The ugliest sister-in-law

"Ding ding ding"

In the alchemy chamber on the seventh floor of the Bureau of Astronomy, Song Qing, sleeves rolled up, stood before an anvil, holding a large purple-gold hammer and matching iron tongs, hammering steel.

His white clothes were stained with black ash, his forehead was dripping with sweat, and he had dark circles under his eyes, making him look as if he might suddenly die at any moment.

After removing the impurities, Song Qing took out a dark gold nail, aimed it at the iron blank, and hammered the head of the nail hard with a sledgehammer.

With a piercing sound, the dark gold nail pierced through the iron blank.

"There's no comparison, absolutely no comparison."

Song Qing shook his head regretfully. "What exactly is the Demon-Sealing Nail made of? Does such a metal really exist in the world?"

The Demon-Sealing Nail in his hand was brought back by Sun Xuanji, who entrusted it to Song Qing at the request of the Alchemy prodigy Xu Ningyan.

Young Master Xu truly deserves his reputation as a genius willing to dedicate everything to Alchemy. He is also a confidant of Song Qing, having contributed such an important artifact to the Bureau of Astronomy for research.

Young Master Xu offered only one condition for contributing the Demon-Sealing Nail: that Alchemist could replicate it.

The Alchemist were deeply moved.

Young Master Xu not only contributed the divine artifact, but also entrusted them with important responsibilities.

At this moment, a white-robed Warlock strode into the alchemy room and loudly proclaimed:

"Senior Brother Song, Professor Jianzheng wants you to take this box downstairs and give it to Senior Sister Zhong."

The supervising teacher Song Qing, took the wooden box with a hint of doubt and asked:

What is it?

The white-robed Warlock shook his head. "Master Jianzheng said that only Senior Sister Zhong can open it."

Song Qing, who has always been a disciple with his own opinions (and a rebellious streak), immediately tried to open the box upon hearing this, but failed.

"Alright!"

Song Qing nodded, carrying a wooden box half a foot wide and a foot long, left the alchemy room, went up the stairs to the first-floor hall, and then through the iron gate behind the hall into the underground.

Footsteps echoed in the quiet underground, and the flickering oil lamps bathed everything in a warm, soft orange hue.

Song Qing sniffed the faint musty smell in the air. Most of the white-robed Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy were away, either serving in the army or traveling to save people, so they rarely had time to open the door for Zhong Li to breathe.

After passing through a dark and long corridor, Song Qing stopped at the door of a forbidden room and looked inside through the lattice window in the door.

Zhong Li sat cross-legged in the corner, quietly.

"Junior Sister Zhong!"

Song Qing pushed open the door, walked over to her, and sat down cross-legged. "Professor Jianzheng asked me to give this to you."

Zhong Li opened her eyes, took the wooden box, and the latch automatically popped open the moment she touched it.

Upon opening the box, a wooden hammer about half an arm's length lay inside, covered with yellow silk cloth.

The wooden mallet is light brown, with a handle that gleams from being rubbed, and the hammerhead and handle are engraved with fine, intricate patterns.

Zhong Li was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Song Qing.

Song Qing happened to be looking down when the two disciples met eyes and said in unison:

"Chaos Hammer!"

Song Qing suddenly realized and said, "No wonder the supervisor said you had to open the box. No one else can use this broken thing except you."

According to Teacher Jianzheng, the Chaotic Fate Hammer was something he made on a whim when he was young.

Using this hammer to strike someone on the head can change their fate, but whether the fate is good or bad is uncontrollable, and both the person holding the hammer and the person being struck will have their fate changed.

People are divided into different classes, and every profession has its own destiny.

Once one's fate is altered, they will suffer divine retribution and have their lifespan halved.

In other words, this broken hammer not only causes unpredictable changes to a person's fate, but also, starting with, halves their lifespan.

However, Zhong Li is an exception, because Zhong Li's current fate is "divine retribution," and the Chaotic Fate Hammer cannot change such a terrible fate, so she can avoid the side effects.

"Why did the supervising teacher give you this?"

Song Qing looked bewildered. "Although you are now a prophet and will suffer all kinds of calamities, the Fate-Disrupting Hammer is powerless against you. But if you use it to recklessly change other people's destinies, won't your calamities be aggravated?"

Zhong Li shook her head and silently put the hammer away.

"Sigh, it feels so peaceful in the Star-Gazing Tower Bureau of Astronomy Caiwei. Junior Sister Zhong, I have to go back to refine my weapon, so I'll be leaving now." Song Qing stood up, pushed her aside, and left.

Far overseas.

With its body covered in jade-like white scales, and a cow-like nose, crocodile lips, and lion-like mane, the White Emperor swiftly traversed the sea surface, its four hooves pounding the ground.

The waves are vast, and as far as the eye can see, there is only the sky; apart from the sky, there is only the boundless ocean.

On this vast, unpredictable sea, the White Emperor accurately found his destination.

It lowered its head, gazing at the sea beneath its hooves, its azure eyes shining with a deep, dark light, like swirling eddies.

A whirlpool appeared on the sea surface, quickly expanding into a large whirlpool tens of meters in diameter, with white foam churning up.

The White Emperor plunged into the whirlpool, and a moment later, he emerged from it with a long, curved spear that resembled bone, stone, gold, and jade in his mouth.

Its four hooves flew like a galloping horse, disappearing into the horizon.

The whirlpool gradually subsided, and the ocean returned to its original state.

Dongling City.

The barbican was built on the city wall, and Xu Pingfeng stood on top of it, his white robes fluttering, his posture like that of a banished immortal.

He carried a flask of wine in his hand and gazed northward.

Yunzhou Central Military Camp.

Heavy carts carrying supplies moved in and out of the military camp, while rank-and-file soldiers repeated their duties of guarding and patrolling, always ready to go into battle.

