Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 352 Beyond Imagination, They "Couldn't Hit the Boat"

Above the clouds, the treasure map unfolds.

In Pingyang City, most of the people who witnessed this scene from afar were initially filled with panic.

They have experienced too many changes in a short period of time, and now they are extremely nervous at the slightest sign of trouble.

But as Yu Zhi murmured at this moment, "This golden light is different from others. It is not dazzling to look at. On the contrary, it is exceptionally warm, like a spring breeze or the warm sun in winter."

Could this... truly be merit on paper?

The classmate next to him listened to him speak and, after carefully considering what he said, felt that Yu Zhi's words were true.

In the distance, the light emanating from the treasure map was indeed dazzling and warm, inexplicably dispelling any sense of panic.

The panic has subsided, but the curiosity remains.

Even more so, as everyone watched the changes in the sky from afar, a strong sense of anticipation arose within them.

A classmate asked, "Yu Zhi, what is meant by 'merit on paper'?"

Speaking of this, Yu Zhi became proud and quickly said:
Everyone knows the saying "clouds and smoke rise from paper," right? This means that when someone writes a sufficiently brilliant poem or article, the heavens and earth respond accordingly, and thus clouds and smoke appear on the paper.

The lowest grade produces blue smoke, the highest grade produces purple smoke, and the very highest grade produces golden smoke.

Blue smoke is already extremely rare, purple smoke is even more astonishing, and golden smoke is on another level altogether.

We usually think that writing on paper means producing extraordinary articles that have never been written before, such as Shang Yang's "On Rewards and Punishments", Jia Yi's "On the Faults of Qin", and Zhuge Liang's "Memorial on Dispatching the Troops".

Therefore, it cannot be said that extraordinary works can be transformed into gold smoke.

But recently, because of the dragon bone waterwheel, I looked up many records about paper smoke and mist and learned that there is actually another way for paper smoke to be generated.

This constitutes an extremely large amount of merit!

Yu Zhi thought of his guess and was so excited that he trembled all over.

He couldn't control himself at all; his teeth even chattered as he spoke.

Even so, this did not dampen his enthusiasm for speaking.

"If what is written on that paper has the power to greatly benefit heaven and earth and all living beings, then naturally... it will also make the paper radiate golden light!"
This is what we call "merit on paper."

Yu Zhi paused after saying a few words, and as he spoke, although he stammered, his face was beaming with excitement.

His classmates, however, said in disbelief:

"What kind of work could attract golden merit? On that day, Chen Jieyuan drew up the blueprints for the dragon bone waterwheel, but he only received a wisp of smoke on the paper."

The dragon bone waterwheel is enough to be passed down through generations, so that all farmers in the world can benefit from it.

What, what, what other writing in the world can generate golden light of merit simply by being written on paper?

I... I simply can't imagine it!

Not only could he not imagine it, but no one could imagine it.

Even Master Lü, supported by his students, stood shakily on the rooftop, craning his neck to gaze into the distance.

At this moment, countless people eagerly awaited.

At the same moment, in Jichuan County, Yunjiang Prefecture, another person was also gazing into the distance.

The person gazing into the distance lives in a small bamboo grove on Xiaofeng Mountain. He is none other than Mr. Zhou, who guided Chen Xu when he first entered the Daoist path!

Although this gaunt and emaciated scholar had caused a minor stir in Jichuan County, he also attracted scions of prominent families like Cui Yunqi to come all the way from Yunjiang Prefecture to visit him.

Strangely enough, ever since Chen Xu and the others left the small bamboo forest, almost no one has come to the small bamboo forest anymore.

People seem to have forgotten Xiaofeng Mountain, and naturally, they have also forgotten Mr. Zhou, who was in Xiaofeng Mountain.

His former fame vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed, or as if he had never been here at all.

I have never been to this world, nor have I ever walked through this mortal realm.

"Squeak squeak squeak!" Suddenly, a rascally ugly monkey leaped out of the forest, holding a sour fruit in its furry paws and squeaking with its teeth bared.

Mr. Zhou stood atop the mountain, hands clasped behind his back. The mountain breeze ruffled the hem of his thin, paper-like robe. He laughed and said:

"Ugly monkey, since you're so upset by the sourness of this fruit, why don't you throw it away?"

The ugly monkey chuckled and said, "No, no, this fruit is very sour, but it's a lovely red color. I'll keep it and eat it slowly later. I can't throw it away!"

Mr. Zhou said, "You're just after the fruit because it looks nice."

The ugly monkey scratched its cheek clumsily, never still for a moment, and kept saying:
"So what? I just love how beautiful it is... Sir, what are you looking at from afar? Perhaps you're also admiring the beautiful clouds in the sky?"

Mr. Zhou smiled slightly and said, "No, some things are much more interesting than clouds. Look..."

As he spoke, he gently touched something with his hand.

Suddenly, a mirror-like surface, like water ripples, appeared out of thin air in the sky in front of him. After the ripples dispersed, a vast river was immediately revealed in the mirror, along with a figure in a green robe above the river.

Then, a gleaming golden light slowly rose from in front of the figure in the green robe.

The golden light illuminated the young man's face, revealing his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his elegant demeanor, and his outstanding presence amidst the piled rocks and rows of pines.

Ugly Monkey blurted out, "Chen Xu! This...this is that kid Chen Xu?"

