Empty Drum Soaring to Heaven, the Ruler Speaks

"His status is indeed very high."

Zheng Hui stroked his beard, seemingly sensing Chu Tianshu's eagerness, and said, "I know you people are always quite direct in your dealings."

"Once we've determined friend from foe, we won't care about his identity; we'll act decisively. But this person isn't so easy to kill."

"He is the top martial artist in Nanzhao, the uncle of Duan Rusu, and the former head of the Qingping Official, Duan Zhong!!"

Dao Baishu said sternly, "So it was him!"

Chu Tianshu had also heard Dao Baishu mention this person.

During the Tianbao era, this man was only twenty years old when he became a general in the army. He was highly skilled and led troops to attack the Tang army, achieving remarkable military exploits.

At that time, some chivalrous heroes of the Great Tang repeatedly attempted to assassinate the former king of Nanzhao.

Although the former king of Nanzhao was quite powerful, he still faced several dangerous situations, and it was thanks to this person that he was rescued.

Therefore, the former king of Nanzhao specially bestowed upon him the name Zhong and appointed him as Qingping Official.

At that time, among the six Qingping Official, the power of the other five was far inferior to that of Duan Zhong.

After Nanzhao and Tubo formed an alliance, Tubo sent people to present the former king of Nanzhao with an honorific title, "Younger Brother of the Tsenpo," which meant that the king of Nanzhao was like the younger brother of the king of Tubo.

Another decree brought by the Tubo referred to Duan Zhong as "Righteous King," as if he were the nephew of the Tubo king.

When the former king of Nanzhao passed away, Duan Zhong, on behalf of Nanzhao, went to the capital of Tubo to pray for Nanzhao.

The Tubo ruler repeatedly urged Duan Zhong to stay, allowing him to remain in Tubo for three years. He resided in the most revered temples in Tubo, exchanging Buddhist teachings and martial arts with local priests and monks, inspecting military camps, and offering strategic advice.

However, during this period, the newly enthroned king of Nanzhao, Yimouxun an expedition, joining forces with the Tubo border army to invade Tang territory. As a result, they were utterly defeated and routed by the Tang army.

By the time Duan Zhong returned to his country, Yimouxun peace with the Great Tang and personally ordered the expulsion of the Tubo troops stationed throughout Nanzhao.

After that crushing defeat, the Tubo became suspicious of the Nanzhao, while the Nanzhao people had reached their limit of patience with the Tubo troops' years of tyranny and their inability to defeat the Great Tang.

The expulsion of the Tubo troops caused a great uproar in the court and among the people, and Yimouxun, who had just suffered a major defeat, gained immense popularity.

After Duan Zhong returned, he did not object and simply watched as the Tubo garrison was driven out.

That was all Chu Tianshu had heard from Dao Baishu.

Zheng Hui then added a paragraph.

Tubo and Nanzhao revered Buddhism. In recent years, every year Third Month Festival, Tubo monks would come to visit Duan Zhong under the guise of exchanging Buddhist teachings. They would often stay in the Nanzhao Royal City for more than a month before leaving.

Kingdom of Nanzhao Yimouxun of Nanzhao was fully aware of these matters.

"Duan Zhong's inclinations have already placed him on the opposite side from mine and the king, but he still wields considerable power in the army, and he is indeed difficult to kill."

Zheng Hui sighed, "If it were easy to kill, we wouldn't have waited until today."

Chu Tianshu pondered, "Is it simply because he's difficult to kill? Perhaps the king is still somewhat wavering, wanting to maintain some semblance of goodwill even after offending Tubo by seven-tenths?"

Zheng Hui smiled slightly and did not deny it.

"If we only consider the choice between Tubo and the Great Tang, the King might still have some hesitation. However, if Duan Zhong's rumors and schemes escalate, and the King doesn't stop them, we will see the nation's strength destabilized. If the King forcibly intervenes, he will inevitably be seen as biased towards the Tang People in the eyes of others."

Zheng Hui looked radiant and had a far-reaching gaze.

"His intentions this time are bordering on usurpation, and I can help the king make a decision."

Chu Tianshu then asked, "So, what specific manifestations of Duan Zhong's strength are there?"

"Specific manifestations?"

Ge Hong's "Baopuzi" states that one should be responsible for specific matters and discuss detailed rituals.

The so-called specific manifestations probably refer to more detailed and clear manifestations.

