BSI 0033 Test Bow
0033 Test Bow
Lin Yu had previously expressed some reservations about the forced gathering of villagers. In his view, governing the country and administering government affairs should be the job of scholars like them.
Although Zhu Shiting, as a celestial being, bestowed many divine gifts and saved lives upon the mortal realm after descending from Heaven, he still had to abide by the rules of the mortal world if he wanted to conduct business there.
As the only one among the five village leaders with a formal academic background, he should offer his advice.
I never expected that the gods would build houses in such an illogical way!
No foundation is needed, no stones or soil need to be dug or fodder prepared; a house that shelters from the wind and rain can be erected in just 15 minutes.
Such incredible magical craftsmanship, like turning beans into soldiers or stones into gold in folk tales, instantly shattered Lin Yu's scholarly pride, prompting him to recite Du Fu's poems to Zhu Shiting.
"If only I could have ten thousand mansions, to shelter all the poor and needy and bring them joy!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shiting's expression shifted, and he glanced at the scholar Lin, saying, "Lin Yu, I am no ordinary emperor. In the future, don't try to show off your knowledge of scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, and seniority in front of me."
"You are all subjects under my rule; in my eyes, you are all human beings!"
"So what if they are emperors? So what if they are officials? As long as they are human, in my eyes they are all equal, regardless of their status or wealth."
"I bestowed these celestial dwellings not merely to shelter the poor and needy, but to protect all the people of the world."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu was shocked.
If such treasonous words were spoken down in the mountains, officials would probably come immediately to arrest and imprison the person for their words.
After all, the late Ming Dynasty was still a feudal dynasty society.
In order to maintain imperial rule, for thousands of years scholars and emperors have continuously brainwashed the people under their rule, instilling the Confucian ideology of scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants.
"May I ask you, Immortal, if this set of rules for immortals that grants equality to all is as you say, how would you explain the Jade Emperor who rules over all immortals in the Heavenly Court?" Lin Yu hurriedly asked.
If we don't get to the bottom of this today, this scholar Lin might lose his faith and begin to doubt the Confucian classics he has studied all his life.
"Who told you that the Jade Emperor exists in the Heavenly Court where I reside?"
"You saw it with your own eyes?"
"Those are all divine titles that you mere mortals have fabricated based on the ideas of earthly emperors!"
"If there really is a Jade Emperor, with the northern Tartars rampaging and plundering cities, the Shun rebels in the west, and Zhang Huanghu emerging in Sichuan, and countless people displaced and starving, why don't you scholars go and beg the Jade Emperor to send heavenly soldiers and generals to save the Zhu family's empire?"
Zhu Shiting gave a knowing look, then shouted to the eager Zhou family members, "Zhou Ren, go and carry your brother into the tent!"
"Alright, thank you for your constant care for my elder brother, Immortal."
Zhou Ren, a common soldier who had become an outlaw, didn't get along well with Lin Yu, a scholar.
Seeing the other party standing there dumbfounded after being scolded by the immortal, Zhou Ren grinned happily and led several clansmen to the thatched hut to carry the still unconscious Zhou Gang into the comfortable and livable tent.
As for Lin Yu, after being verbally attacked by Zhu Shiting, he was in a daze while holding his bowl of porridge, muttering repeatedly, "There is no Jade Emperor... There is no Jade Emperor in heaven..."
Seeing that Lin Yu was obsessed, Zhu Shiting instructed the mountain people watching not to disturb him.
When the other person comes to their senses, they will naturally come to their senses.
At this moment, Wang Feng, who had just emerged from the thatched hut, was equally astonished upon seeing the clean and tidy large tent before him: "A celestial abode! Is this the dwelling place of immortals?"
Once inside the tent, Wang Feng, like the other village leaders, touched and looked around everywhere, just like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, finding everything in the tent's layout and furnishings novel.
After everyone hurriedly settled Zhou Gang onto a folding bed, Zhu Shiting asked, "Sister Wang, how is Zhou Gang's injury?"
"Reporting to the immortals, my eldest brother Zhou woke up twice yesterday. After eating some immortal porridge and the immortal medicine you gave him, he has improved a lot," Wang Feng replied truthfully.
These past few days she has been taking care of Zhou Gang as Zhu Shiting instructed, feeding him and giving him medicine.
With the combined effects of modern anti-inflammatory and healing drugs and nutritional supplements, Zhou Gang's back wounds healed very quickly.
Not only did his low-grade fever subside, but his consciousness also gradually returned.
After hearing this, Zhu Shiting encouraged her, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Wang. If any wounded people come to the village, they can be temporarily housed in this tent."
"It's no trouble at all, it's all my duty," Wang Feng replied.
Then he plopped down on a cot, feeling the soft, springy fabric. Touching the black material, he found it both firm and resilient, and thought to himself, "To be able to conjure up such a celestial bed in this remote mountain place, the immortals really know how to enjoy life."
……
After allocating the first tent, Zhu Shiting repeatedly teleported back to the warehouse in Xie'ao Village to collect the remaining 39 emergency tents and other purchased supplies.
Having gained experience from personally guiding the installation of the first tent, Zhu Shiting handed the installation instructions to Old Li, instructing him to lead the village's craftsmen and able-bodied men to continue building the remaining tents.
As for Zhu Shiting himself, he led Zhou Ren and Sun Lu to the wooded area on the other side of the village, took out the recurve bow, and shot a black arrow made of carbon steel into the trunk of a large tree ten meters away with a thud.
"Impressive archery skills!"
"Immortal, is this the celestial bow used by heavenly soldiers and generals?"
Seeing that most of the black arrow was embedded in the tree trunk, Zhou Ren, who came from a military background of preparing for Japanese pirates, couldn't help but flatter him.
"This is just a recurve bow with a relatively low power. Miss Sun, why don't you give it a try? After you've tried it, please share your thoughts and experiences."
Zhu Shiting chuckled and handed the bow to Sun Lu, then instructed Zhou Ren to remove his rattan armor to use as a target.
"Huh? Shall I try out the bow?"
Having eaten well for several days, Sun Lu looked more energetic. After receiving the recurve bow, her first impression was that it was light and easy to handle. Then, in front of Zhu Shiting, she drew the black bow to a full moon shape.
With a twang, the black arrow flew fifty meters and struck the rattan armor hanging on a tree further away.
The three of them leaned closer to take a look and saw that the arrow had successfully pierced through the rattan armor. Sun Lu sighed with admiration, "Immortal, the power of this immortal bow is more than twice as strong as my little bow. It is also much easier to use. Even an adult woman can draw it with a little effort."
When Zhou Ren saw that his personal treasure had been shot through, he felt a pang of heartache and said with a twitch of his face, "Immortal, this bow was able to pierce through my rattan armor at over eighty paces. It is indeed a first-rate weapon for offense! It is no worse than the Kaiyuan Bow used for cavalry archery and city defense."
Zhu Shiting continued, "How does its power compare to the muskets and three-barreled guns used by the city's officials?"
Zhou Ren's eyes darted around: "Bows and arrows are more convenient to carry than firearms, and they can be fired faster. It can only be said that within eighty paces, their power is comparable to that of a musket."
Upon hearing this comparative analysis, Zhu Shiting smiled and said, "This is just a 28-pound beginner recurve bow. Next time, I'll bring some more powerful bows for you to see."