"Me?" Zhou Shu was stunned. He only came to be a bystander. Why was he suddenly dragged into this?
"Superintendent Xiao, I am too young and inexperienced. I'm afraid I won't be able to bear such a huge responsibility," Zhou Shu said. One who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions!
Xiao Zongshui had pushed him out of nowhere. Who knew what he was up to?
He still said if Zhou Shu couldn't hand over 3,000 Huben Blades in three months, then hmph…
I have better things to do than to take on this task! Zhou Shu was content with his current situation. He would forge two Huben Sabers every day and then do whatever he pleased. If he wanted to cultivate, he would cultivate. If he wanted to rest, he would rest. He was simply happy.
"Superintendent, how can a little brat like Zhou Shu take on such a heavy responsibility? In my opinion, Zhang Yibei is more suitable to be in charge," an apprentice shouted.
Zhou Shu gave him a thumbs up in his heart. What a godly assist!
"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Xiao Zongshui's face sank. He glared at the Forging Apprentice and said coldly, "Zhang Yibei, do you think so too?"
Zhang Yibei was a man in his thirties with a muscular build and tanned skin.
He had been in the 97th Workshop for over 10 years and was one of the most experienced people. In the 97th Workshop, his forging skills were the best.
Zhang Yibei lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "No, I'll follow your instructions, Superintendent."
"Hmph, you had better." Xiao Zongshui snorted coldly. "If I find out that anyone is feigning compliance while acting in opposition and holding up the immense mission, I'll let you know who has the final say in this 97th Workshop! Listen carefully. From now on, Zhou Shu's words are my words. If you're dissatisfied, look for me!"
He tossed his sleeves and turned to leave without giving Zhou Shu a chance to refuse.
"I want to see three thousand Huben Sabers in three months!" Xiao Zongshui's voice came from afar, and the entire scene became silent.
When Xiao Zongshui was completely gone, everyone's gaze fell on Zhou Shu.
"Well…" The stares made Zhou Shu's heart feel numb. "Uncles and brothers, don't take Superintendent Xiao's words to heart." He scratched his head.
"Since Superintendent Xiao has given the order, we will, of course, comply," Zhang Yibei replied in a low voice. "Brother Zhou, if you have any orders, just say them."
Zhang Yibei had a lot of prestige among the Forging Apprentices. Since he said so, several of the angry-looking Forging Apprentices didn't make things difficult for Zhou Shu.
Zhou Shu sighed. He knew that Xiao Zongshui had ill intentions.
He was just a young man, and he didn't have any actual power. What right did he have to suppress these wily old foxes?
Zhang Yibei may appear nice, but who knows how he'll react if I actually order him to do something.
"Brother Zhang, you must be joking." What was done was done. If he couldn't complete the mission, who knew how Xiao Zongshui might torture him.
Zhou Shu could only take it one step at a time.
"My words are far from being 'instructions'. Everyone is here to complete the mission assigned by Superintendent Xiao. Brother Zhang, I don't have much experience. If there's anything, I'll need your guidance."
Since he couldn't avoid it, he had to complete Xiao Zongshui's mission as soon as possible.
"Superintendent Xiao gave us three months to forge three thousand Huben Sabers. We now have around forty people. A single person needs to forge more than seventy sabers on average. Slightly more than seventy sabers in three months shouldn't be too difficult to complete," Zhou Shu added.
Zhang Yibei nodded in agreement.
Apart from Zhou Shu, Zhang Yibei was well acquainted with the rest of the apprentices. Among the Forging Apprentices, they were all experts. Normally, they would have little trouble forging four or five standard long sabers.
Although Zhang Yibei had never heard of the Huben Saber, he felt that it was nothing much. If it could be handed to them to forge, it had to be a standard weapon.
Forging an average of more than 70 standard weapons in three months was less than one per day. This task was considerably easier than their usual work.
He had no idea why Superintendent Xiao had mobilized so many people.
"Let's not start assigning quotas just yet. Come have a look at the secret forging formula first. I'll explain if there are any who are illiterate. Forge once as practice later. Following that, we'll assign quotas based on the actual situation," Zhou Shu said.
Naturally, no one had any objections. This was a relatively fair method.
After all, everyone's abilities were different. It wasn't a good idea to divide the quota equally.
Able men were always busy. When it came to working, capable workers received more jobs.
Of course, this mission was a little different. They would get one tael of silver for each weapon they forged!
In this sort of situation, everyone wanted to have a higher quota.
Several people in the group shook their heads secretly. These people had no idea what was in store for them.
Zhang Yibei was the first to walk to the secret forging formula that Xiao Zongshui had left behind.
Zhou Shu didn't compete with him. He had written the secret forging formula, so what was there to snatch?
Zhang Yibei was an experienced blacksmith. He quickly finished reading the secret forging formula and frowned. He looked at Zhou Shu and said, "Little Brother Zhou, this secret forging formula isn't simple."
"I know." Zhou Shu nodded.
