Dragon Canon

Wei Yuan stopped disturbing Xu Wenwu’s artistic pursuits after that, simply reminding him not to forget to take the horse for a walk and tend to the herbs. Then, he left the stone house.

Since the blood-red demon horse died, Wei Yuan had no immediate plans to acquire a new mount, though the blue steed was growing day by day.

When Wei Yuan arrived at the herb garden, he saw that the area where the two Star Dragon Trees were planted had undergone a complete transformation.

The Star Dragon Tree with white-gold patterns had grown to the height of a human palm and sprouted another two leaves. The concentration of vitality in the herb garden was also the highest in the entire realm of Qingming. Enhanced by Jia Wood Nurtures Life, the plant was growing twenty times faster than it would in a natural environment, making its progress particularly encouraging.

However, the plot where the other Star Dragon Tree had yet to sprout was now shrouded in black mist; merely approaching it was enough to evoke a faint sense of unease. This plant was growing extremely slowly and had still not sprouted.

Wei Yuan had long sensed that this Star Dragon Tree contained the power of oblivion. Inspired by Sun Yu, he decided to try sprinkling some nether soil on it. He summoned a small handful of nether soil—just a tael or so in weight—and scattered it on the ground. As soon as the soil materialized, the surrounding temperature plummeted instantly, like they were in late autumn.

However, Wei Yuan could sense that the Star Dragon Tree beneath the ground, which had yet to fully take root, was beginning to absorb the quietude energy. Slowly but surely, its growth rate was increasing.

Now, it was a matter of waiting. Originally, this Star Dragon Tree was meant to be grown with otherworldly fortune, but Wei Yuan had recently exhausted his supply while having no clue on how to replenish it. Gazing at the full moon in the sky, Wei Yuan sometimes found himself wondering: maybe I should start practicing the Jade Toad Full Moon Painting again?

On the side of the herb garden closest to the central peak, the dozen or so Wood Spirit Ginseng were thriving at least. A faint blue mist was already lingering in the air, its scent refreshing and uplifting. Each of these plants was worth several hundred taels in immortal silver. In the short time they had been growing, their value had increased by about ten taels each. However, since these plants provided Wei Yuan with a steady stream of cultivation, he had no immediate plans to sell them for profit.

The Wood Spirit Ginsengs were overflowing with vitality; the opposite of the nether soil. Wei Yuan reckoned that sprinkling the nether soil on them would kill them and so refrained from conducting reckless experiments. Testing medicinal herbs was a task best left to Sun Yu.

After he was done performing one round of inspection, Wei Yuan flew out of the domain toward the northwest. He travelled dozens of li until a vast Shaman encampment came into view.

The Shamans had not completely withdrawn their army after retreating. Instead, they had established an encampment just over a hundred li from the realm of Qingming, seemingly preparing for a long-term garrison. Even from several dozen li away, Wei Yuan could see a dark green pillar of qi soaring straight up and connecting heaven and earth.

It was the Shaman army’s army aura. By now, Wei Yuan had become proficient enough in the Qi Viewing Spell to tell that there were at least forty or fifty thousand troops in the camp. It seemed that they had received reinforcements since their last retreat.

Only a single day had passed, yet the Shamans’ camp had already taken on a substantial scale. The camp walls had been built to a height of one zhang and were still being raised. This massive encampment appeared capable of housing over a hundred thousand troops, and it was constantly being expanded and strengthened. It did not resemble a temporary camp but rather a permanent military fortress.

Beyond the encampment, a convoy of several hundred large carts could be seen approaching at a slow pace, each and every one loaded to the brim. There was a small river running through the center of the Shamans’ encampment, and cargo ships were frequently entering the camp from the river as well.

It would seem that the Shamans had spared no expenses on this camp, sending in a steady stream of building materials and supplies. Were they planning to build a city?

There was nothing that could be done about it, though. At their current strength, Qingming’s armies could give their enemies a run for their enemy within the domain, but they stood absolutely no chance outside of it.

But just because there was no solution now didn’t mean there wouldn’t be one in the future. All he needed was a little time, and he would have plenty of ways to deal with this encampment.

Considering the current distance between the encampment and realm, the enemy’s commanding general clearly had no idea of Qingming’s true capabilities. They were still treating it like an ordinary realm stone.

Normally, it took a century of nurturing for a realm stone to expand its domain by a hundred li. However, Qingming could do it in just a few years. If there was a large number of Shaman corpses available for conversion, the duration could even be shortened to a year.

A year from now, once Qingming’s domain had reached that area, no Shaman city—no matter how formidable—would be able to hold out for long.

That was why Wei Yuan decided it would be best to let them continue as he watched the Shamans continuously transport materials from the rear to build their camp and future city. The bigger the scale, the better. In fact, the realm would be under significantly less pressure if the Shamans devoted most of their energy and resources to construction.

