Earth Fire Refines Yin and Yang

Time flies, and three more days have passed.

The day I had agreed upon with Yu Qingxiang was almost here.

Mingyu City West Market.

Zhaoyue ran to the backyard, locked the door, and then tugged at the lock with her paws to make sure it was locked before going around to the front to meet up with Shen Gui.

Shen Gui raised his hand and rotated the tiles.

[Closed for several days.]

The wind blew through the alley of the furnace, and amidst the clear chime of the old iron fish bell, the man and the demon left the city.

The clever Zhaoyue deliberately skipped breakfast this time, and after the long journey, her stomach didn't feel so uncomfortable after landing.

Having learned from their mistakes, Zhaoyue was extremely proud of herself.

It followed behind Shen Gui, looking towards the village ahead.

Fish Village was noisier than usual.

You can see black smoke drifting along the rooftops towards the Gobi Desert from afar.

Several women were breaking up charcoal with wooden mallets, while children squatted beside the sieve, picking out handfuls of usable charcoal particles. Even the toothless toddler who had lost his sieve last time was covering his mouth and nose with a cloth and squatting in front of a pile of black charcoal, sifting with great enthusiasm.

Yu Qingxiang walked around the two charcoal kilns and tapped the ground with his bamboo cane.

"Discard the fine ash; pack the hard charcoal separately."

"The kiln opening over there is smaller, so the fire won't smolder."

He had barely finished speaking when a long shout came from outside the village.

"Village Chief Fish!"

Zhao Yue rushed forward a few steps on the sand, leaving Shen Gui behind.

Yu Qingxiang quickly stepped forward: "Senior."

Shen Gui glanced at the village.

"How is it?"

"After Yu Fu and the others returned, the two missing steps were completed. It should have been finished the day before yesterday, but the fire under the ancestral furnace was much weaker. I could only ask the villagers to make an extra batch of charcoal to help the fire get going."

The fish tilted, and the elephant parted its body.

"We've reached the final few steps; please follow me."

The two people and the demon walked through the bustling country houses, but the basin behind the village remained as quiet as ever.

The wind fell from above the stone wall, rustling the branches and leaves of the jujube trees.

Shen Gui paused for a moment in front of Yu Huixuan's tomb, then quickly looked away and headed towards the Old Furnace Cave.

As soon as you step into the cave, a wave of heat hits you.

Zhaoyue shrank her neck:

"There are several stoves down there, why is it so hot?"

"There is only one."

Yu Qingxiang wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "It's been burning for over a month, and the fire energy is trapped underground, unable to dissipate."

The further down you go, the hotter the stone walls become.

Upon arriving at the underground cave where the ancestral furnace was located, the air in front of them was already swirling with heat.

More than ten craftsmen were stationed around the furnace. Some were watching the fire, some were repairing the patterns with fine needles, and two others were walking towards them, their clothes already soaked with sweat.

Yu Qingxiang pointed to the two people and introduced them:

"They just came off the stove."

"The artisans here are different from the villagers outside. They have received the true teachings and know the origins of their ancestors. They also have some cultivation. However, even if the earth fire enters their lungs, they will still feel uncomfortable. Each person can only stay for a maximum of three hours. Once the time is up, they must go out to rest."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Shen Gui looked at the ancestral furnace.

Above the furnace, two gray, bean-shaped spheres, supported by several fire lines, are slowly rotating.

The original cracks on the bean have disappeared, leaving only dark lines.

"How many more days?" Shen Gui asked.

"It will take at least three days, and at most five days." Yu Qingxiang examined the color of the fire. "This stuff hasn't been refined in so long that I dare not speak so confidently."

Shen Gui nodded and sat down by the stove.

Zhaoyue wanted to go over too, but after taking only a few steps, the bumps on her face turned red from the heat.

Shen Gui glanced at it: "Go out. Your demonic energy is already full. You should consider breaking through. Don't let your anger disrupt your demonic energy."

"Me? I'm about to break through? How come I didn't know?"

Zhaoyue's eyes widened instantly. She quickly touched her arm and then her stomach.

Yu Qingxiang turned his head and was also somewhat surprised. Half a year ago, this frog demon had only reached the middle stage of body tempering. This progress was really fast. Could it be that it has a bloodline with extraordinary talent?

