"Yes." Gu Moran didn't hide it from her.
"Therefore, when testing, one must step back at least thirty paces, and the fuse must be long enough."
Shen Ling'er twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers, said nothing more, tightened the medicine box on her shoulder, and began to plan which hemostatic drugs to prepare for tomorrow.
Lin Qingdai leaned against the door frame, her hand on the sword sheath, her gaze lingering on Gu Moran's face for a moment.
These past few days, she had grown accustomed to seeing him cough, turn pale, and being forced to take medicine by Shen Ling'er.
But at this moment, the man's eyes were frighteningly bright, and his tone of voice was steady, which made her uneasy.
"Your illness," she finally spoke, her voice low, "Is it really cured?"
Gu Moran paused, then looked up at her.
"Okay." He paused, then added.
"Perhaps it's because I've finally figured out what I've been holding in, and that's when I feel more energetic."
Lin Qingdai stared at him for a couple of moments, then turned and left without asking any further questions. The copper ring on her sword sheath jingled as she disappeared outside the door.
Xue Huan Blacksmith Mu studied the pottery jars for another half hour, and the more they asked, the more they felt that every word the prince said contained an undeniable truth.
Finally, the two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and discussed going to the open space behind the mountain to try it out first thing tomorrow morning.
After everyone left, only Gu Moran remained in the study.
He sat at the table and looked at the paper with the formula written on it again, his fingertips tracing the corner of the paper.
I haven't fully digested the system's gift packs yet, except for Subduing Fire Thunder.
There is also a complete volume of "Tiangong Chujuan: Blast Furnace Co-Fusion Steelmaking Method ".
The drawings are so detailed that even the furnace temperature, furnace type, and the location of the blower are clearly marked.
He laid the two scrolls side by side on the table.
The bittersweet feeling that had arisen in her heart because of Yun Shuyue resurfaced.
This girl, I never expected her to give me such a big gift.
He recalled how Yun Shuyue had looked these past few days.
She held the poetry manuscript with red eyes, hung upside down on the window frame to protect the account book, and even when she was covered in mud from the water, she still smiled and asked him for credit.
This girl is simple-minded; once she's made up her mind, she never hides it.
However, he already had six wives.
With Yun's father holding a high position, taking her in would be an impossible task.
Gu Moran shook his head, suppressing those chaotic thoughts, and stared back at the steel casting process drawings on the table.
This thing is even more important than the Subduing Fire Thunder.
If Yi Prefecture can truly build its own forging workshop, it will no longer need to depend on others.
The sky outside the window was already showing a hint of dawn when Uncle Fu brought in a bowl of hot soup. He was startled to see Uncle Fu still sitting at the table.
"Your Highness, you didn't sleep all night?"
"I can't sleep." Gu Moran rolled up the blueprints and stuffed them into her sleeve pocket. " Uncle Fu, go and double-check the quantity of saltpeter and sulfur in the warehouse, and have Su Yao find a way to get some more."
Uncle Fu wanted to persuade him further, but he swallowed his words, gave a nod, and turned to do it.
Gu Moran stood up, stretched his stiff shoulders, and looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky.
Ten-Li Slope, Severed Dragon Ridge.
The obstacle that had trapped him has now been overcome, and a way to break the deadlock has been found.
But once this method is used, the commotion will be considerable.
The sound that shook the Yi Prefecture City to its core was enough to make anyone who was watching him lose their composure.
And then there's that suspicious emperor in the capital.
We must be prepared.
He looked down at the bit of saltpeter powder still clinging to his hands, rubbed his fingertips together, and the powder fell off in a flurry.
He spread out the paper and began to write a memorial of self-reproach.
"Your subject knows it's absurd... My body... the alchemy furnace... it collapsed..."
Three days later, on Ten-Li Slope was overcast, and the mountain wind made people's faces feel tight.
Gu Moran stood in front of the Severed Dragon Ridge, watching the blacksmith Mu Lu lead two craftsmen to chisel grooves inch by inch along the two joint seams he had circled yesterday.
"Is the depth enough?" He crouched down and reached out to probe the opening of the groove.
"Four inches, I measured it."
Mu Lu wiped his sweat, his voice tinged with barely suppressed nervousness.
"If this really explodes..."
"If we can't break it open, then we've both wasted our time today." Gu Moran stood up and patted the dirt off his knees.
"It's blown away! From now on, the Mu family's culinary skills will be number one in Yi Prefecture."
Mu Lu didn't reply, but simply gripped the chisel in his hand even tighter.
When the pottery jar was being filled, Gu Moran personally stood by, watching the proportions intently without blinking.
Not a penny less.
After filling both canisters, the distance between them was measured to be three feet. The fuse was lengthened by three inches compared to the test, allowing sufficient time for evacuation.
Xue Huan led his men to clear the area, driving the local people and craftsmen to a distance of thirty paces.
They stood in a dense, dark mass, whispering amongst themselves, no one able to say what kind of excitement they were going to see today.
