Wind Arrives, Metal Qi Fills the Air

The moisture in the hall either condenses into water droplets and flows down the beams and pillars onto the floor tiles.

They'll either be blown outside by the wind.

With insufficient heat to replenish the steam, the fog in the hall dissipated, and the scenery became clearer.

The medicine bowl left to cool on the table had already lost much of its heat.

Because it was necessary to avoid the light, Chu Tianshu did not allow Hai Donglai remove the cloth covering his head.

His needlework technique, even through the fabric, was applied perfectly.

A dozen or so silver needles of varying lengths stood upright on Hai Donglai's head.

The needle tip was swaying slightly, and sometimes seemed to be tinged with a faint red.

That was the glow of the Weapon Soul within Hai Donglai's body.

The Weapon Soul don't matter whether their manifested abilities are wind, fire, or ice.

Their essence is all yin.

Moreover, these are actually the characteristics of the warlord's mind, mixed with the energy of the Spirit Realm, and have a very high degree of compatibility with the warlord's body and mind.

When a normal spirit enters a person's body, it brings both stimulation and amplification, but also a great burden. However, the burden that Weapon Soul places on the soldier master is very small.

If the Weapon Soul is allowed to dissolve within the body, its effectiveness will be dispersed, and it may even escape, so the benefits to the soldier master will not be obvious.

However, if the Weapon Soul is moved to the areas with the most severe inflammation, Chu Tianshu will then apply acupuncture to the location of the Weapon Soul.

Guide the Weapon Soul to suppress the most severe inflammations first.

At least they managed to save Hai Donglai from the brink of sudden death.

Other things can be treated and nurtured later.

"Okay, I've protected the head first."

Chu Tianshu had a few beads of sweat on his forehead. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down in his chair. "I'll treat your heart and lungs again in a little while."

Hai Donglai asked, "If we were to leave a sliver of hope for my Weapon Soul, would it significantly slow down the healing process?"

"Won't."

Chu Tianshu finished his tea and said, "Even if you use up all your Weapon Soul, you won't be able to engage in intense battles for at least six months."

"Rather than that, it would be better to preserve some of the Weapon Soul and transfer it to a new weapon later."

The Blind Cheng sat beside him, noticing that Chu Tianshu's voice was still dry, and pushed the untouched teacup next to him towards him.

Chu Tianshu took it and drank it all in one gulp.

Hai Donglai closed his eyes, checked his physical condition, and revealed an undisguised surprise on his face.

"Your medical skills are so effective in treating my injuries."

Hai Donglai pulled out a handful of gold leaves and placed them on the table. "This reward is far from enough."

"If you desire gold, silver, or other valuables, I would like to ask Lord Zheng to advance the funds. If you have any other requests, I will do my utmost to express my gratitude."

Hai Dong's face showed regret as he said this.

"My greatest value originally lay in my ability to kill, but now, with my injuries, that value has been greatly diminished..."

Chu Tianshu turned to look at him and held up one finger.

"Lord Hai, I'll repeat myself: you cannot engage in strenuous combat for the next six months, otherwise you might die before the fight is even over, and all my healing efforts would have been for nothing!"

Hai Donglai laughed and said, "I still cherish my life."

"I've gone to great lengths to earn this reputation and power, all for the sake of enjoyment. Every extra day I live is an extra day I can enjoy this fame and power."

He said casually, "If I die, these things will have no value."

Chu Tianshu was holding a new cup of tea that the butler had brought him, and he stirred the tea leaves on the surface of the water.

"Indeed, the dead can't even get a drink of water."

Chu Tianshu asked, "So, you've always worn a red umbrella and red clothes just to make it easier to become famous?"

Hai Donglai said slowly, "That's right, my joining the Inner Guard as the leader of the martial arts masters in Chang'an was also for this reason."

"If I join the army, I'll eventually have to follow the rules and regulations, and there will be complicated relationships with superiors and subordinates. I might not even get the credit for my own work. I wouldn't mind killing a few people who try to steal my credit, but it's still troublesome."