Zheng Hui's mind raced, and he understood. He pondered for a moment and said, "Duan Zhong excels at attacking fortified positions, and his combat strength far surpasses mine. While agility is not his forte, the skill in his movements is still no less than mine."

"Physician Chu, if you wish to try, why not have a small contest with me first?"

Zheng Hui pulled out a copper coin and said, "When this coin starts falling from the highest point, let's all rush to grab it and see who lands first."

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "Okay."

Upon hearing this, everyone stepped back, making room for them.

Zheng Hui tossed the copper coin into the air.

The floor of the second floor of this restaurant was specially designed with a large gap in it.

The copper coin passed directly through the gap, reaching almost to the highest point of the entire restaurant.

Everyone looked up and watched as the copper coin's ascent slowed.

It slowly flipped over and began to fall.

Chu Tianshu's pupils brightened slightly, and his feet suddenly trembled.

A footprint, sharp as an axe, appeared on the ground. His figure shot up diagonally, almost leaving a blur, and his foot had already stepped onto the second-floor railing.

The entire section of the railing on the second floor was deformed and noticeably bent.

Chu Tianshu's figure shot forward, instantly approaching the rooftop.

The copper coin had just been flipped once.

To everyone else, it looked like the coin was about to fall when Chu Tianshu's hand appeared right next to it.

But another figure suddenly came into everyone's view.

Zheng Hui's figure, like a rocket, soared into the sky.

Without any hesitation or leverage, he flew straight to the very top of the restaurant and grabbed the copper coin first.

Despair!

The speed at which the thumb and forefinger pinched the copper coin was so fast that a slight tremor could be heard from the edge of the coin.

Zheng Hui immediately withdrew his hand as soon as he grabbed, and his body spun and moved sideways.

He had nowhere to grab onto in mid-air, yet this sideways movement propelled him about seven feet.

His physique and posture made it seem as if he had no heavy bones or any excess flesh on his body.

He was like a wisp of cloud, sometimes released, sometimes withdrawn, naturally arriving on the wind and turning with it.

Chu Tianshu missed his grab, and suddenly reversed his grip on the longsword in his right hand.

A transparent flame suddenly ignited on the sword, shooting out a ball of fire backward.

Chu Tianshu's entire body was propelled forward, hurtling through the air as he sped off in pursuit of Zheng Hui.

Zheng Hui was startled, and suddenly raised his right hand above his head.

A transparent circular spot, about half a foot in size, was formed in the air.

The edges of the round spot seemed to be held in place by an invisible force, while the middle was as tough as cowhide.

Zheng Hui pushed with his right hand, causing the center of the round spot to bulge high, generating a propulsive force that accelerated his descent.

When Chu Tianshu grabbed him, he only tore off a piece of his right sleeve.

Thump!!!

The Zheng Hui Expressway crashed into the ground, and a large circle appeared near the ground.

An air-supported membrane about seven feet in size, suspended about three feet off the ground.

When Zheng Hui touched the air membrane, his speed decreased sharply. Although he eventually broke through the air membrane and caused it to collapse, he only swayed for a moment when his feet touched the ground before regaining his balance.

The pools of blood from the corpses on the ground swayed slightly in the airflow.

Chu Tianshu landed on the ground immediately after, his knees slightly bent, and the stone bricks beneath his feet shattered with a muffled thud.

"It seems I've lost this time."

Chu Tianshu exhaled a breath of stale air, showing little sign of frustration, and turned his gaze to Zheng Hui's feet.

"I saw it earlier; when you suddenly flew away, as you turned, there was a faint layer of air beneath your feet."

"Is this the power of your Weapon Soul?"

Zheng Hui nodded. "My Weapon Soul is called 'Empty Drum Soaring to Heaven '."

A flicker of reminiscence crossed his eyes.

Back when he was a county magistrate in the Great Tang Dynasty, he was quick to react and led everyone to escape, but they still couldn't escape the pursuit of the Nanzhao army and were captured and taken back to Nanzhao.

For him personally, this seemed to bring him great success, but how could those villagers not die during the forced relocation?

If they bump into something, get hurt, or catch a chill from the heavy night dew, they usually won't survive more than a few days.

After he learned the Blood Refinement Weapon Method, he originally wanted to have a brave and fierce spirit, and cultivate a battle-hardened and sharp Weapon Soul.

But when he actually raised it, he discovered that the Weapon Soul reflected his deepest, most unforgettable feeling. "Run faster!"

This incident made him feel quite ashamed, and it took him many years to gradually accept it.

