Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 250 Kunsha's Story, An Unsolicited Request
"Unfamiliar ceiling..."

When Kunsha regained consciousness, the scene that greeted him made him sigh inexplicably.

What followed was an incredibly clear pain, centered on the chest and spreading to the internal organs.

"you're awake!"

Lu Xiaofeng put down his wine cup and said, "This time, you were truly unconscious for more than two days!"

"So...long?"

Kunsha gritted his teeth, having seemingly adjusted to the excruciating pain in his chest, and exclaimed in amazement, "As expected of the Demon Master Pang Ban, even through the armor, he managed to severely injure me. Fortunately, he had no intention of killing me, otherwise, that palm strike would have been enough to kill me!"

"But you survived, and now you're famous."

Lu Xiaofeng handed over several newspapers and magazines.

Kunsha took it, glanced at it, and said, "Where is the fame? They haven't even written my name on it!"

Lu Xiaofeng laughed and said, "We can't blame them, after all, they don't even know your name."

Kunsha shook his head: "It's a pity. The descriptions in these newspapers are too vague and don't explain the details. Otherwise, someone like you who could defeat the magician Pang Ban would truly be famous!"

"That's true, we really missed a great opportunity!"

Lu Xiaofeng spoke, but his tone clearly indicated that he didn't take it to heart.

"Speaking of which, how did you defeat the Demon Master Pang Ban?"

Lu Xiaofeng glanced at the Thunderclap Sword placed beside him and said, "That is a move that the sword spirit within the Thunderclap Sword temporarily taught me. It is said to be the essence of the Thunderclap Sword Technique, called the Divine Sword Thunder Control True Technique."

"Divine Sword Controlling Lightning...True Technique?"

Kunsha sighed, "It's a pity I was knocked unconscious by Pang Ban back then, otherwise I could have seen it with my own eyes. Can you still use that sword technique?"

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head: "This time, borrowing the power of the sword spirit has harmed it, and it has fallen into a deep sleep again."

It turns out that this profound sword technique requires mastering the Thunderclap Sword Technique to a certain level, and also requires one to unleash their own divine flower before it can be released.

Lu Xiaofeng had previously released the power temporarily with the help of the sword spirit.

Now that the sword spirit is asleep, even if he knows the sword moves, he can't use them at all.

Speaking of this sword spirit, it's really unlucky.

Upon its birth, it recognized Ye Gucheng as its master and immediately borrowed the power of the sword spirit. After a great battle, it fell into a deep sleep that lasted for several months.

After finally waking up, Lu Xiaofeng borrowed his power to frighten away Pang Ban, and then he fell into a deep sleep again.

So, from beginning to end, except for the two major battles, he was never awake at all!

After reading through the newspapers in his hand, Kunsha asked, "Any other news?"

"Breaking news: It seems that the Demon Master Pang Ban, in an attempt to save face, has leaked information about what happened a few nights ago. Now the whole world knows that the Three Friends of Winter's search was in vain, and the Rakshasa talisman has long been replaced with a fake."

Right now, I'm afraid countless people are heading towards the Silver Hook Gambling House.

"Then the three Blue brothers... I'm afraid it's the same for them."

Kunsha struggled to sit up and asked with a smile, "Brother Lu, do you have any wine?"

Lu Xiaofeng handed over a pot of wine.

"How about the best wine in this inn, a ten-year-old vintage of Daughter's Red?"

"Ha ha……"

Kunsha smiled, offering no comment on the wine, but instead poured himself a glass, drank it slowly, and then said, "Brother Lu is learned in both ancient and modern times, so I suppose you must know about the slave system."

"I know."

"At present, all the countries in the Central Plains have abolished this system. Even if they secretly practice slavery, they will put on a cover and not do it openly."

However, in the chaotic Western Regions, with endless battles between states, slavery remained rampant. Any victor could freely use and sell the commoners, and even nobles, of the defeated nation as slaves!

“This…I’ve heard a little about it.” Lu Xiaofeng’s eyes darkened.

"My father was originally a commoner from a small country with some wealth. But a foreign enemy invaded and destroyed our country, turning tens of thousands of our people into slaves..."

"Brother Kunsha..."

Kunsha laughed and said, "Brother Lu, there's no need to pity me. I'm much luckier than others. You can tell from my appearance that I have Central Plains blood. That's why I was only a slave for three years before being taken in by the Central Plains people in the Western Regions, who rescued me and even taught me martial arts. It's just a pity that my parents... didn't live to see that opportunity..."

