ATPnovel #431 - Mountain Blast
#431 - Mountain Blast
Knowing has an order, and skills have a specialization, that's all there is to it!
The reason he and Zhang Chen could become friends and maintain a warm relationship wasn't just because of friendship, but also because of the exchange of value between them.
He was a useful person to Zhang Chen, and likewise, Zhang Chen was a useful person to him.
Chen Xu finished his steamed bun and began to draw lines on the ground, deducing the direction of the Feng Shui grand formation covering the Northern Dragon Vein.
It wasn't until dark that Chen Xu suddenly thrust the wooden stick in his hand onto a certain pattern, a look of joy appearing in his eyes: "It's done! I've calculated the key node of that Feng Shui grand formation. As long as we break that node, we can leak the Qi of the Feng Shui grand formation. The resulting anomalies will definitely not escape the notice of the experts in the North."
At this time, the house was dimly lit, because Zhang Chen didn't intend to light a bonfire for fear of being discovered.
Hearing Chen Xu's words, Zhang Chen's eyes lit up, as if a ray of light flashed across, illuminating the darkness in an instant, and then Zhang Chen said: "Go take a look?"
"Go take a look!" Chen Xu nodded.
Neither of them were ordinary people, so how could they be afraid of walking mountain roads at night?
Then, holding oil-paper umbrellas, the two walked on the muddy mountain road, crossing the mountains towards the distant mountains.
After roughly crossing four or five mountain roads, the two stopped in front of a slightly sharp large rock. Chen Xu pointed to the large rock in front of him and said: "As long as this rock is destroyed, the Feng Shui grand formation here can be broken."
Zhang Chen looked at the rock and saw that it was ten meters high, a mountain peak protruding from the mountain below. The rock was about five meters thick, and looked like a prostrate giant turtle.
The two looked at each other. Zhang Chen hesitated slightly and said: "Troublesome! This rock is connected to the power of the Northern Earth Vein. It can be called invulnerable to all laws, and supernatural powers cannot shake it. It will take a little thought to destroy it."
Zhang Chen controlled the authority of the Earth element, so of course he could destroy this big rock, but he wasn't stupid. This place was connected to the Northern Earth Vein, and he didn't dare to trap himself in Karma. It would be bad if he provoked Heavenly Punishment.
"I have Feng Shui techniques that can break it." Chen Xu said.
Zhang Chen quickly stopped him: "Don't act rashly! This place gathers the dragon veins of the entire North. A little carelessness will lead to trouble. You don't have to worry about this matter, I have my own countermeasures."
After speaking, Zhang Chen and Chen Xu went down the mountain. Then, Zhang Chen parted ways with Chen Xu and went to his own cave, took the explosives out of the water. At this time, he mastered earth control and felt that the explosives he had made in the past were too crude and easily leaked out, so he thought and the bluestone on the ground surged up, directly wrapping the detonators and explosive packs, leaving only the fuse outside.
Zhang Chen prepared twenty detonators and put them in his back basket. Then, he took out three thousand taels of silver and carried them on his back before walking down the mountain.
He, Zhang Chen, was afraid of Karma and didn't dare to act, but ordinary people weren't afraid. It wouldn't be a violation of Heavenly Law for ordinary people to blow up the dragon vein. Not to mention blowing up the dragon vein, even digging it up wouldn't be a problem.
As for where to find ordinary people?
Now there was a severe drought in the North, and there were too many people who couldn't afford to eat. It was too easy for Zhang Chen to find someone to do things.
Wearing a bamboo hat, Zhang Chen went straight down the mountain. He didn't walk far when he saw a canyon in the distance, with figures digging grass roots and bark in the canyon.
"I need ten strong men to do something for me. If you can do it, each person will get three hundred taels of silver." Zhang Chen held an oil-paper umbrella and shouted in the drizzle.
The crowd in the distance was silent for a while. The next moment, the crowd surged. Someone was the first to react and rushed to Zhang Chen: "This lord, are you telling the truth?"
"Of course it's true! Each person can be paid thirty taels of silver in advance as a deposit, so you can go to the city to buy some rice and noodles to take care of your family, and have a full meal. The remaining two hundred and seventy taels will be issued immediately after you finish your work." Zhang Chen's voice was very solemn.
Hearing this, a group of people immediately surged over, shouting:
"Sir, choose me! I am tall and strong!"
"Sir, I have a body of tendons and muscles!"
"Sir, look at me, I can carry three hundred catties of objects!"
...
A group of men were dressed in rags, like beggars, constantly circling around Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen's eyes swept over the crowd, and he selected ten burly men with sturdy muscles. They could still eat so well in this famine year, without losing weight, which showed that they were not good people either.
"I have already chosen the people, you all disperse." After Zhang Chen chose the people, he began to drive away the common people.
However, the common people still gathered around, each being soaked in the drizzle, looking very embarrassed, unwilling to leave.
