kvmb Chapter 189: The Art of Breaking the Mechanism But Knowing Only One Skill
Chapter 189: The Art of Breaking the Mechanism But Knowing Only One Skill
Everyone in the conference room had left, but Chi Yue and Zong Sheng were still there. Chi Yue was not a member of the Dingyuan army, he just followed Qi Xiao. Now Qi Xiao just wanted to be alone with Tang Ling, so he didn't want to go and cause trouble. Since he had nowhere to go, he simply waited in the conference room for dinner.
Since Chi Yue didn't leave, Zong Sheng naturally stayed with him.
"Ah..." Chi Yue sighed, "This armor is so heavy, can't I really take it off?"
"My Lord's military order is that you are not allowed to take off your armor."
Chi Yue supported his head, feeling uncomfortable all over because of the armor. He looked up at Zong Sheng and wanted to hug him, but hugging him through the armor was like banging against a wall, which made Chi Yue very unhappy.
"Is the wound on your back healed? Is it still itchy? Do you want to change the dressing?"
"The wound has healed and it doesn't itch anymore. There's no need to change the dressing." Zong Sheng answered seriously, but his answer was a bit perfunctory.
Chi Yue looked at Zong Sheng, blinked, and reached out to take off his armor.
"What's wrong?"
"Your Highness said that you cannot remove your armor, but he also didn't say that you cannot treat your wounds. Let me see if the wound is truly healed."
"It's really okay!" Chi Yue reached out and tried to peel off his armor in broad daylight. What would happen if someone saw it?
Seeing Zong Sheng in a panic, Chi Yue smiled. Zong Sheng had hardly spoken in the past few days, and his whole mind was on Qi Xiao. Chi Yue could hardly help but feel jealous and resentful towards Qi Xiao. But last night when they were walking through Xingtian Pass and killing people, Zong Sheng secretly held his hand. In the end, Chi Yue realized that his knife was actually clean, without a drop of blood. He was so lazy.
Zong Sheng didn't know why Chi Yue was laughing so brightly, nor did he know why his ears suddenly felt hot. He slowly looked away, but Chi Yue kept staring at him. After a while, he couldn't stand it anymore, so he turned his gaze back and asked Chi Yue, "Have you been to Qi?"
"Ah?" Chi Yue had been here before. He had taken a detour through Qi State to enter the Zhou State's capital.
"You've learned the dialect very well."
Chi Yue was still smiling, but his eyes sank. "Of course. The most basic principle of disguise is imitation. Body shape, language, expression, every detail must be correct, otherwise even the most flawless human skin mask will be easily seen through."
"So you've never been to Qi?"
"Have you been here before? Your Highness speaks the Qi dialect very well."
Chi Yue spoke casually, but did not directly answer Zong Sheng's question. Zong Sheng was confused, but did not continue to ask. He just nodded and fell silent again.
Chi Yue's lips curled slightly. Even if he admitted to visiting Qi, it wouldn't matter. Zong Sheng didn't dare, and wouldn't, ask about the Tiance Camp's mission. He had no way of knowing what happened ten years ago, but Chi Yue didn't dare answer such a simple question. Zong Sheng could never know those things, and he didn't need to know them.
Zong Sheng looked at Chi Yue, knowing that he was fooling him again. Chi Yue had not said a word about the past ten years. Zong Sheng had asked, but there was no answer. Perhaps he could say it, or perhaps he didn't want to say it. Such secrecy was like Chi Yue's flawless body, all an illusion. Those that no longer existed must be the most painful and deepest wounds.
Zong Sheng clutched Chi Yue's hand tightly, his head lowered slightly. He was tongue-tied and didn't know what to say. He said he didn't care? But he did care. He wanted to know why Chi Yue had broken his leg, how he had lived through the past ten years. He wanted Chi Yue to cry in his arms one more time, so he could hug him and wipe his tears. It was as if only by seeing the scars on Chi Yue's body could he be sure they were healed. He was afraid Chi Yue wouldn't let him know anything.
