"Hmm..." After hearing this, Chu Tianxiao knocked his palms and said, "It seems that this person wants to meet with me alone?"
"Yes." Xue Yan said, with a trace of worry on his face, "Young Master, in my opinion, the terrain of the Black Swamp is complicated, and the old man in the Black Swamp has a very high level of cultivation... It is too risky for you to go alone to meet such a person. Moreover, what if this person has the intention of diverting trouble to others and lies to the outside world... What should we do then?"
Chu Tianxiao shook his head slowly: "You have a point, but, you can't get a tiger cub without risking it. He has enough troubles already, and I don't think he wants to mess with the Great Zhou behind me. Not to mention that the rumored Black Swamp Old Man is not that sinister and treacherous. Even if he really wants to divert the trouble to others, I'm afraid he can't hide it from those really smart people. At that time, there will be no less suspicion on him, and the most I can do is just to share the risk."
"not to mention… "
Chu Tianxiao said this with a self-deprecating yet complacent smile: "If the defeated army does not go out, it will be fine. But if it goes out, it will definitely shock China. By then, even if I am not 'diverted', the hatred I deserve will still be there."
"So, even if we measure it by the worst case scenario, this wave is not a loss. If it works well and we really get that training method, we can reserve a long-term source of soldiers for the Loser Army! You should know how important this is, Xueyan."
Chu Tianxiao smiled and continued, "The so-called crime of possessing a treasure actually consists of two crimes. People only value one, the treasure, but often ignore the second - weakness!"
"Everyone knows that there are countless rare treasures in the Great Zhou treasury, but who would be stupid enough to rob them? Only a child with gold in his hand would be in danger! So, instead of worrying about whether others will covet it after you get something, it is better to seize the time, keep getting stronger, and make yourself have the strength to match it."
"For cultivators like me, we cultivate our courage as well as our cultivation. How can we be so timid and refuse good things and great opportunities when they are delivered to our doorsteps?"
After saying this, Xue Yan finally showed a solemn expression on his face. He bowed and clasped his fists and said, "I understand! I just hope that the young master will be careful. If things cannot be done, you should retreat quickly."
"Well, I know what's going on." Chu Tianxiao nodded with satisfaction. "This is the last thing. After I defeat the old man in the Black Swamp, it will be the era of the Lost Army galloping across China! There are so many things to do, you can't slack off! Especially the battle soldier trial, you must gather 3,000 Lost Army soldiers as soon as possible, so that we can enter the next stage of training!"
"I will follow the young master's orders!"
…
…
Nightfall.
Chu Tianxiao came to the outskirts of the Black Swamp as agreed. As the cold moonlight fell, he saw dirty bubbles rising and breaking everywhere in the Black Swamp. Although the sound was slight, it was the only one here.
Apart from this, everything was completely silent and desolate.
Chu Tianxiao looked at this desolate scene and felt quite curious. What was the origin of this old man from Hei Zan? Why did he endure the loneliness and live in such a haunted place for decades
Just as Chu Tianxiao was thinking, a large number of bubbles suddenly gurgled out of the black swamp in front of him, and then a black "bridge" slowly emerged from the bottom. As the moonlight sprinkled down, all the sludge fell off and dissipated, as if making some kind of invitation.
Seeing this, Chu Tianxiao did not hesitate and immediately used his skills. In just a few breaths, he crossed the black bridge and reached the other side.
What caught his eye were the most plain houses, which must be the residences of the famous "Black Swamp Elite Soldiers" in China... However, Chu Tianxiao did not slack off because of this, but instead admired the methods of the old man Black Swamp even more...
The reason is simple, just because these houses seem to be in disarray, but in fact they are in line with the military strategy...
Just as Chu Tianxiao was marveling at the thought, an old voice came from a distance.
"Prince Chu is here to visit, why don't you hurry up and invite him in?"
Chu Tianxiao's heart trembled when he heard this! Although he had many guesses before, it was not until this moment that he truly confirmed that the old man Hei Zan was very close to the threshold of a "great practitioner"!
Before Chu Tianxiao could think about it, the door of a room opened. Then, a boy who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old came out with a cold face and clasped his fists towards Chu Tianxiao: "Grandpa wants to see you, please follow me."
“…Thank you for leading the way.”
The cold-faced young man nodded, and without saying anything, he turned around and walked forward. Chu Tianxiao followed behind him, paying careful attention to his surroundings. The more he walked, the more he was sure that this old man from Heiwano was practicing both martial arts and formations. If he became a great practitioner, he would definitely be a 'great formation master'!