The Blind Cheng had just brought out a fresh cup of tea, froze in mid-air upon hearing this.

"Was Commandant Cheng thinking of himself?"

Hai Donglai suddenly said, "Back then, a few people, led by the military governor of Weibo, rebelled."

"Your battalion was defending the city and doing its utmost to stop the rebels from advancing south. I was looking for an opportunity to assassinate the rebel general nearby, and I secretly met you there."

"Wind-Listening Saber, Loulan Slash, not bad. I thought I would see your name on the merit list, but I later learned that your battalion was almost wiped out."

"The military intelligence didn't mention your whereabouts at all; instead, the son of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War who led the troops to reinforce you received a great reward."

Click!

A crack appeared in the Blind Cheng's teacup, and hot water flowed over his knuckles.

"What they stole wasn't solely my achievement."

The Blind Cheng lifted his eyelids, revealing white pupils that exuded an unyielding chill.

"They're even taking credit for the achievements and reputations of the dead! Is this still the Great Tang? Are these the generals of my Great Tang?!"

Hai Donglai said, "The Lu Clan refused to abide by the Two-Tax Law and secretly formed cliques for personal gain. I happened to find out about what happened back then, and both the father and son were beheaded by my own Inner Guard."

"If you had joined the Inner Guard, you could have taken your revenge long ago, and you could have redressed the grievances of many more soldiers like you."

The Blind Cheng a moment.

After that incident, he was bedridden for over a month, his eye condition worsened, and he became disheartened, so he became a ghostwriter on the border.

He thought he had seen through the ways of the world and learned to protect himself wisely, but in the end he still managed to control the spoiled young master of the Yuwen Family.

Even more unexpectedly, my old enemy, who held a high position and was adept at manipulating the world, was already dead.

"Oh!"

The Blind Cheng chuckled inexplicably and let out a long sigh of relief. "The hot-blooded die, the cold-blooded die. So it turns out that having hot or cold blood doesn't matter."

"Haha, good riddance."

He seemed oblivious to the recruitment intent implied in Hai Donglai's words, and without responding, he suddenly stood up.

"Brother Chu, if you need any help, just let me know."

"Right now, I just want to go see what new tricks Wen Jing has up her sleeve today."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Go ahead."

Hai Donglai sighed softly, "It seems that although he still retains his sense of loyalty, he has lost his ambition."

Chu Tianshu took a sip of tea to moisten his mouth and said, "Not everyone needs lofty ambitions."

Zheng Hui hadn't spoken up beforehand, fearing it would disturb the treatment.

Now it seems that Hai Donglai is at least not seriously impaired in his speech.

He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is the purpose of Lord Hai's visit to Nanzhao?"

Hai Donglai serious. "For the sake of the Inner Guard."

"Nanzhao was a place of particular concern to the Inner Guard, and there were quite a few secret post stations and pigeon lofts set up there."

"Ten years ago, after Nanzhao surrendered, things relaxed a little. Recently, the court is going to use force against Tubo, and Nanzhao's attitude is very important."

"When I re-examined the Nanzhao, I discovered that Nanzhao Inner Guard had been significantly reduced."

"Especially in this area inside and outside the royal city, there isn't a single Inner Guard left."

Zheng Hui was taken aback. "They're all dead?"

"No."

Hai Donglai said, "If so many Inner Guard had died within the territory of Nanzhao, I wouldn't have only noticed something amiss now."

"Many of the Inner Guard didn't die; rather, they were unknowingly transferred elsewhere over the past few years, to the border, or even back to Chuanshu."

"Some of these transfer orders were handled by the Left Bureau, and some by the Right Bureau. Some of those who handled them have already lost their lives, and some have been imprisoned."

"Some are still alive, but when I asked them why such transfer orders were issued, their explanations were reasonable; they were normal judgments made based on the circumstances at the time."

