Ji Qiu agreed: "This is not an ordinary flower."
The flower in his hand is yellow and green, with oval leaves as green as emerald.
There is a small jade-like flower clustered in the middle, which seems to be in bloom. The flowers and leaves are layered on top of each other. The bottom layer is the largest and gradually shrinks upwards. The whole flower is in the shape of a tower. The bottom layer is about a foot in diameter.
Huo Qubing noticed that the leaves of this flower had golden hexagonal or pentagonal patterns like stars, which were exquisite and beautiful.
"This flower is called the Emperor Star Golden Lotus. It is designated as one of the "Five Trees and Six Flowers" by my Mohist family. It is also called the Tongxin Lotus."
After Ji Qiu finished speaking and waved, a young man wearing brown Hanfu hurried over not far away.
"I've met the champion."
The young man first bowed respectfully, and then smiled, showing eight white teeth, a very standard smile.
"This is my biggest gain from being imprisoned at Zonghengdao Mountain Gate, disciple Qiao Yi."
Ji Qiu handed one of the potted flowers to his apprentice.
Qiao Yi ran away quickly with the flower pot in his hand, until he was dozens of feet away.
Because the secret area of the military mansion was filled with mist, the figure dozens of feet away was quite blurry.
But Huo Qubing could still see Qiao Yi a little far away, using his spiritual thoughts as a mark to make writing shapes on the leaves of the Emperor Star Lotus with his fingers.
On the leaves of another pot of Emperor Star Lotus held by Ji Qiu, there was a faint light flowing, and the words appeared: "Master."
Can these flowers and leaves convey a message?
"How did you do it?"
Ji Qiu looked slightly complacent as he pulled off the leaf with the writing on it and handed it to Huo Qubing for examination.
On the back of its leaves, if you look closely, there is a matrix pattern that seems to have grown naturally.
"My third-generation founder of the Mohist family, who is also a farmer, discovered that the leaves of this concentric lotus naturally grow like array patterns. With a little improvement and guidance, the leaf paths can become tools for transmitting messages.
Of course, the premise is that we, two people from the Mo family who practice the art of attaching objects to each other, need to teach each other before we can do it.
Until a more convenient communication method is found, the Concentric Lotus Leaf Communication can be used temporarily. "
"What's the communication distance?"
"We don't know yet how far the upper limit is, but it's no problem if it's thousands of miles away."
"Huo Hou, follow me."
Ji Qiu was in high spirits and left the secret realm on the second floor of the military mansion. He came to the first floor and then walked out of the military mansion.
The afternoon sun shines through the shade of the trees, creating golden sand-like spots on the ground.
Ji Qiu randomly picked two leaves from an old tree beside the official road outside the military mansion, handed one to Huo Qubing, took the other one, and repeated the process.
The leaves on Huo Qubing's hand also changed, but the writing was very blurry and it was completely unclear what the content was.
“Not only the concentric lotus, but also the stems, leaves, and textures of most trees have a wonderful connection that is difficult to explain.
Even different plants and trees, as long as they grow in the same area and have some kind of connection in the underground root system, it is possible for people like me, the Mohists who have practiced the art of attachment of objects, to send messages, but it is far less clear than the content transmitted by the Heart Lotus.
Furthermore, Huo Hou, you have never practiced the art of object attachment, so you cannot use it as a carrier to receive and present the specific content. "
Is it a similar way to convey messages on the bamboo slips of Zonghengdao?
"This method was improved by me, who was trapped in Zonghengdao Mountain Gate, on the basis of my Mohist sages. The purpose is to convey messages to the outside world. Unfortunately, I have not been able to develop a method that does not require the attachment of artifacts. .”
"How long can the stems and leaves of Concentric Lotus be preserved after being picked?"
"The Concentric Lotus has been specifically cultivated and added with trace amounts of coniferous wood chips and copper chips in the soil. The leaves that grow are extremely tough and can be preserved for at least three to four years without damage."
Ji Qiu said: "Zonghengdao's communication method is only used by high-level officials, and they do not have access to relatively cheap methods like Tongxinlian."
"This method of communication must rely on the art of attachment of objects practiced by the Mohists?"
"Yes. Without the attachment technique, the message transmitted would be unclear and prone to errors."
