Chapter 119

  "Is it you?" Chu Zhuang let out a cold hum, her gaze drifting lightly towards the woman. Her eyes swept around behind the woman's back, but saw no one else. A pair of eyes like knives, filled with the darkness of an impending storm.

  "Not bad, it's me!"

  Qing Xia's head tilted to one side, a smile spreading across his face as he replied. As he spoke, he strolled carelessly towards the center of the arena. Two eager Penglai disciples suddenly shouted loudly and charged at Qing Xia. Without even looking at them, Qing Xia swiftly drew out his dagger and leapt into the air, kicking one of the men in the shoulder with a loud crash. The man's shoulder bone shattered instantly, and before he could even let out a pained cry, his arm twisted grotesquely to one side. A blood-curdling scream immediately followed, echoing up to the heavens!

  One arm hooked around, strangling another man, who looked at his companion on the ground and was so scared that he almost peed his pants, his face turned pale, and his whole body trembled.

  Qing Xia's mouth corners slightly curled up into a cold and faint smile, his evil gaze swept towards the surrounding crowd that was staring in shock. The dagger hovered at the man's throat, mimicking the sound of a knife slicing through the throat, he softly said: "Hsss!"

  The robust man who was uninjured suddenly stiffened at the sound, his eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

  Qing Xia trod on his body, a sharp dagger spinning agilely in her hand, as she walked towards the crowd with a smile. Wherever she went, people made way for her like they would for a snake or scorpion, clearing out an empty path.

  Qing Xia stepped up onto the high platform, smiling faintly as he spoke to Chu Zheng: "Are you looking for your big brother? He's already gone back. Knowing that you're hiding here being so uncooperative, he specially asked me to come and greet you."

  Apart from the initial shock, Chu Zheng immediately regained her calm and composed expression, sneering coldly as she said in a low voice: "You think you can escape from Penglai Valley? How ridiculous!"

  "Hmph!" Qing Xia coldly snorted, raising an eyebrow and saying: "Has two years of living like a turtle really made you lose your mind? This simple mechanism of the Five Elements is also something you want to use to trap us. Since I was able to walk in safely, naturally I can also walk out unscathed!"

  "And you!" A petite woman suddenly turned her head, looking at the sons of Penglai Valley with a cold expression, saying: "You can't really be so naive as to think that relying on those explosives in the frozen soil would blow a hole and make the entire elite army of South Chu perish. It's simply a joke of the century!"

  Yuanyu's face changed greatly, and he suddenly exclaimed: "You... how did you know?"

  Qing Xia stood on the high platform, gazing coldly at the group of Penglai people who had lived in seclusion for a thousand years, and said loudly with a cold smile: "The green mountain cannot hide, the great river flows eastward! A thousand years have passed, all things in the world have changed, can you still think that the outside world is the same as it was a thousand years ago? Holding a few foreign guns and artillery, do you want to go out and compete with heroes from all over the world? It's really ignorant of the height of heaven and earth!"

  Chu Zheng's eyebrows were tightly locked, a thread of vigilance suddenly rose, and she said to the people on both sides: "Don't listen to her nonsense, take down this woman and use her as a sacrifice for the flag!"

  Cong Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, and before she could make a move, Mr. Mu said in a low voice, "Hold on, let her finish!"

  The old man with a hoary head stepped forward two steps, his white eyebrows slightly raised, and said in a low voice: "Miss, I don't know what you meant by your words just now?"

  "Can't you understand?" Xia smiled and said: "Then I'll tell you in a way that you can understand. This man is a rebel from Southern Chu, who murdered his father and usurped the throne. His crimes are heinous and he has nowhere to hide. He couldn't make it on the outside, so he came here to cheat and swindle you all. It's laughable that you simple-minded fools still expect this withered tree to regain its vitality, wanting one person to gain everything, what a wonderful calculation!"

  "It's not that I'm asking you," Mr. Mu said in a low voice, "I want to ask how you knew the principle of Huo Yao Dong Tu? How did an outsider like you know the secrets of our Ma Peng Lai?"

  "This is also a secret?" Qing Xia opened her eyes wide and laughed. With an expression that couldn't help but laugh, she said: "Seven parts of saltpeter plus one part of carbon and one part of sulfur, this is something that even street kids know about, but here it's become a secret? Am I crazy or are you guys crazy?"

  As soon as the words fell, the faces of the Penglai people changed greatly, and they all looked at each other in shock. Although they still didn't know the proportion of gunpowder, its main component was well-known to everyone. The old and bent Qing Shu stared at Qing Xia incredulously, his unclear speech saying: "You... what kind of person are you? Have you stolen a look at our camp's secret techniques?"

