Chapter 156: Song Mo Questions Yue Xiuxiu, First Negotiation at the Iron Workshop

"Who is it? Who the hell has a death wish?"

Two figures tumbled out from inside the carriage: one was an ironworks shop assistant, and the other was none other than Yue Xiuxiu, whose clothes were in complete disarray.

The moment the assistant shouted, some twenty or thirty burly men emerged from the shadows, surrounding Song Mo tightly.

"Oh? Well, I wouldn't have guessed that a bunch of blockheads like you would have the guts for such lust!"

Xia Yu stepped out, holding a saber in reverse grip. His purple official robe clearly marked him as a man from the Six Fan School.

The group of assistants was startled and instinctively took a step back, but the one who had tumbled from the carriage cursed, "What are there to be afraid of? There's only one of him. Let's finish him off and get out of the city!"

Only then did the remaining assistants halt, glaring hostilely at Xia Yu and Song Mo.

"Then what are you standing around for? Come on, all at once!" Xia Yu said with disdain.

Brandishing wooden clubs and stones, the ironworks assistants rushed forward. Xia Yu met them head-on with his saber.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Though acting as thugs, these men were actually nothing more than a mob of opportunistic cowards who only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong. In their eyes, Xia Yu was obviously a seasoned fighter, tall and heavily built, capable of crushing a stone with a single finger. Naturally, ruffians like them wouldn't dare provoke such a person. But now that someone else was taking the lead, they felt emboldened.

Twenty or thirty thugs brandished their clubs and stones as they lunged at Xia Yu. Dodging left and right while swinging his saber, Xia Yu watched them fall one by one.

Within moments, the ground was littered with corpses, and fresh blood trickled down the walls, creating a horrifying scene.

"Who... who on earth are you?"

Dressed in disarray, Yue Xiuxiu felt a bone-chilling cold, her consciousness blurring as she spoke.

"Not good, she's been drugged," Song Mo said in a deep voice.

"I'll stay here to clean up the mess. You take her away first." As Xia Yu spoke, he didn't forget to wink at Song Mo, his meaning quite obvious.

Song Mo scooped up Yue Xiuxiu and headed to a nearby inn. All the way there, she mumbled deliriously, "I want it... I want it..."

Song Mo mentally cursed, "You want my foot!"

Once inside the inn room, Song Mo administered an antidote to Yue Xiuxiu. Shortly after, she regained consciousness.

Looking at Song Mo with a mix of shyness and anger, she asked, "Did you... take me?"

With a darkening face, Song Mo replied, "No."

Yue Xiuxiu could feel that herself, yet for some reason, looking at the man before her, a strange sense of loss washed over her...

"Tell me, how much do you actually know about the Taiping Army?" Song Mo asked coldly.

"I... I don't know anything! It was terrifying, those people... those people wanted to do that to me."

Feigning fragility and fear, Yue Xiuxiu leaned against Song Mo.

"You'd better not lie to me. I don't buy that act," Song Mo said.

Yue Xiuxiu was startled.

"You don't believe me? It's true! Every word I said is the truth!" she panicked.

"Are you forcing me to use torture?" Song Mo demanded coldly.

Terrified, Yue Xiuxiu waved her hands frantically. "No, no, absolutely not! Everything I said is the truth!"

Song Mo nodded. "All right. Spill everything you know, and I'll ensure your safety."

"I... I really don't know."

Yue Xiuxiu still refused to give up until she saw the coffin.

Song Mo lowered his voice. "If you knew nothing, why would the Taiping Army imprison you in the ironworks? If you knew nothing, would the ironworks have gone to such great lengths to kill you?"

Hearing this, Yue Xiuxiu trembled with fear and hurriedly begged for mercy, "I'll talk! I'll talk! I do know something... I was framed!"

"Who is it? You'd better not play any tricks!" Song Mo said coldly.

"This is a long story," Yue Xiuxiu began, recounting the whole tale.

