A Multitude Outside the City, Intentions and Limbs Reversed

Du Fanchuan's disciple was named Cao Mengzheng.

In his youth, this man was not known for his spiritual practice, but rather for his poetic talent, and was famous for his poetic style, which closely resembled that of Jia Dao.

Later, when he entered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to learn divination, he had to use short sentences to express the results of divination, relying entirely on fleeting inspirations in his mind, without being able to carefully consider them.

The surviving sentences often failed to maintain proper tonal patterns and rhymes, resulting in disjointed phrases and sentences that were neither grammatically correct nor poetic, much to the regret of the literary circles in Chang'an.

However, after he inherited Du Fanchuan's Weapon Soul, no one cared about his reputation in the literary world anymore.

He would gladly trade his poetic talent of ten lifetimes for the ability to foresee natural disasters.

"Unfortunately, he was, after all, merely an inheritor of the Weapon Soul; his own talent in divination was far inferior to that of Elder Du."

Nie Hongxian said, "He can only predict natural disasters two or three months in advance, and if multiple natural disasters occur in the same place at the same time, he can only predict one of them."

There was a hint of regret in Nie Hongxian's tone.

Chu Tianshu then said, "That's still quite remarkable."

Predicting natural disasters months in advance is something that's still impossible in my hometown.

Human technology is still far from fully understanding the complexities of Earth.

As for those ancient divination techniques, even the most famous divination master, Master White Horse, was only good at predicting human and ghostly calamities, and was mainly responsible for divination of matters within a single city.

If White Horse dared to attempt divination during such a major event as a natural disaster, he would likely suffer a backlash and fall into a coma on the spot.

Chu Tianshu looked at the scenery outside the window.

The power of the Weapon Soul... The Weapon Soul is truly unique in this world.

This mysterious ability to predict natural disasters multiple times with minimal backlash is likely related to the protection of the Blood-Colored Starry Sky.

The carriages and horses traveled all day and rested late at night.

The resting place was on a gentle slope, with some desolate woods and tombs not far away. Looking down the mountain, you could see villages and towns.

Chu Tianshu got off the carriage with the Divine Drum, sat down by the edge of the desolate forest, gently tapped the drum, and looked up at the stars.

Although he was unaware of the unique drumming techniques of the Mountain King lineage, he gradually gained control over the drumbeats after practicing them himself.

The sound of the Divine Drum did not travel far, only lingering on this gentle slope; the effect of gathering and dispersing vital energy was mainly concentrated on him.

However, many fireflies were startled and took flight amidst the wild grass and trees.

Nie Hongxian was still engrossed in reviewing the case files in the car, making markings with a red pen.

With nothing else to do, Su Xian and Li Chenxiang were both unconsciously drawn to Chu Tianshu's drumming.

The croaking of frogs in the water and the sound of the wind in the mountains seemed to blend together with the sound of drums.

Those tiny, fragile fireflies seem capable of carrying the weight of heavy drumbeats, flying freely.

Su and Li, witnessing this scene, felt a strange and indescribable sense of wonder.

They seemed to sense that Chu Tianshu's aura was undergoing a subtle transformation under the starlight and in the night breeze.

The two couldn't pinpoint exactly what had started to change, but they could sense the subtle, gradual change, like a gentle, pervasive rain.

Even after the drumming stopped, Chu Tianshu stood quietly in the desolate forest, and the changes in him continued.

The next morning, they set off again.

Back in the car, Chu Tianshu sat quietly in meditation, the changes still lingering.

Perhaps for this reason, Chu Tianshu spoke much less during the rest of the journey and didn't chat with them much.

After a full day's journey, as night fell, they finally approached Chang'an.

Chang'an has its own laws and regulations. It is already late at night, and the city gates are tightly closed. No one can enter or leave until dawn.

Many people who arrived at the wrong time would end up spending the night outside the city.

These people included wandering knights from all over the country, merchant caravans from the South Sea, and even teams from Martial Exhibition of All Nations.

Because of their large numbers and diverse backgrounds, it was impossible for them all to gather together; most of them were scattered outside the city.

So much so that outside the city, on vast plains and mountain roads, there were lights stretching for more than ten miles, and numerous horse and camel caravans.

Some merchants from the Central Plains had already lit bonfires and hired dancers to perform, selling small items to the wandering knights.