Zheng Hui discerned the key point. "Is it that there are people in the Great Tang who are very knowledgeable about the Inner Guard, and they are colluding with the people of Nanzhao, subtly diluting the distribution of the Inner Guard in Nanzhao?"

The military governor of Huaixi could not possibly have had such influence over the Inner Guard.

Hai Donglai said softly, "That's what I think too. There's a big traitor in the court."

Zheng Hui exclaimed in alarm, "Since he is such a treacherous person, the traces he left in Nanzhao will be extremely difficult to find."

Why didn't Lord Hai stay in the court to investigate?

Hai Donglai calmly replied, "The situation in the court is complex, and investigating would be troublesome. The court's military campaign is imminent, and such delays cannot be tolerated."

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "The fact that the person targeted the Inner Guard in Nanzhao shows that Nanzhao was a key part of his plan."

Even if we don't know who that person in the court is, or what his plans are, as long as we get to Nanzhao, we can see what major events are happening soon.

"By eliminating the ringleaders who pose a threat to the Great Tang, the trap set by these conspirators will be torn apart."

Hai Donglai raised his eyes, a smile already appearing in them.

"You are truly a kindred spirit!"

Hai Donglai's expression turned cold and somber. "But I never expected to encounter the Tubo high priest and more than thirty high monks guarding the royal family."

Zheng Hui sighed, "People from the Great Tang, people from the Huaixi military governor, people from Tubo."

"Our Nanzhao has actually colluded with so many powerful forces."

"The rumors of hatred towards Tang People are probably part of their plan."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianshu's face revealed a somber expression, as if most of his face had been hidden in shadow.

There are always people like this, heartless and cruel, who treat the lives of the masses as mere pawns to be tossed aside at will.

Duan Zhong was ambitious, Huaixi was practically in rebellion, and the Tubo had been waging war against him for a long time, so it was still tolerable.

However, even within the Great Tang, there were high-ranking and powerful individuals who acted in this way, treating the Tang People as less than human beings.

Even though I know this has happened in every dynasty, I still feel disgusted.

"Killing just one local outspoken tyrant from Nanzhao is not enough."

Chu Tianshu tilted his head back and drank the tea leaves in one gulp, chewing on the stems, and said, "Give them a chance, let them all come out, and then kill them all."

Zheng Hui looked troubled. "It sounds similar to Lord Hai's original plan, but our current strength isn't enough, is it?"

"It may not be enough."

Chu Tianshu retorted, then laughed, "Besides, Lord Hai's original plan was to wait for the other side to show themselves, then rush in and kill them on the spot, right?"

"Leaving aside whether such a small force can succeed in defeating a large one, even if it does, the battle is too short, and there isn't enough time for the enemy's allies to hear about it, get nervous, and then jump out."

Hai Donglai asked with great interest, "What are you going to do?"

Chu Tianshu said, "First, kill one of the smaller ones to give them a shock, then create a situation that even the government can't refuse, attracting worldwide attention while giving them enough time..."

Zheng Hui focused on listening to the second half, specifically how to do it.

Hai Donglai could even hear the rest of his explanation, he said, "Your very first sentence was filled with murderous intent. You've been wanting to kill that person for more than just a day or two, haven't you?"

"You seem like a straightforward person, so why wait until today and make up so many excuses?"

Chu Tianshu readily admitted it.

"I hate it when someone points a crossbow at my head, and I've wanted to kill him for a long time."

"However, the world is full of countless obstacles and ravines; even the freest wind, if it blows haphazardly at first, can easily run into obstacles."

"Only by identifying the key points can one overcome obstacles and build up an unstoppable momentum."

Chu Tianshu's eyes were sharp. He swallowed the tea leaves in his mouth, his breath filled with a fragrant yet deadly aroma.

"I'm not waiting; I'm constantly moving forward, seemingly leisurely at every step, yet never stopping."

Now, there are signs of a golden aura emanating from the wind!

(End of this chapter)