How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

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As soon as the sound fell, the river water on all sides suddenly stopped flowing.

No, it flows in a strange way.

In an instant, it transformed into a water cage, pressing down on Zhou Wenju and Lin Nongyue from all directions.

The last vestige of color that had returned to Lin Nongyue's face vanished instantly. She, who had never felt despair before, was now truly experiencing despair.

Because she knew very well that she and he were doomed tonight.

Who exactly is he?

Why did the famous Prince of Rulan in Jiangnan want to kill him?

Her gaze fell on Zhou Wenju, hoping to find the answer in his face.

Zhou Wenju didn't look at her; he looked at the sky and whispered, "Brother Zhong, aren't you going to make a move?"

Brother Zhong?

Lin Nongyue's heart skipped a beat...

With a soft hiss, accompanied by countless streams of light! It was the Stream of Literary Path...

A streak of light flashed by.

The airtight water cage shattered in an instant.

The immense pressure vanished instantly.

The old man's smug and ferocious expression suddenly froze. All around him were streams of literary light, each stream resembling a flower branch of the Great Dao.

"Wenhua, who is she?" the old man screamed, filled with fear.

Before the Flower Realm, it's hard to distinguish between the Way of Literature and the Way of Cultivation.

But after the flower border, the literary flowers overshadowed the road flowers.

Daohua faces a life-or-death situation against Wenhua.

Today, he bumped into Wenhua...

In a single instant, his domain was completely shattered. He realized that the saying "literary flowers suppressing Dao flowers" was indeed true, and he was no match for the newcomer...

His response to this question was the transformation of the sky filled with bouquets of flowers.

The bouquet transformed into a giant golden character: Loyalty!

Zhou Wenju laughed: "Old fool, you think you can really kill me? Don't you realize I had a hundred ways to sneak into the capital? Why did I choose to expose myself?"

"You...you..." The old man was completely speechless for a moment, feeling the suppression of his entire cultivation under the huge character "Loyalty".

"I just wanted Brother Zhong to see for himself what kind of person the Prince of Rulan, whom His Majesty trusts so much, really is. Now the results are in, and whether the affairs of the dynasty go smoothly or not depends on the mood of this 'Prince of Jiangnan'!"

The title "King of Jiangnan" was spoken with exceptional weight!

puff!

The word "loyalty" that trapped the old Taoist flower master suddenly changed.

The three dots of the character "心" (heart) fly up simultaneously.

puff!

The first tap was on the old man's dantian.

Below the dantian, it turned into a blood mist.

The second tap is on the old man's forehead.

The old man's head turned into a bloody mist.

The third point disappeared into the void...

A mournful cry echoed from the void, emanating from the old man's primordial spirit: "No..."

The waves have subsided!

The water is still!

Night falls!

Snowflakes are falling from the sky...

Their boat had long since disappeared, and on the vast river, there were only the two of them.

A figure strode across the river, dressed in white, a scholar's attire, none other than Zhongba, who had conveyed His Majesty's decree to Zhou Wenju that day.

"Brother Zhong!" Zhou Wenju stepped on the crest of the wave, covering ten feet in a single step, and bowed respectfully.

"Brother Zhou!" Zhongba also performed a scholar's bow.

The two looked up at the same time, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky, sliding down their heads into the river...

There was no one else around; within a ten-zhang radius, there were only the two of them.

Lin Nongyue, standing far away, looked on with a face full of question marks...

"Brother Zhou sent a message, yet he hopes I will not show myself. I am well aware of his purpose. However, Brother Zhou may be disappointed!" Zhongba said, his expression meaningful.

Chung-pachi was a member of the literary school, and specifically a member of the Loyalty Bureau of the Imperial Court, specializing in investigating cases.

How quick-witted he is!

Zhou Wenju had already sent him a message.

Tell him that you have already set off for Beijing.

He set off for Beijing at the invitation of Zhongba, who also clearly told him that the journey to Beijing would be fraught with danger and that he should be notified as soon as the date of his arrival was set, so that he could escort Zhou Wenju.

Zhou Wenju wasn't stubborn; he did indeed notify him.

However, the notice added a sentence: Do not show yourself; protect them secretly.

This added point reveals the true purpose in its entirety.

That kid is incredibly cunning!

He wanted Chung-hachi to see for himself that the Prince of Rulan was a person who "dared to defy the emperor's will for personal gain" and a person who "disregarded the core interests of the dynasty for personal benefit."

He is trying to sow discord between the Prince of Rulan and His Majesty.

The plan was good, but Chungpachi told him directly that he might be disappointed...

Zhou Wenju raised his eyes, his expression slightly complicated: "Is that so?"

"Your Majesty knows the temperament of the Prince of Rulan. His arrogance is not something that developed overnight. If he could be easily subdued by uttering disobedient words, he would have died a hundred times over back when he first joined the throne! How could he be the Prince of Rulan today?"

Zhou Wenju sighed inwardly...

That's it!

A meritorious official who helped the emperor rise to power!

Always disobedient!