"The finest wine from Gaochang!"

"The jade of the Kang Kingdom! Don't believe me? Come and touch it. This jade is as delicate as unmelted cheese, and whiter than the thousand-year-old snow on the mountaintop..."

Su Xian moved closer to the window, sniffed the air, and smiled.

"And the wine from Gaochang? The place where this wine is produced is probably no more than 500 li away from Chang'an. They just put it in a different bottle and dare to say it's from Gaochang."

He turned to Chu Tianshu and smiled, "Senior, these foreign merchants like to buy small items along the way to swindle things near Chang'an, but every caravan definitely has some truly good goods."

"I'd like to go down and check their prices, to find out their bottom line. Is that alright?"

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Go ahead."

Su Xian exclaimed "Ah!" and quickly got out of the car.

Seeing the bustling scene outside, Li Chenxiang was quite tempted. He also loved to visit Chang'an, and the area outside the city was already more prosperous than that of Chang'an Kingdom of Chenla.

Chu Tianshu said, "Prince, you should go too. It'll be good for you to look after each other."

Li Chenxiang exclaimed happily, "Great!"

Seeing that he had also gotten out of the car, Chu Tianshu stood up, took a few steps, lifted the curtain at the car door, and gazed at the majestic city under the night sky.

Compared to its brief existence over a hundred years ago, this city is now far more magnificent.

The city wall, over seven zhang high, stretches out to both sides, seemingly without end.

The thickness of the city wall cannot be clearly seen from a single glance, but it must be incredibly sturdy.

Because, on the city wall, there were quite a few golden-armored warriors, each ten feet tall.

They all wore golden helmets, fish-scale armor, and Lion Barbarian Belt belts tightly binding their waists. The armor plates hung down to their crotches like skirts, and the legs of their red trousers were tucked into golden war boots.

The spears they wielded were as thick as an average person's calf.

"This city wall was expanded sixty years ago."

Nie Hongxian also walked to the car door, leaned against the other side, looked up, and said, "Back then, the martial arts of the giant warriors weren't so widespread, and a city wall over seven zhang high was already extremely majestic."

Later, as more giants and strongmen appeared, the city walls seemed less imposing.

"But a true master cannot be stopped by even the highest city walls. Continuing to raise them would only be a waste of manpower. Therefore, the only solution is to thicken the walls, making them even more solid."

Chu Tianshu nodded slightly, then suddenly heard an unusual sound of wind and turned to look.

In a field not far away, two groups of people were facing off.

In that field, the weeds were slender and low, and there were quite a few gray-white stones.

Even without a campfire, the moonlight alone illuminated the area quite brightly.

The two groups of people were dressed in white, with white headscarves, and the leaders of the two groups were mostly wearing red cloaks.

The other group consisted mostly of blond men, dressed in black robes with silver crosses pinned to their chests.

One person from each team has entered the fray, and they are locked in combat.

The man in the white turban leaped back and forth between the boulders. His legs were incredibly strong and his legwork was superb. He kicked out with both legs, causing the hem of his white robe to suddenly flare up and then fly away diagonally.

This made him appear like a white flame, perfectly showcasing the power, ferocity, speed, and versatility of his leg techniques.

The man in black was clearly skilled in palm techniques; his use of soft power in both hands was extremely skillful, making his defense impeccable.

People with slightly poorer eyesight might even think that there is a hole in each of his hands.

The surrounding strong winds, and even the enemy's leg strikes, were all swallowed up by the hole and dissolved into nothingness.

"They are Zoroastrianism and Church of the East."

Nie Hongxian immediately recognized the origins of both parties and praised, "That Church of the East ' Martyrdom Palm ' truly lives up to its reputation as one of the sect's most treasured techniques; its evolution has become increasingly perfect."

"Given this young man's physique, he should have been unable to withstand the opponent's fierce attack. It was only thanks to the skillful use of the Martyrdom Palm technique, which allowed him to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, that he was able to launch a counterattack."

The leaders of both sides twitched their ears slightly, having heard each other's comments, and turned to look.

The two men seemed to know Nie Hongxian. Upon seeing her, they became stern and performed the proper etiquette. They then immediately turned around and stopped their subordinates from fighting.

"Huh?"

Chu Tianshu watched as the two groups of people suddenly sat down, kneeling and chanting scriptures, showing no intention of continuing the fight.

