The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

The night in Bianjing was so thick it was almost impenetrable.

The night watchman's clapper struck three times, the sound muffled, like a heavy hammer hitting the heart.

At the alley entrance outside the academy's wall, the three porters still stood. Dew slid down their straw hats and into their necks, icy cold, but the three didn't even blink, looking like three lifeless clay sculptures.

The attic was pitch black and without any lights.

Wang Shao sat cross-legged on the floor, his sword resting on his knees. He didn't even need to open his eyes; with a slight twitch of his ears, he could sift through the wind and discern every sound that didn't belong to the night.

"They haven't moved an inch in three hours."

A sound suddenly pierced the darkness.

Jiang Lin stepped out from behind the screen. He had changed into a dark-colored, tight-sleeved short-sleeved shirt, and carried a copper tube that gleamed coldly in his hand. His steps were as light as a leisurely cat.

Wang Shao suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clear as a mirror, showing no trace of drowsiness: "Those are assassins, used to feed the swords."

"That's right, it's bait."

Jiang Lin walked to the window and pushed it open halfway. He raised the telescope in his hand and skillfully turned the adjustment ring.

In this era, this is a "night vision" that only gods can possess.

The world in the lens is not completely dark; the lights in the distance are refracted through layers of lens elements, outlining the bamboo forest on the back mountain in a pale white silhouette.

"If you were Xiao Hui of Liao and wanted to destroy this place, what would you do?" Jiang Lin asked softly, his tone as if discussing the moonlight tonight.

Wang Shao ran his fingers along the rough hilt of the knife, a murderous aura surfacing: "A feint attack from the front, then a stab in the back. Or... burn it all to the ground."

"clever."

Jiang Lin smiled slightly as the camera slowly panned across the edge of the bamboo forest.

The wind blew, and the bamboo leaves danced wildly.

But amidst that chaotic dance, several eerie shadows defied the laws of the wind, moving silently close to the ground.

Extremely fast, extremely insidious.

"Here I am." Jiang Lin's voice was so calm it was infuriating.

Wang Shao instantly stood up, his towering frame blocking half the window: "How many?"

"Four. The northwest corner, they climbed over the wall."

Jiang Lin adjusted the focus, and in the lens, the leader's mask was blown up by the wind, revealing a hideous knife scar.

"The goal is clear: head straight to the Gewu Institute."

On the back of Wang Shao's hand, where he gripped the knife, the veins bulged like earthworms: "I'm going to chop them up."

"Wait a minute."

Jiang Lin stretched out a hand and placed it on Wang Shao's broad shoulder, laughing, "Those were guests who were bringing 'tuition fees' to Shen Kuo. Killing them before they even entered the door is extremely rude."

……

Gewuyuan (Institute of Physics)

The courtyard was piled with wood, copper sheets, and broken glass shards; the lanterns under the eaves had long been extinguished, and it was as desolate as a graveyard.

Several dark figures vaulted over the wall, landing with only a soft "thud," like fallen leaves returning to their roots. Their tactical movements were skillful, clearly those of experts.

The scarred man who was leading the group made a hand gesture, and the four men quickly dispersed. Two stood guard, while two felt around for the door.

With a thin blade inserted into the gap and a gentle flick, the door opened.

The room was filled with the smell of pine resin and ink. Scarface rushed to the table, and a small flame flickered on the tinderbox.

The table was piled with drawings in a mess. He grabbed one at random, and in the dim light, his pupils contracted sharply!

The drawing depicts a precise lens structure, with numerous dimensional parameters marked next to it.

That's it! The blueprints for that "miracle device" that can see miles away!

Scarface was overjoyed; this trip had been worth it! He quickly stuffed the blueprints into his pocket and was about to turn around—

The floor beneath my feet suddenly sank.

It's not a breakage, it's the vibration of the meshing mechanism.

Click.

In the silent night, this sound was like a thunderclap.

"withdraw!"

Scarface roared and staggered backward.

But the wind overhead was faster than him! A huge fishing net fell from the roof beam, its ropes soaked in tung oil, incredibly tough, and covered with a dense array of barbs.

At the same time, torches on the surrounding walls suddenly lit up!

Dozens of torches illuminated the courtyard as bright as day, making it impossible for the mice, who were used to the dark, to open their eyes.

"Taking the goods and leaving? Are these Liao guests so ignorant of etiquette?"

Jiang Lin stood atop the wall, looking down at the viewer. The bronze tube in his hand gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the firelight.

Scarface reacted extremely quickly, drawing his curved knife with a flash of cold light, tearing a hole in the fishing net.

"kill!"

He roared, like a mad wolf, lunging straight at Jiang Lin on the wall. He could only live if he killed this scholar!

The blade sliced ​​through the air, accompanied by a mournful whistling sound.

Jiang Lin didn't move, nor did he even look at the knife. He was looking at his watch—it was a miniature version of the water-powered astronomical clock that Shen Kuo had just made.

"three."

"two."

Clang—!

A sickening clang of metal rang out, sparks flying everywhere!

A heavy, horizontal sword, like an insurmountable iron wall, stood in front of Jiang Lin.

Wang Shao held the knife in one hand, his face expressionless.

"Your knife is too light."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Shao flicked his wrist, and the horizontal blade pressed down. A terrifying force traveled along the blade, and Scarface felt a sharp pain in his hand, his body going numb instantly.

Before he could react, Wang Shao had already kicked him in the chest.

boom!

Scarface flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the stone millstone in the courtyard, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

The battle ended even faster than it began.

A moment later, the Gewu Academy returned to silence. Four men in black, bound hand and foot, knelt amidst the mess on the floor.

Jiang Lin jumped down from the wall and walked up to Scarface.

"Song pig... despicable!" Scarface's mouth was full of blood, but his eyes were still fierce.

Jiang Lin smiled.

He crouched down and gently patted Scarface's cheek with the copper tube.

*Slap. Slap.*

"That's not despicable."

"That's called a dimensional reduction attack."

Jiang Lin stood up, wiped his hands, and pointed to the blueprints peeking out from the scarred man's arms: "Take them away and interrogate them separately. Remember, don't damage those blueprints; they're a special gift prepared for Xiao Hui."

Wang Shao was taken aback, then a look of understanding flashed in his eyes.

Shen Kuo altered the curvature of the lenses on the blueprints by the slightest. Using that telescope for too long would cause blindness, or even… shatter.

"Understood."

The yard was quickly cleaned up. Apart from a few pools of blood on the ground, it was as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Lin stood in the empty courtyard, looking up at the dazzling starry sky.

"It seems that having eyes alone is not enough."

He raised his telescope, aiming it at the distant north. The lens captured a pitch-black void, a nightmare that had haunted the Song Dynasty for a century.

"We need to give Shen Kuo more responsibilities. He needs to be able to see the enemy and also be able to fight them."

Putting away the telescope, Jiang Lin turned and walked towards the study.

There, a new sheet of white paper has been laid out.

Jiang Lin picked up his brush, ink dripping freely. He didn't write a poem or a lyric, but instead wrote three large, menacing characters—

Divine crossbow.

Since you want to play, I'll show you what it's like—

What is truth? It lies only within the range of a shot.