How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

I rely on!

A flower thief?

Or is it "simply"?

Zhou Wenju's eyes widened: "In broad daylight, under the clear sky, in an open place, under the watchful eyes of everyone... young lady, do you perhaps have some misunderstanding about this profession?"

"Then how do you explain following me all this way?" The woman in blue raised her finger slightly and pointed to the riverbank: "Don't tell me that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to come to this desolate riverbank to enjoy the rain."

Zhou Wenju looked around; it was indeed difficult to explain.

This place has strayed from the main road.

This place is desolate.

If the weather is fine and sunny, you could say you're going for a walk in nature to relax.

However, in this windy and rainy weather, it's easy to force yourself to lie through your teeth, but you still need people to believe you...

"I have answered truthfully!" Zhou Wenju sighed, "I was indeed lustful at first sight!"

The girl's face suddenly darkened, and the boundless storm abruptly changed its appearance...

Zhou Wenju said, "The girl's floral paper umbrella swaying in the rain is captivating. As the saying goes, 'Guan Guan cry the ospreys on the river islet, a fair maiden is sought after by a gentleman.' Everyone has a lustful heart, and some people are led astray by beauty. This is human nature, and there is nothing wrong with it."

The girl in the blue shirt roared in anger: "Shameless scoundrel!"

"Even if it seems shameless, it doesn't violate the laws of heaven and the country! Remember that, young lady! Remember that!" Zhou Wenju said.

"you……"

"Here's your umbrella, take it!" Zhou Wen raised his hand, and the umbrella flew towards the girl.

The girl snatched the umbrella, pointing the tip directly at Zhou Wenju: "Remember this, don't let me see you again!"

Turn around, open the umbrella, step across the barren beach, and board the ferry.

Zhou Wenju looked at the sky, the ground, the river, and the ferry.

then……

With graceful steps, I arrived at the ferry dock, stepped onto the wide gangplank, and walked onto the deck of the ferry.

"Young master, where do you wish to go?" A servant in blue robes stepped half a step out from the eaves of the boat.

"The capital city!"

"Private room or shared room?"

"A private room!"

"The private rooms are also divided into three tiers: the lowest tier is 10 taels of silver, excluding food and drink; the mid-tier is 20 taels of silver, including food and drink; and the high-tier is 50 taels of silver. For a seven-day trip, all needs will be taken care of. I wonder if you are the young master..."

Zhou Wen raised his hand and handed him a silver note: "I don't like trouble, so I'll cover everything if I can. This is one hundred taels; the rest is a tip."

The waiter beamed and led Zhou Wenju to the top floor.

Above the top deck, the deck is paved with green bamboo. Over time, the bamboo has been worn down by footsteps and exposed to the sun and rain, losing its original verdant greenness and revealing a smooth, lustrous sheen, making it extremely elegant.

More than ten elegant rooms are arranged in two rows.

Zhou Wenju was quite satisfied when he opened the door to the elegant room.

The room has a coffee table, a bed, a balcony, and even flower pots with several potted plants inside.

The temperature was a few degrees higher than outside, almost like the air conditioning in the world.

Of course, there is no air conditioning in this world.

However, with all kinds of great power and extraordinary talents, changing the four seasons is not a dream.

For example, the simplest type involves lining the four walls with copper pipes and using fire magic stones to heat the water in the pipes, creating a floor heating effect.

To his surprise, a maidservant bowed gracefully and said, "Young master, this servant is Xing'er, and I will be your maidservant from now on."

"And a maid?" Zhou Wenju asked.

"Of course!" The servant in blue behind him laughed. "Young master is a top-tier VIP, spending a hundred gold coins. How could we let him have an inconvenience on his journey? Although Miss Xing'er comes from a humble background, she is well-educated and courteous, and can be a lovely companion to the young master, relieving his loneliness on his journey."

"Not bad, not bad!" Zhou Wenju nodded slightly. "The scenery during Typhoon Yang was quite..."

He stepped halfway onto the balcony and suddenly stopped.

Because at this very moment, on the right-hand balcony adjacent to this room, there is a floral paper umbrella hanging.

A beautiful woman glanced at him sideways, her gaze fixed on his face...

It was none other than the person who had just caused a misunderstanding by the river...

Was it really just another accidental encounter?

Zhou Wenju's heart skipped a beat...

"Hi! We meet again!" Zhou Wenju took two steps forward confidently, exposing his entire body on the balcony.

"It seems you have completely forgotten what I just said!" The young lady's face was as cold as frost.

"I haven't forgotten, I really haven't forgotten!" Zhou Wenju said. "I never expected to see you here, young lady. It was all arranged by the waiter. If you don't want to see my face, there's no time to change rooms now!"

"Why didn't you change rooms?" the girl asked.

"Why should I change? I never said I didn't like looking at girls!" Zhou Wenju sat down.

The girl stared at him coldly, without saying a word.

No matter how hateful that grinning face was, no matter how flippant his words were, she seemed to have no reason to lash out.

