Feng Jin was utterly speechless, rolling her eyes and saying irritably, "You tried it, and you directly blew up the house!"
Such a thing could be "tried"...
Did he lack common sense, or was he brainless?
"Do you know that if even the slightest mistake were made, it wouldn't just be blowing up a house; the entire Ling Manor could be pulverized into dust. You're lucky this time you weren't blown to death!"
Feng Jin was truly impressed to the extreme. Such a person absolutely could not be kept around. Otherwise, one day, she might be blown to death in her sleep.
"I merely had a momentary lapse. If I tried again..."
"Shut up. If you tried again, I might lose my life. Pack your things immediately and get back to your home!"
Feng Jin was truly at her wit's end and directly kicked him out.
"I refuse. You want me, this prince, to leave? Only if I'm dead!" Gu Beichen directly became stubborn, adopting a rogue's demeanor.
"Tell me, what is the purpose of your research into gunpowder?" Ling Mo Han interrupted their argument.
Gu Beichen immediately opened up and began to chatter incessantly, "I heard from merchants who came from Xiyue Kingdom that Xiyue Kingdom was previously at war with an overseas nation. The overseas nation used gunpowder, which was immensely powerful, forcing Xiyue Kingdom to flee in disarray. Now, the people of Xiyue Kingdom are researching this gunpowder."
"Xiyue borders Dongchu. If the people of Xiyue Kingdom develop gunpowder, then our Dongchu will be in grave danger."
Feng Jin looked at Gu Beichen with surprise. This fellow actually had some concern for his country and its people.
Ling Mo Han's expression darkened. The border between Xiyue and Dongchu had never been peaceful for years.
If Xiyue developed gunpowder, Dongchu would be the first to bear its brunt.
"Say something. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
Gu Beichen asked with a hint of urgency. He needed to hear Ling Mo Han's opinion first on how to proceed.
"Are you confident you can research gunpowder?"
"As you saw, it failed, and I almost lost my life."
His abilities were limited. He didn't even know how to research it, and with no one to guide him, he could only gain experience through repeated failures.
Feng Jin remained silent for a long time. After hesitating, she finally said, "I do have a way to research gunpowder."
As soon as she said this, Gu Beichen looked at Feng Jin with suspicion, his tone somewhat dismissive, "You? Can you do it?"
"If you could, why haven't you researched it? And you almost blew yourself up!"
"I... that was a momentary lapse!"
Feng Jin snorted, "Since you say you can research it, then you can only trust me."
"Can you truly research gunpowder?"
Although Ling Mo Han believed in Feng Jin's abilities, this was gunpowder, not an ordinary item. He couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Since I dare to say I can, then I naturally can research it. I'm not like some people who only talk big!"
Feng Jin hinted pointedly, almost calling him out by name.
"If you have the ability, then research it. Don't end up slapping yourself in the face!"
"If I do research it, what will you do?"
Gu Beichen's spirit instantly flared up. He absolutely could not lose face. With great fervor, he declared, "If you can truly research it, I will kowtow to you three times and take you as my master!"
"Alright, you said it. A gentleman's word is his bond!"
"It was I, this prince, who said it. My words carry weight!"
"Ling Mo Han, go get someone to prepare a master-apprenticeship banquet. I am about to take on a disciple!" Feng Jin was full of confidence. For a modern person like her, researching gunpowder was incredibly simple. She could even build rudimentary cannons and large artillery.
"Wait until you've actually researched it before talking big!"
Gu Beichen completely disbelieved that Feng Jin could research gunpowder. As far as he knew, Xiyue Kingdom had gathered the country's most skilled craftsmen and spent a month without making any progress.
"Then it's none of your concern. Just go back and prepare for the apprenticeship."
Feng Jin walked to the desk and wrote down the raw materials needed to make gunpowder with a brush. She handed the paper to Ling Mo Han.
"Follow what I've written and have someone gather the items."
Ling Mo Han took the paper and glanced at it, his brows furrowing deeply... This...
"What's wrong?"
Feng Jin leaned in curiously and asked.
"The way you write... it's truly... unique," Ling Mo Han said as tactfully as possible.
Gu Beichen leaned over curiously and looked at the paper. The characters were crooked and uneven, with strokes that were thick in some places and thin in others. It was impossible to tell what was written, and some characters were missing limbs.
"Haha... Feng Jin, this is your handwriting... It's not even as good as mine when I was first learning to write..."
Gu Beichen mocked without any reservation. Feng Jin's handwriting was truly dreadful; he couldn't even tell what most of it meant at first glance.
A hint of awkwardness flickered across Feng Jin's face. She had never used a brush to write before, and the original owner had lived in a rural estate since childhood. Such a poisonous woman as Sun Shi wouldn't want the original owner to become anything but useless.
How could she have someone teach the original owner to read and write? Thus, Feng Jin was very clumsy when holding the brush. If she hadn't studied ancient medical texts before, they probably wouldn't have recognized the characters she wrote.
"What are you laughing at? Haven't you ever seen someone who writes ugly?" Feng Jin shouted angrily, stopping Gu Beichen's laughter.
Moments later, Gu Beichen continued to laugh loudly, "I've certainly never seen anyone write this ugly!"
Ling Mo Han smiled faintly as he looked at the paper in his hand. He gently took Feng Jin's soft, boneless hand and said warmly, "I'll teach you to write, alright?"
Their eyes met, and a hint of ambiguous atmosphere filled the air.
Feng Jin's lips curved into a shy smile. She lowered her head and slowly agreed.
Unfortunately, someone with no tact chose that moment to shatter the mood.
"With her like this, even if you teach her, she won't learn. Just give up, listen to me!"
Gu Beichen said, spoiling the moment and immediately earning a hostile glare from Feng Jin. He really couldn't just say one less sentence, could he?
"Why are you looking at me like that? What I'm saying is true. You should face reality and stop daydreaming..."
As if addicted, Gu Beichen continued to drone on, completely failing to notice Feng Jin's increasingly cold expression.
"Ling Mo Han, throw him out immediately."
"Alright!" Ling Mo Han obediently agreed.
"Ah..." A startled cry, and Gu Beichen was instantly thrown out of the room.
Feng Jin felt that the surroundings had quieted down, and her mood had improved considerably.
"Go and have things prepared. I will research the gunpowder."
"Be careful. Don't overexert yourself. Remember that."