One of the brawny men with a face full of horizontal flesh opened his mouth and scolded: "Didn't you hear what this master said? Tell you to leave quickly, don't gather here!"
While speaking, ten strong men began to disperse the crowd, kicking and punching to drive them away, and then gathered around Zhang Chen with flattering faces: "Sir, what are your orders? Even if it's a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, or a hell of oil, we will go there."
"Are you not afraid of death?" Zhang Chen asked with a surprised expression after hearing this.
The man smiled bitterly and said: "It is already extremely difficult to live in this world. If we can't find food, we will starve to death sooner or later. In that case, it is better to take a chance."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen sized up the man: "What's your name?"
"I am humble and dare not have a name. Because my surname is Zhu, and I am the sixth in the family, people call me Zhu Laoliu." Zhu Laoliu bowed respectfully to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen nodded, then took out pieces of silver from the package and threw them to the ten people: "These ten ingots of silver are deposits, each ingot has thirty taels. Take them back for emergency use, and have a full meal. Come to me here in the afternoon. Also, remember to bring tools to chisel open the rocks!"
"As for you taking the thirty taels of silver and running away, I am not afraid of you running away. Thirty taels of silver is nothing to me, unless you don't want the two hundred and seventy taels of silver later. With those two hundred and seventy taels of silver, it is enough for your family to eat and drink for a lifetime." Zhang Chen said.
The ten men looked at each other, then smiled at Zhang Chen: "How dare we betray the trust of the young master? You wait here."
After speaking, the ten men took the silver and left.
Zhang Chen held an oil-paper umbrella, standing in place without speaking, just quietly watching the mountain scenery, feeling very comfortable under the oil-paper umbrella.
Zhang Chen didn't wait long. In just two hours, Zhu Laoliu and others had already returned first.
"The task I assigned to you today is simple. I only need you to chisel open holes in a certain rock, then insert this thing into the holes and light it. The explosive power of this thing is amazing, enough to split mountains and crack rocks. You still need to be careful..." Zhang Chen began to explain the precautions to the ten men.
The ten people nodded repeatedly, the money was easy to earn, and they patted their chests to assure Zhang Chen that there would be no problems.
Zhang Chen believed the words of the few people, so he led them over the mountains and ridges to a mountain rock, pointing to the mountain rock and saying: "My task is for you to chisel open cracks in the mountain rock, insert this thing, and then light it, so that the mountain rock can be blown up."
"Young master, don't worry, it's just a small matter, just watch." Zhu Laoliu patted his chest to guarantee.
Zhang Chen handed over the back basket: "Then the subsequent silver, I will give it to you directly now. After you get the silver, go to work."
Hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhu Laoliu and others happily divided the silver, then took the tools and walked towards the rock.
It was just blowing up a rock, and of course, the few people had no reason to go back on their word, so they took the tools and began to knock and hammer in the mountains. Fortunately, there was a drizzle in the sky, covering most of the knocking sound, otherwise Zhang Chen was really afraid of being discovered by the Pingbian Royal Mansion.
Zhang Chen put his hands in his sleeves, and Chen Xu held an oil-paper umbrella, and the two stood quietly aside to supervise.
"Why didn't you let me take action? If I had taken action, where would there be such trouble." Chen Xu asked in confusion.
Zhang Chen raised his head and looked at the dark clouds in the sky, then said in a low voice: "Heavenly Punishment!"
"Isn't it just being struck by lightning? Just find a house to avoid it, such as your stone house." Chen Xu didn't care.
"Do you think Heavenly Punishment is just being struck by lightning?" Zhang Chen glanced at Chen Xu sideways, his eyes full of weirdness.
Should he say that Chen Xu was fearless because of ignorance, or that this guy really didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth?
"What do you mean?" Chen Xu asked.
"Heavenly Punishment is Heavenly Punishment, lightning is lightning. Under Heavenly Punishment, even Twelfth-Order cultivators are nothing more than straw dogs." Zhang Chen said.
Chen Xu was stunned when he heard this, and immediately dared not continue to say anything, subconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
After a long while, Chen Xu said in a low voice: "Is there really Heavenly Punishment? I used to see it in Feng Shui books, and I always thought that Heavenly Punishment was just being struck by lightning, but I didn't care too much."
"If it was just ordinary lightning strikes, how could it be able to do anything to me?" Zhang Chen sighed softly: "You should know my methods, it is not difficult for me to avoid ordinary lightning."
Hearing this, Chen Xu decisively shut up and stopped talking about cutting the dragon. He was not a fool. He knew more or less about Zhang Chen's methods. Now even Zhang Chen was so afraid, if he still didn't realize the power of Heavenly Punishment, then he would be a fool.
Time passed in the knocking and hammering. It wasn't until the second half of the night that Zhu Laoliu came to Zhang Chen, shook the wet clothes on his body, and wiped the rain off his face: "Young master, according to your requirements, everything is ready!"