The Exploitation of the Works of Nature

What are you looking at?
So what if I'm looking at you?
In an instant, Xu Lu and Fu Yuan He completed a classic dialogue with their eyes.
"You guys, later I'll demonstrate heaven-shattering, earth-rending for you. You should clean up the battlefield first. I'm telling you, there were at least twenty or thirty rebels here just now, all buried by my secret art. Some of them might still be alive."
Fu Yuan He pointed at the chaotic pile of rocks and said.
He Qing pondered for a moment, then waved his hand towards the people behind him, and they indeed began to clear away the messy rocks.
Fu Yuan He seized the opportunity to walk next to Xu Lu and whispered, "Xu Lu, did you see clearly what I did just now?"
Xu Lu rolled his eyes inwardly. Don't you know your own level?
What boasting? It's over now, how are you going to cover it up?
"You used the Flowing Sand secret art."
Xu Lu said.
"Nonsense, of course I know I used the Flowing Sand secret art!"
Fu Yuan He whispered, "The problem is, my Flowing Sand secret art is only a First-Rank secret art, it shouldn't have such great power!
Xu Lu, we're in the same boat now. I've taken the blame for your secret art, you have to help me!"
Xu Lu remained silent.
Just now, at the critical moment, he didn't have time to think much, and under those circumstances, avoiding Fu Yuan He was unrealistic.
However, it seemed now that Fu Yuan He had no intention of betraying him.
"How can I help you? I don't have the great ability to make mountains collapse and the earth quake."
Xu Lu glanced at He Qing and the others in the distance, and said in a low voice.
"I just suddenly thought of something. Before, I read a book on architecture in the Secret Treasure Division. Architectural structures all have stress points. Once destroyed, it will lead to walls collapsing and rooms falling apart.
I feel that the collapse of this mountain cave was probably due to me accidentally destroying a stress point, so it collapsed without needing much force."
Fu Yuan He said in a low voice.
Xu Lu nodded. He had thought of this principle long ago. He didn't expect Fu Yuan He to also think of this point so quickly.
"Later, if that Heavenly Official really asks me to demonstrate, I probably won't be able to calculate the stress points myself.
Your math is stronger than mine, help me calculate, and together we'll impress them."
Fu Yuan He continued.
"Is this necessary?"
Xu Lu asked suspiciously, "You've already researched a secret treasure. Wouldn't telling the Heavenly Palace be enough to rejoin them?
Do you need to prove that you can cause a mountain collapse?"
"You don't know. If I don't prove that this destruction was caused by me, they might suspect me of colluding with rebels, and then it'll be troublesome."
Fu Yuan He saw He Qing walking towards them and quickly said.
"Fu Yuan He, as far as I know, when you were in the Heavenly Palace, you were a First-Rank Secret Master, and your cultivation base was only Second-Rank at most."
He Qing walked up to the two, glanced at Xu Lu with some surprise, then said, "How did you kill forty-seven rebels?"
"Forty-seven rebels? That many?"
Fu Yuan He's eyes widened, saying, "They weren't all killed by me.
I'm telling you, those rebels were two groups of people. They fought among themselves, and then I took the opportunity to collapse the mountain cave, burying the rest."
"To cause such destruction, at least a Sixth-Rank secret art or higher would be required."
He Qing stared intently at Fu Yuan He, his eyes full of questioning.
"Well, this involves very profound secret knowledge. You're just a Black-Robed Heavenly Official, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Fu Yuan He waved his hand and said, "I'll just demonstrate it for you."
Fu Yuan He winked at Xu Lu, then walked towards a pile of rubble nearby.
Although Xu Lu was a bit helpless, he still followed.
He Qing frowned slightly but did not stop Xu Lu from following.
The collapsed mountain cave, which He Qing and the soldiers had dug open, had bodies removed and piled to one side. The excavated messy rocks were also piled into a small mountain on one side.
