vrcanaries Chapter 316
Chapter 316
But compared to the laser gun in Fu Guang's hand, the repeating crossbow was still far inferior.The more Emperor Mingxi thought about it, the more he liked it. This thing was incredibly lethal. It could pierce straight through flesh and bone, and it was so fast that even the best martial arts masters of Qinggong would find it hard to dodge at close range.
Not to mention trying to block it with swords or blades—didn't they just see it pierce right through the blade of a sword, striking the body with undiminished power?
With a flip of Yue Fuguang's hand, a beautiful, bright silver handgun appeared in her grasp.
"Your Majesty, this thing is called a handgun. Whether in terms of power or range, a repeating crossbow cannot compare to it."
She generously handed the gun to Emperor Mingxi. She had already locked the magazine anyway, so she wasn't worried about it misfiring in his hands.
Emperor Mingxi subtly wiped his slightly sweaty hands on the hem of his robe before carefully taking this exquisite, compact marvel that exuded an alluring metallic luster yet possessed incredibly formidable destructive power.
In the eyes of the Great Yan's ruler and his ministers, this object was currently both beautiful and dangerous.
Emperor Mingxi simply rested the handgun in his palm, not daring to touch it haphazardly, afraid that a careless move would cause it to spit tongues of fire again.
Seeing his hand remain stiff, Yue Fuguang said, "Your Majesty, please feel free to examine it. It cannot fire right now, nor can it hurt anyone."
Emperor Mingxi thought it made sense and carefully stroked the streamlined body of the gun. The civil and military officials who had rushed over upon hearing of the attack on the Emperor and Empress entered the grand hall, only to see their Emperor gazing obsessively at a strangely shaped object in his hand.
That look in his eyes—even when he looked at his favored concubine Zhou Yunxin back in the day, it was nothing more than this!
The Minister of Works, Lu Qi, was the most curious. After paying his respects, he couldn't help but lean in to take a couple of looks.
"Your Majesty, why does it look to this humble subject like this thing isn't made of steel?"
Emperor Mingxi had noticed this long ago. Before he even had the chance to ask, Lu Qi beat him to it.
He looked with eyes full of a thirst for knowledge toward Yue Fuguang, who was softly comforting Yu Chongshan.
"Fuguang, Minister Lu is right. To me, it doesn't look like steel either. Can our Great Yan forge such a thing?"
Knowing it was impossible, Emperor Mingxi still wouldn't give up, looking at Yue Fuguang with that one-in-a-ten-thousand sliver of hope.
[Of course, the handgun wasn't forged using inferior materials like steel. This is made of carbon nanotubes and superalloys. How could you mere mortals have ever seen such a thing!]
"Your Majesty, this is the only one of its kind in the world. The material used is extraterrestrial meteorite iron. With Great Yan's current level of technology, it is absolutely impossible to create another."
Seeing the unconcealed disappointment on the faces of those who had witnessed the handgun's power, Yue Fuguang, who had no intention of introducing firearms to Great Yan just yet, changed the subject and asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you curious about where this thing came from?"
Emperor Mingxi realized she was right. They had been so focused on looking at the gun, how could they have forgotten to be 'curious' about it?
He coughed lightly and asked in a cover-up manner, "Wasn't this a gift from your incredibly resourceful maritime merchant friend?"
Emperor Mingxi sighed in his heart. If overseas merchants truly had so many novelties, he would have vigorously developed the navy long ago; he wouldn't have waited until now.
[Master, this emperor isn't too bright, but his judgment this time isn't bad. At least he knows that I, the Spirit Orb, am incredibly resourceful and omnipotent!]
Emperor Mingxi felt absolutely no joy at being praised by the great divine artifact at this moment.
Yue Fuguang shook her head, putting on an expression as if she were laying her cards on the table. "Your Majesty, actually, there is something I haven't told you all, and it's regarding my identity."
At this point, she paused slightly and swept her gaze across the room. Sure enough, seeing her say this, the expressions on everyone's faces became unpredictable.
They guessed in their hearts: Could it be that the Junior Preceptor was going to lay her cards on the table and reveal her identity as an immortal descended to the mortal realm!
