How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

"It's not common, it was purely accidental!" Zhang Laosan said. "It's all Chen Laoqi's fault. He's been so busy lately that he threw a large piece of saltpeter into the furnace, mistaking it for ore."

"Saltpeter?" Zhou Wenju was suddenly shocked.

"Yes, young master may not know what saltpeter is. It is a special kind of stone from Hexi. When ground into powder, it can make the furnace fire burn brightly. However, it must be ground into powder. If you throw a whole block into the fire, it will definitely explode."

Zhou Wenju's mind was in turmoil: "Third brother, do you have a lot of saltpeter here?"

"Lots!" said Zhang Laosan. "There's a cave over there, it's full of them."

"Take me there and have a look!" Zhou Wenju said.

"At this time?"

"yes!"

"It's quite dark in that cave, and you can't light a torch..."

"It's alright! I can see clearly in the dark..."

"Since you insist, young master, then I will take you there to have a look!"

The group emerged from the cave and, under the starlight, arrived at another mountain peak, entering a cave there...

The moment Zhou Wenju stepped into the cave, his heart pounded, for he saw a giant gear of fate...

Yes, let's call this "the gears of fate" for now!

Saltpeter!

They are not commonly seen in nature!

In most cases, synthesis is required.

However, there was a whole cave here, which he could see clearly with his eyes, which were basically capable of seeing in the dark, and the quality was excellent!

What is the use of saltpeter?

It is an essential material for making explosives.

Of course, making explosives requires more than just saltpeter; sulfur and charcoal are also necessary.

However, both of these can be found in this valley.

Where is the sulfur?

This is something that occurs alongside pyrite.

The iron ore in the valley naturally releases sulfur, and the villagers have even begun to use sulfur, for example, to make ointments to treat injuries.

With these materials...

He entered the Hexi Valley and set about resolving the issues in Qishan County, where he came up with an inconceivable solution.

He hadn't originally thought it would be so radical.

However, the perfect timing, favorable circumstances, and a sudden stroke of luck left him somewhat excited…

"Young master, can this saltpeter fetch a good price outside?" Zhang Laosan asked, observing his excited expression and guessing what to ask.

"No! Not for sale!" Zhou Wenju slowly turned around. "Let's go back to the cave and discuss this properly!"

They returned to the cave.

The village girl brought out fresh tea, refilled their water tanks, and then stepped aside.

Zhou Wenju, Lao Qi, Zhang Laosan, and four other young men sat by the stove.

"Third brother!" Zhou Wenju said, "You're not actually a native of Hexi Valley, are you?"

"Yes, my hometown is Dongshanji. The He family beat my father to death and seized my family's land. My mother brought me to Hexi Valley. At that time, I was only five years old. My mother also died of illness just as she was getting a foothold. It was the thousands of farmers in Hexi Valley who squeezed out the food from between their teeth to feed me." Zhang Laosan's eyes were a little red.

"Are all of you like this?"

"Pretty much!" another young man said. "I, Li Jun, am a little better off than Third Brother; my father is still alive."

"However, we were all raised in Hexi Valley," another said. "Young Master Zhou, the He family and we are sworn enemies, bound by blood. We... will avenge this!"

Zhang Laosan raised his hand slightly: "Xu Hai, don't spout such nonsense in front of the young master. It won't do any good and will only make things difficult for him."

"Young master, I was wrong!" Xu Hai admitted his mistake immediately.

Zhou Wenju raised his gaze slightly: "No, you are not wrong! The He family has been so cruel and oppressive to the people, harming generations of people in Qishan. If this grudge is not avenged, how can your ancestors buried deep in the Hexi Valley rest in peace? How can your clansmen who have been separated from their families live in peace?"

Several young people suddenly looked up, their eyes flashing with anger...

Zhang Laosan let out a long sigh: "Young master's sincerity is admirable, but avenging this grudge is no easy task. The He family is large and powerful, with over a thousand well-trained guards alone, while we only have a mere seven hundred who can draw a bow and shoot arrows. We can't win in a direct confrontation."

Zhou Wenju picked up the teacup in front of him, gently turning it in his hand, as if he were sorting out a crazy idea in his mind.

Finally, he gently set down his teacup: "What if I gave you a different weapon?"

"Change to a different weapon? What kind of weapon?" Zhang Laosan asked.