"What's this? Two men fought with all their might; shouldn't we at least wait for them to decide a winner?"

Although he wasn't particularly fond of watching rivers of blood.

It's a bit of a shame that someone's hard work in the competition was suddenly stopped by their boss.

Upon hearing this, Nie Hongxian pursed her lips slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Back then, their private fights went too far and they were taught a lesson by the Inner Guard. After that, they would restrain themselves whenever they saw the Inner Guard present. Anyway, they would have their own time to fight on the stage of the Martial Exhibition of All Nations."

Chu Tianshu suddenly realized something, looked around, and fully opened his senses.

In fact, although the two groups of people just now recognized Nie Hongxian and stopped fighting, at least twenty other battles have also broken out outside the city.

Pagans against pagans, wandering knights against barbarians, old soldiers against thieves.

This was only what Chu Tianshu could perceive. On this very night, countless similar incidents occurred among the people living around Chang'an City.

As martial arts flourished, so did the pressure to organize Martial Exhibition of All Nations.

If the Great Tang Dynasty has achieved unity within its borders, then things are fine; its strength will not lag behind that of the outside world.

However, the major internal conflicts have clearly not been resolved yet. If someone disregards the overall situation during the martial arts exercise, it would be quite problematic!

Just then, a stiff female voice came from the crowd.

"Commander Nie!!"

Chu Tianshu looked in the direction of the sound and saw a curly-haired woman wearing Western-style heavy armor, with a cloak that reached the ground, carrying a large hammer, walking towards them.

The woman was tall and slender, carrying a hammer in one hand and pulling a man in a blue robe with the other.

The man wore a black turban and a blue round-necked robe, and had a rather heroic appearance. However, for some reason, he seemed a bit uncoordinated and was almost dragged over by the woman.

Chu Tianshu asked in surprise, "These two are acquaintances of yours?"

"The woman is a disciple of the Far West Thunder God Sect, and she has taken a Han name, Feng Bohu. The man is from the Guo family of the Huayin Guo Clan, Guo Lingwei."

Having said this, Nie Hongxian jumped off the carriage shaft and walked forward.

Although most aristocratic families were at odds with the Inner Guard, the Huayin Guo Clan was an exception.

When the Great Tang fought against the Tubo, it recovered lost territory and the Four Garrisons of Anxi returned to China.

However, the local Han population was sparse, making governance difficult. The imperial court originally intended to relocate a group of people to Anxi, but each region had its own difficulties.

At that time, many officials in the court wanted to delay the matter and let it go unresolved.

Guo, the Dadu Protector of Anxi, personally wrote to the court, requesting that the Huayin Guo Clan be the first to migrate westward, as an example.

Prince Guo was originally from the Huayin Guo Clan. At that time, he was the most senior member of the Guo clan and had the highest prestige among the people.

His initiative in submitting the memorial made the court's actions much smoother.

Over the years, the Guo family and the Inner Guard have always cooperated seamlessly in the Four Garrisons of Anxi.

When Guo Lingwei was a little over ten years old, he returned with the Guo family team to participate in the Martial Exhibition of All Nations. This year marks his third time participating, and he is gradually taking charge of coordinating the resettlement of some Inner Guard within the Guo family.

Nie Hongxian and he had a fairly good relationship.

"Commander Nie, you're back! Come quickly and see what's wrong with Lingwei!"

As Feng Bohu approached, his voice became somewhat quieter, but his anxiety only intensified.

Upon seeing Nie Hongxian, Guo Lingwei's veins bulged, he gritted his teeth, and raised his right foot as if to kick out.

Feng Bohu casually slapped his leg down.

Nie Hongxian, who was usually calm, couldn't help but show a strange expression at this moment.

Why did this old friend suddenly seem to hate her so intensely?

Guo Lingwei remained silent for a moment, then, with trembling hands, he clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, his facial muscles twitching, before managing to force a smile.

"If you can't laugh, then don't laugh!"

Feng Bohu turned to Nie Hongxian and said, "He's completely out of control now, his hands and feet are moving around wildly..."

Chu Tianshu walked over, looked him up and down carefully, and his eyes gleamed with a strange light.

"No, it's not simply a loss of control; his actions and thoughts are now completely reversed!"

(End of this chapter)