After nearly half an hour, they finally climbed to the mountaintop. Everyone here was either a Military officer or a guard. All were skilled in martial arts, so climbing was not difficult. However, seeing the Emperor and Huang Guiqing not only showing no signs of fatigue but also maintaining steady breath and leisurely steps, they couldn’t help but admire their profound cultivation.
Yan Ge looked down the mountain. The base was situated in a basin surrounded by mountains. Tall walls enclosed the area, with orderly and strict architectural planning inside. Soldiers with large swords patrolled the area, four watchtowers were positioned in the southeast, northwest, and other directions, enabling surveillance of activities beyond the walls and on the surrounding mountains. Near the base’s foothills, some experiments were underway, occasionally emitting plumes of smoke. This was the source of the explosive sounds earlier.
Though the location was well-hidden, there were still some deficiencies. Yan Ge contemplated, and guessed that Yuchen had other plans.
“Let’s go down and take a look,” said Huangfu Yuchen.
Descending was easier, and soon they reached the base.
The gate guards brandished their spears and stopped them, asking, “Who goes there?”
Huangfu Yuchen presented a token, and they lowered their spears, saluting promptly.
Huangfu Yuchen waved his hand, leading Yan Ge, Jiang Gan, Luo Wei, and Wei Hao, directly towards the area where the experiments were conducted. Gao Feng and the others did not follow. For some military secrets, the people who knew, the better.
“This humble official pays respects to the Emperor!” One man with a stern face noticed them and walked over quickly.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “No need for formalities. Xiao Ge, this is Wang Meng, who is responsible for researching the grenades.”
“This humble official greets Huang Guiqing.” Wang Meng loved tinkering with weapons and had a natural talent for them, which was why he was in charge of this project.
“There’s no need to be overly polite,” Yan Ge observed the wooden cart beside him. It had compartments containing various strange-looking grenades. They were separated to prevent accidental explosions due to shock.
Clearly, the experimenters were cautious.
“How is the progress?” Huangfu Yuchen inquired.
Wang Meng replied, “Following the directions given by the Emperor, we have successfully developed lethal grenades and smoke grenades. We were just testing the anti-riot grenade.”
Jiang Gan, Luo Wei, and Wei Hao were a bit bewildered. They knew about grenades, as they had showcased gas bombs to the foreigners in the military exercise before. But what were lethal grenades, smoke grenades, and anti-riot grenades?
Huangfu Yuchen was more informed than them; Yan Ge had shown him a real grenades.
“So, the lethal and smoke grenades have been successfully developed? Demonstrate them for us,” Yan Ge expressed keen interest, deeply admiring these intelligent ancient people who could move the world if you just give them a lever.
Wang Meng knew Yan Ge was highly favored by Huangfu Yuchen, but he still had to get the Emperor’s consent. After glancing at Huangfu Yuchen and receiving his nod, he said, “Yes, Huang Guiqing.”
He spoke to his assistant, who quickly ran off and returned with a small wooden box, handing it to Wang Meng.
Wang Meng opened the box, which had two grooves, each containing a peculiar-looking grenade.
Both grenades were nearly identical, with only slight differences in the shape of their upper fuses.
Wang Meng first took out the triangular one and introduced, “This is the lethal grenade. After removing the safety ring, it will explode approximately three breaths later, causing severe casualties to living beings within a radius of two feet.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded. “Show us.”
Wang Meng immediately moved to a spot a bit away from them, removed the safety ring, and threw the grenade about four or five feet away. After a moment, the grenade made a loud “bang” upon landing, followed by rising smoke and dust.
Juang Gan, Luo Wei, and Wei Hao were startled, their bodies tensing up from shock.
Once the smoke dissipated, a pit appeared on the ground.
“Very good,” Huangfu Yuchen’s face showed satisfaction. “Now, try the smoke grenade.”
Wang Meng picked up the smoke grenade, introduced it briefly with a sense of pride – after all, it was made under his supervision. “The smoke grenade releases thick smoke, which is highly effective against enemies and can also be used for our side’s retreat. Your Majesty, the smoke is denser, so I’ll step back.”
After walking away and sensing the wind, Wang Meng threw the smoke grenade, which indeed released billowing smoke, just as he had said.
Jiang Gan and the others were amazed, realizing that their kingdom’s defense capabilities would soon reach a higher level, and they showed delighted expressions.
“How is it? They did pretty well, right?” Huangfu Yuchen smiled and asked Yan Ge.
Yan Ge didn’t hesitate to praise, “Indeed. I didn’t expect that just by pointing them in the right direction, they could achieve this level.”
