Longzang

Chapter 233 Immortal Medicine
After the training was completed, all the cultivators laid down their weapons and picked up their tools to build the city.

The newly built Xuanwei Six is ​​located on the only way for Wucheng to attack the boundary. Just how crucial this position is can be seen from the fact that the general directly divided his troops to try to take it during the last attack by the Wu tribe.

However, the Wu Clan commander clearly underestimated Wei Yuan's military strength. He didn't expect that Wei Yuan would replenish his forces with over a hundred more Foundation Establishment cultivators in such a short time. As a result, the 10,000 troops left on the ground were quickly defeated by Wei Yuan with the same number of soldiers. If the Wu Clan reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, the entire 20,000-strong army would have been wiped out.

Having once again tasted the benefits of underground fortifications, Wei Yuan seized every opportunity to build an underground fortress. These cultivators were in need of training, so during their breaks, they were all taken to Xuanwei Six to dig tunnels, ostensibly to solidify their foundations in advance.

In fact, all the cultivators knew that Qingming was not only the territory of the human race, but also their only home. Therefore, they all trained, fought, and worked with all their might.

Even when Wei Yuan gave orders like having ordinary people take up muskets and charge at the Wu tribe to fire a single shot, no one objected. In previous battles, there were even instances where the troops suffered more than half their casualties but still fought to the death.

The Cui family members were newcomers and hadn't quite figured out what was going on. They were confused and ended up with the others, putting on tools and digging a hole all night. At first, they thought it was part of the training, but as dawn approached and they were about to finish and return to their team, they realized it was just manual labor.

Of the five who paid to avoid death, apart from the eldest son of the main branch, the other four dug in the dirt all night. Cui Yu believed that they had only bought the right not to go to the battlefield, not that they could avoid working.

However, in any place where spoiled brats gather, there are bound to be big mouths. So, in less than half an hour, everyone knew that five people had already paid money to avoid death.

On the first day, these rich kids thought the war was far away, but after digging in the dirt all night, some of them realized something was wrong. Wasn't this just digging fortifications?

While digging, they kept seeing corpses and severed limbs that hadn't been cleared away. They then realized that war was imminent. After inquiring about past battles from their fellow cultivators, many of the纨绔 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) panicked.

Those who still had some savings immediately decided to go to Cui Yu after work to buy a pardon from the dead.

As the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, the cultivators emerged from the ground, and the Cui family members returned to their camp for a short rest to prepare for the next day's training.

A young girl was anxiously talking to another member of the Cui family. The man sneered, "Lend money to your brother to buy him a pardon from the death penalty? How are you going to pay it back?"

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes. She turned to look at her younger brother, who seemed timid but whose eyes held hope, and gritted her teeth, saying, "I'll... pay it back myself!"

The man was just starting to consider it when someone next to him pulled him away, saying, "Let's go, let's go! One spot costs two hundred silver coins! Two hundred! That's enough to buy so many girls like her!"

The man suddenly realized he was right and left without looking back. The girl tried desperately to grab him, but he shoved her away.

The girl rallied her spirits and went to find other people. But she was unsuccessful in both borrowing money and trying to sell herself.

As dawn broke, Wei Yuan returned to the training ground, preparing to activate the Instantaneous Life Activation. At that moment, Cui Yu rushed in, handing Wei Yuan a new list. Wei Yuan was somewhat surprised: "So many people bought immunity from death?"

"Yes, seventeen more, and we've made another three thousand four hundred taels of silver. Those without cash can use magic items or other things as collateral, but we don't accept credit."

"Some people are probably going to go bankrupt! They've spent so much money, and their chances of building a foundation for their Dao have been halved. It's just going to the battlefield, is it that scary?"

Cui Yu said, "Is it that terrible? I only briefly mentioned the casualty rates of the past few battles to them, and I was already a little scared myself."

Wei Yuan fell silent. Given this casualty rate, he would never send his own family members to the battlefield.

"If you don't want to die, and your chances of achieving Dao Foundation are slim, why bother coming here? You might as well just go back."

Cui Yu sneered: "How could they go back so easily? The clan has already given these people benefits so they could come here, which is why the ancestor said that the dead and injured would not be spared. If they dare to go back like this, the clan will not let them off the hook, and they might even be beaten to death."

"Then I won't worry about it." Wei Yuan didn't have time to worry about the good-for-nothing from the wealthy family. After training, he still had to accompany Yu Zhizhuo to the weapon forging workshop.

With the addition of hundreds of newly promoted Dao Foundation cultivators, the steel production within the realm has increased significantly, but it is still far from sufficient. Now that a high-ranking cultivator from the Heavenly Crafts Hall has finally arrived, it is natural to quickly ask him for guidance.

After training, Wei Yuan met up with Yu Zhizhuo, and together they flew to the weapon forging workshop.

With more than ten miles to go before reaching the weapon forging workshop, Yu Zhizhuo looked at the plume of smoke ahead and said, "The furnace temperature is a bit low; it can't be used to forge materials for magical artifacts."

Wei Yuan immediately bowed in admiration. Anyone can tell the temperature of a furnace by looking at the fire, but to know the temperature of a furnace just by looking at the smoke from a distance is something only a master can do.

Last night, Zhang Sheng had already privately introduced this Uncle Yu to Wei Yuan in detail. Yu Zhizhuo, like Ji Liuli and Zhang Sheng, had long since reached the Dao Foundation Perfection, but he was reluctant to advance to the Dharma Aspect stage, only seeking to perfect his primordial spirit and state of mind at the same time. He was a person with great potential.

