The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 657 Recreating Xing Kiln White Porcelain in Ancient Times? At least give me a laboratory!
"Modern society is so wonderful."

"It's so wonderful to have machinery and equipment."

"Having magic to cheat is so wonderful..."

Shen Le, head bowed, one leg bent and the other extended, gripped a shovel in both hands, diligently digging at the soil on the hillside. It must be said that the "immortal master" hadn't treated them unfairly, leaving them ample money:

Two ingots of gold, two ingots of silver, and four bolts of silk. Unfortunately, the two commoners, one old and one young, had no guards, no sufficient martial arts skills, and not even legal status—

If they have money, they'll be willing to spend it!

They dared to take these gold, silver, and silk fabrics to the market and hire people to take them out in the morning and return with their spoils before noon!

It would be better to leave them a box of copper coins!

"How could a celestial being like you, flying around, possibly possess the copper coins of mortals like us?" the old man advised him with a wry smile.

"Young master, please bear with it. If the kiln is nearly finished and the immortal master is satisfied, he might reward us with something—until then, we have to rely on ourselves!"

They had no choice but to rely on themselves. Fortunately, when they escaped, the old man had some valuables with him, enough to barely buy some tools and food. As for the heavy labor, they would have to do it both of them:
"Sigh, when will this ever end..."

Shen Le was sweating profusely. Could someone tell him why he had to start with rammed earth brick making?

Moreover, the ancient method of brick making was far too crude and cumbersome.

Use five wooden boards to create a rectangular mold, and fill the mold with loess.

He sat on one side, and the old man sat on the other. Each of them held a huge wooden hammer and struck a mound of yellow earth in front of them, repeatedly and fiercely...

Each brick needs to be struck seventy times! Imagine how many bricks that kiln must have!

"It's alright, this time we won't build such a large kiln." The old man, clearly having followed the old patriarch through every step, calmly reassured Shen Le.
"We don't need to sell everything from kiln to kiln. As long as we can fire porcelain figurines, we can build a smaller kiln and not fire so many bricks!"

Even if the kiln isn't large, it still requires a considerable amount of bricks. Shen Le and the old man sat facing each other, hammering and hammering, feeling as if they had been hammering for eternity—

"Young master, give it your all!" He felt aches and pains in his back and waist, and he felt like he was going to collapse at any moment. But the old man's eyes were getting brighter and brighter.

While instructing him on how to shovel and mix mud, and how to break bricks, I encouraged him:
"Back then, the old man led people to a suitable location and started building the kiln. There was no money then, and he couldn't afford to hire anyone, so he had to do everything himself, even the smallest tasks—"

"The kiln's been smashed? No problem! No money? No problem! As long as we have the skills, we can still fire porcelain!"

Shen Le: "..."

It's just that this body isn't mine, otherwise, after hammering bricks all day, I'd have to go find a blind masseur at night for a proper massage.

With so many bricks hammered out, what kind of problems wouldn't arise: frozen shoulder, cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation?

The work, which seemed destined to reach the ends of the earth, was ultimately completed in just over a month. (Shen Le)

Finally, more than 6,000 bricks were hammered out, which, according to the old man, was all the bricks needed for the dragon kiln.

After the bricks in the back were hammered, the bricks in the front had all dried, turning from a wet, dark reddish-brown to a light, earthy white.

The old man then instructed Shen Le to dig a hole on the spot and make a simple earthen kiln. He then stacked the earthen bricks one by one inside, fired them once, took them out to cool, and prepared to build the kiln.

Just as the two men finished digging up the hillside where they had chosen the kiln site, a white light flashed overhead, circled several times, and then suddenly shot straight down, condensing into a familiar-looking young man in brocade robes who stood before them:
"Why are you only just starting to build the kiln?" The young man frowned, looking the kiln up and down, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

"Don't you want revenge anymore? Where's the Soul-Suppressing Figurine? When will it be ready?"

"Master..."

The old man quickly went up to him with a fawning smile. Shen Le stared at the young man with a bewildered expression. He hadn't intended to speak, but seeing the old man's obsequious manner, he couldn't help but sigh and step forward:

"Immortal Master, could you teach me a couple of immortal techniques, or leave us a few guards? Otherwise, it's just the two of us, the old and the young, we don't dare spend money even if we have it!"

He stood ramrod straight, neither flinching nor avoiding the gaze of the "immortal master." The "immortal master" was taken aback, and for a moment turned his head away, avoiding his eyes.

