Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!-Chapter 224 - 223: Man-Made Disaster

Zhu Feng, seeing the situation, hurried over. Lu Qing and Zhu Yu followed behind to see what was going on.

Ever since Zhu Feng arrived here, he had been letting a guard who had been with him for many years act on his behalf, using the Prince Shuo Mansion’s token to gather people and arrange various matters. He himself never appeared directly, and now wearing simple clothes, no one could associate him with the second son of the Prince Shuo family.

He approached the middle-aged man, squatted down, picked up the broken piece of an iron pickaxe from the ground, and asked, "Big brother, why not use a sturdy, handy tool? Using something like this not only makes work harder, but it’s also easy to accidentally hurt yourself."

"Brother, what are you saying! Do you think I have good pickaxes at home and I’m reluctant to use them, that I purposely took out this broken one to mess around?" The middle-aged man was already annoyed by the broken pickaxe, and upon hearing Zhu Feng’s words, he felt even more irritable, replying in a somewhat bad mood, "You look unfamiliar, are you a craftsman from the capital?

In our area, you can’t even find a proper blacksmith. I’ve brought out the pickaxe we treasure at home to help repair the canal. Now that it’s broken, I don’t even know how I’ll manage the farm work at home! I have to find that incompetent blacksmith who took it up midway to make me another!"

"No blacksmiths?!" Zhu Feng widened his eyes in shock. He had never heard of such an outrageous claim, "Are there places in Shuo Land that lack blacksmiths?!"

"Young man! Why would I lie to you!" The middle-aged man was also displeased upon hearing this, "In the past, we certainly didn’t lack blacksmiths. Every village would have a few families working in blacksmithing, but somehow, it was as if overnight all the blacksmiths vanished into thin air!

And it’s not just one or two individuals missing; it’s like an entire village’s blacksmiths, whether masters or apprentices, disappeared all at once! Not a trace alive or dead!

Forced by circumstances, we had to make carpenters and masons in the village learn to smelt and forge iron, and only scraped together some ironware that could barely be used!"

Zhu Feng was baffled, wanting to inquire further. Zhu Yu, standing behind, pulled him aside: "Second brother, we heard something similar when we came here."

"What’s going on?" Zhu Feng asked hurriedly.

Zhu Yu looked over at the empty field in the distance, where Lu Qing stood alone, gazing into the distance towards the dark mass of Risun Ridge.

Zhu Feng nodded in understanding and walked slowly with Zhu Yu towards Lu Qing.

"What’s going on? Why is there a shortage of blacksmiths in Shuo Country? Does this peculiar phenomenon of missing blacksmiths also occur elsewhere?" Before they even reached the field, Zhu Feng couldn’t wait to ask.

Zhu Yu didn’t immediately answer him. Instead, Lu Qing turned around and asked, "You mentioned earlier that the Pang Family had just completed a batch of weapons according to the court’s request? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Are you referring to the batch of weapons that the Ministry of War requisitioned from Shuo, not made by your Weapon Supervision but by the Pang Family?"

Zhu Feng was taken aback, cautiously observing Lu Qing’s expression, trying to discern whether his inquiry was simply out of curiosity or an intent to prosecute.

After all, the court had ordered the weapons to be made by the Weapon Supervision of Shuo Country, and his father Zhu Cheng was responsible for overseeing the production.

Now that the weapons were made by the Pang Family, it was impossible for Zhu Cheng to personally oversee the process, but the weapons were already stored without lacking in numbers and were well made, awaiting transport to Jin Country, which was sufficient to report back.

This matter could be significant or minor, depending on whether someone wanted to make a fuss out of it.

However, Lu Qing’s expression was calm and unyielding, giving no clue.

"Indeed." Zhu Feng thought it over, deciding that being truthful was safer, considering he had inadvertently revealed the matter earlier. Lying at this point would only complicate the situation with unnecessary trouble. "Mainly because this batch of weapons didn’t have any special requirements, just ordinary swords and sabers that weren’t difficult to forge.

Such items, let alone the Pang Family, could be made just as well by any skilled blacksmith in Shuo Land.

The Pang Family has, beyond the Weapon Supervision, one of the largest workshops still under my father’s supervision. Due to the quantity of weapons, having the Pang Family handle the production was the best way to ensure timely and quality completion.

We’ve never encountered any issues over the years."

Lu Qing smiled faintly and nodded, "So this matter has been entrusted to the Pang Family by Prince Shuo for quite a few years now."

Zhu Feng awkwardly pulled at his mouth corners and nodded, "My father is getting on in years, with his heart set on creating the ultimate unmatched weapon in the world. Other matters are indeed... somewhat neglected."

"Once matters here are settled, could I inspect the stored weapons intended for Jin Country when we return to the capital?" Lu Qing asked.

"If it were up to me alone, I would agree right now..." Zhu Feng looked troubled, "But those weapons have been inventoried into the storehouse and sealed, not something anyone can randomly open for reinspection...

Perhaps once this affair is concluded, I’ll report this immediately to my father once back in the capital.

You being a Prince of Jin Country and a close relative of the Holy Emperor, I’m confident my father wouldn’t refuse your request for inspection."

Lu Qing nodded in agreement, "Then I shall trouble you."

"Third sister, you mentioned hearing about similar disappearances of blacksmiths en route to the capital?" Zhu Feng asked, seeing that Lu Qing apparently had no more questions for him.

Only then did Zhu Yu share the peculiar incidents they had previously discovered with Zhu Feng.

Zhu Feng was taken aback to hear not only of blacksmiths disappearing elsewhere but also a number of young men mysteriously disappearing, leaving only the elderly, weak, and women, leaving him stunned and unsure of what to say.

"Why would such strange events occur? Why would healthy, living people vanish as if possessed, leaving in the middle of the night?!" He felt it was a story out of a fantasy, "And why haven’t we heard a thing about this in the capital?!"

"There’s no such thing as strange phenomena under the heavens," Zhu Yu shook her head at him, "Only human calamities."