Chapter 023: The Fire God's Song (Part 2) 1/2 Seeking recommendations, seeking collections.

  Smoke began to appear in the furnace.

  Cao Ju didn't dare stop and continued to drill with the drilling rod, singing loudly.

  "Come on, buddy, big push!"

  As Cao Ju let out a loud shout, Cao Peng pulled the bellows with all his might and then gave it a strong push. Inside the furnace, a ball of flame suddenly shot up, instantly igniting the drill board. Cao Ju hastily released his hand, pushed Cao Peng to the side, and loudly shouted: "Peng'er, add coal, add coal!"

  Wang Meng and his son carried in two buckets of charcoal from outside the shed.

  Cao Peng, under Cao Ji's guidance, rhythmically threw them into the furnace.

  Fill the furnace and keep the temperature of the furnace. After the charcoal fire appeared, Cao Ju relaxed the wooden lever, indicating that Cao Peng retreated.

  Just this little bit of work exhausted Cao Peng, making him sweat profusely.

  It's not just physical exhaustion, but also mental fatigue... This ritual to welcome the Fire God has created an extremely solemn atmosphere. Working in this environment, using one part of strength is equivalent to using three or four parts of strength normally... How can Cao Peng not be tired?

  "The Fire God has arrived!"

  The charcoal fire illuminated Cao's face, which turned red, and a brilliant smile appeared on his thick face.

  "Dad, is this over? When can I take a break?"

  "This doesn't count as the end?"

  Cao Quan smiled and said, "This is just the beginning. We have to stare at the furnace fire here, when the flame changes color, we can start striking the first hammer. Peng Er, I told you a long time ago that ironwork is a very hard job. Just opening the furnace, from now on, neither of us can leave one step. Until the first hammer falls, it's truly over. You take a rest and recharge your energy!

  "The first hammer strike is crucial."

  Cao Peng couldn't help but swallow his saliva!

  My goodness, I've been busy for half a day and it's just the beginning?

  "A Fu, work hard, I'm waiting for the precious sword made by your own hands."

  Wang bought a careless and ruthless smile, angry Cao Peng didn't have a good air to loudly shout: "Get out!"

  In the blink of an eye, Wang Mai disappeared without a trace...

  Wang Meng was on the side, helping out while chatting with Cao Quan.

  The temperature in the shed gradually rose, Cao Peng wiped the sweat from his head and sat down beside him. Three hundred and sixty lines, every move produces a top scholar... it seems that this ironwork is really a technical job. His father, an ordinary craftsman, has to pay so much attention to it. I guess those great craftsmen and masters will be even more hardworking. I really don't know how the legendary sword-casting masters came about.

  Cao Peng thought while watching Cao Jing busy.

  In this way, before I knew it, a day's time had quietly passed.

  As the sky began to darken, it suddenly started snowing heavily.

  Deng Ji also came back and helped outside the shed.

  "Let's start melting iron."

  Cao Qu ordered, and Wang Meng immediately picked up a wooden bucket filled with broken iron pieces and poured them in. These broken iron pieces were collected earlier. Actually, they didn't have much use, mainly just for paving the way for the first hammering. Once the furnace was lit, it couldn't be left idle. When the iron pieces in the furnace started to melt together, Cao Qu beckoned to Cao Peng, signaling him to get ready to strike the hammer.

  With a pair of pliers, Cao Peng picked up a workpiece and carried it forward with a specially made iron hammer.

  This hammer weighs eighteen catties and was specially prepared by Cao Ju for Cao Peng. Cao Peng took a deep breath, gripped the workpiece tightly, and swung into action.

  With a single arm exerting force, he let out a loud roar, his energy escaping from his dantian as the wheel hammer smashed down.

  Clang...

  A loud crack, sparks flying everywhere.

  "Golden flowers bloom, Fire God returns to the palace!"

  Cao Ju was overjoyed and rushed outside, hastily snatching the pliers and hammering away.

  He used a hammer, weighing sixty-eight kilograms, fifty kilograms heavier than Cao Peng's. The force of the blow was naturally different, and the sound of "ding ding dang" was endless. In the flames, Cao Quan's face had an excited smile, his eyes focused, with a unique charm...

  He struck with all his might.

  Cao Peng let out a long sigh after he came down.

  "Is it okay?"

  "Hehe, didn't mess it up."

  "That's good, that's good!"

  Deng Jie was in the shed, and what he saw was shocking.

  Who would have thought that a hammer could make such a big impact?

  As Cao Quan wielded the massive hammer, his bare arms rippled with rhythmic muscle contractions. It wasn't just his arms that were exerting force; in fact, Cao Quan's entire body was in motion, including his spirit.

  "Ah Fu, does that method you mentioned really work?"