As it turned out, Yue Xiuxiu was originally a prominent courtesan at a pleasure house. Half a year ago, a certain customer frequently took her out for the night. Later on, she discovered that this man was actually a member of the Taiping Army.

The Taiping Army operated within brothels under strict internal management. Unlike ordinary den owners who frequented houses of ill repute and drinking establishments openly, they dispatched specialized agents to monitor the activities of brothels and taverns. Having spent years in pleasure houses, Yue Xiuxiu was somewhat familiar with these unwritten rules, but she never expected the Taiping Army to infiltrate the brothel, let alone that she would happen to cross paths with one of their men.

She had no desire to expose the Taiping Army, nor did she want to run off with those people, so she kept stalling for time. Later, the man sought her out and told her that as long as she obediently pleased him, she would be rewarded with enough wealth to live in comfort and luxury for the rest of her life.

Such temptation was fatal to a young woman, and blinded by greed, she agreed.

It was only later, when she was harassed by Chen Daqiang on the street, that she carelessly blurted out a secret belonging to the Taiping Army, which led to her imprisonment in the ironworks.

"You spent so much time with that Taiping Army member, didn't you hear even a scrap of a secret?" Song Mo asked doubtfully.

Yue Xiuxiu thought for a moment, then lowered her voice. "They kept talking about a large iron pillar. I have no idea what this large iron pillar is."

Song Mo furrowed his brows and murmured thoughtfully, "A large iron pillar?"

Soon after, Xia Yu arrived, and Song Mo handed Yue Xiuxiu over to the Six Fan School for protection. Then, accompanied by Xia Yu, Song Mo headed straight to the ironworks.

***

Inside the ironworks.

Wearing a leather apron, Jiang Li pounded a glowing red block of iron with a heavy hammer, strike after strike.

The surrounding assistants all wore grim expressions, their hands trembling slightly.

Jiang Li was one of the most renowned smiths in the ironworks and also the most difficult master to serve.

"You bunch of good-for-nothings, what are you standing around for? Get these things hauled back immediately!" Jiang Li glared at them.

Startled, the assistants scrambled away. Jiang Li watched them leave, thinking to himself, *These little bastards are getting more useless by the day; they can't even handle a single piece of iron. Fortunately, I have a few dozen red iron blocks here—though even with these dozens of blocks, it'll still give them a run for their money.*

A cold smile crossed Jiang Li's mind as he swung his hammer once more, hammering the glowing iron against the anvil.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

The echoes reverberated across the courtyard. Hearing the sound, everyone nearby felt a chill in their bones; the sheer intensity of the commotion was truly terrifying.

Satisfied, Jiang Li looked down at the dozens of red-hot iron blocks, nodded to himself, and walked aside to take a short break.

"Shopkeeper, trust you have been well?"

Song Mo stepped inside with a greeting, followed closely by Xia Yu.

Raising his head, Jiang Li frowned. This was the same young man he had seen just yesterday.

"Here to buy an iron sword again today?" Jiang Li asked with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"I heard a lot of assistants died in your ironworks?" Song Mo countered.

"Just a bunch of damned fools. How dare they harbor women belonging to the Taiping Army," Jiang Li said viciously.

*What an old fox,* Song Mo cursed inwardly, realizing Jiang Li was trying to wash his hands clean of the matter.

"I wonder if the shopkeeper knows how to forge a certain item?" Song Mo asked in a deep voice.

"What item?" Jiang Li replied.

"A dagger. I hear this dagger is exceptionally sharp." Song Mo looked at Jiang Li with a faint smile, his eyes filled with provocation.

"A dagger? Heh, you might as well call it a saber!" Jiang Li retorted with a light chuckle.

Song Mo remained silent.

Jiang Li pressed on, "What on earth are you trying to have forged?"

Looking straight into Jiang Li's eyes, Song Mo uttered:

"A large iron pillar."