The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Before dawn, Hirado Port was immersed in thick, inky sea fog. The salty and fishy water vapor wrapped in the damp and cold wind condensed into fine water droplets on the stone walls of the port.

The tall masts of the warships pierced through the mist, the sails drooped, and the outlines of the ships were looming in the mist, like a group of dormant beasts. The waves hit the shore, making a dull sound, startling a few seabirds, whose shrill cries broke the silence and were quickly swallowed up by the mist.

The castle tower stood at the highest point of the harbor, its newly painted red lacquer glowing dark red in the mist. Zheng Zhilong, wearing iron armor, stood at the highest point of the tower, the sword at his waist flashing a cold edge in the dim light.

His eyes penetrated through the layers of fog and looked at the ship gradually appearing in the distance. The sea breeze lifted his cloak, revealing the brocade robe embroidered with dark cloud patterns. The admiral who was feared by the sea had a solemn expression at this moment.

In the distance, an official ship flying a scarlet dragon flag came through the waves. The ship was slender and had a very shallow draft, obviously built for fast sailing.

A thin figure stood at the bow, dressed in fluttering white, with a slender soft sword hanging from his waist. The scabbard was as black as ink, shining coldly in the morning light. The figure was looming in the mist, like a ghost walking out of the underworld.

"People from the West Factory are here."

Zheng Zhilong narrowed his eyes, rubbed the hilt of the knife with his fingers, and waved his hand: "Let's go and meet this factory supervisor!"

When the boat docked, it was almost silent. Two hundred eunuchs in dark red brocade robes lined up to disembark. Their steps were so light that they were almost eerie. The soles of their boots stepped on the wet stone slabs without even a splash of water.

The leader, Qiu Chengyun, walked forward slowly, his face as pale as paper, with a feminine sharpness between his eyebrows. His fingers were slender, his nails were trimmed very short, and his fingertips were slightly blue, as if they had been soaked in some kind of liquid medicine for many years.

"Admiral Zheng."

Qiu Chengyun bowed slightly, his voice was as thin as a thread, but clear as if it was ringing right next to his ear.

Zheng Zhilong stared into his eyes, which were devoid of any warmth. His pupils were dark, as if they could swallow up all the light. He nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Master Qiu, you have come all the way here. Thank you for your hard work."

Qiu Chengyun raised his lips slightly, revealing a half-smile: "Upon the order of His Majesty, I have brought two hundred disciples to assist the Admiral in managing Japan, and will obey Admiral Zheng's orders."

Qiu Chengyun spoke respectfully, but his eyes were as cold as a knife.

Zheng Zhilong's eyes swept over the two hundred eunuchs behind Qiu Chengyun, and his eyes were slightly stern. More than two hundred eunuchs stood straight, expressionless, and even their breathing rhythm was almost the same. A thin sword was hung on each of their waists, with a black scabbard and a dark red silk rope wrapped around the hilt. What was even more strange was that they all wore a blue-black copper ring on their wrists, with fine runes engraved on the ring, which glowed darkly in the morning light.

Zheng Zhilong frowned slightly: "What are these?"

"Secret Guard of the Western Factory, he has been learning Kung Fu with us for two years."

Qiu Chengyun said softly: "Although it is not as good as ours, it is more than enough to deal with the Japanese pirates."

"Hahaha~~"

Zheng Zhilong was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud. He reached out his hand to touch the hilt of the knife at his waist, rubbing the cold metal with his fingertips, but his eyes were full of amusement:

"Your Majesty is willing to do so."

The two hundred eunuchs lined up neatly behind Qiu Chengyun, standing as straight as javelins, yet exuding an indescribable feminine aura, completely different from the rough and heroic naval officers and soldiers under his command.

Zheng Zhilong naturally knew the reputation of the Western Factory. But in his opinion, these palace secret guards were more suitable for carrying out assassination, surveillance and other tasks in the capital, rather than appearing on this smoke-filled battlefield.

Marching and fighting requires deployment of troops and coordinated operations, not relying on swordsmanship alone to win. Even if he is a military governor, he does not need to send out such a large team. What is the emperor's consideration for suddenly issuing such an order?

