How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

When her mind was in turmoil.

A wondrous sight appeared before us.

The words on the seven-colored verses rose into the air!

"Eh!" Zhou Wenju exclaimed softly, even he was surprised...

No way?

Does it really happen?

The colorful verses soared straight to the sky, like a chain. However, unlike the fishing line formed by the colorful poems of the past, it was a narrow blue path three feet wide.

On that day in Nanyang, he opened up a new path for poetry with his poem "Partridge Sky," a path of clear blue light stretching for miles.

Today, the poem is set to a new tune, along a narrow, three-foot-long path shrouded in green.

It was completely incomparable to that day, but it far exceeded Zhou Wenju's own expectations.

This place is Lingnan.

The celestial order here is abnormal.

Even the official channels for communication are inaccessible here. If there is any urgent matter that requires crossing Pingfeng Ridge, one must go to the "Wenyilou" (文驿楼), a special post station built for the Lingnan region in Haizhou, to send a message.

He didn't expect to be able to fish in the sea in this godforsaken place.

But judging from this, it's clearly a direct route to the sea...

Is this the power of a newly created ci poem form?

Will Heaven give you the green light?

In the blink of an eye, a sea of ​​Dao appeared in the sky, and a three-foot-long path of azure light, carrying these 71 characters, plunged into it...

In Qishan County, everyone looked up at the same time.

For a moment, nine out of ten people were completely dumbfounded.

Inside the county government office, Zhou Liang burst out of the study and stood by the backyard wall, staring at the 71 characters that seemed to pierce the air. His chest heaved rapidly.

"Master, what has happened?" The lady rushed over, her gaze immediately drawn to the sky: "Ah... what's that?"

"《Po Zhen Zi: Forty Years of Home and Country》! Forty years of home and country, eight thousand miles of mountains and rivers... The poem! This is the poem! A single poem with seven colors, the Dao Sea opens at will..." Zhou Liang Sheng said, "This... this is really my son?"

"What? Wen'er? You're saying this poem was written by Wen'er?" The lady trembled all over.

"Old Qi just brought back some news from Nanyang. He said that our Wen'er is a genius in the art of poetry. He outshone all the other geniuses, including the Sage of Poetry and the third-ranked scholar of this year, at the Nanyang Poetry Gathering, and pioneered the path of ci poetry..." Zhou Liangsheng's voice was urgent and fast, completely different from his usual tone.

The lady looked completely bewildered: "Opening up the path of lyrics? What does that mean? Is it... is it very difficult?"

"That's more than just difficult. It's something that almost every top master of literature dreams of: expanding the boundaries of literature, creating an immortal monument to literature... You don't understand!" Zhou Liangsheng's voice grew louder and louder.

"Why should I understand this? All I need to know is that he is my son!" The lady's face was full of pride.

Above one of the few restaurants in the city...

Yes, most restaurants are not open today, only a few that have no connection with the He and Li families are still operating normally.

The place was already packed with people.

At this moment, countless scholars stood up...

"A seven-colored poem paves the way to the sea!"

"It's not a poem, the number of characters is completely wrong! This is... a ci poem! And a new ci poem title!" said a weary scholar.

"Lyrics? I've never heard of such a genre before?" some people questioned.

"Our Lingnan region is still too isolated. Outside, there is some big news that has shaken the literary world. It has been circulating for half a month. At the Nanyang Poetry Gathering, a young man opened a new chapter in the art of ci poetry. It is similar to poetry, but different from poetry. It combines long and short lines, and its meaning is endless. Today's ci poem, 'Po Zhen Zi,' perfectly captures the essence of ci poetry..."

"I don't understand words, but I understand the judgment of Heaven. This word, according to Heaven, is judged to be seven colors!" another person exclaimed. "Look, the Sea of ​​Dao has opened!"

"My goodness, fishing in the open sea! This is unprecedented in Lingnan!"

"Hey!" someone suddenly shouted...

All eyes turned to a middle-aged scholar, who stared in disbelief at the strange sensation in his mind. Trembling, he took out a pen and wrote a single character on the gold paper: Wild Goose!

