CHAPTER 329: CHAPTER 284 AIR FORCE

The two groups met, and Li Ang nodded to Quan Jingfeng as he and his friends walked past the intersection.

The border regions between the Jing Country and the Yu Country were severed by high mountains, and resentment between the two nations had festered for a long time. The Yu people considered the Jing people arrogant and barbaric, lacking in manners. Conversely, the Jing people thought the Yu were haughty, conceited, and deceitful, insincere in their faith in Haotian.

Moreover, in the last century, the Jing Country had increasingly aligned itself with Taihao Mountain. Whatever Taihao Mountain acknowledged, they completely supported; whatever Taihao Mountain disapproved of, they firmly opposed.

Among the Yu populace and even within the court, many believed the Jing Country had now entirely become a vicious dog bred by Taihao Mountain.

Under such public sentiment, there was naturally little warmth or harmony between the students of both sides; only a small number of them maintained private friendships.

Quan Jingfeng watched the receding figures, frowning slightly.

A companion, thinking he was still troubled by his recent defeat in the ring, whispered words of comfort, "Jingfeng, don’t take it to heart. That Li Ang is a talisman and mind dual cultivation genius, the likes of whom the Yu Country might see only once in decades. Moreover, their Academic Palace’s arena—its structure and rules—is different from ours in the Jing Country. It’s inevitable to feel somewhat out of your element."

"Yes, Jingfeng, that Li Ang just took advantage of the arena’s limited space to use some clever tricks. If you really faced him on the battlefield, there’d be no way he’d have the opportunity to leisurely deploy his talismans and use the terrain to his advantage."

Quan Jingfeng smiled as he listened to his classmates’ reassurances. "It’s nothing; I’m not that hung up on it. Don’t forget, I’ve spent time on the borders of the Desolate Mountain. Compared to facing the unnamable, grotesque beings in the Desolate Mountain, losing a single arena match is quite manageable."

After speaking, he paused involuntarily, furrowing his brow slightly.

The Prince of Jing in the same group noticed Quan Jingfeng’s expression and asked with curiosity, "What’s wrong? Did you remember something?"

"No, it’s just..."

Quan Jingfeng carefully chose his words, hesitating before saying, "I felt that during the arena match, Li Ang... lacked a certain human touch."

"Human touch?"

"Yes."

Quan Jingfeng nodded and explained, "When a normal person is engaged in a life-or-death struggle, their blood and qi will involuntarily surge, their breathing will quicken, and their heart rate will accelerate. Even for those Fierce Soldiers who have slain countless enemies in battle, or renowned generals who remain stoic even as Mount Tai crumbles before them, such physiological fluctuations are unavoidable. There’s the excitement of felling a foe, the fear of death, and the inherent competitive spirit that comes with being human. But Li Ang... he seemed to lack the typical reactions one should have during a fierce battle."

"This..."

The students from West Jing looked at each other, unsure of how to comment.

"Of course, it might just be my overthinking,"

Quan Jingfeng shook his head. "After all, he’s a rare genius, the kind the Academic Palace might see only once in decades. It’s normal for him to have some unusual aspects. The world is vast; anything is possible. People who are naturally able to suppress and control their emotions... such individuals are not without precedent in history."

It couldn’t possibly be that Li Ang’s true form was some kind of fiend, or that he, unbeknownst to the many Doctors, was cultivating a secret assassination technique from some Evil Path Sect, right?

Quan Jingfeng chuckled self-deprecatingly at the outlandish thought that had sprung to mind,

and shaking his head, he said, "It’s getting late, and the Academic Palace’s publications office is going to close in two quarters of an hour. Let’s hurry over."

"Yes."

His friends nodded in agreement, and the Prince of Jing said with a teasing laugh, "In a rush to check out the model airplanes again? It feels like you spend more time at the Academic Palace looking at models than reading military texts."