His elaborate scheme to sow discord between the Prince of Rulan and His Majesty appears to have failed.

Because Chunghachi heard the old man's words with his own ears.

I witnessed firsthand the disobedience of the Prince of Rulan.

Ultimately, however, they chose to kill the old man directly, rather than using him as evidence to impeach the Prince of Rulan.

At the same time, he also told him very bluntly: Your little tricks won't work on Prince Rulan. Prince Rulan has disobeyed His Majesty more than once or twice. Even if His Majesty knows about what you said today, it won't matter at all.

"not necessarily?"

"At least it was because I exposed this fact that Brother Zhong was determined to kill this old man, wasn't it? What if I had set my sights lower, and only aimed to wipe out the top experts of the Rulan Prince's Mansion? Wouldn't that have been a success?"

"A super expert who wiped out the Prince of Rulan's mansion! Brother Zhou, what you're saying is taboo!" Zhongba looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.

"A prince can keep martial arts practitioners who disrupt the law without breaking the law, yet I, a mere junior, am breaking the law by eliminating these lawless individuals?" Zhou Wenju frowned. "Perhaps Brother Zhong needs to explain the taboos of the court to me. If I am completely ignorant of these taboos, stepping into the capital and attending the Qingshan Literary Gathering will only cause trouble for His Majesty. It would be better for me to return to Lingnan!"

Zhongba abruptly lowered his head, staring intently at Zhou Wenju…

What kind of feeling was that inside me?

fuck!

You're just shirking your responsibilities!

That's a threat!

You're just being manipulative!

You bastard, you're absolutely...

Zhou Wenju looked at him with an innocent expression.

Finally, Zhongba sighed softly: "Brother Zhou, His Majesty's decision to have you participate in the literary gathering is currently just a royal decree. Even with only a slight hint of it being released, the court, the four great academies, and the literary world of the capital are all in an uproar. His Majesty is under pressure, and the Director is under even greater pressure. Under these circumstances, please don't cause any more trouble, okay?"

Zhou Wenju sighed deeply and nodded heavily: "I, Zhou Wenju, still know what's good for me. I know His Majesty's good intentions, and I also know the good intentions of the officials of the Dingchao Division... Alright, alright, I'll bear all the grievances and not make things difficult for Brother Zhong."

Chung-hachi was filled with resentment...

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Do you seem like someone who can take being wronged?

The Prince of Rulan, with two high-ranking officials in the capital, has killed countless people without harming a single hair on your head, yet you turn around and complain to me about your grievances...

Tell me, what wronged you?

Zhongba's myriad resentments coalesced into a single sentence: "This place is only a hundred li from the capital. Brother Zhou, why don't you go to the capital now? No... perhaps you shouldn't go to the capital for the time being. Why don't you stay at the White Horse Temple in the Western Hills for a few days, and then I will inform the Director before making a decision? What do you think?"

"Brother Zhong, you've gone to so much trouble!" Zhou Wenju bowed deeply.

"I'll take my leave for now. See you at Hakuba-ji!" Chunghachi bowed and drifted away.

Zhou Wenju stood on the crest of a wave, watching him sail away.

Someone approached from behind, and a faint fragrance wafted in the cold wind.

"You...you really went to the capital to attend the literary gathering?" It was Lin Nongyue's voice, filled with hesitation and confusion.

Zhou Wenju slowly turned around: "I've told you several times, but you just wouldn't believe me."

"I've witnessed your cultivation level with my own eyes, how can I believe you?"

"Is there a rule against dual cultivation of 'literary meridians'?"

Lin Nongyue gently shook her head: "No, but this is the usual practice. You are a cultivator of pulse techniques, how high can your literary skills be? Besides, you lied to me with a straight face, saying that you did not participate in the imperial examination and did not pass the examination."

"I'm not lying to you, I really didn't participate in the imperial examinations, and I really never passed the examinations."

Lin Nongyue was once again stuck in a dead end: "You've never even participated in the imperial examinations, yet the Emperor personally summoned you to the literary gathering? What... what went wrong here?"

Zhou Wenju was speechless...

My name has never been hidden from you.

You know I am Zhou Wenju, but you don't know what the name Zhou Wenju means.

If you are just an ordinary practitioner, I can accept it. The problem is that you, as a practitioner, ponder poetry every day. When you come across so-called "beautiful lines of poetry," you pick up a brush and carefully copy them down on a paper umbrella.

You encounter a master of classical Chinese poetry, yet you know absolutely nothing about him.

What do you mean by your behavior?

A man in another world who was only superficially interested in dragons but was actually terrified of them?

Alright, I'm not going to argue about this with you anymore...

"Let's go back to the ship!"

The two walked away.

Fifteen minutes later, the outline of the large ship appeared in the night.

They had just fought a life-or-death battle, yet the people on the large ship were completely unaware of it.

This is what makes Daohua so terrifying.

Even if Daohua kills someone in a bustling city, he can still create his own territory and not disturb others.

