On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Chapter 724 Mysterious Formula

Mao Mengji's skinny figure sank into the deep corridor behind the stone gate, as if being swallowed by a giant beast.

Ten fierce soldiers of the Jinwu Guard followed closely behind, the light of their torches swaying in the narrow passage, casting dim shadows on the twisted stone walls and the slippery moss on the ground.

The strong smell of sulfur, saltpeter, and stale water vapor hit us in the face, pungent and oppressive. The sound of footsteps echoed in the dead silence, striking at everyone's nerves.

The corridor is not long, and it opens up at the end.

The light of the torch dispelled the darkness, illuminating a huge natural cave.

Stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling dripped cold water, splashing ripples on the dark cold pool below.

Across from the cold pond, the bluestone door engraved with reliefs of flaming demons had already opened, and the scene inside the door made everyone's pupils shrink suddenly.

It was not the altar or statue as expected, but a huge, man-made workshop!

The cave was transformed into a three-tiered platform.

At the bottom, several huge stone pools were filled with piles of black ores and crimson stones, and the turbid liquid emitted a pungent sour smell.

Thick bamboo pipes draw water from the cold pond, and through a complex waterwheel mechanism, drive stone hammers to repeatedly hammer the ore in the pool.

On the middle platform, several brick-built arched kilns were burning, with hot flames spewing from the furnace mouths.

Driven by whips, the craftsmen filled the furnace with crushed ore and charcoal in layers.

There is a large bellows next to the kiln, which is driven by a hydraulic connecting rod mechanism to blow strong air into the kiln.

The upper platform is the most amazing: several huge sealed containers made of thick clay and covered with iron hoops are connected by ceramic pipes.

A charcoal fire is provided at the bottom of the container for heating, and a condensation recovery device is connected at the top.

A craftsman wearing a thick leather apron and his face covered with a wet cloth is carefully adding various powders into the container and adjusting the temperature through the observation hole.

The air was filled with a mixture of acrid odors—the stink of sulphur, the astringency of saltpeter, and something bitter like almonds.

"This... this is..." A fierce soldier of the Jinwu Guard said in a trembling voice, and the torch almost fell out of his hand.

The scene before them far exceeded their understanding of smelting.

"Fen Tian Lei Workshop." Mao Mengji's eyes gleamed even more fiercely, his bony fingers gripping the hilt of his knife tightly. "How could that old dog Gu Beichen cause such a scene in the heart of Northern Yan!"

"Search! If he's alive, I must see him! If he's dead, I must see his body!" Mao Mengji shouted.

The brave soldiers scattered and searched.

Soon, a black-robed corpse was found in the corner - it was the elder who had broken in earlier.

He fell on his back, bleeding from all seven orifices, holding the short black staff tightly in his hand.

The crystal at the top of the short staff was shattered, and the staff body was charred. There were several broken pottery jars scattered around it, with black sticky substances and white crystalline powder remaining in the jars.

"It's like... the experimental medicine exploded?" the soldier guessed.

Mao Mengji squatted down to check, his nose twitching slightly: "Smells like bitter almonds...very poisonous! Don't touch it!"

He glanced at the waist of the corpse and found a bulging leather bag.

Carefully picking it up, he found several rolls of parchment wrapped in oilcloth. Unfolding them revealed intricate symbols, proportions, and process diagrams drawn with cinnabar and ink.

"The formula?" Mao Mengji's eyes flashed! Although he didn't understand the secret, his intuition told him that this thing was extremely important!

"Keep it! Present it to His Highness immediately!"

......

The remaining fire has been extinguished in the ruins of the camp and the injured have been treated.

Lin Zhen's armor was bloodstained, his cape scorched, yet he remained as upright as a pine tree. Cheng Xuan was bandaging a deep wound on his arm, her movements gentle, tears in her eyes.

Chu Xiling held the burnt sheepskin sketch in her hands, quickly sketching and adding to it with charcoal, her cold face filled with concentration and eagerness.

"Your Highness!" Mao Mengji rushed over, knelt on one knee, and presented the leather bag. "A Burning Sky Thunder Workshop was discovered inside the stone gate! The black-robed elder died after exploding while testing a drug! This thing... is suspected to be the formula!"

