After Qin Fang left home, he realized he hadn’t had dinner yet.

He had only drunk a bowl of shredded meat soup, and his stomach wasn’t full. So, he went to the baozi shop.

Although it was late, there were still baozi shops open because they hadn’t sold out yet.

As a result, Qin Fang bought all the baozi available, which totaled thirty-five, costing him seventy wen.

However, General Qin now had plenty of personal savings.

As a Centurion, he had a monthly allowance of one hundred wen.

As Captain a thousand-man commander, his monthly allowance increased to one or two taels of silver.

Now that he was a General, he received a monthly allowance of ten taels of silver, so he didn’t care at all about the seventy wen he spent.

Back then, when Yang Haiyan bought him meat, he felt distressed about spending money.

Speaking of which, having a hundred wen as pocket money back then made him happy, but now with ten taels, he couldn’t appreciate that joy.

Qin Fang quickly ate six baozi, leaving twenty-nine.

In Yunxiang County, due to the barren land, the baozi were quite large. If the baozi weren’t big, fewer people would buy them.

Next, Qin Fang arrived at the eastern suburb military camp.

In the camp, apart from the soldiers on guard and those in the kitchen, the others had gone searching the mountains.

Qin Fang went to the kitchen and instructed the logistics soldiers to prepare meals in advance to prevent the soldiers returning from the mountains from going hungry.

Especially the hundred soldiers who had set off with him that morning were particularly hungry by this time.

After instructing the kitchen logistics, Qin Fang headed directly to Shoushan.

Shoushan was large and steep; just climbing it took a considerable amount of time.

In the morning, Qin Fang, along with the soldiers, had already spent over an hour climbing.

Now, being alone, he quickened his pace and reached the temple outside in less than an hour.

“The general is here.”

“The general…”

“General, the tiger hasn’t woken up yet.”

Captain Lu asked, “Why has the general come?”

Qin Fang handed the baozi to Lieutenant Lu: “Distribute these to the soldiers present; the quantity is limited.”

Lieutenant Lü replied, “Understood.”

The twenty-nine baozi were still enough to distribute since there weren’t as many people present as baozi.

Thinking about the mountain search, Qin Fang asked, “Is there any news about sulfur and saltpeter?”

Captain Lu replied, “Not yet. Old Yang is searching outward from the temple as a center. According to our combined speculation with yours, if the other party established the temple here for sulfur and saltpeter, then the location of the sulfur and saltpeter should not be far from here.”

“The sulfur might be some distance away, but the saltpeter shouldn’t be far,” Dr. Li came out from the temple.

Qin Fang asked, “Dr. Li, haven’t you rested yet?”

Dr. Li replied, “Not yet.”

Captain Lu handed the baozi to Dr. Li.

Dr. Li didn’t hold back, taking a bite of the baozi, and continued, “If sulfur is inhaled in excess, it produces toxins, so sulfur wouldn’t be nearby. Of course, that’s if the people who built the temple care about others’ safety; otherwise, it’s a different story.”

Qin Fang chuckled, “Even if they don’t care about others’ safety, they would care about the safety of the Taoists. If something happens to a Taoist, who would make longevity pills for them? Haven’t you noticed this is a Longevity Temple?”

Dr. Li couldn’t help but laugh, “The general makes a valid point.”

The tiger hadn’t woken up yet, and the man in chains had already fallen into a deep sleep after taking his medicine.

Originally an unremarkable Longevity Temple was now brightly lit, proving that having such a temple on the mountain offered a unique atmosphere.

While Qin Fang and the others awaited news about sulfur and saltpeter, Yang Haiyan was also waiting for this news, but she was specifically waiting for saltpeter.

Why was Yang Haiyan waiting for saltpeter?

Because saltpeter could be used to make ice.

In summer, having ice in the house could lower the temperature in the scorching heat.

You must know that there were no fans or air conditioning in ancient times; summers were genuinely hot.

Yang Haiyan had saltpeter on her platform, but this world’s saltpeter hadn’t appeared yet.

Regarding making ice from saltpeter, she couldn’t think of a good reason, so she hadn’t used it.

However, now that saltpeter was available, she had a plan.

Yang Haiyan remembered that when she was reading novels, she had seen a time-traveling female protagonist using saltpeter to make ice in ancient times.

At that time, she was curious and searched online for the process of making ice with saltpeter; it turned out to be very simple.

Making ice with saltpeter was not only simple, but she also found some information about saltpeter.

During the late Tang Dynasty, a soldier washed his hands after producing gunpowder, and at that time, he still had saltpeter in his hands.

As a result, when he washed his hands, the saltpeter fell into the water, and he was surprised to find that the saltpeter could absorb heat, lowering the temperature of the water.

Thus, the method of making ice with saltpeter originated from there.

Of course, Yang Haiyan didn’t know whether the events were true; she had only seen the information online.

However, she could leverage this situation. Now that both sulfur and saltpeter were available, she could use the excuse of making fireworks to ask Qin Fang for some sulfur and saltpeter, and then during the process of making fireworks, she could wash her hands… thus, the idea of making ice with saltpeter would also come into play.

If the sulfur and saltpeter mines were found, Qin Fang would definitely report them to the court, as gunpowder was a serious matter.

However, if making ice with saltpeter were discovered, then the price of ice would drop, and maybe ordinary people could afford ice too.