"I don't know, Your Majesty..."

Zheng Zhilong swallowed the words that came to his lips, and said with a smile: "Forget it, since Commander Qiu is here, you are a member of my army. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future."

Looking at Zheng Zhilong, Qiu Chengyun's smile deepened: "If Admiral Zheng doesn't believe it, why not give it a try?"

"Oh? Then let me open my eyes!"

Zheng Zhilong made a gesture of invitation and turned to walk towards the parade ground.

The training ground on the west side of Hirado Castle was paved with bluestone slabs, with dark green moss growing on the edges. It had rained last night, and muddy puddles formed between the cracks of the stones, reflecting the leaden sky. The wooden target on the north side had been eroded black by the sea breeze, and a few unremoved arrows were stuck in the bull's eye, with the feathers on the tails trembling slightly in the wind.

Zheng Zhilong's iron boots stepped through the puddles, making a dull 'tapping' sound. Three steps behind him, Qiu Chengyun's cloth shoes stepped on the wet stone slabs without even causing ripples.

In the middle of the parade ground, 17 Japanese pirates were chained to a central wooden stake, with the other end of the chain nailed deep into the ground. The left eye of the outermost captive was swollen like a peach, and his right arm was twisted unnaturally. In the middle, a younger Japanese pirate was pressing his knee against his abdomen. During the interrogation the day before, half of his intestines were picked out by bamboo sticks. At this moment, they were hastily wrapped in dirty cloth, oozing black and red blood.

When Zheng Zhilong appeared at the edge of the parade ground, the captives suddenly became agitated. Iron chains rattled, and the Japanese pirate with a broken arm struggled to support himself with his one arm, panting.

The prisoner on the far right of the third row suddenly coughed violently and spat out a bloody broken tooth. The Japanese pirate's left eye was so swollen that he couldn't open it, but his right eye was fixed on the sword on Zheng Zhilong's waist. It was Matsuura Zhenxin's sword, and the "Maru Cross" family crest on the scabbard was blurred by blood.

As Zheng Zhilong approached, the prisoner's Adam's apple rolled up and down and the chains rattled with his trembling body.

"This guy can speak Chinese. He cursed a lot during the interrogation yesterday, so we cut off his tongue!"

Zheng Zhilong smiled coldly, and stood five steps away from the captive, his right thumb unconsciously stroking the rope on the sword guard. His eyes swept over Qiu Chengyun's hands - those hands were pale and slender, with very short nails and thin calluses on the fingertips from holding the sword for a long time.

"Master Qiu, please."

Zheng Zhilong stepped aside half a step.

Qiu Chengyun smiled slightly, raised his right hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and made a sword gesture. The eunuch standing at the front of the queue immediately stepped out. This man had a white face and no beard, and there was a cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye.

The eunuch with the cinnabar mole had a very special pace, with his toes touching the ground first and his heels barely touching the stone slab. He suddenly accelerated seven steps away from the captive, and his dark red sleeves left a trail of afterimages in the air. The one-eyed Japanese pirate kneeling in the front was about to raise his head when a red line as thin as a hair appeared on his throat.

Zheng Zhilong's eyelids jumped. He clearly saw that the eunuch's sword was slashing from the lower left to the upper right. This angle should have cut the clavicle first, but the blade slid through the gap between the bones like a swimming fish, accurately cutting the trachea and artery. What was even more terrifying was that when the blood spurted out, the eunuch had turned around and came behind the second prisoner. The tip of the sword pierced through the gap between the third and fourth vertebrae, directly destroying the medulla oblongata.

Zhang Meng, the commander of the artillery camp standing on Zheng Zhilong's left, unconsciously took a half step back. This man, who had killed seven Japanese pirates with his own hands in the Battle of Liaoluo Bay, now had beads of sweat on his forehead and his rough fingers tightly grasped the handle of his sword.

As Zheng Zhilong's confidant, he had seen too many bloody scenes, but the heinous precision of the killing before him still made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

When the seventh head rolled down, Zheng Zhilong suddenly coughed heavily and took two steps forward: "Commander Zhang."

