How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

A startling drum.

It is a very important item in the county government office.

It represents injustice and urgency.

When Zhou Liangsheng first came to Qishan County, especially after he refused the He family's invitation, he beat the gong several times.

But in the following years, no one knocked on it anymore.

What's the reason?

Because the people realized that beating this "directly-to-hearing" drum didn't actually solve any problems.

It will only bring trouble upon yourself.

Then why bother cracking the egg?

They knocked again today?

Zhou Liangsheng's heart skipped a beat: "Old Qi, let's go out and take a look together."

Old Qi put down the hot bag of money in his hand and went out of the backyard with the master.

We entered the county government office from the back. As soon as we entered, we saw He Wen, the seventh young master of the He family, with disheveled hair, looking completely different from his usual self.

Zhou Liangsheng was at a loss for words.

He walked those few steps out of the backyard with extreme hesitation. He was almost certain that this was another of the usual charades where the He family committed evil deeds and the people beat the drums.

He was always in a dilemma when faced with this kind of situation.

Because the people's demands are always so reasonable, yet the situation always seems to lead to a dead end...

However, today, the one beating the drum is not an ordinary citizen, but a member of the He family.

"Lord Zhou!" He Wen's eyes were bloodshot: "Those people in Hexi Valley have rebelled! They slaughtered over three hundred innocent civilians from Qingyun Village overnight. Such atrocities are truly lawless and heinous..."

"What?" Zhou Liang was shocked, almost unable to believe his ears: "You mean ordinary villagers from Yanhexi Valley killed the people of Qingyun Village? More than three hundred of them?"

"Exactly!" He Wen said.

"That's right!" Another person stepped forward: "Even Li Yangtian, the chieftain of Qingyun Village, died at their hands."

"Nonsense!" Zhou Liangsheng's face darkened. "Qingyun Village Chief Li Yangtian is a Daoist cultivator, and his subordinates are all highly skilled practitioners. How could he possibly be killed by ordinary people from Hexi Valley?"

"Your Excellency, you are wise enough to witness all these evil deeds. I and the Seventh Young Master were standing on Mount Xiliang and saw them with our own eyes!" The He family follower said, "Those people from Hexi Valley were armed with hundreds of terrifying weapons that could breathe fire and shoot iron bullets. Their range was far greater than that of bows and arrows. They could even pierce through steel blades from a hundred feet away. Apart from Chief Li, no one else could withstand them. And Chief Li broke through their attack, only to be killed on the spot by your Second Young Master, Zhou Wenju!"

Old Qi's eyes widened suddenly, filled with disbelief...

"Nonsense!" Zhou Liang Sheng shouted angrily, "A weapon that can breathe fire, far superior to bows and arrows, capable of piercing a broadsword from a hundred feet long—how absurd! How dare you slander my second young master! My second young master has only just acquired the Mo family's literary root and knows nothing of cultivation. How could he possibly have personally killed a Daoist master?"

He Wen stepped forward: "Lord Zhou, are you deliberately protecting your second young master?"

Zhou Liang Sheng was furious: "I have served as an official for thirty years, and my reputation and character are known throughout the land. I have always acted impartially, how could I possibly protect my son? However, I cannot allow you to make baseless accusations! You have already admitted that the incident occurred at the foot of Xiliang Mountain, not on Qingyun Mountain where Qingyun Village is located. Then I must ask you, what was your purpose in gathering the Qingyun bandits and breaking into the Hexi Valley?"

These words were righteous and forceful.

These words were so shocking that even the plaque bearing the inscription "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" in the courtroom behind them fell to the ground, covered in dust.

The group of people behind He Wen looked at each other, speechless.

At the foot of Xiliang Mountain, this is a place where they have difficulty distinguishing themselves.

This is the territory of the Hexi Valley.

It does not belong to Qingyun Village.

If you say that the people of Hexi Valley killed innocent people from Qingyun Village, then the massacre should have taken place in Qingyun Mountain. The location of the massacre is illogical, and this county magistrate has seized on the loophole.

He Wen took a deep breath: "Since the county magistrate refuses to stand up for the people, then don't blame me for taking my own life... Let's go!"

He Wen and his group mounted their horses and galloped away.

