do it?"
At the mention of the forging method he had spent his life studying, Tao Gang instantly shook off his