Deep in the cave, Guan Xiao Rou and the other women, along with the female soldiers, were chatting about the earlier bandit encounter when Jin Feng rushed in.
“Sir, we may be female soldiers, but could you show some propriety?” Qing Mulian said, exasperated.
“My love…” Guan Xiao Rou said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
Jin Feng then noticed the female soldiers had removed their armour, their damp clothes clinging to their bodies.
At his entrance, several shy female soldiers crouched down, and one hurriedly began putting her armour back on.
“Sorry, everyone, I’ve got urgent business,” Jin Feng said, quickly apologising for his rashness.
“Urgent business?” Qing Mulian asked curiously. “What’s so urgent?”
“Xiao E gave me a rock and said the cave is full of these black rocks. I came to check,” Jin Feng said, opening his hand to reveal the stone.
“What’s special about this rock?” Qing Mulian asked.
“Do you know why your war blades are black and tougher and sharper than others?” Jin Feng said. “It’s because of this.”
He was holding a piece of tungsten ore.
When sorting through the old blacksmith’s belongings, Jin Feng had found a few pieces of tungsten ore among the discarded slag. When crafting a blade for Qing Huai, he experimented by adding tungsten powder, crudely producing tungsten steel, which he used to make the black blades.
Though limited by technology, the tungsten steel wasn’t perfect, the resulting black blades outclassed all existing blades in Da Kang.
Tungsten steel’s key trait was its hardness and durability, often used in later eras for drill bits and cutting tools.
With tungsten steel drill bits, Jin Feng could consider building primitive water or wind-powered machines, boosting production speed and enabling basic precision machining.
That was why he was so excited.
Qing Mulian was even more thrilled. “The black blades are made from this?”
“Yes,” Jin Feng confirmed, picking up a torch and crouching to inspect the cave’s rocks. He knocked two together and examined one closely under the torchlight.
“Mulian, can you help me secure this hill for mining?” Jin Feng asked, looking up at her.
He rarely asked Qing Mulian for favours, disliking owing debts, but this time he was tempted.
Tungsten was widely distributed in nature but usually in low concentrations, making it impractical to refine. The rocks in this cave, however, gleamed with metallic lustre, indicating a high tungsten content.
Tungsten deposits were typically deep underground, and open-pit tungsten mines were rare. Jin Feng didn’t know if he’d ever find another like this. Even if it meant owing Qing Mulian a favour, he had to secure this mine.
But Qing Mulian scratched her head and asked, “Secure? What do you mean?”
“I want to claim this hill and mine this ore,” Jin Feng explained.
“Then mine it. Who’s stopping you?” she replied.
“Don’t we need to report to the authorities or get permission?” Jin Feng asked, surprised.
“If you want this hill’s ore, it’s best not to involve the authorities,” Qing Mulian said. “This is an unclaimed barren hill on the border of two counties. You could dig it hollow, and no one would care. But if you tell the authorities, you’ll get nothing. They’d rather let the hill sit unused than let you touch it.”
“Got it,” Jin Feng said with a wry smile, standing up.
His modern mindset had assumed mineral veins belonged to the state and required official permission to mine.
He’d forgotten that in Da Kang, there was no agency regulating mines. Whoever found one could mine it.
“But this is an official road with some merchants passing through. If you want to mine, you’d better cover it up,” Qing Mulian said. “For example, build a bandit stronghold nearby to keep merchants away. No one would notice.”
“Mulian, other bandits build their strongholds deep in the mountains. You want to build one by the official road?” Iron Hammer, who had joined them unnoticed, said. “This is the road from Jinchuan to the county city, used by merchants and officials alike. Building a bandit stronghold here would cut off Jinchuan from the county city. The authorities would have to come suppress it.”
“Then what’s your idea?” Qing Mulian asked, unconvinced.
“I say we mine secretly. Have a few people keep watch on both sides. Stop when someone’s coming, start when it’s clear,” Iron Hammer said.
“Do you know how many people it takes to mine a vein or how much noise it makes?” Qing Mulian said, glancing at him. “Without cover, you can’t hide it. Your idea’s terrible.”
“It’s still better than building a bandit stronghold,” Iron Hammer retorted.
“You’re the one with bad ideas,” she shot back.
They began arguing.
“Enough, stop bickering,” Jin Feng said, exasperated. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Sir, dinner’s ready. Time to eat,” Iron Hammer said, remembering why he’d come.
“Let’s eat first,” Jin Feng said, leading Xiao E out.
After dinner, the rain still hadn’t stopped, so they couldn’t leave. Jin Feng had Iron Hammer assign two soldiers to keep watch, while the rest slept on the cave floor.
The old soldiers slept outside, the female soldiers and women inside.
The old soldiers, used to hardship, soon fell asleep.
But Jin Feng struggled. The cave floor was hard and uneven, and Xiao E insisted on sleeping in his arms.
It wasn’t until midnight that Jin Feng drifted off.
At dawn, he woke feeling like his legs weren’t his own.
Thankfully, the rain had stopped.
While breakfast was being prepared, Iron Hammer asked, “Sir, do we leave or stay?”
“Let’s leave. Everyone got wet yesterday. The sooner we reach the county city, the sooner we can bathe and change,” Jin Feng said.
“What about the cave? Should we leave someone to guard it?” Iron Hammer asked.
“No need. It’s been undiscovered for so long. Leaving someone here might draw attention,” Jin Feng said, shaking his head. “Besides, those bandits might return. It’s too dangerous to leave just a few people. We’ll come back with more next time.”
In his previous life, tungsten was discovered and used late. Jin Feng was confident no one in Da Kang would recognise it, or the old blacksmith wouldn’t have discarded those tungsten ore pieces with the slag.
After breakfast, the group set out.
Jin Feng, preoccupied with thoughts of the bandits and the tungsten mine, had no mood for scenery. The convoy moved faster, and the rest of the journey was smooth. That afternoon, they safely reached the county city.