As soon as the character was completed, a wild goose gracefully took flight...

"Oh my god, a message from Wendao?"

"Qishan can now transmit messages via written means..."

"Why is this happening? Could it be that the laws of nature have changed?"

Suddenly, wild geese filled the sky.

It is the literary means of the city's literati.

They wasted a single sheet of gold paper just to verify an unbelievable thing: the Heavenly Dao of this place could actually transmit messages through written means. This was a spectacle that had never been seen before in the entire Lingnan region.

Beside the East River, there is a thatched hut.

An old man is fishing in the East River.

Suddenly, his fishing rod jerked and bent.

The old man suddenly pulled up, and a strange little black and white fish, pulling the hook, darted rapidly through the water. Although it was only a finger-length fish, the old man suddenly stood up, and a blue stone beneath his feet vanished into nothingness. He seemed to be standing above the Milky Way in the heavens, as if he were holding the stars of eternity in his hands...

The locals habitually call this old man the Donghe Fisherman, because he has been fishing on the Donghe River for an unknown number of years.

There are rumors that this person was a minister of the previous dynasty, who resigned after being exiled to this place.

Decades ago, officials would visit him, but that gradually stopped, and the officialdom gradually forgot about him...

He's not the only angler.

At least on Lonely Mountain.

Zhou Wenju was also "fishing".

He immersed himself completely in the three-foot-long green path, his heart surging with excitement like the waves of the Dao Sea.

He certainly had a purpose in writing poetry.

Regardless of how many layers of intention there are, at least one of them is the most practical.

That is, he needs to replenish his literary energy.

The Nanyang Poetry Festival has been over for ten days now...

He entered Lingnan with a wealth of literary talent.

This literary energy not only resided in the brain but also spread throughout the entire body, transforming into the "true energy" cultivated by his meridians.

Originally, his true energy was very abundant, but after the Five Mountains were built in his body, his true energy became thin in the blink of an eye because the territory inside his body had expanded.

This is the time when practitioners most need to replenish their vital energy.

He wondered if he needed to go to Lingnan, recharge in Nanyang, and then come back to face the complex and dangerous situation in Qishan.

Unexpectedly, a poem called "Po Zhen Zi" told him today that he could recharge himself right here in Lingnan, without even leaving the region...

Very good!

The three-foot-long green path leads into the sea of ​​Dao. It doesn't quite resemble a fishing line; it's more like a small net. Although it's far less exaggerated than the hundred-mile-long giant net that first opened the Dao, a net is still a net!

Ten silverfish were caught in the net at the same time, and as the three-foot-long green rope was pulled back, it was as if an electric current was falling from the sky and pouring down on them.

The literary world within his mind was crystal clear.

The abundant energy poured into the Five Mountains within his body, and his cultivation at the Dao Mountain Realm, which had just begun, directly broke through to the middle stage.

Zhou Wenju slowly opened his eyes, his mouth slightly agape, staring in astonishment at this unprecedented spectacle in Qishan County.

Above Qishan County, wild geese fly in all directions.

The customs have been closed, but the wild geese are still there.

The literary and moral brilliance that is so familiar to the outside world, yet never seen in Qishan, still permeates this land.

I rely on!

Is this a reward from Heaven?

Heaven not only gave him the green light, but also gave the green light to the entire Qishan area.

Old Qi, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed, his gaze wild and confused. He was clearly stunned by the scene and momentarily lost his ability to think.

Su Xin turned her gaze from the sky above the county town to Zhou Wenju's face: "Is this the intention behind your new poetic form, young master?"

"Hmm?" Zhou Wenju frowned slightly.

Su Xin sighed softly: "A storm is brewing in Qishan. The survival of the Zhou family hinges on His Majesty's single thought. Yet, at this critical juncture, you, sir, have altered the course of Qishan with a new poem, transforming this lawless land into a lawful one overnight. All the scholars in the city have benefited from your kindness. When the censor from the capital arrives, it's likely that all sorts of people in Qishan will stand on your side!"