He paused for a moment before letting out a sigh:

"It was my oversight. I can't give you the immortal techniques for now, and you won't be able to learn them in a short time anyway, so—"

A flash of white light appeared in his hand, followed by a series of cracking sounds. In the distance, a large tree emitted a terrifying cracking sound and slowly fell to the ground.

The young man waved his hand again, and the white light flew back, bringing back several small wooden plaques, each two inches wide, three inches long, and half an inch thick. It was clear at a glance that they had been cut from the heartwood of a tree.
He held his right hand, fingers together like a sword, hovering over the wooden board, and quickly drew a circle like a dragon or snake. A mark immediately appeared on the board, neither quite seal script nor quite a symbol, the strokes half-burnt black.

The young man finished dealing with the planks, raised his hand and tossed them towards Shen Le. The planks flew horizontally towards him, hovering in front of him.
"These are talismans from our sect. This one is used for self-protection and to save your life. It is not afraid of being cut by weapons. This one can emit a bolt of lightning, and this one can emit flames."

He pointed them out to Shen Le one by one:

"You can do whatever you want, go to the market to shop or hire people. If the officials ask, just say you're working for our Changxing Sect!"

Also, take this incense stick. When the porcelain figurine is finally made, burn this incense and call for me!

He tossed over a stick of incense, about the thickness of a little finger, dark purple in color, with a faint, subtle fragrance. He stared at Shen Le and repeated the instructions, making sure he remembered the function of these wooden plaques.

With a nod, he leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of white light and disappearing into the distance. Shen Le, standing on tiptoe below, asked:
"Hey! How do I use this wooden sign?!"

Is it triggered automatically or manually?
Should we throw it out or break it?

A wooden plaque only half an inch thick—if things really come to a head, can I break it?
This kind of thing can't be explained clearly, it could lead to someone's death!
Unfortunately, the "immortal master" was as unreliable as ever; a white light streaked across the sky and was already far away.

Shen Le grumbled and complained for a while, then had no choice but to find an open space with the sign in his pocket and carefully test it:

He was lucky. He grasped the wooden plaque, focused his mind, and sensed it. It was as if he had turned on a switch. A continuous stream of heat flowed out from his body and quickly traveled along the engravings on the wooden plaque.

Shen Le breathed a sigh of relief, her heart filled with joy:
Has the game entered a new phase and new features been added?
He can use his internal energy and magic—even if he can't control a sword or cast spells, and can only use a little internal energy, he's not afraid of anyone!
"I've got it!" He gripped the wooden plaque, sensing the burgeoning magical power within, his face beaming with excitement: "Let's go shopping! Buy things, hire people, and before that immortal master comes again, we need to build the kiln and fire the first batch of porcelain!"

He slightly channeled his inner energy, and a wisp of lightning shot out from the wooden sign, coiling and meandering around him. Seeing this, the old man was relieved, his face beaming, and he nodded repeatedly.

The gold, silver, and cloth given by the "immortal master" were extremely valuable. They could buy several carts, several large blue mules, hire—or buy a few people, and purchase everything needed for the entire porcelain kiln, and still not use half of it!
Porcelain clay can be bought, glaze can be bought, potter's wheels for throwing can be bought. Even the kiln workers, those who do the rough work, can be bought:

This tragic world is never short of refugees, never short of men and women driven to desperation, forced to sell themselves. Adults can fetch a price, while children only need food, or:
"My lord, please have mercy and buy my family of three... I swear, I will repay your kindness with my life!"

By spending money, they quickly acquired enough manpower, built the kiln, constructed houses near the kiln, and acquired sufficient furniture.

With someone to cook for them and someone to wash their clothes, their quality of life has greatly improved.

However, there is one thing that money cannot buy:
"Young master, please don't rush, please don't rush. When throwing the potter's wheel, you need to step on the mechanism evenly with your feet and apply steady pressure with your hands. Come on, let's try again—"

Shen Le was covered in sweat. On the wooden table beside him, plates, bowls, and a broken, S-shaped bottle lay scattered haphazardly...

The potter's wheel I use today isn't like this!
Modern pottery wheels are all electric and have adjustable speeds, so I don't need to use my feet at all!
I have to watch my step and my hands at the same time, I'm a little overwhelmed!

"Young master, please don't rush, practice slowly," the old man continued to gently persuade him.
"You were already able to fire porcelain bowls before, but you haven't practiced for a month or two and you're a bit rusty—practice more, make more things, and you'll get better, you definitely will!"

When will this finally get better...?

