How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

"Young Master!" Xu Hai appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood, but his eyes shone brightly: "The battle is over!"

"Come, arrange for a hundred men to enter the cave. Take all the gold, jewels, and silver inside. In the Hexi Valley, each man will receive ten taels of silver. For those who unfortunately died in battle, their families will receive a compensation of one hundred taels per person. Any excess cash will be temporarily sealed up!"

Xu Hai's heart skipped a beat.

God is my witness, he only thought about revenge and never about profiting from the war.

However, the young master's intention is that it can be issued.

Just the cash alone would require a hundred people to move it. How much is that?

With a wave of his hand, hundreds of people entered the cave...

By the time he came out, Zhou Wenju had already left.

As the morning sun shone brightly over Qishan County, He Wen, the seventh son of the He family, opened his eyes at the Drunken Flower Pavilion.

Surrounded by a beautiful, naked woman, and hearing her morning call, He Wen's interest, which had been dormant for half the night, was awakened once again.

Just as he mounted his horse.

The door was suddenly pushed open with force, and the bolt broke.

The beautiful young woman exclaimed in surprise.

He Wen's face darkened...

The man by the door who seemed rather clueless about boardwork was none other than his fourth attendant.

The fourth brother's face was full of panic: "Young master... something terrible has happened! The He family... the He family was wiped out by the villagers of Hexi Village last night."

"What?" He Wen jumped up abruptly.

"The patriarch is dead, everyone is dead, the seven manors are all engulfed in flames..."

He Wen hastily put on his clothes and rushed out of the brothel.

Below the brothel, the other attendants were also shocked. He Wen mounted his horse and galloped towards Hengshan Village. About half an hour later, as the horse turned the corner, what came into view made his vision go black.

The seven manors of the He family, the scenes that had been the subject of poems and paintings by the literati they had once invited to visit, were all gone at this moment. All that remained were ruins, utter ruins...

"Young master, this is rebellion! Rebellion!" shouted the attendants behind him.

"Go to the county government office immediately and see what that bastard Zhou Liangsheng has to say..."

"No, we can't go to the county government!" someone nearby said. "The one who made this weapon is Zhou Liang-sheng's second son, Zhou Wen-ju. Zhou Liang-sheng himself is the mastermind. If you go to the county government, young master, you'll be like a lamb entering a tiger's den!"

"Yes! Go to Lingnan Prefecture and find Prefect Chen."

"Report this to the capital immediately; the Vice Minister will surely dispatch a large force to suppress the rebellion..."

"Let's go!" He Wen mounted his horse, detoured around Nanshan, and sped towards Lingnan...

In their dictionary, Zhou Liangsheng, the county magistrate, is the mastermind behind this major incident.

The reason is readily available.

Everyone knows that this magical weapon called a "gun" was made by his second son.

Without guns, could those peasants in Hexi Valley have accomplished such a great feat?

Therefore, his son is the key person in this incident.

How can a father absolve himself of responsibility for his son's actions? Would his son dare to do this without the magistrate's authorization?

However, this is just their speculation.

The reality is that Magistrate Zhou Liangsheng is standing under the eaves in the county government office, watching the water dripping from the tiles after the rain has stopped...

His heart was filled with a multitude of sorrowful thoughts.

The second son was blessed with literary talent, a great joy indeed.

Successfully refining the weapon brings double joy.

However, you actually forged a killing weapon and actually killed hundreds of people. Although these hundreds of people can be classified as robbers, even thieves have their code of honor, and the country has its laws.

When dealing with robbers, the proper procedure is to arrest and try them.

Murder without trial, no matter how many reasons one may have, is still a violation of the law...

Yesterday, he sent Lao Qi to bring him back. In truth, as both the father and the county magistrate, he had no idea what to do. On one hand, the law is impartial, and on the other hand, he had just learned of his son's academic achievements. Should he really hand his son over? Should he really let the glimmer of hope that the Zhou family had finally begun to see be extinguished again?

He thought and thought, but after a sleepless night, he still couldn't come up with a solution.

There was another outcome he hadn't expected: they didn't come back!

How dare you not return?

Don't you have any sense of propriety?

That morning, Zhou Liangsheng stood under the courtyard, watching the dripping icy rain, his heart filled with a wild, untamed spirit.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached.

Another constable, Zhang Yun, rushed in, his face showing intense panic.

"What's the matter that you're in such a panic?" Zhou Liangsheng said in a deep voice.

"Master, something terrible has happened... Last night, a large number of men from Hexi Valley stormed into the He family's residence, all armed..."

"What?" Zhou Liangsheng was extremely shocked.

"The entire He family perished! All seven manors were burned to the ground..."

With a whoosh, Zhou Liangsheng stepped out of the county government office, his official robe fluttering as he ran away at breakneck speed.

He was a man of literary talent. Although he couldn't use literary techniques in this godforsaken place and couldn't fly through the void as before, the official seal still possessed some power, making his withered figure resemble a galloping horse as he rushed forward.

