Chapter 156: Operation (XIV) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Gong Shuwu is not in the right state of mind right now.

He appeared expressionless and menacing, but his eyes were actually vacant and filled with existential doubt—had he really been on the run for nearly half a year, or had he been hiding in the deep mountains and forests for decades? Why did he suddenly become unable to understand the current trends among scholars?

Is it going to be this wild right from the start?

Although there are countless literary and martial arts techniques in the world, and everyone's techniques are different, making each person unique, the techniques have developed for two hundred years. Countless predecessors have refined and summarized practical routines through their own experiences and explorations.

These established methods and routines are the basic, essential lessons.

For example, works like "Ten Fundamentals of Literary Mind and Scholarship" can be simply translated as: "XX Essential Literary Mind and Words of Wisdom that a Scholar Must Master," "How to Quickly Master Your Literary Mind/Martial Courage," "Words of Wisdom, from Beginner to Expert," "The Secrets of Cultivation," etc.

Various insights and perspectives abound, but they all share the same underlying principles.

At least among the scholars and literati that Gong Shuwu had encountered, some were primarily defensive, some balanced in offense and defense, and some leaned towards offense... But regardless of their style, they all basically used martial arts as the core of their combat, with self-preservation as a secondary objective. The "wise self-preservation" skill was a must!

Therefore—

Chu Wuhui, what happened to his "wise self-preservation"?

If we don't give "wise self-preservation" as a choice, then we can use protective phrases like "being prepared for danger in times of peace" and "removing the chimney and moving the firewood"!

And the result?

Mr. Chu's opening line was "drowning in water or fire, courting his own destruction!" His sword was aimed directly at the enemy's headquarters; there was no place for him there!

The spirits were like two giant dragons, each seven or eight feet long, with black and white scales, intertwined and roaring, charging towards the enemy's main camp as if facing certain death. Each dragon scale carried a chilling and sinister aura.

"There's a second one?"

Zhai Huan's eyelids trembled violently.

Judging from the size and imposing presence of those two long, flowing streams of literary energy alone, he knew that the scholar in the shadows was a tough nut to crack.

Which force is eyeing this batch of tax money?

Are they willing to invest such a huge sum?

Before he could even move, a fiery, dark martial aura surged forth. It was Zhai Le who had conjured his martial armor, his four fingers gripping the bowstring taut. After a soft hum, the arrow pierced the sky. The long arrow didn't even have time to utter a mournful cry before shattering into pieces.

Zhai Le asked in surprise, "So fragile?"

Seeing the scattered literary energy falling like goose feathers rather than disappearing completely, Zhai Huan's heart tightened, and he acted without thinking.

"The sky is like a vast dome, covering the four fields!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a slightly transparent black and white dome rose up, with countless patterns resembling characters swirling above it, marking the camp as the boundary.

It will take at least three breaths for the dome to completely close.

Zhai Huan was just feeling relieved that he had reacted quickly and acted fast. Most of the "snowflakes" should be... Before this thought could fully form, the "snowflakes" touched the dome, rippling out in circles of water.

Its downward momentum shows no sign of slowing down!

Zhai Huan: "..."

The soldiers, swept away by the gusts of wind and steam, hurriedly grabbed their weapons and formed small groups to prepare for battle. They wanted to form a battle formation, but there was no room to maneuver; the makeshift camp was filled with tax carts.

It was difficult enough for the soldiers to gather together, let alone form a battle formation to meet the enemy. Commander Yang was furious, annoyed, and resentful. He never expected the bandits to be so bold as to attack the tax silver escort team that he was responsible for. He immediately used his martial energy to transform into martial armor.

He mounted his horse, spear in hand, and roared, "Don't panic!"

The man's voice was like thunder, echoing throughout the camp. The soldiers instantly felt reassured, unaware that real danger was approaching.

Snowflakes drifted down onto my shoulders, hair, and skin...

It melts upon contact and penetrates the body.

