Chapter 33

"Lord, do you need so much iron ore to forge weapons?" Shi A couldn't help but ask.

Liu Yao nodded and said, "Exactly. Now we have the raw materials and the method of smelting. What we lack is a top-notch blacksmith."

Shi A smiled and said, "Lord, when I was learning martial arts in Youzhou with my teacher, he took me to meet a blacksmith. He was a good friend of my teacher, and both my weapons and my teacher's were forged by him. His craftsmanship is unparalleled. However, he is obsessed with forging and rarely involves himself in external affairs."

"Oh? Do you know where he lives?" Liu Yao's heart leaped with joy.

Shi A slowly said, "Of course. He lives in a small village outside of Jixian, but few people know about it."

"Then why don't you take me there quickly?" Liu Yao said eagerly.

"Well..." Shi A hesitated and said, "The old blacksmith has a very peculiar temperament. Although he and my teacher are very close, I can't ask for his help."

"No problem. I have a way." Liu Yao said confidently. He then grabbed Shi A and headed out of the governor's residence. Liu Yao's confidence came from his steel-making technique. Even the most ordinary steel, when refined, could match the quality of iron that had been forged dozens of times. For someone obsessed with forging, the allure of this technology was self-evident.

Under Shi A's guidance, Liu Yao quickly arrived at the small village where the blacksmith lived. The village was very small, with only five households in total. The old blacksmith's residence was a small wooden house, with iron pieces and wood shavings scattered all around. Inside the small wooden house, the sound of hammering could be heard continuously.

"Shi A, you should go and announce our presence first," Liu Yao said, as he was there to seek help and wanted to maintain proper etiquette.

"Understood." Shi A walked to the door of the small wooden house and loudly said, "I am Shi A, the eldest disciple of Wang Yue, coming to pay respects to the venerable Ou Feng."

However, the only response from inside was the continuous hammering. Shi A shouted again, but there was still no response. Liu Yao stopped Shi A, "No problem, let's wait a bit."

Soon, the hammering stopped. A hoarse voice came from inside the wooden house, "You are Wang Yue's disciple? Come in then!"

With the owner's permission, Liu Yao and Shi A entered the small wooden house. The house was small but packed with a complete set of furnaces and forging platforms. Various weapons were displayed around, reflecting a strong light, indicating their high quality. At the forging platform, a tall, white-haired man was examining a sword, which seemed to have just been forged.

Liu Yao did not disturb Ou Feng but watched quietly. Ou Feng kept examining and measuring, but finally, he shook his head in frustration and sighed, "Sigh, it's still not perfect. Just a little more, and it could have reached the level of a hundred-refined sword. But the raw material is still not up to par. What a pity." He then casually threw the sword, which looked like a treasure to others, to the side and ignored it.

Ou Feng then noticed Liu Yao and Shi A, "You... you are Wang Yue's disciple Shi A, right? I remember seeing you when you were a child. How is that old man Wang Yue? Is he still running around trying to get an official position?"

"Venerable sir, my teacher is doing well recently and has joined the service of the Governor of Youzhou," Shi A said respectfully.

"Oh, that old man's dream has come true. I should congratulate him." Ou Feng smiled. He then looked at Liu Yao, "And who might this gentleman be?" Ou Feng asked curiously, looking at Liu Yao, who was dressed in fine silk.

"I am Liu Yao, the Governor of Youzhou, here to pay respects to the venerable Ou Feng," Liu Yao introduced himself.

"Oh, it's the Governor of Youzhou. I failed to welcome you properly, please do not hold it against me," Ou Feng gave a casual bow, not taking Liu Yao seriously.

Liu Yao was not bothered; he knew that capable people often had peculiar temperaments. "Venerable Ou Feng, I have come to invite you to join my service in Youzhou and help us forge superior weapons," Liu Yao directly extended an olive branch to Ou Feng.

Ou Feng refused without hesitation, "Please do not misunderstand, I am a free man of the mountains and do not like to get involved in external affairs. I only wish to forge excellent weapons."

"Ha ha." Liu Yao's lips curled into a mischievous smile, "I saw you forging a sword earlier. It was clearly a treasure. Why did you discard it?"

"Hmph, what do you know? Although this sword can be called a treasure, its raw material limits its potential. It cannot reach the level of a true divine weapon. Such trash is far from reaching the level of my ancestors," Ou Feng said irritably.

Liu Yao was startled and asked, "Venerable sir, your surname is Ou. Could your ancestor be the famous swordsmith Ou Yezi?"

"Indeed." Ou Feng raised his head proudly but then his face darkened, filled with sorrow, "Sigh, I have lived for forty years, but I have never been able to reach the level of my ancestor."

Seeing the right moment, Liu Yao took out the blueprint for the steel-making technique from his sleeve, "Please take a look, venerable sir."

Ou Feng took the blueprint curiously and slowly examined it. His heart began to race uncontrollably, "This, this is..."

"This material I call steel. It is formed by smelting iron ore at high temperatures. Even the most basic steel is superior to iron that has been forged dozens of times. If refined multiple times, even divine weapons should not be a problem. What do you think of this blueprint, venerable sir?" Liu Yao said with a smile.

"This..." Ou Feng was clearly struggling with his thoughts. On one side was freedom, and on the other was the chance to reach the level of his ancestor Ou Yezi, or even surpass him. In the end, the dream outweighed freedom, and Ou Feng gritted his teeth, "If you are willing to let me use this material to forge divine weapons and fulfill my lifelong wish, I am willing to join your service."

"Excellent, no problem at all. I have hundreds of thousands of pounds of iron ore and thousands of pounds of steel, which will be more than enough for Master Ou to use," Liu Yao said with a smile.

Ou Feng knelt down and bowed, "This humble person, Ou Feng, pays respects to my lord."

"Please rise, Master Ou. From now on, you do not need to bow to me," Liu Yao said happily. Now that everything was in place, the divine weapons for his subordinates would soon be born.

Liu Yao unhesitatingly drew the designs of famous weapons from his previous life, such as Zhang Fei's eighteen-foot spear, Huang Zhong's Daxia Longque saber, and Zhao Yun's Longdan spear, and handed them to Ou Feng. When Ou Feng saw these designs, his eyes nearly popped out. His admiration and loyalty to Liu Yao deepened even further.

After recruiting Ou Feng, the three returned to Youzhou and began the process of forging divine weapons. Youzhou, located in the northwest, had many open-pit coal mines. With coal, the high temperatures required for steel-making were easily achieved.

Liu Yao entrusted all the remaining tasks to Ou Feng and also sent several skilled blacksmiths to assist him. While they were there to assist, there was also a hint of learning from the master. After all, Ou Feng only forged the most top-tier weapons, while the slightly inferior weapons for Liu Yao's soldiers were left to the less skilled blacksmiths.

However, Ou Feng was not concerned. He was very confident in his family's techniques, which were not easily learned. Otherwise, there would not have been only one Ou Yezi in the world. Even if they could learn some basics, it would be more than enough.

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