“You’re too kind,” Lu Qing said with a smile.
The carpenters quickly began crafting the doors and windows. As for the materials? Lu Qing had already prepared everything in advance to avoid any delays in the construction.
“How many years have you been a carpenter?”
“Me?” The old carpenter thought for a moment. “Thirty years.”
“So you’re a true veteran,” Lu Qing said respectfully, bowing slightly.
“You mean to say Young Master Lu also understands carpentry?” The old man looked at the gentle, scholarly youth in front of him, surprised he might know anything about woodworking.
“A little,” Lu Qing replied with a faint smile.
“Could I ask you to help me make something? I’ll pay extra,” Lu Qing said, smoothly shifting to the main point of the conversation.
“What is it?” the old man asked curiously, wondering if this scholar was trying to test his skills.
“This,” Lu Qing said, pulling out a blueprint he had drawn up the previous night.
“Hmm?” The old carpenter leaned in, studying the drawing carefully. It was full of scattered components. “Is this… a crossbow?”
Though it was fragmented, the old man could still make out the general structure.
“Correct. I need it for hunting. Could you make ten of them for me?”
“Not a problem.” The old man nodded.
“But it must be done by your hands personally, and no one else can know,” Lu Qing added seriously. Precision was key for these crossbows, and only an experienced master could manage that.
“Alright,” the old man agreed cheerfully.
Time passed slowly.
After three days, the old carpenter had crafted all the components Lu Qing had requested.
“Many thanks.” Lu Qing handed him 1 tael of silver. “This is for you.”
“Oh, that’s far too much,” the old man said, surprised by the generous payment. For just a few components, that was excessive.
Lu Qing sighed. Though this society had many poor people, there were still those who upheld their principles. They only took what they deserved. In his original world, people would’ve tried to empty your wallet.
“You deserve it. Your craftsmanship is flawless, and I might trouble you again in the future,” Lu Qing replied with a smile. He was genuinely satisfied with the work and also wanted to form a bond with this craftsman—he might need his skills again.
“Good.” Lu Qing nodded. “Thank you again, sir.”
“No need for ‘sir’ or ‘elder.’ I’m called Zheng Laosan. If you don’t mind, you can call me Uncle Laosan.”
“Alright,” Lu Qing replied, knowing this meant they’d grown closer.
Lu Qing took the parts home and began assembling them one by one. Before long, he had completed the first repeating crossbow—modeled after the legendary Zhuge Repeating Crossbow.
He loaded it with the arrows he had prepared. After carefully inspecting it, he aimed and fired. One by one, ten arrows shot out rapidly, each with strong force. Lu Qing believed that within 20–30 meters, the repeating crossbow could easily kill an enemy instantly.
He continued assembling the rest, then went to find Wu Facai.
“Uncle Facai!”
“Xiao Qing, what’s up?” Wu Facai knew Lu Qing always had something important to say when he came around.
“I made something impressive. You used to be a soldier, take a look and tell me what you think!” Lu Qing revealed the repeating crossbow.
“What is it?”
“This is a repeating crossbow I designed—named the Lu Qing Crossbow. It can fire arrows in quick succession. Try it out!” Lu Qing shamelessly took credit for the design, but since there was no Zhuge Liang in this world, no one would believe it anyway.
“A repeating crossbow?” Wu Facai picked it up and examined it closely. He then followed Lu Qing’s instructions and operated it.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” Arrows flew out with sharp, piercing sounds, embedding themselves in a tree over ten meters away.
“This is amazing,” Wu Facai said in awe. As a former soldier, one try was enough to know this was no ordinary weapon.
“Effective range is about 50 meters, though killing power drops off at that range. Within 20 to 30 meters, if aimed precisely, it can definitely kill instantly,” Wu Facai assessed. He couldn’t put the weapon down—this crossbow was ingeniously crafted.
“If we’d had these at Niangzi Pass back then, we wouldn’t have suffered such a crushing defeat,” he said with a heavy sigh.
That battle had been a devastating loss. If they had had these crossbows, one man could have unleashed ten arrows instantly. Things might have turned out differently.
“War is unpredictable. I’m sorry for the past, Uncle Facai,” Lu Qing said softly, seeing the sorrow on his face.
“Yes… I’ve long come to terms with it. Still, your crossbow brought it all back. It’s simply incredible,” Wu Facai praised again.
“With this, what do you think our chances are against Green Dragon Stronghold?”
“Fifty percent,” Wu Facai replied. At least half.
“Alright. Then this afternoon, let’s start training Wu He and the others to use them. We don’t need perfect accuracy—just improved hit rates,” Lu Qing said.
“Understood!” Wu Facai nodded.
“Where’s Zhao Tiezhu?” someone asked, noticing he was the only one missing.
“Let’s not wait any longer,” Lu Qing decided.
Half an hour later…
“I’m here! I’m here!” Zhao Tiezhu’s voice rang out.
They turned to look and were shocked to see Liu Feng and Tie Niu with him.
“Them?”
“Sorry, Lu Qing. I accidentally spilled the secret to them. But they want to join us too,” Zhao Tiezhu said guiltily.
“Don’t worry, Brother Qing. Tiezhu only told us. No one else knows,” Liu Feng promised.
“That’s right,” Tie Niu nodded.
“You… Forget it.” Lu Qing gave Zhao Tiezhu a helpless look.
“Since you’re here, you can train with us—but just this once,” Lu Qing warned.
“Wu He, take everyone and start crossbow training. Uncle Facai, Wu Hai, come with me.” Lu Qing led Wu Facai and Wu Hai back home.
“What’s going on?” Wu Hai asked curiously.
“We’re slaughtering a sheep.”
“You’re treating everyone?”
“No,” Lu Qing shook his head.
He quickly killed the sheep he had bought. Then he asked Wu Hai to place it in a large vat, poured in the water that had been used to soak the poisonous mushrooms, and fully submerged the meat.
“Isn’t that the water from the poisonous mushrooms?”
“Exactly. Soaking the sheep in it makes the meat poisonous. What do you think will happen if Green Dragon Stronghold eats it?” Lu Qing narrowed his eyes.
“Huh?” Wu Hai froze, staring at Lu Qing. From now on, no one should ever cross Lu Qing.
This was brutal—truly ruthless and cunning.
“Impressive.” Though shocked, Wu Hai didn’t object. Those bandits at Green Dragon Stronghold had robbed, burned, killed, and violated countless people. No matter how they were dealt with, there was no guilt.