Can I switch to another app and take a break...?

This environment is even worse than last time. There's no joy in successfully completing the level. From beginning to end, it's all about ramming earth to make bricks, building kilns, washing clay, and shaping pottery...

My hands were wrinkled from washing the clay, and my fingernails were full of clay. I was worried about eating porcelain clay when I ate a bite of food.

I was so engrossed in kneading clay that I would instinctively want to knead a piece of dirt whenever I saw it by the roadside.
His head was buzzing from throwing the potter's wheel. He hunched over, his shoulders tilted, and found a place to sit down. His feet started moving up and down on their own, almost uncontrollably...

"Young master has gone mad," the old man said, but his tone was full of joy, without a trace of worry.
"Madness is good! Only when you're mad can you master something. Without madness, you can't develop a good skill. Master, Grandfather, all the men in the family have gone through this phase. Don't be afraid, just keep practicing!"

Shen Le: I really don't want to practice this. It's not very useful anyway. Can you please finish the game quickly and let me go back...?

Unfortunately, no. He had even extended his mental power, and with great difficulty, he had mastered the ability to use both his hands and feet to pull out a perfectly round three-inch plate.

Behind the three-inch plate is the five-inch plate, behind the five-inch plate is the seven-inch plate, and behind the nine-inch plate is the bowl, and behind the bowl is the bottle...

Each time a different vessel is used, the difficulty increases by one level, and the curves become more varied.

Shen Le had finally figured out how to make these round vessels after exhausting all his efforts, only to be hit with a blow to the head in the blink of an eye:
"What? You don't need to throw a potter's wheel to make terracotta figurines? Then what's the point of me working so hard on the potter's wheel?"

I knew something was wrong!

Terracotta figurines are sculptures, and they are not symmetrical or perfectly round at all. They are formed by sculpting clay!

No matter how well or evenly I tread the potter's wheel, it has absolutely nothing to do with firing the soul-suppressing figurine!
"Sigh, that's how everyone trains," the old man said, ignoring his complaints and calmly assigning another task.

"Young master, come on, let's start by sculpting some simple ones—porcelain pigs, porcelain dogs, porcelain chickens, porcelain sheep. Let's get used to sculpting these first?"

Shen Le: "..."

Are you planning to make some porcelain to sell and supplement your household income?

In my memory, a large portion of these porcelain pigs and dogs were funerary objects—

The burial goods placed in the tomb symbolize that the dead are treated as if they were still alive, and that the deceased will enjoy abundant harvests and thriving livestock in the afterlife...

This is why I started practicing with small pieces. Otherwise, would you expect me to directly sculpt a porcelain tower or a stacked five-piece jar or something?

Fortunately, Shen Le has some basic skills in clay sculpting: he works on the restoration of ancient buildings, and sometimes he also needs to sculpt a model and then make a mold.

These porcelain pigs and chickens are made with weight over quality. As long as they are round and plump, they don't need to be lifelike or have distinct feathers.

Shen Le quickly progressed through the levels, from fist-sized models to candlesticks, lamps, porcelain pillows, tigers, and then to bizarre and whimsical tomb guardian figurines.

Finally, his family stopped pressuring him to practice making porcelain blanks and instead took him to the kiln:
"Young master, let's practice firing the kiln first! Let's fire a batch of porcelain, a batch of translucent porcelain—"

How is translucent porcelain fired?

Shen Le naturally turned his gaze to the old man. It had always been the old man who had taught him, guiding his hands step by step.

He was taught how to select porcelain clay, how fine the clay needed to be washed, how to determine the correct moisture level for the potter's wheel, and the appropriate rhythm for turning the potter's wheel...

And now, you're just telling me to fire translucent porcelain?

Weren't there any pre-processing procedures before?
You didn't even teach me how to mix the glaze!
“This… Young Master, firing translucent porcelain is a secret technique of the Lu family… From shaping the clay to preparing the glaze and controlling the fire, it’s all the unique skill of the masters…”

In other words, this old man, due to his background, was unable to master the core technology from the very beginning.

The harsh reality is before us:

Shen Le now has to figure out how to make translucent white porcelain on her own...

Guided by his family members, he pulled out a small booklet and a small packet of fine, shimmering white powder. Shaking slightly, he opened them one by one:

"Three taels of water jade; six taels and three mace of square stone; two taels of white stone paste; eight mace of moonstone..."

"What kind of cryptic texts and hidden symbols are these?!"

"At least give me a chemistry lab!"

(End of this chapter)