Chapter 150: The Political Situation, The Carriage

"Such, such formidable hard skill. This old man has never seen anyone reach such a level of mastery in hard skill."

The internal organs of the old man in green had already been slashed open; he was weak and breathless, yet he had not died immediately. He simply tore off the cloth covering his face and stared at Chu Tianshu.

"Are you perhaps from Shaolin?"

Chu Tianshu calmed his Qi and blood, his oppressive aura gradually receding. His gaze seemed to sweep over the tops of these people's heads, as if looking at something unknown, and he said, "And who might you people be?"

The old man in green said, "This old man is the leader of the Giant Whale Gang, Shui Kongqi."

The burly man beside him also gritted his teeth and said, "I am the sect leader of the Sea Sand Sect, Zhou Yan. I ask that you reveal your name, so that we may at least die with clarity!"

Chu Tianshu's expression became subtle.

"Giant Whale Gang, Sea Sand Sect—these are truly common names. But are your gangs on the verge of bankruptcy?"

"As dignified leaders and sect heads, you come out to handle business all alone, without even a single loyal and brave general by your side."

The old man in green struggled to say, "Our Giant Whale Gang has quite a reputation along the coast; we are by no means a small sect. It is just that the Fire God Secret Manual's improvement of firearms is of great importance."

"The people of Fire God Gully have scattered and fled. There is bound to be contention from many sides along the way, and it is fraught with danger and difficulty. This old man had no choice but to take action personally and take charge of the pursuit along one of the routes!"

As a leader of a gang, he still had to take action despite knowing the danger and difficulty.

Firstly, they were of humble origins, possessed a strong martial spirit, and had great confidence in their own strength.

Secondly, the temptation of the Fire God Secret Manual was too great.

To struggle so hard for a secret manual they had never even seen.

It seems that Fire God Gully is indeed considered an authority in the field of firearm metallurgy.

Once news spread that they had developed excellent improvement techniques, everyone would truly believe it.

At this moment, Xu Ben also gradually recovered from the influence of the oppressive aura from just before.

"Giant Whale Gang, Sea Sand Sect—the reputations are indeed not small."

He said bitterly, "A small part of this reputation is because you traffic in private salt, and the greater part is because you can transform into pirates at any moment."

"It is precisely because of scum like you in the martial world that the Japanese pirate menace grows ever more severe."

"Are you even worthy of coveting the secret manual of our Fire God Gully?"

The old man in green and the burly man both burst into loud laughter, ignoring the fact that the bleeding from their abdomens was becoming more severe.

The burly man shouted, "Isn't the secret manual of your Fire God Gully researched for the purpose of killing people and making money? We are taking this also to kill people and make money, to strengthen our power..."

Chu Tianshu saw that they were about to start a slanging match, so he flicked his two fingers.

Two silver needles nailed themselves into the glabella of these two gang leaders, ending their lives.

Watching the two of them gasp their last and fall to the ground, the glint in Chu Tianshu's eyes expanded.

Sure enough, at the moment of their death, it was as if a batch of scattered light spots were squeezed out from within their bodies.

The light spots were of various colors, rising slowly before disappearing into mid-air.

Chu Tianshu had vaguely witnessed this scene on other dead people before.

Ever since his physique reached the realm of the "Martial Kitchen God," he could see spirit bodies even without opening his apertures.

But it required entering the state of spirit-communication and aperture-opening on this foundation to see clearly that light spots were truly rising from their bodies.

Those were by no means souls; they didn't even count as remnants of souls.

They were merely some chaotic emotions.

Previously, in the place where Chu Tianshu's consciousness was trapped, there were countless colorful mists drifting endlessly.

Those mists were accumulated from these light spots.

Does there exist a unique layer within this world that is particularly conducive to storing emotions?

However, those mists were too loose and chaotic. If anyone were to come into contact with that layer with a complete consciousness, it would be very easy to feel immense pressure and be swept away by the undercurrents.

