Chapter 157: The Woman in Black

Xu Mo's solution was to use stone as a container instead.

He planned to hollow out stones to make shell casings for explosives, fill them with black powder, and then insert a fuse and seal the opening to complete the device.

Stones were everywhere, making the materials extremely accessible with a cost of virtually zero.

Furthermore, the lethality generated by the flying rock fragments when a stone bomb detonated would surpass that of ceramic shards.

Most importantly, stone bombs were not easily shattered upon impact when thrown, and the stone casing itself retained its own destructive potential.

For instance, in a head-on confrontation with an enemy, igniting a stone bomb and hurling it into a dense crowd might injure one or two individuals even before it actually detonated. In short, it was bound to be much more practical than jar bombs.

With this thought, Xu Mo felt a surge of energy and immediately dashed into the house to find Chen Maoyi.

Chen Maoyi, resting in the bedroom, saw Xu Mo burst in excitedly and instantly misinterpreted his intentions, assuming he had come to seek intimacy.

"Husband, don't be so impatient! Isn't it still daylight..."

The mere thought of those shy and intimate postures made Chen Maoyi unable to lift her head.

Seeing her misunderstanding, Xu Mo burst into laughter, leaving Chen Maoyi utterly bewildered.

"Maoyi, that's not what I'm here for. Just now, I thought of a way to improve the jar bombs, and I wanted to ask you something," Xu Mo said with a smile.

Realizing her own imagination had led her astray, Chen Maoyi awkwardly covered her face with both hands and shyly stamped her foot, looking utterly adorable.

Xu Mo stepped forward, gently pulled down Chen Maoyi's hands, and asked seriously, "Maoyi, let's talk business... Do we have any stonemasons in our village?"

"Husband, why are you looking for a stonemason?" Chen Maoyi asked.

Xu Mo then explained his idea of hollowing out stones to create bomb casings.

Chen Maoyi replied, "Husband, I heard people in the village say before that our Gushan Village doesn't have a dedicated stonemason. We have to go to neighboring Yangjia Village to find one."

Xu Mo had been to Yangjia Village before; it was the village where he had gone to sign the land deeds with village head Yang Jinbao.

Xu Mo nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll go ask the village head."

With that, Xu Mo turned around to consult the village head.

After inquiring in detail, early the next morning, Xu Mo and Qin Mutou drove a mule cart and headed toward Yangjia Village.

By then, the area near the village entrance had been cleared, but a faint scent of blood still lingered in the air.

Along the way, they spotted a few refugees who posed no threat. Most of them wore listless, dejected expressions, clearly having suffered from prolonged starvation.

They arrived at Yangjia Village without any trouble.

Upon entering the village, following the village head's directions, Xu Mo headed to the eastern end of the village to find a stonemason named Kuang.

According to the village head, Stonemason Kuang was the most skilled craftsman in Yangjia Village, and his prices were fair, making him everyone's preferred choice for work.

Kuang's residence was easy to locate, and the two men found it without much effort.

Unfortunately, Stonemason Kuang had already gone out early in the morning. His family members explained that he had gone into the mountains to quarry stone and would likely not return until midday.

Xu Mo politely expressed his gratitude and left with Qin Mutou.

Xu Mo's plan was to spend the time wandering around the village to check if there were any other stonemasons, and then return to Kuang's house later.

First, they parked the mule cart at an inn near Kuang's house, paid a small fee for the mule's fodder, and asked the waiter about other stonemasons in the village.

The waiter informed Xu Mo that besides Stonemason Kuang, there were two other stonemasons in Yangjia Village. One was surnamed Wang, but he was advanced in age and had long stopped taking on work.

The other was surnamed Bao, who lived at the northern end of the village. Although his craftsmanship could not rival Kuang's, it was still quite decent.

After thanking the waiter, Xu Mo led Qin Mutou toward the northern end of the village to find Stonemason Bao.

Upon finding Stonemason Bao, Xu Mo immediately stated his purpose, but Bao responded with a helpless smile and shook his head, declining the request.

His reason was that he was simply too busy, with an overwhelming backlog of work. Even if Xu Mo were willing to wait, he wouldn't be able to start for two months.

Xu Mo could not afford to wait that long; his only option was to wait for Stonemason Kuang to return and ask him. If Kuang was also unavailable, they would have to search elsewhere.

Returning to the inn, Xu Mo exchanged a few words with the waiter before taking a seat at an empty table beneath the outer eaves of the inn. He ordered a pot of tea and two pastries, and the two men began to wait while sipping tea.

The waiter had told Xu Mo that Stonemason Kuang always passed right in front of the inn on his way back from quarrying stone in the mountains every day, making it the ideal spot to wait.

Time ticked away bit by bit...

As noon approached, the tea was gone, and the pastries were finished, but Stonemason Kuang still showed no sign of returning.

Xu Mo glanced across the table and saw that Qin Mutou had already slumped over and fallen soundly asleep.

Xu Mo chose not to wake him, letting him sleep on, while he himself gazed down the distant village road, hoping Stonemason Kuang would return soon.

Just at that moment, a figure clad in tight black martial attire appeared at the far end of the village road.

The woman carried a deep blue cloth bundle on her back and held a treasured sword in her hand. Her graceful and rhythmic stride instantly compelled Xu Mo to steal a second glance.

Because of the distance, Xu Mo could not yet make out her features, but he had already concluded in his mind that her looks must be exceptional.

As he watched the woman in black, Xu Mo thought to himself: After transmigrating here for so long, this is the first time I've ever laid eyes on someone dressed like a wandering martial heroine.

Before long, the woman in black drew closer along the village path.

By then, Xu Mo was able to clearly see her appearance.

She possessed a pretty face and delicate facial features, with her slightly upturned eyebrows accentuating her youthful and proud demeanor.

As the distance between them narrowed, the woman in black caught Xu Mo's gaze.

However, Xu Mo was quite vigilant; the moment before she looked toward him, he quickly averted his eyes.

The woman's gaze swept past Xu Mo without lingering and immediately shifted toward the interior of the inn.

Shortly after, she stepped into the inn and seated herself at an empty table.

"Innkeeper, do you serve stir-fried dishes here?"

Xu Mo quickly heard the voice of the woman in black from inside.

The waiter hurried over to attend to her, saying, "Yes, absolutely! Esteemed guest, we have stir-fried chives with eggs, stir-fried chicken with bamboo shoots, stir-fried chicken with mushrooms and wood ear fungus..."

Before the waiter could finish, the woman interrupted, "Stir-fried chicken with mushrooms and wood ear fungus, a bowl of rice, and a pot of tea. Make it quick."

"Right away, guest, please hold on a moment!" The waiter acknowledged the order and hurried off.

Hearing that the woman had ordered the exact same dish of stir-fried chicken with mushrooms and wood ear fungus, Xu Mo thought it a remarkable coincidence that they shared the same culinary preferences. Unable to resist, he turned his head and peered into the inn through the window.

As ill luck would have it, the moment Xu Mo looked in, his line of sight collided directly with the woman's gaze.

It was precisely like someone caught red-handed while peeping at a beauty, plunging Xu Mo into profound embarrassment.

The woman in black furrowed her delicate brows instantly, and her left hand swiftly pressed down upon the sword resting on the table.

Her expression seemed to say: Dare to look again and see what happens!

Xu Mo hastily turned his head back, not daring to gaze at her any longer.

He gave a slow, helpless shake of his head, thinking to himself: Wonderful, now she definitely takes me for a scoundrel...