Zhao Yue leaned closer to Shen Gui and lowered her voice:

"Young master, are you hiding some kind of Qi-gathering array? How come my cultivation level has increased so quickly just by being close to you?"

"no."

"Quack? What's going on?"

"When the mind is free of worries, the body feels light, and spiritual practice becomes swift."

Shen Gui provided the answer.

Zhaoyue read the sentence twice.

"When the mind is at peace, the body feels light..."

It seemed to understand but not quite, turned around and walked out. After taking a dozen steps, its steps became lighter, and finally it simply hopped out of the tunnel.

Yu Qingxiang watched its retreating figure, shook his head, and smiled.

This little demon doesn't seem to have many worries.

For the rest of the time, Shen Gui stayed in the cave.

Each time a new craftsman came up, he would first bow to him.

Two craftsmen from Mingyu City also arrived.

They only rested for half a day after returning from the city, and have been busy ever since, their cheeks peeling from the heat of the stove.

Yu Fu approached, looking somewhat uneasy: "Senior Shen, I didn't know your identity at first, and it's really wrong of me to have you guard the shop for us for so long."

The old craftsman also apologized, saying, "If we had known it would take a month, we should have at least hired someone to watch the shop."

"It's alright."

Shen Gui looked at the fire in the stove and said, "Life in the shop is not bad either, each has its own flavor."

Yu Fu was stunned.

He had prepared many words of apology, but they all stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only bow and return to the stove.

On the first day, all the cracks on the gray beans closed up.

Yu Qingxiang personally retrieved the old materials left behind by Yu Huixuan, and several craftsmen ground them into fine powder, which was then fed into the fire little by little.

The powder didn't fall; it was immediately engulfed by the heat of the furnace and swirled around the ash beans.

Yu Fu took a tiny hammer, as thin as a needle, and gently tapped it through the fire.

With each hammer blow, a strand of material is incorporated into the bean.

This can't be rushed.

If you're a fraction too fast, the old patterns will crumble; if you're a fraction too slow, the material will be burned to ashes by the underground fire.

It wasn't until late at night that the two gray beans truly merged into one.

The next day, several old craftsmen in the village began carving the array.

The carving knife fell on the bean, so fine that it was almost invisible. After each stroke, the knife had to step back and let the next person in the room take over.

Each person only carves the few dishes they know, and no one touches any more than that.

By afternoon, the two gray beans gradually separated, each spinning on the fire line.

The dark patterns on the bean's body flicker on and off.

One bean faces left, and the other faces right. When they are turned to a certain angle, the two gray beans look like a pair of yin-yang fish eyes.

Shen Gui observed for a long time and commented, "Using the Dao to create a weapon, a fine technique."

Yu Qingxiang was checking the patterns on the furnace book when he heard this, and paused for a moment: "Senior, you flatter me."

Despite saying that, he straightened his back a bit more.

"I was worried that the villagers hadn't made such intricate items in a long time and might make mistakes because they were clumsy. But it seems they've managed to get it done with a bit of difficulty."

He turned to a page of the furnace manual. "Once the array patterns have stabilized, we can refine the outer shell. It should only take one or two days."

Just then, someone brought charcoal down from outside.

One basin after another, all filled with sifted hard charcoal.

Yu Qingxiang had someone examine the charcoal color, then crushed a piece in his hand to confirm there was no moisture before nodding in approval.

"Send it to the stove."

The group of people delivering the charcoal worked together to push aside the stone slab and pour the charcoal into the fissure in the ground.

The fire only intensified slightly after the first pot was poured in.

The second basin fell, and a muffled thud came from the ground.

Wait until the third pot of charcoal is poured in.

With a loud "boom," the subterranean fire suddenly shot up ten feet, turning the entire cavern red.

The flames rolled along the furnace wall, and the two gray beans spun faster and faster.

The yin-yang fish eyes, which were originally clearly visible, became a blurry afterimage in just a few breaths.

Just as a young craftsman was about to applaud, Yu Qingxiang's expression changed.

"wrong."

He rushed to the furnace opening.

"Is the coal content incorrect? Why is the fire still rising?"

"The charcoal is correct; it was all weighed according to the furnace register!"

"Close the vent!"

"Village chief! It won't close! The Fire Eye has blocked it!"

Chaos erupted inside the cave.

When the two craftsmen tried to turn the airlock, their palms were burned and blistered as soon as their hands touched the iron handle.

