How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

Chapter 141 A Drop of Forgetfulness Potion

"Locked in the passage of time, quietly waiting for a flower to bloom?" Zhou Wenju frowned slightly.

"I am already old and frail, and I fear that I will not live to see that flower bloom. I can only bury myself in the house of time and borrow the power of time to retain a glimmer of life so that I may still have the chance to see the flower bloom."

An unknown emotion quietly flowed through Zhou Wenju's heart.

Placing oneself in a time-bound tomb where time flows a hundred times faster than the outside world is inexplicable—

But the old man offered an explanation.

This explanation is so poetic, so tragic.

He is old.

His lifespan is short.

He is waiting for a flower to bloom.

He feared he would die before the flowers bloomed.

So, I borrow the magic of time to live a few more days.

At the moment the flower bloomed, he was still alive—

He left behind his twilight years.

That is the magic of the Time Tomb.

He survives inside for a year, while a century passes in the outside world.

It has nothing to do with cultivation or the improvement of one's cultivation level.

It's just a deep-seated wish —

"The flower that my senior is waiting for to bloom—what kind of flower is it?"

The old man raised his eyes, a desolate look in them: "That one from that day!"

"Has that one flower from that day withered already?"

"Otherwise, why should I wait?"

Zhou Wenju let out a soft breath: "Senior, do you know that there are no two flowers in the world that are exactly alike!"

"Yes, no two flowers in the world are exactly alike. What I seek is not exactly the same either, but only—similarity!"

Zhou Wenju couldn't ask any more questions.

He felt sorrow in his heart.

Waiting for a flower to bloom in the world is very poetic.

He prefers to believe that he is waiting for someone!

A person who has fallen into the cycle of reincarnation, whose whereabouts are unknown!

He is waiting for this person to be reincarnated and return.

This world is so wondrous. The law of reincarnation is also one of the laws of heaven. He could not possibly know whether the "reincarnation" that the old man was looking forward to would really come true.

However, he knew that even if someone returned from the cycle of reincarnation, that person would no longer be the same person.

This is another interpretation of "No two flowers in the world are exactly alike".

Interpretation of the path of spiritual practice.

But the old man said: Similar is fine too!

This is the wish of an elderly person in their twilight years.

This is his only thought in this world.

He couldn't bear to shatter this hope—

Without this, how can he live in this grave of time, day after day, year after year?

"Senior—" Zhou Wenju let out a long sigh—

"Don't speak!" the old man suddenly interrupted.

His gaze was fixed on the cave wall in front of him, his expression very focused.

What happened?

Zhou Wenju's gaze followed the light from the man's reflection, and he saw what the man was looking at.

This is a drop of dew.

The dewdrops dripping from the cave wall grew increasingly round, and were about to fall—

"This drop of the Water of Oblivion is about to fall again! The last moment before it falls is the true essence of the law of time, so do not disturb this old man—" the old man said.

A drop of the potion of forgetfulness!

The law of time?

Zhou Wenju's heart skipped a beat.

His keen insight suddenly opened, staring at this seemingly ordinary dewdrop.

This dewdrop actually refracted something unusual from the very beginning.

Because the old man was sitting in the cave, he was looking at the mountains and rivers of the Spirit Clan through this dewdrop. Under his guidance, Zhou Wenju even got to see the "projection fast forward" of Lixian Villa.

But on that day, he simply thought it was an old man's method of cultivation.

This spectacle was not attributed to the dewdrop itself.

And today, under his discerning eye, this dewdrop has gradually filled out, about to fall—

Only then did he truly see the signs.

Dewdrops are like the river of time.

Every water molecule is filled with endless mystery —

Tick-tock!

At the moment when this dewdrop revealed its most mysterious secret, it dripped down from the stone wall.

The old man sighed deeply: "Smoke always dissipates where prosperity lies; such is the way of the world."

Zhou Wen raised his hand and instinctively reached out towards the water droplet, but the dewdrop passed right through his palm without him touching it.

Zhou Wenju was startled, and Wenxin suddenly uttered a single word.

The character is: "壶".

Yes, the word "壶" in the line "凤箫声动，玉壶光转" from the poem "青玉案" by Tiandao Qingci.

The character "壶" was uttered casually, and then the rest was pronounced.

If physical means cannot catch this drop of dew, then we will use literary means to catch it.

After all, the methods of literature and Taoism are also very mysterious.

Especially this "pot" born from the Heavenly Dao's blue words, should be the ultimate in literary and artistic techniques.

Unfortunately, this strange "pot" appeared beneath the dewdrop and still inexplicably passed through it.

It is just a drop of water, yet it possesses the instinct to transcend everything.

"I've tried countless methods to solve this problem—" the old man chuckled softly.

The next moment, a Bodhi seed suddenly appeared!

