If he had a choice, Zhou Shu would not want to be in the limelight in front of others.
But there is no way, Xiao Zongshui pushed him out, it was a conspiracy.
Unless he and Xiao Zongshui fall out, otherwise, he must complete the tasks assigned by Xiao Zongshui.
Falling out?
He doesn't seem to have that strength yet.
So for now, completing the mission is his only choice.
He would definitely not be able to complete the task of handing in 3,000 Huben knives in three months by himself. Even if he could complete it, he would not be able to do that.
A normal soldier-making apprentice, who can forge three thousand Huben knives in three months? Isn’t that just telling others that there is something wrong with him?
If one person can't do it, then he has to rely on everyone.
Xiao Zongshui sent thirty or forty people here, we can't let them idle, right?
As for revealing the secret recipe for the Huben Knife, Zhou Shu didn't pay much attention to it.
Originally, the secret recipe for the Huben Sword was already stolen by Xiao Zongshui. Now that more people know about it, there will be no greater loss to Zhou Shu.
Moreover, Zhou Shu really didn’t take the secret recipe for casting the Tiger Ben knife too seriously.
The Huben knife is, after all, just a sharp standard long knife.
The secret recipe for casting standard weapons has limited value.
If it were the secret recipe for forging high-grade weapons, Zhou Shu would never have this attitude.
Taking the hammer from Zhang Yibei, Zhou Shu tested the weight, and then took a piece of iron as if it were in a furnace.
His movements were neither fast nor slow, every step was regular and there were no tricks.
He even deliberately slowed down in order to let everyone see clearly.
Otherwise, with the proficiency he has gained in casting the Huben Sword these days, he can cast the Huben Sword in an hour!
Zhang Yibei watched Zhou Shu's movements without blinking.
He was confident that his previous casting process had not gone wrong. He strictly followed the fire procedures recorded in the secret casting recipe. How could it not work?
He wanted to see how Zhou Shu forged the Tiger Blade.
"Ding-ding-dang--"
Zhou Shu finally started to forge iron.
The monotonous knocking sound fell on everyone's ears. I don't know if it was an illusion. Everyone felt that Zhou Shu's sound of hitting the knife blank had a certain rhythm, and it sounded like music.
Time passed little by little, and the long sword gradually took shape under Zhou Shu's iron hammer.
"Pfft——"
A burst of white mist filled the air, and Zhou Shu pretended to wipe his sweat and threw the knife onto the casting platform.
"It's done!"
"Has everyone seen clearly?"
The scene was quiet, no one answered, and everyone had the same expression on their faces, confused.
Although Zhou Shu's blacksmithing action looked quite comforting, to be honest, they really didn't see any clue.
"You didn't forge a standard long knife to fool us, did you?"
Zhang Yibei frowned.
"Brother Zhang, you are an expert, but saying this is a bit much."
Zhou Shu said expressionlessly.
He held the handle of the knife and waved it casually. Without using any force, the wooden stake under the anvil was cut into two pieces.
"The standard long sword, even if it is a high-quality product, can only break through one level of armor. The Tiger Soul Saber can break through three levels of armor. If Brother Zhang doesn't believe it, you can go to the military inspection field to test the sword."
Zhou Shu said calmly.
Zhang Yibei was speechless. He was not blind. This knife was so much sharper than an ordinary long knife. How could he not see it?
What he said just now was just blurted out subconsciously.
He was a little reluctant to accept that a boy with no hair at all was actually stronger than himself in making weapons.
The most important thing is that when he watched Zhou Shu Zhu Bing, he didn’t see any clues!
Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhou Shu also reacted and sighed secretly in his heart.
No wonder these people are just weapon-making apprentices. Their qualifications are really hard to describe.
I demonstrated it in slow motion, but they didn’t understand anything.
But then I thought about it, if he was really that kind of person with outstanding qualifications, he would have become a weapon maker long ago. Why would he stay here in Workshop No. 97?
They have been apprentices in the Weapons Forging Department for most of their lives, so we really shouldn’t have high expectations for their talents.
Zhou Shu now vaguely understood why Xiao Zongshui put himself in charge of this task.
Isn't it because he knows the Tiger Blade and other weapon-smithing apprentices can't make it?
"Zhou——"
In the crowd, a soldier-forging apprentice said, he didn't know how to address Zhou Shu. Let's call him by his first name. It seemed a bit disrespectful. Let's call him brother. He didn't have Zhang Yibei's qualifications.
Without calling him a name, he continued, "I don't quite understand why Brother Zhang does the same as you every step of the way. He didn't succeed, but you succeeded?"
"It just looks the same."
Zhou Shu shook his head and said, "The secret recipe for casting makes it very clear that the casting process must be done in a measured way——"
"Of course I know." Zhang Yibei said, "How can I not know when to be heavy and when to be light?"
