"Hmm." Seeing that Daniel Davis showed no intention of dodging his attack, the old man's expression changed. He immediately retracted the force of his staff, which was originally aimed at Daniel Davis's head, and redirected it toward her left shoulder. Daniel Davis was someone Li Mi had explicitly ordered to capture alive. If she were to die at his hands, it would be difficult to explain to Li Mi.
However, at that moment, a golden light suddenly emanated from Daniel Davis's body. Her figure then charged straight toward the old man, directly facing his staff. This sudden change forced the old man to increase the force of his strike. A loud bang echoed as the staff seemed to hit something indestructible. The recoil from the impact caused the old man to involuntarily take a step back.
But just then, a sharp sword aura appeared in the old man's vision. Before he could react, he felt a searing pain in his left eye, and then everything went black.
"Elder Mei!"
This sudden turn of events left everyone surrounding Daniel Davis momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, someone among them shouted in shock.
This old man was no ordinary figure. He was Mei Tian, a renowned elder of the Southern Sea Sect and a master of the staff. He was a veteran who had survived battles against the Song Clan. Yet, in a careless moment, he had met his end at the hands of Daniel Davis.
"Stop her!"
While the others were still in shock, Daniel Davis didn't hesitate. Her figure transformed into a golden streak as she charged toward Wang Bodang. Seeing Mei Tian fall, Wang Bodang panicked and retreated, ordering his four personal guards to intercept Daniel Davis.
In terms of martial prowess, Wang Bodang and Daniel Davis were evenly matched. Daniel Davis's sword techniques were listed among the rare and extraordinary skills, and Wang Bodang's flexible spear was no less formidable. Under normal circumstances, a fight between them would be hard to decide in a short time.
However, Mei Tian, who had been caught in the midst of the battle, died without understanding what had happened. But Wang Bodang saw it clearly. When Mei Tian's staff struck the golden light surrounding Daniel Davis, it was instantly repelled.
Although Wang Bodang didn't know what the golden light was, he valued his life too much to risk it. He wouldn't let himself fall into danger.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As Daniel Davis charged toward Wang Bodang, she didn't bother dodging the attacks from his four guards. Their weapons struck the golden light around her, and with a forceful impact, she sent all four flying and continued her charge toward Wang Bodang.
Seeing his guards being effortlessly knocked aside and Daniel Davis's expressionless face, Wang Bodang felt a chill run down his spine. But there was no retreat now. In this critical moment, Wang Bodang calmed himself, gripped his specially crafted steel flexible spear, and thrust it toward the oncoming Daniel Davis.
Though Wang Bodang wasn't a good person, he was a seasoned warrior with sharp instincts. From what he had observed earlier, he deduced the nature of the golden light surrounding Daniel Davis. His flexible spear, if used correctly, could bypass her defenses and allow him to counterattack.
However, Daniel Davis seemed to have seen through his plan. Just as his spear was about to strike the golden light, Daniel Davis's speed suddenly increased, allowing her to narrowly evade the attack.
"Wait—" Wang Bodang's face turned pale as he realized Daniel Davis had dodged his spear. He barely managed to utter a single word before Daniel Davis's short sword pierced his throat.
The excruciating pain in his neck forced Wang Bodang to drop his spear. He clutched his throat, his eyes filled with terror as he tried to speak, but no words came out. His throat had been pierced.
After pulling her sword from Wang Bodang's neck, Daniel Davis didn't spare him another glance. She immediately activated her movement technique and fled toward the nearest western gate.
"Daniel Davis!"
Just as Daniel Davis began her escape, Mei Xun, the leader of the Southern Sea Sect, roared and charged toward her. If it had been anyone else from the sect who died, Mei Xun might not have been so enraged. But Mei Tian was his grandfather. In his fury, Mei Xun forgot Li Mi's orders and was determined to kill Daniel Davis to avenge his grandfather.
Unfortunately for Mei Xun, while his martial skills were superior to Daniel Davis's, his speed was far inferior. By the time he roared, Daniel Davis had already fled the street.
Daniel Davis had used a Divine Movement Talisman, and her speed was now unmatched. Not even Mei Xun, let alone any speed-focused master, could catch up to her in a short time.
