20demayo Chapter 230 The Epoch-Making Zhuge Crossbow? A pipe dream!
Chapter 230 The Epoch-Making Zhuge Crossbow? A pipe dream!
Chapter 230 The Epoch-Making Zhuge Crossbow? A pipe dream!
"An apology?" Jing Hongchen raised an eyebrow, a playful expression on his face. In all his years at Mingde Hall, no student had ever dared to request an audience in this manner. He truly hadn't expected that Huo Yuhao would come to apologize to him.
However, having experienced the previous theft incident, Jing Hongchen was well aware that the seemingly honest young man in front of her was actually full of cunning schemes.
In fact, if it weren't for Kong Tianxu's comprehensive suggestions for reforming the Mingde Hall's defense system before he left, Huo Yuhao might have actually succeeded last time.
Upon thinking of this, Jing Hongchen immediately became extremely vigilant.
He weighed the black metal box in his hand, his mental energy quietly probing inside. He looked at Huo Yuhao with a half-smile and said, "I've experienced Shrek's spirit and methods more than once or twice. I'm afraid your apology won't be so easy to accept."
They've taken the bait!
Huo Yuhao was secretly delighted, almost wanting to applaud his ingenious plan. His soul tool had a name that had once shaken the continent ten thousand years ago—the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
Its creator was none other than Tang San, the great ancestor of the Tang Clan and the Sea God. Of course, the one in his hand was not the original version, but rather a micro-innovation he made after spending a whole year combining the ancient mechanism principle of the classic Zhuge Crossbow of the Tang Clan with contemporary soul tool technology.
Even with the complete blueprints passed down from his ancestors, this groundbreaking combination still required immense effort from him. Even his mentor, Fan Yu, was unaware of the true essence of this soul tool.
Because this is the first soul tool he personally crafted for the revival of the Tang Sect!
While the current Zhuge Divine Crossbow isn't particularly powerful, its versatility and ease of use by ordinary people are exceptional. It's something the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy has been striving for.
In this respect, the technology of this soul tool has been officially certified by Xuan Ziwen, and it was even something he had previously exchanged with Xuan Ziwen.
At the same time, he also asked the other party to keep it strictly confidential, so Jing Hongchen naturally had no idea about this.
Huo Yuhao was confident that once his soul tool was revealed, Jing Hongchen would be willing to pay a huge price to obtain it.
This is a win-win situation! Two birds with one stone, I, Huo Yuhao, have won twice, I'm exhausted from winning!
The disguise skills honed through the Extreme Individual Soldier Program were on full display at this moment. No matter how excited he was inside, Huo Yuhao's face suddenly hardened, perfectly conveying the annoyance of being misunderstood: "Last time, I was too obsessed with researching soul tools and lost my mind, but it had nothing to do with Shrek Academy. This apology is just on my personal behalf. It's a soul tool model I made myself. I'm leaving it to you as a souvenir; I've already installed the mechanisms."
If you need to use it, that's it—”
As he spoke, he stepped forward and skillfully demonstrated several operating steps.
Jing Hongchen took the metal box and examined it. This soul tool was indeed crudely made and of poor quality.
He slightly activated his soul power to sense it and found that there was only a simple level one energy gathering core array inside.
But the more this was the case, the more uneasy he became. Since the core array was fine, then what about the inner and outer shells—
"Yes, it is good to admit one's mistakes and correct them."
Despite the growing doubts in her heart, Jing Hongchen remained expressionless and even nodded in approval.
Huo Yuhao bowed respectfully and said, "If the Hall Master has no further instructions, I will take my leave now."
After saying that, he turned and left without any hesitation.
After closing the door, Huo Yuhao didn't walk fast. He even had the leisure to extend his right hand, retracting his fingers one by one, as if playing the prelude to a victory.
"five----"
"Four----"
"
Two, "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—"
A series of sharp, rapid whooshing sounds suddenly burst forth from the tightly closed door behind us!
"Jing Hongchen used it!" Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed with a sharp light.
Plans are in place!
"Huo Yuhao!"