"There is a weapon I call a 'gun'!" Zhou Wenju said. "It requires no arm strength training, and women and children can fire it. The bullet leaves the barrel faster than an arrow, has greater killing power, and can be fired continuously."

Old Zhang was dumbfounded: "Such a magical artifact exists?"

"We can build it in our Hexi Valley!" Zhou Wenju's eyes gleamed.

"What? We can make more? Not just one, but... a lot?" the young man named Li Jun exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes!" Zhou Wenju said, "The reason I insisted on going to that cave to look at saltpeter was because saltpeter is the most crucial ingredient in this kind of...powerful weapon. Now that the obstacle is gone, we can definitely make it!"

Zhang Laosan abruptly stood up: "Young Master, what should we do? We'll start working tonight!"

"No need to rush!" Zhou Wenju said, "This matter isn't that easy. Let's proceed step by step. First, I'll give you some blueprints; you'll build a furnace!"

Zhou Wen raised his hand, and a sheet of gold paper appeared in his hand. He then used his brush to draw a strange incense burner.

This furnace is basically the same as the furnace on Mount Huding of the Mo family, with minor differences.

The artifacts of the Mohist school were renowned throughout the world, provided that they possessed the necessary furnaces and kilns.

The secrets of the furnace are generally beyond the understanding of disciples, and it's impossible to create one out of thin air in the outside world.

However, everything changed the moment Zhou Wenju left Huding Mountain.

His first identity upon entering this world was that of a disciple of the Mohist School of Artifacts, and the first magical artifact he crafted was a Grade Earth-level Cleansing Robe.

Before he left Huding Mountain, he had already combined the basic theories of the Way of the Weapon with his own, pushing his Way of the Weapon to a height that his unfortunate predecessor could never have reached in half a lifetime.

Moreover, he had long intended to create his own furnace somewhere after leaving Huding Mountain.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

Of course, he did not replicate the Mo family's furnace and vessel one-to-one.

The basic principle is the same, but there are some changes. For example, the furnace has forty-nine holes, which are the production line for manufacturing guns!

The assembly line is a field that the entire Mohist school of craftsmanship has not yet touched upon.

In the Mohist school's art of crafting, every artifact is made entirely by one person, with each step handled by the same individual. The higher the level of the artifact, the more strictly others are forbidden from interfering; otherwise, the craftsman considers it a disruption of the natural order.

In Zhou Wenju's dictionary, it's all nonsense!

A tool is a tool!

Assembly line operation is faster and more standardized. A gun can be disassembled into forty-nine parts and then reassembled.

This demonstrates the profound and practical application of the Mo family's art of craftsmanship!

The furnace is depicted on the paper, extremely complex, and its dimensions are clearly marked...

Zhang Laosan's mouth gaped open: "Young master, you...you know about instruments?"

Old Qi let out a long sigh: "This old man must say something. Young Master is a member of the Mohist school. Do you think he understands tools?"

"Wow!" Several young people stared at him at the same time, their eyes shining.

Mohism!

One of the Eighteen Sage Families of Literature and Taoism!

His weapon crafting skills were renowned throughout the world.

The Hexi Valley has a long history of blacksmithing, but all they ever made were kitchen knives and hoes.

The Mohists, on the other hand, believed that objects could connect the world.

The most skilled master in Hexi Valley probably dreams of establishing a connection with a member of the Mohist school, but even that is largely hopeless.

And this county magistrate's second son turned out to be a member of the Mo family.

Zhang Laosan's excitement was out of sync with theirs at that moment. He was excited about whether the magical artifact that the young master had just mentioned could really be successfully created.

He certainly wouldn't believe what others said.

But the young master is a member of the Mohist school!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration for the Mo family to forge any kind of divine artifact...

"Young master, let's go forge the furnace now!" said Zhang Laosan.

"Okay, go ahead!"

Zhang Laosan left the cave overnight and went to see the old clan chief. Yes, there was an old clan chief in Hexi Village. He came to Hexi Valley forty years ago. He was forced out by the previous generation of the He family. He had read some books and was reasonable. Ten years ago, he was elected by the people to become the clan chief.

Upon hearing Zhang Laosan's shocking remarks, the old clan chief's beard trembled: "Summon all the masters..."