A Devastating Weapon

Lin Qingyao nodded after listening.

"Okay, I'll get it for you right away. Your older brother needs it more."

She was about to go back inside when she said that.

"Etc."

Shen Jingchuan suddenly remembered that neither she nor Bai Ruoli had a Storage Ring yet. Now that they were both at the Qi Refining First Layer, their Divine Sense was sufficient, so they could use it.

He took out two Storage Rings from his person and handed one to each of them.

"This is Storage Ring. You've all Qi Refining First Layer now, so you can use it. I'll teach you how to use it."

Following his instructions, the two probed inside with their Divine Senses, taking things in and then releasing them, finding it incredibly novel.

"This is so convenient!" Lin Qingyao's eyes lit up.

Bai Ruoli suddenly spoke.

"My lord, I also have a pistol. Let's give it to them; I have no use for it."

Lin Qingyao thought about it and agreed.

"Here, I also have a pistol; give it to them too."

The two went back to their respective rooms and returned shortly after. They took the gun and bullets out of their Rings and placed them on the ground.

Shen Jingchuan put all the guns and ammunition into his Storage Ring and nodded.

"Alright, they might attack the Government Army troops today. I'll go check it out."

Lin Qingyao and Bai Ruoli spoke at the same time.

"My husband, you must be careful."

"What am I being careful about? I'm involved."

Shen Jingchuan smiled, but his expression turned serious:

"Remember this, you are now cultivators. From now on, we will not easily interfere in wars or conflicts among mortals. Unless absolutely necessary, we must not intervene. This is the rule of the cultivation world. Do you understand?"

The two nodded thoughtfully.

"I see."

Lin Qingyao urged him.

"Husband, you should go quickly and take these to our elder brothers. They have a better chance of winning."

Shen Jingchuan caught a glimpse of Qinghe and Ju'er standing to the side.

"Where is that little girl Yue'er?"

"You're still eyeing everyone." Lin Qingyao smiled, "They're in their room, probably practicing their martial arts again."

"Didn't she know she couldn't practice like that day and night?"

Lin Qingyao rolled her eyes at him. "Your sweet little girl is so eager to help you. I said a few words to her, and now she won't listen to anything I say."

Shen Jingchuan stepped forward and hugged her. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Qingyao smiled first.

"Alright, I was just kidding. She said she needs to cultivate diligently so she can help you in the future."

Shen Jingchuan: "You two go check on her, but don't startle her. Once she stops on her own, convey my message: from now on, she's not allowed to cultivate during the day, only at night. I have other things to attend to, so I'll be going now."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely get your message."

Shen Jingchuan turned and left the courtyard, arriving at the large open space outside, where it was quiet all around. He first went to the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, where Hu Tieniu was half-reclining on the large chair, dozing off with his feet propped up on the table.

Shen Jingchuan didn't disturb him. He turned and went out. With a thought, he released the modified four-wheeled carriage and parked it in the open space in front of the Hall of Righteousness.

Hu Tieniu woke up immediately and came out to greet him.

"Young master, you're back."

"You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't wake you," Shen Jingchuan said. "Now that you're awake, come here, I'll give you a powerful weapon."

As he spoke, he leaped onto the roof of the car and reached out his hand to Hu Tieniu. Hu Tieniu understood and extended his hand as well. Taking advantage of this handshake, Shen Jingchuan gently pulled him onto the roof.

Shen Jingchuan took out the twin-barreled 23mm machine gun from his Storage Ring, mounted it on the steering buckle on the roof of the vehicle, and it clicked firmly into place. He then took out the ammunition box and taught him how to load and fire the ammunition.

"Look closely, this isn't a gun, it's a machine gun."

As Hu Tieniu studied it, he gasped in astonishment. Just by looking at its appearance, he knew that this thing was far more ferocious than his Maxim Machine Gun.

Shen Jingchuan then took out four more steel rods, jumped off the vehicle, and drove them into the ground one by one.