Before Mr. Zhou could respond, Ugly Monkey jumped up again, pointing at Chen Xu and exclaiming, "What, what is this thing that this kid is holding in his hands? How can it be emitting such a rich golden light of merit?"

The ugly monkey's sparse, mottled fur stood on end. Its already bulging eyes widened as it repeated itself in disbelief and incredulity:
"No, no, how could this be? How could Chen Xu, at such a young age, obtain such merits on paper? What is he trying to do? What does he want to do..."

At this point, the ugly monkey seemed to finally realize something, hissed, and exclaimed in surprise:

“Master, if we go and seize such abundant merit, wouldn’t we finally be able to escape this desolate wilderness?”
No longer do I need to hide in this utterly lifeless little box, feeling stifled every day, with no idea where the future lies!

The ugly monkey's excited voice even made the rocks in front of it tremble.

Suddenly, a withered hand reached out and slammed its finger down hard on the ugly monkey's forehead.

The ugly monkey hurriedly stretched out its furry paw to cover its forehead, only to feel a burning sensation. The spot where Mr. Zhou had just hit it had swelled up into a huge bump.

Mr. Zhou said helplessly, "You little monkey, what nonsense are you spouting! Did I tell you to look at the water mirror for this?"

The ugly monkey shrank back, then said somewhat defiantly, "If we don't look at this, what should we look at?"

"Of course, I want to see how the young man I once had high hopes for has changed the world and achieved lasting success."

Mr. Zhou spoke slowly, yet with a hint of melancholy.

He added, "It's not enough to just watch; I also need to help him."

As he spoke, he suddenly pointed to the north.

With that one gesture, it was as if a hole had suddenly appeared in the sky.

Through this hole, all you could see was a figure on the other side of the hole, in some distant, unknown place, making the motion of lifting a foot and stepping out of a door.

The man was dressed in a crimson and purple robe, and his aura was profound and unfathomable, like a deep pool or a towering mountain.

When he stepped out the door, he strode out with great speed and imposing presence.

But as his first foot stepped over the threshold, he suddenly felt as if he had been stabbed by something invisible, and an indescribable sense of terror washed over him.

The man hesitated as he stepped out, his left foot lingering on the threshold for a moment.

This brief pause seemed to be a test, or perhaps a confrontation.

A few breaths later, the man suddenly withdrew his foot.

Inside the hall, the emperor's voice was filled with doubt and displeasure: "Minister Liu, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you leaving?"

It turns out that when Mr. Zhou pointed from Xiaofeng Mountain, the hole that appeared in the sky was connected to the Dali Royal Palace on the other side.

The Dali Royal Palace has always been protected by the nation's fortune and nourished by the emperor's aura, accumulating a profound heritage over countless years.

It has always been said to be impervious to all evil and unapproachable by all gods!

But who could have imagined that the magnificent Dali Imperial Palace, with its extraordinary heritage, would have a hole torn in its space by a mere touch from Mr. Zhou, who was far away in the southern border region?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hole, the emperor himself, inside the palace, was completely unaware of all of this.

Liu Shao, who was about to leave, vaguely sensed something was amiss.

Although he sensed something was amiss, he did not know why.

At this moment, there was only a vague unease and a sense of dread.

The emperor pressed him for answers again. Liu Shao, suppressing his anxiety, quickly turned to the emperor and said:

"Your Majesty, the matter of that evil dragon is now beyond repair. I believe that what we should do now is to immediately mobilize the Ministry of Works and the Xingtian Guard to support Chief Wen."

If he can truly accomplish the South-to-North Water Diversion Project through magic, how could we not lend him a helping hand at this crucial moment?

The emperor frowned and said, "But what about the dragon horns, the dragon pearl, the dragon blood..."

Liu Shao felt contempt in his heart, but his face remained impassive. He slowly walked back to a spot not far from the emperor, cupped his hands in a smile, and said:

"Your Majesty, the evil dragon is nothing but a false dragon. It has not yet truly transformed into a dragon, so how could it possess dragon horns, dragon pearls, or dragon blood?"

The emperor's brow furrowed even more deeply.

He stared intently at Liu Shao, who then said:
"Your Majesty, if it is truly a great achievement for all ages, then Your Majesty should be a benevolent and sage ruler... As for certain material possessions, Your Majesty possesses the entire world, so what harm is there in rewarding some meritorious officials?"

Liu Shao's words were very profound.

The emperor stared at him.

Meanwhile, on Xiaofeng Mountain, thousands of miles away, Mr. Zhou was too lazy to watch the emperor and Liu Shao wrestle.

He simply smiled and withdrew his finger.

The ugly monkey stared at the not-yet-fully-closed hole in the sky, hissing strangely, "Master, these people want to intercept that brat Chen Xu's beard!"

Mr. Zhou laughed and said, "They can't intercept it."

The ugly monkey complained again, "Master, you're too good to that kid!"

"What's the point of this? I'm lending him a hand, but I don't know if I'm actually helping him or hurting him. Sigh..."

"Why does the master have so many concerns even though he's a good person?" Ugly Monkey became increasingly sour.

Mr. Zhou simply said, "Now that he has done something that others cannot do, such an earth-shattering thing, I'm afraid it will attract the attention of certain guys."

If he fails, that's fine, but if he actually succeeds... never mind, I'll help him one more time.

(End of this chapter)