Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 106 Power and Virtue, Conspiracy and Overt Schemes
In the courtyard of the locust tree, there were a few more long tables and cushions.

Hai Donglai, Cheng the Blind, and several of Zheng Hui's most trusted guards were still waiting here.

The night sky was cold and the wind was chilly; a red shadow flashed on the wall.

Chu Tianshu had already climbed over the wall and descended. As he walked, he casually ripped off his cloak, shook it into a ball, and threw it on the long table.

"It seems things have gone well."

"Your shout just now was really loud," said the blind man. "Everyone here could hear it clearly."

Chu Tianshu picked up the teapot and took two sips.

"But I'm really not used to speaking so loudly."

He was born in the Jianghuai region, unlike people in mountainous areas who have the opportunity to sing folk songs and practice their voices by shouting from afar from a young age. Although he developed strong cardiopulmonary strength after practicing boxing, he can produce very loud sounds.

But those are often roars or howls, rather monotonous sounds.

That time when we lured Zhu Heng to the island and shouted for so long, it was all thanks to the megaphone we had.

Without tools, maintaining such a high volume while speaking clearly is indeed quite unusual.

Chu Tianshu cleared his throat, recalling the feeling of shouting loudly just now, yet he also felt a unique kind of joy.

If I have the chance in the future, I can practice this skill.

Cheng the Blind sighed slightly: "The collusion between the Duan family and the Yuwen family, and Duan Zhong's scheming and plotting, are all done in the dark."

"If he were to accept the challenge this time, it would seem as if he were representing the martial arts of Nanzhao and challenging the martial arts of the Tang Dynasty."

"I'm afraid many people will still see him as a hero, and therefore hate Hai Donglai even more."

After nightfall, Hai Donglai stopped using the umbrella.

He also changed his clothes, into a dark red robe and a black belt.

Although it is also red, it is quite different from the bright and flamboyant red dress of the original.

When he sat behind the long table, dressed like this, fiddling with the tea set, he looked like a scholar.

"There are already enough people in the world who hate me, so it won't matter if there are more."

Hai Donglai said, "One of the reasons why Doctor Chu uses my name is probably because my reputation is so bad."

Chu Tianshu chuckled but didn't reply.

That's exactly what he thought.

There are advantages to having a bad reputation.

The reputation of the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guard was so bad that even its own people were afraid of it.

Absolutely no one would equate Hai Donglai, the commander of the Tang Dynasty's Imperial Guard, with the behavior of a normal Tang person.

Even if the Duan family wanted to use this challenge to incite internal antagonism in Nanzhao, they wouldn't be able to.

For more than a decade, even decades, the reputation of "the internal security guards are not human, they are all like demons" has been continuously spread.

At this point, you suddenly say that what the Commander of the Imperial Guard did was on behalf of the attitude of the vast majority of Tang people.

Who could believe that?
Steward Zheng said worriedly, "This time, to deal with the Prince of Yi and his allies who are plotting against him, challenging him to a duel is indeed an excellent way."

"But this life-or-death duel is very risky. Even if we win, there will be great hidden dangers in the future."

"Some generals in the army were wavering, and still regarded Duan Zhong as a great hero and senior among the soldiers of Nanzhao. If Duan Zhong were to be defeated and killed in an open challenge, it would probably arouse their hatred of the enemy."

Chu Tianshu didn't take it to heart. He walked over to Hai Donglai, waited for him to finish brewing the tea, and then took a cup.

Judging from Hai Donglai's skillful manner, you can tell he has excellent tea-making skills.

Since Lu Yu, the Sage of Tea, became famous, the tea ceremony has flourished, and tea art has become a form of enjoyment.

Hai Donglai's life was half about struggle and half about enjoyment, so naturally he also had some interest in tea ceremony.

Chu Tianshu took two gulps, but couldn't tell the difference between the tea and the tea he casually brewed in hot water.

"Will defeating Duan Zhong necessarily unite them in their hatred of the enemy?"

After finishing his drink, Chu Tianshu said, exhaling hot air, "I think it's more likely that we'll make them fear our power and then win their favor."

Only by first respecting authority can one learn to cherish virtue.

If you think too much about your own benevolence, others may not appreciate your kindness and will only think you are weak and easy to bully.

Within a small group, it is indeed possible that because the person receiving the virtue is of good character, a situation can arise where one can cherish virtue without fear of authority.

But in the face of the immense power of the Tang Dynasty and the Nanzhao Kingdom, relying on moral character is a ridiculous thing.

The biggest reason for the change in Nanzhao's governance policy in recent years is their defeat in the great war ten years ago.

But it was Yi Mouxun who failed back then, not Duan Zhong.

So this time, let Duan Zhong suffer a defeat too.

"According to your plan, on the day of the duel, you will definitely be facing Duan Zhong again."

Hai Donglai looked somewhat regretful as he flipped his wrist. “I’ve never fought him, but back when I assassinated the Nanzhao generals, several of them were his disciples.”

"His swordsmanship and palm techniques are both quite good."

"Their styles may seem different, but they are connected by a common thread. When all of them are pieced together, they may resemble Duan Zhong's appearance."

"I can practice a bit these next couple of days and show you."

Although Hai Donglai is not yet capable of intense combat, practicing his fighting style with only slightly above-average physical strength is not a burden.

Chu Tianshu nodded.

It's a pity that if an ally on the other side suddenly appears, we'll definitely have to work together to find a way to deal with them.

There's no way to guarantee that all the heads will belong to you.

However, with Duan Zhong as the main figure, the others were also implicated and brought to the forefront because of Chu Tianshu's actions.

In that case, the amount of good fortune you get should be quite substantial.

It should at least be enough for me to travel through time and also enough for me to bring back the Three-Seven Divine Sword with its weapon spirit.