The King of Rulan did not want the whole world to know that he had killed Zhou Wenju. Therefore, as soon as he arrived in front of them, he implemented a domain blockade. Even though they fought fiercely, the people on the big ship slept, ate, and enjoyed themselves without knowing anything.

They put an end to this trivial matter and returned to their respective rooms.

I slept soundly through the night, and dawn broke...

The boundless splendor of Luoyang unfolded before their eyes.

The ancient city stretches to the horizon.

The grandeur of the imperial capital is immediately apparent.

The large ship was moored at the ferry crossing in the capital. All kinds of ships were on the riverbank, including cargo ships from the north that transported pig iron and furs, passenger ships like theirs, and countless small boats. The riverbank was packed with them.

As they disembarked and landed, countless people greeted them at the dock, though of course, not to welcome them.

The two of them had absolutely no connection with the capital.

"Do you have a place to stay in the capital?" Lin Nongyue looked around, seemingly also shocked by the grandeur of the capital, and asked this question.

"No!" Zhou Wenju answered honestly.

His original self spent his childhood and adolescence in the capital city, and some scenes from the capital city can still be vaguely found deep in his mind.

However, times have changed, and the original owner's situation has changed drastically. In the vast capital city, there really is no place for him to live.

The ancestral "Plum Garden" no longer belongs to the Zhou family; it now belongs to the Huang or Yan family...

"Then what should we do? Should we go into town and find an inn to stay in?" Lin Nongyue asked.

"I'm going to the White Horse Temple. As for you, I have two suggestions for you to choose from. First, you can find a way to contact your father yourself. Second, you can come with me to the White Horse Temple. In a few days, I will visit your father, and you can come with me. We can meet your father discreetly and without making a scene."

Lin Nongyue was a little confused: "You made this second suggestion once before..."

"You said I was bragging last time, but now you should believe that I have the opportunity to visit your father."

"Alright, let's go to White Horse Temple!" Lin Nongyue nodded.

In any case, the second plan is more promising than the first.

The first option...

She went to find her father herself; she was truly clueless.

A second-rank official is a high-ranking official in the imperial court.

Her identity is unclear; she's just an ordinary cultivator. How could an ordinary cultivator meet a high-ranking official in the imperial court?

To clarify her identity, you have to put her father on the hot seat.

Whether they are court officials or scholars, they all value their reputation. If an illegitimate daughter suddenly appears outside the court and the mother and child are ignored for many years, they will be impeached by their political enemies.

A reputation for being heartless and ungrateful can be bought with money.

Although she had long since come to regard her father as "heartless and ungrateful," he was still her father, and she couldn't very well make things difficult for him, whether as a person or as an official...

Therefore, let's go to the White Horse Temple with him first.

Baima Temple is located in the western mountains outside the city.

At this time of year, heavy snow closes off the mountains, and the western mountains are covered in white snow.

Although the surrounding area was vast and desolate, it did not appear bleak; instead, it had a dreamlike snow scene.

At the foot of Xishan Mountain lies a lake named Weiyang.

On the shores of Weiyang Lake, the manor stretches endlessly, with countless pavilions and towers.

The old willows by the lake bowed silently in the heavy snow.

Golden camphor trees are spreading their greenery in various gardens.

The blooming of this greenery is not a symbol of spring, but rather the result of the work of various great forces.

Both the Way of Literature and the Way of Array have the wondrous ability to alter the four seasons.

Wealthy families in the outskirts of Beijing can set up formations or hang high-end literary treasures in their manors to keep them in a spring-like state all year round. Even when heavy snow falls and the weather is freezing cold, the snow will not accumulate in the manor and the cold wind will not penetrate. This is what truly profound families of this era like to show to the world during the freezing cold season.

A bluestone path along the shore of Weiyang Lake leads to the top of Xishan Mountain.

They walked along this road, step by step.

The towering city walls of the capital gradually became shorter, and as they climbed higher, the entire cityscape slowly came into view.

Eight main avenues divide the city into four main sections: east, west, south, and north.

The southern part of the city is a commercial district. Today is the twelfth day of the first lunar month, and countless red lanterns stand out against the white snow.

The western part of the city was clearly much more chaotic.

In the northern part of the city, the spirit of literature and scholarship shines brightly. There stands the Confucian Temple and the most prestigious academy in the entire Great Yu Kingdom, the "Luoyang Academy"...

This is a long-standing proverb in the capital: the rich live in the south, the poor in the west, and scholars and nobles move northward.

The eastern city is the imperial city, a huge imperial palace that, even though it is located on the mountainside of the western hills ten miles away, still exudes an awe-inspiring presence.

"I have a question!" Lin Nongyue said, "Why did you come to Baima Temple? Why didn't you just go into town and find an inn?"

"If I said...it was to save money, would you believe me?" Zhou Wenju asked.

"Save money? Do you think I believe you?" Lin Nongyue looked at him: "It only costs fifty taels to take a boat from Nanyang to the capital, but you just waved your hand and threw a hundred taels at them. You're acting like a spoiled brat. To be honest, I've suspected for a long time that your father is a corrupt official."