Xu Lu circled the pile of rubble a few times, then began to model calculations on the ground.
Calculating the stress points of a pile of rubble was an extremely complex task, but fortunately, Xu Lu had encountered similar topics in his previous life when preparing for math modeling competitions.
"Here."
It took a full meal's worth of time before Xu Lu pointed to a spot and said to Fu Yuan He.
"Little Heavenly Official, watch closely."
Fu Yuan He said to He Qing, then placed his hand on the spot Xu Lu had indicated.
"Secret Art, Flowing Sand!"
The stress-bearing rock instantly turned into a handful of yellow sand.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Losing its stress point, the pile of rubble immediately collapsed.
"See, as long as you strike at the weak point, a little force can create unimaginable results."
Fu Yuan He said proudly, "Those who dared to kidnap me, they underestimated a Secret Master too much!"
He Qing nodded thoughtfully, his gaze falling on Xu Lu.
"I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier, Xu Lu, why are you here?"
He Qing asked.
"He's my disciple!"
Before Xu Lu could speak, Fu Yuan He quickly said, "An inner-door disciple!
He was kidnapped with me."
"Hmm?"
He Qing frowned, his expression full of doubt.
"When did this happen? Why don't I know?"
"Do I need to report to you when I take a disciple?"
Fu Yuan He said unhappily.
"I'm not talking about you, I'm asking you, Xu Lu."
He Qing looked at Xu Lu and said.
"Not long ago, I just became his disciple, and then I was kidnapped."
Xu Lu explained.
"Do you know Fu Yuan He's identity?"
He Qing pressed.
"I know."
"Then you still dare to take him as your master? Don't you know that if he secretly teaches you things that shouldn't be taught, you'll be considered a rebel?"
He Qing's tone was stern.
"What, what?!"
Fu Yuan He interjected between the two, saying unhappily, "What's my identity?
I'm telling you, I'm about to return to the Heavenly Palace. My disciple is a proper Secret Master, it's not your place to lecture him!"
"You? Return to the Heavenly Palace?"
He Qing frowned and said, "On what basis?"
"Simply because I succeeded in my research!
Simply because I researched an unprecedented secret treasure!"
Fu Yuan He said.
Seeing He Qing listening with a serious expression, Fu Yuan He suddenly said, "Do I need to tell you?
You're just a Black-Robed Heavenly Official."
A strange flush appeared on He Qing's face, and his clothes moved without wind.
If not for years of cultivation, he would have probably exploded with anger.
So what if he was a Black-Robed Heavenly Official?
At his age, wasn't being a Black-Robed Heavenly Official very normal?
On the contrary, Fu Yuan He, who was older and had cultivated for decades longer than him, only had the same cultivation base as him. What right did he have to look down on him?
"Little Hei, it's fine. My disciple and I are going back to Jiang Du first."
Fu Yuan He continued.
Xu Lu suddenly realized that this fellow Fu Yuan He had a talent for infuriating people to death. What was "Little Hei"?
Just because He Qing wore a black Daoist robe, you called him Little Hei?
"After being locked up for so long, I'm all dirty. I need to hurry back and take a bath. Then I also need to record my research findings and report them to the Heavenly Palace. By then...
Forget it, you're just a Black-Robed Heavenly Official, you can't access such high-level matters. It's not appropriate for me to tell you."
Crack!
The stone under He Qing's feet was stomped into several pieces.
Fu Yuan He seemed completely unaware that he was playing with fire. He waved at Xu Lu and said, "Disciple, let's go, back to the city."
"Heavenly Official He, then we'll take our leave first."
Fu Yuan He could disregard He Qing, but Xu Lu could not. He said politely.
"Men, escort them back to the city!"
He Qing narrowed his eyes and coldly shouted, "Remember, you must ensure they return to their residence safely!
Before I return to the city, if anything untoward happens to them, I will hold you accountable!"
"Understood!"
A squad of soldiers responded.
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