Just don’t know how the court will reward Qin Fang if the sulfur and saltpeter mines are discovered and reported.

If the ice-making with saltpeter is reported, how will the court reward Qin Fang then?

Beast Mountain

By the middle of the night, the news of the saltpeter mine finally arrived.

Centered around the Taoist temple, a thousand soldiers were dispatched to search for sulfur and saltpeter mines, which indeed was not difficult.

The fact that a Taoist temple could be established here indicated that the sulfur and saltpeter mines must be significant.

Shortly after discovering the saltpeter mine, news of the sulfur mine also came.

Qin Fang was overjoyed.

“Commander, how should we handle this sulfur and ore?” asked Yang Xiaowei.

Handle it?

Qin Fang thought for a moment, recalling what Yang Haiyan had said.

If they could make firecrackers into large explosives, then who would dare to challenge the Kingdom of Qi?

As a citizen of Qi, he naturally wished for its strength. “I will report this to the court; you will send someone to guard the sulfur and saltpeter mines.”

“Understood,” Yang Xiaowei replied.

“Let’s go; take me to have a look,” Qin Fang said.

Thus, Yang Xiaowei led Qin Fang to the saltpeter mine first.

Upon seeing the mine filled with white crystals, Qin Fang was astonished; his mouth was agape enough to fit an egg.

Yang Xiaowei said, “The soldiers were also taken aback when they found it; this mine is indeed vast.”

Qin Fang’s thoughts were on the immense amount of saltpeter; if the sulfur mine was equally large, how many large firecrackers could they produce? “Is there as much sulfur there?”

Yang Xiaowei replied, “Not as large as the saltpeter mine, but it is also a big mine.”

Next, they went to see the sulfur mine.

As Yang Xiaowei had said, although the sulfur mine wasn’t as big as the saltpeter mine, it was indeed substantial.

Back at the Taoist temple, Doctor Li approached Qin Fang: “Commander, can we take some of the sulfur and saltpeter back to the general’s residence?”

Qin Fang replied, “Sure, you can take all of this from the temple, but don’t touch anything from the mines.”

Just from the temple, there were several baskets full, and many rooms were filled; this would be enough for Doctor Li to use for several years, so he was very pleased. “Thank you, Commander.”

Qin Fang said, “Except for those who will stay behind, everyone else can go back. Remember to bring meals for the soldiers who stay here.”

“Yes,” came the response.

Doctor Li added, “I won’t go; climbing up and down this mountain is too exhausting for me.”

Qin Fang thought about it; since Doctor Li had to care for the chained people here, climbing up and down the mountain would indeed be tiring.

He nodded, “Then you stay here for now.”

Doctor Li said, “Thank you, Commander. Please let my daughter know to pack some things for me and send someone to bring them.”

Qin Fang replied, “Alright, I’ll have Tao Shan take care of it.”

When Qin Fang returned to the general’s residence, it was already in the early hours of the morning, and with several baskets of sulfur and saltpeter, there was quite a commotion.

Yang Haiyan groggily got out of bed, not properly dressed, just draping a cloak over herself, and walked to the door.

Seeing Granny Lian come in from outside, she asked, “Granny, what time is it?”

Granny Lian replied, “It’s early morning.”

Yang Haiyan thought for a moment; that would be around two o’clock, right?

“What’s going on outside?”

Granny Lian said, “The general has returned and brought back several baskets of sulfur and saltpeter; they’re being sent to Doctor Li’s courtyard.”

Upon hearing sulfur and saltpeter, Yang Haiyan hurriedly said, “Quickly, bring a few baskets over here.”

Granny Lian was taken aback: “Oh dear, Madam, I’ve heard that sulfur is toxic. What do you want to do with it? Be careful not to get poisoned.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Don’t worry, Granny. I just want to make some firecrackers to liven up the residence for the New Year and festivals.”

Granny Lian thought that her mistress must have been bored to come up with such an idea; she could just buy firecrackers directly.

Even if they weren’t plentiful, she could still buy a few to play with. “How about I go buy you a few firecrackers tomorrow?”

Yang Haiyan said, “Buying them isn’t as interesting! They have to be made by ourselves.”

Wait a minute… Granny Lian realized she had overlooked something: “Are the sulfur and saltpeter meant for making firecrackers? But aren’t these medicines?”

Even if some people in the countryside made and sold firecrackers, they wouldn’t share the recipe, so very few knew that sulfur and saltpeter were among the materials for making firecrackers.

In the eyes of those slightly knowledgeable in medicine, sulfur and saltpeter were indeed medicines.

Granny Lian didn’t dare claim to know medicine, but having been in the inner residence for a long time, she recognized some medicines, like sulfur and saltpeter.

Yang Haiyan said, “I read about it in a book; isn’t it still unknown? Once we have sulfur and saltpeter, we can invite a master to come and make them, and we’ll know.”

Even if they had sulfur and saltpeter, she wouldn’t know how to make firecrackers.

Granny Lian didn’t think too much of it: “Should I call someone to bring the sulfur and saltpeter over here?”

Yang Haiyan said, “Alright.”

She didn’t want sulfur alone, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to take only one kind, so she decided to take both.

Just as Granny Lian went out, she ran into Qin Fang: “I’ve met the general. General, the Madam wants sulfur and saltpeter to make firecrackers and would like to take some from here to her courtyard.”