West Market is the largest market in Daqian, covering an area of nearly 2,000 acres, with more than 30,000 shops of various sizes.
Yan Jiji, who recently won the gold medal from the "Tiangong Craftsman" and is already known as "the best craftsman in the world", has his "Jixiang Iron Shop" located here.
Chimneys made of red bricks stand in rows, and columns of thick smoke rise straight up.
Buckets of briquettes were poured into the stove for free, and the strong workers were shirtless, sweating profusely, and busy in the workshop.
In a corner of the workshop, Yan Jiji and several other craftsmen gathered in a circle, looking solemnly at the pages of drawings spread out on the table.
There are strange-shaped instruments drawn on the drawings, some big, some small, and some tooth-shaped. Except for Yan Jiji, the other craftsmen said some said they were weapons, and some said they were used as decoration on the walls.
"Stop guessing, this is an order from the Ministry of War, get me excited! Don't wait any longer!" Yan Jiji's eyes flashed, he shouted to stop the speculations of several craftsmen, pressed the drawing with his palm, and lowered his voice: "Some It’s better not to know about things.”
Perhaps the other craftsmen couldn't see it, but Yan Jiji saw the clues. When put together, these "parts" seemed to be some kind of siege equipment that had never been seen before.
There are experts hidden in the Ministry of War, Yan Jiji thought.
"Okay!"
"Lao Yan is like this. As soon as he starts working, he doesn't recognize his relatives."
"Master Zheng, he probably still needs to recognize him."
"Hey! Now I have to call you Prince Zheng!"
"Yes, yes, you have to call me Prince Zheng!"
The workshop burst into laughter.
Since Zheng Xiu was awarded the title of "Red King", Yan Jiji's workshop has transformed from the property of the richest man to the property of the prince, with orders pouring in. No, Yan's workshop, which has never been involved in the armed forces, has received an order from the Ministry of War for the first time. .
"Yes," a young man, who has been studying with Yan Jiji for five years, is called Xiao Tong by others. He is a smart man. He looked at the boxes piled in the corner. They were the boxes that Prince Zheng left last month. After seeing the order, he casually asked: "Master Yan, the batch of unopened sword embryos ordered by the prince are ready. Should we deliver them to the prince's house?"
"Okay, then you send it to the master."
Yan Jiji didn't even raise his head, still thinking about the "siege equipment", so he asked Xiao Tong to drive to deliver the goods.
Soon, several boxes of fully sealed weapons were loaded into the truck, and Xiao Tong personally drove them to the prince's mansion.
After Xiao Tong left, Yan Jiji clapped his hands and asked the more than a hundred craftsmen to stop what they were doing and speak loudly.
"Everyone, listen up, let's put down the other orders first and go all out to catch up with the order from the Ministry of Engineering and War! This is the top priority. Once this order is completed, our prince will have face in front of the Holy Master in the future!"
"okay!"
More than a hundred craftsmen agreed in unison, and their voices shook the roof.
Jixiang Iron Shop has entered a busy rhythm again.
After a while, little Tong, who was out delivering goods, came running back.
"Master, Master, I'm back with a new order for you!"
Xiao Tong said cheerfully.
Ding ding ding!
Yan Jiji was frantically tapping the red-hot iron with a hammer, and replied without raising his head: "What order did you take?"
"It's said to be a cat nest and a batch of small bronze mirrors."
"What? Cat's Nest? Bronze Mirror?" Yan Jiji was angry when he heard this: "I just said that in the past two months, I have been working hard to catch up with the orders from the Ministry of Engineering and War! All other orders have been delayed! Besides, what is a Cat's Nest? Bronze Mirror? You You can even knock me out and ask me to take action?"
"...It's an order from Prince Zheng. He said, 'Please come to my house, Lao Yan.' Since you're not free, Master..."
"Xiao Meng, Xiao Zuo..." Yan Jiji called the names of a dozen craftsmen in succession, and slapped the hammer into the water, making a "chi" sound. Yan Jiji put the small hammer on his waist,
Succinctly: "Let's go!"
Xiao Tong was stunned: "Master, didn't you mean the list from the Ministry of War..."
"What a hurry!" Yan Jiji rushed out with a group of elite craftsmen in a hurry, saying as he walked: "Whose order can be as urgent as the prince's order?"
