The Great Tang Inner Guard

Although he was thinking about what would happen to those troublemakers, Chu Tianshu still ate lunch with a good appetite.

He can now control his digestion and doesn't feel hungry as easily as before.

However, since he needs to practice martial arts, it's impossible for him to actually maintain his digestive capacity at the minimum level of only eating a little grain and water.

A steamed fish and a plate of mutton are mandatory for each meal; other items are extra.

Although there were no stir-fried dishes at this time, the way Wenjia Restaurant prepared mutton was somewhat similar to grilling meat on a stone slab, with dogwood powder and salt sprinkled on top.

The natural umami flavor of mutton, combined with salt and the spiciness of dogwood, makes this dish the closest in seasoning to the barbecue flavor of Chu Tianshu's hometown in terms of restaurant meat dishes.

It's the kind of barbecue that really brings out the aroma of the meat; the seasonings are the best complement, not the overpowering ingredient.

It's so delicious when served with green rice that it's irresistible.

When Chu Tianshu finished lunch, the number of customers in the building actually increased.

Because it was time for Dao Baishu to tell his story again.

"What I, this old man, want to tell you today is that a treacherous man secretly used a divisive tactic, allowing General Fubo to pacify Lingnan!"

Dao Baishu stepped onto the stage and first raised a large paper hammer.

"Ma Yuan, the General Who Subdued the Waves during the Great Han, is said to be the first master of the Drum-Beating Weng Golden Hammers."

"After his death, his Weapon Soul dissipated, but the two treasured hammers were of exceptional quality. They were passed down to Li Yuanba Li Yuanba, who nurtured their Weapon Soul within them, making them even more powerful than their predecessors."

"However, while Li Yuanba's martial arts skills were unparalleled, he was still young and did not understand the subtleties of civil administration, whereas General Ma was proficient in both martial arts and civil administration."

"After General Ma quelled the rebellion in Lingnan, he governed the area, built irrigation canals, promoted commerce, and cared for the people, making the people of the Central Plains Lingnan as close as family."

"But there are also wicked people who, with their own evil intentions, try to sabotage things, secretly using evil magic and tricks to sow discord between the people of the Central Plains and the people of Lingnan."

"How many pitiful people have been secretly manipulated by them, how many withered bones have been trampled under their feet, all to satisfy their own selfish desires..."

As Dao Baishu finished speaking, his indignation was palpable. He swung the paper-mache hammer into the air, as if he wanted to smash the sorcerer from back then to pieces with a single blow.

"What kind of tricks and sorcery did this sorcerer employ? And how did General Ma quell the matter? Let me tell you the details!"

Most of the people in the hall listened to the storyteller with excitement and anticipation, because Dao Baishu's storytelling was indeed meticulous and captivating.

Moreover, according to some rumors, General Ma Yuan, who was known as Fubo, also visited the Nanzhao region, erected a bronze pillar to worship heaven, and educated the local people. He was quite famous among the people of Nanzhao.

People love to hear stories about celebrities.

The Drum-Beating Weng Golden Hammers once again links Ma Fubo and Li Yuanba, adding to the anticipation.

But some people, after only hearing the beginning, already grasped the essence of it.

This so-called sorcerer, the story of sowing discord, is clearly about Lingnan.

Secretly, it probably refers to the Nanzhao.

This corresponds to the recent rumor that "the wealth of the Nanzhao people was all robbed by the Tang People".

Some people think even deeper.

Dao Baishu is not Tang People person.

He is a Bai ethnic minority member, and from a prominent Bai family. The royal family of Nanzhao were also Bai.

Some people initially didn't believe the rumors, but after hearing them repeatedly, they inevitably developed a somewhat awkward impression of the Tang People.

Now, hearing Dao Baishu say that someone was plotting against me behind my back, that slight awkwardness instantly turned into a feeling of resentment that someone was trying to take advantage of me.

Noticing the change in everyone's expressions, Chu Tianshu walked to the counter and chuckled softly, "Was this the trick that Lady Wenjing came up with?"

Lady Wenjing was watching the stage, shook her head. "I didn't say any of that to Old Man Dao."

The Blind Cheng said, "It seems the old man is a thoughtful person."

"No wonder he always reads the disclaimer; it turns out he's a prophet who likes to make insinuations, putting up his own armor before he speaks."

Chu Tianshu spoke in a way that others couldn't quite understand, his face beaming, "His book is well-written, and its strength lies in the fact that although it's full of veiled criticism, it's imbued with a sense of righteousness."

The Blind Cheng sighed, "But how useful is that?"

"If we can't find and eliminate these people who secretly plotted this scheme, all we'll ever do will be belated remedial measures. We can't always guard against thieves forever without making mistakes."

The Blind Cheng tightened his grip on the scabbard, his expression showing some irritation.

"This is so frustrating!"

Lady Wenjing patted his shoulder.

Chu Tianshu said, "Don't be anxious. If they want to really escalate things, they'll only make more and more moves and expose more of their true colors."

