How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

Chapter 130 The Qingshan Literary Gathering Opens

The woman in purple sighed.

That's all I can do.

She went to great lengths to find his value and to evoke a resonance in the saintess.

Her goal was achieved.

The saintess truly found resonance in his past experiences.

He was praised with extremely high marks.

However, the conclusion is: the more outstanding one is, the more deserving of death!

Because the saintess's "southern expedition" was driven by obsession.

In the Great Yu Dynasty, the stronger one's strategic skills, the more deserving of death.

No one should become a variable in the southern expedition.

In particular, young talents who can influence the emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Lixian Academy —

Zhou Wenju's room.

He entered the room, and Cui Wusheng followed him in.

A voice entered his mind: "Brother Zhou, what exactly happened?"

Just now, everyone was present in Master Xuezheng's room.

Some topics can only be discussed in public.

Now, only the two of them are left, so they can talk about something private.

Cui Wusheng, who cultivated the Way of Music, was a very sensitive person and naturally did not quite believe in a visit to local customs and traditions without any apparent reason.

The key issue is that the conclusions of this investigation were far too perfunctory.

The Spirit Clan and the Great Yu Kingdom are a match made in heaven, who doesn't know that? You spend three days and three nights investigating and come to a conclusion that even ordinary people in the capital know?

Zhou Wenju smiled, and a voice echoed back, "Brother Cui, you figured it out?"

"Did something really happen?" Cui Wusheng asked.

"I've been tricked before! If I'm not mistaken, it was the Spirit Clan who did it!" Zhou Wenju said.

Cui Wusheng shuddered.

"What kind of move?"

"It's like a poison that can tarnish Wenshan's reputation!"

"What?" Cui Wusheng exclaimed in shock.

Wenshan is shrouded in dust.

This is what writers fear most. Once literature is tarnished and the literary tradition faces annihilation, all literary techniques become useless, and excellent works naturally become relics of the past.

he----

"Don't be alarmed, I've already cured the poison!" Zhou Wenju said. "I couldn't mention it in front of everyone just now because this topic is too sensitive. If it were made public, it would be an open break with the Spirit Clan."

Cui Wusheng was furious: "So what if we tear off the mask? These scum dare to defy the world and do such despicable things, daring to go against the mainstream public opinion of the Spirit Clan. They have never been worthy of being seen in the light of day. Let's make this a big deal. Maybe the Spirit Clan Chief will get rid of these elders and give tomorrow's literary gathering a clean and upright atmosphere."

Once the idea came to mind, even Cui Wusheng himself was tempted.

There has been some analysis over the past few days.

The elders of the Ling Clan have been infiltrated by the Yan Kingdom.

There may be unfairness at tomorrow's literary gathering.

Everyone was at a loss; suing was out of the question because there was no evidence.

If you don't file a complaint, you can only watch helplessly as a potential trap is laid and drawn closer.

Zhou Wenju is now being targeted in Lingzu territory.

The nature of this matter immediately became serious.

If we're going to do something wrong, we should go all the way and drag these rats out of the gutter. Then, the upcoming literary gathering might just bring a chance to break the deadlock.

However, Zhou Wen held up his teacup and quietly looked at him, his eyes filled with a strange expression.

"Brother Zhou, you don't agree, do you? —" Cui Wusheng met his gaze, and his chaotic thoughts immediately returned to normal.

Zhou Wenju sighed softly: "Brother Cui, do you really believe that the mainstream public opinion of the Spirit Clan is a match made in heaven with our Great Yu?"

Cui Wusheng's heart raced: "Could it be—could it not be? The racial characteristics of the Spirit Race are truly more compatible with our Great Yu."

"Yes, the racial characteristics of the Spirit Race cannot be changed. They prefer warmer climates and more fertile lands. But will this make them more inclined to befriend the Great Yu Kingdom?" Zhou Wenju said. "Perhaps the insightful members of the Spirit Race would prefer to join forces with the Great Yan Kingdom, seize the Great Yu Kingdom, and make the Jiangnan region their permanent fiefdom?"

Cui Wusheng's eyes suddenly widened—

"Their biological nature clearly favors the Southern Dynasty! However, since ancient times, there have been two ways to express liking: one is to be close, and the other is to possess!" Zhou Wenju said, "If—and I'm just saying if—the Spirit Clan had this idea, it would definitely take root and, ultimately, driven by ambition, slide step by step to extremes. An alliance with the Yan Kingdom might not be driven by those elders who accepted bribes, and in the mainstream opinion of the Spirit Clan, it might not actually be something shameful—"

Cui Wusheng's expression changed.

This analysis.

His reasoning is sound, but Zhou Wenju's reasoning is even more sound.

The characteristics of the Spirit Race dictate that they are naturally closer to the Southern Dynasty.

But who says that liking someone means you can only have an arranged marriage?

Possession is a more common way for powerful forces to show their "liking".

If what Zhou Wenju said is true, then things are really troublesome.

Those who might lead the northward movement are not necessarily malicious individuals; on the contrary, they could be "wise men" of the Eldar.