There was no way he could imagine himself slaughtering everyone, leaving rivers of blood. Even if he could go back to the beginning, all he could think about was leading everyone and running faster.

They stomped on drums in mid-air and flew into the sky.

The treacherous path was traversed as if on flat ground.

Over the decades, Zheng Hui's Weapon Soul has been nurtured and refined to perfection.

The initial air membrane could only be attached to the ground or the soles of shoes, making it easier to walk.

Now, even though he is in mid-air and cannot touch the physical object, he can generate seven such air membranes.

"You possess such Weapon Soul, yet you're only on par with Duan Zhong in terms of movement techniques, which are not his forte. It seems he's truly an extraordinary individual."

"Both in terms of strength and status, they are excellent."

Chu Tianshu's tone carried a joy that everyone could hear, and his eyes sparkled.

Lady Wenjing was about to say something, she saw Chu Tianshu's smile fade and his expression become indifferent.

He raised his left hand, letting his sleeve hang down to his elbow, and with a flick of his right hand, his long sword coiled around his left forearm like a snake coiling around a pillar.

The hilt of the sword was also bent, pressing down on the wrist.

The Mind Power stored inside the Sanqi Divine Sword is all compressed.

In terms of purity and quality, this kind of Mind Power is better.

However, in terms of handling...

Chu Tianshu's control over these compressed Mind Power was not as effortless as his control over his original Mind Power.

In short, if he uses his original Mind Power, he can control the Mind Power to change between one hundred different flow rates.

As for these compressed Mind Power, he can only use either very low and very small flow rates, or very high flow rates.

Just now, he dared to use his Mind Power Mind Power to move sideways in mid-air, but he didn't dare to use it to accelerate his fall to the ground.

It's because he wasn't sure if he would have time to use his Mind Power to cushion the fall as he accelerated towards the ground.

If one could cultivate Weapon Soul, perhaps one could wield these Mind Power with ease.

At that time, it won't just be that the weapons are stronger, or that the flames are attached to the hands, but that the entire body will be amplified.

Chu Tianshu had a clear direction in mind and would not be discouraged by his minor setback.

"But since we can't kill Duan Zhong yet, even if we kill the Yuwen Family, those who spread the rumors will still take action, right?"

Chu Tianshu asked, "How does Lord Zheng intend to resolve this rumor?"

"We can't kill Duan Zhong, so the rumors are about him being Duan Zhong. This can only be speculation."

Zheng Hui stroked his beard, looked at Yuwen Tongxin, and revealed a wise smile.

"But this is already a significant guess, so I can also ask the ruler to make some equally significant guesses."

Zheng Hui paused here, then turned to the crowd, keeping them in suspense.

"These individuals have thwarted Duan Zhong's plans. If they were weak, it wouldn't be so bad, but Physician Chu and Commandant Cheng are both quite capable and in their prime."

"If Duan Zhong relative were to commit suicide, nipping a potential threat in the bud would cause considerable trouble. Perhaps you would like to stay at my residence for the time being."

"I added my own guards, and even myself, so that Duan Zhong would know he couldn't succeed."

Lady Wenjing sighed softly.

I never imagined that someone who owns a restaurant could get involved in such a big thing.

So this is what it feels like to be struck by a sudden, unexpected disaster.

It seems unlikely that her restaurant will be able to reopen for quite some time.

After everyone followed Zheng Hui into the mansion, Zheng Hui wrote a secret letter and sent it to the palace that same day.

It was only the next morning that Chu Tianshu and the others learned what "the king's speculation" meant.

The Kingdom of Nanzhao sent people out to post an imperial edict.

It doesn't clarify whether the Tang People robbed the Nanzhao people of their wealth, nor does it mention the Huaixi Jiedushi at all.

The authorities directly blamed all the recent assassinations of prominent figures near the capital on Tubo spies.

The notices posted along with the imperial edict detailed the investigation process of each murder case in great detail.

The Tubo spies are wicked; they were the ones who did it all.

He truly deserves to be called a ruler. Faced with rumors, instead of clarifying them, he displayed the unparalleled skill of using rumors against rumors.

Yimouxun rage and personally listed twelve major crimes committed by the Tubo troops stationed in Nanzhao territory.

These things are not entirely rumors.

The rumors circulating in the shadows, which had just begun to gain momentum, were met with a wave of voices personally stirred up by the king, whose stance had already been firmly established.

(End of this chapter)