It was only because Chu Tianshu's physical body had such a deep connection with his consciousness that he was able to stabilize his spirit and form amidst those misty undercurrents, cast aside distracting thoughts, and pull his intent back.

If it were a mere spirit-communicating sorcerer, I fear the danger coefficient would skyrocket.

In this sense, it is a very unfriendly situation for sorcerers; I wonder if any unique sorcerer systems will develop because of this.

"Many thanks to the hero for saving our lives!!"

Xu Zhicheng spoke up and began kowtowing again.

Chu Tianshu reached out and pulled him up.

"Your forehead is broken, and the wound is stained with dust. Do you know how easy it is to get an infection like that?"

Chu Tianshu looked at the dirty bloodstains on the boy's forehead, feeling somewhat displeased, and stuck a needle into his hairline to stop the bleeding first.

"Find some cool boiled water later to wash and bandage it."

Xu Ben also walked over: "Many thanks to our benefactor for saving our lives..."

Chu Tianshu gripped his right wrist, and before he could kneel, he gave his hand a shake, helping him reset the shoulder and elbow joints that had been dislocated in the fall just now.

Xu Ben only felt a sudden pain in his right arm, after which his whole body relaxed.

Once his physical condition improved, his mood was also affected.

His originally chaotic thoughts also relaxed quite a bit.

However, why does this benefactor feel so different from the last time we met?

Chu Tianshu looked toward the end of the street: "First firearms, then dead heads."

"Blood is spilled all over the ground. It won't be good if it scares the children when dawn breaks. Why haven't the people from the yamen come to clean up the ground yet?"

This doesn't look like the silent and reticent person Zhicheng described at all.

Xu Ben said, "According to the style of the local County Magistrate Wang, the more he hears movement here, the more he will shrink inside the yamen. He won't dare send people to investigate until there is no more sound."

Chu Tianshu said, "Isn't there also a Hundred-Household official?"

Xu Ben said, "That person is much the same. If someone were attacking the city and the commotion were too great, he might be forced to move, but if it's just a small incident in the city in the middle of the night, he will never show his head."

"Fine then."

Chu Tianshu placed the three bamboo strips into a basket, picked it up, and said, "Then let's go find the County Magistrate."

Xu Ben hurriedly rummaged through the corpses of the Three Yin Wind Evils to retrieve his two firearms.

Chu Tianshu saw it clearly.

As soon as those two firearms were in hand, a small amount of light-colored vapor steamed up from the top of Xu Ben's head.

It must be that those two firearms were truly of extraordinary significance to him, and his emotions became intense for an instant, hence this strange phenomenon.

Although it was a light color invisible to the naked eye of an ordinary person, it was already quite wondrous.

Back in Chu Tianshu's hometown, even if Xu Ben's emotions were ten times more intense, there would be no such phenomenon.

That it can manifest now is mainly due to the influence of the Mist Realm layer.

The three of them arrived at the county yamen and, sure enough, saw the main gate tightly shut.

This Yongchun County yamen had the office in the front and the residence in the back; County Magistrate Wang and his family lived in the back.

Originally, yamen runners had no duty to stand guard at the magistrate's home at night, but in reality, this phenomenon existed at the homes of magistrates everywhere.

Chu Tianshu led the Xu uncle and nephew to jump over the wall and enter, seeing a dozen yamen runners standing inside and outside the hall.

County Magistrate Wang was holding a teacup, distracted and full of worry; suddenly seeing Chu Tianshu, he was both shocked and delighted.

"Hero, thanks to you for coming. Those sounds just now..."

Chu Tianshu said, "A few pirates entered the city to cause trouble, and I have dealt with them. Send people to the place where I was sitting during the day to move and clean up those corpses."

County Magistrate Wang was overjoyed: "Good, very good."

He immediately sent people to handle this matter, and seeing that Chu Tianshu was willing to talk, he was even more delighted and sent people to arrange a banquet.