Yu Fu grabbed the long pliers, trying to dig out the charcoal that had just been poured out, but the pliers melted as soon as they were inserted into the crack.

The ancestral furnace has been silent for too long.

The amount of charcoal on the furnace register was correct, but the underground fire vein had already changed direction. As soon as the hard charcoal fell, the fire hole that had been blocked for hundreds of years was opened, and the fire surged up all at once.

Yu Qingxiang tore off his coat to cover his hands and, disregarding the danger, reached for the wind gate.

Before he could even touch the air gate, a figure had already walked past him.

"I'll do it."

Shen Gui raised his hand and pressed it directly against the outer wall of the ancestral furnace.

The furnace walls were reddish-white.

His palm fell, leaving not even a scorch mark.

next moment!

The roaring heat in the cave suddenly subsided, as if an invisible hand was pressing down on the entire underground.

The flames that had been shooting up were lowered, and the embers in the crack were pushed back into place.

The two gray beans gradually slowed their rotation, and the afterimages regained their shape.

"What are you standing there for!"

Yu Qingxiang was the first to regain his senses and shouted to the people behind him, "Yu Fu, guard the inner pattern! Third brother, go seal the fire eye! The rest of you, rearrange the procedures according to the new fire!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

Yu Qingxiang opened the furnace manual and used charcoal ash to rewrite the cooking time: "The outer shell can't wait any longer."

He looked up and ordered, "Everyone, drop the hammers at the same time, shaping the weapon while simultaneously extinguishing the flames!"

The experienced craftsmen quickly lined up and worked in perfect coordination, raising more than ten hammers above their heads simultaneously.

"Raise the hammer!"

Yu Qingxiang raised his bamboo staff to give directions.

"Ding!"

The first sound fell.

Then came the second tone, and then the third tone.

The hammering echoed the flames in circles, initially a bit chaotic, but after a dozen or so rounds, they came together in one place, and the rhythm alone was so soothing to listen to.

Only the sound of hammers falling remained in the cave.

Another half day passed.

As the final hammer fell, the flames enveloping the two beans suddenly surged.

The beans have a greenish tinge that spreads across their entire surface, like seeds that have been withered for a long time and have finally been moistened.

There was a moment of silence in the cave.

Someone clapped their hands first.

The next moment, applause, laughter, and shouts erupted.

Yu Qingxiang smiled too, but he knew that the most important thing to do now was not to celebrate.

He picked up the charcoal and carefully noted down the timing of the fire and the order of the hammer blows. Then he called over the clan elder and went over the technique for repairing the inner patterns.

These things will be left to the Yu family in the future; they are the wealth of the entire Yu family.

Shen Gui watched from the side without urging him, but was thinking in his heart about how to repay him.

Some things cannot be taken for granted just because our ancestors had a history with us.

After a long while, Yu Qingxiang and the others finished their discussion. He washed his hands in the bucket, then took a green bean from the ancestral stove and presented it to Shen Gui with both hands.

"Senior, I have not failed you."

Shen Gui took the green beans.

A wisp of vital energy seeped into it from the fingertip.

On the bean, the newly formed water pattern gently lit up, and the cyan color turned red.

At the same moment, another green bean in front of the ancestral furnace also changed color.

Red beans from the south symbolize longing and yearning.

This is the most complete telescope in the entire world, capable of changing the course of a battlefield and attracting wealthy and powerful families to spend huge sums of money to seize it.

"Thank you," Shen Gui said.

Cheers erupted again from the cave.

When everyone emerged from the cave, it was already dark.

A celebratory banquet had already been set up outside the village, decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, just like during the Chinese New Year.

Yu Qingxiang cupped his hands in greeting: "I sincerely invite you, senior, to a banquet tonight."

"Okay." Shen Gui nodded.

At the village entrance, on the dam, some woman cooked a bowl of noodles for Zhaoyue. The bowl was bigger than Zhaoyue herself, and she was now perched on the rim of the bowl, enjoying her meal.

Seeing Shen Gui approaching, Zhao Yue quickly wiped the thick soup from her lips and hurried to greet him.

"Young master, has it been successfully refined?"

"Um."

"So where do we go next?"

"You can wait here for me."

"Quack?"

Zhaoyue thought that the young master was going to abandon her, and she couldn't hide her sadness.

Shen Gui added, "I'm going to Zhaoye Sect tomorrow, and I'll be back."