Chapter 95: Empty Drum Flying to Heaven, Monarch Speaks

"The status is indeed very high."

Zheng Hui stroked his beard, seemingly feeling Seeing Chu Tianshu's eagerness, and could not help but say, "I know that you always handle things relatively directly."

"As long as the enemy is determined, you don't care about his status and will take action decisively, but this person is not so easy to kill."

"He is the number one expert in Nanzhao, the uncle of that Duan Rusu just now, and also the head of the former Qingping Officials, Duan Zhong!!"

Dao Bai Shu said solemnly: "So it is him!"

Seeing Chu Tianshu had also heard Dao Bai Shu talk about this person.

During the Tianbao period, this person was only twenty years old, but he was already a great general in the army, with superb strength, leading troops to attack the Tang army, and had made outstanding military achievements.

At that time, some chivalrous experts of the Great Tang repeatedly wanted to assassinate the former king of Nanzhao.

Although the former king of Nanzhao also had extraordinary strength, he was still in danger several times, thanks to this person's rescue.

Therefore, the former king of Nanzhao specially bestowed upon him the name Zhong and appointed him as a Qingping Official.

At that time, among the six Qingping Officials, the power of the other five was far from being comparable to Duan Zhong.

After Nanzhao formed an alliance with Tubo, Tubo sent people to present a title to the former king of Nanzhao, calling him "Younger Brother King," which meant that the king of Nanzhao was like the younger brother of the king of Tubo.

And another decree brought by the Tubo people called Duan Zhong "King Yi," like the nephew of the king of Tubo.

When the former king of Nanzhao passed away, Duan Zhong represented Nanzhao and went to the Tubo capital to pray for blessings for Nanzhao.

The lord of Tubo repeatedly tried to keep him, letting Duan Zhong stay in Tubo for three years, living in the most respected temple in Tubo, exchanging Buddhism and martial arts with local priests and monks, inspecting military camps, and pointing out strategies.

But during this period, the new monarch of Nanzhao, Yimouxun, personally led an expedition, joined forces with the Tubo border army, and invaded the Tang territory, only to be beaten by the Tang army until they were scattered and defeated.

By the time Duan Zhong returned to the country, Yimouxun had already sought peace with the Great Tang and personally ordered the expulsion of the Tubo garrison in Nanzhao.

That great defeat made the Tubo people suspicious of Nanzhao, while the Nanzhao people had also reached the limit of their patience with the Tubo garrison's bullying and their inability to defeat the Great Tang over the years.

The expulsion of the Tubo garrison caused a stir in the court and the public, allowing Yimouxun, who had experienced a great defeat, to gain extremely high popularity instead.

After Duan Zhong returned, he did not express opposition and sat by watching the Tubo garrison being expelled.

What Seeing Chu Tianshu heard from Dao Bai Shu only went up to here.

Zheng Hui added a segment.

Both Tubo and Nanzhao worship Buddhism. In recent years, every March festival, there are still Tubo monk teams who come to visit Duan Zhong in the name of exchanging Buddhism, often staying in the Nanzhao capital for more than a month before leaving.

The monarch of Nanzhao, Yimouxun, is also well aware of these things.

"Duan Zhong's inclination is already in opposition to me and the monarch, but he still has deep influence in the army, and he himself is really hard to kill."

Zheng Hui sighed long, "If he were easy to kill, he wouldn't have waited until today."

Seeing Chu Tianshu pondered: "Is it just because he is hard to kill? Perhaps the monarch is still a bit wavering, and after offending Tubo by seventy percent, he still wants to leave a thirty percent tie?"

Zheng Hui smiled slightly and did not deny it.

"Just talking about choosing between Tubo and the Great Tang, the monarch may still have some hesitation, but Duan Zhong's rumor plot this time, if it gets big and the monarch doesn't stop it, he will see national power turmoil. If the monarch forcibly stops it, in the eyes of others, the hat of being biased toward the Tang people cannot be avoided."

Zheng Hui was radiant, his gaze far-reaching.

"His intention this time already has the suspicion of usurping the country, and I can just let the monarch make up his mind."

Seeing Chu Tianshu asked again: "So, what are the specific manifestations of Duan Zhong's strength?"

"Specific manifestations?"

Ge Hong said in the Master Who Embraces Simplicity, to discuss detailed etiquette specifically.

The so-called specific manifestation is probably saying, a more detailed and clear manifestation.