"The general is here!"

"Send these prisoners to build the bastion. Your Majesty is kind enough to give them a chance to atone for their crimes."

Zheng Zhilong waved his hand and turned to Qiu Chengyun: "Lord Qiu, these captives are now powerless. I heard that the training of the West Factory emphasizes actual combat. I wonder if you can let this little brother... teach us what is the real killing method?"

"Haha~"

Qiu Chengyun smiled faintly and glanced at the people behind Zheng Zhilong: "Who among you... wants to try?"

"Lord Qiu has misunderstood!"

Zheng Zhilong watched his guards hesitate from the corner of his eyes, and glanced at them fiercely, then smiled and said: "Swords have no eyes, not to mention that my men only know how to attack together, so they are not considered masters. However, there is one now."

As he spoke, he bowed slightly, motioning Qiu Chengyun to follow him.

The group walked to the north side of the parade ground. On a newly erected camphor wood stake, a burly warrior was tied up with an iron chain as thick as a bowl, like an animal to be slaughtered.

Zheng Zhilong pointed at the samurai and said, "This Japanese is called Ono Tadaki, the last disciple of Ueizumi Nobunaga of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. Thirteen of his brothers died when they were trying to capture him, and it was only with a volley of fire from the musket team that the beast was brought down." "The Ming army before was the shame of the samurai! Those who killed people with iron cannons were cowards!"
Ono Tadaaki suddenly flew into a rage, baring his teeth at everyone, revealing his bloody mouth with two missing front teeth:
"The generals of the Ming Dynasty...the fire and the blunderbuss are the victory of the humble and cowardly...one battle and one victory and the defeat are the same..." (It is too despicable for the generals of the Ming Dynasty to win with muskets, so let's duel one on one...)
A strange smell hit his nose. Qiu Chengyun took two steps back and looked at the wanderer with disdain. He pulled out a snow-white silk handkerchief from his sleeve and slowly wiped his nails. He glanced at the queue behind him and suddenly shouted in a shrill voice:

"Haruko-chan."

"To!"

The eunuch standing in the third row stepped out in response. His face was powdered, his body was thin, and he looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. The rapier hanging from his waist was three inches shorter than an ordinary weapon.

When Xiao Chunzi stepped out, his steps were unsteady and his right hand was still holding a pen. He was clearly a clerical eunuch.

"tell him."

Qiu Chengyun raised his chin to the interpreter and said, "Let him go if you win."

When the interpreter finished his stuttering words, Ono Tadaaki's pupils suddenly contracted, staring at the rapier in Koharuko's hand, and suddenly the iron chain rattled: "Bring me a real sword!"

After looking at Ono Tadaaki, Koharu raised the corners of her mouth, took off the water bottle from her waist, and drank a sip of water slowly.

"drink!!"

Ono Tadaaki suddenly jumped up! The cow tendon rope on his left hand was broken.

"careful!"

As soon as Chen Ze's warning came out, Xiao Ye had already put his fingers together like knives, and went straight to Xiao Chunzi's eyes. This was the "no-knife take" of the Shinkage-ryu, a unique skill of taking the blade with bare hands.

Xiao Chunzi smiled, and her figure suddenly split into three.

This is not light work, but an afterimage caused by extreme speed.

When Ono's palm knife passed through the phantom, the black rapier had already pierced into him between the third and fourth ribs. The tip of the sword penetrated the flesh three inches and suddenly slashed horizontally along the intercostal space towards the heart.

"what!!"

Ono groaned and twisted his body, and blood spurting out of the wound drew a red line on Xiaochunzi's face.

When Xiao Chunzi turned around, she crossed the sword to her left hand, and the tip of the sword pointed at the Fengfu point on the back of Ono's neck like a venomous snake. This angle should have been blocked by the shoulder blade, but the rapier bent like a living thing and pierced the space between the vertebrae accurately.

"Snapped!"