The wonderful formations along the way dazzled Chu Tianxiao, and he was yearning for it. He studied it silently for a while. Although he only got a glimpse of the corners, he also gained some experience... In this way, after turning several houses and corners, the two finally arrived at their destination. As the young man who led the way respectfully withdrew, an old man in black sitting in the pavilion nodded with his right hand: "Please sit down."
Chu Tianxiao was not polite and sat down directly. Then he took out a Xumi ring from his arms and said straight to the point: "There is thick earth in it. The amount should be enough for the senior to practice the thick earth carrying things technique and advance to a great cultivator."
Hearing this, the old man Black Swamp's eyelids twitched, as if he was a little surprised that Chu Tianxiao had guessed his cultivation method and thus had taken the lead... But soon, he returned to his usual expression, stretched out his hand, and directly passed over the Xumi Ring without even looking at it, and said: "In this case, I thank you in advance. The elite of Black Swamp were all trained by me, and no one dares to disobey my orders."
Hearing what he meant, Chu Tianxiao smiled faintly and said, "Of course I trust your reputation over the years."
Having said this, both of them fell silent. Everyone knew that the real core of this transaction had only begun at this moment.
After a stalemate, Chu Tianxiao looked at the lazy look of the old man Heiyan and knew that it was useless to waste time, so he said directly: "Senior, you asked me to meet you, it shouldn't be just to say what is in the question, right?"
Hearing this, the old man Heinuma smiled, then he slowly poured a cup of tea, but did not drink it. Instead, he dipped his skinny fingers in the tea, and then began to write on the stone table that the two of them were hugging!
A few characters written in vigorous strokes soon appeared.
Seeing the words, Chu Tianxiao's eyes lit up. After understanding what old man Heinan meant, he also wrote a few words on it.
"The Dharma is not to be passed on to the ears of others."
The old man Heinuma smiled more and more, and wrote a few more words right after him, and Chu Tianxiao followed... The two of them wrote a lot, one sentence after another. At the beginning, the old man Heinuma wrote more, but later on, Chu Tianxiao's "dominant field" became more and more important. The old man Heinuma only wrote a sentence occasionally to raise questions...
The two of them were exchanging ideas and brainstorming in a tacit way!
After an unknown amount of time, the old man Hei Zan wiped the tea with his right hand, and there was no more words on the stone table. He looked at Chu Tianxiao with burning eyes, as if he wanted to see through him completely...
After a long while, he sighed: "What a pity..."
Hearing this, Chu Tianxiao could understand what the word "pity" in the words of the Black Swamp Old Man meant. In fact, more than one person had said this before...
But at this moment, he still didn't know how to respond and could only remain silent.
The old man looked at him with burning eyes, and said with great regret and a hint of relief: "If you were not so ambitious... I am afraid that even I would be too quiet to think about action."
This was a little unclear, but Chu Tianxiao knew what he meant, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Senior, it's not that serious, right?"
“Haha, Ying Luxian formed the Luxian Army back then, sweeping across Shenzhou and being invincible, establishing the Great Zhou Dynasty’s position as the first dynasty. If it weren’t for the barbarians’ hindrance, I’m afraid he and Lu Xuan would have unified Shenzhou by now!” The old man Heiyan did not answer directly, but looked at Chu Tianxiao and said slowly, “To unify the beautiful mountains and rivers, it is not enough to have a strong army and rich people. But if a country does not have a strong army, it will not have any chance!”
"A single Immortal-Slaying Army conquered half of the Great Zhou. Why do you have to belittle yourself?"
Hearing this, Chu Tianxiao could only smile bitterly without saying anything. Indeed, being praised by the old man Hei Numa, who could train the best soldiers in the world, and the words also meant "If you have ambitions in China, I am willing to help you"... It is impossible to say that Chu Tianxiao was not happy - after all, he had really learned a lot from this man in the "tea conversation" just now...
This man is definitely a great military strategist who is proficient in military training, military tactics, battle formations, strategy, and tactics!
Chu Tianxiao was naturally delighted to be favored by such a master, but the problem was that he really didn't have that kind of "ambition"!
The purpose of forming the army of losers was just to achieve extraordinary merits, thereby getting the title of "exempt" from the Great Autumn Examination, learning the secret of the "Heavenly Secret Tablet", and avoiding being wiped out by that pitfall system... That's all!
