Gu Yun drew in a sharp breath. The smell of gunpowder and burning drifted over, catching in his throat. Unable to help himself, he began coughing. Someone handed him a wrung-out water flask. He accepted it, took a couple of mouthfuls, and finally felt somewhat better. Holding the flask in his hand, he looked towards the person who had given it to him.
Chao Yan stood with his arms folded, staring straight ahead.
Gu Yun: “…”
Gu Yun screwed the lid back onto the flask, handed it to Li Lan, then walked over and nudged the other’s uninjured arm with his elbow.
Chao Yan glanced over from the corner of his eye. There were still a few tears in Gu Yun’s eyes from the coughing fit, glistening as though veiled by a layer of pearly lustre, beautiful beyond reason. His Adam’s apple rolled almost imperceptibly. Without a word, he withdrew his gaze.
He’s really angry.
Gu Yun felt a little panicked. Reaching out, he pinched a corner of the other’s sleeve between his fingers and gave it a gentle tug.
“I…”
“Zhang Er-xiong, marvellous!” Craftsman Wang and a crowd of craftsmen swarmed over like a hive of bees, buzzing noisily around Gu Yun’s ears.
“When the Di heavy cavalry see this thunder bomb of yours, they’ll probably offer up their riding whips and beg to change careers and sell tea instead!”
“Saltpetre light as frost, sulphur whiter than snow, charcoal layered like pine grain upon pine grain. How can a thunder bomb produce such tremendous power? Did you simply add more gunpowder…?”
“Do you take apprentices?!”
Gu Yun: “…” Take apprentices, my foot.
Expressionless, Gu Yun looked at the craftsman who had spoken.
Mistaking his look for interest, the craftsman rubbed his hands together.
“I’m getting on in years. My mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be. But I’ve got two boys at home. Just say the word and I’ll send them both to you. Those lads are sturdy, hey! Work them as hard as you like! As long as, whenever you have some spare time, you pass on a bit of your knowledge.”
The moment the others heard this, they froze.
“That’s going too far! We’re discussing serious matters here!”
Gu Yun was just beginning to feel gratified when he heard what came next.
“Zhang Er-xiong, have a look at my boy! Clever from the moment he was born. Teach him something once and he’ll remember it.”
“My son is even cleverer than theirs. He’s already passed the xiucai examination! Just a little older, that’s all. He comes with a generous apprenticeship gift. Zhang Er-xiong won’t need to provide food or lodging. Just give the order if you need anything done.”
“There are plenty of boys in my clan. They may not have many talents, but they’re diligent and willing to endure hardship. I’ll bring them over and let you choose. Same as his scholar son, they come with generous apprenticeship gifts and require no food or lodging. Use them however you like. They’ll work like oxen and horses!”
Craftsman Wang shifted his feet, looking somewhat bashful.
“Could you leave one apprenticeship place open? The one in my wife’s belly hasn’t been born yet, but the experienced women in the village all say it’s a boy. My wife and I will raise him properly. He can attend to your daily needs and care for you in your old age. None of that would be a problem.”
“A teacher for a day is a father for life! Once he takes you as his master, he’ll be your son. Everything Craftsman Wang mentioned, he’d do even better!”
“Take my boy instead. He’s more filial than some people’s own sons. If he becomes your apprentice, you’ll never come out the loser.”
“My boy dreams of becoming your son. One day he even wants to build you a grand estate…”
…
Gu Yun was still so young, yet a whole crowd of people were scrambling to give him their sons.
Looking at the craftsmen, who were on the verge of quarrelling amongst themselves, he felt his head growing twice its normal size. Letting go of Chao Yan’s sleeve, he hurriedly barked an order to stop them.
The crowd immediately fell silent.
Gu Yun first directed his criticism at Craftsman Wang.
“You just said the child is still in your wife’s womb. What are you even joining in for? Have you properly learnt everything I taught you? In a while, I’ll be testing you.”
Then he turned to the others.
“I don’t take apprentices. However, if you have suitable candidates within your families, you may pass your skills on to them. But let’s make one thing clear first. For every family member you teach, you must also teach two outsiders. The outsiders will be selected by His Lordship’s side. Your only responsibility is to teach them. Whether they’re family or outsiders, you must teach them wholeheartedly and keep nothing back. Craftsman Wang will supervise all of you. Manufacturing firearms is no trifling matter. A moment’s carelessness could cost lives.”
After Gu Yun finished speaking, the craftsmen exchanged glances before turning their attention towards Craftsman Wang.
A moment later, they all voiced their agreement.
Though they could not become Zhang Er-xiong’s apprentices, being able to pass their knowledge down to future generations was not bad at all, even if it meant teaching two outsiders as well.
After settling the craftsmen, Gu Yun no longer had any thoughts of apologising. He decided to deal with that later and instead went to inspect the thunder bomb testing site.
Several thunder bombs had been used, each separated by a considerable distance to prevent interference. Upon arriving, the first thing he saw was the mangled corpse of the brown bear.
Blood covered almost the entire ground.
Gu Yun measured the blast radius and destructive force of each thunder bomb. Once he confirmed that the manufactured thunder bombs had been an overwhelming success, he walked over to the bear’s corpse.
Taking out a small notebook, he recorded data relating to the thunder bombs while simultaneously examining the bear’s remains.
“If this were a person,” he said to Chao Yan, who had followed him over, “they would already have been blown to pieces.”
The thunder bomb’s power far exceeded that of the fire lance.
Chao Yan crouched down and conducted his own inspection. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a long sigh.
Gu Yun slowly turned his bright eyes towards him. “Not satisfied?”
Chao Yan replied, “I cannot pay the price for the thunder bomb.”