Immediately following, a loud shout echoed far down the corridor from behind the door.
Although the trigger time was slightly earlier than expected, the result—it seems—was a foregone conclusion.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but curl his lips into a victorious smile. He stopped and calmly turned around, preparing to face Jing Hongchen's shocked and even frenzied question, "Report the number!" But the voice that came from inside the door was Jing Hongchen's, full of mockery and amusement.
As if electrocuted, Huo Yuhao's body trembled violently. Then, driven by a deep-seated conditioned reflex, his body automatically entered a perfectly standard process:
Using the right heel as a pivot, and coordinating with the front of the left foot, the body twists 180 degrees to the right with a "whoosh," legs straight as if clamped together, weight firmly on the right foot. After a slight pause, the left foot "snap" closes to the right foot along the simplest path.
A textbook example of military posture at attention is instantly achieved!
His whole body was tense, his toes were spread apart at a precise sixty degrees, his fingers were close together and slightly curved, his thumb was pressed tightly against the second joint of his index finger, and his middle finger was pressed firmly against the seam of his trousers.
He mastered every technique perfectly, clearly having been rigorously disciplined.
"Huo Yuhao, No. 5438, reports to his superior: I will definitely reform myself and become a new person!"
His imposing self-introduction created a wave of sound, and the door to Jing Hongchen's room was swung open again, revealing a fat face grinning broadly.
Jing Hongchen appeared to remain silent, but Huo Yuhao clearly heard a disdainful chuckle.
More than a dozen office doors on this floor had quietly opened sometime earlier. A variety of gazes followed—curious, mocking, and...
Surprised, the focus, like a searchlight, shone on Huo Yuhao, who was standing in the middle of the corridor, maintaining a comical military posture.
boom-!
Huo Yuhao felt all the blood rush to his head and then instantly drain away. It felt like being stripped naked and displayed in front of everyone.
The extreme shame and utter embarrassment left his mind blank.
The sleepless imprisonment for more than ten days, and the bizarre labor reform of the Sun Moon Empire, truly left indelible marks on his body.
No! This is completely different from the script he had envisioned!
Shouldn't Jing Hongchen be amazed by the ingenuity of the triggering device of his soul tool, imagine how powerful the Sun Moon Empire would be after equipping it with such a device, then pretend to be stupid, raise the price on the spot, squeeze this foolish and rich Hongchen Hall Master out of a lot of money, and leave behind a deliberately disguised fake blueprint to infuriate the other party?
Why is this happening?! Why are we standing at attention?! Why are we counting off?! Why am I making a fool of myself in front of so many people?!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Huo Yuhao's entire face turned bright red at an alarming speed, the angry red spreading from behind his ears all the way down his neck.
Humiliation, this is the ultimate, naked humiliation!
"Master of the Red Dust Hall!"
Huo Yuhao barely managed to catch his breath, enduring countless stares, and forced himself to move back to his room. He gritted his teeth, squeezing out the address word by word.
No, I must stay calm! Jing Hongchen's actions must have a deeper meaning.
He called me back, definitely for the soul-guided triggering device on the Zhuge Crossbow! Yes, he's using this humiliating method to break my composure and make me lose my temper, so it'll be easier for him to lower the price!
What a cunning fellow Jing Hongchen! The teacher said he was stubborn and self-willed, but it seems he underestimated his treachery!
"Hehe," Jing Hongchen finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was so satisfying to see the Shrek Academy members suffer a setback. "Little Huo, don't be angry. It seems that the reform of our Mingde Hall's supervisory department has been very effective."
He paused, then, as if feeling it wasn't enough, slowly added, "Um, number 5438."
Huo Yuhao's annoyance was almost palpable: "The Red Dust Hall Master summoned me back specifically just to inspect the results of your hall's supposedly outstanding transformation? As a powerful figure second only to the Emperor in the Sun Moon Empire, you seem far too leisurely!"
"Yeah, I'm just concerned about the mental health of you exchange students," Jing Hongchen said, shaking her head with an expression that said, "What can you do to me?"
