Chapter 149: A Long Wind Sweeps the Earth, A Hundred Grasses Bend

"So that's how it is."

Seeing Chu Tianshu sensed the vague impressions transmitted by the soldier spirit, gaining a rough understanding of what had transpired.

Malice, gratitude, desire.

Though the first two brought a stir to the soldier spirit, neither went deep.

It was only when the third was added that it triggered a powerful impulse.

This, in turn, made Seeing Chu Tianshu's own perception clearer, breaking through that layer of invisible obstruction.

Indeed, to possess a fulfilling life, malice, benevolence, and desire are all indispensable.

The soldier spirit within the Three-Seven Divine Sword was originally a naive will; though pure, it did not understand the source of its own motivation.

Like water without a root or a tree without a source, it required constant replenishment and nourishment from its master.

Now, by experiencing things for itself, the soldier spirit stood to gain much in its future growth and strengthening.

And what had ignited the soldier spirit's desire were the secrets recorded on these bamboo slips.

"Improved firelocks..."

Seeing Chu Tianshu recognized the characters on them, and as he scanned them, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

Good heavens, this truly was a secret of weaponry capable of shaking the world.

Speaking of guns, the world Seeing Chu Tianshu originally came from had quite advanced firearm technology.

But the first time he traveled, it was to the Republic of China era, where machine guns were already widespread.

The second time he traveled, it was to the Tang Dynasty, where the technological foundation for firearms was truly too backward.

He had been focused on practicing martial arts and building his career, never thinking to spend time studying the various disciplines related to firearms.

This time, he had happened to run into the natives themselves conducting technological innovation in firearms.

When all is said and done, for any technology to possess immense influence, one must consider the reality of its foundation.

Only an innovation that is closely linked to the current technological landscape, even involving fields beyond technology itself, and capable of taking a steady step forward, holds the greatest value.

Judging by the brief self-narrative on these slips, this "Improved Firelock" method had fully taken into account the most prevalent technological circumstances of the current era.

Metallurgy, powder formulation, furnace modification, casting...

Once spread, any artisan workshop with mid-to-high-level proficiency would have the opportunity to replicate it.

If the author wasn't boasting, calling this set of techniques a "heavy weapon of the world" would be no exaggeration.

As Seeing Chu Tianshu read on, he found the text cut off, so he reached out to draw another bamboo slip.

Watching him reach for the third slip, the crowd could no longer hold back.

"If we let him keep reading like this, even if he doesn't take the secret away, as long as he escapes, there will be a second party in this world who understands this secret!"

The old man in green robes shouted aloud, "Everyone, why haven't you made your move?!"

Seeing Chu Tianshu smiled at these words and looked up.

"This sentence alone reveals the very essence of your inability to cooperate. Can you truly join forces wholeheartedly to deal with me?"

The old man in green robes fell silent for a moment, then his robes suddenly puffed out.

"A pack of wolves contends with a tiger..."

"... and the tiger dies first!"

Every word rang out with metallic force; he stepped forward, each stride as heavy as falling iron, the distance between steps uniform, as if measured by a ruler.

This time, he was no longer inciting others with empty words, but was taking the initiative himself.

The courage to snatch chestnuts from the fire, the valor of a life-or-death struggle.

This man must have succeeded many times before, or he would not possess such decisiveness.

As the old man in green robes moved, three others also sprang into action.

A tall, thin man holding a six-foot spear.

A brawny man wearing leather bracers.

An old woman carrying an iron sword without a scabbard.

Without realizing it, the four of them adjusted their distances, as if stepping to the same rhythm.

The old man in green robes was at a certain distance from Seeing Chu Tianshu, and the other three were at that same distance.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's soldier spirit felt a slight heat.

The soldier spirit had originally judged that no one present posed a sufficient threat, which was why it had acted.

But the performance of these four now made it feel that if it were still controlling the master's body, it might truly be injured.

Its judgment had been flawed; it had failed to execute the master's instructions well.

"Then I'll give you two knocks as punishment."

Seeing Chu Tianshu tapped his finger against his belt.

At that very moment, the four of them showed signs of attacking.

Hum!!

Seeing Chu Tianshu's figure remained almost in a horse stance, yet he had already left the bench, his body flashing as he pushed a palm toward the front right.

The front right was exactly where the spear-wielding man was positioned.

The spear tip had originally been pointed vaguely at Seeing Chu Tianshu, but now, caught off guard, it was pressed by Seeing Chu Tianshu's palm.

His palm contained a subtle, shifting force; the moment they made contact, he crushed the tip of the refined steel spearhead, causing it to curl.

The entire spearhead erupted in lightning-like cracks, shattering and scattering.

The spear shaft also exploded into splinters, silver light dancing, fragments flying everywhere.

That spear appeared to be wooden, but hidden inside was a long sword.

A sword nearly six feet long.

The swords of the Hainan Sword Sect had hilts only seven inches long, but blades six feet long.

