The White-haired Queen

After the blacksmith received the blueprint, he was deeply attracted by it. The design of this set of tools is simply ingenious, and every detail is handled just right; the craftsmanship is even more exquisite, like a work of art; and the materials used are also extremely high-quality, obviously carefully selected. Such a masterpiece is definitely not an ordinary thing. I am afraid that even his experienced and knowledgeable master has never seen such a clever design drawing. Thinking of this, the blacksmith muttered to himself: "If the old master sees this drawing, he will definitely love it!"

As the blacksmith was enjoying the blueprint, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the familiar Tingfeng Tower wave mark in the lower right corner. Instantly, his heart was shocked and he couldn't help wondering: Could it be that this mysterious blueprint was made by the master? But if so, how did this person get it? Could it be that... he stole it from the master?

With a lot of questions in his mind, the blacksmith began to carefully examine Wen Lanyue in front of him. She was still young and didn't look very special. It was hard to imagine that she had such a superb design talent. However, when the blacksmith looked again, he was surprised to find that the person in front of him was actually a woman! This made him feel even more incredible. Could this girl be the owner of Tingfeng Tower, Wen? Before this, he had heard many legendary stories about the owner of Tingfeng Tower, but because he was trapped in this remote town recently and had been isolated from the outside world for more than a month, he had no way of knowing the real situation inside Tingfeng Tower. At this moment, facing this mysterious woman, the blacksmith was full of curiosity and expectation.

Tingfeng Tower is a mysterious organization controlled by the royal family of Wenjing Kingdom, and its existence is little known. At this moment, the blacksmith was thinking about how to subtly test it so as to pass on the news here. Suddenly, he had an idea: Yes! First of all, we have to invite this female guest in men's clothes into the house. After all, it is more convenient to talk when there are no other people around; even if we really encounter any trouble, the worst that can happen is to grit our teeth and refuse to admit it.

Having made up his mind, the blacksmith immediately invited him warmly: "Dear guest, please follow me. There are some details that need to be confirmed with you in person."

Wen Lanyue understood and politely made a gesture to invite her in. Seeing this, the blacksmith took a step forward and led her into the house.

After the two entered the inner room, the blacksmith asked directly: "Excuse me, sir, where did this blueprint come from?"

Wen Lanyue replied calmly: "This picture was designed by me personally."

The blacksmith stared at the young man in front of him with wide eyes, amazed: "You are so young, but you can design such an exquisite thing! In the whole world, I am afraid that only the legendary figure 'Queen Xuehui' of Shangxie Country can have such talent. May I ask what is your relationship with Queen Xuehui?"

Wen Lanyue had never expected that people in the Northern Cang Kingdom would be so familiar with the reputation of Queen Xuehui. She frowned slightly and responded again in a firm tone: "This is something I came up with on my own, without the help of anyone else." Her words revealed a sense of confidence and pride.

The blacksmith seemed not completely convinced. How could the "Snow Queen" come here? He continued to ask: "So, what is the explanation of this icon?" His eyes were fixed on the unique symbol on the work.

Wen Lanyue was silent for a moment and did not answer. She silently took out an exquisite wooden hairpin from her bosom and carefully showed it to the blacksmith. She thought to herself: "If this person is really a contact person sent by Tingfeng Tower, he will understand the deep meaning of this token when he sees it; if he is not from Tingfeng Tower, ordinary people will only regard it as an ordinary wooden hairpin."

The blacksmith stared at the hairpin in Wen Lanyue's hand, and all his doubts disappeared in an instant. He was about to kneel down to salute, but Wen Lanyue was quick to reach out and hold him up, saying softly, "No need to be polite."

The blacksmith took a deep breath and said slowly: "I am Mo, a disciple of the Mo family. Mo Jiang is my master. He has been very kind to me and taught me everything he knows. After I have mastered my skills, I have been responsible for guarding the internal communication station of the Northern Cang Kingdom.

However, just a month ago, when I passed on the news about forging horseshoes for the people of Bei Cang, the whole town suddenly fell into a tense atmosphere. Since then, this place has been under strict surveillance. Except for a few strong people left in our blacksmith shop, the whole town is almost left with only the elderly, weak, women and children..."

At this point, Mo the blacksmith's voice became a little low, his eyes gradually became moist, and a sadness surged in his heart that he could hardly control.

Wen Lanyue frowned and asked, "So where were those young men taken?" There was a hint of anxiety in her voice.

The blacksmith sighed and said slowly, "Some people were taken away and told they were going to serve in the army, but some were forcibly taken to mine ore. Of course, some of them went there voluntarily. I heard that the salary for mining is quite generous."

Wen Lanyue then asked: "Has no one ever come back?"

The blacksmith shook his head and replied, "Two people did come back. They gave some silver to the families in the town whose members went out to mine. Because of this, others followed suit and left here with those two people."

Wen Lanyue's eyes became sharper, and she continued to ask: "What are the identities of these two people?"

After a moment's silence, Mo the blacksmith whispered, "One is our mayor, and the other is the head of the village." There was a hint of helplessness and dissatisfaction in his tone.

Wen Lanyue frowned slightly, and after a moment's silence, he asked, "So, are the mayor and the head of the village in the town now?" His voice was low and serious, and he seemed to be particularly concerned about the whereabouts of these two key figures.

Mo the blacksmith shook his head slightly, and replied with a hint of worry in his tone: "Well... yes. You have just arrived here not long ago, but they have not shown up yet. I'm afraid they are secretly planning how to kidnap you as well." He swept his eyes over everyone, revealing deep worry.

Wen Lanyue then asked: "Don't the villagers know anything about this? Why don't they unite and resist this unfair treatment together?" His eyes were full of confusion and puzzlement, and he obviously couldn't understand the villagers' silence and obedience.