Zheng Hui's thoughts turned, and he understood, pondering, "Duan Zhong is good at attacking strongholds, his combat power is far superior to mine, and his movement technique is not his strength, but his movement technique is still not inferior to mine."

"Physician Chu, if you want to try, why not have a small competition with me first."

Zheng Hui took out a copper coin and said, "When this copper coin starts to fall from the highest point, we will go to grab it together, and see who gets it and lands first."

Seeing Chu Tianshu smiled: "Okay."

Hearing this, everyone stepped back a bit, giving them a larger open space.

Zheng Hui threw the copper coin up.

The floor of the second floor of this restaurant had specifically made a large gap.

The copper coin passed directly through that gap, approaching the highest point of the entire restaurant.

Everyone looked up, watching the upward momentum of the copper coin become slower and slower.

Slowly turning, it began to fall.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's pupils brightened, and his feet suddenly shook.

A footprint like an axe chisel appeared on the ground, his figure shot up diagonally, almost carrying a bit of an afterimage, and his soles had already stepped on the railing of the second floor.

That entire section of the railing on the second floor was deformed, clearly bent.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's figure ejected, approaching the roof in an instant.

That copper coin had just finished one turn at this time.

In the eyes of everyone, it was just as the copper coin was about to fall, Seeing Chu Tianshu's hand had already appeared next to the copper coin.

But another figure suddenly broke into everyone's field of vision.

Zheng Hui's figure, like a flag rocket, soared into the sky like a crane.

He had no turning or borrowing force in the middle, flying in a straight line to the very top of the entire restaurant, grabbing the copper coin first.

Tap!

When his thumb and index finger pinched the copper coin, the speed was really fast, causing a faint tremor sound from the edge of the copper coin.

Zheng Hui retracted his hand as soon as he grabbed it, his figure rotating and shifting horizontally.

He had no place to borrow force in mid-air, but this horizontal shift moved him out by about seven feet.

That kind of figure posture really seemed as if there was not a heavy bone in his whole body, not a trace of cumbersome flesh.

He himself was a wisp of cloud that was released and retracted, naturally riding the wind and turning with the wind.

Seeing Chu Tianshu failed to grab it, and his right-hand sword suddenly reversed its grip.

A transparent flame suddenly lit up on the sword body, spraying a ball of fire backward.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's entire body was pushed, galloping with the sound of breaking wind, chasing Zheng Hui.

Zheng Hui was startled, suddenly raising his right hand to the top of his head.

In the air, a transparent round spot half a foot in size was generated.

The edge of the round spot seemed to be fixed by an invisible force, and the middle was as tough as cowhide.

Zheng Hui's right hand pushed, and the middle part of the round spot bulged high, producing a repulsive force, accelerating his descent.

When Seeing Chu Tianshu grabbed it, he only tore off a piece of his right sleeve.

Boom!!!

Zheng Hui fell to the ground at high speed, and a large circle also appeared near the ground.

An air film seven feet in size, about three feet off the ground.

Zheng Hui's speed dropped sharply when he touched the air film, and finally, although he stepped through the air film, causing it to collapse, he only swayed when his feet touched the ground, and then stabilized his figure.

The blood pools flowing from the corpses on the ground were blown slightly by the air current.

Seeing Chu Tianshu landed on the ground immediately after, his knees slightly bent, the stone bricks under his feet shattered, making a muffled sound.

"It seems that I lost this time."

Seeing Chu Tianshu spat out a mouthful of turbid air, not feeling much frustration, his gaze cast on Zheng Hui's feet.

"Earlier I saw you flying and sweeping, and when your figure turned, there was a layer of air film faintly cushioned under your feet."

"Is this your soldier spirit power?"

Zheng Hui nodded: "My soldier spirit is named Empty Drum Flying to Heaven."

A flash of memory crossed his eyes.

When he was still a county magistrate in the Great Tang, he was considered to have known the situation early, and hurriedly took everyone to escape, but still did not escape the pursuit of the Nanzhao army and was abducted back to Nanzhao.

For him personally, it seemed that he had become successful because of this, but how could those fellow villagers of that year not die during the process of being forcibly relocated?

As long as they bumped into something, or caught a cold from the deep night dew, most of them would not be able to hold on for a few days.

When he learned the blood-refining weapon art, he originally thought about having a spirit of bravery and nourishing a soldier spirit with amazing battlefield killing and sharp spirit.

But when he really nurtured it, he found that what this soldier spirit reflected, the intention he could not let go of most in his heart, was actually... run faster.