Quan Jingfeng smiled and replied, "Military texts across the world are largely similar; the ancient sages have already thoroughly researched tactics of warfare. Formation deployment, supply logistics, camp establishment, intelligence transmission, and so on—it’s very difficult for contemporary scholars to innovate in these areas.

"But airplanes are different. As a new invention, they are bound to change the very nature of warfare.

"Why is it that all nations under heaven not only train Cultivators but also spend vast sums of gold annually to maintain large armies? It’s because the number of Cultivators will always be small. Beyond using Candle Cloud Cultivators to deter other Candle Cloud Cultivators, a substantial military force is essential to guard the borders, capture thieves, suppress banditry, and hunt down Evil.

"Maintaining public order, conducting searches, and ensuring stability all require significant manpower. Even if a Candle Cloud Cultivator conquers an enemy city, our own army must garrison it to formally take control.

"And the future of airplanes, according to the Academic Palace’s publications, is one of traveling a thousand miles in a single day—departing at dawn and arriving by dusk. They could transport hundreds, even thousands, of people at once, along with their weapons and provisions.

"Imagine if our Jing Country had one or several elite armies using airplanes as transport. If we heard of a rebellion in a border town, we could reach the location within a day to assist Cultivators in quelling the unrest.

"For the nation, this would allow for the disbandment of some semi-agrarian, semi-military government troops and recruits, allowing them to return to their homes and focus on farming. This would save military expenses without significantly reducing our military strength. For the common people, it would also mean less exploitation. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

As the topic was broached, this Quan Xiao General said with animated brows, "Our Jing Country has the Eastern Garrison Army, the Northern Garrison Army, and perhaps in the future, we will also have an Air Transport Army."

Back at his home in Golden City Square, Li Ang was unaware that the opponent he had met in the arena earlier that day was already contemplating the establishment of the world’s first airborne unit. He finished his daily quota of writing medical instructional materials, saw Qiu Feng off, and then began to write furiously in his study.

Without revealing Mo Si, facing an opponent two stages higher than himself still felt like a stretch. The controllable range for talismanic study and Mind Study at the Initial Stage of Rain Listening wasn’t very large. Grappling and skirmishing with Postnatal Martial Artists was already a heart-pounding affair; confronting Bian Chenpei, who was just one step away from the Cloud Patrol realm, would be even more troublesome. Further planning was needed...

He wrote and drew intently on paper, soon covering the entire table with sheets.

Chai Chai tiptoed into the room and quietly placed a tray with hot milk at the edge of the table.

"Phew, thank you."

Li Ang put down his pen, took a sip of milk, and asked casually, "How is Galuo doing?"

"I just checked on her. She’s already asleep," Chai Chai replied.

As the first patient to undergo abdominal surgery, Ashina Galuo was still recuperating in Golden City Square. However, being a Body Refining Martial Artist, her recovery rate was much faster than that of an ordinary person, and she was expected to make a full recovery soon.

"That’s good. You should go to sleep early too. I’ll just write a little more, and then I’ll head to bed."

Li Ang paused suddenly, as if recalling something. "Oh, right..."

"What is it?" Chai Chai tilted her head and asked.

"Last year, the Zhou Kingdom learned through Academic Palace publications that mosquitoes are the cause of malaria, and they have some mosquito eradication strategies. However, for patients who have already contracted malaria, they still have to rely on old treatments. Even the wealthy families in their Capital City suffer greatly from it. So, their delegation recently approached our court to discuss a collaboration, wanting to buy some artemisinin to take back. The court sent someone to ask for my opinion, and I think it’s feasible. The process of refining artemisinin is hundreds, if not thousands, of times more complex than that of Allicin; even if they obtained a sample, they absolutely wouldn’t be able to replicate it.

"Additionally..." Li Ang hesitated for a moment, then continued slowly, "having the Zhou Kingdom’s court owe us a favor means we might be able to ask them for help—to search for information about the common people who fled during their rebellion ten years ago. For instance, your family members."