"Daniel Davis!" Li Mi's expression darkened instantly as he witnessed Daniel Davis's sudden burst of power. He immediately grabbed a large bow, nocked an arrow infused with powerful energy, and let it fly. The arrow streaked through the air like a meteor.
Bang!
The arrow struck the golden light around Daniel Davis and shattered into pieces. To Li Mi's shock, the arrow, which carried his full energy, had caused no harm to Daniel Davis.
"Lord Li, from this day forward, our ties are severed."
After leaving these words, Daniel Davis's figure rushed out of the western gate. Li Mi, perhaps too overconfident that Daniel Davis couldn't possibly escape, had failed to close the city gates before launching his attack.
"Elder Chao, what was that?" Although Daniel Davis's escape was far beyond Li Mi's expectations, he quickly regained his composure and turned to Chao Gongcuo beside him to ask about the earlier events.
"I'm not sure. It might be some kind of secret technique, but it likely won't last long. She was your strategist—don't you know?" Chao Gongcuo, an elder of the older generation, had never seen talismans before but guessed part of the truth.
"Hmph."
Chao Gongcuo's words caused Li Mi's expression to darken once more. Li Mi had never been fond of Daniel Davis, especially when he heard rumors of her strategic brilliance. Back when Li Mi had just joined the Wagang Fortress, he had used Daniel Davis to win over people's hearts and to ally with Xu Shiji. But after rising to power, he began to marginalize her, often ignoring her suggestions or deliberately adopting opposing strategies, as if trying to prove he was superior.
If he had listened to Daniel Davis's strategies, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state as depicted in the original story. Whether it was the strategy to attack Luoyang or the decision to ally with the Li Clan, Li Mi had ignored Daniel Davis's advice. But this was not unusual. Even in modern society, many men feel threatened by strong women, let alone in this era.
It wasn't just Li Mi—most of his subordinates shared similar sentiments.
"Elder Lu, I'll leave the training of the mechanical beasts to you. Also, Kou Zhong, you'll temporarily manage the mechanical beast unit. Wait until Xu Ziling returns and see if he's interested."
After arriving in Luoyang, Daniel Davis used his spare time to create several mechanical beasts using the Surgical-Surgical Fruit. With war imminent, there was no time to train a group of mechanics to build these beasts.
In the absence of suitable personnel, Daniel Davis thought of the Twin Dragons.
"This is a true weapon of war!"
Kou Zhong's eyes lit up as he saw the majestic Mechanical White Tiger and the Earthbreaker. Meanwhile, Zhu Yuyan, Wan Wan, Xu Zhixing, You Chuhong, and Sha Tiannan were all in awe as they gazed at the rows of mechanical beasts.
Mechanical White Tigers, Earthbreakers, Mechanical Vermilion Birds, Mechanical Bats, and Mechanical Black Tortoises—Daniel Davis had created many of each, except for the Mechanical Azure Dragon.
Daniel Davis had also brought along several nobles and influential figures from Luoyang who had pledged their allegiance to him. Since the mechanical beasts would be deployed in battle, it was impossible to keep them a secret. Instead, Daniel Davis decided to showcase them to boost morale and demonstrate his strength.
Among those present, some were aware of Daniel Davis's true capabilities, while others knew nothing.
"Elder Sha, see what weapons can be equipped on these mechanical beasts. Firearms would be ideal." Sha Tiannan was the head of the Sha family and an expert in firearms.
"Your Highness, rest assured. I will do my utmost." If Sha Tiannan had any doubts about Daniel Davis's ability to unify the world, they were completely dispelled upon seeing these mechanical beasts.
"If something goes wrong while flying, wouldn't that be disastrous?" After learning about the capabilities of the Mechanical Vermilion Bird, Kou Zhong immediately raised the question.
"Don't worry. Unless it's completely destroyed, even if something goes wrong, it can slowly descend using the wind. There are also safety measures in place."
Strictly speaking, the Mechanical Vermilion Bird was safer than modern airplanes. For one, it didn't fly as high. Secondly, its wings were designed to mimic bird feathers, with hundreds of components. Unless half the wings were lost, the bird could use the wind to cushion its landing.
