Chapter 28: Parting Ways With “curiosity”. Going With The Flow
In the training ground at Yongji Pass, Wu Fei wore a pair of Cloud Pattern Boots on his feet, then began stepping through the air, gliding along an invisible line in the air, with the cloud patterns on the boots starting to flow. With a light step, it was like clouds rising and suspending beneath a Dragon Horse as it galloped, allowing him to walk at a height of two feet above the ground. This way, he could quickly dash across most simple terrain.
Such as tripwires on the ground, or trenches within two meters wide—these Cloud Pattern Boots could leap over them all. Wu Fei could sense that the boots under his feet were actually stepping on a thread, and this thread was condensed killing intent.
In the past, Wu Fei did not know how to walk in the air, only thinking that Dragon Horses and those cultivators flying on swords were quite handsome. Now he roughly understood the properties of spiritual energy and killing intent: spiritual energy stabilizes energy structures, while killing intent affects energy diffusion paths.
At this moment, Wu Fei crouched down and inserted a Thunderblast Stone into the rear heel slot, roughly deducing based on his limited chemical knowledge: this thing was a high-energy nitrogen molecular folded compound refined by an alchemist! As for this energy density, it was comparable to the legendary all-nitrogen anion salt. As for how this thing could be refined? Spiritual energy has the effect of stabilizing energy structures, so alchemists refined it using methods like “stewing soup” and “stir-frying vegetables.”
As for Xuan Chong inserting the Thunderblast Stone at this time, he started again, and with a flash of “thunderfire” from the rear heel, a strong push against his back came, propelling him to start faster than a war horse charging in one second. More accurately, Xuan Chong felt like a motorcycle rider suddenly throttling hard.
This impact could knock over four or five people. Of course, the premise was that these four or five people were not holding a spear formation to charge. This was easy to achieve—as a presence with mobility advantage on the battlefield, he could infiltrate chaotic side flanks or push from the rear, without stupidly crashing into the front of spears.
Wu Fei pondered for a moment, then when charging toward rows of straw targets, at the instant of impact, he simultaneously released killing intent from his chest armor and long spear. The chest armor turned into a force field protection layer, while the long spear became an extremely strong “steel nail.”
A large swath of straw targets was flung into the air by the impact force, some directly flying five meters away, then tumbling irregularly in the air before breaking apart and scattering on the ground. —This effect, Wu Fei was willing to call peerless.
Wu Fei sensed the substantial feeling from the killing intent on his chest just now, and the impact sensation after collision suddenly changed from riding a motorcycle to driving a heavy truck, from flesh-wrapped metal to metal-wrapped flesh.
As for the horse spear he was holding, it was even like the forks of a forklift. Sweeping away everything blind, while he himself remained unmoved.
Wu Fei was now constructing the charge formation effect he wanted in a very simple way.
And for Yao San Gu, the “dao companion” who passed the dharma gate to Wu Fei: this was indeed quite unambitious.
…Wu Fei: As a man becoming more and more mature, he would become more pragmatic, restraining unnecessary “curiosity”…
Compared to very simple modes like “throttling,” “arming up,” and “raising forks,” there existed modes that complicated the problem.
In the original version of the manual given by Yao San Gu, killing intent was actually used to construct threads distributed in the muscles. When wanting great power, directly controlling these killing intent threads as muscles to achieve the effect.
Xuan Chong: According to previous life’s technology level, the original manual belonged to an artificial muscle system, its technical complexity was of course much higher than simply “driving heavy.” But could he really control such technology?
In the past, Wu Fei (Xuan Chong) had an eager impulse in his heart, and a voice telling him he could control it, and to believe he could control it.
Of course, whenever Wu Fei got too carried away, the system would cough “cough cough cough” beside him. When a certain student, interrupted from his fantasy and somewhat annoyed, asked what “cough cough cough” meant, the system said: “Nothing, just thinking someone believes they can succeed just by ‘effort’ in their mind. Pretty ‘Winning Studies.'”
After the system kept pouring cold water, Wu Fei put it down time and again, abandoning unrealistic fantasies.
After repeatedly “calming down” and thinking carefully, Wu Fei believed that the scheme in the manual was indeed quite unrealistic! The reason was that constructing “killing intent threads” in muscles required bearing forces far greater than muscle fibers. What if these killing intent lines, with energy density hundreds of times higher than muscle fibers, malfunctioned or lost control during movement?
One could reference the “eraser band”; when an eraser band snaps after being pulled, it can sting the skin, and that’s still outside the body.
While the “killing intent threads” in the manual replacing muscles were inside the body, with strength equivalent to steel wires! If some lines overloaded and snapped, the power would be much greater than an “eraser band snapping back”! His original muscle fibers would be affected, most likely fracturing.
Wu Fei was certain he would overload, and this could not be refused by mere “carefulness.”
Wu Fei had recently experienced growing pains, the pain of tearing, and this fracture malfunction would certainly be much more intense than natural pain, so looking at the manual again, Wu Fei could not help muttering: “This approach is pretty self-abusive.”