Huangfu Yuchen asked Wang Meng, “Were there any difficulties in the current experiments? Speak freely.”
Kneeling on one knee, Wang Meng said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, about ten days ago, one worker suffered a leg injury due to an accident. The physician did his best to treat him, but his left leg is still paralyzed. This person is agile and diligent, but while making the lethal grenades, he exerted too much force. I beg Your Majesty to grant him some compensation for his injury.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded, “That’s only natural. After returning, you should let everyone know that if they are injured in the line of duty, the court will never abandon them. Making grenades is indeed very dangerous, so please be careful in the future to avoid casualties.”
“Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Alright, let’s take a walk around.”
“Yes.”
Huangfu Yuchen intended to use this base for a long time. It had laboratories, factories, barracks, training grounds, and a dining hall, among other facilities.
Yan Ge noticed that the capacity of the barracks was much larger than the number of stationed troops. He looked at Huangfu Yuchen and said confidently, “You have other arrangements for this place, don’t you?”
“That’s right.” Huangfu Yuchen hugged his shoulder and said through voice transmission, “We’ll create an extremely powerful army using the sap of the Zhantian Vine.”
“I see!” Yan Ge envisioned the scenario where the army would become a force to be reckoned with after appearing and couldn’t help but feel excited. “Since the Zhantian Vine has come out of seclusion, its sap can be used as needed. Just leave it with a drop, and it will continue to produce sap. Moreover, as it has been nourished by Foundation Building Pill, its sap is far more potent than ordinary vines of its kind.”
Jiang Gan and the others couldn’t hear their conversation, but judging by their expressions, they could tell Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge were communicating via sound transmission. They remained silent in respect.
“However, with the existence of Meng Xiaohun, the security measures here are not sufficient,” Yan Ge really didn’t want to mention Huangfu Yuhu’s name, so he just referred to him directly as Meng Xiaohun. “Furthermore, in case any civilians accidentally stumble upon this base and discover its existence, it could be troublesome if news spread. We should set up formations here. Additionally, the spiritual energy concentration here is quite good, so in the future, we can arrange cultivators to cultivate here.”
Huangfu Yuchen was puzzled, “Didn’t you say there’s no formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill?” And he knew how many Foundation Establishment Pills Yan Ge had. They weren’t enough.
Yan Ge winced at the thought of all those zeros needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, and he sighed wryly, “I’ll think of a solution.”
“Otherwise, we’ll have to get the money from the royal treasury! Hmph!”
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows, but knowing that Yan Ge wouldn’t do anything uncertain, he didn’t say much, only advised, “Whatever you plan to do, make sure not to harm yourself. okay?”
“Yes, let’s first deal with the formation.” Yan Ge glanced around, “Let’s assess the terrain here.”
The two didn’t let others follow them, and after circling around the wall, they had a clear idea.
“It would be best to set up a hidden formation, completely concealing this basin. Outsiders will see the area shrouded in mist, and even if they unintentionally enter the fog, they’ll unintentionally walk out again.” Yan Ge suggested.
“That’s feasible.” Huangfu Yuchen thought for a moment and nodded. The more cards they had up their sleeves, the better their chances in the future clash with Meng Xiaohun.
After returning to the palace, the two consulted Yan Jin about this matter. Yan Jin was a system, which was roughly equivalent to the internet. He was much more knowledgeable than them, and believed that a hidden formation would be the most practical.
The materials used for the formation were spirit stones, which were only available for purchase in the system store. It cost Yan Ge a substantial sum, but it was worth it. Once he and Huangfu Yuchen set up the hidden formation according to the formation diagram, a vast fog suddenly appeared in the entire basin, covering up everything that was visible to the eye
After dealing with the formation, Yan Ge mustered the courage to check the price of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula. Seeing all those zeros, he couldn’t help but count like Yan Jin, “One, two, three… One hundred million taels of silver! This is outrageous!”
“What’s wrong?” Huangfu Yuchen, who was lounging on a soft couch while sipping tea and reading analysis reports, nearly choked on his tea due to Yan Ge’s sudden outburst.
Yan Ge’s eyes shifted. He hadn’t forgotten about his side mission to complete the development of the Great Han Kingdom and make it a powerful nation. The reward was 1 million gold! Gold, not silver. He could consider this an advance payment; perhaps it was better to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill formula now. He would pay half, and Huangfu Yuchen would cover the rest.
After thinking of this, the pain eased. He walked up to Huangfu Yuchen and leaned against him, saying, “Give me fifty million silver.”
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression didn’t change at all. He casually embraced Yan Ge and replied, “Alright, baby. But let me first finish reading this memorial.”
