Humans in All Heavens: Starting with Detective Dee

"Previously, an extraterrestrial meteorite fell from the sky."

The material is quite good, but the quantity is scarce, making it impossible to mass-produce weapons.

Since you want a powerful weapon.

"I have ordered that the meteorite iron be brought out and that the Imperial Household Department have it specially forged for you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Alright, you can go now."

"Your humble servant takes his leave."

With his rear end sticking out and his body bent over, Zhou Yi slowly withdrew from the Imperial Garden.

Watching Zhou Yi's retreating figure in the distance, Wu Zetian muttered to herself, "The little fox that the old fox raised..."

Outside the palace gates, Di Renjie was waiting for Zhou Yi.

Upon seeing Di Renjie outside, Zhou Yi quickly ran forward and greeted him, "My lord."

"Di Chun, are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Zhou Yi replied, then glanced around and said, "Sir, shall we talk on the way?"

"Um."

They then boarded the carriage.

Even a high-ranking official like Di Renjie could ride in a carriage when he went home, and there would be people to clear the way for him.

Zhou Yi followed him and enjoyed this kind of high-class treatment.

Otherwise, a minor official of the seventh rank wouldn't receive such treatment.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Yi and Di Renjie recounted their meeting with Wu Zetian.

After listening, Di Renjie pondered for a long time before coming back to his senses: "His Majesty is probably just curious about you."

I just wanted to see you.

"And I'll treat you to something nice while I'm at it."

"I thought so too. Your Excellency has already described Hu Jinghui and Li Qingxia's situation in detail in your memorial."

Since she didn't have the Ministry of Personnel investigate, it means she wasn't going to pursue the matter.

They probably just wanted to see what kind of person I am.

She wanted to see if I would be too intimidated by her imposing presence to speak up.

"Hehe." Di Renjie smiled and pointed at Zhou Yi: "You've basically guessed the emperor's thoughts."

The carriage returned to the mansion.

Upon entering the Di residence, one would naturally hear someone shouting, "Lord Di, return to the residence!"

The government was informed that Di Renjie had returned.

"My lord, Brother Di, are you alright?"

Li Yuanfang and Lu Dayou came out to greet them.

Seeing that the two were safe and sound, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wu Zetian was notorious for her ruthlessness.

He even killed his own son without hesitation, fearing that the affair between Hu Jinghui and Li Qingxia would implicate Di Renjie.

Meeting Li Yuanfang's worried gaze, Di Renjie smiled and reassured him, "Haha, Yuanfang, don't worry."

Nothing's wrong.

"It's alright, it's alright."

Li Yuanfang was finally relieved.

The anxious expression on his face also eased.

"Brother Yuanfang, could you please draw up the blueprints for your chain knife?"

Zhou Yi stepped forward and smiled.

"Chain knife blueprints? What's wrong? You can draw them." Li Yuanfang looked puzzled.

"That's right, when the emperor saw me before, he asked me what reward I wanted."

I asked if the Imperial Household Department could use the best materials to make two weapons for you and me.

The emperor has agreed and said he will also use black iron to make two weapons.

So I was thinking of asking you to draw up the blueprints for the chain knife.

When the time comes, I will send them to the Imperial Household Department, where someone will make two new chain knives.

You take one, I'll take one.

"Oh, black iron?"

Even Li Yuanfang was pleasantly surprised to hear the words "mysterious iron".

Xuan Tie is extremely rare and precious, and it is basically obtained by chance from meteorites falling from the sky.

It is impossible to manufacture weapons for the military on a large scale.

Generally speaking, they were acquired as royal collections.

It was only for the emperor to collect and play with.

But the properties of Xuan Tie (玄铁) are self-evident; weapons made from it are tough and incredibly sharp.

Far beyond ordinary weapons.

Li Yuanfang's chain knife is also known as a light steel willow leaf knife.

It is simply forged from high-quality steel.

It was passed down to him by his master when he completed his apprenticeship.

He later served under him in Liangzhou.

Although he was highly skilled in martial arts, he was still just a member of the martial arts world.

In this world, martial arts practitioners are nothing more than ants compared to the imperial court.

The best forging techniques and the best materials were naturally still in the hands of the imperial court.

He naturally couldn't possibly have a weapon made of black iron.

People from the martial arts world are mainly interested in a few things.

The categories are: martial arts manuals, divine weapons, and beautiful women.

Needless to say, martial arts manuals can enhance a person's strength, and divine weapons can also greatly enhance the user's strength.

The weapons clashed; one side had a weapon made of black iron, while the other side had a weapon made of ordinary refined steel.

Upon contact, the opponent's weapon was broken, and their strength was naturally weakened.

Although black iron is rare in the world, it is still available in the imperial palace.

While it's not feasible to mass-produce them into weapons, there are still enough materials to make two weapons for Zhou Yi and Li Yuanfang.

……

The thought of obtaining a new weapon forged from black iron was incredibly exciting, even for someone as upright as Li Yuanfang.

My heart was pounding.

The smile on his face was impossible to stop.

I wish I could jump up and leap three feet high.

"Brother Di, please wait a moment. I'll go and draw up the blueprints for the chain knife right away."

After saying that, he was already getting impatient.

Watching Li Yuanfang's hurried departure, Di Renjie couldn't help but stroke his beard with a broad smile: "It seems Yuanfang is already eager to obtain a new weapon."

"It's understandable that powerful weapons are so tempting to martial arts practitioners."

"My lord, I must take my leave now and go see Brother Yuanfang."

"Go, go."

Your presence here, young people, will bring a cheerful atmosphere to my residence.

To avoid it becoming lifeless.

Di Renjie waved his hand, Zhou Yi took his leave, and jogged to Li Yuanfang's room.

When they entered, Li Yuanfang was holding a brush and sketching out the blueprints for the chain knife.

His painting skills are actually quite good.

When the headless ghost appeared, he used a brush to draw Yuwen Chengdu's phoenix-winged gilded axe and old-fashioned tiger-head iron foot armor.

It was drawn exactly the same.

As the arm moved, the entire manufacturing process of the chain knife was displayed on the drawings.

Half an hour later, Li Yuanfang put down his brush.

He looked at the drawings scattered on the table with satisfaction.

After checking it again, he arranged it in the correct order and placed it in Zhou Yi's hands.

"Brother Di, this is the entire process of making the chain knife."

The chain knife is fine in other aspects; it's not particularly difficult.

The main challenge lies in designing the mechanism on the handle.

And how did they manage to hide that thin iron chain inside the knife?

Zhou Yi held a stack of blueprints, looking at them over and over, but he still couldn't figure out how such a long, thin iron chain could be hidden inside such a thin knife.

The handle definitely can't be hidden inside, and if the blade could be hidden inside, how thick would the blade have to be?

But the blade of the chain knife is clearly very thin.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll just consider it cutting-edge technology.