This tendency may not be the Eldar's "shady dealings" at all.

Perhaps this is the mainstream view of the Eldar.

If so, tearing down this thin veil would mean breaking ties with the Spirit Clan, plunging the Great Yu Kingdom into a deadly predicament before anything even begins.

"Brother Zhou, what should we do?" Cui Wusheng sighed softly, his voice tinged with helplessness.

"The outcome is still uncertain; we could both be dark horses!" Zhou Wenju said. "Since the rules have been set, let's defeat them within those rules! Even if it's just a pretext, we have to seize it!"

"Too!"

"How is Brother Cui's happiness going?"

Cui Wusheng smiled and said, "Although we are in a foreign land and cannot display it, that musical note has been played countless times on my Wenshan Mountain, and everything is as expected!"

"That's good. Get a good rest tonight, and tomorrow—fight with all your might!" Zhou Wenju said.

"I'll take my leave!" Cui Wusheng stood up and left the room.

Cui Wusheng left.

Within Zhou Wenju's sea of ​​consciousness, a small butterfly appeared out of thin air; it had flown back from outside.

What no one knew was that the first thing Zhou Wenju did upon returning to Lixian Academy was to release Little Butterfly. His instructions to Little Butterfly were simple: "Give me a thorough check of all our attendees to see if anyone else has been poisoned."

The little butterfly executed the instruction flawlessly.

The reason is simple: it actually really enjoys absorbing this kind of evil energy.

If anyone in their group gets infected, the little one will be very happy—they'll get another midnight snack!

So it executed!

However, it was disappointed.

I'm frustrated.

None of the people traveling with me have been infected!

The late-night snack turned out to be daylily.

After locking the little butterfly in its cage again, Zhou Wenju rested his chin on his hand, a mixture of relief, trepidation, and worry on his face.

These are three completely different emotions.

In theory, they should not coexist.

But they just happen to coexist.

What is relaxation?

No one on the team has been infected, and there will be no devastating incidents tomorrow.

What is it that's being so proud of?

A simple logical deduction.

The poison here lowers the literary prodigy's level and is only applied to the person who poses the greatest threat to the opponent. The fact that Zhou Wenju fell for it shows that everyone acknowledges that Zhou Wenju is very strong, so strong that it inspires despair, so strong that he can only resort to underhanded tactics.

Yeah, I'm awesome, I can brag about it.

However, concerns remain—

Why the concern?

This is also a further extension.

The Aoyama Literary Society is a full-scale confrontation across seven literary and moral fields.

The fact that the enemy only targeted him was a way of acknowledging that Zhou Wenju was very strong.

But what does it mean that they didn't target anyone else?

Is it because those people are confident they can defeat them squarely and decisively that they don't bother to scheme against them?

This extended judgment is very worrying.

The Qingshan Literary Gathering is a team event. Zhou Wenju's individual strength is not enough to truly lead the Great Yu Kingdom to victory. At least three more people need to win for the entire gathering to end in a triumphant conclusion for the Great Yu Kingdom.

Of the six people besides myself, is it possible for me to win three of them?

This is the key to whether the Aoyama Literary Gathering will be won or lost —

The next day —

The sun is shining brightly!

The bright spring sun paints endless beauty in the mountains.

The sea of ​​clouds beneath my feet, varying in shades, resembles a traditional Chinese ink painting from the Jiangnan region.

As the clouds drifted by, a flower bridge spanned the clouds. Eight people from the Great Yu Kingdom emerged from the Court of Worship on the right and stepped onto the flower bridge. Eight people from the Yan Kingdom also appeared at the edge of the flower bridge almost simultaneously.

The leader of the Yan delegation was also the academic director of the Wenyuan Pavilion in Yan, named Li Ruoxu.

The two scholars met by the bridge; one greeted the other with a scholarly gesture, the other with a smile, thus beginning a refined clash between literary giants.

"Brother Zhuang, it's been ten years!" Li Ruoxu said.

"Brother Li, you are even more charismatic than you were ten years ago!" Zhuang Wenhua said.

They had obviously met once ten years ago.

"Over the past twenty years, the literary path of the Great Yu Kingdom has been restored from chaos and started with great difficulty. As the main force in the revival of the literary path, the Wenyuan Pavilion has a difficult task. Brother Zhuang has walked step by step through these ruins of the literary path. It must have been hard work!" Li Ruoxu said.

Upon hearing this, smiles appeared on the faces of everyone behind him.

In the Great Yu Kingdom, Emperor Wu reigned twenty years ago.

In that era, martial arts were valued more than literature.

There is indeed a consensus among people that the Great Yu Kingdom has achieved a "20-year revival of literature and culture," but mentioning it at this moment clearly carries a hidden meaning.

This is to tell the Spirit Clan that the Great Yu Kingdom has a weak foundation in literature and Taoism.

This is disparaging, but everything he said is true.

How do you defend yourself when faced with facts and blatant denigration?

