Chapter 13: Rosy Cheeks

While searching through his memories, Yu Chengfeng discovered that in this world, the techniques of steel folding and oil quenching were not widespread. This explained why most of the weaponry in the Northern Yan army was extremely fragile; often, in the midst of a fierce battle, soldiers’ weapons would break. The sword the blacksmith had just forged by his own method might not cut through iron like mud, but it was certainly more than capable of handling the common weapons found in Huyang Fort.

With the newly forged sword in hand, Yu Chengfeng exhaled deeply and made his way toward a residence within the fort. Standing at the door for a long while, he hesitated whether he should knock. The house belonged to a childhood friend that the original owner had once cherished. However, this childhood friend had later been married into a wealthy family within the fort. From that moment on, the original owner began to spiral downward, becoming addicted to gambling and alcohol.

Though the childhood friend’s marriage into the affluent family brought her a happy life, her husband and his relatives gradually passed away from illness, leaving her and her daughter to rely on each other. The original owner often visited the residence to help out. Though she had heard about the original owner's poor reputation, he behaved decently in her presence, and the old feelings remained, so she did not dislike him.

Yet now, the person inhabiting this body was Yu Chengfeng, and to him, such behavior felt like a betrayal of Anning’s trust.

Just as he was wrestling with his thoughts, the door opened at the perfect moment, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty. Though Yu Chengfeng had known from the original owner’s memories that the childhood friend was a stunning woman, seeing her in person unveiled a beauty beyond words.

If Anning’s charm was that of a delicate, petite girl, then the face before him embodied the exquisite elegance and grandeur of a woman.

“You’ve come?” Li Sisi’s voice was as light and melodious as her presence.

Yu Chengfeng nodded, about to speak, when a lovely little head popped out from beneath Li Sisi’s skirt and smiled at him. “Uncle Chengfeng, you’re here!”

That was Li Sisi’s daughter, Niannian.

“Yes, Uncle’s here,” Li Sisi said as she opened the door wider, allowing Yu Chengfeng inside. He ruffled Niannian’s hair and said, “I’ve heard about what you’ve been doing lately. You seem different.”

Li Sisi was the first to speak. “You can’t always do things that hurt Anning.”

Faced with her question, Yu Chengfeng could only awkwardly respond; it seemed he was just as uncomfortable facing women in this life as in the last.

“Right. So, what brings you this time?” Li Sisi nodded, her expression unchanged but with a faint hint of disappointment in her eyes.

“I came to borrow some bamboo,” Yu Chengfeng said bluntly.

“Then go cut it yourself,” Li Sisi replied, finding the request reasonable, and directed him to the bamboo grove in the backyard.

The wealthy family into which Li Sisi married was distinguished, having produced scholars in past generations. They had long pursued academic endeavors, and their backyard was planted with a patch of bamboo—the target of Yu Chengfeng’s visit.

In the bamboo grove, Yu Chengfeng selected several stalks of medium thickness and began chopping them down. After splitting them segment by segment for nearly the duration of an incense stick, he had gathered fewer than ten suitable pieces. Surveying the scattered debris, he felt it should be enough, packed up, and returned to bid Li Sisi farewell.

During their parting, Yu Chengfeng noticed Li Sisi’s complexion was somewhat pale, accompanied by a slight cough. Suspecting she might have caught a chill, he offered her a few words of concern before leaving.

Returning home with his items, Yu Chengfeng saw smoke rising from the kitchen chimney, signaling that Anning was already awake. Pushing open the door, he found her busy at the stove. The sight of someone cooking upon his return warmed his heart.

“You’re back? Come eat,” Anning called softly, spotting the bundle Yu Chengfeng carried.

He set down his things and entered the kitchen to find that she had prepared meat porridge for him. Warmth flooded his heart. After finishing the meal, he grasped Anning’s hand as she began tidying up and said, “This afternoon, I’ll be going with the Tiger Hunting Squad up the mountain. You’ll be alone at home, so make sure to lock the door and be careful.”

“Mm,” Anning lowered her head in agreement, then added, “You should be careful too.”

“I... I’ll wait for you at home.” After saying this, Anning’s face flushed crimson. She swiftly pulled her hand away from Yu Chengfeng’s and ran back into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

No matter how dull he was, Yu Chengfeng understood that this was more than forgiveness—it was the beginning of her slowly accepting him.

With that thought, his spirits lifted. After cleaning the dishes, he set up a pot in the courtyard to refine caustic soda. He knew that his inclusion in the Tiger Hunting Squad was arranged personally by Li Zhen. Once in the mountains, someone would surely target him. If he did not prepare in advance, the outcome might be disastrous.

Besides refining the caustic soda, Yu Chengfeng carefully prepared another item.

This was something that in later generations would be called a stun bomb.

However, his version was as rudimentary as possible.

The principle behind the stun bomb was to cause a reaction in white phosphorus, producing an explosion and a flash of light.

Although he did not have white phosphorus, he possessed substances that could create a similar reaction—caustic soda and water.

The bamboo he had collected from Li Sisi’s home was for this purpose.

Yu Chengfeng had specifically chosen old bamboo with nodes in the middle, retaining a layer of bamboo membrane inside.

Such mature bamboo was tougher inside, with a membrane that would not easily break.

He sealed caustic soda and water at opposite ends and installed a press mechanism on the side containing the caustic soda. When pressed with the right force, the mechanism would rupture the bamboo membrane, mixing the water and caustic soda within the narrow bamboo tube, triggering a reaction that produced a small explosion and loud noise.

Yu Chengfeng carefully made five of these devices. The remaining caustic soda was wrapped in oil paper and kept on his person.

He then cooked a pot of fine rice, forming rice balls wrapped around the meat stew from the previous night as provisions.

With this, his preparations for entering the mountain were largely complete. The time had come to assemble at the city gate at noon.

Seeing that Anning had not shown any sign of wanting to see him off, Yu Chengfeng approached the window outside the bedroom and called inside, “Anning, I’m going hunting for tigers. Don’t worry, I’ll come back safe!”

After speaking, he left to join the assembly.

Unbeknownst to him, Anning was inside the room, clutching her quilt and tossing and turning, torn between whether or not to come out and see him off. Her small face was flushed red.