The Battlefield Layered in Blood

"I've figured out two moves."

The Blind Cheng held up two fingers, then pulled his middle finger back.

"But one of those moves is a bit inconvenient to use. If you're interested, I can only show you the other one."

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "Sure, do you want me to spar with you?"

"Unnecessary."

Blind Cheng said, "The moment Comprehended Move, I am bound to be one with the Saber Soul, unleashing an unprecedentedly powerful attack."

"However, once I've mastered the Comprehended Move, I can still execute its essence even without a sword in my hand."

He finished his drink, then held the bottle up in front of him, his left hand pinching the neck with his thumb and forefinger, swaying slightly.

Thud!!

Blind Cheng flicked the bottom of the bottle once with his right hand, making a dull thud, then flicked the side of the bottle three times.

Each of the three impacts, occurring at a different point, produced a sound that was crisper and sharper than the previous one.

Chu Tianshu noticed something subtle and stared intently at the bottle, noticing it trembling slightly in a way that was difficult for an ordinary person to perceive.

The Blind Cheng listened intently, seemingly trying to find the right angle, and then suddenly blew out a puff of air.

Bang!!

The lower half of the black porcelain bottle shattered on the spot.

Fine particles flew everywhere, and a few, no bigger than mung beans, stuck to the Blind Cheng's face.

Chu Tianshu was deeply moved.

He could see clearly that although the Blind Cheng's breath was as powerful as a blowgun, what he actually exhaled was just a gust of air.

With a single breath, nearly two feet away, he shattered the thick-bottomed liquor bottle.

Even with the strength of Chu Tianshu's internal organs, he probably couldn't do it.

The Blind Cheng blew that breath so easily, as if it were nothing.

The key point is definitely not the intensity of the airflow.

Chu Tianshu pondered for a moment, "Is it because of your flicking fingers a few times, and... the location of that breath of air?"

"Right."

The Blind Cheng said, "This is the move I've mastered, the Loulan Slash!"

During the Western Han Dynasty, the kingdoms of Loulan and other states in the Western Regions frequently colluded with the Xiongnu to abduct and kill Han Dynasty envoys and plunder Han people's property.

Fu Jiezi was sent as an envoy to Loulan, where he killed Loulan Loulan king and brought his head back to the court.

This mission, seemingly just a decisive move in Loulan, actually involved observing local customs and traditions along the way, visiting several neighboring countries, and putting pressure on the ministers in the Western Regions.

Given the small number of troops Fu Jiezi led, the things he did seemed to have little effect, but when combined, they produced a remarkable result.

This allowed him to leave unscathed after killing the King of Loulan. Subsequently, Loulan and several neighboring countries not only did not seek revenge, but also submitted to the Han Dynasty.

The true secret of the Loulan Slash lies in this point.

With a few subtle moves, they could crush a fierce and stubborn force.

After careful consideration, Chu Tianshu realized that this was a kind of application of stress.

When an object is affected by external factors, whether it is a change in temperature or humidity, or a direct impact, it is affected by external forces.

Every part of an object generates an interaction force, which is called stress.

Because of differences in materials, shapes, and other factors, the point where an object is struck is not always the point where stress is most concentrated.

With repeated impacts, the stress concentration point will continuously change.

However, if someone can precisely strike this point of stress concentration as it constantly shifts, they can destroy solid objects with relatively little force.

The theory is simple, but even with the technological level in Chu Tianshu's hometown, it would be extremely complicated to bring a bunch of equipment to test an object.

It's not necessarily possible to shatter a bottle with just a breath after several precise strikes.

This seemingly ordinary Saber Soul Comprehended Move, in a sense, is more suitable for combat than Zheng Hui's obviously absurd "Empty Drum Soaring to Heaven".

Chu Tianshu could almost imagine it.

Blind Cheng encountered a powerful enemy, he exchanged a couple of brief blows with the opponent's weapon, and on the third strike, he directly cut the opponent's weapon in two, severely damaging its Weapon Soul.

Or, when the opponent uses weapons, creating a stress concentration point for oneself.

The Blind Cheng's first strike can hit the weak point, shattering weapons and killing the enemy.

"That year, I encountered a man on the battlefield who wielded a spiked club, a club weighing over forty pounds, which he handled as quickly as a light wooden stick."

"It was in that battle that I mastered the Loulan Slash," said the Blind Cheng.

"With one strike, he deflected the spiked club; with the second, he cleaved him in two, club and all."