Compared to the Yunzhou army, which was fighting on three fronts, the 30,000-strong central army was the most intact, with its elite troops constantly recuperating and preparing for battle.

Over the course of a month, the military camp hardly saw any soldiers leave the area.

At this time, as winter gradually came to an end, the lower-ranking soldiers were still relatively calm, with limited experience, but the middle and high-ranking officers began to get restless.

They realized that as spring approached, the balance of power between themselves and Great Feng would gradually begin to reverse.

As a result, calls for leaving the camp to fight grew louder and louder.

To this day, more than a dozen mid- to high-ranking generals are kneeling outside the commander's tent, "coercing" Qi Guangbo to send troops.

Among them was Zhuo Haoran, who was demoted from a left-wing colonel to a deputy captain of the assault battalion.

"General, we can't delay any longer. If we don't take Qingzhou this winter, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven for our army to reach the capital after the spring sacrifice."

Zhuo Haoran, whose left eye was grayish-white and who could not see, roared:

"This humble general only desires death, but I beg the general to allow me to die on the battlefield. Please, general, send out your troops."

The surrounding generals echoed his sentiments. Although they looked down on Zhuo Haoran, a defeated general, their stance was the same at this moment.

After a while of commotion, just when the generals thought they had returned empty-handed, the tent flap was opened.

Qi Guangbo, dressed in full military attire, rested one hand on his sword hilt, his gaze calm and his expression indifferent. He glanced at the assembled generals, showing no anger whatsoever, but instead smiled and said:

"They've managed to hold on until now, so they're not entirely without patience."

Zhuo Haoran, with one eye, said in astonishment:

"General?"

Qi Guangbo said in a deep voice:

"Zhuo Haoran, you caused the loss of six thousand elite troops in Songshan County, which should have been punished according to military law. I, this general, value your talent and will spare your life. Now I ask you, do you want to atone for your crime?"

Zhuo Haoran shouted loudly:

"If I can avenge this humiliation, I will die without regret."

Qi Guangbo tossed out an order stamped with the commander's seal and said calmly:

"Lead 8,000 elite troops of the Left Army to Songshan County to support the Longxiang, Baixi, and Pozhen armies."

Zhuo Haoran's face lit up with ecstasy:

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Qi Guangbo stopped looking at him and turned to look at a general on his right:

"Wenxuan, lead 600 artillerymen from the artillery battalion and 3,000 infantrymen from the elite infantry battalion to support the Black Armor and Green Python armies of Dongling. At the same time, deliver this letter from the general to Ji Xuan."

Similarly, a command letter bearing the commander's seal was also issued.

"Zhao Bing, you will lead three thousand light cavalry to cut off the supply line to Songshan County. You must travel day and night."

"."

As orders were issued, half of the generals outside the tent were soon dismissed. Qi Guangbo glanced at the remaining men and said calmly:

"Break camp and follow me to conquer Wan County."

Songshan County.

From inside the barbican atop the city wall, Miao Youfang's angry voice rang out:

"Once a move is made, there's no going back, Mo Sang. I taught you Go, a game only scholars from the Central Plains could learn, and this is how you repay me?"

"Hmph, barbarians are barbarians."

Then came Mo Sang's voice:

"Is this a popular game among people in the Central Plains? It doesn't seem that difficult. Non-Self 'm some kind of scholarly genius?"

Miao Youfang sneered:

"What do you know? This is called the simplest truth. The simpler something is, the deeper its wisdom lies."

"Look, these five chess pieces can be placed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. You can also place them on the sides first, then in the middle. The gameplay is endlessly varied, and the steps are unpredictable."

Mosang, already wearing light armor, scratched his head:

"Although what you said makes a lot of sense, I still think it's very simple. I really am a natural scholar. After the war is over, I'll stay in your Central Plains, take the imperial examination, and become the top scholar before going back. My father will be overjoyed."

"What are you talking about?" Xu Cijiu inspecting the city's defenses and stepped into the barbican when he heard these words.

While guarding against Mo Sang secretly switching the chess pieces, Miao Youfang said:

"Let's play Go again. Go is the way of the gentleman."

Xu Erlang thought to himself, "This crude and uncouth warrior can actually play chess?" Upon closer inspection, he saw black and white pieces connected in lines of one, two, or three, with the longest line being four pieces. Regardless of whether it was white or black, a line of four pieces would be cut off.

"You... you call this Go?"

Xu Erlang looked at him with a strange expression.

"Isn't that right?" Miao Youfang retorted, and before Xu Erlang could speak, he let out a smug "Heh!"

"Don't think that playing chess is a privilege reserved for you scholars. It's not difficult at all. With my intelligence, I figured out the trick in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

"I didn't know how to play chess before; I was just intimidated by you bunch of scholars."

Mozambique chimed in from the side:

"I also think it's easy, Lord Xu. Do you think I could be like you and become the top scholar in the imperial examination? We've never produced a top scholar in the Southern Frontier before."

I think your Central Plains dialect has become more standard. Xu Xinnian chewed on a cornbread:

"Brother Miao, who taught you how to play chess?"

Miao Youfang moved his pieces swiftly, responding:

"Your sister-in-law."

Xu Xinnian was taken aback. "Which one?"

Which one? Miao Youfang was also taken aback, thought carefully, and said:

"The ugliest one."

Xu Xinnian thought about it carefully, but still couldn't guess who the ugliest person he was referring to.

"Just tell me your name."

"Mu Nanzhi."

Who is Mu Nanzhi? Never mind, I'll remember to tell her when I see her in the future. Miao Youfang said she was Xu Xinnian secretly remembered this, then cupped his hands to his two talented comrades and went to the side to read military books.

Scholars are shrewd and perceptive; this is a basic skill.