Starting from iron smelting

Chapter 20 I Just Said 1

Lu Xiuyuan thought that this should be the delivery address of Juling Sect. After hesitating for a moment, Lu Xiuyuan decided to break the silence here and meet the consignee to see who he is.

Lu Xiuyuan stood in front of the huge black iron gate. The white wall in front of him was like an insurmountable mountain, and the black iron gate was the door to the unknown. He thought quietly, and various possibilities and plots emerged in his mind.

The first doubt that came to his mind was whether Li Er had deliberately given him the wrong code in order to frame him. If the code was wrong, would there be any adverse consequences after he walked in? Lu Xiuyuan pondered this possibility, and a series of concerns emerged in his mind.

He couldn't help but wonder if the people inside would suddenly rush out to harm him, or if there was a danger of an ambush. However, he quickly suppressed these negative thoughts and told himself not to be too pessimistic at the beginning.

Lu Xiuyuan calmly thought about his situation. He knew that he should not panic and should remain calm no matter what happened. He confidently thought that the Huanglong wood core he carried must be a good thing, which was why he stood out in the firewood shop. This allowed him to remain calm in uncertain situations.

On the other hand, Lu Xiuyuan was also thinking about how to deal with it. A series of terrible scenes emerged in his mind. If he really encountered danger, he could try to resolve it with the help of the wood core in his hand.

Perhaps, he could gain some grace time by offering gifts. This series of thoughts made him feel that there were still many ways worth trying in the face of crisis.

Lu Xiuyuan gradually let go of his worries about whether the code was correct, and his mood gradually calmed down. Lu Xiuyuan realized that he could not be driven by fear. He took a deep breath, cheered up, and prepared to deal with various situations. So, Lu Xiuyuan took the first step and walked towards the huge black iron door.

Lu Xiuyuan walked silently to the gate. The tall white walls and black gate looked like a mysterious castle in front of him. He carefully recalled the secret code Li Er gave him and knocked three times on the right side of the gate and once on the left side according to the instructions. In this silent area, each knock was particularly clear and echoed in the empty field.

Then, he began to wait. Time seemed to become slow and heavy, just like the endless waiting on the other end of the phone, and his mood gradually immersed in anxiety. Lu Xiuyuan felt that this period of waiting was like a psychological torture, and every second seemed to be pulling at his nerves.

Standing in front of the gate, he began to examine the surrounding environment. The patterns on the white wall and the mysterious patterns on the gate, everything seemed mysterious and solemn. This made him think that this was an unusual place, a place that hid secrets.

Lu Xiuyuan tried his best to stay calm, but his inner anxiety gradually accumulated. He imagined what might happen inside the gate, and everything mysterious and unknown made him feel a little uneasy. Perhaps this anxiety was a hurdle on the road ahead that he needed to overcome.

Time passed by, as if the long wait would finally bring an answer. A deep voice came from behind the dark door: "Who is coming?" Lu Xiuyuan answered nervously: "I am a clerk at Li Er Chai Store, and I am here to deliver wood on the orders of the shopkeeper Li Er."

The man behind the door was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Strange face, why didn't Li Er come?"

Lu Xiuyuan responded immediately: "The shopkeeper Li Er said that something urgent happened in the store, so he hurried back. Before he left, he told me to deliver the goods."

The man seemed to relax and ordered, "Come in." The small door on the gate opened, leaving enough space for Lu Xiuyuan to pass.

Lu Xiuyuan walked through the small door carefully, feeling a solemn atmosphere. The moment he entered, he saw the man dressed as a Taoist priest, who looked quite young, with simple and solemn attire.

He was wearing a dark blue Taoist robe with light golden auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on it, which made him look mysterious and solemn. He had a black ribbon tied around his waist with several strings of prayer beads hanging on it, which swayed in the wind, exuding an ancient atmosphere. He was wearing wooden clogs, and his hair was piled high with a bright jade hairpin pinned on it.

The young Taoist priest asked again: "Did anything special happen in Beishan Forest Farm?"

Lu Xiuyuan looked at him in confusion, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Apart from cutting down wood, nothing special happened."

The man smiled a little, a smile, and said, "Okay, follow me."

The young Taoist priest led the way, and Lu Xiuyuan followed behind. The moment they stepped through the door, it felt like they had broken through the barrier at Beishan Forest Farm. When they looked up, they could see the plaque on the gate, which read "Juling Sect" in three large characters. It was very grand and impressive. A wide courtyard was in front of them, and in the center of the courtyard there was a tall pagoda, which was carved with auspicious clouds and cranes, emitting a faint golden light and shining brightly.

Various flowers and plants are planted around, and the fragrant scent of flowers fills the air, making people feel as if they are in fairyland.

The buildings in the distance are quaint and lined up one after another, with lanterns hanging under the eaves, emitting soft light. The mountains and rivers in the distance are like a beautiful landscape painting.

Lu Xiuyuan was deeply attracted by the beautiful scenery, and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe in his heart. This was different from the shabby and simple environment of the firewood store. The Juling Sect gave him a feeling of being out of this world. The young Taoist priest walked straight ahead without saying a word. Lu Xiuyuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought, and he began to think about his situation.

Although the scenery before him was breathtakingly beautiful, the doubts and uneasiness in his heart became stronger and stronger. Was all this really the beginning of his fortune getting better, or was it just a conspiracy by someone with ulterior motives?

While appreciating the beautiful scenery of the Juling Sect, he silently observed everything around him. The young Taoist walked confidently, as if he knew everything here. After passing through the courtyard, the Taoist led Lu Xiuyuan deeper into the courtyard. When they passed a hall, they saw thick smoke coming out of the hall, which was very choking. Soon, an old man with white hair and beard was choked out. The young Taoist stepped forward and asked, "Uncle Master, what's wrong? There is so much smoke here. Are you okay?"

The old man with white hair and beard sighed and said, "Alas, I still haven't succeeded. I have failed many times, but I can't find where the problem lies." Then the old man waved his hand and said, "Forget it, it's not something that needs to be kept secret. You all come in and see what's going on." Then the old man invited us in, even Lu Xiuyuan was no exception.

Lu Xiuyuan stepped into the room and suddenly saw a spacious room with several huge alchemy furnaces neatly arranged inside. These alchemy furnaces were beautifully shaped, with patterns of soaring dragons carved on the bodies, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. The design of the entire room was not only full of style, but also showed a high level of alchemy attainments.

However, the stove was billowing with white smoke, diffusing a strong herbal aroma. The thick smoke made it almost impossible to open your eyes, and you could only cover your mouth and nose tightly.

The strong smell in the room indicated that alchemy was in progress, but it was also a bit pungent. Lu Xiuyuan tried hard to endure the smoke and gradually adapted to this special atmosphere. After observing for a moment, he came to the conclusion: this should be caused by too many herbs put in at one time, which was not burned completely. In addition, so many alchemy furnaces were concentrated in one place, which led to a lower oxygen content in the room, further incomplete combustion, and a lot of white smoke came out.

The old man raised his voice and asked everyone in the room, who has a good way to solve these problems. Everyone said that the spiritual fire must be bad and should be changed. Some people said that the shape of the furnace was not good and a high-level furnace should be used. Some people said that the alchemist’s skill was not enough and a smoke hood should be used to prevent the smoke. Everyone said that no good solution could be found.

Lu Xiuyuan saw that the time had come and casually said, "The smoke is caused by incomplete combustion. Why not add a chimney?"