Chapter 107: The Grand Army Approaches

Chu Yun quickly regained his composure. Before he had transmigrated, he was a special forces military surgeon; formulating gunpowder and crafting bombs were simple tasks for him. There was nothing to be proud of. It was only because the journey had been so cautious and arduous that he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Once he calmed down, he noticed the scent of sulfur and saltpeter permeating the air. "Hmm... this smell is too strong. It will be easily discovered!" He knew that while the technological level here was underdeveloped, it did not mean the people were unintelligent. He realized that if he used these bombs, investigators would easily trace the scent of sulfur and saltpeter. Combined with his large-scale purchasing of charcoal powder, it would not take long for someone to deduce the composition of his gunpowder. Once gunpowder was mastered, the development of bombs would inevitably follow. Although history showed a gap of several hundred years between the discovery of gunpowder and the advent of explosive weapons, that was only because those people had never seen a bomb and did not understand its terrifying power. It was like the people here who had used oil lamps for centuries but had never conceived of a lantern; once they saw his design, they could replicate it immediately. Some things are easy to manufacture once they have been seen.

"I must find a way to mask the scent of sulfur and saltpeter with another odor." Having studied medicine since childhood and memorized the *Compendium of Materia Medica*, Chu Yun knew the properties of many herbs. He quickly identified two foul-smelling herbs commonly found in Chu Family Town and decided to use them to mask the scent. While clever individuals might still uncover the secrets of his gunpowder and bombs, this would certainly buy him more time—time he believed he could use to develop his strength.

He dried the pungent herbs, ground them into powder with a mortar, mixed them with clay and bronze shards, and fashioned them into bombs. "This odor is overpowering, truly dizzying. It should be enough to completely mask the smell of sulfur and saltpeter." Holding the foul-smelling bomb, Chu Yun shook his head, fighting the urge to vomit. He rode far away from Chu Family Town and detonated it. The blast was as terrifying and lethal as ever, though the lingering stench in the air made him nauseous.

"Well, this bomb not only deals massive physical damage, it even comes with a magic attack effect!" Chu Yun covered his nose and mouth, feeling quite pleased with this unexpected side effect.

Returning to town, he summoned the three major household heads. "Greetings, Count!" Chu Wencai, Chu Lefu, and Chu Cuihua saluted him. They looked at the two foul-smelling herbs in his hands with confusion.

Chu Yun nodded calmly. "I called you here to have you organize people to collect these two types of herbs in large quantities. Once collected, have them crushed and dried into powder at home. I will purchase it all."

"Understood, Count!" the three heads replied in unison.

"These herbs are very common, so I trust everyone will be happy to collect them," Chu Yun added. "Though they are a bit pungent, it is mid-summer and mosquitoes are rampant. Drying these herbs will help repel them, saving everyone from their bites." In reality, he simply couldn't stand the smell and didn't want his manor reeking of it.

"As you command, Count!" They bowed and left to organize their people.

In the following days, aside from the sixty guards in training and the thirty nurses studying, almost everyone in Chu Family Town was engaged in collecting the herbs. Chu Yun soon acquired over a dozen bags of herb powder. He used half of them to craft thirty bombs, which he hid in a secure location. He had even improved the design; even without phosphorus, the fuses would not extinguish when submerged in water, ensuring detonation. The new fuses also burned faster, shortening the delay and minimizing the risk of failure.

"Brother Chu Yun! Brother Chu Yun..."

One day, Ye Zelan ran toward him, breathless and pale, looking as if something terrible had happened. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come.

"Sister Zelan, take a few deep breaths. Don't rush, tell me slowly." Yang Liu'er stepped forward to soothe her.

Watching the scene, Chu Yun felt a bit overwhelmed, but his focus was elsewhere. "Zelan, what happened?"

Ye Zelan took two deep breaths and said, "Count, it’s bad! A catastrophe! They’re attacking—the Witch Doctor Sect is attacking!"

Ever since coming to Chu Family Town, she had been acting as a scout, patrolling the perimeter on horseback. While scouting the northern side that day, she had spotted an army led by the Witch Doctor Sect marching toward the town.

"What? The Witch Doctor Sect is leading an army here? Are you certain? Could it not be King Qi, forced by the Sect to flee from the Royal City with an army? No, that doesn't make sense!" Chu Yun was shocked and deeply confused. If the Witch Doctor Sect were attacking him so openly, it would imply that King Qi had already been murdered in the Royal City. Such an earth-shattering event couldn't have occurred without him hearing a whisper. Even if he hadn't, Viscount Lin Yang of Nanhai Town certainly would have. If the King had been killed, the loyal Lin Yang would have likely sent a message by carrier pigeon, proposing an alliance to march on the capital for revenge. Even if Lin Yang lacked the courage, he would have at least warned him.

And if King Qi were retreating south with an army, it still didn't fit. It would mean the King had suffered a crushing defeat in his struggle against the Sect, yet such a massive movement of troops could not have gone unnoticed by him or Lin Yang. Moreover, the Royal City was far away; he couldn't possibly be ignorant of such news.

This was strange. Extremely strange. Truly bizarre!