Guan Feibai used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead, perhaps because of the heat or because he was nervous.
"This is refining the Cinnabar Pill?"
His voice was rather hoarse, but it was also very low, as he was worried that someone else would hear.
Zhexiu also did not know what was going on in the hall, but he had taken the Cinnabar Pill and knew its flavor, so he nodded.
Upon receiving his confirmation, Guan Feibai gasped.
In the snowy plains of the north, the Cinnabar Pill had been the most talked about this year. He naturally knew of this legendary divine medicine that could revive the dead and regrow bones.
But he was not gasping in shock, but because he had confirmed the authenticity of that other rumor.
The Cinnabar Pill had really been refined by Chen Changsheng. Had he really used his own blood?
Half a year ago, a martial uncle of Mount Li's Sword Hall had fought a bloody battle with the twenty-first Demon General outside the Black Mountain Army headquarters. He had returned with a severed arm and blood on the verge of exhaustion. Even the Sacred Light technique had lost its effect, and in the final moment of danger, he had relied on a Cinnabar Pill to survive.
When he thought of this, Guan Feibai truly did not know how to face Chen Changsheng.
… …
… …
The door to the rear hall finally opened. A wave of heat surged out, causing the leaves on the pear trees to rustle and fall. It seemed like midsummer had arrived.
Nanke supported Chen Changsheng as they walked out. His face was rather pale, like he had just recovered from a serious illness.
The Archbishop of Wenshui hurriedly stepped forward to welcome him.
Chen Chang Sheng handed the small porcelain bottle in his hand to him.
The bottle naturally contained the incomparably precious Cinnabar Pill.
Over the past year, Chen Changsheng would provide a bottle of Cinnabar Pills to the soldiers on the front lines every month.
His blood was limited.
Logically speaking, this month's supply of Cinnabar Pills should have been refined and distributed ten-some days ago, but he had been heavily injured by the Demon Lord in the snowy mountains and had lost a great deal of blood. Afterwards, he had spent the entire time recuperating in Sloping Cliff Horse Farm, so it was simply impossible for him to do so.
He had never said anything, but he was actually rather anxious. He knew that in Blue Pass, Snowhold Pass, Cong Province, Black Mountain, and many other places, there were many heavily injured soldiers on the verge of death waiting for the Cinnabar Pill to appear. Those people were truly anxious.
As a result, when he left Hanqiu City, he had already secretly sent a message to Wenshui, having the Daoist church on this side prepare the appropriate ingredients. Now that he had arrived in Wenshui, he could no longer care about the fact that his injuries had not completely healed and immediately began to refine the medicine.
Now that the bottle of Cinnabar Pills had been refined, the next step was naturally to deliver it to the army headquarters.
At the very beginning, this matter had been handled by the Orthodoxy's Hall of Illustrious Persons, but later on, it was handed over to the Tang clan. He was currently in Wenshui, but he had no intention of continuing to hand the matter over to the Tang clan. This was because everything that had happened that night in the mountains had been instigated by the Tang clan, and the Tang clan clearly did not care about the goodwill he had displayed through the Cinnabar Pill.
Chen Changsheng said, "Send someone to deliver it overnight to Hanqiu City and find the manager of Scholartree Manor. They know how to distribute it."
It was very quiet. The Archbishop did not reply, nor did he intend to take the small porcelain bottle.
It was not that he dared to disobey the imperial edict, or that he was weighing the pros and cons, but that he was too shocked.
There were several important pieces of information in this sentence, one of which was bound to shake the entire continent.
Wang Po returned to Tianliang County.
Regardless of whether he had returned or not, since Scholartree Manor had arrived, he had also arrived.
Everyone knew that Scholartree Manor was Wang Po.
But what truly shocked the Archbishop was not this piece of information, but the small porcelain bottle itself.
Sending someone to deliver it overnight to Hanqiu City was enough time for him to tamper with it, if he wanted to.