As soon as the Bodhi seed appeared, with a soft "tap," the dewdrop disappeared.

The old man's eyes widened suddenly, filled with disbelief.

Zhou Wenju smiled, and the Bodhi seed spun and landed on his fingertip.

He finally caught the dewdrop.

This is the Bodhi seed I used.

"The Bodhi Tree of Burial!" The old man's gaze suddenly rose: "Why do you possess such a wondrous object?"

Zhou Wenju's heart raced.

This Bodhi seed, and the little butterfly inside it, are the fruits of his spiritual journey. He has never revealed them to anyone, but that does not prevent him from studying scriptures and classics to find their origin.

Especially during the period when he entered the Dingchao Division to prepare for the Qingshan Literary Gathering, he consulted a lot of materials but could not find any records of this Bodhi tree or this butterfly.

Now, inside this cave, the old man uttered a chilling name: Burial Bodhi.

What is the burial path?

If even the road can be buried, what kind of good thing could it be?

"This Bodhi was something I accidentally fished out of the Heavenly Dao Sea. Does senior know where it came from?" Zhou Wenju asked.

The old man said, "Bodhi is planted by the Buddha, but Bodhi that buries the path is an anomaly in Buddhism and Taoism. It often contains great demons and ominous things. Is there anything unusual in your Bodhi?"

His expression was extremely serious.

Zhou Wenju's back was sweating —

The Bodhi Tree of Burial is often sealed with monstrous and malevolent creatures. A single Bodhi Tree is almost equivalent to the "water burial" of the Heavenly Dao, sealing those monstrous and malevolent creatures within, which then drift with the waves on the Heavenly Dao Sea like a water burial coffin.

That little butterfly —

He dislikes scriptures and flowers, but he is drawn to malevolent energy, including poisonous and exotic energies.

Why did he suddenly feel that this—this really matched the characteristics of a "major ominous thing"?

Although this little butterfly doesn't look fierce at all.

However, it seems that you really can't use conventional visual methods to judge whether a particular species is ferocious.

"Senior, there is indeed something sealed inside—I don't know if it's a very ominous object. Perhaps you could make a judgment for me?" Zhou Wenju said.

The old man's expression changed: "How can you be sure there's something inside?"

"This junior has already opened it!"

"It was opened, yet you're still alive; truly, heaven has smiled upon you—" The old man let out a long sigh. "What was it?"

"Senior, please look!" Zhou Wenju transmitted a thought, and the Bodhi seed suddenly split open, revealing a small butterfly inside. Above it, a dewdrop was spinning.

People say that butterflies feed on flowers and drink dew, but this is clearly not the case with butterflies.

At least the little butterfly showed absolutely no interest in the sudden appearance of this dewdrop; it didn't even bother to look at it.

The old man frowned: "A butterfly, without any malevolent aura, without any demonic energy, revealing no clue whatsoever—what is so special about it?"

"it----"

Zhou Wenju explained its characteristics.

The old man's brow furrowed deeper and deeper: "He enjoys consuming malevolent energy, he enjoys consuming the energy of strange creatures, and he even worries that his Bodhi will be broken. Could he be one of the legendary abandoned species of Mount Ling?"

"Abandoned species of Ling Mountain? What kind of species?"

"This abandoned species from Mount Ling was born from Buddhism and Taoism, yet was abandoned by them. It harbors resentment towards Buddhism and is close to demonic influence. However, if carefully nurtured, it may not be impossible for it to return to the righteous path of Buddhism and Taoism." The old man sighed and continued, "It is not in great danger at present. If it is constantly nurtured with Buddhist and Taoist teachings in the future, it may also have its own destiny. Keep it safe and do not show it to others lightly. If Buddhism and Taoism find out, it may be coveted. You should know that this abandoned species from Mount Ling is an excellent material for Buddhist sects to forge magical artifacts that suppress evil spirits."

"Thank you for your understanding, senior!" With a thought, Zhou Wenju closed the Bodhi door again, and with a swirling motion, it vanished without a trace.

According to the old man.

There is still no immediate danger for this little butterfly.

It's good that there's no danger. If it's a very ominous thing, forcing him to get rid of this thing that's in his head, he'll be in a difficult position.

After all, this little guy has made great contributions.

Without it to absorb the poison from his body.

He missed the Aoyama Literary Gathering.

Later, he assigned Little Butterfly to detoxify Cui Wusheng, and Little Butterfly was very effective.

Not to mention the miraculous detection methods this little guy possessed—

As long as such a small creature isn't a ferocious animal, that's good.

The old man raised his gaze: "Today, you have obtained half a seed of the Time Law, which is a blessing from Heaven on the path of cultivation. Are you interested in comprehending the Time Law?"

Zhou Wenju's heart skipped a beat: "Half a seed of the Time Law? This drop of 'Forgetfulness Potion' is the seed of the Time Law?"