…
Yan Jiji and his party rushed to Chiwang Mansion carrying large and small bags.
After the announcement, Yan Jiji went straight to the backyard.
As soon as he arrived in the backyard, he opened his eyes and saw a strange scene.
The newly promoted Red King, Prince Zheng, who is inferior to one person and superior to millions of people, is sitting in the garden, holding an orange cat in his arms, gently combing the orange cat's hair, scratching its back and scratching its itch.
"Your Majesty, didn't you say that there is an urgent order? Why are you so busy trying to catch such a useless cat like you?"
The orange cat raised its head coldly, expressionless.
"Hush! Hush! Hush!"
Zheng Xiu quickly raised an index finger to his mouth, ignored Yan Jiji, but lowered his head and said to the orange cat: "Meow, don't be offended, my people are ignorant."
Yan Jiji and all the elite craftsmen looked confused: "?"
"Meow."
The orange cat lowered its head again, lying on Zheng Xiu's lap, squinting and enjoying the caress from the prince.
Zheng Xiu whispered comfort, as if talking to the orange cat.
Yan Jiji looked even more confused.
The prince behaves as if he can understand what a cat is saying?
Moreover, the prince's attitude towards the cat is as weird as waiting for his biological father.
After a while, Yan Jiji lamented that after becoming a prince, he had to be different and puzzling.
After a while.
Zheng Xiu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and brought Yan Jiji to the main compartment.
"Lao Yan, please build a cat nest here."
"Cat nest? For that thing?" Yan Jiji stared and blew his beard.
Zheng Xiu quickly covered Yan Jiji's mouth. He knew that Yan Jiji was arrogant and arrogant, so he quickly explained ambiguously: "Old Yan, you may not understand some of the things I said, and you may not believe them if you do. Xiaofeng Meow is definitely not an ordinary orange cat.
, in short, don’t talk nonsense, and build a top-notch cat house for me.”
After confirming that Yan Jiji understood, Zheng Xiu let go of Yan Jiji's mouth.
"My lord, are you sure?"
"OK." Zheng Xiu nodded vigorously.
"Then... how to reach the top level?"
Zheng Xiu thought for a while, then took a slight breath: "The emperor among cats."
understood.
Follow the specifications of the King of Cats.
Yan Jiji has many questions in his mind.
But he knew that the master was not crazy, so he nodded and agreed to this strange errand.
Maybe this is the happiness of a rich prince?
Yan Jiji took off the hammer from his waist and threw out rows of nails.
Ding ding ding ding!
In an instant, a row of nails fell neatly on the four walls.
Yan Jiji was about to start the "Auspicious Workshop". Zheng Xiu pulled Yan Jiji and took out a blueprint from his arms. The blueprint was a small oval bronze mirror. The bronze mirror was simple in style and didn't look too special. Yan
When Jiji was wondering why he had to do this extremely simple job, Zheng Xiu added a few words. When Yan Jiji heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, he patted his thigh and said, "Wonderful!"
"Bronze mirror, don't worry, knock on the cat's nest first." Zheng Xiu blinked and said seriously: "The cat's nest is important. Remember, it must be done according to the specifications of an emperor among cats."
"Okay, Your Majesty."
Yan Jiji agreed, the hammer fell, and the blocks were miraculously knocked out one by one.
Zheng Xiu knew Yan Jiji's rules. He didn't like other people being present during construction. After Yan Jiji opened the "Jixiang Workshop", Zheng Xiu left on his own and waited for completion.
Garden, small pond.
The lotus has just revealed its sharp corners.
"Do you really believe that Xiaofengmiao slipped out from... that place?"
Feng Bei, with his ponytail flying, stood on the arch bridge with his hands behind his back. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Feng Bei frowned and asked.
"Believe it, how can you not believe it?" Zheng Xiu smiled and replied: "The world is so big, there are all kinds of wonders."
"I still find it ridiculous."
"After eliminating all the impossibilities, no matter how absurd the rest is, it can only be the answer." Zheng Xiu casually said a famous saying with a solemn look on his face: "If it really comes from that place, it makes me even more worried. Already."
"Are you worried about...Chang An?"