Zhou Liangsheng was furious, his beard flying in the morning breeze: "How dare they openly collude with Qingyun Village to wreak havoc in Hexi! They even dare to fabricate lies, pointing the finger directly at my own son! They are audacious and extremely arrogant!"

"Master..." Old Qi took a step forward, his expression shifting rapidly.

"Speak your mind!" Zhou Liangsheng shouted.

"Master..." Old Qi said in a low voice, "What they said might not be a lie."

"You..." Zhou Liangsheng suddenly turned to the side, his eyes fixed firmly on Lao Qi.

Old Qi's voice drifted into Zhou Liangsheng's ears: "Master, when I left Hexi Valley that day, the young master did indeed say that he wanted to help Hexi Valley forge a divine weapon. This divine weapon is called 'Spear,' and its range and destructive power far exceed those of bows and arrows. It can fire in rapid succession!"

"What?" Zhou Liangsheng was shocked.

"Furthermore, while the master may not know the young master's cultivation level, I am well aware that the young master's cultivation has also reached a certain level, at least the Dao Altar Realm. If he were to combine this with such a divine artifact, it would not be entirely impossible for him to personally kill Li Yangtian."

Zhou Liangsheng's heart was filled with turmoil.

He had just heard the court drum and was immediately confronted with this absurd case as soon as he left the county government office. He already had a preconceived notion that this was a malicious frame-up by the He family.

His ultimate goal was to frame his second son, thereby cutting off his path in literature and even destroying himself, the nail driven into Qishan County.

That's why he was so angry.

However, his trusted aide, Lao Qi, told him that what the other party said was not a lie!

The son has been staying in the Hexi Valley for so many days because he is forging a magical weapon called a gun.

He's a member of the Mohist school, so it's not surprising that he could forge any kind of divine weapon.

Moreover, his cultivation had actually reached the "at least the Dao Altar" level, meeting the prerequisite for killing with his own hands...

God!

Oh, earth!

To forge such a murder weapon for the villagers demonstrates a blatant disregard for imperial laws and a callous disregard for human life.

Which of these aligns with the principles of a scholar?

My Zhou family has always adhered to Confucianism and been law-abiding for generations. We finally managed to cultivate a descendant with literary talent, and we were counting on you to inherit Lao Tzu's literary legacy. But you actually pulled this trick on me!

"Old Qi!" Zhou Liangsheng's voice was deep and imposing.

"exist!"

"You, immediately go to Hexi Valley, tie up this rebellious son, and bring him back to the county office. Do not fail!"

"master……"

"Go! Don't say another word!"

"...Yes!" Old Qi's figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.

Zhou Liangsheng staggered, barely managing to steady himself. With a flick of his sleeve, he returned to the backyard of the county government office. His wife handed him a cup of tea, which he took and gulped down in one go.

"Master, what has happened?"

Zhou Liangsheng closed his eyes and remained silent.

The wife dared not ask any more questions. After decades of marriage, she could see that her husband was seething with anger. If she said anything more, she might be the one to explode.

Sigh, this old man gets angry so easily.

You can't even ask.

At this moment, perhaps only one person could make him happy: his increasingly successful second son...

No matter how frustrated parents are, their children's "success" will make them feel better.

If only this son could come back.

But why did this son stay in that poor mountain valley in Hexi Valley for so many days?

Could it be that, as Lao Qi evaded the question, he has taken a fancy to a girl in Hexi Valley?

The Hexi Valley at this moment.

Three emotions coexist and intertwine...

There is an emotion called grief, the grief of more than thirty families simultaneously losing their breadwinner.

The second emotion is joy. One hundred men from Hexi Valley used their newly made guns to swiftly and decisively kill the invading bandits, who were notorious and feared throughout Qishan County as the Qingyun Bandits.

The third emotion is called excitement, or exhilaration...

More than a hundred people gathered on the hillside, led by Zhang Laosan, Xu Hai, and Li Jun, their faces flushed red...

"Young master, this spear is truly a divine weapon!" Xu Hai exclaimed. "The Qingyun bandits are utterly helpless against it!"

"Exactly! With this gun, we only need a hundred men to break through the He family's thousand-strong guard in the Hexi Valley!"