All dinner parties are the same - what you eat is not the point; what you talk about and who you talk to is the point.
The meal lasted for more than two hours. The food on the table was changed several times. Lu Peien, Manager Yao, and the beautiful female disciple of Lingshan Sect all became guests at the dinner. During the entire dinner, Yan Liqiang and Zhang Yourong were the only ones chatting.
Yan Liqiang finally did not tell Zhang Yourong about his idea and inspiration for the steam engine. After all, to Yan Liqiang, who had lived two lives, he was not a naive 15-year-old boy who could be full of life as long as others gave him a little sunshine. Yan Liqiang believed that with the master of machinery's attainments in mechanics and manufacturing, as long as he revealed a little about his idea for the steam engine, Zhang Yourong would definitely figure out the key points and make the steam engine quickly.
Yan Liqiang knew better than anyone what the role of the steam engine was and what changes it could bring. This was a card in his hand. Given his relationship with Lingshan Sect and Zhang Yourong, it was not enough for him to give this card to Lingshan Sect and Zhang Yourong with just a few words. This was not in line with the principle of maximizing interests. More importantly, although Zhang Yourong was a world-famous master of mechanisms, the title of master of mechanisms referred to his ability, not his character. Yan Liqiang had no idea what kind of person he was and what his character and mentality were like. In his previous life, Yan Liqiang had seen many experts and professors who seemed righteous on the surface but were shameless and vulgar behind the scenes. Naturally, he would not make the mistake that only children would make - equating a person's career achievements and rumored reputation with his character and morality.
When chatting with this master of mechanisms, Yan Liqiang was polite and reserved at the same time. But even so, Yan Liqiang made the head of the Qianji Hall of Lingshan Sect finally understand for the first time in his life what a soulmate was and what it meant to drink with a bosom friend. Whenever Zhang Yourong said something, Yan Liqiang knew what he meant and could discuss with him. They hit it off and could chat together in an instant, which made this master of mechanisms of Lingshan Sect happier and happier.
The people who were listening nearby all looked at Yan Liqiang with surprise and admiration, and they didn't even try to hide it. Especially Lu Peien, who watched Yan Liqiang talking to the world-famous master of mechanical devices at the dinner table without any stage fright. Even when Yan Liqiang was talking, he could make Zhang Yourong listen attentively. His understanding of Yan Liqiang was refreshed again...
Yan Liqiang and Zhang Yourong discussed sails, metal springs, the refraction and reflection of light, the density of matter, the principle of sound generation, the transformation of water from liquid to solid and gaseous, and finally the measurement...
"I think that if the way of investigating things through mechanisms is to be further developed throughout the Han Empire, the unification and reform of the weights and measures of the Han Empire is imperative. This should be the foundation. The current many measurement standards have already had a huge impact on the development of the way of investigating things through mechanisms. For example, the size of the volume. We have shi, hu, dou, sheng, dou, he, and yue as measurements. The smallest volume is yue. Two yue make one he, ten yue make one sheng, four sheng make one dou, ten sheng make one dou, five dou make one hu, and ten dou make one shi. These measurements have not shown any shortcomings in daily life and are barely sufficient, but in the process of investigating things through mechanisms, In the Dao of Inquiry, it seems extremely crude and unusable. For example, the volume of the glass of wine in my hand is difficult to measure and describe accurately. If you ask ten craftsmen to measure it, ten people may have ten different answers. It should be noted that the Dao of Inquiry is just like practicing internal strength. It is often a matter of a millimeter to make a mistake. If the Dao of Inquiry is to develop greatly, its premise is that everything in the world, from mountains to dust, can be measured and described in terms of weight, length, width, and volume. If you ask ten thousand craftsmen to come, everyone can get the same result using a unified standard, and can tell right from wrong at a glance, instead of each saying their own number…”
"Right, right, that's the truth!" Zhang Yourong slapped his thigh excitedly when he heard Yan Liqiang say that. "The first rule I set up in the Qianji Hall of Lingshan Sect is to strictly use public instruments and unify all the measurements in the Qianji Hall. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the craftsmen in the hall to make great progress. The weights and measures used by the Han Empire are indeed too crude. In addition to volume, there are also measurements of time, temperature, and angles, which are all too crude..."
