Blood Refinement Weapon Method

Being curious about something doesn't necessarily mean you have to possess it.

Chu Tianshu walked slowly, "I've also been curious about a cave deep underground in a mountain. Could I possibly steal something like that and keep it with me?"

The Blind Cheng said nothing more.

They were getting close to the royal city.

Looking into the distance, one can only see the outlines of high walls and city towers, with upturned eaves, seemingly hidden in the thin mist below the mountain, giving it a rather delicate appearance.

As you get closer to the city wall, the angle required to look up at it increases, and only then does a genuine feeling arise.

Even in the ancient Tang Dynasty, the cities built by the people already possessed a grand and majestic aura.

Two or three miles away from the city gate, many shops and residences had already appeared in the surrounding area.

This rain really helped the headless man a lot.

Once the rain started, there weren't many pedestrians on the street.

Otherwise, once he gets here, with so many people around to embolden him, in the ensuing chaos, some people might inevitably grab sticks or farm tools, or throw anything at the headless corpse.

Given the current state of this corpse, even a single blow from a wooden barrel would likely knock it down and prevent it from moving forward.

Fortunately, the swordsman's own home seemed to be nearby, so there was no need to venture further into the city.

Chu Tianshu and the Blind Cheng stood at the alley entrance, watching him turn into the alley.

Deep in the alley, there was a rather well-off-looking courtyard.

The courtyard gate was open, and a woman dressed in a fine cloth dress was waiting at the entrance with an umbrella.

The woman saw the headless man as soon as he turned into the alley.

Her face instantly turned sorrowful, and she leaned on the door frame, tears streaming down her face like beads.

Chu Tianshu saw that when the headless man walked there, the blue lines on the knife completely collapsed, his body swayed, and he fell forward.

The woman rushed forward, embraced the body, and sobbed.

Let's go.

The Blind Cheng said this and then turned and left.

Chu Tianshu asked, "Are we leaving already?"

"If we happen to meet him on the road, it's only right for a swordsman to offer him a ride."

"That's their own family matter," said the Blind Cheng.

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming somewhat unsure.

"You've just Nanzhao, you must need a place to stay, right?"

"I know a wonderful place where the wine is excellent and the meat is delicious. The woman who sells the wine is especially skilled at steaming fish, and the taste is incredibly fresh."

"There are also storytellers who can recount everything from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties, as if they were their own treasures. They can even tell a story or two about the East Sea, the Western Regions, the Nanzhao, Tubo."

"The people there, enjoying wine and tea, tell stories while drinking, and the more they eat, the more excited they become."

The Blind Cheng stopped and thought for a while.

"Oh, and also, other top-notch restaurants in town are all more expensive than this."

Chu Tianshu's expression was subtle.

Dude, you haven't been practicing your sales pitches properly, have you?

If it's free, that's fine, but if the store pays you to do promotions, then the store is really in trouble.

"OK."

Chu Tianshu smiled. "You lead the way."

The Blind Cheng led him to a place near the city gate.

As far as the eye can see, there are at least four or five wine shops nearby with wine flags hanging up.

However, it is rare to find a two-story wooden building that occupies a large area, with red paint on the doors and railings, and eaves shaped like a crescent moon.

Chu Tianshu walked into the grand restaurant.

The first floor of the restaurant was the main hall, surrounded by low tables and cushions, where guests ate while kneeling or sitting cross-legged.

In the center of the hall was a wooden platform with a stool on it, where an old man was playing the pipa.

In the middle of the second floor slab, a square opening was left, about ten feet on each side, and it was surrounded by railings.

Guests on the second floor can also see the wooden platform on the first floor directly through this opening.

The Blind Cheng entered and tilted his head.

Chu Tianshu then noticed a fleeting, chilly aura emanating from him.

That's most likely the power of Blind Cheng's Saber Soul.

Judging from Blind Cheng's performance along the way, he has excellent hearing and can locate sounds by sound.

But some things, in the end, you just can't hear them.

For example, when he was still in the earthen temple, rain was pounding on the jungle outside, and that headless man passed by.

A person is walking in the rain carrying their own head. Blind Cheng, they probably wouldn't be able to tell the other person's condition just by hearing.

At that time, he was able to know the headless man's situation perfectly because he used the power of his own Saber Soul.

However, the Saber Soul isn't always active; it's only activated for a fleeting moment when he deems it necessary.

"There."

The Blind Cheng found an empty table in the noisy restaurant and walked over.

