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In addition to being used as ammunition, this type of steel ball can also be used to forge knives. Hu Xiuwu learned this when he accompanied Yu Baiyuan to visit Zhang Duan.
In Zhang Duan's knife forging workshop, in addition to shaped iron blocks, there were some steel balls and several sections of old railroad tracks. At that time, Hu Xiuwu was very curious about the function of those steel balls.
As a swordsman and a close friend of the swordsmith master Zhang Duan, Yu Baiyuan is also very familiar with the raw materials for forging swords.
He explained to Hu Xiuwu how to use these steel balls. He put the steel balls into an iron container, filled the gaps with steel powder, and finally put it into a forging furnace to melt it into a steel billet. He took out the rough billet and pried off the surface iron container while it was still hot.
After repeated cutting, welding and hammering, you can get a piece of Damascus steel in the modern sense.
In order to help Hu Xiuwu better understand this kind of steel, Yu Baiyuan easily found a dagger made of Damascus steel for Hu Xiuwu in Zhang Duan's house.
The blade is covered with intricate patterns, looking more like a work of art than a murder weapon, and this hand-forged Damascus steel is very expensive.
(One of the methods of making Damascus steel. If you are interested, you can search online for a foreign variety show called "Sword Forging Conference". It is also known as "Sword Breaking Conference".)
The shop owner was neither a swordsman nor a blacksmith, and knew nothing about metal. He did not see its greatest value at first, but just looked at the shiny steel ball and thought that if he treated it as a unique work of art, he could sell it.
He picked up two steel balls at random and knocked them. The sound was extremely crisp and there was no noise.
"Hundred-forged steel!"
Gao Yue didn't react when Hu Xiuwu took out the bag of steel balls. In his mind, it was normal for Hu Xiuwu, as the descendant of Liu Hou, to have some rare treasures on him.
Gao Yue's expression suddenly changed after hearing the sound of the steel balls colliding.
He had heard that a craftsman in the Shaofu of Emperor Wu of Han had forged a hundred-forged steel that made a crisp sound and was both hard and tough. A sword made of the hundred-forged steel could cut ten copper coins in one breath without damaging the blade.
However, it is not easy to forge the Hundred Forged Steel. In addition, Emperor Wu of Han was preparing for a war with the Huns, so it was difficult to find the Hundred Forged Steel on the market.
While the shopkeeper was still pondering the value of this bag of steel balls, Gao Yue took the opportunity to say to Hu Xiuwu:
"Mr. Xiuwu, I paid for this jade pendant! Just give me this hundred-forged fine steel in exchange."
Unfortunately, his words were too late. Although the shop owner was not good at martial arts and did not realize the true value of the steel ball, one of the guards behind him discovered this little secret and whispered it to the shop owner.
After hearing this, the shopkeeper packed up the Pisces jade pendant and gave it to Chen Duo. Then he touched his chest and saluted Hu Xiuwu, mumbling a long string of Kucha words. Although Hu Xiuwu did not understand, he could tell that the shopkeeper looked very respectful.
Gao Yue was also surprised when he heard the shopkeeper's words. After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he translated it to Hu Xiuwu and said:
"He said: His master, Prince Gumo, is very interested in these things. If you still have this kind of precious gold, you can take anything in this shop."
After saying this, Gao Yue explained to Hu Xiuwu with a puzzled look on his face:
"Su Wen, this Gumo Prince Hadili is in poor health and has been suffering from a long-term illness, so he is not good at martial arts, but he is proficient in music. I didn't expect that he would be interested in this kind of hundred-forged steel."
Not feeling well? Uncle Yue, are you kidding me?
He was a ruthless man who could go alone to assassinate the Queen of Jingjue, and after the assassination failed, he was still able to come back safely. How could you say that such a person is in poor health.
Believe it or not, he can beat ten people like you.
Hu Xiuwu complained inwardly, but he also knew that Gao Yue was not a person who spoke without thinking. His words only showed that the impression of Prince Gumo among the countries in the Western Regions was that he was a weak person who was good at music.
It seems that Prince Gumo's first assassination attempt on the Queen of Jingjue was not a spur-of-the-moment decision but was planned long ago. Prince Gumo was given a character with a weak body so that if the plan failed, no one would suspect a person with a weak body.
It's been planned for a long time.
Hu Xiuwu said to the store owner: "I can do business with you, but I have one condition."
Gao Yue repeated, and the shopkeeper listened attentively.