Lu Xiaofeng poured him a glass of wine: "My condolences..."

"That happened many years ago. It's funny, but even now, although I remember it, my parents' faces are blurry... And after I mastered my skills, I avenged them long ago."

Kunsha drank the wine, his face showing little sorrow: "After taking revenge, I began to work for my master, the one who saved me."

Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Brother Kunsha, are you referring to Master Yoda?"

Kunsha said, "Master Yoda is also of mixed Chinese and Western blood, with his Chinese bloodline even originating from the Central Plains."

He was not only a master of mechanical engineering, but also a wise man and a sage!

This is not praise, but a fact. Master Yoda's ancestors passed down many scriptures, including not only martial arts techniques but also numerous ancient fragments. Master Yoda, through studying and summarizing these ancient fragments, created a unique and extraordinary method.

This method allows one to cultivate the most primal power of the human body, which we call 'Original Force'. You can also simply understand it as the power of the soul; this power is also key to controlling the Celestial Crystal Armor!

"The Force? Soul power?!"

Lu Xiaofeng exclaimed in surprise: "The concept of the soul is ethereal and mysterious, and countless sages throughout history have sought to study it. I never expected that someone in the Western Regions would have discovered a method for cultivating this power. Although it is based on fragments of ancient texts, no one can probably object to Master Yoda's reputation as a wise man for being able to develop such a method!"

Kunsha said, "The Force is indeed ethereal and intangible. Even after years of training, apart from having some advantages in condensing the Flower of God, it has no other obvious use. At most, it just makes people feel more refreshed on a daily basis."

But not long ago, a mysterious person came seeking Master Yoda, carrying a treasure called the 'Celestial Crystal'.

"Tianjing?"

Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but recall the full name of the energy box, which was called the Tianjing Energy Box.

"Within the Heavenly Crystal lies the equally ethereal power of heaven and earth, which cannot be touched or even mobilized by ordinary means, but the Force can."

The mysterious man seemed to have come to find Master Yoda for this very reason. It's unknown what kind of agreement he reached with Master Yoda, but from then on, Master Yoda began to study this object.

Later, Master Yoda developed the Celestial Crystal Energy Box, capable of storing and absorbing the power of heaven and earth, and subsequently applied it to battle armor. To realize the battle armor's functionality, he specifically sought out several people for collaborative experiments, namely the three Blue brothers…”

Kunsa briefly recounted these events.

"A few months later, the experiment ended, the deal between the three Blue brothers and Master Yoda was finalized, and they left. But a few days later, Master Yoda suddenly discovered that the three energy boxes were missing..." Lu Xiaofeng pondered, "So, the three of them took the energy boxes because they found them valuable?"

Kunsha shook his head: "I can't really be sure about that. After spending two months with them, I've gotten to know those three a little. They shouldn't be that kind of people... or more accurately, they don't have the guts!"
However, the three energy boxes are indeed in their hands, and Master Yoda's order to me is to take them back.

There may be other reasons, but to me, those reasons are not important!

Lu Xiaofeng nodded, indicating his understanding.

There are many people in this world who side with their relatives regardless of right or wrong.

Even he is always more tolerant of his friends than of outsiders.

This is simply human nature.

Moreover, he had heard the three Blue brothers defend themselves the night before, claiming that the three energy boxes were abandoned by Master Yoda.

But in Lu Xiaofeng's view, even if it was abandoned by someone else, they shouldn't forcibly take it back if they wanted to retrieve it.

It's like someone leaving their purse on the street and someone else picking it up. If the owner can't be found, that's fine, but if the owner comes looking for it and you still refuse to give it back, that's going too far.

Kunsha continued, "I am already deeply indebted to you for saving my life, but I have another request to make."

Lu Xiaofeng frowned, instantly guessing Kunsha's thoughts: "You want me to deal with the three Blue brothers for you and get those three energy boxes back?"

"Exactly!"

Kunsha nodded: "I know this request is a bit much, but I'm severely injured right now and have almost no fighting ability. I can only rely on you. Besides..."

"Stop it!"

Lu Xiaofeng interrupted Kunsha with a wave of his hand and said with a smile, "I'll take this on!"