"The problem is that when you are heavy, you are not heavy enough, and when you are light, you are not light enough." Zhou Shu shook his head and said, "The most important thing is that your rhythm is wrong."
"To cast the Tiger Ben knife, rhythm is very important. Just like this step, thirty-six blows with a heavy hammer require thirty-six consecutive blows in one breath, without any pause in the middle."
"And here, there are twelve blows, and there is a pause between each blow."
Zhou Shu dismantled it bit by bit and told everyone about the process of casting the Tiger Ben knife.
This entire process requires 3,768 beatings, and there are strict regulations for each beating.
These weapon-making apprentices used to make standard weapons and just hit the iron hard. How could there be so much care?
Even if it's a bit particular, it's nothing compared to this Tiger Blade.
Even Zhang Yibei felt dizzy after hearing that there were more than 3,000 different methods of blacksmithing, and it was impossible to just write them down.
How can we ensure that there are no mistakes in the blacksmithing process?
Is this still something humans can do?
Everyone looked at Zhou Shu like a monster. They couldn't understand how Zhou Shu could knock more than 3,000 times without making any mistakes.
You know, in the process of blacksmithing, you don’t have much time to think, otherwise, you may fail at any time.
Zhou Shu didn't think about it carefully before, but now after taking it apart with these people, he realized that this Tiger Ben knife seemed to be a bit difficult to cast.
More than 3,000 strikes, the order, strength, and rhythm must all be correct in order to forge a Tiger Ben knife.
This requires the caster not only to keep all these in mind, but also to be able to use them without thinking. The difficulty is not ordinary.
"Give me two years, I will definitely be able to master the casting method of this Tiger Ben knife!"
Zhang Yibei said in a deep voice.
After saying that, his face turned a little ugly.
Zhou Shu's face became even more ugly. Two years?
Not to mention two years, not even two months!
Xiao Zongshui needs 3,000 Huben knives in three months. Even though they have forty people, the task is not small. If they want to complete the task, they must start casting immediately!
It takes two years to master it. By then, the grass on their graves will be three feet high!
Everyone knew what would happen if they failed to complete the task, and their faces became very ugly.
It would take Zhang Yibei two years to master the method of forging the Tiger Ben Sword. Their strength in forging weapons is not as good as Zhang Yibei's, so it will only take longer.
Almost subconsciously, everyone's eyes turned to Zhou Shu.
Zhou Shu forged the Tiger Ben Sword, and unknowingly, everyone regarded him as the real leader.
Even Zhang Yibei lost his previous arrogance and bowed his hands to Zhou Shu.
"Brother Zhou, you are very skilled, is there any way you can teach us?"
"Yes, Brother Zhou, please think of a way. This is really too difficult."
Other weapon-making apprentices also spoke one after another.
"If we fail to complete the task, the person in charge will not let us go, and he will not listen to our explanation."
"Brother Zhou, how do you do this? Do you have any tips for us? No matter what, we will give you half of the reward."
Everyone said something to Zhou Shu and asked him to think of a solution.
Zhou Shu rolled his eyes when he heard this. What can I do? I am also desperate!
I have already taught you the method. I have broken down each step and explained it to you in detail. If you can’t do it, what can I do?
Although the method of casting the Huben Sword is complicated, in Zhou Shu's opinion, it is not so difficult that it cannot be learned. Even without the magic weapon atlas, he felt that he could master it in a few days.
Is this the difference between a top student and a bad student?
Zhou Shu thought happily in pain.
"Don't worry, everyone, let me think about it."
Zhou Shu sighed and said, he didn't want to care about these guys, but it was impossible to ignore them.
Without their help, even if he exposed all his strength, he would not be able to forge three thousand Huben knives in three months.
The only way is to let these people learn to forge Huben knives.
But it is really difficult to teach a group of poor students to solve problems.
Zhou Shu looked at the sky speechlessly.
How can we make these people enlightened?
If he had enough time, he might be able to use the methods of his previous life to train some people like Zhang Yibei.
It's a pity that what he lacks most now is time.
If he really had that time, he could cast three thousand Huben knives by himself without the help of people like Zhang Yibei!
"Brother Zhou, if you have any ideas, please don't hesitate to give me some advice." Zhang Yibei raised his hands and said politely, "I will do what you say, and I will definitely not disobey you at all!"
"If you can successfully complete this mission, Brother Zhou, you will be our benefactor!"
Zhang Yibei and others are also anxious. In the Weapon Casting Department, the consequences of failing to complete the task are very serious. Since they have been summoned by Xiao Zongshui, there is no room for refusal now.
For them, completing the task is the only choice.
To complete the mission, Zhou Shu is their only hope now.
"Brother Zhou, please save us!"
Under the leadership of Zhang Yibei, everyone said in unison.