"You know?" Zhang Yibei asked doubtfully.
"I previously forged a Huben Suber for Superintendent Xiao." Zhou Shu didn't say that he was the creator of the Huben Saber. Xiao Zongshui had ordered the apprentices who had witnessed him test the saber to remain silent. Furthermore, because they were not present, Zhou Shu was not worried about exposing himself.
"You helped Superintendent Xiao forge a Huben Saber?" Zhang Yibei exclaimed in shock.
He wondered why Superintendent Xiao hadn't approached him. His forging skills were among the best in the 97th Workshop.
Meanwhile, Zhou Shu was thinking, Zhang Yibei seems mature and calm, so why is he so easily surprised?
"Yes." Zhou Shu nodded. "Based on my experience, forging a Huben Saber is more than twice as difficult as forging a standard long saber. It's already quite impressive to be able to forge one in six hours."
Zhou Shu didn't notice that a few people in the crowd were looking at him in shock.
These people had all been summoned by Xiao Zongshui to attempt to forge a Huben Saber. They had all failed without exception.
How could they not be shocked when they heard that an unknown young man had succeeded in forging?
Although they were shocked, they had their own thoughts and didn't stand out to tell Zhang Yibei and the others about their failures.
"Brother Zhang, you are a senior. Your forging skills are much better than mine. You should be able to forge faster," Zhou Shu continued.
Zhang Yibei's eyes gleamed with a tinge of complacency. He had intended to make things difficult for Zhou Shu, but he decided to let it go because he was so good with words.
"Everyone, first study this secret formula. Let me try forging it first." Zhang Yibei spoke as if he was the leader.
There were plenty of forging areas in the Forging Division's workshop.
Zhang Yibei didn't return to his work shed. He found a place nearby and began working.
Ding Ding Dang Dang! Amid the pounding sounds, the apprentices went up to look at the secret forging formula.
But there were few Forging Apprentices who could read. The majority of them gathered in front of Zhou Shu to hear him explain the secret forging formula.
In the distance, where no one could see him, Xiao Zongshui retracted his gaze, feeling somewhat pleased with himself.
You tried to be clever with me. Now, let me see how you're going to preserve your techniques! If you can't complete the mission, I have plenty of ways to torture you! Xiao Zongshui laughed coldly. He no longer looked at Zhou Shu and the others and turned around to enter his room.
"Everyone, remember the secret formula. Let's take a look at Brother Zhang's demonstration now."
The secret forging formula wasn't long, and because everyone was experienced, they were able to memorize it quickly.
Zhou Shu yelled for everyone to gather around where Zhang Yibei was working.
When Zhang Yibei saw that everyone was watching, not only did he not feel embarrassed, but he became even more enthusiastic. He swung the hammer faster than before.
Zhou Shu's brows furrowed slightly when he saw Zhang Yibei's actions.
Zhang Yibei was an experienced Forging Apprentice, and he was extremely skilled in forging. He was virtually following the Huben Saber's secret forging formula to the letter.
But in Zhou Shu's eyes, there was a specious feeling. How should he put it? There was form but no soul!
Yes, it lacked soul!
Zhou Shu's current forging abilities were adequate, but his foundation was lacking. For a moment, he couldn't determine what exactly was wrong with Zhang Yibei's forging.
Crack! A light sound broke out just as Zhou Shu was pondering the problem with Zhang Yibei's forging. Everyone's conversation abruptly came to a halt.
Zhang Yibei's movement halted in mid-air as his face was full of astonishment.
"Failed?" Zhang Yibei couldn't believe it. He had spent his entire life forging standard weapons. He could probably forge a standard long saber even with his eyes closed.
Although the Huben Saber looked a little complicated, its foundation was still that of a standard long saber. Zhang Yibei couldn't believe that he had failed!
Halfway through forging, the blade broke!
In the crowd, the few people who had had the same experience looked as though their suspicions were confirmed. They had been the same back then, and they couldn't comprehend why things had happened the way they did!
"Let me try again!" Zhang Yibei was quite unrelenting. He threw another piece of iron into the furnace indignantly.
Ding Dang Dang!
An hour later, Zhang Yibei looked at another broken blade and started feeling uncomfortable.
This time, he had been extra careful. Every step had been taken strictly according to the secret forging formula, but why?!
Why did it still not work?
"There's something wrong with this secret forging formula!" Zhang Yibei said loudly. "It's impossible to forge a Huben Saber!"
"Zhou Shu said he helped Superintendent Xiao forge one," someone in the crowd whispered.
Dozens of gazes once again fell on Zhou Shu.
Zhou Shu had a thoughtful expression on his face. Under everyone's gaze, he didn't panic. Instead, he said, "Brother Zhang, the problem lies not with the formula but with you."
"There's a problem with me?" Zhang Yibei was furious. "When I started forging, you were still playing with piss and mud!"
"Forging depends not on time." Zhou Shu shook his head and calmly said, "Give me the hammer. I'll demonstrate it once, and then I'll tell you where your problem is."