  "What a joke!" Qing Xia coldly snorted, his voice icy: "Do I still need to sneak a peek at your so-called secret techniques? You bunch of short-sighted frogs in the well, blindly arrogant and self-important, thinking you can take on the world with just this little bit of ability. You think you're impressive with your fine weapons and fierce firearms, but you don't even know that other countries have been manufacturing firearms for over 500 years! The only reason they're not using them now is to avoid even greater casualties in war. Besides your simple black gunpowder, flintlocks, explosives, muskets, and cannons have long since been invented. The imperial army is well-equipped, and with just this small group of people, you're nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot - you're not even in the same league! I guarantee that if you ever leave your little valley, within two hours, Penglai Valley will be annihilated, and you won't even have this last bit of land to call your own!"

  Qing Xia's voice was crisp and clear, as cold as snow. Her phoenix eyes scanned the entire scene, her mouth curled into a cold smile as she spoke in a low tone.

  The entire Penglai Valley was stunned, everyone's eyes were wide with shock, and they stood in place, as if they had lost their souls, unable to come back to their senses for a long time. These people had always been arrogant, thinking that once they appeared in the world, there would be no one who could match them. At this moment, Qing Xia ruthlessly pulled out the greatest pride in their hearts, how could they not be terrified?

  "Where did this little girl come from, daring to speak so loudly here!" A red-clothed woman named Ousi suddenly sneered and said in a low voice: "I have lived outside for fifteen years, how could I not see the fire gunpowder you mentioned even once? Won't it be that the young lady is uniting with outsiders to deceive everyone in order to keep her position as the valley master? The campcraft secret technique is our seven departments' treasured canon, if the young lady does this, how will she have the face to meet the old valley master under the nine springs a hundred years later?"

  As soon as the words fell, the people of Penglai suddenly made a noise, as if they had found a lifesaving straw, and angrily stared at Tan Suocong with their eyes almost spitting fire, and without thinking, they confirmed Ou Si's words.

  The youth's eyes turned cold as he glared at the old witch, sneering: "You old hag, don't frame innocent people. I've never met your family's young mistress before, and I wouldn't go watch your so-called secret techniques. Everyone here has lived with Miss Tan for over a decade, they should know her character well. If she had such intentions, she wouldn't have been forced to this point today. If you refuse to repent, you can follow these shameless traitors and fight to the death, see if my words are empty. However, don't say I didn't warn you, the 300,000-strong army of Southern Chu is waiting on White Deer Plain, ready to strike at dawn, with bullets loaded, just waiting for your 2,000 men to go die with their muskets and gunpowder!"

  The people of Penglai were flabbergasted, their expressions of confidence and determination now filled with hesitation. The words of this mysterious woman were like a bolt from the blue, shattering the beautiful dream they had been dreaming for a thousand years. At this moment, the beautiful dream was shattered, and the people of Penglai were torn between the temptation of dominating the world and the cost of death. Some beat a retreat, some remained neutral and waited to see what would happen, while others refused to change their ways. The voices grew louder, and soon everyone was arguing and shouting.

  Chu Zheng's face was cold and stern, his eyes fixed intently on Qing Xia, as if he wanted to swallow her whole. His voice was icy: "You must not confuse people's minds here, everything you say is nonsense. I am the Crown Prince of Southern Chu, how could I have never seen any well-equipped imperial troops? You, a wicked woman, don't know where you got this secret from, but you came here to spout rubbish. Watch me tear you limb from limb and vent my anger!"

  He finished speaking and suddenly drew out the precious sword at his waist. In an instant, a cold light flashed, the sword rose like a dragon, and it fiercely attacked Qing Xia in the manner of a great river rushing forward.

  However, Qing Xia didn't even flinch, while Zhu Yuanqing suddenly flew up and struck out with his sword, opening Chu Zheng's longsword. In a deep voice, he said: "Young Master Chu, why must you be so impatient? If this woman is indeed talking nonsense, we will naturally put her to death. But now what she says and what you say are clearly different, let's let her finish speaking before we make our judgment."

  Qing Xia smiled and said lightly: "This big brother is indeed a wise man, he is so anxious, it's because he's afraid I'll reveal his good deeds and foil his sinister plot! Unfortunately, justice is in people's hearts, even if there are treacherous people who try to block the way, they can't stop the truth from moving forward."

  Yu Qing turned his head, bowed to Qing Xia and said respectfully: "Please, Miss, explain in detail what you just said, so we can judge whether it was Chu Gongzi who deliberately concealed the truth or you who confused our ears."

  "Alright," Qing Xia smiled and said: "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. It's not good to be like this. You find someone you think is very knowledgeable to come and test me as well. If I can answer correctly, it naturally proves that your level is not up to par. If I can't answer, then do with me as you please. What do you say?"