It wouldn’t be too much trouble to bring a Mohist disciple as a messenger in the team... Huo Qubing asked:
"What are the restrictions on the practice of attachment technique? How many people in your Mo family have mastered it?"
"I have more than 120 ink workers under my command, and there are about 40 people who master the art of attaching objects to objects."
Ji Qiu said: "The practice of the Art of Artifact Attachment is quite difficult and requires talent. It requires people with strong soul sensing ability, that is, people with high understanding to practice it.
This is also the reason why this communication method is not conducive to popularization. Another limitation is the output of Concentric Lotus.
My young disciple Qiao Yi was able to learn the art of attachment of objects and carry out communication in four days. He is one of the fastest people in my Mohist family to practice this art, and he has a good talent. "
Huo Qubing pondered for a moment: "Tell me the secret of attachment."
Ji Qiu immediately said a Mohist method: "You can't advance unless you attack, meditate and maintain oneness, enter the body and mind into space, and use the soul as a seal... This method requires the cooperation of my Mohist mental skills. It is useless for others to listen to the method alone."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Huo Qubing writing on the lotus leaf he had handed over before, and words appeared on the other leaf he was holding: "Ji Qiu."
"well?"
Ji Qiu's mouth opened slightly: "Huo Hou has learned my Mo family's mental method?"
"No."
"But it's not very difficult. Maybe it can be improved and promoted more widely among scouts."
When the two of them returned to the military mansion together, Ji Qiu still felt a little uneasy. He looked at the back of Huo Qubing's head from behind and felt the urge to study its structure.
"Although there is this message from Tongxinlian, the research on the jade sword cannot stop. There may be some secrets of Zonghengdao in it."
Huo Qubing took out the bamboo slip of summons that was also seized from the King of Huainan:
"You should also take a look and find out why they can rely on this kind of simple book to write messages to each other."
Ji Qiu agreed repeatedly.
He led Huo Qubing back to the second floor of the military mansion and to another location to check the preparation progress of other utensils.
The Mohists built seven or eight wooden buildings in Bingfu, with different divisions of labor.
Ji Qiu took Huo Qubing to another wooden building.
There is a pair of armor hanging here, and there are leather scrolls, bamboo slips and other objects on the low table next to it, outlining the disassembly pattern of the armor.
This wooden building has more than twenty Mohist craftsmen, both men and women, working hard on ways to improve the armor's protective capabilities.
The Mohist family's defense array is their best method. It can be used to carve and make armor in anything as large as a city or as small as a finger on your hand.
However, the preparation of military armor has changed from generation to generation from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, through the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and then to the Qin and Han dynasties. Mohist masters were also involved in the design and production before. It has reached a bottleneck period, and it is not easy to continue to optimize it.
"I want to see Huo Hou's armor." Ji Qiu requested.
Huo Qubing wore the highest-grade general's armor of the Han army. It had prismatic armor leaves and fine small armor leaves on the wrists, elbows and other places, which did not delay the flexibility of movement and fighting. Each armor leaf was carefully crafted and engraved with curses. Text, there are almost no protective blind spots.
But what Ji Qiu wanted to see was not the armor visible on the surface.
Rather, it is the cultivation of military masters, and the combination of the internal Qi and the armor worn on the body to form the heavenly and human realm armor.
Huo Qubing immediately activated the power in his body.
His formation diagram realm is unique. Qi machine and spiritual weapons are blended together, like a formation diagram constructed by the veins of the human body, slowly emerging.
As the Qi circulates within the body, the armor outside the body also emits bursts of light. The inside and outside interact, forming extremely precise patterns that interweave lights and dims on the armor worn together.
The head of a white tiger with military symbols first appeared on Huo Qubing's chest, with murderous intent and arrogance.
On its shoulder blades and the armor on its back, there are faint tortoise shell patterns, which are thick and protective.
On the elbows, wrists, and arms, there are patterns like snake scales coiled around the delicate nail leaves. The patterns under the armpits are vaguely formed into the texture of a soaring snake's wings, which can lighten one's body and increase the speed of movement.
The entire armor is combined with the four military talismans, the glimmer of light flows, countless spells are destroyed, and it is dazzling.