"Young master, please have some tea!" Xing'er served a cup of tea, bowed, and retreated to the outside of the balcony.

Zhou Wen raised his hand slightly, took a small sip of tea, and praised, "Not bad, although this tea is a bit aged, its aroma is still there!"

The young woman sat down sideways and called out, "Bring tea!"

The two of them sat on the balcony like that.

They each savored their tea.

With the sound of a gong breaking through the waves.

The ferry gangway was retracted, and the ferry set sail for the capital.

Traveling from Jiangnan to the capital by boat was the most common mode of transportation.

After all, on land, there are endless mountains and rivers, but on the great river, ferries travel along the river, avoiding all the troubles of land travel.

Of course, not everyone is qualified to ride a boat.

One of these boats is enough to keep most pedestrians away—that's because it's expensive!

Don't be fooled by Zhou's indifference to a hundred taels of silver. Most people work hard and sweat for a month and earn no more than two taels of silver. How could they afford to spend like that?

Even if they absolutely had to take a boat, they would only choose to spend a month's hard-earned money to travel on a large boat in a dormitory-style room.

What is a dormitory-style bed?

The cabins below deck.

Inside are people from all over the country; even turning around could cause a dispute. As for sleeping, whether you sleep folded up, curled up, or standing up, nobody cares...

Zhou Wenju's gaze fell upon the rolling waves beneath his feet, sensing the speed of the boat's journey.

That's incredibly fast!

It's just as fast as the ships in that world.

What's the principle behind it?

Formation!

What propels this ship forward is an array formation.

No wonder boat rides are expensive; there's a reason for the high price.

Tall ships like buildings, driven by formations, how cheap can they be?

The wind was strong on the river, and the rain continued.

Amidst the rain and mist, the large ship sailed into the heart of the river, heading north. The river was shrouded in fog, making even daytime seem like dusk.

The journey took four hours, and it was getting dark.

Another half hour passed, and Xing'er came over with dinner and lit the candles.

As night deepened, a basin of hot water was brought over. Zhou Wenju washed his feet and lay down on the bed. Xing'er stood by the bedside, her head bowed, and a soft voice drifted over: "Young master, would you like Xing'er to serve you in bed?"

I rely on!

Zhou Wenju opened his eyes. Fifty taels of silver for the entire boat fare—that's quite a lot included…

Damn feudal society, how am I supposed to talk about it?

The night was long, and a petite, delicate woman from Jiangnan asked if you needed her services in bed. From this angle, she was quite pretty, with rosy cheeks, and under the lamplight, she seemed even more alluring than during the day…

However, he did not forget the significance of this long journey to the capital in the opponent's chessboard.

"No need, I'm tired from the journey, you can go now!"

"Okay!" Xing'er went out.

The outer door was closed.

This private room has two doors. Outside, there is a tiny private room, just big enough for a bed, where the maids live.

If VIPs require it, the middle door can be opened, and the maids can be turned into "concubines" at any time...

There's no need for that; everyone can sleep separately.

The maid lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a while.

As a maid on the ship who was specifically tasked with serving VIPs, serving VIPs was just a job, and she rarely felt emotionally moved.

However, this young master today is so handsome, and he is all alone.

She was genuinely having some inappropriate thoughts.

But what could this young master do?

Zhou Wenju had no interest in wasting his time on this girl. He focused his inner energy on his ears, listening to everything that was happening in the next room.

He did not detect anything unusual.

Judging from the signs revealed so far, this woman in blue really does seem to be a cultivator whom you met by chance in the martial arts world.

Am I really overthinking things?

Sudden……

His heart skipped a beat!

At the same time, in the next room, the woman in blue suddenly opened her eyes...

The moment I opened my eyes, a fierce wind was blowing in front of me.

A light drizzle poured into the room.

Inside the room, an old man appeared as if out of thin air.

His face was filled with murderous intent.

Behind him, it was as if a chilling aura filled the river.

"Witch! You killed my holy son and think you can just walk away like that?" The old man's voice was deep and cold, each word like a blade from hell, chilling to the bone.

"Tianquan Sect?" the woman in blue said coldly.

"Indeed! The one who killed you was Elder Li Rubing of Tianquan. Remember that!"

The sound fell!

With a claw, it slashed down...

Its claws are like five sharp knives, each one capable of cleaving heaven and earth.

"You've chosen your own death, so I'll grant you your wish!" The woman in blue suddenly raised her hand.

With a whoosh, the two were simultaneously swept out of the cabin and into the vast river.

boom!

With a deafening roar, a giant wave shot skyward from the river...

"What happened?"

"Waves are rising in the middle of the river; could it be the work of a water monster?"

"Obviously not, there are cultivators fighting to the death..." A group of people rushed onto the deck and stared at them.

However, it was nighttime, with fierce winds and torrential rain, and thick fog; how many people could see clearly?

Few people can see it clearly.

But this does not include Zhou Wenju.