  Wang Meng asked in a low voice, Cao Peng smiled and said: "Is it useful or not? Try it to know."

  As early as the Warring States period, people invented and created quenching technology. However, for a long time, from the Warring States to the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, no matter how they quenched, they could not get rid of using water as the cooling medium for quenching. During the Eastern Han period, people realized that using different waters for quenching can result in knives with different properties. Therefore, distinguishing between waters became a compulsory course for casting craftsmen.

  It takes talent to distinguish good water from bad.

  Among a hundred people, it's unlikely to find even one, making great masters all the more scarce.

  In the late Three Kingdoms period, Pu Yuan, a master swordsmith, possessed such a skill. Unfortunately, there were few people who could grasp this technique.

  Cao Qu does not understand how to distinguish water, and naturally it is impossible for him to become a great master.

  However, Cao Peng came up with an idea: first use animal urine to quench the fire, and then use animal oil to quench the fire, maybe it will have a miraculous effect.

  Ask him how he knew all this?

  Cao Peng said: "It was Old Fang who told me."

  In his heart, he didn't know how grateful he was to that mysterious old man. If it wasn't for him, Cao Peng really wouldn't have known how to explain things.

  Fangshi are considered by people to be possessed of great magical powers, and may even be immortals.

  Since it was said by an immortal, it must have a special effect. Cao Jiu naturally believed it without a doubt and expressed his willingness to try it out.

  If Cao Peng's method can really solve the water problem, then Cao Ju will be able to break through a threshold and take a big step forward.

  In the shed, a pool of horse urine was prepared, and another pool of lard. The horse urine didn't cost any money; the three horses at the Cao family's were almost enough to meet their needs.

  This lard... really cost a lot of money.

  If it fails, Cao Peng is afraid that he will inevitably suffer a round of blame.

  "Dad, I'm tired, I'll go rest first..."

  "Alright, you go rest first."

  Cao Peng was naturally full of confidence, because he told Cao Qu that the double-liquid quenching method could be verified in later generations. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the famous swordsmith Guiwu Huaiwen invented this double-liquid quenching method and forged the renowned Su Tie Dao. It was also due to the emergence of this double-liquid quenching method that later horizontal knives and Mo knives were created. Cao Peng believed that if Cao Qu solved the problem of quenching, he would definitely make a big breakthrough. However, he did not tell Cao Qu the method of forging Su Tie Dao, because he felt it was still too early.

  Back in his own room, Cao Peng seemed to collapse, plopping himself down on the bed and refusing to move again.

  Finally solved one problem!

  If Old Master can forge a good sword using the Double Liquid Quenching method, he will be able to stand firm wherever he goes in the future.

  This is indeed a great achievement...

  The problem of quenching fire has been solved, and what's left is to increase the furnace temperature and solve the problem of the bellows.

  Cao Peng took a deep breath and stood up, walking over to his desk.

  Huh?

  Where is my blueprint?

  He was shocked to find that the draft of the bellows he had drawn earlier had disappeared...

  Cao Peng suddenly felt a chill and searched the house from top to bottom, but couldn't find those few drawings. Could it be that someone had taken them?

  He couldn't care about his fatigue and rushed out of the room like wind.

  "Mom, who came into my room today?"

  Zhang and Cao Nan were preparing dinner when they heard Cao Peng's loud shout, and they both froze.

  "I didn't go in... Ah Nan, did you go in?"

  Cao Nan shook her head, "I've never been to Ah Fu's room? Ah Fu, what happened? Your face looks so bad... Eh, where are you going?"

  Before she finished speaking, Cao Peng turned around and left.

  His room, normally nobody would go in...

  Except for Zhang and Cao Nan helping him clean the room, neither Cao Jing nor Deng Ju, including Wang Meng, would enter.

  Wang Mai usually comes and goes frequently, but today he stayed with himself all day.

  Calm down, must calm down!

  Cao Peng constantly reminded himself to try hard to recall.

  Yesterday evening, I was still studying the drawings... later I felt tired and fell asleep! However, before falling asleep, I... right, I stuffed the drawings into my pocket.

  Where is my wallet?

  Cao Pengzhen was anxious...

  "Brother Tiger, have you seen my black leather pouch?"

  "Is it the leather pouch you took away this morning?"

  "That's right!"

  "Didn't you bring it back?"

  I remember now!

  When I was resting after practicing qigong, I took off the leather pouch and put it under a peach tree on the riverbank. At that time, I was in a hurry and forgot about this matter.

  It's broken, don't let others take it away...

  That leather pouch wasn't worth much money, at most it was because his mother had sewn it for him and held sentimental value. But the blueprint inside...

  A fine layer of sweat suddenly appeared on Cao Peng's forehead.

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