In this hall, it was opulent and magnificent; the sets of tables and chairs were all intricately carved, made of precious materials, with lacquer surfaces as smooth as black glass.

The cups, bowls, plates, and dishes used were of delicate porcelain, and the screens in the hall featured excellent embroidery.

The kitchen served dishes quickly: first, white-cut chicken, red-yeast pork, drunken ribs, followed by Taiji egg custard, meat swallows, and fish balls.

Among the large batch of dishes, there were also three plates of sesame cakes, which looked a bit abrupt.

As soon as Xu Zhicheng saw them, he knew these were what the magistrate had brought back from the sesame cake shop during the day.

Chu Tianshu tasted a few dishes and felt that the flavors were all on the light side, though they did not lack taste.

Especially that bowl of meat swallows, which were very fragrant and smooth upon entering the mouth.

Seeing that the magistrate was about to bustle about for something else, Chu Tianshu said, "There is no need to make such a big fuss. Actually, I came here to bid the magistrate farewell."

County Magistrate Wang was startled: "Could it be that my hospitality was inadequate?"

"That is not the case. Chu is originally a wanderer from overseas. Because my ancestors were from Jianghuai, I did not forget the local accent and returned to take a look."

Chu Tianshu sighed, "It is just that the wind direction at sea shifted, and I was unable to reach my hometown."

"Walking along this road, I originally wanted to rush back to the hometown of my predecessors, but I discovered that no place is peaceful, and it is not as comfortable as life on a small island overseas, so I am preparing to set sail again."

County Magistrate Wang realized: "So that is how it is. But the coast is not peaceful, all because pirates are rampant; I fear the sea is even more dangerous."

"The places where pirates entrench themselves are mostly places of strategic importance. Where my home is located is merely a remote island; the ocean is vast, and the shipping routes are different, so there is no need to worry too much."

Chu Tianshu raised his hand and said, "This uncle and nephew beside me are also willing to follow me to sea. I see that they have a connection with me, so I will take them along."

County Magistrate Wang sighed: "With your martial arts, hero, would it not be a pity to be buried on a small island overseas?"

"Although the coast is not peaceful, it is also an opportunity to build a career. There is no need to take risks; just stay in my city as a guest official. Once I report to the imperial court and you are granted an official position, you will have glory and wealth to enjoy."

Chu Tianshu smiled, picked up a sesame cake, and took a bite: "My mind is made up."

County Magistrate Wang sighed: "I am truly reluctant to see you go, hero."

"Oh?"

Chu Tianshu pondered, "Then why doesn't the magistrate come to sea with me?"

County Magistrate Wang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, it is hard to leave one's native land, hard to leave one's native land."

Chu Tianshu merely smiled.

Over there, Xu Zhicheng had already gone from his initial restraint to now stuffing his cheeks and eating and drinking.

Xu Ben was lost in thought, but he couldn't help but take a few more bites.

They had been on the run for half a year and had not tasted good food for too long.

After dinner, Chu Tianshu let the two of them wash themselves thoroughly and change into clean clothes.

By morning, County Magistrate Wang actually presented the reward for killing the Japanese pirates and gave them a carriage.

Because he did not know the identities of those people from the Giant Whale Gang and the Sea Sand Sect, he just calculated it based on the price of ordinary real Japanese pirates.

Even so, it was a generous sum of silver.

The horse's hooves clattered as they left the county town.

For the time being, no one was whipping the horse; they let it pace itself, and all three were inside the carriage.

Xu Zhicheng looked at the silver in the basket: "I thought he would not mention the reward and try to muddle through."

Xu Ben said, "Although this person is a mediocre official, he is quite shrewd when it comes to dealing with people from the martial world."

"Is he just a mediocre official?"

Chu Tianshu sat against the inner wall of the carriage, leisurely making a windmill, and said, "I heard that the salaries of Ming officials are not very high. A mediocre official, and his family is this rich?"