Kunsha chuckled and said, "Brother Lu is sincere, so I can't refuse. I will naturally take back all the armor, but I can teach Brother Lu the method of cultivating the Force."

Lu Xiaofeng frowned: "I want to help you, simply because I'm willing, nothing more, not for any reward."

He meant it sincerely.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that Lu Xiaofeng is a busybody.

While this brought him a lot of trouble, it also brought him countless friends.

The ability to make friends often boils down to this helpful and meddlesome nature.

When you help someone, they will usually be grateful.

Over time, they naturally became friends.

Kunsha laughed and said, "I know what Brother Lu is thinking, but if you want to take back the energy box from those three brothers, you will probably have to use my upgraded energy box. The Force training method will allow you to sense and train your Force, which is the key to controlling and mastering that upgraded armor."

After a pause, Kunsha continued, "Moreover, although Brother Lu is kind and righteous, I cannot ignore the life-saving grace and the kindness he showed in helping me. At the moment, I have nothing of value; the energy box is not mine, and my martial arts are far inferior to Brother Lu's. The only thing I can offer is this set of Force training methods. I hope Brother Lu will not refuse it!"

Lu Xiaofeng was naturally unwilling to accept it.

After several rounds of back and forth, Kunsha gritted his teeth and said something harsh: "As the saying goes, great kindness can turn into enmity. Brother Lu's kindness to me is greater than the sky. If you don't let me repay it, do you want to make an enemy of me?"

Lu Xiaofeng had no choice but to accept it.

The so-called method of cultivating the Force is actually a simplified version of a method extracted from the Longevity Technique that Zhou Ming cultivated.

Even so, it's not something just anyone can cultivate; it requires the cultivator to have sufficiently strong spiritual power.

Moreover, the effects of cultivation are extremely poor.

As Lu Xiaofeng said, countless people have studied the cultivation of soul power throughout history, but many have achieved nothing.

A method for cultivating the soul that ordinary people can practice is something that even sages like Guang Chengzi and Laozi could not create, let alone Zhou Ming.

Lu Xiaofeng was exceptionally talented, and his cultivation had already reached the Grandmaster level.

Most importantly, his method of cultivating martial arts, like Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue, emphasizes artistic conception. He has cultivated Lingxi Finger and Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens to a level that is unique to him and can only represent.

Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuixue fought a great battle, reaching the pinnacle of their abilities, and directly condensed the Divine Flower.

Lu Xiaofeng didn't have that kind of opportunity; he was the first to condense the Flower of Qi. But in reality, he wasn't far from condensing the Flower of God; he just hadn't encountered the right opportunity yet.

Therefore, he conforms to Zhou Ming's simplified method of soul training.

Zhou Ming deliberately simplified this method, which has huge flaws and few people can practice, not because he was bored, but to complement the use of the battle armor.

Although this method has significant flaws and yields few benefits after cultivation, it possesses another major advantage: it allows one to perceive the ethereal power of the soul and gradually gain control over it.

This allows for better control over the Celestial Crystal energy within the armor.

"Energy...Activate!"

Golden light burst forth, instantly transforming into a suit of armor that enveloped Lu Xiaofeng's figure.

"This feeling……"

Beneath the semi-transparent mask, Lu Xiaofeng's expression was strange.

Being completely encased in armor gives one a sense of security.

Moreover, he could clearly feel a powerful force, which did not belong to him, surrounding him.

This power was incredibly pure, yet it was as vast as the heavens and earth.

"Is this the power of heaven and earth?" Lu Xiaofeng thought to himself, "Only a Grandmaster can wield such power... Truly mysterious!"

Kunsha's face was pale, but he smiled when he saw this and said, "Brother Lu is indeed a young master. Not only is his martial arts level profound, but his talent is also strong. In just half a day, he has mastered the method of guiding the energy of the Heavenly Crystal to protect the body and summon the battle armor."

I practiced for a full two weeks before I could do this, and even then it was still unreliable.

He couldn't help but sigh, seemingly lamenting the difference in their abilities.

He then said, "This upgraded battle armor has many excellent functions, let me introduce them to you one by one..."

"Furthermore, one can manipulate the energy of the Celestial Crystal to use various methods. According to our speculation, even some sophisticated martial arts techniques can be directly executed. However, this requires sufficiently high soul power and precise control..."

The two taught and learned as they traveled.

Soon, they arrived at the Silver Hook Casino.

(End of this chapter)