Chu Tianshu followed him and sat down.

According to etiquette, only one person should sit behind a table, but this is just a restaurant, not a banquet for a wealthy family.

Here, it's quite normal for four people to sit around a long table.

Chu Tianshu was not used to kneeling, so he sat cross-legged.

Blind Cheng is even more casual; he crosses his left leg, bends his right knee, and rests his arm on it.

"Hey! You actually brought me a guest today?"

A woman in red walked over carrying a tray and placed two black porcelain wine bottles on it.

Her hair was not styled in a bun or adorned with hairpins; it was simply tied up with a red rope and a headscarf. Her red dress was somewhat worn and not particularly bright in color, and she also had a piece of coarse cloth wrapped around her waist, suggesting she was dressed as a cook.

But with her delicate eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and thin lips, her appearance and figure were quite captivating.

"This is Lady Wenjing; this restaurant belongs to her family."

The Blind Cheng said something to Chu Tianshu.

In this era, Niangzi is just a common title, which can be roughly equated with "girl".

Addressing someone by their full name is not a sign of intimacy, but rather a sign of distance and formality.

Lady Wenjing was a little reproachful to Blind Cheng, but when she turned to look at Chu Tianshu, she had a big smile on her face.

"Would you like some wine and meat first, or perhaps some vegetarian dishes and freshly picked banana blossoms, sir?"

"Let's have some meat, wine, and vegetables, everything."

Chu Tianshu took out something and handed it over.

"This is..."

Lady Wenjing hesitated for a moment, "Copper nails?"

Chu Tianshu coughed lightly. "These are gold needles."

The Blind Cheng reached out and took it, rubbed it a couple of times, then pinched it with his fingernail, his expression slightly changing.

"It's real gold, and very pure."

Before the Han Dynasty, gold and brass were both called gold, and even many copper alloys were given this name. Their value was determined by their appearance and color.

It wasn't until the alchemists of the Han Dynasty created "medicinal gold" that was of very good quality but very worthless that people began to take the distinction between gold and brass very seriously.

As a result, copper prices have depreciated significantly, while the value of gold has continued to rise.

The silver needles that Chu Tianshu used before were nominally silver needles, but in reality, most of them were steel needles.

This time when he went out, he took out several "golden needles" and brought them with him.

The value of these few golden needles is far less than that of the Gold Silk Treasure Armor and the Iron Curse Copper Rope, and the Fortune they consume is negligible.

With just these few golden needles, we don't need to worry about accommodation and food for now.

The Lady Wenjing seemed to trust Blind Cheng completely, accepting the golden nail with a beaming smile.

"If we only order one table of food with this, we won't be able to finish it all!"

Chu Tianshu said, "Then reserve a room for me. I'll be staying here for the time being."

"Okay."

Lady Wenjing took two more bottles of wine and placed them in front of the Blind Cheng, saying, "These are for you; you've brought a distinguished guest."

Blind Cheng picked up a black porcelain wine bottle and poured it into his mouth.

Chu Tianshu hissed softly, "Brother, aren't you going to order some food?"

In the blink of an eye, the Blind Cheng had downed the entire palm-sized bottle of wine.

"No rush, let me moisten my throat first."

He savored the taste for a moment, then picked up the second bottle, fumbled on the table, and finally managed to pour it into his glass.

The wine is slightly greenish and somewhat cloudy.

Chu Tianshu also poured himself a glass and smelled it first.

It smells like rice wine, but mainly has a fermented grain smell.

He took a small sip and found that it wasn't as sweet as rice wine, nor as pungent as baijiu; it was slightly sweet and spicy, with a hint of bitterness.

It has a complex flavor, but it's quite refreshing to drink.

After drinking three cups, Chu Tianshu noticed that the bitterness was gradually increasing. If he didn't change his taste, he probably wouldn't be able to appreciate the slightly sweet and spicy flavor he had previously experienced.

Just then, a waiter had already served the dishes.

The restaurant had more than a dozen waiters who served dishes with lightning speed, filling the air with delicious aromas.

The waiter placed the dishes on the table and, seeing that the guests were unfamiliar faces, offered to introduce them.

"The first dish is steamed green rice with banana blossoms. It was created at the banquet of a top scholar in the Great Tang and spread to Nanzhao. Now, there are only a few places that can make it well."

The rice is dyed bluish-black with the juice of the leaves of the Syzygium stenoptera. When cooking, a layer of red dates is placed on top. After the rice is cooked, banana flower buds are washed, mixed in, and then steamed with the steam.