Gu Yun looked puzzled. “I never said I wanted any payment.”
Rising to his feet, Chao Yan brushed the fine dust from his clothes.
“I still owe you two exchanged favours. Those two favours will certainly not be simple matters. With my current abilities, I may be able to fulfil them. But I cannot produce payment for the thunder bomb. The previous two matters have already exhausted the limits of what I can offer, unless what you want is something I can provide effortlessly. It is not that I intend to refuse payment. I simply owe it for now. Once I have the means, I will honour my promise.”
After thinking for a moment, Gu Yun leaned towards his ear. Remembering the other’s feelings towards him, he shifted slightly farther away before whispering softly:
“Actually, for you, the payment is incredibly simple. All I want is for you to spend your entire life as you are now, serving the nation and its people.”
Chao Yan slowly turned his head.
Although Gu Yun had deliberately increased the distance between them earlier, they were still standing far closer than normal social etiquette allowed.
When Chao Yan turned, their noses almost touched.
Gu Yun hurriedly stepped backwards.
Then he saw the other smile and sigh with feeling.
“What kind of place could possibly nurture someone like you?”
…
Naturally, only a peaceful, open place where everyone was equal could nurture someone like him.
Gu Yun began missing his family again.
Clouds draped the mountain peaks like gauze. The sky was spotless, blue and white standing in sharp contrast, like a painted canvas.
After helping everyone clear away the aftermath, he left the deep mountains and arrived at the flat ground beneath them. Stepping on the uneven stones underfoot, he raised his head to look at the sky and thought:
Could it be that I can never go back?
The thought appeared suddenly, making him feel as though he had stepped into empty air.
Before any further emotions could arise, an immense crash exploded inside his head.
The sound dragged on endlessly. A suffocating sensation accompanied it, lingering for a long time…
Gu Yun could no longer remain standing.
The entire world dissolved into countless bubbles. Crackling and popping, one after another, they burst apart in rapid succession. Beyond it all, he heard panicked voices. He felt someone catch him before he fell.
Then darkness swallowed his vision.
Wrapped in warmth, he lost consciousness.
…
When Gu Yun awoke again, he found himself fully clothed and lying on a bed that was far from soft. His eyes opened to a wooden ceiling.
Only then did he notice several spider webs of varying sizes hanging in the four corners overhead.
Gu Yun: “…”
Had the boss sold him off?
As wild speculation ran through his mind, he turned his head slightly and saw Chao Yan’s dark head.
The other had moved a table and chair to the bedside and was seated there studying old Ministry of Justice case files. The case register looked new, clearly a copy Chao Yan had transcribed for use outside the Ministry.
Gu Yun shifted slightly.
The movement was enough for Chao Yan to notice immediately. Setting the booklet aside, he crossed the room in a few strides and crouched beside the bed.
“Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Chao Yan asked.
Gu Yun examined himself briefly before shaking his head. “Where is this place? What happened to me?”
Chao Yan poured a cup of warm water and placed it in his hand.
As Gu Yun slowly drank, he heard him say:
“This is a medical clinic in the Outer City. We didn’t travel any farther because we were worried something might happen to you. The physician here examined you and said there was nothing serious, only exhaustion. We consulted several other physicians as well. They all said the same thing.”
So he had simply overworked himself…
Recalling the moments before he collapsed, Gu Yun remembered the suffocating sensation and the enormous sound.
The sound had been majestic in a way, rumbling like thunder. He could not understand what it had been.
Thinking carefully, he suddenly remembered experiencing something similar once before in the Eastern Palace. At that time, however, it had lasted only an instant.
Could it be a side effect of transmigrating into a novel?
Gu Yun froze.
The warm water he had just swallowed suddenly seemed scalding hot, burning all the way down into his heart and making it race.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He heard his own heartbeat with startling clarity. His fingers loosened. The cup slipped from his hand and spilled across the bedding.
“Gu Yun!” Chao Yan shouted.
He snapped back to reality at once. Looking down, he hurriedly tried to wipe the bedding dry.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” he explained.
Chao Yan’s expression darkened.
Cursing the incompetent physicians under his breath, he reached out as though intending to pick Gu Yun up.
“We’re returning to the Eastern Palace. I’ll have the imperial physicians examine you.”
Gu Yun immediately pressed down on his hand. “I’m fine. I was simply lost in thought.”
Chao Yan looked him over from head to toe. Then, as though all strength had suddenly left him, he leaned forward and pulled Gu Yun tightly into his arms.
Resting his chin atop Gu Yun’s head, he said quietly: “You scared me to death.”
His voice was low and slightly hoarse, as though dancing directly across Gu Yun’s nerves.
Gu Yun sniffed. His nose was filled entirely with Chao Yan’s scent.
Chao Yan had neither worn scented clothing nor carried a sachet that day, yet there was still a faint, steady fragrance about him.
Not agarwood. Something lighter.
After taking another careful breath, Gu Yun realised it came from Chao Yan’s hair.
Chao Yan clearly noticed what he was doing. Yet he made no move to stop him.
Lowering his eyes, he looked at the clothing gathered beneath his arms, clinging tightly to that slender waist.
After a long pause, he said: “Will you rest for a while? You’re exceptionally capable, and I recognise that. But when I first brought you back to the Eastern Palace, I never wanted anything from you. I simply wanted you to live a better life.”
…
Gu Yun returned to the workshop, packed away his belongings, and took the opportunity to remind everyone to continue working diligently.
Afterwards, he returned to the Eastern Palace with Chao Yan.
Only after personally making him drink a bowl of medicine that was both sweet and bitter did Chao Yan finally leave to attend to his own affairs.
