Chapter 10: The Enchantment of Sword Forging (3)

Mo Gan felt a stir in his heart and said: "Send the order down, every disciple on the periphery should search carefully from the outside in, leaving no corner unchecked, and finally gather here!"

Ji Kongshou and Han Xin were hiding in a secret chamber, holding their breath to avoid detection by the enemy, not daring to make a sound. The ventilation openings in this chamber were directly above the large chimney of the furnace, so due to the principle of the chimney creating a draft, those inside did not feel suffocated. However, they could not hear any sounds from outside, indicating excellent soundproofing.

But why would Gui Ying'er trust the Huajian Sect? What kind of relationship exists between them?

Ji Kongshou was startled by Han Xin's expression. Following his gaze, he saw a faint, unusual light emanating from above the iron furnace, blending into the moonlight, appearing extraordinarily strange and mysterious. The fire in the furnace had long been extinguished; even if it had not been, where would such a faint red glow come from

Ji Kong was anxiously concerned about the life and death of Xuanyuanzi at this moment. He pressed the mechanism and listened intently to the sounds outside the secret chamber. After a while, the two finally crawled out from the cave.

He then shared this method with Han Xin, who also thought it was a good idea. They immediately agreed and both hid under the bed. Just as Han Xin placed his hand on one of the bed legs, he suddenly heard a faint sound of "creak..." from beneath, and the ground under the bed slowly slid apart, revealing an opening several feet wide.

No need, I am fine. Mo Gan smiled faintly, as he did not want more people to know about the matter of the Xuan Tie Gui.

All the disciples of the Huajian School responded in unison: "Certainly!"

Both individuals wore expressions of suspicion, exchanging glances that could not conceal their curiosity.

This is the only possibility, and this hypothesis is also highly persuasive, so Mo Gan decisively determined the course of action, changing from searching in place to pursuing everywhere.

No longer hesitating, I strode towards the iron furnace. Peering in, I saw that a thick layer of charcoal ash had accumulated in the large hearth, and the light was emanating from beneath the ash.

With a renewed spirit, he slowly walked over. Upon reaching the door, he did not hear any sounds coming from inside the shop.

You all just wait here. Mo Gan took a deep breath, feeling that the pain in his chest had lessened considerably, and then he shook off Zhu Zien's supporting hand and said

Zhu Zien and others, sensing his intense anger, did not dare to be negligent and quickly began to direct the situation separately. After a long period of busyness, dozens of people had gathered around this shop, all eyes fixed on the grim-faced Mo Gan.

This is impossible! Ji Kongshou holds no hope: "Xuan Yuanzi uses this furnace to forge the Farewell Blade, and the material of the Farewell Blade is also dark iron; there will certainly be no significant difference between the two. Therefore, the dark iron turtle cannot possibly remain intact in the furnace."

As Ji Kongshou thought of this, he could not help but become concerned about the safety of Xuanyuanzi. Since Moggan was so ruthless even towards his fellow disciples, he would certainly show no mercy to outsiders.

Ji Kongshou and Han Xin could not help but exchange a glance, and he casually picked up an iron sword to gently stir the ashes in the furnace

I do not know, but after such a long time, they should have left, right? Han Xin was also at a loss, touching his growling stomach as he spoke

At that moment, the two searched the entire shop and finally found some provisions. Just as they were about to take them into the secret chamber, they noticed Han Xin's expression change dramatically, as if he had seen a ghost. He stood completely still, his eyes wide open.

The disciple said with a bitter smile: "If it were not for this, he would never have been able to escape from the Tianxiang Tower"

One reason is that since this is a clumsy method, the enemy is unlikely to pay much attention to it; the second reason is that the empty-handed warrior is not lying flat on the ground under the bed, but rather using both hands and feet, pressed against the underside of the bed board. In this way, even if someone stretches their head to look, they may not necessarily discover them, unless someone lifts the bed.

Mo Gan exclaimed: "Is it really possible that such a thing exists?"

Mogan has always been known for his meticulous thinking in the world, but this time he miscalculated

At a glance, Mo Gan understood that the search yielded no results. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Are you certain that no one has passed through the area you are guarding?"

He never expected that Ji Kongshou and Han Xin not only did not escape, but had not even left this shop by a single step

What is going on? Han Xin pondered for a moment, then his face lit up with joy: "Could it be that the Xuan Tie turtle does not melt in fire and has not been melted at all?"

Ji Kongshou thought to himself: "This is what they call there is always a way out for those in despair." He recalled that the Xuan Tie Turtle had changed hands several times and ultimately did not belong to him, and he suddenly felt a deep sense of loss, filled with sorrow.

Ji Kongshou suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his mind and thought to himself: "The weapon used by the ghostly figure is a spear, and the weapon used by Mo Gan is also a spear. Could it be that these two individuals are from the same school, which is why the ghostly figure trusts that Mo Gan will not reveal his secret?"

At the command, hundreds of people and horses instantly vanished into the night, and the alley finally returned to its former tranquility

In a moment of great joy, Ji Kongshou jumped in first to take a closer look, only to discover that the mechanism to open the secret chamber was actually installed on the bed leg. Had it not been for Han Xin inadvertently triggering the mechanism, it would have been far from easy to uncover the secrets hidden beneath this stone slab

Oh no! In a state of panic, Mo Gan could no longer care about maintaining her composure and rushed in like an arrow.

Jie Kongshoudao: "This is very simple; as long as we go over and take a look, won't we know the answer?"

How did Ji Kongshou and the other person manage to escape from this alley, which was clearly under the control of his Huajian faction?