Old Qi finally recovered from the shock he had just experienced.

Upon hearing this, his heart pounded.

Is this truly the young master's scheme?

As this nun said, a major event has occurred in Qishan, but the outcome is still unknown.

His Majesty's attitude could be extremely subtle.

Young Master, is this brilliant move you made today to increase your own leverage?

Lingnan has always been known as a "land of no morality".

But now the young master has changed things!

The biggest beneficiaries of this change were intellectuals.

And literary groups are the best at making their voices heard.

They all sided with the Zhou family father and son, which naturally influenced the attitude of those above them, directly or indirectly.

Even if His Majesty is willing to abandon his method of creating powerful weapons, even if he is willing to give up the "Long Spear Corps" of tens of thousands of soldiers who can be turned into imperial warriors at any time, he cannot ignore the voices of the literati...

Zhou Wenju's heart also skipped a beat.

He had to admit that this Miao Ni's perspective and depth of understanding were even better than those of Lao Qi, a seasoned constable.

He did indeed have that thought.

The key bait for breaking the deadlock in Qishan has already been reported through my father's memorial.

But he couldn't be 100% certain about the outcome.

While it's true that any emperor, unless they're an idiot, will eventually see his worth, how many foolish emperors have there been in history? And even those who weren't fools sometimes found themselves in situations beyond their control.

So, although he managed to persuade his father and Lao Qi.

But I am not firm in my own heart.

Therefore, he needs to add more leverage to his position.

On the lonely mountain, he created a new ci (lyric poetry) style, which was his way of adding leverage. He wanted to use this moment to instill the weight of his generation of ci masters into the ears of the literati of Qishan.

If he were to exterminate the He and Li families, he would undoubtedly be supported by the common people.

When a new ci poem is created, the literati community will also be moved by it.

With these two groups in his grasp, Qishan became his base!

Even if he encountered a foolish emperor who insisted on going against the tide of Qishan, he would at least have more supporters.

Therefore, it is true that Su Xin said he used this poem title to win over the hearts of literati.

However, he did not anticipate that the final effect of this strategy would exceed expectations by countless times...

He actually brought "literary and moral favor" to Qishan County, a remote county that had never received such favor before.

This can only be considered fate.

Faced with Su Xin's question, Zhou Wenju did not answer. He turned his gaze to Lao Qi: "Lao Qi, you came all the way up the mountain and got the answer you wanted. Now go back and tell your father that I have some things to talk about with Abbess Su Xin on Lonely Mountain and I won't be coming down the mountain for the time being."

"Alright!" Old Qi turned and went down the mountain.

Without a second thought.

At this moment, the old man must be like a thousand-year-old tree finally blossoming; no matter how great the predicament, it cannot stop his heart from blooming with joy.

Even if the second young master causes a huge mess, it's not a big deal.

Moreover, he was an experienced person, and he noticed something unusual through certain phenomena.

That means the Second Young Master and this nun are probably not really a benefactor and a nun.

Because of what this nun just said...

One cannot say such a thing without a considerable understanding of the situation in Qishan.

The young master and she became quite informal with each other.

Then I can only consider myself an outsider...

slip!

Old Qi descended the mountain, and Su Xin's beautiful eyes gently darted around: "Young master has already said that he will stay on Lonely Mountain for a few more days. We can't just wander around on this cliff for days. How about I prepare a guest room for you?"

Zhou Wenju rubbed his hands together lightly: "Isn't this troublesome?"

"If this humble nun says it's troublesome, then young master, would you... just give up?" Su Xin asked rhetorically. There was something in her eyes that didn't quite fit the image of a nun.

this……

"Second Brother!" A voice rang out, and a figure suddenly tumbled and fell to the ground.

It was Zhou Shuang, who had disappeared for ten hours.

She was very excited as soon as she landed: "I just saw you writing poetry! How can you write poetry? I couldn't believe it even after you beat me half to death..."