"After the war, I was promoted to captain. The general came to see me, helped me name this move, and told me that the old Di Renjie Lord Di famous for his mace techniques, and the moves he learned were similar to mine."

The Blind Cheng chuckled and shook his head.

"How high a position was Lord Di? Back then, I was young and impetuous, and I dared to listen to anything that was flattering."

He threw the remaining half of the wine bottle into the air and suddenly drew his knife.

Clang!!

The half-bottle was cleaved in two by a knife, but instead of shattering, it crumbled into a cloud of powder in mid-air.

A gust of wind blew, and the powder swirled in the air.

Snap, the sword is sheathed.

Chu Tianshu could tell that his strike was delivered with anger.

It's likely that his departure from the army back then wasn't solely due to his eye ailment, but rather because of something else that angered him.

Chu Tianshu didn't ask any further questions, and changed the subject, asking, "Since you 'Comprehended Move, what you need are new ones. What did you think of the moves I told you about when we were at the restaurant those days?"

Blind Cheng nodded and said, "I've been pondering this in my mind lately, but I'm afraid I'm still a long way from figuring out the moves."

Call!!

Zheng Hui suddenly appeared in the courtyard, his face full of anxiety.

"Both of you are here?"

Zheng Hui said urgently, "Something terrible has happened. I would like to ask the two of you to come with me."

Chu Tianshu's calf muscles twitched, and he straightened up.

The Blind Cheng scabbard, and he stood up.

Zheng Hui was also extremely anxious. As soon as he saw that they were willing to go together, he immediately turned around and led the way.

The three of them moved quickly, crossing the stream and woods, and exiting the mansion from the side.

Several guards and three empty horses were already waiting outside the mansion.

After mounting his horse, Zheng Hui spurred it on at full gallop, finally finding time to explain.

"During this period of time, I discussed with the King the possibility of contacting the Great Tang, and an envoy has already entered the country ahead of schedule."

"This delegation consists entirely of experts. Their arrival here is both to express their intentions and to lend us a helping hand."

"Therefore, we have taken strict precautions to prevent leaks and have been keeping a close eye on the Duan Family to ensure they have not received any information regarding any unusual movements by the mission."

Zheng Hui gave a low shout, which for a moment drowned out the sound of horses' hooves.

"But just now, I received a message by carrier pigeon that the delegation was ambushed by a group of men in black, Hundred Li away!!"

Chu Tianshu held the reins with one hand, letting the horse gallop wildly, and frowned upon hearing this.

The mission released pigeons for help, but it would take time for the pigeons to arrive.

By the time they got there, the battle would definitely be over.

I wonder if this delegation survived.

The thunderous hooves thundered past the roadside thickets and wild grass, rushing by in a blur.

Zheng Hui knew the delegation's location perfectly and led the way.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the group arrived at the foot of a mountain.

The campsite halfway up the mountain came into view.

A large area had been cleared, trees had been felled, a dozen or so carts and horses were in the center, and there were traces of fires around the area.

But all the horses that pulled the cart had collapsed and died on the ground.

The carriages were mostly damaged, and corpses were scattered everywhere.

Those bonfires were almost entirely extinguished by corpses and blood.

Once they got here, they complained that the horses were too slow.

Zheng Hui leaped up, his figure already rushing towards the mountain path.

Chu Tianshu and the others also dismounted.

We walked through the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees and arrived at the site.

The overwhelming stench of blood made everyone pause in their tracks.

The delegation itself consisted of dozens of people, and in each place they visited, local guards from Nanzhao would take turns protecting them.

There were more than a hundred corpses in the room.

It appears that the first to die were the lightly armored guards of Nanzhao, who were patrolling the outer perimeter when they were all killed by having their throats cut.

The bodies on the inner side showed more varied deaths.

Some people, covered in blood, holding broken swords, leaned against overturned carriages, their eyes wide open in death.

Someone was pinned down by a dead horse, with half of their body crushed and the back of their head caved in.

Some people lay in the unburnt wood, their upper clothes torn to shreds, their chests covered in blood as if struck by a heavy object.

There was also an old man holding a flag-spear, his white beard and hair stained with blood, staring wide-eyed as if he were looking at the enemy.

The butt of the gun was deeply embedded in the ground, and the old man's body leaned against it, not falling down.

His injury was a gaping hole in his chest, as if someone had punched through his torso.

"That's... Brother Jiang?"

Zheng Hui had met this old man a few times before; he was the envoy during the last alliance.