"The recoil of this cannon is much greater than that of a machine gun. Before firing, these four steel spikes must be firmly driven into the ground to secure the vehicle, otherwise the vehicle will move after a volley of shots. Fire a couple of rounds first to get a feel for it."

Shen Jingchuan raised his hand and pointed behind him. There was a towering cliff, and below it was nothing but emptiness.

"Shoot at that cliff face."

Following his instructions, Hu Tieniu gripped the cannon with both hands, pressed his face against it to get a rough aim, and pulled the trigger.

He was only human after all, and he dared not carry the cannon on his shoulder. If he did, the recoil from the cannon would shake him to pieces. He relied entirely on four steel spikes to keep the vehicle firmly planted on the ground.

Thump--

More than a dozen shells were fired in quick succession, crashing into the distant cliffs, sending rocks flying and dust billowing high into the air.

As soon as the cannon fired, the entire village erupted in chaos, and people rushed out in all directions. Lin Shan and Lin Yue were the first to arrive, with Lin Weiyuan following behind at a distance to see what was happening.

Hu Tieniu poked his head out of the car, his eyes shining.

"Young master, this thing is amazing!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "It can even blow open the city gates! Why don't we go all out and take Yuxi Prefecture too!"

"I don't care about that, you guys decide," Shen Jingchuan said.

As they were talking, Lin Shan and Lin Yue had already rushed to the car. Lin Yue was the fastest; he jumped onto the car and shoved Hu Tieniu aside.

"Get out of the way, let me have a go!"

Caught off guard, Hu Tieniu was pushed so hard that he stumbled and fell off the car, yelling and screaming on the ground.

"You surnamed Lin, you're trying to take it from me again!"

"You have to let me play with it for a bit first," Lin Yue said without turning his head. "I've never even touched such a big thing before."

Shen Jingchuan shook his head. His brother-in-law never missed out on anything new or interesting.

"Alright, stop fighting."

He instructed Lin Yue to remove the belt of ammunition that had been fired a few rounds, then took out a new ammunition box and taught him again how to attach it and how to feed the ammunition. "Got it? Still that direction, the cliff, go ahead and fire."

Following his instructions, Lin Yue barely glanced at the fire before grabbing it and striking it a few times.

This time, everyone around saw it clearly. They heard a series of rapids as shells followed and landed on the cliff. With a deafening roar, rocks rained down.

Shen Jingchuan raised his hand and patted him.

"Alright, let go." He said irritably, "Do you think these shells are free? If you keep firing, they won't be useful when a real war breaks out."

Lin Yue quickly let go, still somewhat reluctant to stop.

"Brother-in-law, what is this thing called?"

"Machine gun."

Shen Jingchuan glanced at the crowd that had gathered around him, then turned to Hu Tieniu.

"Was everyone resting and getting ready to make their move tonight?"

Hu Tieniu took out his pocket watch, opened it, and glanced at it.

"It's alright, it's about time to get up." He closed his watch and called out, "Get ready, we'll have dinner first, and then, as soon as it gets dark, we'll get to work!"

The village already arranged for everyone to take turns resting during the day so that they could be well-rested for the night.

Shen Jingchuan looked up at the horizon. The setting sun was sinking behind the mountains, burning a red glow. The hands on his pocket watch were not yet at six o'clock.

Hu Tieniu stood on the shaft of the cart and shouted at the surrounding brothers.

"You all saw that, didn't you! With this guy leading the charge, tonight's battle will surely send those Government Army down the mountain running for their lives!"

Having just witnessed the power of the machine gun, everyone was now full of confidence, and someone in the crowd immediately shouted back.

"Please, Boss!"

"Yes, let them never leave alive!"

Hu Tieniu waved his hand.

"Stop crowding around, everyone. Go about your business, dinner will be served soon!"

Everyone readily agreed and happily dispersed to prepare.