Their weaponry and sword techniques were too distinctive; to hide while tracking, they had used a spear as a cover.

In combat, even if the enemy couldn't break the spear, they could vibrate their hands to make the blade burst through the shaft.

But Seeing Chu Tianshu's palm strike was too rigid and powerful.

Before the sword could emerge, both spear and sword were destroyed together.

The tall, thin man made a move to retreat rapidly, his clothes clinging to his skin, his body like a thin bamboo pole falling backward, while simultaneously pointing his fingers like a sword.

A four-to-five-inch sword glow shot from his fingertips toward the acupuncture point in Seeing Chu Tianshu's palm.

The light-foot techniques of the Hainan Sword Sect were as famous as their swordplay.

Moreover, the old man in green robes, the brawny man, and the old woman had already changed their attacks toward Seeing Chu Tianshu at this moment.

As Seeing Chu Tianshu moved, they had already moved.

It was as if they were several magnets being drawn toward Seeing Chu Tianshu.

Seeing Chu Tianshu retracted his right hand, his figure spinning half a circle, then retreating abruptly.

He went like a flash and returned like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, he broke free from the encirclement.

Pfft!!

The crowd was startled to see blood bloom; the tall, thin man's head flew off, blood gushing from his throat like a fountain.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's left hand held three long bamboo slips, stained with a bit of blood.

This was a "dragging-saber" force.

With the bamboo slips hanging toward the ground, it was truly like dragging a saber.

Seeing Chu Tianshu had already advanced again, still toward the front right, but slightly more angled than before.

He was on the outer edge of the three-person encirclement.

More accurately, he had rushed in one step behind the old woman.

Behind that old woman was a man with the stature of a child, his left hand gripping the old woman's clothes, hanging behind her.

When the old woman moved, none of her "companions" had noticed the person behind her.

Even the Yin Wind Three Devils had implicitly ignored this old man.

At a glance, they had only assumed the old woman was a hunchback.

Seeing Chu Tianshu arrived there, and the old man suddenly turned around, thrusting out a short, greenish sword with his right hand.

As the short sword thrust out, the sword glow expanded to match a three-foot long sword.

The old woman's reaction was also fast; her scabbard-less iron sword had already pierced backward from beside her ear.

Old Mei Baoying, an assassin from the Dark Hall of the Seven Star Pond in Jiangnan.

Both swords arrived simultaneously.

The gaze of the short, thin old man was even more vaguely focused on Seeing Chu Tianshu's waist.

Based on his experience, he had long suspected that the belt, which looked like wood grain and texture, might actually be a soft sword.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's right fist, which had been swinging, suddenly flicked out two fingers—the index and middle fingers, one above the other.

Two silver needles collided with the two sword blades.

In the lightning-fast deviation, a third silver needle was shot out by his ring finger.

It pierced the old man's neck and nailed into the old woman's heart; the old woman tilted forward and collapsed.

The hand that had flicked the needles was as lustrous as yellow jade.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's right hand had been pushed to the "Diamond Fixation," allowing every finger to exert such powerful force in such a short, sharp burst.

Boom!!

The old man in green robes and the brawny man seized the opportunity to strike with their palms from both sides.

Seeing Chu Tianshu swung both arms simultaneously; though it was a collision of four palms, the loudest sound came from the ground beneath Seeing Chu Tianshu's feet.

Immediately after, the soil around his feet surged outward in circles, as if boiling.

Within a range of nearly two zhang, the soil surged like waves.

The old man in green robes and the brawny man both groaned, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Originally, they had intended to strike with all four palms, but now, their other hands couldn't help but swing backward, their arms and shoulders feeling as if they were being stretched straight.

Even more uncomfortable was the vibration that reached their very bones, shaking them into a state of confusion, their limbs aching and numb.

"You don't seem to be wolves after all."

Seeing Chu Tianshu suddenly changed his move, repeating the same trick; his left palm grabbed the three bamboo slips in the air, and like a reverse-gripped saber, he twisted his body and swept them out.

The old man in green robes and the brawny man knew the trajectory of this move, but their bodies were aching, and they were unable to block it in time; blood bloomed at their waists, and they stumbled back two steps, clutching their abdomens and collapsing to the ground.

They watched as the moon faded and the clouds shifted.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's figure was like a wild wind, sweeping up from before their eyes, rushing onto the roof, and cascading down.

Tiles clattered and poured to the ground.

The Yin Wind Three Devils, who claimed the name "Yin Wind," were all struck down by this long-winded shadow, crashing to the ground, their lives hanging in the balance.

Seeing Chu Tianshu stood amidst the broken tiles, lightly flicking the three long bamboo slips in turn.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The bloodstains were scattered by his force, revealing the neat, dense characters once more.

(End of Chapter)

The blood stains were scattered by his force, revealing the neat and dense handwriting again.

(End of chapter)