Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 63 [The grass on the plain grows lush and green, the locust blossoms adorn the boat!]
Five miles away.

Rising with the waves.

Four dark figures stood on the crest of the wave, their black robes billowing like raven feathers in the gale, and the [Rebel] tokens hanging at their waists jingling in the wind.

A demon general, his scales gleaming with an iron-blue hue, stood on the waves, wielding a trident.

Because it's far away, you can't see it clearly.

However, it can still be seen that a giant fish demon's chain hammer smashed through the last hatch, and shrimp soldiers were swarming in through the hole.

The blood-stained blue robes of those young scholars looked like flickering candles in the dimly lit cabins of the five-zhang-high warship!

They were quite satisfied.

A man in black was holding a [recording bead] artifact, facing the five-zhang-long warship, recording the ship's tragic state in real time.

"My subordinate, Xia Shijiu, has led two hundred giant fish demon soldiers, shrimp demon soldiers, and mosquito demon guards into the third floor of the ship. Jiangyin Tongsheng must have suffered heavy casualties."

The demon general laughed.

"The literary elegance of Jiangyin's warships is about to dissipate!"

Beneath the bronze mask of the leader of the men in black, his eyes gleamed coldly. He cupped his hands and smiled, "Three hundred scholars, their blood staining the heart of the river, is enough to bring down Li Mo, the magistrate of Jiangyin County, and allow my Zhao family head to regain control of Jiangyin County!"
This great success is all thanks to the general!
"I will return and report the situation here. My master will surely offer a generous reward!"

Whether all three hundred students are slaughtered or half are killed or injured, the effect is about the same.

The Great Zhou court was furious. Jiangyin County Magistrate Li Mo had seriously neglected his duties and was now completely finished!
"Farewell, we shall return to report to the patriarch!"

Four men in black were about to fly away.

Suddenly, the leader of the men in black froze, his face beneath the bronze mask instantly solidifying.

He turned abruptly, his hawk-like gaze piercing the ornately decorated Jiangyin ship in the middle of the river, his pupils contracting sharply to pinpoints.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"No, this aura...!"

The demon general's demonic eyes widened suddenly.

The voice has not fallen,

A ray of rosy light shone through the window of the third floor of the ship, making the colorful ship shine brightly as it soared into the sky above the river.

The five-colored rays of light emanating from the third floor of the ship have transformed into a pillar of light reaching the sky, with countless golden seal characters flowing and dancing within it, illuminating the interior and exterior of the cabins.

Cabin core,

A young scholar, his face ashen, his blood-stained robes fluttering amidst his scholarly air.

Around him, five-colored, dazzling characters floated in the air, their light shining through, almost tearing a brilliant gap in the dark clouds!
For a time,

The raging torrents of the great river suddenly stopped, and then surged upwards, forming a spectacular inverted water curtain!
Thousands of rays of light poured down like a celestial river!

The fallen demon corpses and shattered weapons were swept into the golden vortex.

No matter how dark the clouds or how fierce the storm, it cannot shake the ground in the slightest.

"No~, it can't be... what exactly happened on this ship?"

The leader of the men in black was horrified.

"Zheng——!"

Jiang Xingzhou shoved his longsword into the floor with a backhand motion.

As the sword hilt trembled, a clear and melodious sword cry resounded from the ship, and the surging sword energy instantly overwhelmed the noisy commotion inside the cabin.

"Gentlemen!"

Jiang Xingzhou's clear voice echoed throughout the cabin, "Buy me ten breaths!"

Immediately, a chorus of responses erupted inside the cabin.

"Protect Brother Jiang!"

"Protect Brother Jiang and help him display his literary skills!"

"Brother-in-law, don't worry, I'll stay with my sword!"

Xue Fu and Xue Gui, each holding a sword, mustered their courage and stood in front of the innermost layer.

The remaining hundred or so students who still had fighting strength were also greatly encouraged. They drew their swords and quickly formed a battle formation. The swords flashed coldly, protecting Jiang Xingzhou in the center of the cabin like an iron wall.

They knew that only lengthy poems and literary works needed the protection of others.

Jiang Xingzhou's skill in poetry and prose is the highest among all the students, and its power must be the greatest as well.

"kill!"

Upon seeing this, the demon soldiers inside the cabin knew that the young man among the students was about to unleash a powerful spell, and they roared and rushed forward.

Jiang Xingzhou closed his eyes slightly.
His chest heaved violently, and the literary talent within his body surged forth like a great river bursting its banks, all converging at the fingertips of his right hand!

He suddenly opened his eyes, his fingertips like knives, and slashed through the air.

"laugh!"

in an instant,
Golden light burst forth, and countless brilliant poetic characters appeared out of thin air from his fingertips, like stars arrayed in formation, their brilliance flowing and swirling.

