Chiyang Commandery lay in the southern reaches of the Qi Kingdom, a land rich in minerals. Most of the folk here made their living forging iron, and the furnace fires never ceased year-round.
Seen from high above, the region was a swathe of crimson.
Hence the name Chiyang.
There was a common saying: "Qi's armies come from Chiyang, and Chiyang's soldiers come from Nanyao."
Nanyao City was where the Lian clan had built their domain over many generations.
It was not the seat of the commandery, but it surpassed the seat in every way.
When people spoke of Chiyang Commandery, most could only think of Nanyao City—they could never recall which city held the actual administrative seat.
The City Lord of Nanyao was never appointed from outside. The surname must always be Lian. That told you everything about the Lian clan's standing in Nanyao City and the whole of Chiyang Commandery.
The Lian clan was not native to the Qi Kingdom. They had migrated here only after their homeland fell.
They carved copper from the mountains of Chiyang Commandery, took root, and built Nanyao City from nothing.
Now it was renowned across the realm.
The world's weapon forgers recognized five holy sites. The one within Qi's borders was this very Nanyao Lian clan.
The carriage thundered along the wide road. Between bouts of practicing Dao Art, Jiang Wang occasionally lifted the curtain to gaze at the scenery outside.
Something struck him as strange—the imperial roads of Qi bore no carved formation patterns. And along the way, countless Qi folk were out strolling through the open fields.
He could see clearly that many of them possessed no cultivation whatsoever.
In truth, he had noticed this upon entering Coastal County, but at the time he had been entirely focused on preparing to explore the Celestial Resid, and had let it slip.
Now it came back to him, and he could not help but ask: "Why do Qi's imperial roads not need formation patterns carved into them? Why are the people of Qi allowed to wander so freely? Is there no danger in the wild?"
The driver was a Chongxuan family coachman, one of a lineage that had driven for the Chongxuan household for generations.
In prestigious houses like the Chongxuan family, such hereditary servants were numerous—far more reliable than common folk hired off the market.
He dared not neglect Chongxuan Sheng's honored guest, but he was genuinely perplexed: "What danger is there in the wild?"
Jiang Wang pondered for a moment, then asked: "Are there no fierce beasts in Qi?"
The driver scratched his head. "Around here, the most you'll find are deer and foxes. Hardly fierce beasts, are they? Over in those mountains, maybe some tigers, leopards, wolves."
Jiang Wang fell silent.
He wanted to ask where the Meridian-Illuminating Pills needed by Qi's cultivators came from. But that was a question the driver could never have answered.
The man did not even understand what a fierce beast was.
In Zhuang Kingdom, almost the first thing every commoner learned before leaving home was: "Do not stray from the imperial road."
The wild was crawling with danger. Fierce beasts roamed everywhere.
Even the imperial road was not absolutely safe. Merchants who traveled between cities did so at the risk of their lives.
Cultivators across Zhuang Kingdom had to regularly patrol the areas around settlements, clearing out lurking threats.
Yet in Qi, ordinary people could wander the open fields at will, sightseeing and playing.
They were the same kind of people—ordinary mortals—yet born in different kingdoms, their lives could hardly have been more different.
This was a life Jiang Wang could envy.
He summoned a cloud crane and set down some of the more interesting things he had seen and experienced lately.
He also told his sister that he had successfully explored the Celestial Resid and secured a spot in the Inner Fane of Divine Ability, encouraging her to work hard too. Naturally, he omitted all mention of the danger, touching only on the marvels.
He also wrote about the delicious food in Qi, to tease An'an's appetite. One letter was already completely full.
After a moment's thought, he picked up his pen and wrote another letter to Ye Qingyu, thanking her again and again for taking care of Jiang An'an. He gave a brief update on his cultivation progress and discussed some questions about applying Dao Art.
Since he had found fierce beasts in every country he had traveled through—except for the State of Yun and Qi—he casually asked at the end where the State of Yun obtained its Meridian-Illuminating Pills.
When both letters were done, the driver reminded him that Nanyao City was just ahead.
Jiang Wang set down his pen and watched the cloud crane dissolve into the layered clouds.
He was staying in Qi for now, so he did not worry about the crane losing its way. But Qi and the State of Yun were tens of thousands of li apart—the round trip would take at least ten days.
...
Nanyao City rose tall and imposing. Before they even drew near, he could feel the heat. The entire city radiated a scorching intensity.
The streets teemed with noise and bustle.
The people of Nanyao City were generally tall and sturdy, their skin tending toward ruddy or dark.
Perhaps from a lifetime beside the furnace, their tempers ran hot. Jiang Wang watched as a customer haggled with a merchant so fiercely it looked like a fight was about to break out.
"Fifty blade coins—deal or no deal?"
"Keep dreaming!"
"I saw someone else selling it for forty blade coins!"
"Then go buy from them!"
"I'm buying from you!"
"And I'm not selling!"
...
Jiang Wang quietly lowered the curtain.
The currency in circulation across Qi and its vassal states was primarily blade coins, supplemented by gold and silver.
Zhuang Kingdom also used blade coins, though for historical reasons unrelated to Qi, and its coins were entirely different from the round coins common in other Dao states.
The blade coins of Zhuang and Qi differed completely in shape and detail—though Qi's blade coins were considerably sturdier.
Nanyao City was unlike any city Jiang Wang had seen since entering Qi. The entire city carried an air of slight detachment, perhaps inherited from the customs of some long-extinguished homeland.
Qi was vast and resource-rich, and had conquered numerous nations, absorbing them into its territory. One could find many different customs within Qi, none of them diminishing the grip of its power.
Riding in a Chongxuan family carriage, there was naturally no petty trouble to be had. Jiang Wang arrived at Lian Que's residence without the slightest impediment.
The fellow lived in the central district of Nanyao City. His estate was grand.
Upon hearing the announcement, Lian Que came rushing out the door almost immediately.
He had clearly been waiting a long time. There were no pleasantries—he seized Jiang Wang by the arm and headed straight for the clan's Sword Furnace.
The Sword Furnace, as its name implied, was the Lian clan's dedicated sword-forging facility. The Lian clan maintained separate furnaces for each type of weapon they forged.
The one Lian Que intended to use was naturally the finest of them all. Only this furnace could be called the Lian clan's true Sword Furnace.
Its fire seed was said to have been carried by the Lian clan's ancestors when they fled their fallen homeland. It had burned without ceasing ever since. Weathering the ages without ever dying, it carried a weight of history all its own.
When people spoke of the Lian clan's Sword Furnace, they meant this one.
Outsiders were rarely permitted inside. But with Lian Que as an escort, things were different.
Moreover, Jiang Wang was the owner of this sword. According to custom, he was entitled to observe the forging.
As they walked deeper inside, Jiang Wang grew increasingly astonished.
He had assumed Lian Que was simply forging him a decent magical artifact, but judging by this furnace alone, it was clearly far more than that.
Before they even reached the furnace itself, they passed through a forest of broken swords driven into the ground.
He could not judge the quality of these残 blades, but each one radiated a piercing sharpness.
Following Lian Que along a narrow path through the sword-forest, winding this way and that—following what seemed to be a formation pattern—their surroundings suddenly opened up, revealing a massive, fire-red furnace.
The furnace was roughly the size of an ordinary house. Its mouth faced outward like the gaping maw of some primordial beast.
The flame burned with an almost constant intensity, only occasionally leaping higher.
Thump-thump! Thump-thump! Thump-thump!
What he felt was not the heat of a furnace, but the heartbeat of an ancient, wild beast.