As Daniel Davis explained the mechanics of the Vermilion Bird to Kou Zhong, Wan Wan, and the others, he pulled out several specially crafted black umbrellas from the bird. These umbrellas were extremely sturdy and could support a person's weight, allowing a skilled individual to safely glide down from the sky.
After all, the Mechanical Vermilion Bird wasn't a passenger plane but a military machine for reconnaissance and aerial attacks.
"Do you want to learn how to pilot it?"
"Of course!"
The idea of flying thrilled Kou Zhong, and Wan Wan was equally interested. Daniel Davis personally piloted the Mechanical Vermilion Bird, taking the two of them for a flight. There was no better way to teach than through hands-on experience.
"This is a perfect tool for reconnaissance. Brother Daniel, it's mine now!"
High above Mount Mang, Kou Zhong discovered the utility of a small, collapsible monocular telescope and immediately claimed it for himself. Telescopes hadn't yet appeared in this era.
While skilled martial artists had better vision than ordinary people, it was still far inferior to that of a telescope.
"Take it." Daniel Davis didn't mind parting with a mere telescope.
"Miss Qingxuan, I'll leave these matters to you for now."
In the workshop of the Great Tang Daily, Daniel Davis carefully explained each step to Shi Qingxuan. Establishing a medical academy would take time, so Daniel Davis had assigned Shi Qingxuan to oversee the newspaper's operations. The workshop was staffed entirely by palace maids.
Daniel Davis didn't want to use eunuchs, nor did he need the many palace maids. However, simply dismissing them would be too cruel, especially for the older maids. Those who wished to return home were given severance pay, while those who couldn't leave were assigned appropriate work.
Initially, Shi Qingxuan had no interest in such matters. But after learning about Daniel Davis's reforms in Luoyang—such as abolishing the eunuch system and rejecting the idea of a harem—she agreed to help.
The Great Tang Daily provided Shi Qingxuan with an opportunity to publish medical knowledge. Although she didn't want payment, Daniel Davis insisted on providing a fee, as it was the rule.
Daniel Davis had even started publicly soliciting contributions, but unfortunately, while some submissions came in, none met his expectations.
"You're back. You've worked hard."
"I am you. Why talk about hard work? Anyway, I won't go into details. Check it out yourself."
Duan Lang placed the Fire Lin Sword and two spatial rings on the side before forming a hand seal and disappearing. In the next moment, Daniel Davis's mind was flooded with Duan Lang's recent experiences.
"Xie Hui may be a sycophant, but he has some courage. This means we can publicly address the tax issue in the newspaper."
As Daniel Davis reviewed Duan Lang's experiences, he picked up the two spatial rings containing a wealth of resources. They were sufficient for his next plans. With this in mind, Daniel Davis formed a hand seal, and a Wood Clone emerged from his body.
"The Great Ming Cult? That's simple. If Bi Xuan attacks me, can I kill him?"
"Then kill him. Also, don't forget about the Xiang family."
"Don't worry. This time, I'll wipe out the Xiang family completely."
"Today's big news: The grievances, favors, love, and hatred between Song Que, Fan Qinghui, and Xie Hui."
The day's Great Tang Daily sold out quickly due to the sensational news. The content revealed that Fan Qinghui and Xie Hui had been scheming against Song Que for decades, leaving many readers in shock. Upon seeing Xie Hui's plans, many realized that even a grandmaster could be defeated under the right circumstances.
"This Fan Qinghui is truly formidable. Wasn't it just recently that the phrase 'dare a bald donkey compete with this Taoist for the nun' surfaced? Now it turns out she's also involved with Xie Hui and Song Que. Just how many men is she connected to?" In a Luoyang tavern, a man spoke with a mix of awe and envy, as if he wished to be part of the drama.
"Keep your voice down. The Pure Mind Monastery is just outside Luoyang. If they hear you, you're done for," someone in the tavern warned in a low voice.
"What's there to fear? If they dare to do it, why can't I say it? Let them kill me if they dare. A bunch of traitors—I'm not afraid of them."
"Exactly. Didn't you read the paper? The heavy taxes on the common people are because those bald monks occupy vast lands but never pay taxes."
(End of Chapter)
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