Ji Qiuzai looked at the texture on the armor carefully, his eyes almost obsessed, similar to the state of a hardcore bachelor who had been a bachelor for forty years when he saw a beautiful woman.
"Huo Hou's military training is really exquisite. When combined with the outer armor, it looks like it was made by a skilled craftsman."
The surrounding inkmen who were studying the armor also came closer to watch and were amazed.
"Have you ever tried Huo Hou's armor? What level of protection does it have?" Ji Qiu asked.
Huo Qubing: "After the three realms of heaven and man, I have never encountered an opponent who needs to activate the armor with all my strength, and I have never tried the protection level."
At this time, the armor on his body gradually disappeared, and Ji Qiu showed an unfinished expression.
"You should step up your research and try to find something useful before the next war with the Huns."
Huo Qubing came out of the secret realm on the second floor of the Military Mansion.
The first floor of the military mansion has become a training ground for the imperial army, and there are many soldiers training.
Clang!
The sounds of swords clashing could be heard one after another, except for the battle with the ranks of Wei soldiers who were evolving into military formations. On one side of the military mansion, there is a blue boulder that is more than ten feet high and looks like a hill.
The boulder was also engraved with protective formations, as thick as a shield.
There were many tribesmen practicing their swordsmanship around the boulders.
Use the stupidest method, using the knife thousands of times to practice the stability of chopping.
In the military, many training programs are not only designed to train strength and skills, but also to train will.
A strong will, not afraid of the enemy, not arrogant when facing weakness, and immovable as iron, are the most trustworthy and invincible foundation of a team.
The requirement for these troops is to prohibit internal cultivation when practicing basic movements, so they are exercising the most fundamental physical strength.
Every time the sword is drawn, it will be bounced back by the protection formed by the incantation engraved on the boulder, making it difficult to shake it at all.
However, it is a basic requirement for each person to use the knife at least 500 times a day.
The seemingly boring training is actually a life-saving means of defeating the enemy on the battlefield.
There is a crack in the middle of the boulder, splitting the entire boulder in two from the middle.
That was the armor-piercing sword technique that Huo Qubing had recently come to the military mansion to demonstrate in person, and it was regarded as a miracle.
The existence of the knife mark was like a clearly visible target, stimulating these tribesmen to be highly motivated for days and practice cutting and armor breaking techniques on their own.
Huo Qubing was about to leave when he saw Li Guang walking into the military mansion from outside, striding like lightning.
Wei Qing was stationed at the border, so Li Guang was transferred back to Chang'an for a rest.
"Huo Hou!"
Li Guang also heard that the Forbidden Army had developed a new military training ground and came to take a look.
He saw the sword light on the boulder that split it into two, looked at it intently for a moment and said: "This is what Huo Hou left behind, a great sword intention!"
"Well, I want to further improve the archery skills of the Forbidden Army. How about letting General Li serve as the chief archery instructor of the Forbidden Army?" Huo Qubing said.
Regarding spiritual practice, everyone has their own secret skills that should not be passed on to others, and Li Guang does the same.
His archery skills were very powerful, but what he passed on to his tribe was only a fraction of what he could show through his fingers.
"Huo Hou's archery strategy is also the best in the entire army, why don't you teach him?" Li Guang asked in return.
"General Li is known as a flying general. I am not as good as you when it comes to archery tactics." Huo Qubing said humbly.
Li Guangdun felt relieved and said without hesitation: "Since Lang Zhongling sincerely invites you, I can't refuse.
In this way, when I was in Chang'an, I took some time every day to go to the military mansion to teach archery skills. I can't guarantee whether I can learn it. "
"General Li teaches it patiently and the soldiers practice hard, so they can master it naturally."
Huo Qubing carefully thought about how to bring Li Guang in first, and slowly picked up the arrows in his hands to practice with the imperial army.
When he came out of the military mansion and rode back to the marquis mansion, the sky was dark.
The sky was filled with stars and moon, and there were as many as twenty or thirty chariots waiting in line at the gate of the Hou Mansion.
When people in the car saw Huo Qubing coming back, they all got out: "Huo Hou!"
Most of the people who came were envoys from various tribes who had recently arrived in Chang'an. In addition, Zhang Cigong, who had returned to Chang'an with Li Guang, was also there.
(End of chapter)
