Chapter 382: Today's Blessing

Feng Zhou quickly stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Second Young Master! Has Tuan Tuan come back? A few days ago I went to the Ning Prince's Mansion to inquire, and they said she is already on her way back to the capital."

"I survived death this time and even regained my official post, all thanks to Tuan Tuan!"

"I must properly thank her!"

Xiao Ningchen's face darkened, he lowered his voice and told him that the Da Xia people had injured Tuan Tuan, who remains unconscious.

The smile on Feng Zhou's face froze instantly, and the light in his eyes dimmed bit by bit.

'"Da Xia people..." he muttered these three words over and over, a blazing fire igniting in his eyes.'

He suddenly turned around, dragged out a wooden box, opened it, and saw a set of dark armor neatly stacked inside.

It was not the standard iron armor commonly seen in the army.

Instead, it was an inner lining woven from countless fine iron rings, covered on the outside with dark brown hardened leather, with polished copper plates riveted onto the leather surface.

Feng Zhou held up the armor with both hands: "When I was in prison, I couldn't sleep all day, worrying what would happen if that imitation nine-star repeating crossbow were fired at our own people."

'"So I designed this linked ring armor; His Majesty saw the drawings and ordered the Ministry of War to rush-produce it overnight. It has been improved several times since—Second Young Master, take a look!"'

He put the linked ring armor on a wooden human-shaped rack inside the room, picked up the nine-star repeating crossbow nearby, and loaded it with arrows.

'"Bang! Bang! Bang!"'

Nine crossbow bolts fired in succession, their heads fiercely striking the armor surface, penetrating three-tenths into the leather, but the underlying iron net tightly entangled them, preventing any further advance.

Feng Zhou stepped forward, gripped the arrow shaft and pulled hard; the arrowhead came out with a few torn leather threads, but the armor's main body remained intact, and the iron net was only slightly dented.

'"If it were ordinary iron armor, this arrow would have pierced through long ago. But these net meshes catch the arrowhead, making it very hard to pull out."'

'"Even if the enemy uses poisoned arrows, as long as they don't hit the throat or face squarely, one can survive."'

Xiao Ningchen stepped forward, took off the linked ring armor, gripped it firmly, and his breathing grew a little heavier.

'"Great! The nine-star repeating crossbow's lethality is too great; he has been worried about it all along."'

'"But now we have this!"'

'"Good!" he shouted, slamming Feng Zhou's shoulder so hard that the frail scholar staggered back. "How many? Bring them all!"'

'"Good! But Second Young Master, linked ring armor is only defense; the best defense is offense."'

'"Therefore, I also made this; see if it's useful—please follow me."'

He walked to the other side of the room and lifted the covering cloth.

A row of long swords stood silently on the rack.

Looking closely, each sword had a thin line in the middle—in fact, they were split into two sections!

Feng Zhou grabbed an iron tube standing nearby, took off a long sword, and twisted it apart into two sections.

Xiao Ningchen looked utterly puzzled—how could it be used after being taken apart?

Soon after, his eyes widened suddenly.

Feng Zhou inserted the sword handle into the iron rod; with a click, a side sword instantly turned into a seven-foot long sword.

'"This is for dealing with cavalry; I named it the long spear-sword."'

Xiao Ningchen narrowed his eyes and instantly saw the weapon's viciousness.

'"In close combat it's a sword, in long range it's a spear." Feng Zhou gripped the handle with both hands and made a thrusting motion.'

'"If a hundred men form a formation, the long spear-swords stand like a wall; when cavalry charge in, he flipped his wrist—beyond five steps, both horse and rider will surely be thrown down."'

Xiao Ningchen picked up a long spear-sword; it felt heavy in his hand, substantial: 'A fine blade!'

His eyes blazed with sharp light: 'If these swords are arrayed at the front, any Da Xia cavalry that comes will die in equal numbers!'

Feng Zhou then walked back to the table and took out a wooden box.

He lifted the box lid; the bottom was lined with velvet, on which lay a strange cylindrical object.

The cylinder was thick at one end and thin at the other, with both openings inlaid with extremely thin polished glass pieces.

Xiao Ningchen frowned and asked, 'What is this?'

Feng Zhou said nothing, merely taking out the cylinder gently, bringing one eye close to its narrower end, and turning it toward the window.

'"Second Young Master, look at the opposite mountain just as I do."'

Xiao Ningchen took over the strange cylinder, imitated his action by putting his eye to it, and then his whole body froze.

The trees on the opposite mountain seemed almost within arm's reach!

Even the few small birds in the nests on the trees were clearly visible!

He abruptly put down the cylinder, turned to another direction, raised it again, and looked.

'"Isn't this truly becoming the thousand-mile eye of the storytellers?" Xiao Ningchen took a deep breath. "How far can it see?"'

'"On a clear day, troops and horses can be distinguished five li away."'

'"At night, as long as it's not pitch black, one can observe movements two to three li away."'

'"I named it the thousand-mile mirror."'

'"This was something the Young Alliance Leader casually mentioned when playing at the Private Items Workshop; I thought it would be nice to see what's on the opposite mountain, so I set about making it."'

Xiao Ningchen gently placed the thousand-mile mirror back into the box.

His excitement kept surging: the linked ring armor can block repeating crossbow arrows, the long spear-sword can break cavalry charges, and the thousand-mile mirror can detect enemy conditions from several li away.

With these three items, the Lie Kingdom's great army can truly be called 'adding wings to a tiger'!

Feng Zhou looked at his expression, set his mind at ease; it seems that in this border war, the things I have devised can all be put to use!

He faced Xiao Ningchen, fell to his knees with a thud, and kowtowed heavily.

'"Second Young Master, my life was saved by the Young Alliance Leader."'

'"Although the leaking of the repeating crossbow was not my doing, as the person in charge of the Private Items Workshop, if investigated, I cannot escape a charge of dereliction of duty."'

'"If it weren't for the Young Alliance Leader, I would have been dead long ago, and this Private Items Workshop would never have fallen into my hands to manage!"'

'"After I was imprisoned, she ran around everywhere for me; this kindness and virtue, I cannot repay even with my death!"'

He lifted his head, tears already sliding down: "Second Young Master, please take these. Beat those Da Xia people until they fled in disarray, venting anger for Tuan Tuan!"

"I cannot desert my post; I cannot follow you to the battlefield."

"Please ask Second Young Master to deliver a message to the Alliance Lord for me."

Xiao Ningchen bent down to help him up: "Speak, I will definitely deliver it."

"I specially requested an audience and went to the Empress's Palace, improved her little dog carriage; when she returns, she can try it—it will surely be better than before!"

Xiao Ningchen: "…"

He laughed and cried, yet couldn't help feeling moved—whether it was Gongsun Yue kneeling before him last night or Feng Zhou before him now.

Tuan Tuan, these are all your people!

It is your kindness and good deeds that have earned today's blessings.

Three days later, the great army set out, marching mightily toward the northern frontier.

The border, the Main Camp of Lie State.

A few days later, a bright sunny afternoon.

Tuan Tuan slowly opened their eyes.