Even if the Shamans ultimately succeeded in building a mighty fortress city, Wei Yuan had other means to deal with it besides waiting for Qingming’s domain to encompass it. For instance, the documents Xu Wenwu had written had mentioned cannons on more than one occasion, even if they seemed rather delicate from his point of view.

Now that the armament workshop was established, the quality of newly produced steel tubes has improved significantly, capable of withstanding greater explosive force. Consequently, the latest batch of firearms has been upgraded to meet new standards. A mortal was now equipped with a gun packing a catty of gunpowder. It was strong enough to injure a Shaman squad leader. A blood tempering stage cultivator was equipped with a gun packing two catties of gunpowder, and the bullet was now the size of a human fist.

The most powerful firearms were reserved for bone tempering stage cultivators. While Life is a Flash was in effect, their strength infinitely approached that of a Dao Foundation stage cultivator. Therefore, they were equipped with guns packing three catties of gunpowder, and bullets the size of a big apple. By the standards of Xu Wenwu’s world, this would be considered an 88-caliber handgun[1].

For now, Wei Yuan intended to complete the arsenal of weapons used during Life is a Flash. After that, they could consider making weapons for routine combat. However, looking at the Shaman encampment camp in the distance, he felt that siege cannons should also be put on the agenda.

After returning to the central peak, Wei Yuan stood in front of his map. After careful consideration, he decided to build another fortress city opposite the Shaman encampment. This city, along with the original three cities to the northwest and southwest, would form an arc-shaped defense line. Of course, underground fortifications would still serve as the primary defense.

The next time the Shamans attacked again, they would have to bypass the city and significantly lengthen their march. Needless to say, the longer they remained within Qingming’s domain, the greater their army auras would be depleted. By the time they reached the center of the realm, Wei Yuan would have finished deploying his formations. If the Shamans failed to capture the center, then they would have to go through the three fortress cities again on their retreat. It would be highly improbable for them to escape without paying a heavy price.

After choosing the location, Wei Yuan was just about to notify Cui Yu to organize the manpower for city construction and resettlement when Yun Feifei burst into the room excitedly. She said, “One of my craftsmen has improved the bullets, and I believe the results are excellent. Wanna take a look?”

Naturally, Wei Yuan was interested. He followed Yun Feifei to the armament workshop.

Several wooden dummies had been set up on a clearing outside the workshop. Their texture and toughness were comparable to that of a human bone tempering realm cultivator, or a Shaman elite.

Yun Feifei brought in a shy-looking youngster. With just a single sweep of his perception, Wei Yuan confirmed that he was just a boy of mediocre innate talent and shallow cultivation, currently only at the blood tempering realm. However, his Qi Viewing Spell also revealed that the boy was emanating a faint wisp of white mist, suggesting he possessed some measure of fortune.

As a bearer of otherworldly fortune, Wei Yuan was exceptionally sensitive to all forms of fortune. He could not be mistaken about this. His curiosity piqued, he addressed the fortune-blessed boy: “I heard you have some idea regarding the bullets? Have you crafted them yet? If you have, then fire a couple of shots for us to see.”

“Yes, Realm Lord! I have already crafted the bullets.”

The youngster brought two trays to him. One tray was carrying a round sphere. The sphere was sealed with oiled wax, and inside were several small iron balls linked together by fine chains.

The other tray was carrying a cylindrical bullet with one end flat and the other pointed. Wei Yuan noticed it bore a striking resemblance to the one from Xu Wenwu’s world.

Wei Yuan was astonished inwardly, but he maintained a calm expression as he ordered, “Give it a go.”

The youngster picked up several steel-barrel guns already loaded with gunpowder and loaded two rounds of each type of bullet. Then, he set up a couple wooden dummies.

Two deafening booms echoed throughout the clearing. Ten zhang away, countless deep gouges suddenly appeared on the two wooden dummies. One of the chain balls had even sunk deep into the wood!

A veteran of countless battles, Wei Yuan was immediately impressed by what he saw. From a distance of ten zhang, the bullet actually carried a lethal radius of five chi. For a cultivator, this bullet saved them the need to aim. All they needed to do was to identify the enemy’s location with their perception, point the gun in that general direction, and fired. A single graze from the chain ball would leave a deep, long gash capable of incapacitating even a squad leader.

In close quarters, this bullet was nothing short of lethal, and in an underground tunnel where there was nowhere to dodge, a single shot could clear out an entire passage.

Outwardly, Wei Yuan remained impassive. He waited for the youngster to show off the second bullet.

This time, the dummies were wearing a Shaman’s heavy armor and carrying a heavy shield set at a slight angle. The Shamans’ elites always tilted their shields when crouching and defending against arrows and crossbow bolts.