"If you beat someone half to death and they still don't believe you, it means you haven't beaten them enough... If you beat them half to death, they'll probably believe you!" Zhou Wenju said, "Little sister, it's good that you're back. Your second brother needs to stay at Lonely Mountain for a few more days. I'll borrow your room!"

Zhou Shuang's thoughts were instantly diverted, and her gaze fell on her master. My God, why does her master look a little shy?

"What...what are your intentions?" Zhou Shuang cut to the chase with a single sentence: "I'm warning you, you're not allowed to..."

With a whoosh, three silver notes were handed to her.

Zhou Shuang stared wide-eyed at the words "two hundred taels each" on the silver notes.

"Six hundred taels of silver, how about I rent your room for three nights?"

"This..." Zhou Shuang's gaze wandered.

"Take it! Let's go down the mountain to Zuige to listen to music!" Zhou Wenju slapped the silver note directly into her hand.

"Drunken Pavilion... you've already shut it down, what's the point of listening to music now?" Zhou Shuang explained with difficulty, her eyes glued to the silver notes.

"Are you stupid? Because the Drunken Pavilion was shut down, all those courtesans are unemployed. Unemployed people are the easiest to deal with. Take this opportunity to book your favorite courtesan and have them sing for you day and night!"

Zhou Shuang was persuaded.

She took the silver note and turned to leave, but when she reached the edge of the cliff ahead, she turned back and called out, "Second Brother..."

"Come on, come on, be good, it'll be easier to extort money from me next time!" Zhou Wenju said.

Zhou Shuang, thinking of "next time," behaved much better, kept quiet, went down the mountain, and disappeared from sight...

Zhou Wenju turned around.

Su Xin had already made her way to the tea room with graceful steps.

Although we couldn't see her expression.

But Zhou Wenju knew that she was smiling...

Step into the tea room.

The tea already smells delicious.

A cup of tea was handed to Zhou Wenju, and when he looked up, he met Su Xin's beautiful eyes...

"Today, it seems that I have inadvertently caused trouble for you, young master," Su Xin said.

"What?"

"This humble nun really shouldn't have given you such a topic. If your word is just a little off, that's fine. But the key is that if your word becomes a timeless masterpiece, it will surely reach the imperial court. If it is labeled as 'reminiscing about the previous dynasty,' you will suffer because of this humble nun."

Forty years, for my family and my country.

Eight thousand miles of mountains and rivers.

Doesn't this clearly refer to the previous dynasty?

The previous dynasty was exactly forty years ago.

The border of the Great Yu Dynasty is exactly eight thousand li.

On the day of hasty departure from the temple, the music hall still played farewell songs...

The most quintessential part of this poem is indeed filled with reflections on the changing dynasties.

It's fair to say they're reminiscing about the previous dynasty.

In any feudal dynasty, the phrase "previous dynasty" was extremely taboo. If someone was labeled as "remembering the previous dynasty," they would be banned from officialdom by the current dynasty at best, and arrested at worst...

Zhou Wenju smiled: "There's no need to worry about that."

"Oh?"

Zhou Wenju said, "There are two reasons. First, this phrase has been approved by the Heavenly Dao. Which dynasty would dare to use a phrase approved by the Heavenly Dao?"

"That's true! And the second point?"

"Secondly, the term 'former dynasty' is unique within the Great Yu Dynasty," Zhou Wenju said. "Most dynasties avoid the term 'former dynasty' because they were directly hostile to the previous dynasty, and the current dynasty rose to power by stepping on the ruins of the previous one. They fear the restoration of the previous dynasty and regard the survivors as remnants of the previous dynasty. But is that the case with the Great Yu Dynasty? No! The destruction of the previous dynasty has nothing to do with the current dynasty. If there are any remnants of the previous dynasty, they should thank the current emperor for cleaning up their mess, restoring the Yan clan's legitimacy in dire straits, and preserving the Yan clan members."

Su Xin's expression was somewhat aggrieved...

Wipe your butt!

What filthy words!

At the same time, it also reflects his basic attitude: he completely disapproved of the actions of the previous dynasty...