"Being able to sneak out of that place unknowingly means that the place is far more weird than I imagined." No matter how Zheng Xiu thought about it, he couldn't understand how a little orange cat that stayed at Zheng's house every day could be "replaced" of.
Ignoring common sense and ignoring time and space made Zheng Xiu find it incredible.
Feng Bei understood why Zheng Xiu was worried.
At this time, she didn't know what to say and remained silent.
Zheng Xiu put his arm around Feng Bei's shoulders.
Feng Bei trembled but did not resist.
Zheng Xiu smiled indifferently: "Worrying too much will not do any good except losing hair. This is not bad news. At least, this kitten from Chang An seems to have no ill intentions towards us. This shows that Let’s be clear, the creatures in the dark are not completely unreasonable, nor are they all the monsters we met in the Xiangu Temple.”
Seeing Feng Bei's lack of interest, Zheng Xiu took Feng Bei to the vestibule.
"Come with me, I'll show you some big treasures!"
Several boxes of weapons sent from Yan Jiji's workshop not long ago were left here.
Zheng Xiu opened one of the boxes in front of Feng Bei, took out one of the swords, and flicked the sword with his finger. The sword trembled and made a long buzzing sound.
Zheng Xiu proudly danced in front of Feng Bei like he was showing off his treasures: "Listen to the sound, it is indeed a product of our family, it must be a high-quality product! If it were placed in the martial arts world two hundred years ago, Bai Xiao Fat'er's weapon list would probably all belong to the Zheng family. Weapons."
This triumphant look swept away the gloom in Feng Bei's heart, and he couldn't help but smile.
She thought to herself that this guy had lived in the painting for hundreds of years, but when he came out, he still acted like a child, with his playful spirit still intact.
"Is this the big baby you're talking about?"
"No!" Zheng Xiu shook his head, mysteriously asked Feng Bei to stand a few steps, and said, "The big treasure I'm talking about is me."
Zheng Xiu pointed at himself.
"you?"
Feng Bei looked slightly startled at first, and then his face turned slightly red.
"Watch carefully, don't blink."
Feng Bei was stunned: "Here?"
"What else? There are no outsiders."
As he spoke, Zheng Xiu held the long sword in his hand and closed his eyes. When he closed and opened his eyes, Zheng Xiu's whole body temperament suddenly changed. His long hair seemed to be coated with a layer of light, and his long black hair slowly moved toward After dyeing, his hair was dyed as white as frost and snow in an instant, and his eyes revealed a kind of indifference and calmness, as if he had seen through the coldness of the world.
Zheng Xiu's face was still his, but the white-haired Zheng Xiu and the unfamiliarity in his eyes made Feng Bei subconsciously tighten his gloves and take two steps back, with a look of surprise on his face. At this moment, Zheng Xiu seemed to have become a completely different person. of another person.
Zheng Xiu, who was holding the long sword, had a sharp aura all over his body. Standing in front of Feng Bei, he looked like a living "sword"!
He is like a peerless sword!
A ridiculous idea appeared in Feng Bei's mind.
Buzz buzz...
The other long swords in the box actually made noises at the same time, trembling slightly while colliding with each other in a very small way. The remaining unopened boxes were shaking strangely, as Zheng Xiu made a normal "
"Raise the sword" action, all the swords seem to come alive.
Feng Bei held her breath and didn't dare to make a sound. She knew that Zheng Xiu had a strange "skill" called incarnation. Zheng Shan was good at it, and so was Zheng E. However, Feng Bei had never seen Zheng Xiu with his white hair.
I was surprised, but couldn't bear to be disturbed.
Bang bang bang!
All the boxes suddenly exploded, and hundreds of long swords stood up suddenly, spinning around Zheng Xiu.
Zheng Xiu's grip on the sword trembled, his breath relaxed, and his white hair turned black again. At the same time, his face also showed a tired look. The rotating sword no longer gave Feng Bei a feeling of "alive", and he fell down without strength.
.
"Sure enough, it's not that easy."
Zheng Xiu took a few breaths and looked at the sword in his hand, with a bit of annoyance on his face.
He was trying something very novel, but unfortunately he didn't succeed. In the world of paintings, he used the method of a "painter" to derive Zheng Baimei's "Heaven and Earth intersect into one sword", but he didn't know it was because of the special characteristics of gold.