This matter made him feel quite ashamed, and it took many years to gradually accept it.

No way, he really couldn't imagine himself killing everywhere until blood flowed into rivers. Even if he returned to the beginning, he could only think of taking everyone and running faster.

Stepping on drums out of thin air, lifting steps to fly to heaven.

Dangerous paths, like walking on flat ground.

For decades, this soldier spirit of Zheng Hui has become more and more pure.

The initial air film could only be attached to the ground, or attached to the soles of shoes, saving effort when stepping and running.

And now, even if he is in mid-air and cannot touch real objects, he can generate such an air film seven times.

"You have this kind of soldier spirit, yet you are still only on par with the movement technique that Duan Zhong is not good at. It seems he is really a character of no small importance."

"Whether it is strength or status, it is very good."

Seeing Chu Tianshu's tone carried a kind of excitement that everyone could hear, his eyes crystal clear.

Wen Jingniang was just about to say something, but saw Seeing Chu Tianshu's smile fade, his expression becoming plain.

He lifted his left hand, letting his sleeve hang to his elbow, and his right-hand sword shook, like a snake coiling around a pillar, winding around his left forearm.

The sword hilt also bent, just pressing on the wrist.

The mental power stored inside the Three-Seven Divine Sword is all compressed.

In terms of purity and quality, such mental power is better.

However, in terms of controllability.

Seeing Chu Tianshu's control over these compressed mental powers is not as easy as his original mental power.

In short, if he used his original mental power, he could control the mental power to change between a hundred flow rates.

And for these compressed mental powers, he either could only use a very low and small flow rate, or it was a very strong flow rate.

Just now in mid-air, he dared to rely on spraying mental power to shift horizontally, but did not dare to rely on spraying mental power to accelerate his descent.

It was because he also couldn't grasp whether he would have time to rely on mental power to form a buffer when he accelerated his descent.

If he could nurture a soldier spirit, maybe he could use these mental powers as easily as his arms.

By then, it would not just be that the weapon is stronger, not just the flame attached to the hand, but it is possible to achieve amplification for the whole body.

Seeing Chu Tianshu has a clear direction of effort in his heart, so of course, he will not be frustrated by the small failure just now.

"But since we can't kill Duan Zhong yet, even if we kill the people of the Yuwen family, the group of people spreading rumors will still have actions, right?"

Seeing Chu Tianshu asked, "How does Lord Zheng plan to solve this rumor?"

"We can't kill Duan Zhong, and the rumor is behind Duan Zhong, so this matter can only be a guess."

Zheng Hui stroked his beard, looking at Yuwen Tongxin, revealing a wise smile.

"But this is already a weighty guess, so I can also let the monarch make some equally weighty guesses."

Zheng Hui said this, but sold a pass, turning to everyone.

"Several people hindered Duan Zhong's good deeds. If the strength is poor, that's fine, but Physician Chu and Captain Cheng both have extraordinary strength and are in their prime."

"If Duan Zhong comes to kill personally to eliminate hidden dangers, the trouble will not be small. Why not invite everyone to stay in my mansion first."

"With the guards in my mansion, and even myself, so that Duan Zhong knows he cannot succeed."

Wen Jingniang sighed softly.

She did not expect that she, a restaurant owner, could also be involved in such a big matter.

The so-called unexpected disaster, unprovoked disaster, it turns out to be this kind of feeling.

I am afraid that her restaurant will not be able to reopen for a long time.

After everyone followed Zheng Hui into the mansion, Zheng Hui wrote a secret letter to the palace that day.

It was only the next morning that Seeing Chu Tianshu and the others knew what "the monarch's guess" meant.

The monarch of Nanzhao sent people out to post imperial notices.

It was not to clarify the matter of "whether Tang people robbed Nanzhao people of wealth," and it did not mention the Huaixi Military Governor at all.

It directly blamed the assassinations of prominent figures near Wang Cheng recently on Tubo spies.

The notices posted together with the imperial notices wrote the investigation process of each criminal case with nose and eyes.

Tubo spies are too bad, it was all done by them.

Truly worthy of being a person who became a monarch, facing rumors, he did not clarify, but exerted the supreme magic of using rumors against rumors.

Yimouxun was furious and personally listed the twelve major crimes of the Tubo garrison in Nanzhao that year.

These things were not entirely rumors.

The rumors in the dark had just gained a little climate when they met the monarch who had already made up his mind, personally setting off a wave of sound.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 96 =====