"Indeed, for example, if the measurement of time and temperature can be more precise, just like the smelting and quenching of weapons in my blacksmith's workshop, it would take at least a few years for ordinary craftsmen to learn this, relying entirely on experience and control, and looking at the temperature. If there is an accurate measurement description, how long a tool embryo is placed in the furnace at a certain temperature, and how long it is placed in the quenching liquid at a certain temperature to complete the quenching process, then even an apprentice will only need a few days to master this process. At the same time, many of the precious experience and skills accumulated by the predecessors, as long as there are accurate measurement descriptions, can be preserved in the form of text, so that thousands of people can learn it at a glance, and it will not be lost or need to be taught step by step. By then, the mechanism of the Han Empire will surely have an unprecedented situation..."
The master of mechanisms of Lingshan Sect nodded continuously as he listened. Just as Zhang Yourong was about to say something, someone knocked on the door of the room.
"What's the matter?" Lu Pein asked in the room.
"Sixth Master, the waiter from the restaurant has come several times and said that the restaurant closed 25 minutes ago..."
Lu Peien glanced at Manager Yao, who in turn looked at Zhang Yourong, "Master Zhang, look..."
"Then let's stop here today. It was really nice to chat with Brother Liqiang today!" Zhang Yourong looked at Yan Liqiang with a face full of desire, but still stood up.
"Haha, I have benefited a lot from the master's guidance..."
"Brother Li Qiang, there is no need to be modest. If you are passionate about the art of studying mechanisms, the title of the greatest master of mechanisms in the Han Empire will definitely be yours in the future. If you don't mind that I am a few years older than you, you can just call me Brother Rong from now on. No need to be so polite!"
"Okay then, I'll call you Brother Rong from now on!" Yan Liqiang took the opportunity without any pretense and directly called Zhang Yourong Brother.
Zhang Yourong pondered for a moment, then took out a pure gold waist badge from his bag, handed it to Yan Liqiang, and said simply, "This is the guest waist badge of our Lingshan Sect's Qianji Hall. Take it, brother Liqiang. With your knowledge, you are more than qualified to be a guest of our Qianji Hall. This guest status does not have any restrictions or requirements for you, but if you have any trouble in the future, you can show this waist badge. Our Lingshan Sect's guest waist badge still has some weight in the martial arts world and in the Imperial Capital. When friends from all over the world see it, even officials will give you some face!"
Yan Liqiang glanced at the hesitant expressions on Manager Yao and the pretty female disciple of Lingshan Sect, and knew that the badge of Lingshan Sect's guest status was of great importance and might have more than just that function. He laughed and took the pure gold badge, "Thank you very much, Brother Rong!"
…
The group came out of Tianwaitian. There were few pedestrians on the street outside. Although the rain had stopped completely, the sky was still gloomy and there was no light at all. Zhang Yourong still had to stay in Dijing City for a while. During this time, he lived in the Dijing Branch of Lingshan Sect. After inviting Yan Liqiang to visit the Dijing Branch of Lingshan Sect when he had time, the group got on two carriages at the gate of Tianwaitian, and then the carriages separated in different directions.
Under the illumination of two carriage lights, the wheels of the carriage moved slowly on the wet streets of the Imperial Capital, occasionally running over patches of shallow water on the ground. The crisp sound of horse hooves echoed in the sparsely populated streets. Inside the carriage, Yan Liqiang took out the identity badge of the Lingshan Sect's guest official and played with it in his hand.
The waist badge is made of gold and is very exquisite. The words "Lingshan Keqing" on it are very eye-catching.