On a high slope in the distance, seven or eight people gathered.
Gan Lingmu shrank back in the crowd, his face showing a mixture of amusement and uncertainty.
The news of Prince Yi's Residence undertaking massive construction at Ten-Li Slope has spread throughout the city in recent days. Some say it's a pipe dream, while others say it's just a charade.
He was also having doubts, but the score from when his servants spent the whole night in the compost pit hadn't been settled yet.
Now they're saying that Prince Yi has gone mad with alchemy.
He dared not make any further moves as to what was going on, and could only watch from afar.
"What kind of trouble is Prince Yi going to cause this time?" a powerful figure muttered to himself.
"When you're building a canal and you're right in front of rocks, what can you do?"
Master Gan remained silent, his eyes fixed on the cleared land below the mountain, his brows furrowed deeply.
Not far away.
Chen Qing specially changed into the attire of a servant in the Prince Yi's Residence today.
Standing three steps behind Gu Moran, holding a bamboo slip and a pen in his hand, his eyes darted around.
He's been racking his brains these past few days trying to figure out how to write the secret letter.
The Prince Yi's Residence's residence has caused such a commotion, and the Second Prince is pressing for information, but he really can't think of a way to describe the scene before him.
" Prince Yi's construction project failed, so he turned to alchemy in pursuit of immortality."
He had already mentally prepared this sentence, finding it quite fitting, and was now considering whether to add some more details to be more cautious.
Su Yao and Shen Ling'er stood in the safe zone.
"Is Your Highness truly confident?"
Shen Ling'er asked in a low voice, her eyes never leaving the figure on the Severed Dragon Ridge.
"If he says it exists, then it exists."
Su Yao's voice was steady, but the knuckles of her hand holding the ledger were slightly white.
Gu Moran lit the fuse, stood up, and retreated at a leisurely pace.
Five steps, ten steps, twenty steps, twenty-five steps, he circled around a standing rock.
He leaned closer, glanced around, and made sure everyone had retreated to a safe distance.
Lin Qingdai stood at the front of the crowd, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her sword was not drawn, but her eyes were fixed on the direction of the Severed Dragon Ridge.
Murong Xue stood beside her, her toes shuffling nervously on the ground.
Nine breaths.
Ten breaths.
Eleven breaths.
Boom-
The world suddenly seemed to sink, as if something was pushing up from underground.
The sound was completely different from when Gu Moran tested the explosives on the riverbank a couple of days ago.
It was real rock resonance; the vibrations traveled outwards along the ground.
Standing on the high slope, Master Gan and his entourage felt their feet tremble.
The rubble was blasted away, large chunks rolling down the slope, while smaller fragments struck the surrounding rocks with a crackling sound.
White-gray smoke shot straight into the sky from the blast site, then was swept away by the mountain wind and dispersed to the south.
The onlookers and craftsmen froze at first, then gasped in surprise.
Some people covered their ears, some opened their mouths wide, and no one could say a word.
Murong Xue's eyes widened, shining as if she had seen some rare treasure. "This... what kind of method is this?"
Lin Qingdai didn't speak, but stared at the blasted hole, her grip on the sword tightening unconsciously.
Of all the destructive methods she had witnessed over the years—swords, crossbows, even siege rams—none of them could have shattered an entire rock formation like this in such a short time.
On the high slope, Master Gan's lips trembled twice.
The powerful figures nearby exchanged bewildered glances. One of them leaned closer to Master Gan and whispered something. Master Gan's face gradually paled.
Chen Qing stood there, the calligraphy brush in his hand falling to the ground with a "thud."
He didn't even realize it himself; he froze there, managing to squeeze out a few words.
"What... what is this?"
Gu Moran waited until the smoke and dust had mostly cleared before slowly emerging from behind the rocks, his face expressionless and his tone indifferent.
"Blasting."
The two words reached Chen Qing's ears. He bent down to pick up the pen, but his hand trembled so much that he could barely hold it. He stared at it for a long time, but no matter how he thought about it, something felt wrong.
After three breaths, his eyes lit up!
He added another line of annotation to the secret letter in his mind.
"What Prince Yi used resembled heavenly thunder, yet it was not heavenly thunder; it could shatter mountains."
It seems the elixir was not successfully refined, but he has mastered witchcraft!
Your Highness, this is a golden opportunity!
[Thanks to: Xinghe for the great certification! Yuxin's Xiuer, Chang Huan, Fusu, Chanzi's Flower, Xuemao's Blade, Zili's Love Letter, Chen Qing's Like, Fengche and Shiyin's Update Urging Charm, Buguo's Capsule! Class Monitor's Flower x5!]
There are so many more people creating content out of love! I'm bowing down to you all! ˗ˋˏᰔᩚˎˊ˗
[My trip to Luoyang will last about four more days. I'll catch up on chapters as soon as I get back. Sorry for the delay! It's so hot, tiring, and so much fun! (4 chapters owed)]