After nearly half an hour, they finally climbed to the mountaintop. Everyone here was either a Military officer or a guard. All were skilled in martial arts, so climbing was not difficult. However, seeing the Emperor and Huang Guiqing not only showing no signs of fatigue but also maintaining steady breath and leisurely steps, they couldn’t help but admire their profound cultivation.
Yan Ge looked down the mountain. The base was situated in a basin surrounded by mountains. Tall walls enclosed the area, with orderly and strict architectural planning inside. Soldiers with large swords patrolled the area, four watchtowers were positioned in the southeast, northwest, and other directions, enabling surveillance of activities beyond the walls and on the surrounding mountains. Near the base’s foothills, some experiments were underway, occasionally emitting plumes of smoke. This was the source of the explosive sounds earlier.
Though the location was well-hidden, there were still some deficiencies. Yan Ge contemplated, and guessed that Yuchen had other plans.
“Let’s go down and take a look,” said Huangfu Yuchen.
Descending was easier, and soon they reached the base.
The gate guards brandished their spears and stopped them, asking, “Who goes there?”
Huangfu Yuchen presented a token, and they lowered their spears, saluting promptly.
Huangfu Yuchen waved his hand, leading Yan Ge, Jiang Gan, Luo Wei, and Wei Hao, directly towards the area where the experiments were conducted. Gao Feng and the others did not follow. For some military secrets, the people who knew, the better.
“This humble official pays respects to the Emperor!” One man with a stern face noticed them and walked over quickly.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “No need for formalities. Xiao Ge, this is Wang Meng, who is responsible for researching the grenades.”
“This humble official greets Huang Guiqing.” Wang Meng loved tinkering with weapons and had a natural talent for them, which was why he was in charge of this project.
“There’s no need to be overly polite,” Yan Ge observed the wooden cart beside him. It had compartments containing various strange-looking grenades. They were separated to prevent accidental explosions due to shock.
Clearly, the experimenters were cautious.
“How is the progress?” Huangfu Yuchen inquired.
Wang Meng replied, “Following the directions given by the Emperor, we have successfully developed lethal grenades and smoke grenades. We were just testing the anti-riot grenade.”
Jiang Gan, Luo Wei, and Wei Hao were a bit bewildered. They knew about grenades, as they had showcased gas bombs to the foreigners in the military exercise before. But what were lethal grenades, smoke grenades, and anti-riot grenades?
Huangfu Yuchen was more informed than them; Yan Ge had shown him a real grenades.
“So, the lethal and smoke grenades have been successfully developed? Demonstrate them for us,” Yan Ge expressed keen interest, deeply admiring these intelligent ancient people who could move the world if you just give them a lever.
Wang Meng knew Yan Ge was highly favored by Huangfu Yuchen, but he still had to get the Emperor’s consent. After glancing at Huangfu Yuchen and receiving his nod, he said, “Yes, Huang Guiqing.”
He spoke to his assistant, who quickly ran off and returned with a small wooden box, handing it to Wang Meng.
Wang Meng opened the box, which had two grooves, each containing a peculiar-looking grenade.
Both grenades were nearly identical, with only slight differences in the shape of their upper fuses.
Wang Meng first took out the triangular one and introduced, “This is the lethal grenade. After removing the safety ring, it will explode approximately three breaths later, causing severe casualties to living beings within a radius of two feet.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded. “Show us.”
Wang Meng immediately moved to a spot a bit away from them, removed the safety ring, and threw the grenade about four or five feet away. After a moment, the grenade made a loud “bang” upon landing, followed by rising smoke and dust.
Juang Gan, Luo Wei, and Wei Hao were startled, their bodies tensing up from shock.
Once the smoke dissipated, a pit appeared on the ground.
“Very good,” Huangfu Yuchen’s face showed satisfaction. “Now, try the smoke grenade.”
Wang Meng picked up the smoke grenade, introduced it briefly with a sense of pride – after all, it was made under his supervision. “The smoke grenade releases thick smoke, which is highly effective against enemies and can also be used for our side’s retreat. Your Majesty, the smoke is denser, so I’ll step back.”
After walking away and sensing the wind, Wang Meng threw the smoke grenade, which indeed released billowing smoke, just as he had said.
Jiang Gan and the others were amazed, realizing that their kingdom’s defense capabilities would soon reach a higher level, and they showed delighted expressions.
“How is it? They did pretty well, right?” Huangfu Yuchen smiled and asked Yan Ge.
Yan Ge didn’t hesitate to praise, “Indeed. I didn’t expect that just by pointing them in the right direction, they could achieve this level.”
Huangfu Yuchen asked Wang Meng, “Were there any difficulties in the current experiments? Speak freely.”
