How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

In the Hexi Valley.

Night had fallen in the blink of an eye.

Under the "semi-automated" process of the Mo family's weapon furnace, more than three thousand sets of various gun parts have already fallen off.

Zhou Wen raised his hand and waved it lightly, and another sheet of gold paper flew out.

As soon as the gold paper was produced, all the original patterns on the more than forty dispensing nozzles disappeared.

It turned into two different patterns.

Bullet and cartridge case.

Three thousand guns are enough.

As for bullets, the more the better.

In just a few days, the number of bullets could reach millions.

The formula for high-energy gunpowder is currently known only to him and Zhang Laosan.

Zhang Laosan arranged for hundreds of people to grind saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal there, and then in a small hut next door, they precisely mixed the ingredients according to the formula given to him by Zhou Wenju.

And so the entire production line began to operate.

The people in the valley hadn't slept all night, assembling guns and loading bullets. Even though it was raining and foggy outside, their hearts were filled with the warmth of spring.

Zhou Wenju also didn't sleep all night in the cave.

The clan chief, the elders of the clan, and dozens of learned and respected people crowded the cave together.

Zhang Laosan and four other young leaders finished their work and came over.

The crowd enumerated the crimes of the He and Li families.

They all wished they could devour its flesh and sleep on its skin.

Zhou Wenju listened quietly to the tea that Huigu brewed for him time and time again...

until late at night.

He gently set down his teacup, raised his gaze, and all the discussion abruptly ceased.

All eyes were on his face.

"What the villagers are talking about is only the Hexi Valley; it hasn't even touched on Qishan County yet. In the entire Qishan County, the He family owns 40%, the Li family owns 40%, and the remaining small landowners divide the remaining 20%. My father is currently on the East River embankment, leading three thousand elders day and night to dredge the river channel. All he wants is to improve the river and acquire ten thousand acres of fertile land!" Zhou Wenju said. "Even if he succeeds in seizing ten thousand acres of fertile land from the ravages of the river, in the end, he will probably only be working for the benefit of the He and Li families!"

"That's exactly right!" an old man said. "Once the river channel is completed, the He and Li families will definitely collude with that dog of a prefect to dismiss your father and replace him with a dog who listens to them, turning the newly acquired 10,000 acres of fertile land into their own property."

"Young Master Zhou, you must quickly remind your father that this river channel must not be built!" someone shouted.

"Yes, even if the riverbed isn't completed, at least we still have a good magistrate who stands up for the people. But if the riverbed is completed, even that good magistrate will be gone..."

Zhou Wen raised his hand and waved it gently: "Therefore, the crux of Qishan County's problem lies not in the land, but in the He and Li families! Fellow villagers, in the past you were powerless in the face of this deadly situation, but now, the situation is different. With guns in hand, you can fight against any oppression! The Hexi army will march out of the valley to fight, annihilate the He and Li families, and remove the two mountains hanging over your heads! We will restore a clear and bright sky to this land!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Zhang San suddenly stood up.

He shouted three times in a row.

"Fight!" Li Jun stood up.

"Fight!" Xu Hai stood up.

"Fight!" Everyone stood up at the same time, including the clan leader...

"Everyone, please sit down. The tone of this battle has been set. Now it's time to discuss the operational details. I'll explain, so listen carefully..."

Zhou Wenju gave a detailed explanation, including tactics, rules of firearms, and the upcoming itinerary...

Until dawn.

Halfway up the mountain.

The physician's expression was strange.

Of course she knew that, if she were to be polite, she shouldn't listen to such top-secret and treasonous matters.

However, she was very worried about him.

She felt that tonight, he had lost all his scholarly refinement and elegance, and had become very crazy.

Why has Qishan County fallen into this dead end?

This is because both companies have deep roots.

How could local officials dare to neglect the hometowns of two high-ranking officials in the capital?

When a close relative of the Vice Minister commits evil deeds, who among them dares to stop him?

Even when Zhou Liangsheng, who had previously served as a vice minister, took office as the magistrate of Qishan County, the most assertive thing he did was refuse the He family's invitation and refuse to collude with them. In addition, he wrote a memorial and sent it to the capital by fast horse to impeach the two vice ministers.

However, these two vice ministers were deeply entrenched in the court.

A memorial from a seventh-rank county magistrate probably wouldn't even get through to the Secretariat, so what good would it be?

A deadly situation that even seasoned officials and former third-rank vice ministers couldn't solve, yet this greenhorn Zhou Wenju dared to pull off such a big stunt...

He actually mobilized the people to manufacture guns and ammunition, intending to use force to wipe them out...

Do you know how taboo this is?

Once exposed, your entire Zhou family will be executed without exception.

