Timely assistance

A peal of laughter, like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, instantly broke the somewhat solemn atmosphere, and also relaxed Qin Yi's tense heartstrings slightly. The laughter rippled through his heart, quickly calming down, and his gaze fell on the woman with a charming smile before him.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattices, casting dappled shadows on her delicate face, further accentuating her pure and refined temperament. Her eyes sparkled, as if stars were shining within them, radiating brilliance. Her vermillion lips parted slightly, her breath as fragrant as orchids, her voice crisp and melodious, like a oriole singing in the valley: "Brother Qin, the Xiongnu's two hundred thousand iron cavalry are approaching the city, what should we do?" Her tone carried a hint of worry, but there was no trace of panic. Instead, it was more like she was posing a thought-provoking question.

Duanmu Rong's beautiful eyes flowed, her clear gaze remaining fixed on Qin Yi, as if trying to see through the thoughts deep within his heart. She tilted her head slightly and continued, "Earlier, my master and I personally witnessed Brother Qin's devastating combat power... it was unbelievable." She paused, her tone carrying a hint of awe, "But I could also see that the source of such powerful force is not inexhaustible, and there will always be a time when it runs out. At that time, how will Brother Qin deal with the Xiongnu's iron cavalry that surges like a tide?"

Qin Yi inwardly admired the extraordinary woman before him. Her previous conversation had already amazed him, and now these few words precisely pointed out his biggest hidden worry. She not only saw the strength of his power, but also the crisis hidden behind this power.

However, Qin Yi also knew that since entering this world, every improvement in his strength had been accompanied by system mission rewards. As for when the next new mission would appear? How difficult would the mission be? And most importantly, could the divine gift bag open the most urgently needed supplies before the war—a powerful weapon that could turn the tide and reverse the situation—all of this was still unknown, like a sharp sword hanging above his head, which could fall at any time.

His brows were tightly locked, his thoughts in a mess, and various possibilities flashed through his mind, but he still couldn't find a perfect solution. He took a deep breath, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Duanmu Rong, his tone sincere: "Miss has eyes like torches, and hit the nail on the head. Qin is shallow in knowledge and experience, and I beg Miss for your advice and guidance."

Duanmu Rong heard this and let out a laugh. She was amused by Qin Yi's sudden, formal, and respectful bow. The worried look on her face also dissipated, replaced by a playful smile. She quickly composed herself, stood up, and said, "Brother Qin, you are flattering me! How can Rong'er, with my limited abilities, dare to accept such a great gift from you? I am truly ashamed and dare not accept it."

After speaking, she also bowed in return, her lively eyes flashing with a cunning light, like two bright stars, mischievously blinking in the night sky.

"Brother Qin, there is no need to be so polite. Rong'er is just doing her best." She paused, her tone becoming serious, and her gaze becoming deep. "The weapon-making techniques of the Gongshu clan are in no way inferior to the exquisite skills of the Mo family, and may even be better in some aspects. At this moment, the people of the Gongshu clan should be somewhere in the Qin residence, right?" She said in a certain and confident tone.

"On that day, in the council hall, Rong'er was in a state of shock and lingering fear, staring blankly at the dimly lit corners, unable to distinguish the voices of Brother Qin and the generals discussing. And my gaze happened to fall on an old man in the corner. Judging from his dark and shiny skin, calloused hands, energetic spirit, and strong arms, I boldly guessed that he was very likely an experienced craftsman." Duanmu Rong analyzed slowly, her tone calm and confident, as if everything was under her control.

Qin Yi's lips curled into a meaningful arc, and he asked with a hint of jest, "Oh? Miss Duanmu is so sure? Isn't it possible that he is a martial arts expert who is hiding his skills? You know, experts often like to disguise themselves as ordinary people to hide their true abilities."

Duanmu Rong heard this and smiled slightly, confidently replying: "Absolutely not. Because he was always playing with a small piece of wood, which, although it was a useless scrap, took him a lot of thought to carve a small lion holding a hydrangea ball in its mouth. The hydrangea ball can move freely, but cleverly will not fall out of the lion's mouth. Such exquisite craftsmanship is by no means easily achieved by a martial arts practitioner."

The girl changed her tone, her originally relaxed tone becoming serious, and her gaze also became solemn: "With the war imminent, the number of the Xiongnu is a hundred or even a thousand times ours. Fancheng is just an insignificant border town in the northwest of the Qin state. The main force of the Qin army still has to be used in more important battlefields to contain the other six states, and it is impossible to deploy heavy troops here. Even if there are reinforcements, they will only be a drop in the bucket and will not have a significant impact. Rong'er dares to guess that Xianyang may strategically and temporarily abandon us."

Qin Yi had been carefully listening to Duanmu Rong's insightful remarks word by word, and the longer he listened, the more surprised he felt. Duanmu Rong's analysis was incisive and her judgment of the situation was very accurate, which made him have to look at her with new eyes.

For a moment, he even had the illusion that the girl in front of him was "a person from another world" like him, possessing wisdom and insight beyond ordinary people.

"Therefore, what Brother Qin wants most now is to bet on something that can determine the fate of the battlefield, and that is..." Duanmu Rong said here and looked up at Qin Yi.

The two of them said in unison: "A powerful weapon!" After a brief silence, the two looked at each other and smiled, and everything was unspoken.

Qin Yi only felt a warm current surge into his heart. This feeling of being understood was wonderful. He no longer concealed his thoughts, but said frankly: "Miss Duanmu, what you just said is very pertinent and hits the nail on the head. To be honest, I do have this intention. Now that we are outnumbered, if we want to win with our weak forces, we can only rely on unexpected weapons."

Duanmu Rong nodded, expressing her agreement: "The mechanical skills of the Gongshu clan are world-renowned, and their exquisite level is in no way inferior to the Mo family, and may even be better in some aspects. If we can get their help and develop a powerful weapon, we will surely be able to reverse the situation and turn the tide." Her eyes sparkled with confidence, as if she had already seen the light of victory.

Qin Yi heard this and laughed heartily, feeling extremely refreshed, and the worries he had before also dissipated for the most part.

Duanmu Rong continued: "To make this unique and powerful weapon, excellent materials and sufficient funds are indispensable. Please wait patiently for three days, Brother Qin. If everything goes well with my master, she will meet with me here within three days, and then the financial aspect should not be a problem. However, the specific materials for making the powerful weapon are difficult for non-professional craftsmen to explain clearly. Rong'er doesn't know much about this, and Brother Qin still needs to personally ask the people of the Gongshu clan to learn more about and meet their material needs."

Qin Yi heard this, got up and bowed deeply to Duanmu Rong again, his tone full of gratitude: "Miss has considered this for me so thoroughly, I am extremely grateful."

Duanmu Rong saw this and quickly got up, slightly sidestepping to avoid Qin Yi's bow, and said with a smile: "Brother Qin, are you trying to shorten my life again?" Hearing Duanmu Rong's words, the two couldn't help but laugh heartily.