Kneeling on one knee, Wang Meng said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, about ten days ago, one worker suffered a leg injury due to an accident. The physician did his best to treat him, but his left leg is still paralyzed. This person is agile and diligent, but while making the lethal grenades, he exerted too much force. I beg Your Majesty to grant him some compensation for his injury.”
Huangfu Yuchen nodded, “That’s only natural. After returning, you should let everyone know that if they are injured in the line of duty, the court will never abandon them. Making grenades is indeed very dangerous, so please be careful in the future to avoid casualties.”
“Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Alright, let’s take a walk around.”
“Yes.”
Huangfu Yuchen intended to use this base for a long time. It had laboratories, factories, barracks, training grounds, and a dining hall, among other facilities.
Yan Ge noticed that the capacity of the barracks was much larger than the number of stationed troops. He looked at Huangfu Yuchen and said confidently, “You have other arrangements for this place, don’t you?”
“That’s right.” Huangfu Yuchen hugged his shoulder and said through voice transmission, “We’ll create an extremely powerful army using the sap of the Zhantian Vine.”
“I see!” Yan Ge envisioned the scenario where the army would become a force to be reckoned with after appearing and couldn’t help but feel excited. “Since the Zhantian Vine has come out of seclusion, its sap can be used as needed. Just leave it with a drop, and it will continue to produce sap. Moreover, as it has been nourished by Foundation Building Pill, its sap is far more potent than ordinary vines of its kind.”
Jiang Gan and the others couldn’t hear their conversation, but judging by their expressions, they could tell Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge were communicating via sound transmission. They remained silent in respect.
“However, with the existence of Meng Xiaohun, the security measures here are not sufficient,” Yan Ge really didn’t want to mention Huangfu Yuhu’s name, so he just referred to him directly as Meng Xiaohun. “Furthermore, in case any civilians accidentally stumble upon this base and discover its existence, it could be troublesome if news spread. We should set up formations here. Additionally, the spiritual energy concentration here is quite good, so in the future, we can arrange cultivators to cultivate here.”
Huangfu Yuchen was puzzled, “Didn’t you say there’s no formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill?” And he knew how many Foundation Establishment Pills Yan Ge had. They weren’t enough.
Yan Ge winced at the thought of all those zeros needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill formula, and he sighed wryly, “I’ll think of a solution.”
“Otherwise, we’ll have to get the money from the royal treasury! Hmph!”
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brows, but knowing that Yan Ge wouldn’t do anything uncertain, he didn’t say much, only advised, “Whatever you plan to do, make sure not to harm yourself. okay?”
“Yes, let’s first deal with the formation.” Yan Ge glanced around, “Let’s assess the terrain here.”
The two didn’t let others follow them, and after circling around the wall, they had a clear idea.
“It would be best to set up a hidden formation, completely concealing this basin. Outsiders will see the area shrouded in mist, and even if they unintentionally enter the fog, they’ll unintentionally walk out again.” Yan Ge suggested.
“That’s feasible.” Huangfu Yuchen thought for a moment and nodded. The more cards they had up their sleeves, the better their chances in the future clash with Meng Xiaohun.
After returning to the palace, the two consulted Yan Jin about this matter. Yan Jin was a system, which was roughly equivalent to the internet. He was much more knowledgeable than them, and believed that a hidden formation would be the most practical.
The materials used for the formation were spirit stones, which were only available for purchase in the system store. It cost Yan Ge a substantial sum, but it was worth it. Once he and Huangfu Yuchen set up the hidden formation according to the formation diagram, a vast fog suddenly appeared in the entire basin, covering up everything that was visible to the eye
After dealing with the formation, Yan Ge mustered the courage to check the price of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula. Seeing all those zeros, he couldn’t help but count like Yan Jin, “One, two, three… One hundred million taels of silver! This is outrageous!”
“What’s wrong?” Huangfu Yuchen, who was lounging on a soft couch while sipping tea and reading analysis reports, nearly choked on his tea due to Yan Ge’s sudden outburst.
Yan Ge’s eyes shifted. He hadn’t forgotten about his side mission to complete the development of the Great Han Kingdom and make it a powerful nation. The reward was 1 million gold! Gold, not silver. He could consider this an advance payment; perhaps it was better to buy the Foundation Establishment Pill formula now. He would pay half, and Huangfu Yuchen would cover the rest.
After thinking of this, the pain eased. He walked up to Huangfu Yuchen and leaned against him, saying, “Give me fifty million silver.”
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression didn’t change at all. He casually embraced Yan Ge and replied, “Alright, baby. But let me first finish reading this memorial.”
