If the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor knew the origins of these nine elders, he would understand why Qin Mu possessed a perspective and breadth of mind unmatched by his peers.
The nine "elders" of the Crippled Village were not only Qin Mu's closest kin but also his teachers.
Among them were the current Tathagata, a former divine spear master, the deaf mute who was unrivaled in artifact refining yet utterly mischievous, the once stunningly handsome yet ruthlessly cruel Jade-Faced Poison King who was a healer, and the Heavenly Demon Cult's holy maiden who moved the world with her divine and demonic duality.
There was also the deaf man, whom the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor revered as the Painting Saint; the cripple who could steal anything under heaven without fail, even after losing a leg, and who could still escape with stolen goods; and the butcher, known as the Heavenly Blade who defied the gods in battle.
And there was the Village Chief, a human sovereign who had illuminated an era.
Some were broad-minded, some deeply sentimental, some compassionate, some composed, some cunning, some skilled at hiding their true feelings, some brimming with heroic passion, some adept at strategic planning, and some ruthlessly decisive. Yet most retained a pure heart and an unwavering spirit.
It was precisely because of such a village, such people, that Qin Mu could be nurtured into a figure whom even a saint appearing once in five centuries, like the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, would admire.
Qin Mu himself felt no such thing. After leaving the Crippled Village, he did not consider himself particularly remarkable. After all, he was the Hegemon Body—any achievements were simply to be expected, nothing to make a fuss about.
However, to others, he was nothing short of a monster. At such a young age, whether it was poisoning, alchemy, forging, theft, or calligraphy and painting, he was one of the finest experts under heaven.
Conversely, Qin Mu's combat prowess was not what others focused on. He himself worked hardest to enhance his strength with all his might, yet this aspect was the least conspicuous among Yan Kang's constellation of talents.
Yet even his seemingly ordinary combat power swept aside all peers. Even Ban Gongcu repeatedly suffered defeats at his hands.
When Qin Mu left the Crippled Village, his mastery of mathematics was not high. But after leaving the Great Ruins, his proficiency advanced rapidly. Few even within the Dao Sect had fully grasped the Grand Mysterious Calculation Canon. Though Qin Mu was not of the Dao Sect, he had thoroughly studied this canon.
He started late but overtook the rest; few under heaven surpassed him in mathematical prowess.
The more one interacted with him, the more one realized this young man was truly extraordinary.
"To quickly convert the contents of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll into mathematical models, I need someoneproficient in mathematics to assist," Qin Mu said, putting away the scroll. "The first technique, the Magpie Bridge Technique, I can measure and establish a mathematical model for within one month. But the second technique, the Mysterious Lead Technique, and the third, the Divine Crossing Technique, require far too much calculation. If I do it alone, it will take over a year—too long a delay."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor, the Village Chief, and the Cripple all looked grave. Establishing mathematical models required measuring every angle within the space of the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, reconstructing the three techniques' coordinates in space with numbers. This was crucial!
With the mathematical model, one could then use the ratio between the divine bridge in the scroll and one's own divine bridge as a scale to convert these spatial coordinates, determining each coordinate point for the technique's circulation within one's own divine abode.
Only in this way could one learn the Magpie Bridge Technique, build the Magpie Bridge, use it to repair the divine bridge, extend the divine bridge, and then further cultivate the Mysterious Lead Technique, to forge another Mysterious Lead Bridge from the celestial court on the other side of the divine bridge.
After mastering the Mysterious Lead Technique, one would then cultivate the Divine Crossing Technique.
If there were any errors in calculation, and the three bridges—Magpie Bridge, Mysterious Lead Bridge, and Divine Crossing Bridge—could not connect, all previous efforts would be wasted!
"In the Dao Sect, the strongest in mathematics is the old Daoist Master. However, he has retired and his whereabouts are unknown. The next is the current Daoist Master, the former Daoist Lin Xuan."