Zhuang Wenhua smiled enigmatically: "The literary calamity that befell the Great Yu Kingdom twenty years ago has now been fully recovered. Even the twenty years when literature was at its weakest were not entirely fruitless. After all, it cost your Yan Kingdom an entire generation of border cavalry, and made your entire Yan army weep as they looked towards Dragon City, didn't it, Brother Li?"

The eight people from Yan all changed their expressions at once.

During Emperor Wu's reign, the Yan army decimated its neighbors, and dared not cross the Longcheng Pass even a step! This is also a fact.

This fact reveals a cruel underlying logic to the Eldar.

The Great Yu and the Great Yan were ultimately enemy states.

We have to fight!

In terms of military affairs, the Yan Kingdom had once lived in constant fear under the rule of the Dayu Kingdom.

Are you really sure you want to stand with them through thick and thin?

Are you really planning to use this literary gathering to force your Elven race onto the brutal battlefield?

Li Ruoxu's face darkened: "Brother Zhuang mentioned the era of Emperor Wu with such self-satisfaction; could it be that you rather admire this ruler?"

This is a very obvious trap.

If you dare to answer yes, then you are at odds with the Temple's position. Emperor Wu was executed by the Temple himself, and he is an absolute negative example in the literati's dictionary and in the history books.

At the same time, this also aligns with the likes and dislikes of the Eldar.

The Spirit Clan prefers literature and the Way.

You're using the worship of Emperor Wu, which is the opposite of the literary and moral traditions, as a basis.

Zhuang Wenhua was not about to fall for his trick. He smiled faintly and said, "Brother Li, you are overinterpreting. What I mean is that in this world, there are gains and losses, strengths and weaknesses. In the past, Emperor Wu could establish the great empire with his mighty mountains and rivers, and no villain dared to act rashly. Today, the scholars of our great empire can still defend our vast land with their literary talents and thwart the treacherous intentions of villains!"

This brings us back to the topic of the Aoyama Literary Society.

A very orthodox argument.

Li Ruoxu coldly replied, "Then I'll learn from you at the literary gathering!"

"Brother Li, please!"

The two bigwigs walked side by side onto the flower bridge.

The other seven people followed.

On both sides, the young men and women of the Spirit Clan had excitement in their eyes.

They finally saw the talented scholars of the human race up close, and they also felt the tense atmosphere of the Green Mountain Literary Gathering.

A clash of the highest literary and moral standards.

It is destined to stir up boundless ripples.

Above the flower bridge, there is a high platform.

Perched between two mountain peaks, it truly is a giant platform rising into the air, with mountains and rivers flowing beneath its feet.

On the high platform, bluebirds fluttered about.

Beside the high platform, flowers bloom in all four seasons.

A long flower-lined path stretches out to your feet.

The two groups of people strolled up to the top of the platform.

At the top, three elders of the Spirit Clan bowed in welcome.

These three elders were the highest-ranking elders, because each of them wore robes adorned with nine orioles.

The one in the very center raised his eyes: "I am Du Ling, the Grand Elder of the Spirit Clan. These two are the Second Elder, Du Feng, and the Third Elder, Du Yun!"

"Ling Feng has personally welcomed us three times; how dare we accept such a favor!" Li Ruoxu and Zhuang Wenhua bowed simultaneously.

Ling Feng, the person in charge of daily affairs for the Spirit Clan.

Their status was equivalent to that of the Four Elders of the Mohist School.

The standards were raised immediately.

"Distinguished guests from both the Great Yan and Great Yu kingdoms, please take your seats," Elder Du Feng said.

"please!"

Li Ruoxu bowed to Zhuang Wenhua.

Zhuang Wenhua sighed inwardly; yet another one on the right side—

The seats have been assigned.

The Yan Kingdom remained on the left, and the Dayu Kingdom on the right; both countries' flags were already planted.

There's no way to change it.

Let us take our seats here. Etiquette is a minor matter at this literary gathering.

Everyone took their seats.

On the left, Li Ruoxu is in first place. Below him are the corresponding candidates from the seven fields of classics, chess, calligraphy, mathematics, painting, poetry, and music: Liang Chaofan, Meng Yu, Su Tianzhi, Du Yuqing, Li Xiangfei, Wang Zhiyi, and He Shuchao.

On the right, Zhuang Wenhua is first, followed by Xiang Bo, Zhang Yi, Wang Jiangyi, Ding Yuchou, Wu Tianliang, Zhou Wenju, and Cui Wusheng in the same order.

Two teams of maids simultaneously served fragrant tea.

Ling Feng sat down in the main seat for the third time, with the Grand Elder in the center.

After everyone was seated, the Second Elder, Du Feng, spoke: "This literary gathering was initiated by our Spirit Clan. Our intention was to forge a positive connection with the world through marriage. This gathering should be a beautiful story. Therefore, esteemed masters, why not relax and, in a spirit of 'making friends through literature,' jointly write this beautiful story?"

The expressions on everyone's faces relaxed simultaneously.

However, it's just a facade.

Because everyone is not a fool, they all know that this is just the opening act of a tense game.

A good story is only a good story if you win.

If we lose, then it will be a horrific accident.