, or for other reasons. In short, he discovered that "characteristics" are not immutable. So he tried to make the [golden characteristics] truly his own.
Otherwise, [Heaven and Earth come together in one sword] can only be released at the critical moment of life and death, which is too restrictive.
He is very familiar with thaumaturgy. Limitations and rules are necessary, but they may not necessarily be "life or death". He can adjust the "limits" by setting new "rules".
The idea is very novel, but Zheng Xiu is still figuring out how to implement it.
Seeing the annoyance on Zheng Xiu's face, Feng Bei wanted to step forward to comfort him. But after taking the first two steps, Feng Bei frowned, jumped up to the wall, and looked down.
When she saw clearly the arrangement of the long swords around Zheng Xiu, she was so shocked that she opened her mouth into an egg shape, round and transparent.
Zheng Xiu was surrounded by fallen long swords, and the tips of hundreds of long swords happened to be pointed at Zheng Xiu.
This scene made Feng Bei suddenly think of a word - "worship".
And Zheng Xiu, standing in the center of the long sword, is like... the "emperor" in the sword.
…
Ever since Zheng Xiu became the prince.
He felt that apart from having an extra title and getting into trouble, he had no other benefits.
As for the so-called food and town rent in Shuzhou, it belongs to him... after all, the Zheng Chamber of Commerce accounts for the majority of the taxes in Shuzhou. To put it bluntly, the emperor just returns the money he earns to him.
Yan Jiji followed the "skilled" approach and completed the cat nest in only half a day.
In the corner of the main courtyard, there is another small courtyard. There is a magnificent kitten house planted with various flowers. There are small swings, rockeries, lakes, boats, and rollers. From a distance, it looks like a miniature
luxury holiday villa.
When Xiao Feng arrived at his new home, he stayed there for three seconds. He opened his mouth and jumped onto the swing, swinging in circles and having a great time.
Seeing that Orange Cat was obviously very satisfied with the new villa, Zheng Xiu finally let go of his hanging heart, and finally stabilized Orange Cat.
In his spare time, Zheng Xiu reviewed the benefits of his trip with his fingers.
Feng Bei, Orange Cat, a painter's trick, with profound knowledge, hundreds of years of experience, and a bumpy journey, in the end, this trip was worth it.
Zheng Xiu returned to the cell after a long absence. The interesting decoration in the cell was as before. There was a booklet hanging on the wall, which recorded the guests who had "visited here" in "Eternal Purgatory" in these days.
He flipped through a few pages as if checking his work, and Zheng Xiu ignored it. Rich people don't need to do everything themselves. Professional things should be done by professional people, just spend money.
A few more days passed like this.
Mid June.
A civil servant respectfully stood in front of Prince Chi's Mansion to pay homage to Prince Chi.
"A humble position leads to a high position. I am ordered by the Holy One to pay homage to the Red King."
Yi Gao was about fifty years old, with a gentle appearance and a mustache. He was the civil servant who announced the decree for the emperor when Zheng Xiu became king. He seemed to be the emperor's right-hand man.
Zheng Xiu received him in person. The emperor wanted to show his respect, so he met Yi Gao in the drawing room.
Yi Gao had been holding a small brocade box in his hand. After handing it to Zheng Xiu, Yi Gao didn't stay too long. He took a sip of tea and excused himself.
Zheng Xiu opened the brocade box and saw a pair of jade chopsticks lying inside.
The gift from the emperor was not just a gift. Zheng Xiu changed hands and threw it into the cat's nest for the orange cat to play with. The meaning conveyed by the chopsticks given by the emperor was very clear, which was to urge Zheng Xiu to "hurry up, hurry up".
Zheng Xiu felt enlightened, and after a few sighs, he summoned an assassin from the Brotherhood.
"Call Xi'er."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
People of the Zheng family seem to be addicted to calling "Prince".
Unlike other people who are respectful and careful when calling them "Prince", when Zheng's own family members call them "Prince", most of them are proud.
After all, he is his own prince, and he has a lot of respect.
Today is different from the past. Now he is Prince Zheng, and now he can no longer appear on the streets at will. In the past, when he went out, he was called the richest man to go shopping and take care of business. But now, when he goes out, he is called the prince to go out incognito, which is completely different in nature.
Zheng Xiu began to miss his former self who was so close to others.