"Hey, Xiao Huo, why are you back in my office again? Alright, it's getting late, hurry up and go back."
After a series of playful jokes that sent Huo Yuhao's emotions on a rollercoaster, Jing Hongchen's expression returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened was truly just a prank on a whim.
Had he guessed wrong? Huo Yuhao's heart tightened, but he immediately dismissed the thought.
Impossible! He had absolute confidence in the Tang Clan's ingenious mechanisms and his own talent for soul tools.
Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao's heart couldn't help but clench. This old guy, he's really good at acting!
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to adopt a negotiating stance. "Alright, Master Hongchen, there's no need to pretend anymore. We're all smart people, let's speak frankly. I believe you also discovered in your recent experiment that there's a trigger device that doesn't require soul power to activate, but can be used directly after soul power is injected. I know that Mingde Hall, or rather the Sun Moon Empire, currently desperately needs my technology."
Jing Hongchen's face showed a perfectly timed look of confusion: "Trigger device? What trigger device? Isn't this just an ordinary level one soul tool?"
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Still pretending?! Huo Yuhao felt his patience was about to run out, and anger surged within him.
"Master of the Red Dust Hall!" He raised his voice, trying to regain the initiative. "I've already presented you with my research results. Is there any point in playing dumb? You're not thinking of sending me away so you can secretly dismantle and study them yourself, are you? If so, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible. In terms of the ingenuity and decisiveness of our self-destruct device, I think no sect on the entire continent can compare to our Tang Sect!"
"Name your price. If I think it's acceptable, I'll show you the structural diagram of this soul tool triggering device."
"Oh~~~~ I see." Jing Hongchen drawled out the words, looking as if she had just realized something. "For someone your age, it's quite impressive that you've managed to come up with such a decent triggering device."
He touched his rounded chin, as if he were really thinking seriously: "How about this, I'll personally fund a special item to reward you, as an encouragement for your innovative spirit."
"6
"What is it?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up. He had thought that Jing Hongchen was truly blind and couldn't see the value of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
However, he quickly noticed the oddity in Jing Hongchen's choice of words and immediately emphasized, "Let me make it clear beforehand, this took me a lot of effort to research. If it's going to be sold, it won't be cheap! It has to be at least a level nine soul tool."
Huo Yuhao looked arrogant and refused to bargain, but his bottom line was actually very low, since it was a business with no capital involved.
But since it wasn't his own stuff that was being ripped off, he naturally demanded exorbitant prices and then tried to haggle.
"Heh," to Huo Yuhao's surprise, Jing Hongchen showed no anger at all, but just chuckled and said, "Although it is not a level nine soul tool, it is extremely precious to me. It is not level nine, but it is better than level nine."
Not quite level nine, but even better than level nine?!
Huo Yuhao's heart skipped a beat. What could it be? A level eight fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell? Or perhaps some kind of strategically significant special soul-guided device? Shrek Academy doesn't have a level eight fixed-position soul-guided device yet—
"Then I'll have to take a good look. Master Hongchen, please bring it out first."
Huo Yuhao even took a half-step back, feigning composure, but his breathing involuntarily became heavy. His eyes were fixed on Jing Hongchen's hand as he reached for the storage soul guide ring, as if some priceless treasure was about to be pulled out from there.
Just as Huo Yuhao was lost in thought, almost holding his breath, Jing Hongchen finally took out— from his storage soul guide ring.
A pillow?
To be precise, it was a pillow-shaped object. Huo Yuhao blinked hard, forcibly dispelling the initial impression that "it's just a pillow" from his mind.
Upon closer inspection, although the pillow-shaped item was relatively clean overall, it appeared to have some signs of wear and tear from years of use on both sides, with noticeable wear and tear on the edges. Huo Yuhao, who did not come from a particularly privileged background, knew very well that this must be because it had been washed repeatedly.
The most outrageous thing is that there is a rough patch with a mismatched color on the bottom right corner!
This pillow-shaped thing looks like a pillow, but it feels...