It was the long sword in Zhang Meng's hand that fell to the ground. He had seen martial arts masters fighting each other, but the sword moves in front of him, which were completely contrary to the structure of the human body, made him tremble.

Ono Tadaaki suddenly bit his tongue and spurted out a blood mist. The blood shot towards the eunuch's eyes like iron bullets. At the same time, his left leg lashed out like a whip, and his toes went straight to the opponent's crotch.

It was the first time that Xiao Chunzi retreated. But his retreat was more like a kind of accumulation of strength. When his heel was three inches off the ground, he suddenly changed direction, and the rapier pierced through the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of Xiao Ye's foot, went up along the gap on the inside of the leg bone, and finally came out from above the collarbone.

The tip of the sword was holding a piece of bone the size of a broad bean, which shone with a pearly white luster under the dark clouds.

When Xiao Ye's body fell to the ground, the training ground was so quiet that one could hear the sound of blood dripping. Qiu Chengyun covered his nose with a silk handkerchief and waved his hand in disgust:

"Drag him to feed the dogs."

The setting sun shone obliquely on the parade ground. Purple-black bloodstains were clotted on the bluestone slabs. Ono Tadaaki had just been dragged away, and the ground still felt sticky.

Zheng Zhilong stepped on the bloodstains and walked straight towards Qiu Chengyun.

"Director Qiu."

Zheng Zhilong saluted with his fists clasped, his eyes sweeping over the gold thread cloud pattern embroidered on the other party's sleeves: "I would like to borrow a few masters from the Western Factory to help train the personal guards. Is that possible?"

"Haha~"

Qiu Chengyun suddenly chuckled, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the hilt of the hidden blade: "Admiral Zheng, do you know what the key to this sword technique is?"

Zheng Zhilong frowned and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

"If you want to practice this skill——"

Qiu Chengyun suddenly lowered his voice and leaned close to Zheng Zhilong's ear: "He castrated himself."

"what?!"

Zheng Zhilong subconsciously took a half step back, and the guards behind him gasped at the same time. Several young guards turned pale in an instant and covered their stomachs unconsciously.

"It's to purify the body. The reason why the Lin family was able to dominate the world back then was because of this sword technique to ward off evil spirits..."

Qiu Chengyun stood up and adjusted his sleeves slowly: "However, to enter the third level of this Sword of Exorcism, one must cut off the root of Yang."

"Then... then that's not necessary!"

The veins on Zheng Zhilong's forehead throbbed. He turned around and glared at the guards behind him: "What are you all standing there for? Line up!"

The guards retreated in a hurry as if they had been pardoned. One of the flag officers slipped and almost fell into a pool of blood, causing the people around him to hold back their laughter.

Qiu Chengyun crossed his arms and looked at the chaotic guards, with a playful smile on his face: "Don't blame me, Admiral Zheng. This Exorcist Sword Technique is not something that everyone can learn. But...if Admiral Zheng is willing, I can teach you personally!"

Zheng Zhilong took a step back cautiously and said, "I appreciate your kindness, Governor Qiu."

"It's a pity, it's a pity."

Qiu Chengyun shook his head and sighed. Suddenly, he tapped the ground with his toes and landed lightly on the stone platform three meters away. His black boots stepped over the blood puddle without getting any stains on them.

"In that case, please do as you wish, Admiral Zheng. If you change your mind someday, you can always come to me."

"Sir, we really don't want to learn this sword technique?" A brave guard came over.

"Learn shit!"

Zheng Zhilong kicked him hard and said, "Everyone, go practice swordplay! If anyone mentions the Exorcist Sword Technique again, I will cleanse him myself!"

A burst of laughter came from the training ground, startling the sparrows under the eaves. The afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, and the bloodstains on the bluestone slabs became darker in the twilight. But compared to the weird atmosphere just now, the training ground seemed particularly relaxed at this moment.

Zheng Zhilong looked at the busy training of the guards and touched the sword at his waist. He secretly vowed that even if he didn't learn any evil-repelling sword techniques, he would train this team into a real elite. As for that mysterious Governor Qiu... the farther away from him, the better.

(End of this chapter)