"Li Qiang, do you know that the Lingshan Sect's guest badge is a very special thing!" Lu Pei'en, who was sitting in the carriage, stared at the badge, not hiding the envy in his eyes.
"Brother Lu, do you know? Tell me now!"
"I have also heard from the old man that as long as you carry this badge, you are protected by the Lingshan Sect. Ordinary people will never dare to provoke you. Besides that, Li Qiang, do you know what the biggest benefit of having this guest badge is?"
"What is it?"
"In the future, if you have blood relatives, you can be sent directly to the main mountain gate of Lingshan Sect to become a disciple of Lingshan Sect and practice Lingshan Sect's superior skills!" At this point, Lu Peien smiled bitterly, "This is something that the old man has been trying to achieve for so many years, but it has always been elusive. I didn't expect that you, Li Qiang, did it just by eating a meal. This Imperial Capital City is really a place where the wind and clouds gather. Li Qiang, you are like a fish in water and a dragon in the clouds when you come here. I find that Li Qiang, you are becoming more and more difficult to see through..."
"If Brother Lu likes this badge, I will give it to Brother Lu!" Yan Liqiang said as he handed the badge over, seemingly unconcerned.
Lu Pei'en was amused by Yan Liqiang, "Do you think this badge will be useful to me? This is something given to you by the first master of mechanism of Lingshan Sect. Lingshan Sect will definitely keep a record of it. If someone else uses it to cheat, they will be courting death..."
Yan Liqiang smiled and took back the badge. "By the way, Brother Lu, please have the carriage stop in front and let me off. I will leave the city by myself!"
"I'm afraid the city gates are about to be closed now?"
"There should still be some time before the city gates close, Brother Lu, you can just go back by yourself!"
"How about I take you there? If the city gates are closed, you can stay at Ganzhou Guild Hall tonight and return to Luyuan tomorrow morning. It won't be too late!"
"I've been in the room for so long, I feel a little stuffy. I'm going to go downstairs to get some fresh air. If the city gate is closed and I can't go back, I'll come to Ganzhou Guild Hall to find you, Brother Lu!"
After hearing what Yan Liqiang said, Lu Pein no longer insisted. He stopped the carriage at an intersection ahead and let Yan Liqiang off. Then the two sides separated at this intersection.
After getting off the carriage, Yan Liqiang took a deep breath of the cold air. He didn't need to look back to know that the person was still following him. When the person saw him getting off the carriage, he stopped and hid behind the sign of a closed lantern shop on the street 50 meters away...
I've been watching it all night, it's really professional...
Yan Liqiang smiled coldly, then took a big step forward. The figure following him also quietly followed Yan Liqiang...
After following for less than ten minutes, Yan Liqiang disappeared from the sight of the man behind him as soon as he turned a corner. The man behind him hurriedly followed, but when he looked over, he saw that the street was empty, with only a few pedestrians and vehicles vaguely seen in the distance, but Yan Liqiang's figure had suddenly disappeared.
The man panicked and rushed forward, but after looking left and right, front and back, he couldn't find Yan Liqiang.
"Damn, have we been discovered? That guy is so cunning..." the man muttered to himself, then spat on the ground.
"Are you looking for me?" A calm voice suddenly appeared behind the man. The man was startled and slowly turned his head. The person standing behind him was none other than Yan Liqiang.
In the darkness, Yan Liqiang only had a pair of eyes shining. There was an inexplicable and chilling aura about him. The man wanted to scream, but before he could react, Yan Liqiang's hand had already landed on his neck. With just a light pinch, his whole body went numb and he instantly lost all ability to move. He couldn't even scream...
Yan Liqiang grabbed the man's neck like a predator and dragged him into a dark alley nearby...
In the blink of an eye, a few barely audible groans and screams of pain were heard from the dark alley, but everything returned to silence after a moment.
A few minutes later, Guo Shan Feng, who was tidying up his clothes, slowly walked out of the dark alley. He looked around, a cold smile appeared on his face, and then he disappeared into the darkness...
(End of this chapter)