Qin Mu continued measuring and calculating. "His mathematical prowess is extremely high. I have seen him wield the Dao Sword—his mathematics is formidable."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's head throbbed painfully. He said slowly, "Relations between the Dao Sect and Yan Kang are not good. But we must invite them to help. Besides the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon also requires their expertise! The Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon is of utmost importance and must be forged. The Dao Sect's manpower alone is likely insufficient for these two tasks. Therefore, we must also make a trip to Little Jade Capital. However..."
He gazed toward the grasslands, his headache worsening.
Now that the Mandi Kingdom was defeated, this was the perfect time to annex the grasslands. This opportunity must not be missed!
Inviting the Dao Sect, traveling to Little Jade Capital, bringing troops to the grasslands, and razing the Loulan Golden Palace—these were all critically important matters, yet he could not be in multiple places at once.
To the north, the Langjuxu Kingdom was still attacking Yan Kang. The sheer volume of affairs threatened to overwhelm him.
"I am well acquainted with the Daoist Master. I can visit the Dao Sect and perhaps persuade Daoist Lin Xuan," Qin Mu said with a smile. "I can also make the trip to Little Jade Capital. We have met Wang Muran and his master, Zhen Sanren, before."
"I killed Zhen Sanren," the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said. "You are the Heavenly Demon Cult Master—Little Jade Capital may not treat you kindly."
Qin Mu looked at the Village Chief and the Cripple. The Village Chief said, "With nothing else to do, a stroll would be nice."
Understanding, the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said, "Very well. You go to Little Jade Capital. I will raze the grasslands and destroy the Loulan Golden Palace!"
"The Loulan Golden Palace holds a hundred of my treasures!" Qin Mu hastily said. "You promised I could choose any I liked!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said solemnly, "Rest assured. I always keep my word."
Relieved, Qin Mu smiled. "Village Chief, Grandpa Cripple, let us return to Qingmen Pass, bring Xiong Xiyu and her daughter, and Long Pang, and make a trip to the Dao Sect and Little Jade Capital."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor immediately set off toward Helan Pass. Qin Mu and the others returned to Qingmen Pass, picked up Xiong Xiyu and her daughter, and placed the Village Chief in the medicine basket.
Qin Mu suddenly realized, "Oh no! I have never been to Little Jade Capital!"
The Village Chief said lightly, "I have been there. It is a place of old bones, stubborn and foul. You may not be able to persuade them."
The Cripple rubbed his hands excitedly. "Little Jade Capital! I have never been there! Having never stolen from this sacred place, my life would be incomplete! It is a pity Old Ma Ye is not here..."
Xiong Qier looked up at the Cripple and said earnestly, "Grandpa Cripple, you will be beaten to death if you steal things."
The Cripple doted on this little girl and patted her head, smiling. "Qier, would you like to become the world's third sacred hand?"
"Yes!" the little girl replied loudly.
Within Helan Pass, the armies were reorganizing. The main generals reported their losses to the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor. This time, with the warships leading the charge, casualties were not severe—less than a previous small-scale battle. The loss of spiritual weapons and the need for provisions and medicinal herbs were also minimal.
The Sword Hall Master and Yuyuan Chuyun also came to report. "Reporting to the Imperial Preceptor, the medicinal stones are gone."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor exclaimed, "What?"
The Sword Hall Master repeated, "The new army's medicinal stones are gone."
"Impossible!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor stood up abruptly. "The warships were stocked with three months' worth of medicinal stones. How could they be depleted in a single day?"
The Sword Hall Master said little. "Firing the cannons used them up."
Yuyuan Chuyun explained, "Imperial Preceptor, the cannons improved by Doctor Qin consume vast amounts of energy, and the improved furnaces require even more medicinal stones. In the recent battle, each cannon fired a hundred times more shots than before! The consumption is a hundred times greater! Thus, the medicinal stones are depleted."
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor steadied himself. "Then the pursuit of the enemy cannot be entrusted to the new army. Let the cavalry and aerial riders pursue instead. Your new army should rest first. Once the medicinal stones arrive, you will have other tasks."
Yuyuan Chuyun said, "Imperial Preceptor, the new army still has no name. Please bestow one."
"I cannot bestow a name—it must be granted by the Emperor," the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor waved them off, thinking to himself, "How could it all be used up? The improvements Master Qin made seem to spare no expense, pouring in energy as if fearing insufficient firepower..."