Tsk, if I travel through time with a sword in the future, will I have to pay for the token every time?
If only I could refine the Three-Seven Divine Sword into an intangible and formless object, so that I could carry it with me at all times.

Chu Tianshu had just finished a match and was relaxed, so he couldn't help but start daydreaming.

Greetings came from outside the courtyard.

"You all didn't go back to your rooms tonight, so it seems my midnight snack was prepared just right."

Wenjing's wife came over with a smile, carrying two food boxes. "There's more in the kitchen, I'll go get it later."

There are several kitchen helpers in the kitchen, but it seems there's something important going on at the Locust Tree Courtyard.

The guards of the Zheng family stood watch outside, and apart from Madam Wenjing, they refused to let too many people in.

Moreover, the particularly loud challenge outside had distracted everyone, and they all wanted to look around.

Aunt Mo almost dropped the steamer on the ground.

Only Wenjing remained calm and focused on her own affairs.

The first food box was handed to Chu Tianshu.

"I tried making this kind of flatbread that Dr. Chu mentioned. You can take a look."

Chu Tianshu lifted the lid and saw a plate of golden, crispy, and shiny sesame seed cakes.

Although there were many ways to make flatbread at this time, the most common ones were still the large flatbreads of later generations, or similar to mutton naan bread.

Chu Tianshu loved Huangqiao sesame cakes, so he mentioned it, and unexpectedly, Wenjing's wife could actually make them.

"it is good!!"

Chu Tianshu took a bite, and it was indeed crispy, with a thousand layers inside. He immediately beamed with joy.

"Okay, okay, I want to eat this again after I finish fighting that day!"

Click!

A crisp cracking sound echoed through the Prince Yi's mansion.

Duan Zhong stepped on a broken lantern that was mostly burned.

The remaining parts of the bamboo lantern frame were also dried and brittle.

Just by listening to the sound, you can tell that the lantern's frame is already extremely fragile.

Just like the Prince Yi's mansion tonight.

Several guard leaders followed Duan Zhong with faces full of shame, not daring to breathe loudly.

They survived not because they were particularly skilled in martial arts, but because the place they were guarding was farther away, and they didn't encounter the intruder.

Duan Zhong didn't reprimand anyone. He quietly walked into the central hall and saw that the tables and chairs were destroyed and there were six or seven corpses lying in the mess.

One can imagine that while they were surrounding someone, they were all instantly sent flying.

Duan Zhong took a step and his figure suddenly rose up, passing through the roof of the main hall. In just one leap, he reached the wall of the side courtyard.

In the side courtyard, there is a pavilion that has collapsed halfway, and the bodies of the three elders of Diancang.

There were also a large number of guards standing beside Duan Rusu's body.

"It was the three elders of Diancang who first confronted Hai Donglai on the top of the pavilion. They were very dutiful."

Duan Zhong finally spoke, his tone tinged with sadness.

"It's all because of the vegetarian diet; it's so foolish."

"Even if others are in the side courtyard, they cannot tell by their hearing what kind of physical strength the person displayed when throwing the stone lion and smashing the screen wall."

"At least he should know that if the three elders of Diancang couldn't defeat that person even if they joined forces, he himself wouldn't be a match for that person either."

Instead of thinking about protecting themselves first, they thought about getting the four of them to work together.

This isn't bravery; it's a lack of understanding of when to advance and when to retreat.

Some things truly cannot be backed down from, and should not be backed down from.

But you're just facing an assassination attempt. If you don't retreat or hide, what are you waiting for?

Duan Zhong sighed and closed his eyes.

Sure enough, the Duan family could only place their hopes on their grandchildren, or even their great-grandchildren.

But all of this is predicated on the fact that I must win this challenge.

Hai, Dong, Lai!

This person is indeed too elusive. Even though Chang'an provided the route for the envoys, they couldn't find his route.

Little did they know that he was actually in the delegation.

It must have been him who led the delegation and fought against the Tibetans.

He must have been injured as well.

Otherwise, given his past practices, he should have gone directly to Duan Zhong himself, instead of just killing him at the Prince's residence and then leaving, and establishing a war treaty.

Duan Zhong opened his eyes: "This is also a deliberate attempt to give my allies time to make a response, isn't it?"

Duan Zhong had already seen through the purpose of the challenge.

However, Duan Zhong thought the intention was very good.

It's never just the Duan family that needs those people; those people also need the Duan family!
Whether it's the military governor of Huaixi or that man in Chang'an, they are both quite old, and this may be their only chance to accomplish what they want.

The Tang Dynasty wanted to recover its lost territory, and Tibet wanted to fight back fiercely; both wanted to seize this opportunity to succeed.

The change in Nanzhao was something that had to be brought about.

“Then come on. I’ve already sacrificed a nephew. You all need to contribute your strength to help me avenge this public grudge and personal feud.”

Duan Zhong looked up at the moon, and suddenly a layer of frost covered the prayer beads in his hand.

Not only were the prayer beads frozen, but the gold thread that strung the beads together was also frozen hard like a gold ring.

But in the next moment, flames suddenly enveloped the golden ring, and the charcoal-red light shone through each bead.

The temperature changed abruptly, and before the prayer beads could fully burn, they all exploded and scattered.

Duan Zhong's hands emerged fully from his half-covered sleeves, bathed in moonlight.

On his right hand, each finger had a silver-white ring, as if made of fine steel, placed near the base of the finger.

He also has a ring on the index finger of his left hand.

The six rings were usually dull, almost completely hidden by the skin color of his fingers and the shadows of his sleeves, and did not attract any attention at all.

At this moment, the bright light of these rings perfectly complemented the moonlight.

It's as if every ring possesses the vibrant spirit of a soldier.

(End of this chapter)