A profound sense of despair seeped through the cracks in my heart, spreading to every part of my body; fear, cowardice, fear of death, bewilderment, mania…

In extreme fear, witnessing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, or the gruesome deaths of their own relatives, some with weak hearts may even take their own lives with a knife.

Screams rose and fell, and the camp was in complete chaos.

The soldiers were terrified, like headless flies.

In just a few breaths, the situation became completely out of control.

Gong Shuwu: "..."

Suddenly I felt that he was a fake martial arts master.

But he was, after all, a seasoned veteran of the battlefield with extensive combat experience. Despite the myriad thoughts in his mind, it did not affect his actions in the slightest. With a single shot, he fired his longbow, knocking down all the arrows that were hurtling towards them.

Chu Yao remained expressionless: "Our location has been exposed."

This was the first time he had witnessed Zhai Le's archery skills on the battlefield.

This boy lives up to Goro's high praise; even from such a distance, he can target the enemy's vitals and block their retreat routes solely through his senses.

Unfortunately, no matter how good it is, it's not your own.

Gong Shuwu: "..."

Suddenly, I didn't know how to respond.

With such a commotion, it would be strange if the enemy hadn't discovered their location. He was tempted to charge forward on horseback, but—Chu Yao's actions made him somewhat uneasy.

Chu Yao seemed to sense the fleeting hesitation in his heart.

May you have great success in your military campaigns!

Gong Shuwu: "..."

Thank God!

Chu Yao proved with his actions that he had received orthodox literary education. Even though the literary system had been abolished for many years, his solid foundation and profound knowledge made his moves smooth and his verbal power still strong.

Apart from a few people in the know, who would believe that this literati, who is decisive and skillful in using the power of words, once had an extremely long and dark period of low life, and that today is the first time he has used the power of words in his literary mind after many years?

Commandant Yang conjured a three-edged sword that was ten feet long in his hand.

The handle is seven feet long, as thick as a wrist, and weighs eighty-eight pounds!

He slammed his longsword heavily onto the ground, the hilt sinking three inches into the cracked rock, from which spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards. An invisible, imposing, and murderous aura rippled outwards.

The soldiers shuddered.

Some soldiers had woken up, but others remained demoralized, their faces filled with fear, and they seemed ready to abandon their armor and weapons. If there were cracks in the ground at that moment, they would probably line up to fill them in.

Enraged, Commander Yang immediately beheaded one of the men.

"Anyone who retreats will be executed on the spot!"

Only by taking real action could they barely suppress the unrest and stabilize morale.

However, this is only temporary.

The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, and the environment was harsh. The soldiers had traveled all day in the rain, leaving them not only physically exhausted but also mentally drained. Even if they were determined to fight, the objective conditions probably wouldn't allow it.

Zhai Huan, who had successfully defended against several sneak attacks, was speechless.

He was so angry he almost laughed.

Is now the time to hesitate?

Don't you know what it means for the battlefield to be ever-changing?

The commander hesitated for a moment, which cost the lives of countless soldiers! At this moment, a decisive action should be taken. Either ignore the soldiers who are physically exhausted and demoralized, directly use martial energy to form troops, and try to stabilize the situation and build up defenses before the enemy's main force appears.

Either conjure up armor and send your soldiers into battle!

You should always choose one of the two.

He didn't choose any of them.

Zhai Huan immediately felt like he'd been screwed over.

Fortunately, my cousin was reliable and immediately brought out the Martial Valor Tiger Tally.

The dark beam of light seemed to pierce through the moon, forcefully breaking through the "snowflakes" that had not yet completely fallen in its path, rising to the height of the dome barrier, and turning into specks of ink.

A total of 350 arrows were fired at the nearest soldiers.

Ink dots transformed into simple rattan armor, covering all vital points. Then, weapons materialized in their hands—spears, shields, bows and arrows…

|ω)

It should have been revised by now.

P.S.: This is absolutely outrageous. The last few paragraphs, about martial energy piercing the moon and then a comma, violently bursting open... even that comma was censored. How... ridiculous is that...?

(End of this chapter)