Chapter 26: Zhi Da Bao

  Their concerns were not unfounded but rather well-founded.

  The prolonged Song-Liao War led to the northern folk being strong and martial, with a culture of martial arts. The Song Dynasty could not maintain peace in the north, so the northern people spontaneously organized themselves for self-defense and resistance, resulting in various organizations.

  People who like swords and spears gather together to form a sword and spear society; people who like bows and arrows gather together to form an archery society.

  This organization, similar to modern clubs, can communicate with each other, learn from each other, and help each other, playing an important role in the long-term Song-Liao War.

  Qiyun Society is such an organization, where archery enthusiasts gather together to form a group. The heroes of Qiyun Society are extremely skilled in archery and are famous far and near. When doing business with them, it's best to sell them good bows and arrows. Although the Thunderbolt Arrows are excellent, they may not necessarily buy them.

  Seeing the confusion on their faces, Wu Ji changed his mind and didn't give them an explanation: "You two think carefully, understand it clearly, it's good for you!" Without letting them speak, he quickly walked away.

  "What kind of logic is this?" Looking at Wu Jie's back, Wu Jian and Yang Xiuxiu couldn't help but feel puzzled, their eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

  As for Wu Ji, he left the courtyard and rushed straight to Qi Yun She. Guixin County was just that big, not far from here, and it only took a short while to arrive.

  The Qi Yun Society occupies a large area, one of the largest in Guishen County. It has more than ten rooms, forming a courtyard. At the entrance of the courtyard, there are several strong men with bows and arrows on their backs, guarding it. These strong men are all robust, tall and sturdy, extremely impressive, with bright eyes that sparkle when they open them wide, and at a glance, you can tell they have excellent martial skills.

  "Halt!" A good fellow, seeing Wu Zhi approaching, hastily came forward to intercept him: "This is the Qi Yun Society; ordinary people are not allowed in. Please return."

  Although there was no discourtesy in words, a clear intention to keep people at arm's length was evident.

  Wu Jie puffed out his chest and raised his head, saying: "I am Wu Jie, the chief clerk of Xining County. I have business to discuss with your leader."

  "Ah! So it's Lord Wu, forgive me! Forgive me!" The good fellow's tone changed instantly, becoming enthusiastic, and he hastily paid his respects to Wu Qi.

  "This official is really useful!" Wu Ji secretly praised and said: "Is your leader here? I have an urgent matter to discuss with him."

  "This...". The good fellow hesitated for a moment, and asked: "I don't know what important matter Mr. Wu has come to our leader about? If Mr. Wu gives me a message, I can also pass it on."

  "Hmph!" Wu Ji's face sank, and he coldly snorted, saying: "I am an official from the government, I have urgent business to discuss with your leader. You're just a small gatekeeper, are you worthy of receiving me?"

  The voice was not loud, but extremely severe, with a gaze like a sword staring at this good fellow.

  "Wait, wait, wait... Please wait a moment, Mr. Wu!" This good fellow was in a difficult situation and could not withstand Wu's official authority, so he had to yield. He pointed at another good fellow and told him to hurry up and inform them.

  Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wu Ji measured the situation and saw that these good men were all carrying bows and arrows, extremely pleased. Although he had not seen their archery skills before, they should not be bad. Wu Ji paid special attention to their thumbs and index fingers, which had thick calluses, a result of long-term practice in archery.

  "Thud! Thud!" The heavy footsteps echoed out, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

  Before he even arrived, his aura had already reached, Wu Ji couldn't help but secretly praise him, impressive!

  "It's Lord Wu! I, Qi Dabao, have met Lord Wu before!" A tall and robust man emerged from the courtyard, with a pair of piercing eyes that seemed to gleam like sharp swords as they swept back and forth across Wuji's body.

  He wore a magnificent brocade robe, looking somewhat like an official, but giving off an extraordinary and refined air. The gatekeeper was already quite exceptional, but compared to Qi Dabao, he was far inferior.

  "What a good fellow!" Wu Ji couldn't help but praise, taking a step forward, clasping his fists and bowing, saying: "Wu Ji has met a good fellow!"

  "Hmm! You're the new chief clerk of Guishen County?" Qi Dabao's eyes, like those of a leopard, fixed on Wu Ji and asked with some authority.

  He spoke casually, but his voice was like a bell, with immense power and very frightening.

  "Exactly!" Wu Jie nodded slightly.

  "Wu Da Guan Ren, please!" Qi Da Bao stepped aside and bowed to welcome his guest.