When he reached the old man's body, he looked several years older, and his beard trembled.

"How could this be? Where did the Duan Family get these people...? From Tubo..."

"But even the Duan Family and Tubo, how could they possibly know the exact route of this delegation?!"

Zheng Hui's thoughts raced, growing increasingly chaotic. "Furthermore, these people are all experts. How many people would Tubo need to send to kill them all?"

"Did they send an entire army to infiltrate Nanzhao?!"

Chu Tianshu surveyed the battlefield and, amidst the thick stench of blood, walked to the west side.

There were several corpses here, their deaths gruesome, their limbs and torsos severed.

Because of the gruesome manner of the death, no one paid much attention to this side at first.

Chu Tianshu stared at it for a while, but then realized something was wrong.

The guards of Nanzhao were lightly armored, while the members of the envoy delegation mostly wore robes.

These corpses were likely dressed in black when they were alive.

Chu Tianshu walked west along this route, entered the forest, and after only a few steps, his expression changed.

Come and see!

Startled by him, Zheng Hui snapped out of his daze and led the group toward this place.

The forest was littered with debris, and there were quite a few dead bodies.

Some people were lying on tree stumps, others were lying under the rocks, but the difference was that all the corpses here were covered in black.

"They were the ones who attacked the delegation."

Zheng Hui forced himself to remain calm, "That's right, they definitely suffered casualties during the attack. They must have taken the bodies with them before leaving, but..."

wrong.

If these bodies were all personnel lost during the attack on the delegation.

If the body was to be taken away, why only move it here and then leave it there again?

"Most of these people were killed by the same person."

Chu Tianshu looked at the blood-red skin of the corpses and the handprints on their chests, pondering the situation on the battlefield.

"These people succeeded in their sneak attack, wiping out the entire delegation. Just as they were about to leave, another person arrived."

As Chu Tianshu spoke, he observed the traces of a battle in the forest.

Unbeknownst to them, the crowd had followed behind him.

The further they went, the more obvious the signs of battle became.

The man in black clearly realized what was happening.

They surrounded and killed the person who had broken in later.

These men in black wielded weapons including iron bars, chains, and curved blades, and their attacks were extremely fierce.

A tree as thick as a person's waist can be cut in one stroke, leaving a cut as flat as a tabletop.

On the rock, which is half a person high, there are marks from being whipped with an iron chain, more than two inches deep.

Zheng Hui picked up a chain and discerned the scriptures written on it as fine as ants, and his heart trembled.

"The God-Binding Chain of Tubo High Monk"

He looked around and exclaimed in astonishment, "These dozens of men in black are all royal guards, and Tubo monks who climbed the snow-capped mountain naked?"

But all of them died, either with their skulls or chests caved in, killed instantly by a single blow.

However, here, fabric other than black clothing also appears.

There was a chain with a piece of red silk wrapped around it.

There was a small piece of white cloth biting into a person's teeth.

At the end of this battlefield stands a tree so large that it would take three people to encircle it.

The burly monk, over eight feet tall, was completely naked from the waist up, his entire body embedded in the tree trunk.

This man had a slightly pointed head, thick eyebrows like reeds, and a long white beard; he was actually an old monk.

But his robust physique makes it impossible to associate him with the word "old".

Zheng Hui looked at the old man and let out a long sigh.

"High Priest! Only a High Priest can command so many high monks. Tubo has such great power!"

The way this high priest died was strikingly similar to that of the Great Tang Dynasty envoy; he too had a bloody hole blasted into his chest.

Someone ripped his heart out.

However, the bloodstains on the old monk's hands clearly did not belong to him.

His right hand, in particular, was clutching a large piece of red paper with a bamboo frame.

"Folding fan?"

Chu Tianshu walked closer and looked at it. "No, it's an umbrella."

"Half of the red paper umbrella?"

Zheng Hui was so surprised earlier that he seemed unable to take any more surprises now.

Upon hearing Chu Tianshu's questioning voice, he answered with a resolute tone.

"Who else could it be? To kill the high priest and more than thirty senior monks all by himself?"

"It can only be the top expert of the Great Tang, the Commander of the Inner Guard Right Division..."

As Zheng Hui finished speaking, he couldn't help but take another breath.

"But even for him, I never imagined he could fight so many top Tubo masters all by himself, with just a red umbrella."

The Blind Cheng's expression changed as he realized who it was.

"The sea of blood surges, the Red Emperor Donglai, yes, the Hai Donglai!"

(End of this chapter)