Why do you all think so much, one after another
Seeing Chu Tianxiao's expression, old man Heinuma observed him carefully for a long time and realized that he was indeed without ambition and not a treacherous man pretending to be loyal. For a moment, he felt a little disappointed in his heart, but more of it was a sense of relief.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just expressing my feelings... People are born in this world and are trapped here. Now, I'm already tied up with many shackles. How can I be as passionate as I was back then..." As he said this, the old man Heinuma smiled, "But, little guy, you are really affectionate and righteous... Lu Xuan's Great Zhou can have someone like you, and unifying China is no longer a suspense."
Hearing this, Chu Tianxiao smiled even more bitterly, and quickly clasped his fists and bowed: "Senior, please stop bullying me... Well, let's talk about further transactions."
On such topics, Old Man Heizhua, a casual cultivator, could speak freely, but Chu Tianxiao felt uncomfortable everywhere, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Okay." The old man Heinuma didn't dwell on the matter and said straight to the point, "I have collected a lot of treasures by betting everywhere over the years. I wanted to take out one at random to trade with you..."
"But now, I have changed my mind."
"It's time to hand over that precious treasure to its rightful owner."
As he spoke, the old man Hei Zan sighed with emotion. Before Chu Tianxiao could come to his senses, a neatly folded "big flag" appeared on the stone table. From the folding part, it was bright red, with a bloody claw mark on it. When he took it out, the corners were exposed, and it exuded a terrifying bloody aura!
Chu Tianxiao had no doubt that if it was fully unfolded and fluttered in the wind, some practitioners with weaker cultivation would have their spiritual centers invaded by the bloody evil energy, and thus become bloodthirsty and murderous!
There is no doubt that this is an extremely special "battle flag"!
"This thing is called the 'Sky Blood Imperial Capital Flag'. I guess you have heard of it."
When the old man Heiyan said this, Chu Tianxiao's pupils shrank immediately: "Is it the ancient item in the legend? I heard that as long as the flag is flying, all the soldiers under his command will live and die together, and share the wounds equally, and fight to the death? But is this thing?"
Hearing this, the old man Hei Nuo nodded with satisfaction: "Yes, this item was extremely rare even in ancient times. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the last 'Sky Blood Imperial Capital Flag' in the vast land of Shenzhou!"
After hearing this, even though Chu Tianxiao was always calm, he was so excited that his hands were shaking!
You know, Chu Tianxiao has been thinking about the "loser army" for a while, and the biggest headache is that there are only 3,000 sets of armor in total. After binding, if one dies in battle, there will be one less set, which is like water without a source. Maybe it will be enough after a few tough battles. In this regard, Chu Tianxiao thought about imitating the production process of the armor, but how can ancient things be easily imitated? Even with the help of the grandfather, the progress in this regard is not optimistic...
But now
Once the Tianxue Imperial Capital flag is out, all the soldiers and generals of the defeated army will share life and death. Unless all the blood and energy of all the people are exhausted in a war, otherwise, this defeated army will always have "zero casualties"!
When one person is on the verge of death, another will come to supply him. In this way, as long as the three thousand defeated soldiers are not in a situation where they are bound to be annihilated, there will never be a situation where "they lose men and cannot be replenished"!
Such a treasure is like a fish in water for the Loser Army! Now that he has come across it, Chu Tianxiao will never let it go!
"What do you want, Senior Heinuma?" Chu Tianxiao clasped his fists, his eyes filled with determination. Seeing this, the old man Heinuma smiled. He was very satisfied that Chu Tianxiao saw through the key point at a glance. He nodded and said with relief: "Don't worry, I still have something for this exchange."
As he spoke, the old man Kuronuma took out a map.
With just one glance, Chu Tianxiao's pupils shrank again, and a strange look flashed across his face! The reason was that this old map was exactly the same as the map in the "Chuhe Xumi Ring"!
"I got this map when I saved a dying man. Before he died, he told me that there was a treasure hidden in this map, but I have been searching for it for many years and still can't find it... After tonight, I will leave the world. Taking this thing with me will only bring trouble to myself, so..."
Chu Tianxiao took a deep breath and interrupted, "Senior Hei Nuo, there is no need to say more. I want this thing too! From what you said before, is there another 'news' about this transaction?"
"Let's just say it all at once."
(4000 chapters in 2-in-1, updated today.)