But Zongsheng didn't know how to say it.
"Zongsheng," Chi Yue sighed softly and said, "Don't let me go."
Zong Sheng raised his eyes to look at Chi Yue and seemed to hold his hand a little tighter.
"...Just like we did in Fenglin Mountain, no matter what dangers you encounter, you must come back to see me. Definitely."
"Okay." Zong Sheng nodded in agreement, "Then you can't get rid of me again."
Chi Yue smiled, tilted his head and leaned on Zong Sheng's shoulder, chuckled and said, "No more."
***
Qi Xiao stood beside Tang Ling, holding a plate of barbecue, feeding him a bite every now and then. Tang Ling had been raised in a very strict family, and he was always well-mannered in how he sat, stood, and walked. He had never been so unruly when eating, except during the march. At first, he had refused, but Qi Xiao loved to chase him and feed him. Then, thinking that they were still on the march, he simply followed his lead.
"Xu Zheng is just a military general, how come he has such a pile of books? Let me find some more people to help you find them." Qi Xiao fed Tang Ling another piece of meat and sighed as he looked at the books and scrolls piled on the desk.
Bai Xiqiao and Lu Fangjin went to Chen He's study and bedroom to look for the military defense map. Qi Xiao and Tang Ling had wanted to eat something first; the meat was already roasted, and all they needed was a handful of chili powder. But Tang Ling suddenly remembered that Xu Zheng had been stationed at Xingtian Pass for years before his title, and there should be a room for him there. She got up and went to look for it.
Sure enough, Xu Zheng not only had a room, but also a study, which was locked.
Qi Xiao chased after Tang Ling with a plate of barbecue. He glanced at the lock, kicked the study door open, and walked into Xu Zheng's study very frankly.
Xu Zheng's room was so filled with books that it was hard to know where to start. Since the door was locked, there might be a secret compartment inside, and there were so many books, he could only search slowly.
"Hmm..." Tang Ling chewed the barbecue that had lost some flavor, piled all the books on the bookshelf onto the table, then reached over the shelves and knocked on the wall behind them, knocking on each shelf at a time.
Qi Xiao opened his mouth to say something, but paused when he heard another knock, and then heard Tang Ling knock again.
Tang Ling turned around and looked at Qi Xiao with a smile: "Found it."
There is indeed a secret compartment on the wall!
There was a secret compartment on the wall, but Tang Ling searched for a long time, her nails almost digging into the cracks in the wall, but she couldn't find a way to open the compartment, and she couldn't help but frown.
"Let me do it." Qi Xiao handed the barbecue to Tang Ling to free up his hands.
"You even understand the art of mechanical devices? Go call Chi Yue, this shouldn't be difficult for him."
Qi Xiao stuffed a plate of barbecue into Tang Ling's arms and said with a smile, "I don't understand the art of traps, but I do know a trick of breaking them."
Qi Xiao had just finished speaking when Tang Ling was confused when she saw Qi Xiao stretch out his hand and press his palm on the wall. Then with a bang, hundreds of cracks appeared on the wall like a spider web. As soon as Qi Xiao moved his palm away, a big hole appeared on the wall.
"Look, that's it." Qi Xiao brushed off the dust from the wall on his palm, looking relaxed and casual.
Tang Ling stared at the shattered wall of hidden compartments, choking on Qi Xiao's smile. So the technique for breaking these traps was to use internal energy to violently dismantle them. It really was that easy. The saying "one force defeats ten skills" probably means this.
"What if there's some mechanism inside, and you destroy it by being so violent?"
"Did you hear a mechanism inside when you knocked on the wall?"
"..." Tang Ling was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing, "You're so smart."
Qi Xiao also laughed: "No, no, I don't understand. How do you know it must be behind this wall? And it's not a secret passage or a secret room, just a secret compartment?"