With a flick of his literary energy, two clusters of seven-colored literary energy separated from the literary mountain in his sea of ​​consciousness and entered his eyes.

His eyes were like those of a wise and insightful scholar.

With Wen Daohui's keen eyes, the dense fog and rain seemed to have become a thin veil, and he clearly saw the two people fighting to the death.

One was an old man in black.

One of them was the woman in blue.

The two were sometimes on the crest of a wave, sometimes in the void, clearly both being highly accomplished individuals in the realm of Dao.

The old man held a knife in his hand, its blade gleaming eerily dark, like a scythe from hell.

The woman in blue had no knife in her hand, but her fingernails moved like a snake's tongue, seemingly at will, and both of them moved with extreme speed.

boom!

The old man's blade, accompanied by a whooshing sound, struck the woman in blue heavily in the chest. She flew backward, a fingernail flying from her hand as she was thrown back...

The severed fingernail struck the old man precisely between the eyebrows, creating a bloody hole.

The old man's expression, which had been both ferocious and smug, suddenly froze, his eyes widened, and he fell from the sky into the heart of the river.

The woman in blue skimmed the water and flew away, crashing with a thud into the bottom of the large ship.

She suddenly flipped her arm up and grabbed the bottom of the ship. Like a gecko, she climbed up the ship and finally, with great difficulty, reached the balcony where she was. With a sudden burst of strength, she flipped herself over and fell onto the balcony with a thud.

The waves on the river have subsided.

The large ship was no longer rocking.

Those who had been watching the spectacle on deck, finding it all rather dull, gradually returned to their rooms.

No one noticed that one of the main characters in this battle on the river was lying on the balcony. Like mud.

Finally, the woman in blue slowly raised her head, revealing a deathly pale face in the darkness...

Suddenly, her gaze froze.

The destination is the balcony next door.

On the neighboring balcony, the handsome young man she'd seen during the day looked at her with a hint of surprise. He remained silent, just watching quietly…

Zhou Wenju's expression shifted visibly from surprise to concern: "Miss, what happened?"

The sound was very soft.

"Tianquan Sect...this time it really is Tianquan Sect..." The woman in blue took a deep breath.

"How badly are you injured?" Zhou Wenju asked.

"I suffered some internal injuries and can't use my inner energy. I need... I need to recuperate for two hours." The woman in blue said weakly.

"You should regulate your breathing; I will protect you!" Zhou Wenju said.

The woman in blue gave him a deep look: "Only two hours!"

"It's okay, it doesn't matter if it takes a while. I'm just killing time anyway. To be honest, I don't actually have the habit of going to bed that early..."

The woman in blue struggled to sit up, crossed her legs on the balcony, and slowly closed her eyes.

Zhou Wenju sat on his balcony, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup.

Time passed little by little.

One hour, two hours...

The woman in blue slowly opened her eyes and looked at Zhou Wenju, who was still sitting in the same spot drinking tea. Her gaze seemed to carry a strange complexity.

"All done?" Zhou Wenju asked, his gaze sweeping over.

The woman in blue nodded gently: "I think I really have to believe you mean no harm!"

"I never meant any harm; it's just that you've always thought so badly of me."

"In the martial world, seeing is believing, and hearing is even more so! I only trust my own judgment!" the woman in blue said. "If you have ill intentions, these two hours are the best opportunity to make your move."

Zhou Wenju's teacup stopped moving, and he looked up, lost in thought...

"These two hours are not about you protecting me and prolonging my life, but about you protecting yourself and prolonging your own!" The woman in blue smiled gently. "So, don't think that you are doing me a favor by protecting me."

Zhou Wenju let out a soft breath: "You're actually not injured?"

"A mere old codger at the early stage of Dao Heart cultivation? I could kill him with a flick of my finger! For him to think he could harm me is a joke!" The woman in blue said, "My target has never been him, but rather to present you with an opportunity to test your reaction."

Zhou Wenju looked up at the sky and sighed, "People say the martial world is full of unpredictable twists and turns, and they are absolutely right! Who would have thought that I, a newcomer to the martial world, would be played like this?"

"Are you really a novice in the martial world?" The woman in blue sat down.

When I first sat down, my clothes were still wet.

However, once you sit down at the coffee table, your clothes will dry instantly.

This nonchalant attitude seemed to confirm that everything she had just said was true; she really wasn't hurt; she had simply played a game called "test"...

"Take a good look at my face, and you'll know I'm telling the truth," Zhou Wenju said.

"Face?" The woman in blue frowned. "What can a face prove?"

Zhou Wenju explained earnestly, "This is a pure and innocent face. This face shows that you are a newcomer to the world and have not been tainted by the evils of the world."

The woman in blue was speechless. She parted her lips, revealing her pearly teeth, and gasped, "Could you please... ask me what your name is?"

"Zhou Wenju!"

As Zhou Wenju uttered those three words, he seemed nonchalant, yet he still accurately caught her expression...

That expression...

Very relaxed.