Huo Yuhao subconsciously reached out and squeezed it.
It was soft and limp, with no elasticity, and filled with low-quality, hardened cotton. If you got close, it even had an unpleasant stale smell.
The muscles on his face instantly stiffened, and the smile that had been on his face vanished in an instant. This is just a damn old pillow that has been used for who knows how many years and should be thrown into the trash!
Mirror! Red! Dust!
The immense drop from the clouds to the cesspool made Huo Yuhao feel a surge of intense blood rush to the top of his head, and his vision blurred. The veins on his head throbbed wildly, and his throat tasted metallic; he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
The soul power within his body began to surge chaotically due to this extreme anger and humiliation.
His face was dark blue with a hint of purple, and he was on the verge of exploding.
Patience! Patience! Patience! There's a knife above the word "patience," but a hundred acts of forbearance can bring success!
Forcibly suppressing his anger, he panted heavily and said, "Master Hongchen, this is clearly just a pillow that's been used for who knows how many years. Tell me, how does it compare to a level nine soul tool? Mine is only a level one soul tool—"
"Do you even know that what you have is just a level one soul tool?" Jing Hongchen said coldly. The terrifying pressure of a titled Douluo descended like an iceberg, instantly sobering Huo Yuhao up.
"And although this pillow of mine is made of ordinary materials, it was one of my favorite items before I awakened my martial soul and entered school. Back then, I could fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, which is perfect for someone like you who likes to daydream."
"I'm giving this to you. I hope you can be down-to-earth and have fewer unrealistic dreams."
"Alright then, if we don't need a level nine soul tool, rare metals will do. Look at the silver dragon scales mentioned in the school history..."
Seeing that Jing Hongchen was truly angry, and that the result from his spiritual perception was absolutely true, Huo Yuhao immediately felt guilty, his aura plummeted, and he hurriedly lowered his own status.
Jing Hongchen didn't speak, but lazily tapped the tattered pillow on the table again with her knuckles.
Huo Yuhao's face turned from pale to red again, even showing a hint of humiliation and indignation, his eyes flashing with cold light. If he weren't burdened with a heavy responsibility, he would have turned and left without looking back.
"At the very least, we need 1,000 kilograms of purple-gold copper and 1,000 kilograms of heavenly spirit silver —"
After several rounds of fruitless negotiation and emotional turmoil, Huo Yuhao finally abandoned his original idea and directly announced his bottom line.
Jing Hongchen listened expressionlessly for half a moment before interrupting again: "Trying to take advantage of me? Your thing is only fit for a pillow. Take it and get out. Or, you can stay here and display more of your whimsical ideas."
The last hope shattered completely, like a bubble.
Huo Yuhao stared blankly at the tattered pillow, then looked up at Jing Hongchen's cold and mocking face. He finally understood that from beginning to end, he had been like a clown jumping around, and all his performances and expectations were nothing more than a clumsy farce in the other person's eyes.
After extreme anger comes a chilling sense of humiliation and emptiness.
"This is impossible!" Huo Yuhao finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up abruptly.
Jing Hongchen didn't say anything more. With a wave of his hand, he threw the Zhuge Divine Crossbow back, and at the same time, an irresistible force sent Huo Yuhao outside the door.
"Bang—" The door slammed shut, as if shutting down all his dignity.
Huo Yuhao stood outside the door, his face extremely pale. The corridor remained silent. But Huo Yuhao knew that the ears and eyes behind those doors had heard or seen the whole thing.
He angrily wanted to bang on the door, but after looking at the black box in his hand, he finally put it on the ground.
After calming his breathing, Huo Yuhao's face revealed only a cold glint, and only one thought roared wildly in his mind:
Although it's unclear what's gotten into Jing Hongchen, in the future, the Tang Clan's mass-produced Zhuge Divine Crossbow will blast open the gates of the Sun Moon Empire and awaken this foolish old man.
Let him understand what a huge mistake he made today!
A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. He will make the other party repay today's insult a hundredfold in due time.