"Furthermore, you killed those three people, including Lady Wenjing, and their bodies were taken away by the authorities. For a gang to have cohesion, it should at least have some desire for revenge. What if they find out you killed one of their young masters before..."

"Heh, they'll definitely target the restaurant as well. There will be even more of them, and the leaders will be more powerful and influential."

Chu Tianshu's eyes lit up slightly. "That's precisely our opportunity."

The Blind Cheng a deep voice, "Unfortunately, most of our guesses are just that—guessings. We can't rely on this to ask the government to send more people to protect the restaurant."

The government's personnel are currently focused on protecting those important figures who have been stabbed but are still alive.

Just then, a strong young man entered through the door. He was also dressed as a waiter, but he smelled strongly of medicine, mainly from the burlap sack on his back.

"Is that Physician Chu?"

The pharmacy clerk said, "I'm from the Purple Gold Medicine Shop in the city. These are the medicinal herbs I'm delivering to you. Where would you like to put them?"

Chu Tianshu said, "Come with me."

He led the waiter towards the guest rooms.

The Storming Shaolin Kung Fu manual contains many medicinal prescriptions, but some of the herbs are not available in the Kingdom of Nanzhao.

For example, the "Acanthopanax senticosus" type is currently only distributed in the northern part of the Great Tang Dynasty.

The ingredients used in Chu Tianshu's prescription were readily available in the Kingdom of Nanzhao. He also made some substitutions and increased the dosage based on his understanding of his own body and pharmacology.

Currently, the medicinal herbs he uses are mainly ginseng, polygonatum, eucommia, morinda root, and spatholobus stem.

Because he always ordered large quantities, when he bought them, the shop assistant would fill a knee-high sack for him, and then he would crush them and mix them with sand.

The Wen Family Restaurant has a courtyard behind the main hall, with kitchens and storerooms on the left and right sides.

Passing through the back wall of this courtyard, you enter a new courtyard with stone bricks underfoot and low trees and flowers on both sides.

The new courtyard is surrounded on three sides by guest rooms and pavilions, each with two floors and four rooms on each floor, indicating that it is quite large.

However, compared to the bustling and lively scene in the lobby now...

The guest rooms were quite deserted during the day.

Chu Tianshu's guest room was in the building to the due north.

He paused slightly as he entered the building.

Each floor of the pavilion needs to be divided into four rooms, and the rooms need to be furnished comfortably.

Therefore, there is no room to set up a hall here; upon entering, there is only a five-foot-wide corridor.

The corridor is lined with wooden walls on both sides, and the rooms are located on the inside of these walls.

Log pillars, carved doors and windows.

Chu Tianshu stood in the corridor, seemingly observing the wooden walls on the left and right for the first time.

The pharmacy clerk asked, "What's wrong?"

Chu Tianshu turned to look at the shop assistant, his pupils brightening slightly, and said, "I didn't see you when I went to the pharmacy before?"

"We have many employees in our pharmacy; how could you possibly know them all, sir?"

The pharmacy clerk smiled and handed over the sack, "Sir, please take your medicine quickly."

BOOM!!!

The sack suddenly ripped open.

The man's right hand pierced through the sack, his fingernails turned pitch black and sharp, and the length of his five fingers underwent a bizarre change.

The five fingers, which should have been uneven, seemed to become symmetrical with the middle finger as the axis.

When the five fingers are joined together, it looks exactly like a meticulously crafted black iron spearhead.

This penetrating power is absolutely incomparable to the lethality of a normal person's straight thrust with palms together.

At this moment, a piece of fabric about the thickness of a little finger was highlighted in the waiter's black belt, appearing bluish and shiny.

After the Yuwen Family became a prominent Lineage in the martial arts world, in addition to their ancestral martial arts, they also specially collected highly concealed techniques such as the Power-Refining and Blood-Refining techniques.

This fellow's Weapon Soul is on his belt, called the "Lion Barbarian Belt," and the Strength-Tempering Method he uses is called the "Lion Barbarian Spear"!

Once activated, this kind of Weapon Soul power is as strong as a savage beast and as sharp as an iron spear.

But when he thrust out, the air on the side of his arm suddenly felt slightly expanded.

That was Chu Tianshu's hand waving over.

His gesture was neither a fist nor a palm; it resembled a handshake.

He swept his hand forward with his palm, but the speed was so fast that the air was compressed by his palm, creating an unusual disturbance.

Pfft!!

Chu Tianshu grabbed the fake shop assistant's wrist.

In his Weapon Soul form, his arm is as hard as a rock.

Chu Tianshu's grip ripped his sleeve to shreds, tearing his flesh and bones apart, causing them to crack.

A few drops of blood even spurted out from between Chu Tianshu's fingers and sprayed onto the ground.

The fake shop assistant's face contorted in disbelief and pain.

Chu Tianshu's hand trembled for a moment.

The fake man felt a force, like a wave surging into his body, causing his face to tremble and spreading throughout his entire body. Then the wind suddenly changed.