The night was spent in the lingering warmth of the "chicken blood" (a metaphor for high energy).

Zhou Wenju didn't go to bed until late at night.

Outside the cave, a cold rain was falling.

The room was warm and cozy.

In the valley, the sounds of drums and gongs filled the air...

At daybreak, Zhou Wen lifted the bed and left the cave.

As soon as he emerged from the cave, Zhang San appeared before him, dressed in hunter's attire. Behind him stood a group of men, numbering at least a hundred, all carrying guns and displaying expressions of extreme anger.

"Young master, something happened last night!" Zhang San said.

"What?" Zhou Wenju was slightly startled.

"Last night, the Hexi garrison was attacked by the enemy, suspected to be from Qingyun Village. More than thirty people were killed, their heads cut off by the enemy..."

Hui Gu gasped in surprise, her face changing drastically.

"Qingyun Village, what's its background?" Zhou Wenju asked.

Everyone chimed in, describing the entirety of Qingyun Village...

Qingyun Village is also in Hexi, but it's separated from this place by two mountains.

It was called a den of robbers, but it was actually a dog kept by the He and Li families.

The things that these two companies couldn't do, Qingyun Village did.

When these two families set their sights on a piece of land, it was usually the bandits of Qingyun Village who would first burn, kill, and plunder the land. Then, these two families would take over the land, with the cooperation of the government, and transfer the land deeds to their names, thus completing the land consolidation. This method of consolidation was more effective than forcing farmers to sell their land, and it cost almost nothing.

Seven days ago, the He family's servants extended their reach into Hexi Valley. The hunting team from Hexi Valley intervened, killing one servant and injuring seven others. Then the people from Qingyun Village arrived and have been causing trouble for Hexi Valley with minor skirmishes for the past few days.

Last night, they officially took action.

They wiped out all thirty-odd spies they had planted in the mountains and forests of Hexi Valley...

More than thirty men, and behind them were more than thirty families.

The men's bodies have been brought back and laid out on the river valley below. The people of Hexi Valley are shedding tears along with the winter rain.

Anger also flowed across the faces of the people of Hexi Valley.

Zhou Wenju suddenly looked up!

His gaze was fixed on the mountain peak to his left.

Above the mountain peak, more than thirty black dots flew out—they were human heads...

As more than thirty heads were thrown out, hundreds of people suddenly appeared on the mountain peak.

Dozens of people simultaneously leaped high from the crowd and landed on several boulders at the summit of the mountain.

They are all spiritual practitioners.

One of them even seemed to soar into the sky, reaching the top of the tallest tree. Standing on a soft branch, he looked down over the Hexi Valley. This man had a full beard and an extremely burly build.

His enormous body stood on the soft branches, and as soon as he appeared, like a demon lord soaring through the air, everyone in Hexi Valley changed their expressions.

"It really is them, Li Yangtian, the chieftain of Qingyun Village!" Zhang Laosan said in a deep voice.

Li Yangtian laughed wildly: "Listen up, you bastards from Hexi Valley! I am the chieftain of Qingyun Village! You dare to mess with the He family? You're messing with me! Last night, I ordered my men to kill thirty of your lackeys. Today, I'll raze Hexi Valley to the ground! I'll teach you peasants how to behave in Qishan County!"

A sound arose, and a fierce wind arose!

The clouds around him all shattered into pieces.

Even the rain has been shaken away.

As the sound faded, the earth trembled. A powerful, resonant energy surged through the Hexi Valley, causing chaos within the valley...

"Men, charge out! Kill the men, leave the women behind!" Li Yangtian waved his hand.

Hundreds of figures beneath him launched their attacks simultaneously.

Dozens of them jumped down, clearly showing their background as practitioners, with varying levels of spiritual cultivation and foundation.

The remaining two or three hundred people climbed down the steep cliff face, each one looking fierce and extremely agile.

Zhang Laosan's face suddenly darkened: "Brothers, prepare for battle!"

With a whoosh, he was the first to descend the hillside.

Behind him were more than a hundred people, each carrying a gun.

"Haha..." Li Yangtian laughed loudly, "Bringing a fire poker? Not even a bow and arrow? Have you lost your mind?"

The bandits, who were initially somewhat afraid of the powerful bows and arrows of the Hexi hunting team, now saw that the people coming towards them had no bows or arrows on them.

All worries vanished, and I ran quickly.

They rushed straight to the hillside where Zhang Laosan and his men were.

Getting closer!

A fierce storm is brewing, and the air is thick with murderous intent...

In the blink of an eye, the fastest-running dozens of cultivators were only a hundred feet away from Zhang Laosan and his group.

Zhang Laosan and his men lined up in a row on the hillside.

Everyone raised their guns at the same time...