I started on a deserted island and encountered Ying Zheng, who insisted I was an immortal.

As Ying Zheng and the other two stared at the pot of golden liquid, their Adam's apples bobbed involuntarily.

This fragrance is so overpowering it's unreasonable.

Zhang Ying was already used to the reactions of these three people.

He was also having some doubts.

The fact that there are purebred wild Chinese honeybees on the island would make headlines in the 21st century.

The native honeybee species in China has almost disappeared due to the invasion of Italian honeybees.

He had previously responded to the call to go to the countryside to alleviate poverty and promoted beekeeping in rapeseed fields, learning a great deal from an old professor.

The old professor once said that the primitive wild bees in China are extremely wild and their aggression is no joke.

The toxins are potent; repeated stings can even lead to heart failure.

Because they were difficult to tame, they were gradually replaced by the docile and productive Italian bees.

This isolated, deserted island has ironically preserved a pristine haven for them.

Beekeeping isn't just about getting honey.

More importantly, these hundreds of acres of rapeseed flowers, as well as other crops, all depend on them for pollination.

Without these little things, he would be exhausted on the road to artificial pollination.

These primitive bees have strict environmental requirements, and their hives cannot be moved casually.

Therefore, he only harvests honey once a year, and strictly adheres to the principle of "harvesting half and leaving half," which can be considered as reaching a tacit understanding with these little neighbors.

Wang Ben couldn't resist any longer. He broke off a willow twig and carefully dipped it into the pot.

Golden honey nectar clung to the tips of willow branches, emitting an enticing sweet fragrance.

He didn't even blow on it before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Aww—"

A scream echoed through the cave.

Wang Ben jumped three feet high on the spot, covered his mouth, and tears were about to fall.

"Sweet...fragrant!"

He shouted indistinctly, hopping around and smacking his lips.

Zhang Ying was amused by his foolish behavior.

"Serves you right."

He took out several earthenware bowls, poured a cup of warm water for each person, then scooped in a large spoonful of honey and stirred it well.

"Drinking a cup every morning can detoxify and beautify the skin, alleviate arteriosclerosis, and even prolong life."

Ying Zheng paused, his hand holding the bowl still.

He raised his head, and a fire ignited in his deep eyes.

"Can it grant immortality?"

His voice betrayed an barely suppressed urgency.

Zhang Ying rolled her eyes speechlessly.

"What are you thinking? You won't live forever even if you drink it like water every day."

He thought to himself, of the three, this old Ying is the most obsessed with immortality; he's practically a madman.

Ying Zheng, however, paid no attention to his complaints.

He looked down at the golden liquid in the bowl and nodded to himself.

This must be a divine object created by immortals.

Even if one cannot achieve immortality, absorbing some divine energy to prolong life is still beneficial.

He immediately decided that he would drink it every day from now on.

Meng Yi looked utterly astonished. He put down his bowl and respectfully asked, "Sir, can these bees... really be raised by human hands?"

Zhang Ying casually joked, "Just give them houses and women, isn't that enough?"

This actually refers to the beehive and the queen bee.

Bees are social insects with a clear division of labor; a queen is required for them to form a colony.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben suddenly realized what was going on and slapped his thigh.

"Sir, you're right! A person can live a peaceful life once they have a house and a woman; the same principle applies to bees!"

He abruptly changed the subject, leaning closer to Zhang Ying and asking with a wink, "Sir, do you want a woman? My Ruoshu..."

"roll."

Zhang Ying waved her hand impatiently; her attempt at flattery had backfired.

Meng Yi took Zhang Ying's joke seriously.

He quickly spread out a sheet of linen paper, picked up a willow-twig pen, and solemnly wrote it down.

Disciples of immortals can raise bees and produce honey, which is sweet and has the effect of prolonging life! The method is: provide the bees with a hive and a woman as a companion, then the bee colony will be at peace...

Zhang Ying glanced at it, her lips twitched, and she was too lazy to explain any further.

Whatever makes you happy.

As the days went by, after spending more than twenty days together, the group had become quite familiar with each other.

Besides playing cards, Ying Zheng's favorite thing to do was to exercise with Zhang Ying in the early morning.

Zhang Ying practiced Tai Chi, which he had learned from a group of elderly men in the park.

He himself wasn't very good at it; he just relied on his bragging skills.

The morning sun shone on the open ground. Zhang Ying, dressed in a loose linen garment she had made herself, began to move slowly and deliberately.

Ying Zheng followed suit, his posture stiff but his expression focused.

Wang Ben squatted to one side, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, shaking his head repeatedly as he watched.

This boxing technique is weak and feeble; you can't see any strength in it at all.

This doesn't align with the martial spirit of the Qin people: "Take life and death lightly, and fight if you're not convinced."

In his view, kung fu is a killing technique.

With such a slow and leisurely style of boxing, your own head would be spun several times over before you even get close to your opponent.

How could Your Majesty learn such things?

As Zhang Ying slowly performed the "White Crane Spreads Wings" movement, she muttered to herself.

"The Taiji gives rise to Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols..."

He had barely finished speaking.

Meng Yi, who was standing to the side, suddenly jolted, and the linen paper in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

He exclaimed in shock, "This phrase... comes from the Book of Changes!"

Ying Zheng, who was imitating the movements, also froze in place.

Tai Chi? Yin and Yang? Four Symbols?

Although he had not systematically read the Book of Changes, as an emperor, he had some knowledge of the various schools of thought.

Especially Zou Yan, the representative figure of the Yin-Yang School whom he admired most.

Zou Yan's "Theory of the Five Elements and Their Cycles" was the theoretical foundation for the Qin Dynasty's establishment of the state based on the element of water.

And isn't the core of Yin-Yang theory the two polarities and four symbols, and the flow of Yin and Yang?

Ying Zheng suddenly looked up at Zhang Ying.

This seemingly casual young man, with his seemingly weak and powerless boxing style, actually contains such profound principles of the universe?

Zhang Ying cleared her throat.

"This set of boxing techniques emphasizes 'using the opponent's force against them' and 'using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds'."

"It appears gentle and slow, but in reality, it involves twisting all the strength of the body into a single rope and then unleashing it at the moment of contact."

"The highest level is to 'use their own methods against them'."

As Zhang Ying spoke, she slowly withdrew her stance, adopting the air of a reclusive sage.

He learned this whole set of stories from the old men who practiced tai chi in the park, and today he's just putting them to good use.

Wang Ben squatted down beside him, having long since grown impatient with what he was hearing.

He was wearing a black burlap outfit made by Zhang Ying. Although it was rough, it was much more comfortable than his tattered armor.

The Qin dynasty revered the virtue of water and honored black, and he quite liked this color.

"Sir, I, Old Wang, am a rough man and don't understand these intricacies."

Wang Ben stood up and dusted himself off.

"All I know is that might makes right."

He pointed at Zhang Ying: "Your boxing is so weak, like a woman's. Can you really hit someone?"

Zhang Ying glanced at him sideways: "Don't believe me? Let's try it out?"