The expectant expressions on some people's faces were already showing.
Emperor Mingxi was clearly having a bit of trouble suppressing his excitement, his eyes shining astonishingly bright. He smiled and said, "Fuguang, what other identity do you have that I and the lords here do not know about?"
Yue Fuguang couldn't stand seeing Emperor Mingxi too happy, so she said, "Your Majesty, actually, during my three years at the Daoist temple, aside from Master Qingxuan...
I also took another master. That lightning-summoning talisman from last time wasn't given by a wandering Daoist priest. Just like this handgun, it was given to me by my master, Chuyunzi.
Because I have encountered several assassinations since coming to the capital, my master was worried about my safety and thus sent me weapons for self-defense."
Emperor Mingxi's heart, upon hearing Yue Fuguang's nonsense, went 'smack,' dropped right back to where it was, and shattered into eight pieces!
The smiles on the others' faces froze completely. The entire grand hall fell into a momentary silence. The sun was setting in the west, making the room seem even darker. Eunuch Qian silently lit the lamps.
The wind from outside the window poured in, sweeping past the wicks, causing the candlelight to flicker and dance.
The ruler and ministers of Great Yan were only downcast for a short while. To Yue Fuguang, it just looked like they were so shocked by the news that they needed time to digest it.
"My master is a person like an idle cloud or a wild crane; Your Majesty need not worry that he would be detrimental to Great Yan." She then smiled at Yu Chongshan and said, "Grandfather, were you also startled?"
Yu Chongshan shook his head. "My Yu family should thank him for taking care of you!"
Hearing their conversation, Emperor Mingxi had completely recovered from his disappointment by now. Knowing full well that she was fooling them, he still had to put on a smiling face and play along. He forced out a smile and asked half-heartedly, "Chuyunzi? How come I have never heard of such a great master in our Great Yan?"
He turned his head to look at Xuanmingzi, "Master Xuanmingzi, have you ever heard the name Chuyunzi?"
Seeing the Emperor kick the ball to him, Xuanmingzi picked up the conversation and said, "To reply to Your Majesty, this poor Daoist has never heard of such a Daoist brother in our sect either."
"Your Majesty, Daoist Master, my master is a reclusive expert who does not often walk among mortals, so it is not surprising that you haven't heard of him.
It is also because of this that I did not clarify this matter to Your Majesty in the beginning.
My master loves tranquility and does not like his quiet cultivation to be disturbed." So you all better not ask anymore, I really don't want to rack my brains to make up stories.
Saying this, she frowned, looking somewhat conflicted. Xie Zhiyan immediately saw her hesitation and asked, "Does the Junior Preceptor still have some difficulties? You might as well speak them out."
Yue Fuguang subtly gave him an appreciative look: You catch on fast, kid!
Her brows did not relax. After a pause, she said, "My master said he observed the stars at night and saw abnormalities in Mars, and Venus appeared during the day.
Furthermore, the five planets are moving erratically, gathering and dispersing unpredictably. There are occasional flashes of phantom stars, and signs of abnormal cloud vapors."
Hiss!
The others didn't quite understand, but they knew it wasn't anything good. Only Xuanmingzi understood clearly. Hearing so many stacking disasters, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
Everyone also understood in their hearts that this was the Junior Preceptor using her master's mouth to give them a warning!
It seemed the Junior Preceptor was soft-hearted after all. She couldn't bear to see the people suffer and was giving His Majesty and them an early heads-up.
Although everyone already knew a little, they were still grateful in their hearts. The expert Xuanmingzi took the lead in asking, "Does the Junior Preceptor mean that a large-scale drought will occur in Great Yan in the future?"
He glanced at Emperor Mingxi and the Crown Prince, continuing, "And signs of great turmoil?"
Regardless of how the expressions of Emperor Mingxi and his ministers changed, whether genuine or feigned, Yue Fuguang nodded affirmatively. "That is what my master said. He even said that if things are allowed to develop unchecked, with Mars lingering in the heart constellation, both Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will be in grave danger!"