Hu Xiuwu said, "I want to meet Prince Gumo."
The shopkeeper was a little hesitant, as he could not make the decision. He then called a servant, took out a steel bead from his bag and gave it to him as a proof, asking him to go back and report to Prince Gumo.
Then, Hu Xiuwu and the other two were welcomed into the inner room, and they were served fine grape wine and local special fruits and vegetables of Kucha as a treat, and were asked to wait here for a while.
Hu Xiuwu was not in a hurry. He even had the leisure to help Chen Duo put on the golden-eyed Pisces jade. The crystal clear mutton-fat jade made Chen Duo's skin look even whiter and more slender, making her look more lovable.
Everyone's praise from Hu Xiuwu made Chen Duo's face slightly blush, making her look delicate and cute, without her usual cold look. The otherworldly celestial being was moved by human desires.
Middle-aged bachelor Yue: ······
Gao Yue suddenly felt a little restless and could only taste the wine alone.
Chapter 130 Prince Gumo
As it involved Prince Gumo, the guards from Gumo also understood the importance of the matter, and hurried away and hurried back, bringing back Prince Gumo's invitation.
Prince Gumo invited Hu Xiuwu to his residence for a gathering.
Chen Duo must be taken along. Neither Hu Xiuwu nor Chen Duo understands the Kucha language, so Gao Yue must also go along.
The shop owner sent Hu Xiuwu and the other two out of the door, and the Gumo guards led them to Prince Gumo's residence. He had to stay and guard the shop.
On the way to Prince Gumo's residence, Hu Xiuwu asked Gao Yue about his impression of Prince Gumo.
Gao Yue didn't know much about this. He was only responsible for the action, while Gao Gu was the one who used his brain. He could only tell Hu Xiuwu some of the information he had heard from Gao Gu in the past:
"Well, I heard that Prince Hadili of Gumo is just an ordinary person, and his health is not very good, but he has a good reputation in Gumo. Not only is he good at music, but he also loves his people like his own children. The people of Gumo love this prince very much."
"It would have been difficult to secure the throne and the position of crown prince in the Western Regions if it weren't for the aliens, but Prince Hadili of Gumo was an accident."
"Although he is not an alien himself, the princess he married is a cultivator and seems to be a disciple of a certain Hu religion. Therefore, with the support of the princess, other countries in the Western Regions still recognized his identity. However, some people secretly laughed at him for being a spineless man who relied on women."
There was not much substantive evidence in Gao Yue's words, just some hearsay. But in fact, Gao had always valued Prince Hadili of Gumo and once privately commented that he was a man of courage and had the ambition to swallow up the powerful Wu like the King of Ancient Yue.
Prince Gumo's residence is just like his personality, low-key and simple in style. There is no luxurious decoration in the mansion. Except for a number of Gumo-specific decorations placed in the yard, there is no difference from the yard bought by the Gao family.
The attendant led Hu Xiuwu and the other two to the lobby where guests were received.
On the other side, Gao Lu, who came to find Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo on the orders of Gao Gu, followed the marks left by Gao Yue and found the market town.
But after arriving at the market town, the mark left by Gao Yue disappeared. As the Gu Mo guards were guarding them, Gao Yue did not find an opportunity to continue leaving marks on the road.
Looking at the bustling market, Gao Lu fell into confusion:
"Where have everyone gone?"
······
The attendant took them to see Prince Gumo. Before they entered the house, Hu Xiuwu smelled a very strong smell of medicine.
Hu Xiuwu thought to himself: Is this Prince Gumo so serious about his character building that he is actually decocting medicine.
There were only two people in the room, a man sitting in the main seat, and a woman helping him decoct medicine.
Prince Gumo is very handsome, with facial features that are both deep like those of white people and soft like those of yellow people. He is a successful example of mixed-race, having perfectly inherited the advantages of both races.
The only drawback was that his face was very pale and he didn't look very well. He looked like a typical sickly person, exhausted and listless.
The beautiful Western woman who was taking care of him had a gentle temperament and an elegant figure. She looked like a celestial being walking out of a Dunhuang mural.
Hu Xiuwu smelled the medicinal scent in the air, but could not tell what kind of herb it was. He had no research on pharmacology, but he had studied the "Huangting Jing" in depth and had a deep understanding of the human body.
Prince Gumo was not pretending, he was really in poor health, but it was not because of any illness.
