Foul Language

Si Ming immediately denied it, then suddenly remembered a crucial point. "You said there were four paintings in total, where are the other three?"

The three were all startled and hurriedly went to search, asking people while asking He Qichang to recall the appearances of the other three Dharma Kings.

A moment later, the four of them had two more pictures in their hands, as well as a piece of picture scrap that was charred and only a corner remained.

The two well-preserved pictures depict a vast expanse of waves, with countless Demon Beast rushing from the sea to the land. Leading the group is a humanoid Demon Race wearing armor, whose aura Demon General who are also in human form next to him. Even if you can't see his face clearly, you can feel that he is the leader of all Demon Race and has the absolute power to suppress his own kind.

The other painting depicts a human war with clashing swords and flashing spears. There are many similar works of art and photographs in history, although they are far inferior to this one in terms of scale and realism. However, this is not what Si Ming is concerned about. He noticed that in addition to the battles on the ground, there are also figures fighting fiercely in the sky.

"Is this Profound Armor?" Murong Qing examined it closely. "Could this painting represent internal strife within the Su State? Does it depict a battle between the rebel army and the government forces?"

She immediately thought of Xiao Xuan, who exuded a blatant rebellious spirit. At the very least, he was a purger who would cleanse the court of corrupt officials, so it wouldn't be surprising if he started a war in the country.

Si Ming stared intently at the figures in the painting, comparing them side by side. He shook his head and said, "The styles of the two sets of Profound Armor are different. One of them is indeed the framework of our country's standard Profound Armor Heaven-Soaring Armor I've worn. But the other one is a completely different design concept. Unless Senior Xiao has come up with a new Profound Armor template, this can only be considered as Profound Armor made by another country."

He subconsciously believed that Xiao Xuan was going to rebel and might even raise the banner of communist revolution.

Upon hearing Murong Qing's expression turned extremely ugly.

He Qichang asked, puzzled, "What's the difference between the two?"

Murong Qing, "If this is a new type of Profound Armor developed by Senior Xiao, then it means the picture depicts Su State. But if this is Profound Armor developed by another country, then it means the picture depicts a war between nations, or even... a world war!"

He Qichang immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. Domestic war and world war are two completely different concepts and two entirely different scales of war.

"No way, I've never heard of other countries developing Profound Armor)..."

He suddenly realized how foolish his idea was. Even if other countries had developed Profound Armor, they wouldn't deliberately announce it to the whole world. They might be planning to use it as a secret weapon as a trump card after the war starts.

"Senior Xiao is also from the Su State. Even if he wanted to develop new Profound Armor, he should have followed the style of Profound Armor from his own country. He could even have simply used the design blueprints of Profound Armor from his own country. There was absolutely no need to develop an alternative Profound Armor."

Si Ming's words minimized the possibility of civil war, leaving everyone speechless for a moment; the topic was far too heavy for them.

"There's one last painting..."

Everyone turned their attention to the fourth painting, only to find it charred beyond recognition. During the battle, the Dharma King, who was holding the painting, had accidentally thrown it into the fire. In the chaos of the situation, no one thought to save it. In the end, only a small corner of the painting survived the fire.

"We can only make out a human figure, but we don't know what the main content is. Is it a war between people, or a war between people and monsters?"

"Is chaos about to descend...? Could it be that the Primordial Ancestor Divine Cult truly possesses something of substance, or is merely feigning superstition?"

Chapter 177 Swearing

Minggui Orphanage.

Ying Zhou had just finished beating the drums, releasing all the pressure that had accumulated over the past few days. He was covered in sweat from exerting himself so much.

Perhaps he truly had a talent for it. Once, while playing the drums, he circulated his Internal Cultivation, and inexplicably, the True Qi in his body resonated with the rhythm of the drumming. After circulating it for one cycle, he found that the efficiency was three times that of ordinary Internal Cultivation. From then on, whenever he practiced, but not for formal performances, he would circulate his Internal Cultivation in conjunction with the practice.

After finishing his drumming, he took a shower, dried his wet hair with a towel, and went to the balcony to air it out.

The weather is already quite cold at this time of year, with nighttime temperatures dropping to single digits. However, for martial artists with Internal Cultivation, it's not enough to catch a cold.

While drinking hot corn soup, Ying Zhou enjoyed the cool breeze and gazed at the starry sky.

After admiring it for a while, he suddenly said impatiently, "Just tell me what you want to say directly. What's with all this sneaking around?"

At the entrance to the balcony, Murong Wu timidly stepped out. He lowered his head, fidgeting with the hem of his clothes, and stealthily glanced at Ying Zhou out of the corner of his eye. He quickly looked away and said in a very weak voice, "Brother Ying, I..."

Ying Zhou felt inexplicably irritated and said fiercely, "You're supposed to be a boy, why are you being so fussy like a woman? Can't you even speak properly? Spit it out!"

Every time he saw Murong Wu's awkward and timid demeanor, he felt extremely annoyed, and he himself was very clear about where this feeling of irritation came from.

Putting aside his nature, only someone who was pampered and spoiled by his family from a young age could appear so naive and irresponsible— Murong Wu undoubtedly enjoyed a carefree childhood protected by his family.

Comparing his childhood to his father, Ying Zhou couldn't remain calm, and he was never the type to hide his emotions or feign politeness with others.

Yes, he felt jealous of the boy who was five or six years younger than him.

At the same age, he was ostracized by his classmates. There were small fights every two days and big fights every three days. Getting injured was commonplace. No matter how badly he was injured, the person who was nominally his father would not care about him at all. Sometimes he would even beat him to vent his anger.

Why is it that I'm living such a miserable life while this kid is living such a happy one?

He lost his father, but he still had an older sister to take care of him.

And what about myself? Although I still have a father, I wish I didn't!

He's already living such a happy life, yet he's always crying and whining. He doesn't know how lucky he is; who is he trying to mock?

After spending some time together, Ying Zhou realized that Murong Wu was not just being coy; it was his true nature. He had never experienced real hardship, which made him even more displeased with him.

"I... I want to learn from Brother Ying..."

"Learn what? Play the drums? I have no interest in teaching an idiot," Ying Zhou flatly refused.

"I'm not stupid. Dad and my sister both praise me for being smart. I always get full marks on my tests. Ah, I only got 99 points twice. Both times, Dad hit my palm with a ruler to teach me to be careful."

Seemingly stirred by memories, Murong Wu was overcome with grief and his eyes welled up with tears when he thought of his father's face.

"Enough! Trying to gain sympathy by putting on that pitiful act? Save it, it won't work on me. Don't think you're entitled to be taken care of just because you're young!"

When Ying Zhou was the same age as the other person, he had already learned to support himself and had never cried. He would bandage his own wounds and never showed weakness to others.

Murong Wu put away his aggrieved expression and said solemnly, "I don't want to learn to play the drums, I want to become a man like you!"

"Male... manliness?" Ying Zhou hadn't expected this answer.

Murong Wu nodded seriously and said, "Brother Ying is a real man, tough and tough, and a great fighter. Everyone is afraid of you. Even though you've graduated, everyone still remembers you. After I mentioned your name at school, they didn't dare bully me anymore. You're really amazing!"