Chapter 66: The Big Cannon's Roar
Chen Shi carried a Red Barbarian Cannon—nearly as long as a person—on his shoulder, while Li Tianqing followed behind, hauling a large basket filled with black iron cannonballs, each the size of a human head.
Chen Shi's book chest, strapped to his back, also contained three or four additional cannonballs.
Each of these cannonballs weighed over twenty pounds and was packed with black powder, its surface painted with the Great Five Thunder Talisman, an explosive rune of immense power.
Both the black powder and the talismans were dangerously unstable—one misstep could trigger an explosion. If a single cannonball detonated, the others would follow in a catastrophic chain reaction, reducing everything nearby to ash. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would perish instantly, and a Deity Transformation expert would likely meet the same fate.
Yet Chen Shi and Li Tianqing walked casually, cracking jokes as if the explosives posed no threat.
Their confidence came from the Tranquility Talismans Chen Shi had affixed to the cannonballs. These talismans significantly reduced the risk of detonation, though Li Tianqing remained skeptical. Strangely, despite his doubts, he felt unusually calm.
From the mountains ahead came flashes of dazzling light, accompanied by tremors that shook the earth. Standing on a hilltop, Chen Shi and Li Tianqing could see bursts of divine radiance illuminating the valley below. The light refracted through the crystalline leaves of porcelainized trees, creating a kaleidoscope of colors.
“After this job, I’m heading back home,” Li Tianqing said, setting his basket down.
“Xiao Shi, before I leave, I’ll give you a few sets of books: The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Rites of Zhou, The Doctrine of the Mean, and The Great Learning—mostly classics from the sages.” Chen Shi placed the cannon down and opened his book chest, retrieving a cannonball. “Are these tested on the county-level exams?”
“They are,” Li Tianqing replied, licking a finger and holding it up to gauge the wind direction. “I passed the child scholar exam last year. When you take the exam this spring and pass, we might even compete in the provincial imperial scholar exams this autumn.”
Chen Shi packed powder into the cannon with a worn cloth, tamping it down with a stick. “But the provincial exams are held in different places. You’ll be in Quanzhou, and I’ll be in Xinxiang. We won’t be together.”
Li Tianqing attached a fuse to the cannon. “That’s true. But if we pass the provincial exams, the imperial palace exams are next. Then we’ll both head to Xijing to compete for the top rankings!”
Chen Shi’s eyes sparkled. “Let’s see who becomes the top scholar!”
He confidently inserted the cannonball into the barrel, activating two Yellow Turban Soldier Talismans. From the burning talismans, two glowing gold-armored warriors emerged, their figures solidifying with incredible clarity.
“Black Pot’s blood really makes these talismans powerful,” Li Tianqing remarked, marveling at the vivid manifestation of the warriors.
Chen Shi arranged the two golden warriors to hold the cannon steady, positioning it on their shoulders.
Meanwhile, Li Tianqing scribbled calculations into a notebook. Chen Shi peeked over, seeing strange diagrams and numbers.
“I studied artillery mathematics with a Red Barbarian instructor,” Li Tianqing explained.
He continued, “The Red Barbarians, or Red-Haired Devils, are Europeans who arrived in the Western Bull New Continent with Admiral Zheng He’s fleet. The Red Barbarian Cannon is their invention. My teacher, Li Gen, was hired by my family to teach artillery techniques. He said that firing a cannon requires precise calculations—powder charge, cannonball weight, wind direction, target distance, and barrel angle.”
“That’s so complicated?” Chen Shi asked, surprised.
Li Tianqing nodded and quickly finished his measurements. “If you pass the provincial exams but don’t make it to the imperial palace exams, you could join the Divine Mechanism Battalion. They demand absolute precision in artillery. If this shot lands, I’ll join them myself! They pay well, and they’ll need new recruits after all the recent casualties.”
Following Li Tianqing’s instructions, Chen Shi adjusted the cannon’s position and the golden warriors’ stances.
“But don’t get your hopes up with Jin Hongying,” Chen Shi teased. “She clearly likes someone like me.”
Li Tianqing snorted, muttering, “I think her eyes light up when she looks at me.”
Chen Shi lit the fuse, grinning. “That’s your imagination. When she looks at me, there’s real warmth in her gaze...”
Suddenly, the sky darkened as a black beam of light shot into the heavens. It unfurled like a curtain, enveloping the sky in shadows.
The world was plunged into pitch-black darkness. Even the golden warriors’ glow barely illuminated their surroundings.
Both Chen Shi and Li Tianqing felt a surge of violence rising within them—a foreign, uncontrollable rage.
Unbeknownst to them, this was the influence of Chen Yindu’s Demonic Domain, a stark contrast to the Evil Bodhisattva’s. While the Bodhisattva’s domain petrified life, Chen Yindu’s domain induced madness, reducing living beings to mindless predators.
“Something’s wrong…” Chen Shi murmured, his voice trembling.
Before they could spiral further into madness, sunlight broke through the darkness. The oppressive atmosphere lifted, and the shadows dissipated. Even the Evil Bodhisattva’s domain, which had shrouded the land for days, vanished entirely.
“What happened?” Li Tianqing asked, looking around in astonishment. “Did… did they succeed? Did Grandpa and the others kill the Evil Bodhisattva?”
He erupted in laughter. “We did it! The plan worked! They destroyed the Evil Bodhisattva!”
Chen Shi crouched to examine the ground. Blades of grass, once porcelain, were slowly returning to their natural state.
“Even the plants are coming back to life!” he exclaimed, thrilled by the sight.
Then Li Tianqing’s voice cut in, urgency replacing his earlier joy. “Xiao Shi! The Zhao family is leaving!”
Chen Shi snapped his gaze toward the Zhao family’s camp, spotting a group of soldiers and porcelainized figures retreating through the mountain pass. Some of the porcelain figures were beginning to revert to flesh and blood.
“We can’t let them escape,” Chen Shi growled.
He reached for a cannonball, his killing intent palpable.
The Zhao family’s group, fatigued and wary, hastened their pace. They recognized Chen Shi, and panic rippled through their ranks.
“He’s the one who killed the eldest young master!”
Spotting Chen Shi closing the distance, Zhao Yanlong wept with rage. “Heaven must favor me! My son’s spirit must be guiding this villain to his death!”
Chen Shi hurled the cannonball with all his might. The projectile arced through the air, crashing into the group.
“Boom!”
A deafening explosion lit the sky, consuming several soldiers and scattering their remains.
The survivors stumbled in terror, some clutching bleeding ears.
Zhao Yanlong, partially healed, barked orders to retreat. Chen Shi and Li Tianqing gave chase, hurling another cannonball.
This time, Zhao Yanlong’s brother, Zhao Yanliang, unleashed his Golden Core, attempting to intercept the projectile midair.
“Boom!”
The detonation obliterated the core, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Zhao Yanliang, now crippled, collapsed into the dirt, his cultivation destroyed.
Chen Shi approached, finishing the job with brutal efficiency.
By the time Li Tianqing caught up, the once-mighty Golden Core cultivator lay lifeless.