His literary talent was boundless, which transformed into the first half of the poem "Grass" hanging high in the sky, with each word shining like a star, revealing its sharpness!

However, the second half of the poem is missing—this is precisely the most dangerous stage of building up power in the art of long poetry!
The flow of literary talent is like a taut bowstring, pouring forth; if it is interrupted even slightly, it may even backfire on oneself.

["Grass"

The grass on the plain grows lush and green.
Every year brings one change of growth and decline.

Wildfires can never be extinguished.
Spring breeze blows and it grows again.

]
"Boom~!"

This herbal and poetic art was released inside the cabin.

In an instant, the heaven and earth trembled!

Brilliant beams of emerald light poured down from the sky, like an inverted Milky Way, illuminating the entire battlefield of the five-zhang-tall warships as if it were a jade world.

Countless exotic flowers and plants sprouted from the wooden deck.

Emerald green hemostatic vines, blood ginseng stretching its ruby-red roots, notoginseng blooming with star-like white flowers, and lingzhi opening its purple cloud-like canopy.
There were even exotic flowers and fruits that had never been seen before, growing everywhere inside the ship.

The fruits, roots, flowers, and leaves that these medicinal herbs had matured seemed to possess a spirit, soaring into the air and landing precisely on the wounds of the injured.

"[Spring breeze blows and it grows again]!"

As the last half of the poem in the first stanza exploded, the entire ship suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

The third-floor cabin was littered with over a hundred severely wounded students, the second-floor cabin with fifty archers, and the first-floor deck with fifty yamen runners and shield bearers.

Their bloodied wounds were stitched together by the roots of the blood ginseng, healing at a visible speed. Even their depleted talent gushed forth like a spring.

"This is the art of poetry and prose about plants and trees!"

Han Yugui looked shocked, and reached out his palm to catch a falling dandelion. Upon touching it, it transformed into talent energy and merged into his body.

"This is.?"

Gu Zhimian lay in the corner, seriously injured and on the verge of death, his eyes widening in surprise.

Looking at the bloody, mangled wound on his abdomen,

The torn flesh was reconnected by the spring vines, and the rolled-up skin healed rapidly like new buds sprouting. Even the deep, bone-revealing knife wound formed a pale pink scab within a few breaths!

The first half of the poem has already shown its miraculous effect!

Jiang Xingzhou glanced at Qingfei beside him out of the corner of his eye.

His eyes flickered, and he said, "Give me your hand!"

Without hesitation, Qingfei stretched out her slender hand, gently raising it, and let Jiang Xingzhou hold it.

Qingfei placed her hand on Jiang Xingzhou's right palm, and the moment their palms touched, she felt a jolt in her heart.

In that instant, she felt her demonic power and Jiang Xingzhou's literary talent blend together perfectly.

Jiang Xingzhou's fingertips moved with masterful strokes, and the second half of the poem blossomed in mid-air:
[Fragrance spreads along the ancient road,]
Qingcui meets the deserted city!
Then he sent the prince away.

The lush greenery is filled with the sorrow of parting!
Qingfei's delicate body trembled slightly. Driven by the poetry, the essence of the locust tree within her could not be suppressed and poured out like a surging river.

Suddenly, locust roots sprouted from beneath his feet and sank deep into the ship.

The essence of the locust tree permeated the entire five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) warship.

"This is... a resonance of talent!"

Qingfei's pupils suddenly contracted.

The essence of the locust tree she has accumulated over the years is flowing along the poetic and literary style of the riverboat, reaching every corner of the ship.

The five-foot-long, three-story ship seemed to have become a part of her body.

The entire five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) warship suddenly "came to life"!

The keel of the ship trembled like a dragon's roar, and tender locust tree buds with pale golden veins sprouted from the cracks in the ship planks corroded by demon blood!
Wherever poetry and prose go, it's like a gentle spring breeze!
Even the decks of the ship, which had long since dried up, were given a new lease on life.

From the dead wooden plank, a locust tree sprouts tender buds, blooming with spiritual flowers, and new leaves unfold like jade carvings.

Tender shoots broke through the cracks in the deck and quickly grew into graceful locust trees.

The tall mast in the middle of the ship transformed into the majestic trunk of a locust tree, with new branches sprouting and three hundred dazzling twin flowers blooming.

Where the dazzling twin flowers fall, students, soldiers, and yamen runners are reborn from the ashes!
On the gnarled trunk of the mast, the poem "Grass" that Jiang Xingzhou had just inscribed appeared prominently, each word flowing with a golden radiance!

The entire five-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) tall ship transformed into a towering ancient locust tree ship in full view of everyone, with its masts resembling branches and its sails billowing as it flew on the river.

In an instant, the river's waves and water curtain appeared upside down.

"boom--!"

Five-colored, dazzling rays of light shot into the sky, enveloping the ship and making the entire river surface shimmer with light.
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(End of this chapter)