Chu Tianshu picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, enjoying the fragrant and slightly sweet taste.

The second dish was roasted mutton, and a plate of it was also served to the Blind Cheng.

Chu Tianshu was eating when he heard the pipa music stop and a different person appear on stage.

One of the workers moved the stool away and placed a table about half a person's height on the platform.

There were all sorts of objects on the table.

There were round fans, short knives, camel bells, a large wooden seal, and a large paper hammer.

An elderly man with gray hair and a sprightly spirit walked onto the stage and bowed to all sides.

"This old man Dao Baishu, the storyteller of this brothel. To those present, whether I know him or not, I would like to offer my apologies."

"Because I make a living by storytelling, the characters in these stories, while based on history, inevitably have some elements of rural folklore."

"If any of you here are related to anyone in the story, or have heard anything that resembles your own experience, it is purely coincidental and there is absolutely no intention to make any insinuations. Please forgive any inaccuracies."

Chu Tianshu couldn't help but look up.

Very professional, starting with a disclaimer.

Many of those present were regulars, and upon hearing this, some immediately began to tease him.

"Old man, please speak freely. Every great hero in your stories seems to be a reflection of me. I wanted to live in anonymity and get along with everyone, but you still managed to expose me."

"But I don't blame you, so tell me!"

This remark elicited a burst of laughter.

"Alright, then I'll tell you a story from the transition between the Sui and Tang dynasties today."

Despite the event having already begun, Dao Baishu started by digressing to a trivial matter.

"The Sui and Tang dynasties were truly an era of heroes. The first renowned storyteller among us was also recorded during that time."

"The practice of making a living by telling stories has been recorded since the pre-Qin period, but it was just empty talk. It was only in the hands of Hou Bai in the Sui Dynasty, that the technique of using various objects, coupled with actions, and performing while telling the story was created."

"The talented Hou Bai, relying on this skill alone, first befriended Yang Xuangan, and later was appreciated by Emperor Wen of Sui, who summoned him to compile history. He certainly made a name for himself."

Chu Tianshu nodded slightly.

This section about the evolution of the storyteller profession is consistent with the historical records of his hometown.

"But in the chaotic end of the Sui Dynasty, a storyteller or a historian was ultimately nothing more than a nobody. It was the golden age of military men, the most brilliant time for strategists."

"The Nine Pillars of State of the Great Sui, the Eighteen Rebel Kings, Li Yuanba, Prince Zhao of the Western Prefecture, Yuwen Chengdu, a Great General of the Tianbao Era."

"And then there's Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin, who eventually conquered the empire, and his generals—each one of them was renowned far and wide, each one famous throughout the land."

Dao Baishu said, "And to talk about famous generals, we must first talk about their martial arts skills."

"From the late Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, duels between generals on the battlefield were very popular because when top-level generals charged into battle, they were unstoppable by thousands of troops. If one's own general could not hold off the enemy's general, then unless one's forces outnumbered the enemy's by several times, defeat was inevitable."

"Martial arts are divided into three major methods: the Strength-Tempering Method, the Move Comprehension Method, and the Blood Refining Method."

"Corresponding to a person's strength, techniques, and armor."

"It is obvious that among the three, armor and weapons are the most important. Therefore, the Blood Refining Method, also known as the Blood Refinement Weapon Method, is the first priority for military strategists in selecting generals."

"Every great general has an object that nurtured the Weapon Soul."

"No matter how strong or skilled a martial artist is, they are still just a mortal being with many limitations. If they encounter evil magic, it will be even more troublesome. But the power of the Weapon Soul is wondrous in its own way, creating many wonderful stories."

"For example, during the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong went on an inspection tour. To encourage the fight against the locust plague, he did not hesitate to eat locusts. As a result, he was attacked by a hundred evil spirits and diseases, and there were also remnants of rebel kings who drove evil spirits to cause trouble."

"Generals Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, wielding golden maces and divine whips, guarded outside the palace. That night, raging flames erupted and thunder roared, causing all evil spirits to flee and dare not approach."

"This story is well-known, but what I'm going to tell you today is another twist and hidden story within it, which I'll explain in detail..."

Chu Tianshu's heart stirred slightly.

Is the Blood Refinement Weapon Method a kind of mystical art that can cultivate the Weapon Soul?

Here, everyone seems to believe that this kind of extraordinary skill also falls under the category of "martial arts".

Do you accept the Martial Demonstration Token?

(End of this chapter)