Lin Zhen's eyes fixed and he took the bag.

Chu Xiling raised her head instantly, a startling light flashing in her eyes: "Recipe?!"

She almost snatched the parchment and unfolded it quickly.

His cold eyes were like the most sophisticated instruments, rapidly scanning the distorted symbols, complex proportions and flow charts.

Sometimes she frowned in deep thought, and sometimes she suddenly realized something, muttering to herself:

"The sulfur and saltpeter ratio is surprisingly high, far exceeding that of black powder. It requires repeated crystallization and purification using acid washing to remove impurities. The charcoal, not ordinary charcoal powder, requires a specific wood, smoldering, ground to an extremely fine powder, and mixed. It must be kept in a cool and humid environment to prevent static sparks, and the container must be absolutely sealed... The heating temperature gradient must be precisely controlled, and condensation recovery... This... is this separating some kind of... volatile acid?"

"And this black, viscous substance... marked as underground fire... purified coal tar? White crystals, bitter almond smell, yes! Saltpeter heated with some cyanide-containing mineral... to produce highly toxic cyanide? ... No... that's not right... The process indicates the final product is a colorless, oily liquid that explodes upon impact or high temperature."

Chu Xiling's voice quickened, filled with disbelief and a hint of fear. "Your Highness! This... the core of this formula is an extremely sensitive, terrifyingly powerful oil-like explosive! Its preparation involves high-purity raw materials, precise temperature control, and dangerous separations. Every step is like walking on the edge of a knife! The slightest mistake could lead to shattering to pieces! That elder is a lesson for us!"

"How is it more powerful than black powder?" Lin Zhen said in a low voice.

"Ten times, even a hundred times!" Chu Xiling's voice trembled. "If it were produced on a large scale... it would be enough to blow down city walls and tear apart mountains!"

Is it a bomb?

Lin Zhen's eyes turned cold instantly.

Impossible, I can't even make a bomb, how could Gu Beichen do it?

"Report!" A Jinwu Guard scout stumbled over, his face pale. "Your Highness! A large number of Southern Chu troops have been spotted outside the valley, flying Gu Beichen's banner. They're digging trenches and setting up catapults!"

"What?!" Everyone's face changed!

Gu Beichen left and came back?

"What does he want to do? Forceful attack?" Mao Mengji's eyes flashed with ferocity.

"No..." Chu Xiling looked suddenly towards the stone gate, then at the formula in her hand. The blood drained from her cold face. "He's not going to storm here. He wants to destroy this place, destroy all the evidence, and bury us along with it!"

It seemed to confirm her words!

"Boom——!"

A dull thud came from the direction of the stone gate!

The entire mountain trembled!

The gravel fell down!

"What's going on?" Lin Zhen shouted.

"Report!" A fierce soldier covered in smoke and dust rushed out of the corridor, his voice hoarse, "The workshop inside the stone gate exploded. It wasn't the furnace, but a buried mechanism. The elder's body was bait. There's a mechanism underneath him. If we use the formula... it will be triggered!"

"Boom——!"

Another even more violent explosion!

The ground shook violently!

The tunnel entrance is filled with smoke and dust!

Rubble collapses!

"Retreat quickly! The tunnel is about to collapse!" the fierce soldier roared.

"It's methane!" Chu Xiling cried out, "The wastewater pool in the workshop must have produced a lot of methane from the accumulated feces! Gu Beichen has already buried a fire mechanism. Once it's triggered and ignites the methane, there will be a chain reaction of explosions!"

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!”

The chain explosions were like a dragon turning over!

Landslides and landslides!

A huge air wave carrying flames, gravel and poisonous gases gushed out from the entrance of the tunnel!

Several Jinwu Guards near the corridor were swallowed up instantly!

The screams were drowned out by the roar!

"Protect His Highness! Retreat!" Mao Meng's eyes were bloodshot, and his skinny figure stood in front of Lin Zhen!

"Retreat! Everyone evacuate the valley!" Lin Zhen made a prompt decision!

The sound penetrates the roar of the explosion!

The camp was in chaos in an instant!

The soldiers supported the wounded, abandoned their baggage, and ran out of the valley!

Behind him, the sound of explosions continued!