This time, the youngster set up two wooden dummies in one go. After loading the rounds, he handed the gun to Yun Feifei. The new gun packed way more gunpowder than the old guns. Without Life is a Flash, the youngster was simply incapable of wielding it. That was why he left the demonstration to Yun Feifei.

Yun Feifei stood before the wooden dummies, her posture graceful and elegant, and the manner in which she held the gun captivating. It was clearly the result of dedicated practice.

The first shot went off in thunderous fashion. A round iron bullet slammed into the heavy shield, denting it a little. It then skimmed upward and flew over the wooden dummy’s head, inflicting no damage whatsoever.

These were the bullets everyone in the realm was currently using. They were useless against the Shamans’ heavy shields.

In truth, the firearms currently in use were less powerful than the armor-piercing arrows or heavy arrows of the Northern Liao, and far inferior to a mystic artifact. It was only natural that they couldn’t penetrate the heavy shields. However, Wei Yuan reasoned that since everyone had a gun—in the future, they could even have multiple guns—they could simply fire more than once. Even if the shield remained intact, the shockwave alone would be enough to injure the enemy.

If a mortal soldier could take out a Shaman’s heavy armor elite—even at an obscene fifty-to-one ratio—then it would still be a huge win overall.

Next, Yun Feifei switched to the second gun and fired. Suddenly, a massive hole suddenly appeared in the center of the heavy shield and the heavy armor the wooden dummy was wearing. A large hole had appeared in the dummy’s abdomen as well!

Wei Yuan leaped to his feet—the power of this shot had far exceeded his expectations!

“Give me another shot.”

Yun Feifei ordered the men to reset the wooden dummy’s heavy shield, then fired again. Again, the bullet pierced through the heavy shield, but the heavy armor was only torn open slightly this time. The bullet was lodged on top of the metal.

This time, Wei Yuan saw everything clearly. The bullet had been meticulously crafted to have a soft metal cap on the outer front end, and a hard wall on the rear end. Embedded inside the projectile was a thin steel core engraved with a tiny mystic array containing a small amount of Dao energy. It enabled the core to keep propelling forward.

Upon hitting the slanted shield, the soft cap deformed and automatically shifted its angle, effectively aligning itself directly with the shield. The steel core then pierced right through the heavy shield in one go. Even after breaching the shield, it retained enough momentum to injure the shield bearer.

Such a simple modification could yield such a dramatic result? It was simply beyond belief!

Although the cost of this projectile was clearly dozens of times that of an ordinary iron pellet, it was completely worth the price.

Wei Yuan’s heart stirred when he saw the youngster who invented these two projectiles standing timidly nearby, eyes brimming with anticipation. He immediately bestowed upon him a hundred taels of immortal silver, several cultivation-aiding pills, and promised him that he could pick a new Body-tempering cultivation method that was suitable to him.

Just like that, the youngster’s once severed path to immortality was restored.

Overjoyed, the youngster threw himself to the ground in a bow! At the same time, Wei Yuan gained an additional wisp of advanced blue qi.

The surrounding craftsmen were instantly filled with envy and resentment. Wei Yuan also gained a few wisps of ordinary blue qi from them.

After rewarding the youngster, Wei Yuan turned to Yun Feifei and said, “You’ve also contributed. What do you want?”

In fact, he was ready to use one of his exchange opportunities to obtain the object of Yun Feifei’s desires from the merit hall. Be it medicine, cultivation methods, or mystic artifacts, he would do his best to fulfill her requests. After all, not only did Yun Feifei risk her life for the realm for as long as it existed, but also rendered great service to it. Wei Yuan had never rewarded her for her efforts either, so this was the perfect opportunity to make up for it all at once.

Yun Feifei asked, “Can I ask for anything?”

Wei Yuan nodded. “As long as it isn’t a secret art of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, anything is fine.”

Yun Feifei replied, “I sustained serious injuries in the last major battle. I’d be grateful if you could help treat them, Realm Lord.”

Wei Yuan swept his perception over her, but couldn’t find anything. What injuries? She was perfectly fine from head to toe. Besides, even the most serious injuries could be healed with the healing pills exchanged from the merit hall and the Life Nurturing energy of Jia Wood Nurtures Life.

Biting her lower lip and looking at him with bright eyes, Yun Feifei declared, “There are hidden injuries that I haven’t healed from. My condition is pretty severe, and I really can’t put it off any longer! How about tonight?”

In Wei Yuan’s sea of consciousness, a drop of blue great fortune appeared. It both existed and did not exist; whether it truly existed depended entirely on Wei Yuan’s will.

[2]

1. I come from a country where firearms are illegal, so I have no idea if I translated the terms correctly. Please correct me if you think there’s a better term, like maybe I should translate it as .88 handgun? Also I noticed it’s exactly twice the size of the .44 Magnum lol. ☜

2. Schrodinger’s fortune, this is. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ☜