“Is there any movement system to avoid such high failure rates?” Several months ago, Wu Fei revisited the old idea. (It was also the last time the blue patterns tried to invade Wu Fei’s pupils from the manual.)
The twice-unresigned Wu Fei thought he could reduce overload in preset transmissions in muscles and joints through “movement techniques,” so he brought out Tai Chi Fist. With the aid of physical test instrument data, a set of Cotton Palm and yielding to overcome the rigid movements was designed, each movement with sufficient buffering, so that easily overloading joint torque would not collapse due to sudden exertion.
Wu Fei almost thought it feasible, but while practicing, he suddenly realized: was all this effort worth it? Why practice this single-log bridge
walking method when there was clearly a broad official road beside it.
Thus, Wu Fei ultimately returned his attention to the broad official road of “throttling” and “driving heavy.”
The awakened Wu Fei: Tai Chi Fist buffered his own force, but facing powerful external stimuli like cannon fire, it would still overload. Better to rely on the killing intent buffer compartment and floor the throttle with one foot.
…Three months ago…
Of course, Wu Fei was still not resigned, and for final rigor, he openly asked the manual’s publisher, Yao San Gu.
After all, in Wu Fei’s era, facing boasts of various parameters from a certain country’s stealth fighter, after multiple calculations deeming it impossible, they still assumed the opposing camp’s “democratic system gifted scientists” might produce black technology that their side’s people could not think of.
Wu Fei faced the blue-eyed kun cultivator: “This manual of yours, has anyone really succeeded with it?”
Yao San Gu fiddled with her silver braid: “Of course many people have succeeded. This is not muscle, but better than muscle, compared to mortal blood energy transport. This is the transcendent way.”
Wu Fei nodded: “So, if muscle damage, um, flesh necrosis occurs, it’s directly supplemented with ‘killing intent condensed threads,’ right?” —Wu Fei had long deduced this “side effect,” but still wanted to confirm how the other side brute-forced it.
Yao San Gu looked at Wu Fei: “What are you worrying about? This is completely unnecessary.”
Then she leaned close to Wu Fei’s ear: “You are gifted; the Dao Venerable will grant you blessings.”
Hearing this, Wu Fei paused slightly, then nodded: “Understood.” Then he turned and left, with no interest left.
San Gu had originally leaned close to Wu Fei, her words becoming more ancient and alluring, preparing a grand maze net, but Wu Fei’s turn was as abrupt as “turning off the light in certain blind date shows.”
The maze entrance originally reflected above Wu Fei’s head became like a mirror flower in a pond hit by a pump, turning ridiculous.
“You?” San Gu, forcibly interrupted for the first time, showed astonishment on her face, instantly turning to grievance, with an expression wanting to retain him.
Just then, Wu Fei turned back casually, using a perfunctory tone for coaxing a little girl: “Mm, you’re right, Dao Venerable blessings and such, ah, yes, yes, yes.”
…Xuan Chong: I said early on you’re a charlatan, heh, from now on, any topic involving your belief, I’ll respect to the maximum extent.…
From then on, in the manipulate killing intent dharma gate, Wu Fei became completely autonomous.
As for the “manual” that once introduced Wu Fei, he decided not to look at it anymore, and to prevent misleading disciples, he also morally helped Yao San Gu with “dharma not spread outside,” directly burning it.
In the fire basin, as the manual burned, blue flames emerged, startling Wu Fei: “Holy crap, is there plastic inside, or some metal salt causing a flame color reaction?”
But Wu Fei did not know that after he destroyed the manual, Xian Daoren thousands of miles away contacted San Gu through the spiritual eye.
The “Eye of the Future” Xian Daoren was puzzled why the “manual was destroyed?” “What, burned? How could it be burned!” “Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine Heavenly Venerable spirit talismans, prohibitions as solid as a golden fortress, even thunderlight smelting could not destroy them, how was it burned?”
While the “Eye of the Past” San Gu argued: “I can only tamper with the past, while future changes are what you should see.”
…As Qian Cuo and Myriad Changes argued, Xuan Chong had already jumped out of the tangle,…
Take from the surplus and add to the deficit is cultivating spirit, while take from the deficit and add to the surplus is gathering killing intent.
Wu Fei understood this sentence as understanding why his killing intent was growing stronger now! He also roughly confirmed that the future under heaven would truly enter chaotic times! Yes, in peaceful prosperous times, a military strategist like him should not have a chance to rise; those towering over the world should be Confucian and Legalist.
Correct, though Confucian claim grand righteousness, Legalist claim public good under heaven. But actually, both are still “take from the deficit and add to the surplus,” in twenty-first century terms, “serving the interests of the ruling class.”
Though Confucian constantly package themselves, using grand upright qi to repel soldiers, Legalist tell how they use edicts to punish and warn the world. What makes the people tremble is prestige killing intent! And the pinnacle of Legalist and Confucian killing intent is the imperial family; the so-called Son of Heaven’s majesty is essentially a supreme “killing intent.”