The Archbishop's complexion constantly fluctuated, sometimes red, sometimes white, and finally calm.
He extended his hand and took the small porcelain bottle, not even the slightest trembling.
"I will definitely not disappoint Your Holiness's trust."
… …
… …
Zhexiu looked at Chen Changsheng's paper-pale complexion and said, "The blood can regenerate itself, but for a long time, it will have a major effect on cultivation."
Chen Changsheng replied, "I eat many spiritual fruits and earth ginseng every day, so it won't be too big of a problem."
Zhexiu replied, "If you want to become a Saint, it will be a major problem."
Chen Changsheng fell silent, not replying.
Zhexiu stared into his eyes and asked, "Did she not stop you?"
Chen Changsheng knew that the 'she' he spoke of was not Xu Yourong, nor was it the owner of the letter, but the little Black Dragon.
As he thought of that intense quarrel at the start, he chuckled.
Zhexiu said, "Compared to saving those people, your own strength is even more important to this world."
Chen Changsheng's gaze paused on the pear tree outside the door for a few moments, then he said, "I understand this principle, but … if I had never thought of this matter at the start, then it would have been fine. But now, I clearly know that I only need to bleed a little every month to save several dozen lives, yet I don't do this. It really is very difficult."
Guan Feibai, who had remained silent all this time, said, "That's reasonable. If it were me, I would also find it difficult."
Zhexiu had grown up in the harsh and cruel wastelands, so he found it impossible to understand the thoughts of these disciples of the righteous sects of the south. He shook his head and said no more.
"While you were refining medicine, the Daoist church already announced your arrival to Wenshui."
Guan Feibai turned to Chen Changsheng and said, "What I don't understand is that even if you reveal your identity and the Tang clan no longer dares to touch you, what method do you have to save Tang Tang? Even if you personally pay a visit, they won't let you see them, so what can you do? Not even the Pope can break into the ancestral hall. "
"I also don't know. Tomorrow, I'll see how it goes."
Chen Changsheng glanced at the night sky and saw the many stars. Tomorrow would probably be a sunny day.
The day was sunny and warm, but the night was windy. The winter wind blowing from the mountains of the north followed the Wenshui into the city and lingered around the Daoist church.
The pear tree swayed and green leaves fell. It seemed rather desolate, as if foreshadowing a change in the weather.
… …
… …
On the morning of the next day, the change came.
It was not a sudden shower of snow, nor was it a dazzling wind. Instead, it was the rumble of countless peals of thunder.
Hooves thundered, the morning light shattered, the earth quaked, the plains uneasy, and Wenshui City began to sound the alarm. The city gate that had not been closed for several centuries began to close with unimaginable speed.
All sorts of Divine City Garrison Crossbows on the city walls turned and aimed at the plains to the north. Countless somber and powerful Qis began to seep out, indicating that countless arrays were beginning to operate within the city gate, within the city walls, and even underground.
Just by looking at the number of Divine City Garrison Crossbows, the density of the arrays, and the flying carriages flying through the air, one could tell that Wenshui City's defensive capabilities were extremely powerful, so powerful that they had severely surpassed the norm. They were not one bit inferior to Luoyang.
What was even more frightening was that regardless of whether it was the soldiers at the city gate, the Tang family guards who reacted even faster, or the most ordinary peddlers and pawns, even though they were frightened by the thunderous hoofbeats in the distance to the point that their expressions changed greatly, they still did not panic. They followed the order and quickly retreated into the city.
It was obvious that although Wenshui City had not faced the calamity of war in the past countless years, it had never forgotten to fight.
Putting aside the Tang clan's unfathomable resources, just this sturdy city and its well-trained soldiers and civilians would make anyone who attacked it pay a grievous price. Even the bloodiest, cruelest, and most ruthless of the demon wolf cavalry would not dare to charge over in a single breath. They would assuredly stop outside the range of those several hundred divine crossbows.
As expected, the thunderous hooves gradually stopped and the black tide stopped on the plains one thousand zhang away.
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