  Yu Qing looked at Qing Xia's bright eyes, thought for a moment and nodded, saying to the old man below: "Qing Shu, you come here"

  The aged elder climbed up to the high platform with a trembling body, bowed his head slightly towards Qing Xia and said in a pale face: "Then I'll ask the young lady."

  The young man smiled faintly and nodded his head, saying: "Please ask, sir."

  Qing Shu coughed and said in a low, hoarse voice: "After the heavy snow, is there any way to make the snow melt quickly?"

  Qing Xia smiled faintly and thought to herself, "Are they going to test our knowledge of physics?" She replied with a faint smile, "There are many methods, but the simplest one is to sprinkle salt on the snow."

  Qing Shu raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice: "Why?"

  "Because sprinkling salt can lower the melting point of snow, making heavy snow melt quickly."

  Qing Shu nodded and continued to ask: "What is meant by 'sitting on the ground and traveling three thousand miles in a day'?"

  "This statement is actually not correct, but to a certain extent it can also explain a problem. The ancient theory of a round heaven and square earth has long been outdated, the world we live in is indeed a sphere that is constantly rotating, even if we sit at home, one day will still be relatively moving."

  The old man's eyes sparkled as he said, "You can say that the world is round, which is already a remarkable insight."

  Qing Xia smiled faintly and said, "You're overpraising me, I just listened a lot and understood a bit."

  "Alright, let me ask you again. Is there a technique for smelting iron and steel outside? I remember that when we came here, they were still using bronze artifacts."

  Qing Xia sprinkled a smile and said: "Twenty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, now that one thousand years have passed, how can we still use bronze? Please forgive my lack of knowledge, I've only heard of three steel-making methods: converter steelmaking, open-hearth steelmaking, and outdoor refining. Using pig iron and carbon as raw materials, steel is harder than iron and more practical. Sir, please excuse me, I'm not a blacksmith, so I don't know the specific forging process!"

  The old man's eyes widened, thought for a moment, and said in a low voice: "So, young lady, do you have any knowledge of guns?"

  Qing Xia smiled to himself, thinking that he had indeed asked the right person. He said loudly: "Because I am often in the military, my understanding of firearms is quite extensive. Over the past 500 years, there have been mainly 17 types of gun development, with several main names being divine guns, flying heavenly toxic fire dragon guns, sword guns, large wind chasing guns, swift lightning guns, self-igniting guns, self-firing guns, lifting guns, and various cannons. Nowadays, single-barreled guns are mostly used, but the imperial army is equipped with double-barreled guns, which have a longer range, greater power, faster loading time, and are convenient for continuous combat. I heard that the military manufacturing department is currently producing a powerful cannon, with a range of over 1,000 miles. In other words, if it were to be fired from within the imperial capital, locked onto your location, in an instant, your Penglai Valley would be reduced to ashes, and you people would also disappear into nothingness, leaving no corpses behind."

  The old man stared blankly, the crowd fell silent, and they all gazed at Biao Xia in a daze. Qing Shu occasionally wiped the sweat from his forehead, and unconsciously bowed his head respectfully, saying: "Is that really the flying bullet recorded in history? Miss, have you ever heard of a wooden bird that can fly in the sky?"

  From then on, Qing Xia had no more doubts and worries. This so-called Mr. from a thousand years ago was either an imaginative prophet or someone who had also come from a small place like himself, writing down such a mind-boggling secret technique. Laughing, he said: "In our time, this thing is called an airplane, currently still in development, made of steel, with huge fuel propulsion power, can soar through the skies, carry people and goods, if there's a refueling machine, it can fly forever without landing. At the same time, this is also called a fighter plane, during battles, it shoots cannonballs, engaging in aerial combat."

  Qing Shu's face turned pale, his lips trembling as he sat on the ground with a thud. Trembling, he said: "So, it was all true. I never thought that after a thousand years, the world's technology would have developed to this extent. We... we were really short-sighted."

  "I'll give you another dose of strong medicine," he said with a smile. "The era of knife-plowing and fire-sowing has long passed. Outside, technology has advanced, there are iron cars that can travel thousands of miles in a day, wind-ears that can communicate over vast distances, giant wheels on the sea that can carry tens of thousands of people, towering skyscrapers, and thriving commerce. It's no longer the backward feudal society of a thousand years ago."

  All the people of Penglai were shocked to hear this, because these words were said in Mr.'s maxims about the civilized era. They stared blankly at the black-clothed woman standing on the high platform, feeling as if a basin of cold water had been poured over their heads. What pacifying the world, what heroic and powerful, what enfeoffing marquises and prime ministers, all were turned upside down. Now people's concerns are only about when those missiles with a range of thousands of miles will suddenly appear in the sky and explode on their own heads!

  The enemy's army is defeated without a fight, Qing Xia knew, she had already won.