He was injured,
And it was not a light injury. His injuries were so severe that the Qi around him was like summer morning mist in Hu Xiuwu's eyes, strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It would disappear into thin air once the midday sun came on.
Hu Xiuwu understood that Prince Gumo looked like he had already assassinated the Queen of Jingjue.
Although I heard from Sister Xueli Yang that the tomb of Prince Gumo recorded that Prince Gumo escaped from the Kingdom of Jingjue, it is obvious that the records in the murals are not in detail. He did not escape unscathed and was still seriously injured.
What's more, to Hu Xiuwu's surprise, Prince Gumo had a strange expression on his face when he saw Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo.
He originally planned to get up from his seat to greet them, but when he saw Hu Xiuwu, he suddenly stopped, as if he recognized Hu Xiuwu, but then pretended nothing had happened and continued with his previous action.
Gao Yue first performed the Gumo etiquette to Gumo Prince Hadi.
No matter how small Gumo is, it is still a country, and Hadili is the next king of Gumo, so he should be given due respect.
Hu Xiuwu saluted like Gao Yue, while Chen Duo saluted like Hu Xiuwu.
Prince Hadili of Gumo returned the greeting with a smile, welcomed Hu Xiuwu to their respective seats, and ordered the servants to bring snacks and drinks, and then dismissed the servants in the room.
After they sat down, Prince Gumo smiled and said to Hu Xiuwu, "I heard that you have precious iron that can be used to forge a magic weapon. I wonder if you would be willing to give it to me."
Hu Xiuwu said: "Of course..."
Before he finished speaking, Hu Xiuwu looked at Hadili in surprise. Hadili had just spoken in Kucha language, but he actually understood it, and it seemed that Hadili could also understand the Chinese he had just spoken.
The Qi in Hadili's body did not fluctuate just now, so this matter was not caused by him.
There are only five people in the room now, and three of them are on his side, so it is self-evident who did this.
Looking at the beautiful woman from the Western Regions who had been taking care of Hadili, Hu Xiuwu guessed:
"Is he psychic?"
It seems that this person is the Prince Gumo that Gao Yue mentioned, and that one is the princess consort of the Hu sect believer.
It turned out that the Hu religion that Gao Yue mentioned was Buddhism, and what surprised Hu Xiuwu was that this princess had also cultivated one of the six most difficult supernatural powers in Buddhism, telepathy.
Buddhism has six supernatural powers: clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, knowledge of past lives, knowledge of divine realms, and knowledge of the end of all defilements. Only great monks who have studied Buddhism in depth can master them. Legend has it that if one can cultivate any one of these supernatural powers to the extreme, one can achieve the status of Arhat, which is the highest realm of an extraordinary person and ascend to heaven.
The Prajna Sutra says: "The ability to read other people's minds is to know the minds and mental factors of other sentient beings in the ten directions and the worlds of sand. This means knowing the minds of greed, anger, ignorance, etc., and being free from greed, anger, ignorance, etc. It means knowing the concentrated mind, the scattered mind, the small mind, the large mind, the quiet mind, the unquiet mind, the liberated mind, and all the truth."
In the most superficial sense, telepathy is similar to mind reading.
Even in later generations, Hu Xiuwu had never heard of anyone cultivating the six supernatural powers of Buddhism.
You know, this is a big deal. The status of the Six Supernatural Powers in Shaolin is equivalent to that of the Five Thunders in Longhu Mountain. If someone can practice it successfully, it almost means that this person will become the next abbot of Shaolin.
Hu Xiuwu had never thought that he would meet a person who practiced the six magical powers of Buddhism in his lifetime. No wonder he felt that the woman's aura was peaceful.
Hadily held the woman's hand with love in his eyes:
"This is my princess, the jewel of Gumo, Zumuredi."
“Thanks to her support over the years, I have been able to survive.”
Zumuretti held Hadili's hand in return, conveying his feelings and trust in him.
After a heated eye contact with Zumuretti, Hadili finally remembered Hu Xiuwu who was eating a mouthful of dog food:
"Zumureti is now using his telepathy to connect my consciousness with yours, so that you and I can communicate."
Zumureti simultaneously probed into the thoughts that were scattered between the words of Hu Xiuwu and Hadili, and then passed their thoughts to each other.
Hu Xiuwu understood:
I see. She is like a telephone relay station and translator now. No wonder Chen Duo is looking at me with confusion.
Chen Duo: When did you go to cram school behind my back?