Furthermore, Zhang Sheng mentioned that Wei Yuan's early cultivation resources largely came from the Heavenly Crafts Hall, through the hands of Yu Zhizhuo. However, Zhang Sheng only briefly touched upon the process without going into details.

Zhang Sheng had one more thing to say: he had written to Yu Zhizhuo long ago, but had received no response. Now, Zhang Sheng wondered why Yu Zhizhuo had suddenly come to Qingming. Was it really for the Underworld?
Upon arriving at the forging workshop, Yu Zhizhuo hadn't even had a chance to examine the furnace before his gaze was drawn to the fifty cultivators forging iron in perfect unison. He watched quietly for a while and asked, "If they forge iron like this, do they work for half an hour a day?" Wei Yuan replied, "It should be... eight hours."

Even Yu Zhizhuo, with his vast knowledge and experience, was taken aback and asked, "Why is that?"

“They have just established their Dao foundation and need to consolidate it,” Wei Yuan said.

Yu Zhizhu snorted and said, "How can blacksmithing solidify one's Dao foundation? You mean... you're going to mass-produce steel plates?"

"Uncle-Master's eyes are sharp! These steel plates are key to producing muskets. This matter concerns the life and death of the realm, so the more the better."

"Musket?"

"I was just about to demonstrate for my martial uncle, please follow me."

Wei Yuan led Yu Zhizhuo to the shooting range, and then ordered his men to bring over a batch of steel pipe guns of different models. Wei Yuan picked up a steel pipe gun with a two-pound charge, aimed it at the wooden target ten zhang away, and activated the gunpowder.

With a loud bang, a bullet the size of a fist shot out, punching a large hole in the wooden target wearing the standard armor of the Wu tribe!
Yu Zhizhuo remained silent, then appeared in front of the wooden target, examining it carefully for a long time, even picking up a bullet to look at it. Afterward, he personally tested the gun, firing dozens of shots before putting it down, still somewhat unsatisfied.

"How is it?" Wei Yuan asked.

"Inconceivable! This isn't something a Body Forging stage cultivator can unleash at the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Yu Zhizhuo shot out a thin wisp of pale golden sword energy from his fingertip, slicing a musket horizontally in two, and then slicing another vertically.

This pale gold sword energy was truly as sharp as cutting through iron, with a smooth, mirror-like cut. Wei Yuan felt that this sword energy was somewhat similar to Zhang Sheng's Immortal Sword Slash.

Yu Zhizhuo carefully examined the cross-section of the steel plate, then cut off another piece and held it in his hand. The steel sheet rapidly heated up, turning bright red in the blink of an eye, and melting into a pool of molten steel. He looked at the color of the molten steel, then casually squeezed it; the temperature of the molten steel plummeted, turning into a steel ball.

Yu Zhizhuo picked up a flintlock pistol with a two-pound charge, the same kind Wei Yuan had just tried, and then covered the barrel with his hand to activate the gunpowder!

Wei Yuan was shocked, but the gunpowder exploded without a trace of smoke leaking out from between Yu Zhizhuo's fingers. It exploded inside the gun barrel, causing the entire gun to bulge and twist.

Yu Zhizhuo released his grip, revealing some scorch marks on his palm, which he easily wiped away. He put down the deformed steel pipe and said, "For the power of this gun, the steel is too good; it doesn't need to be this sturdy. The number of forgings can be reduced by half, and then a quenching can be added in between. That way, the daily steel plate production can be increased by half."

Wei Yuan was overjoyed. Yu Zhizhuo was indeed a high-ranking cultivator of the Heavenly Crafts Hall. With just a few words, he had increased the steel plate production capacity by half.

"How did you come up with the idea for this musket in the first place?"

Wei Yuan thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth: "I accidentally captured a visitor from outer space and had him write down his experiences and life in that world. In that world, cultivation is not allowed; there are only mortals. Firearms are the weapons used by mortals."

"Such a world exists? Where are the documents? Let me see them."

"The documents are at the main peak. I'll have someone make a copy and send it to you right away."

Yu Zhizhuo picked up another musket, aimed it at the target, and then played with it in his hand, saying slowly, "This thing is a bit weak, but if there are enough of them, it won't be easy to deal with."

"I want to give one to everyone in the realm. When the Witch Clan comes, they will know what it means for the entire population to be mobilized as soldiers."

"Increasing the number isn't difficult. I already have a general idea, but I'll wait until I finish reading the information the visitor wrote that day."

Wei Yuan immediately said, "I'll accompany you to retrieve the original now, and deliver the copy later. However, it's time for our daily meeting now, Uncle-Master, would you like to join us?"

Yu Zhizhuo already knew that the people of Taichu Palace met regularly every day, mainly to exchange brilliant ideas and handle important matters within the realm. After just testing the musket, he became very interested in Qingming and wanted to hear what the others who had arrived earlier had to say, so he returned to the main peak with Wei Yuan.

Once everyone had arrived, Sun Yu said, "I've had a little free time these past two days to study the amoxicillin that Xu Wenwu brought. I've found this medicine to be quite miraculous, truly deserving of its name as a divine medicine for mortals."

"This medicine really works?" The cultivators of Taichu Palace were all very curious.

Sun Yu then took out two small dishes and placed them on the table. Both dishes were coated with a thin layer of grease. He then said, "I sprinkled some amoxicillin in one dish and not in the other. Now, a day and a night have passed, and the insects in the dish that was sprayed with the medicine are almost all dead, while the other dish is teeming with life."

(End of this chapter)