Xu Ben sighed, "After the benefactor landed, although you traveled, perhaps you haven't been to many places."

"In the half year we have spent traveling from place to place, among the government offices we have seen, one like Yongchun County can even be considered a good yamen."

Xu Zhicheng nodded and said, "Our ancestors in Fire God Gully were originally craftsmen in the Divine Machine Camp. We drifted to Lingnan, and the whole town did business in firecrackers and weapons."

"Although we are not martial heroes, we have a heart for the country. After this Fire God Secret Manual was developed, we originally wanted to offer it to the imperial court..."

With the power of the imperial court, if they could put this secret manual to practical use as soon as possible, I suppose it wouldn't take long to sweep away the Japanese pirate menace in the southeast coastal region.

That was what they had originally thought.

But after news of the secret manual leaked, several forces killed their way to Fire God Gully, and the survivors scattered and fled.

The group of fugitives Xu Zhicheng belonged to possessed the secret manual and still wanted to contact the government.

Who would have thought that they would encounter pirate raids several times on the road, and after the pirates left, the government soldiers would arrive—not to pursue the pirates, but to plunder them once more!

This matter was common, and Xu Zhicheng understood.

If the government soldiers cannot fight the pirates, can they not fight the common people?

If there is pirate unrest in a certain place, the soldiers can take the opportunity to loot for benefits, fatten themselves up, and then count all the local losses on the pirates' heads.

If there is too much unrest and it cannot be justified, they kill some civilians; whether they are counted as spies or pirates, it can all be counted as military merit.

For the soldiers, this is truly a good business that achieves multiple goals at once.

"Sigh, the soldiers of the guard stations are hereditary military households, all transferred from other places to re-settle the land. They are far from home, and their fields are occupied by the guard station officials, who impose private labor; their resentment is deep, and the estrangement from the local people is also deep."

Xu Ben said, "As such, when they burn, kill, and loot, there is naturally no burden in their hearts."

Chu Tianshu recalled that Qi Jiguang, from the history of his hometown, was also quite dissatisfied with the original imperial army and wanted to re-recruit local soldiers along the coast to resist the Japanese pirates.

It is just that he asked the magistrate last night, and it has now been a hundred years since the founding of the Great Ming.

Even if there will be famous generals like Yu and Qi in this world in the future, the two of them haven't been born yet.

Moreover, in this kind of world, just killing Japanese pirates is not enough to make things sound.

Whoosh!!

Chu Tianshu blew on the windmill in his hand and handed it to Xu Zhicheng.

"I asked you last night if there were magical arts in the martial world, and you hadn't heard of any."

"But a bat being able to track its kin by blood scent is already similar to a magical art."

Chu Tianshu said, "Take this windmill; it can make your aura circulate with the surrounding mountains, forests, and trees, and your scent will also be obscured, so you won't be tracked by such means."

Curse-type magical arts that curse people by following their bloodline are very common.

In the Secret Records of Vertical and Horizontal, there are records of several methods that can prevent enemies from detecting bloodline targets.

Xu Zhicheng took the windmill and hesitated: "Does the benefactor really want to take us to sea?"

Xu Ben tried to say: "The talk of going to sea is just a feint, right? I see the benefactor is in high spirits; you don't look like someone who is disheartened and wants to hide overseas."

"Is it that obvious?"

Chu Tianshu touched his face, his expression becoming calm, "Old Xu, you also really want revenge, right?"

Xu Ben lowered his eyelids: "Everything is at the benefactor's command."

The wood has already become a boat; both the secret manual and the people have fallen into the hands of this benefactor.

At the very least, he currently appears to have nothing to do with the massacre at Fire God Gully.

"Then go out and drive the carriage first."

Chu Tianshu picked up a bamboo hat and placed it on Xu Ben's head.

"Don't let the horse run too fast."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 151 =====