Boom!!

With a flick of his wrist, Chu Tianshu transmitted his strength, turning the fake shop assistant into a weapon, and smashed through the wooden wall on the right.

In the room on the right, a burly man holding a long knife was about to make a move.

The wall shattered, causing his expression to change slightly. The fake waiter's two legs were already lashing out at the burly man.

The burly man's chest caved in instantly, all his ribs broke, and he flew backward, spitting blood, crashing into the corner of the wall.

The wooden wall on the left also shattered with a crash, and fragments sprayed into the corridor.

Three people who had been hiding in the left room suddenly attacked.

Their wrist guards, belts, and daggers each emitted a glow as they attacked simultaneously.

Chu Tianshu took a step back, using his back foot as a pivot. When his heel slammed into the ground, the shockwave spread throughout his body and also surged out from his right hand.

A loud "whoosh!" echoed through the air.

The fake shop assistant's body, like a giant iron whip, was swung back by Chu Tianshu.

All three people were brought into the sweep in one fell swoop.

Thump!!!

The three men attacked almost simultaneously, landing on the fake waiter.

Then all three figures felt a powerful shockwave rebounding back, causing their faces to sway, their chests to tighten, and them to stagger backward.

Bang! Crash! Crash!

The tables, chairs, potted plants, and beds in the room on the left were smashed to pieces as they staggered backward violently.

But then, the corridor suddenly lit up.

The second-floor floor was destroyed by a force.

But this time, there was no sound of the wooden planks cracking and shattering.

Because the force that shattered the floor was both fierce and clean.

The ferocity lay in the fact that with this single strike, the wooden planks, measuring seven feet long and five feet wide, corresponding to the area in the corridor below, were all shattered into powder.

The cleanliness lies in the fact that this force was only released onto the wooden planks within this specific area.

Surprisingly, it did not spread to the surrounding area, causing more cracks in the wood.

Therefore, there was absolutely no extraneous sound throughout the entire process.

There was only a slight vibration, like something vibrating.

With a flash of light, a large cloud of sawdust and dust fell down.

Chu Tianshu's eyes changed slightly. He sensed that the aura of this strike had already descended, and if he retreated, he would be met with a fierce and relentless pursuit.

He might not be unable to handle that kind of pursuit, but his instinct, honed through years of mastering boxing techniques, led him to choose a better way to respond. He suddenly released his right hand and thrust his body diagonally forward.

The fake guy's body was still hanging in mid-air.

Chu Tianshu appeared to the left of the fake waiter, while the figure with the knife appeared to the right.

The vertical blade of light suddenly changed, traversing horizontally from right to left.

But the next moment, Chu Tianshu suddenly appeared in the direction the fake shopkeeper's feet were pointing.

Two figures, like wisps of cotton in the wind or butterflies among flowers, circled around the fake waiter's body.

The surrounding dust was stirred up by the strong wind emanating from the two figures, faintly forming a brief vortex.

But Chu Tianshu only circled around once, while the knife-wielder's blade flashed haphazardly.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Tianshu appeared in the room on the right.

The fake man's body hit the ground and broke into more than a dozen pieces.

The man with the knife stood at the breach in the room on the left; the dust had thinned, revealing his face.

He was a burly middle-aged man with large eyes, a flat nose, and a short beard like needles. The Great Saber in his hand was four feet long, as wide as a human palm, and thick and heavy.

Just now, he wielded this knife with such ease that it felt as light and swift as a blade as thin as a cicada's wing.

"Excellent swordsmanship. Your killing intent is much better concealed than those of the others in the room."

Chu Tianshu's ears twitched slightly as he heard shouts and commotion coming from the main hall ahead, along with the faint sounds of weapons clashing.

But even when a battle broke out over there, it didn't create the same level of threat as the swordsman in front of them.

"I'm very pleased that you all have come to me of your own accord, but wasn't your original target supposed to be Lady Wenjing?"

Chu Tianshu swept the dust away with his right sleeve, a smile on his face, but his tone was somewhat questioning.

"How come the real masters are all here with me?"

The man with the knife snorted coldly.

"Let's not beat around the bush. The people in this restaurant have lived in Nanzhao for a long time. How could they possibly know the movements of our Yuwen Family?"

"If we're talking about someone who's suddenly appeared recently, there's only one: you!"

The person holding the knife lowered their center of gravity and their breathing became slightly labored.

"The Great Tang Inner Guard are indeed extraordinary; they were able to detect even the slightest clues and send men to deal with us!"

"Although you are not the commander of the Left and Right Inner Guard Divisions, your skills are certainly not those of an ordinary person."

"I, Yuwen Tongxin, will today strangle a brilliant talent of the Inner Guard, eliminating a major threat to the Yuwen Family in the future!"

Chu Tianshu's eyebrows twitched.

"So I'm Inner Guard."

Chu Tianshu murmured, "I've heard that the reputation of the Great Tang Inner Guard is like that of demons. Should I be even more ruthless?"

(End of this chapter)