The destination was Hengshan Village, where the He family lived.

The golden light shining beneath his feet was a special manifestation of the official seal's enhancement.

When Zhang Yun finally caught up after running as fast as he could, Zhou Liangsheng was already standing in a manor, leaning against a half-burnt, blackened courtyard wall, his eyes filled with madness...

Zhang Yun was also in a state of utter chaos. The corpses scattered everywhere, and the seven luxurious manors all burned to ruins, it was truly like a living hell.

Zhou Liangsheng's gaze slowly shifted over: "This...this really was done by that rebellious son?"

"Master said...Master said the second young master? When I left the county town, I saw him returning with Constable Qi from afar. His clothes were very clean, as if he hadn't done anything wrong..."

"You're back!" Zhou Liangsheng turned around abruptly. "Let's go!"

He transformed into a galloping horse once again, rushing back all the way.

Upon entering the county government office, one immediately spotted Zhou Wenju and Old Qi.

"Master!" Old Qi quickly bowed.

The lady, who had just come out of the room with a smile on her face, suddenly froze.

Because she found that her husband's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and he didn't show the same joy he felt when meeting his successful son.

"Father!" Zhou Wenju bowed.

"You unfilial son!" Zhou Liangsheng stepped forward, his feet still carrying the lingering power of the official seal. The gust of wind stirred up by this residual power caused a great gust of wind to blow in the backyard.

Zhou Wenju suddenly looked up.

Zhou Liang Sheng pointed a finger straight at his nose: "Speak! Was it you who murdered the entire He family last night?"

His voice was extremely authoritative.

As soon as the words were spoken, the lady's expression changed drastically.

The maid Xu'er's hand trembled suddenly, and she almost knocked over the teacup she was holding.

Zhang Yun, the head constable who had followed the master back to the mansion, also tensed up.

Zhou Wen raised his hand and took a cup of tea from the tray in Xu'er's hands, handing it to Zhou Liangsheng: "Father, please have a cup of tea first to calm your temper, and then I will tell you everything."

Zhou Liangsheng didn't even glance at the teacup in his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Speak!"

"The entire He family was slaughtered last night; it wasn't my doing!"

Ok!

Ok!

The lady almost choked, but upon hearing those words, she finally managed to breathe in.

The entire He family was murdered. Such a serious incident, if it were related to the son, would mean the end for everyone. Fortunately, the son denied it...

"Still trying to deny it?" Zhou Liangsheng shouted, "Do you dare say that the weapons the villagers are holding weren't made by you? You made the weapons to injure people, so even if you didn't kill them yourself..."

"Father has misunderstood my meaning! I have no intention of arguing with you, Father." Zhou Wenju said, "Although I did not personally carry out the massacre of the He family last night, I personally crafted the weapons and gave the orders. It is no different from doing it myself!"

"You..." Zhou Liangsheng was enveloped in purple energy and completely lost his composure.

The lady's body went limp as she was tightly embraced by Xu'er.

Zhou Wenju added, "I did not personally participate in the battle to destroy the He family, only because I had another battle to fight: the annihilation of the Cangshan Sect! The destruction of the Cangshan Sect was, without a doubt, done by my own hands!"

Zhou Liangsheng staggered, almost falling, but he quickly grabbed the pillar beside him to steady himself: "The Cangshan Sect... the Cangshan Sect has also been destroyed?"

"Yes, Father, I have already eliminated the two deadly scourges of Qishan County in one fell swoop," Zhou Wenju said.

"You manufacture weapons privately, raise an army without authorization, commit murder and arson, and do whatever you want. You...you are rebelling and causing chaos!" Zhou Liangsheng raised his finger again, pointing it directly at Zhou Wenju's nose. His voice was loud and clear, and his authority was unparalleled.

"Rebellion? Father, what a huge accusation you're putting on us!" Zhou Wenju's face darkened. "I'd like to ask you, Father, you always say the people are above all else. In Qishan County, the people are oppressed by these two families, and nine out of ten houses are empty. Haven't you seen that? Today, the people are resisting power, resisting injustice, and resisting oppression. In your words, that's rebellion and rioting?"

"A country has its laws, and a family has its rules! When bullies run rampant, the law will restrain them. How can you, a mere brat, raise an army in secret?" Zhou Liangsheng roared in anger.

"Father, your words are indeed eloquent and passionate, but may I ask you, Father, you have been in Qishan County for three years. Have the people witnessed the might of the law? Have they seen the law restraining the tyrants? Have they felt the radiant light of your Confucianism? What you cannot do yourself, I will do for you! What the people want to see, I will let them see. What is wrong with that?"

"You unfilial son!" Zhou Liangsheng suddenly raised his hand and slapped him across the face...

He was truly furious.

Old Qi suddenly reached out and grabbed him.

Zhou Liangsheng shouted, "Bring out the family discipline!"