It's a pity that time is running out and Kong Tianxu is dead. Otherwise, he would have been thinking of using the legendary silver dragon scales to cast some curse-type necromancy.
As Huo Yuhao stepped out of Jing Hongchen's office building, he looked around the academy where he had spent more than two years. The restlessness he felt after the injection surged up again, and even his spiritual eyes became somewhat blurry.
He quickly circulated his soul power, and the feeling lessened considerably, but it didn't completely disappear.
"Brother Tianmeng, does that drug really have no effect on my martial spirit?" Huo Yuhao asked in his spiritual sea.
"Don't worry," Tianmeng Bingcan's voice was still lazy. Kong Tianxu was dead, and he was much more relaxed. "I've already transferred those drugs from your brain to your kidneys. They should be broken down soon."
Huo Yuhao was relieved and cheered himself up. With longing and anticipation for the future, he went straight back to his dormitory.
On the way, he was somewhat surprised to find that all the doors and windows of Xuan Ziwen's laboratory seemed to be tightly closed.
Inside the office.
"Master, this thing... I feel like the trigger mechanism is actually quite sophisticated. Isn't that price a bit too much—"
Lin Jiayi picked up the Zhuge Crossbow that Huo Yuhao had left behind and cautiously asked Jing Hongchen a question.
Jing Hongchen glanced at him sideways and held out her hand. Lin Jiayi immediately fell silent and respectfully presented the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.
Jing Hongchen held it in her hand and casually fiddled with it a couple of times, her eyes calm and even showing a hint of boredom.
Finally, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed it casually into the pile of old, discarded soul tool remnants waiting to be cleaned up by the wall, as if discarding some kind of trash.
Three years ago, even for something as basic as this, he would have bid high and low to understand its underlying principles.
However, ever since Kong Tianxu produced the Soul Guidance Gun, he no longer cared. The two weapons cost about the same, but their power differed by an immeasurable margin.
When Huo Yuhao was peddling his "groundbreaking innovation," he probably didn't realize that there was a secret production line deep beneath Mingde Hall, producing cheaper yet higher-quality soul-guided firearms day and night.
That was the true steel torrent that could crush all the ingenious tricks and gimmicks of the old era, rolling forward with unstoppable momentum. His thoughts drifted far away, and Jing Hongchen's eyes gradually became deep and unfathomable. He looked at the lights of Mingdu outside the window and sighed softly, as if regretting, yet also as if relieved: "Alas, Kong Tianxu, he is truly a genius. It seems that my Hongchen family can only—"
Lin Jiayi stood to the side with his hands at his sides, looking down at his nose and his heart. Having followed Jing Hongchen for so many years, he knew that when the hall master uttered such sentiments, the best choice was to remain deaf and mute.
Suddenly, a tiny, dark gold soul tool, extremely well-hidden on Jing Hongchen's earlobe, flickered slightly.
Jing Hongchen seemed to be struck by an invisible electric current, and abruptly stood up from her seat. The color drained from her face instantly, and even her eyes showed a momentary blankness.
"Master, what's wrong?" Lin Jiayi was startled.
Soon, the look in Jing Hongchen's eyes changed dramatically, and all that remained was an indescribable brilliance.
Kong Tianxu is dead.
Lin Jiayi was struck dumb.
"What a pity, such a talented person died young."
Jing Hongchen continued, but his voice was very low, only he could hear it: "But it's good that he's dead. Only when he's dead will my grandson and granddaughter have a chance to rise up. Besides, without this monster that is completely uncontrollable, unpredictable, and might even cause the Hall of Worship and the Holy Spirit Cult to merge, Your Highness should be able to sleep more peacefully."
He sighed again, "It's just a pity for Master Confucius—"
"Confucius, Confucius, Confucius—Master Confucius?!"
Xuan Ziwen, who had just returned to his lab after getting his food, pushed open the door and saw an elderly silver-haired man with his back to him, flipping through several complex mechanical blueprints on the table. He shuddered and dropped the lunchbox on the floor with a clatter.
He felt as if his bones had been removed, trembling, and then he knelt down with a thud.
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