  "Please!" Wu Jie responded with a polite phrase, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Qi Dabao towards the inner courtyard.

  The houses in the courtyard are scattered and well-proportioned, some of which are old and should have been around for many years. The layout of the yard is neat and tidy, without any clutter, with some flowers, grasses, and trees planted, but it's already autumn, and the flowers have wilted and the leaves have turned yellow, except for a few dry leaves hanging from the branches, which rustle in the wind, making a soft whooshing sound.

  Qizhi invited Wuji into the house, sat down as host and guest, and immediately a good fellow brought tea. Qizhi picked up his teacup and asked: "I don't know what important business brings Mr. Wu here today?"

  "This matter is extremely important, concerning the lives of the good men of Qiyun Society." Wu Jie deeply understood the trick to sales: if you want to sell something, first you must make Qi Dabao's heart skip a beat.

  "What? Can Wu Da Guan Ren hear the wind blowing through the grass?" Qi Da Bao almost stood up, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, like a sharp sword.

  "Is there something wrong with Qi Yun She?" Wu Ji was somewhat surprised.

  It's clear that Wu Jie is using sales techniques, and if he says so again, Qi Dabao will buy the Thunderbolt. Although this statement is somewhat frightening, looking at Qi Dabao like this, it should be a veteran of many battles, and won't be overly nervous.

  Unless there is a problem with the Qi Yun Society, he wouldn't behave like this. But in Wu Ji's opinion, the Qi Yun Society has existed for many years and definitely won't have any problems, so there must be some hidden reason inside.

  Wu Jie's mind flashed with the thought, and he said, "Good fellow, don't worry too much, there's nothing major going on at the moment." Wu Jie's words were quite skillful, as they dispelled Qi Dabao's worries while leaving room for maneuver.

  "Ah!" Qi Dabao let out a long sigh of relief before finally sitting down.

  Wu Jia took out a bullet and placed it in front of Qi Dabao, saying: "Brave man, do you recognize this thing?"

  "This is... a grenade!" The Thunderbolt was round, similar to the grenades that were popular during the Song Dynasty. Qi Dabao held it in his hand, weighed it, opened his eyes wide and examined it carefully for a while before shaking his head and saying: "What thing is this? It looks almost like a grenade."

  "A good man may not know this thing, but if he doesn't know its power, it's a lifelong regret!" Wu Ji continued to exaggerate.

  "Regret for life?" Zhi Da's mouth corner cracked, with a few points of disdain: "How much power can it have? Can it surpass my treasured Jade Bow? Don't mention others, under this one Jade Bow, that is a hard bow, shooting jade is not a problem."

  The heroes of Ziyun Society are skilled in archery, and Qi Dabao is the most outstanding among them. Wu Ji's words cannot intimidate him.

  "A good man, it is said, talks well but does better! Is it not that the precious bow of a good man can be compared to and known in an instant? As for the power of the Thunderbolt Arrow, Wu Ji had no doubt whatsoever. The power of bows and arrows, no matter how great, was far inferior."

  If we want to sell Thunderbolt to Qiyun Society, this experiment is necessary. We must let Qi Dabao see it with his own eyes, only then will he believe us.

  "Good! I'd like to see what you're capable of!" Qi Dabao was quite displeased.

  At Wu Jia's behest, Qi Da Bao led Wu Jia to an empty space where there was no one around. Wu Jia looked around and chose a tree with a trunk as thick as a bowl, the bigger the movement, the greater the possibility of selling it out.

  Zhidabao ordered someone to dig a hole the size of a fist under the tree.

  Wu Jia stuffed the thunderbolt into the bottom, asking Qi Dabao to retreat far away. Then, Wu Jia ignited the fuse and ran quickly to Qi Dabao's side, waiting quietly for the explosion.

  But Qi Dabao was perplexed and stared at Wu Ji, asking: "Wu Da Guanren, what are you getting at?"

  This ancient man had no idea that there was such a powerful thing as a thunderbolt, and in his eyes, Wu Ji was just pretending to be mysterious.

  "Just wait for a moment!" Wu Ji was very understanding of his idea.

  "Wu Da Guan Ren, I'm telling you, if you don't give me an explanation, humph, don't blame me for not giving you face!" Qi Da Bao's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, his face sank, and he had a bit of an intimidating air.

  Bang!

  However, as soon as Zidabao's words fell, a shocking loud noise came, a burst of flames flashed, and the tree came crashing down.

  "This......" The noise was very loud, and Qi Dabao's eyes widened instantly, his face full of shock.