After leaving the training ground, Wu Fei went to the merchant pass, to the army, to the artisan workshop. The world had come to this; he should follow the Way of Heaven, respond to the Way of Man, and properly supplement.
…The glass ceiling for military strategist upgrade had shattered…
Shu Tian Calendar year 26, Yongji Pass began forging “city defense equipment.”
On various levels, Wu Fei’s large-scale gathering of merchants and forging of armor in Yongji Pass was repeatedly skirting the transgression boundary. If it were peaceful times, the Imperial Court would find a scapegoat to establish authority, and Wu Fei would be suitable.
But now, Da Yao was being face-ridden and output by those “geckos” in the north, how could they care about the “sparrow” in the southern region peeking around.
Wu Fei: The Wu Family cannot privately forge war chariots, but can forge “military supply vehicles” and “pass gate knife carts” for defending checkpoints (a type of cart with knives stuck all over the front).
But what is a war chariot? Pulled by heavy draft horses, with a driver, crossbowman, and warriors handling spears.
In the carpenter workshop, watching water-powered saws complete cutting, assembling parts into “Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse,” Wu Fei muttered to himself as if facing Da Yao officials’ sophistry: “This doesn’t count as a war chariot, right? This is arable land farming tool.”
In the workshop assembly line, the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse is a wheelbarrow that can move itself downhill, while uphill, it uses another method. Wu Fei noticed a feng shui disk on top of the Wooden Ox head, consuming yao calculation energy stored in the wood, with a mast on the vehicle body for hanging wind sails.
The Giant Soldier Golden Bull from the expedition to Zhu Prefecture, after returning to Tianchi City and handing over the central army tiger tally, was relinquished by Wu Fei.
But after commanding such a war machine, Wu Fei felt his military system should include such “non-flesh units.”
The current Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse in the workshop was war chariot level, width of one horse cart, chassis with a central single wheel and four wooden mechanical legs. The wooden legs could curl to slide forward on the single wheel, or all four push the ground to propel the vehicle. Of course, this vehicle was not horse-pulled, but wind-powered.
June 6th, the artisan in charge of crafting the vehicle sent good news: the self-propelled vehicle Wu Fei wanted was completed.
Under Wu Fei’s excited observation, the artisan set up an array disk, lit a fire basin, then tossed several Xiu Jade bi disks into the fire basin. The jade shattered instantly upon meeting fire, and after the “wind borrowing fee” offered to heaven was received by the clouds above, wind would come, driving the wind sail to propel the war chariot. This was a magic war chariot.
Wu Fei clapping on the side inwardly snarked: Spiritual swords, spiritual stones sound nice, but can’t put a spiritual in front of the cart.
War chariots have existed since ancient times, far before Da Yao was founded in antiquity, when the Human Emperor during conquest forged the “Chariot of the South,” forcing the Dragon Clan to leave in that battle.
The “Chariot of the South” at that time used green mountain Xiu Jade as core spiritual material, and now Wu Fei’s “Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse” also used jade to complete the core component of the “wind-fixing disk.”
Indeed, the bulk goods of southern border traveling merchants besides wood were jade; merchants recently found several pits with glass-type hard jade. Not suitable for carving tamed beasts, but perfect for artifacts interacting with “man and feng shui.”
Inside the Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse is a flywheel structure; wind power driving the wind sail to rotate can to a certain extent wind up the flywheel, so that when wind power is weak, the vehicle still has power to turn.
If a “knife board” is added to the front of this Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse, and the wind-borrowing “feng shui disk” removed, it becomes city defense equipment. Remove the knife board, add wind sail and feng shui disk, and it’s a military supply vehicle.
As for adding all—following an expert suggestion from a certain Earth country exporting treaty-compliant missiles verbatim: “Not recommended.”
Da Yao Dynasty’s war chariot formation is four vehicles per group, because each war chariot is basically twenty-five men, seven on the vehicle, other fourteen marching behind. War chariots charge, infantry harvest.
After repeated weighing of designs, Wu Fei decided on two vehicles per group! Because Wooden Ox and Flowing Horse is far larger than ordinary war chariots, and turning flexible, since the wheel is only the central single wheel, other direction control still relies on front and rear legs.
Moreover, this war chariot’s wooden beams are thicker than ordinary war chariots, that wind sail not smaller than inner river small boats, weight fully three times that of Da Yao’s “six hundred kilogram box carts.” In tests, sandbag targets comparable to mountain monster weight could be directly knocked flying.
In Wu Fei’s envisioned future army: every two war chariots equipped with one hundred men, so even if the vehicle gets stuck in a mud pit on the road with wind exhausted, it can still be pushed.
A not-so-important but needing-noted detail.
The manuals Xuan Chong first saw were all about killing intent torque on armor and weapons. But this chapter shifted focus to threading in muscles and bones.
This was because San Gu tampered with the past seen content.
For the “Clear Treasure Heavenly Venerable,” all knowledge given to recipients, some scholars arrogantly thought they could control it, but in fact, once seen, control was impossible; past learning could be tampered with.
Of course, during transmigration classes, teachers would correct beside, no need to worry.