The old man laughed: "Someone who can't even recognize the seed of the law of time can easily pluck it. If this is the madness of the Heavenly Dao, then it is undoubtedly too mad."

Yes, who can argue with that?

Zhou Wenju said, "This junior finds the laws of time extremely profound. Even with this seed within me, after a brief attempt to understand them, I am completely baffled."

"You're clearly confused! If you gained something immediately after obtaining the Seed of the Law of Time, then what about the Seven Laws of Heaven, with Time as the Supreme?" the old man said. "Even the world's top cultivation geniuses take a hundred years to comprehend the Seven Laws of Heaven, especially the Laws of Time and Space, which are even more difficult."

"Senior, are you studying the laws of time?" Zhou Wenju asked.

"I naturally hope to comprehend the laws of time, but alas, until now, I have only scratched the surface—" the old man said. "Perhaps we must believe that Heaven favors those with affinity. I am ultimately not the one destined to be under the Tree of Time, but you, perhaps, are!"

Zhou Wenju's heart pounded.

The old man's gaze shifted: "The connections in this world are indeed a blessing from Heaven, but sometimes you also need to actively seek them. What you have so far is only half a seed of the Time Law, which is ultimately not enough to support your initial path of the Time Law. In one day, a drop of the Water of Oblivion will fall. Don't forget, come again!"

"tomorrow?"

"What I mean by 'one day later' is one day later within this Tomb of Time," which, in the outside world, would be three months later, specifically May 19th of this year!

One day inside the cave is equivalent to one hundred days outside.

He couldn't possibly wait here for a single day while the outside world went through three months of ups and downs.

"Senior, I must be leaving now!" Zhou Wenju stood up. "Is there anything you would like me to do for you?"

The old man slowly stood up: "There's something you might be able to do!"

"Please give your orders, senior!"

"In your lifetime, let the literary arts of the Great Yu Kingdom rise from the ruins, let the Five Regions and Four Ruins see, let the sages of the Holy Temple see, that the literary arts of this place are no less than anyone else's!"

Zhou Wenju let out a soft breath: "This junior is very curious to know, senior, who exactly are you?"

"I am known as the Abandoned Old Man. Abandoned by Heaven, abandoned by Earth, abandoned by Man, abandoned by the Way." The Abandoned Old Man chuckled softly: "However, ironically, though the world has abandoned me, I cannot abandon the world itself!"

"Those who abandon the world will be abandoned by the world; those who do not abandon the world will not be abandoned by the world! Senior, please do not grieve, and wait for the flowers to bloom." Zhou Wenju bowed deeply: "Farewell!"

With a quick movement of his foot, he emerged from the cave.

The old man stood quietly at the deepest part of the cave, silently watching him walk away step by step.

Zhou Wenju walked out of the cave, step by step into the darkness and depths.

With the final step taken, the bright moon hangs in the sky, and countless stars twinkle.

This unusual red spider lily tree sways beneath the night sky.

It was night when I went in, and it was still night when I came out.

However, as Zhou Wenju cast his own light upon the bright moon in the sky, he clearly knew that this night was not the same as that night.

On the sixth day of the second lunar month, the night before the Qingshan Literary Gathering, was the first time he left the Tomb of Time, the moon was like a hook.

On the ninth day of the second lunar month, when he entered the house of time for the second time, the moon was already half full.

And today, the moon is about to be full.

He entered this Time Tomb, and although he only had a brief conversation with the abandoned old man in the cave, about three days and three nights had passed outside.

The magic of time is truly indescribable.

very scary.

However, the degree of terror may vary from person to person.

He worried that time was slipping away unnoticed, causing him to waste his precious time.

And what about abandoning the elderly?

He sat in the tomb of time, where time flowed a hundred times faster than normal, yet he still felt that time was dragging on and unbearable.

The world is truly wondrous—

Suddenly, a figure moved ahead.

Zhou Wenju's keen eye locked onto it instantly.

A woman dressed in purple smiled slightly amidst the flowers and bowed to him: "Young Master Zhou, my Holy Maiden wishes to meet you. I wonder if you would grant her wish?"

"The Holy Maiden?" Zhou Wenju was slightly taken aback.

"Yes!" the maid in purple replied, "The Holy Maiden is right there, under the solitary lamplight, welcoming our distinguished guest."

With a gentle flick of her finger, Zhou Wenju saw a scene of boundless elegance.

At the end of the bluestone path stands a red pavilion.

The Red Pavilion sits atop a cliff, with exotic flowers and rare herbs, ancient trees and vines intertwined on both sides, and fireflies glowing in the forest, resembling an elf tribe from a fairy tale world.

"Please, young lady!" Zhou Wenju's eyes gleamed with admiration.

"Young master, please!" The maid in purple bowed slightly, making way for him.

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