At this moment, the night is at its darkest, and the faint moonlight filters through the gaps in the broken wooden planks, casting its glow into this disheveled shop, creating a mottled and colorful scene that evokes an indescribable sense of desolation

In fact, when Ji Kongshou was preparing to escape, he indeed considered using disguise to blend in with the members of the Huajian Sect and then take the opportunity to slip away. However, upon careful consideration, he realized that while disguise was easy, mingling with the crowd under the watchful eyes of others posed considerable difficulty, as they were moving outward and would undoubtedly attract attention.

How does the Huajian Sect know so much about the whereabouts of the Xuan Tie Gui? Ji Kongshou suddenly became interested in this question. According to Ding Heng, the secret of the Xuan Tie Gui is known only to him and Ji Kongshou, and Jiang Tian, in order to enlist the help of Gui Ying'er to reclaim the Xuan Tie Gui, may have leaked some information. Furthermore, Gui Ying'er, in order to deal with Ding Heng, has invited three masked individuals to assist her. It now appears that those three masked individuals are evidently closely related to the Huajian Sect.

With his skills, if he were attentive, no subtle sounds within several zhang could escape his notice. However, at this moment, he is outside the door and sees not a single shadow of a person.

However, after searching for two or three hours, we were just short of digging three feet into the ground, yet we still could not find the whereabouts of Ji and Han. At this moment, a disciple in charge of the Tianxiang Building stepped forward to report: "Help Master, Ji is skilled in disguise and just now disguised himself as a girl from the courtyard to sneak out of the Tianxiang Building. Could it be that he is using the same trick again this time?"

Ji Kongshou let out a soft sigh in his heart, his mind now a blank slate. He did not know how much time had passed when Han Xin gently nudged him and whispered, "Young Master Ji, shall we go out?"

"Truly, heaven has aided me!" Ji Kongshou silently exclaimed in his heart as he discovered another mechanism in the secret chamber. Upon pressing it, the ground above him quietly shifted and returned to its original position. On the surface, no one would suspect that there was another hidden world beneath the bed, indicating that the person who set up this mechanism had put in considerable effort.

But what is this radiance? Han Xin seems to be unconvinced

"Master, do you need me to accompany you inside?" Zhu Zien said with a smiling face.

Xuanyuanzi has died, and like Ding Heng, his achievements in certain aspects were enough to astonish the martial world, yet he was willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of Jing Kongshou and others

The ironware in the shop remained unchanged, the fire in the furnace gradually extinguished, yet Ji Kongshou and Han Xin suddenly vanished right under the eyes of the crowd

Jie Kongshoudao: "You are correct. In the current situation, the safest approach is to hide in this shop, as it will be difficult for the enemy to detect our whereabouts. Therefore, it is imperative that we find something to eat, stay hidden for three to five days, and leave once the situation calms down."

In his view, since the search yielded no results, Ji Kongshou must have already escaped, and the means of escape was to disguise himself as one of his subordinates, then brazenly pass through undetected

A murderous intent appeared between his brows, clearly caught off guard by everything happening before him. This is akin to having a cooked duck suddenly fly away; how could this not provoke intense anger and frustration

Ji Kongshou shook his head and said: "I am not sure either, but I know that Xuanyuanzi is likely in grave danger."

Mo Gan angrily said: "Why are you only speaking now? You have delayed my important matter!" He lifted a foot and kicked him away, then hurriedly gathered his men, dividing them into several groups to pursue the investigation.

"I wonder where this Xuanyuanzi has gone, and what about the people from the Huajian Sect? Why has everyone disappeared?" Han Xin found himself in this tranquil atmosphere, feeling utterly perplexed

Hurry! We must take the round stone away, or the phenomenon caused by this brilliance will surely attract the likes of Mo Gan and others!" Ji Kong said as he reached for a round stone in the furnace.

Mo Gan cast a cold glance at the lifeless body of Xuan Yuanzi on the ground, and only then did he leisurely think of Ji Kongshou. However, he was not in the least bit anxious; he believed that Ji Kongshou and his companion were already like fish in a barrel, unable to escape from his grasp

Ji Kongshou was suddenly awakened, and after a moment of daze, he asked: "Have Mo and the others left?"

Han Xin was certainly not a fool; he was not willing to fall behind. However, when he grasped the round stone in his hand, his whole body trembled, and a strange chill seeped from his palm, surging through his entire meridian system, becoming increasingly urgent and increasingly cold.

Since this plan could not be executed, Ji Kongshou noticed the wooden bed placed in the corner by Xuanyuanzi. Although hiding under the bed was a rather foolish method, Ji Kongshou had other ideas.

Han Xin wore a confused expression: "What should we do? At this moment, the people from the Huajian Sect are surely searching for our whereabouts everywhere. As soon as we make an appearance, it will undoubtedly be like walking into a trap."

Good! Since that is the case, Zhu Zien, you lead a team to search this shop; Li Jun, you take a team to carefully search this area for any hidden drains or passages; and Xie Ming, lead a team to swiftly seal off the main traffic routes leading to and from Fengwuji! As for Ji Kongshou, I want to see him alive or dead!

After he finished speaking, a wave of sadness surged within him, as if he had long anticipated such an outcome. He could only resent himself for possessing wit without strength, helplessly watching as his friends gradually drifted away from him.

Xuanyuanzi remained standing still, unmoving, the farewell knife still in hand, yet unable to wield it. The murderous aura that had filled the air gradually dissipated, and the alley seemed to return to its former tranquility.

Suddenly, two beams of light shot up into the sky. Beneath the charcoal gray, two round stones, each the size of a pigeon egg and crystal clear, lay quietly. The interplay of the cold and hot beams of light created a yin-yang symbol above the furnace, as if a tangible object were forming.

The sudden appearance of the anomaly left the two individuals standing in shock for a moment, before they simultaneously exclaimed: "Black Iron Tortoise!"