Chapter 111: Chapter 103: What Exactly Is Evil Qi?

"What exactly is Evil Qi?"

For most people in this world, this might not be a question that needs pondering. After all, when you kill someone, the weapon absorbs Evil Qi — it’s almost as much a common knowledge as jumping into a well leads to drowning.

Common knowledge is naturally indisputable, just like two plus two always equals four, or how leaves will eventually fall to the ground no matter how much they flutter. These are things people take for granted, and very few question common knowledge.

But rare doesn’t mean nonexistent.

After all, delving deep into this matter might touch on the fundamental operations of the world, and such a level of information often implies formidable power — hence, there are always those willing to spend time and energy to study this matter, attempting to uncover the true nature of the so-called Evil Qi.

Among them, the most outstanding was the ancient Chu Kingdom.

The old Chu Kingdom can be regarded as the dynasty that perfected the application of Evil Qi the most. This is evident from their way of waging war — the tactic of having vanguard generals lead the army into battle was almost entirely built upon the Evil Qi system. Perhaps it was their adept use of weapon Evil Qi that led Chu people to become more intrigued by this power.

Why do weapons forged from common iron gather Evil Qi? Why do Divine Soldiers and Treasure Swords possess such formidable power? If Evil Qi is attached to the weapon, then why is there a saying of Evil Qi entering the body? What exactly is this so-called Evil Qi?

In the search for answers, Chu made numerous attempts.

Many, many attempts.

"It’s really... bloody."

In the vanguard army tent on the grassland, Xiang Rong closed the scroll in his hand and threw it into the fire pit.

By rights, these royal secrets left behind by the old Chu should be a priceless treasure for anyone, but after going through them, Xiang Rong still felt they should be burned, at least this one should be — just because even as a descendant of the Chu royal family, seeing the records of these attempts made him faintly feel that there was some reason that Chu was overthrown.

To determine if the generation of weapon Evil Qi was related to the materials, the Chu people tried to smash their target to death with various different materials. To understand whether the cause lay in the forging process, they experimented by killing their targets separately with wrought iron and weapons to make comparisons. To explore the principles of Divine Soldiers and Treasure Swords, the Chu people dismantled hundreds to thousands of various Divine Soldiers. To study whether Evil Qi worked on humans or weapons, the Chu people even...

"Phew..."

Taking a long breath, Xiang Rong drove those images out of his mind.

After all, the classics say, a gentleman stays away from the kitchen. He didn’t need to remember how cruel those processes were; all he needed was the conclusion the Chu people ultimately reached.

"A hard will sufficient to change reality."

This was the Chu understanding of Evil Qi.

What truly enlightened the Chu was the dismantling of those various Divine Soldiers. Although most of these Divine weapons had killed before, there were quite a few that possessed formidable power even without having been stained with blood — which also addressed another Chu question: how does common iron become a Divine Soldier?

Clearly, killing is just one method, but it’s not a necessary condition.

So, the Chu people did even more experimentation.

Only the powerful old Chu, feared across the seas, could reach this level, getting ever closer to the fundamental truth in countless experiments — and after attempt after attempt, the Chu people finally confirmed that the generation of weapon Evil Qi wasn’t due to killing, but because of the extreme emotions of the one being killed at the brink of death.

No matter who it is, when facing death, their will is the most concentrated, and this gathered will can, more or less, produce some power — perhaps this is why the form of weapon Evil Qi is often slaughter, as those who are killed often want to kill back.

But is it only this?

Weapon Evil Qi can make people stronger, more agile, and even enable them to wield non-human powers, but how this power operates remained a mystery to the Chu people — so, in the pursuit of understanding this essence, the Chu people did even more experiments; after all, a power that directly acts on the human body, capable of making one a living Immortal, is something no one could resist.

And then, the Chu Kingdom vanished.

"What a pity..."

Thinking to this point, Xiang Rong couldn’t help but sigh.

On one hand, maybe he lamented the fall of old Chu; on the other, perhaps he mourned the termination of the quest for knowledge — but more than that, he lamented that he had wasted half a day flipping through the pages.

The mighty spear thrust in his spine was a masterpiece of the Chu royal family’s research on Evil Qi; to create this weapon, Chu sacrificed a swordsmith, a king, and over thirty years of conquest — but unfortunately, although the ancestors of the Chu left this Divine Treasure Sword, they didn’t leave accompanying maintenance methods, so he, as a descendant, could only look through records left by his predecessors and figure it out himself.

"If it were him... alas."

Thinking of this, Xiang Rong couldn’t help but think of Ruan Shantao. Unlike him, who relies on the accumulated wealth of the Chu royal family for his skills, Ruan Shantao, who forged the "Rectangular Sword" solely through his will, was truly a genius of natural endowment.

If his old friend were to read through these materials, surely he would find a solution, right?

"But maybe not."

Xiang Rong gently shook his head.

If it were his old friend from long ago, perhaps he could do it, but judging from his recent visit, his once-friend had already been tainted by the fools in the Southern Chen’s court, losing that past heroic air.

So this is what it means for a treasure sword to be covered in dust.

Once, Ruan Shantao could battle against many school students, leaving them speechless, yet in the end, he too bowed to reality.

"With someone like you, what kind of student could you possibly teach?"

Thinking this, Xiang Rong raised his head, looking toward Yanzhou City.

————————

What can’t Ruan Shantao do?

In the depths of the armory, looking at the strange sword in hand, Du Chengfeng inexplicably recalled a few days ago.

That was when Ruan Shantao became a monster, his pained, regretful wails echoed through Ziyang Mountain — once, he couldn’t quite understand why the normally well-mannered old man would show such an unbearable side.

But now, as he held this Rectangular Sword in his hand, he suddenly realized.

That’s indeed something one would regret, something deeply regrettable.

"Hey, old Liu, let me ask you something."

Du Chengfeng slightly lifted his head.

"Besides the commanding officer, who else in Yanzhou City can call the shots?"

"What can that drunkard understand, let me tell you."

Before Liu Bolun could speak, Qi Jinshan took the initiative to respond.

"Regarding regular affairs, aside from the commander, the state registrar will be in charge. But if you’re asking about military matters, then the armory director would hold more sway, as nobody can get weapons without the director’s agreement... But why are you asking this? Do you think your position is too low? Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll have the registrar fully cooperate with you."

"Nothing else, just asking."

Du Chengfeng chuckled lightly.

He drew the sword.