Just then, an aerial rider arrived in a rush. A nine-headed eagle descended, rolled on the ground, and transformed into a divine cultivator who knelt on one knee and reported, "Report! Imperial Preceptor, General Bian requests Doctor Qin to come to the front immediately!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's heart stirred. While all armies were reorganizing, only Bian Zhenyun led the Qingmen Pass troops in pursuit, aiming to strike directly at the Mandi Kingdom's capital, Yellow Dragon Prefecture.
Bian Zhenyun had guarded Qingmen Pass for years and knew the grasslands well. Leading elite forces straight to Yellow Dragon Prefecture demonstrated speed and the potential to cut off the enemy at the root.
"Doctor Qin has already left for the Dao Sect and is not here. What has happened?"
"Witch venom!"
The cultivator tore open his clothes, revealing his chest covered in corpse spots and large areas of festering. He rasped, "Our troops have all been poisoned! Many brothers have already died! The Imperial Academy's medics say the great sorcerer poisoned the water!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's expression grew solemn. He rose abruptly and said in a deep voice, "Take me there!"
The cultivator practiced body-refinement techniques and was about to transform back into the nine-headed eagle to fly. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's spiritual power surged, freezing him in place and compelling him to follow through the air. "Do not use your spiritual power, or the witch venom will erupt faster. Just point the way."
His speed was incredible, like wind and lightning. Space seemed to compress beneath his feet. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor covered a thousand li and caught up with Bian Zhenyun's troops.
Before landing, the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor was stunned.
He looked out over the grasslands, which were littered with corpses—human and animal alike. Not only were there Bian Zhenyun's Yan Kang soldiers, but far more were the bodies of grassland herdsmen and their livestock.
The corpses were rotting at an alarming rate.
Countless green-headed flies swarmed the sky, buzzing around the innumerable bodies but daring not land. When they did land on a corpse, they died instantly!
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's eyelids twitched. Suddenly, the cultivator beside him let out a choked sound, vomiting blood and the contents of his gut before collapsing dead. His corpse fell from the air beside him.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's heart sank further. Even if Qin Mu, the divine doctor, came now, it would be useless. The Golden Palace had poisoned the entire grasslands—Qin Mu could never purify all of it!
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor clenched his fists and walked through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Around Bian Zhenyun, many soldiers still lived, but their bodies were rapidly decaying.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's gaze settled on Bian Zhenyun. Bian Zhenyun's cultivation was deep, so the witch venom had not reached him. But this old general sat blankly beside a young officer—his son, who had already succumbed to the poison.
"General Bian..."
Bian Zhenyun looked up vacantly, his eyes devoid of spirit. The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor turned to leave, saying in a deep voice, "Stay here. Do not enter the pass."
Bian Zhenyun watched his retreating figure and suddenly shouted, "Imperial Preceptor, I still have many Yan Kang children here—I cannot let them all die!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor's body trembled, but he did not stop, continuing toward Helan Pass.
Within the pass, the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor looked at the Yan Kang cultivators carrying blue gourds. Not a single one made a sound.
"Begin," the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said, closing his eyes and waving his hand. "Flood the grasslands to cleanse the witch venom."
One by one, the gourds opened, releasing dark clouds that rose to the sky, covering the grasslands. Thunder cracked again and again as heavy rain poured down.
The rain continued for ten days, scouring the land until the grasslands became a vast swamp.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor entered the grasslands once more. Countless people and animals had drowned. He found Bian Zhenyun—the Qingmen Pass army had been reduced to Bian Zhenyun alone. Everyone else was dead.
"General Bian, return to the pass," the Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor said softly.
Bian Zhenyun looked at him blankly, his voice hoarse. "I led them out but could not bring them back. I have failed them... Imperial Preceptor, take our bodies home... I have failed you!"
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor opened his mouth to speak, but Bian Zhenyun drew his sword, cut off his own head, and held it out with both hands before him.
The Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor took the white-haired head in his hands as Bian Zhenyun's body collapsed to the ground.