Su Xin let out a soft sigh: "You also think that the previous dynasty's rule over the world was utterly useless?"

"The previous dynasty was twenty years ago. I wasn't even born then, so I can't speak of my direct experience," Zhou Wenju said. "However, governing the country with military men, completely excluding scholars, and then burning books and burying scholars alive, is really not the way to govern a country."

"So the root cause is still the burning of books and burying of scholars alive!" Su Xin said, "Does the young master know what history is?"

The topic suddenly shifted to "history"...

Zhou Wenju was slightly taken aback.

Su Xin said, "To the average person, historical records are always true. However, young master, do not forget that historians are also human! They too have emotions and desires, the burdens of families, and the fear of death. Therefore, history is only written by the victors!"

History is written by the victors!

What a brilliant conclusion!

Zhou Wenju's eyes lit up: "You're saying that there's more to the story of burning books and burying scholars alive than meets the eye?"

"Do you know what books were burned? What scholars were buried alive?" Su Xin said, "The books burned were all sorts of fallacies and heresies! The scholars buried alive were scoundrels who brought disaster to the country and the people, colluding with the demons! The late emperor was not unaware that this burning and burying would ruin his reputation and destroy the dynasty, but if such ideas were allowed to spread unchecked across the vast land of the Great Yu, the Great Yu Kingdom would truly be on the verge of collapse!"

Zhou Wenju was greatly alarmed.

He truly didn't know much about this period of history.

How did you come to know about this historical material?

Su Xin sighed softly: "The day I hastily left the temple was the most poignant moment, when the music hall still played farewell songs, and I wept before the palace maids… On the day the late emperor hastily left the temple, I was one of the palace maids who wept before him!"

Palace maids!

She was a palace maid from the previous dynasty!

This provided a satisfactory explanation of the origin of the "dragon bowl" in her hand.

Zhou Wenju's gaze slowly fell on her face: "Actually, I have also heard legends about the previous dynasty in the Mo family. However, the Mo family is only concerned with the important artifact of the previous dynasty, the 'Mountain and River Cauldron'."

"The Mountain and River Cauldron?" Su Xin frowned slightly.

Zhou Wenju smiled lightly: "The Mohists are famous throughout the world for their artifacts. Whenever they talk about artifacts, they can never avoid mentioning the ancient divine artifact, the Mountain and River Cauldron. They all say that this cauldron is the strongest protective artifact in the world. However, after the fall of the previous dynasty, the whereabouts of this cauldron have been unknown."

"This cauldron...this cauldron is not missing, it's just that the Literary and Daoist Sages are unwilling to mention it."

"Oh?"

Su Xin said, "This cauldron has already fallen into the hands of the demons... Knowing this conclusion, with your intelligence, young master, you will naturally understand why the Literary and Daoist Sages are unwilling to mention it."

Zhou Wenju understood!

The previous dynasty of the Great Yu Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Wu, possessed the Mountain and River Cauldron, a powerful weapon in the hands of the human race, which intimidated the entire country. Not only did its neighbors dare not touch it, but even the demon race dared not make a move against it.

But it was precisely because the temple used the burning of books and burying of scholars as an excuse that it destroyed the era of Emperor Wu.

The Mountain and River Cauldron, a powerful weapon of the human race, fell into the hands of the demons.

The sages of literature and the Way are not unaware of this.

They dare not mention it!

Because if we bring this up, wouldn't it be an accusation against the Temple?

The loss of this devastating weapon of humanity is ultimately the fault of the Temple!

They unwittingly became accomplices of the demon!

Life is so complicated and unpredictable...

History is not necessarily true.

What the eyes see is not necessarily the truth...

Suddenly, a golden boat glided across the sky.

It carries the aura of imperial authority.

Zhou Wenju suddenly looked up.

Su Xin also looked up at the same time: "Has the imperial edict arrived?"

"It should be!"

"What has arrived is an imperial edict golden boat, not a lawful punishment boat. Everything should be as expected!" Su Xin said.

"I hope so!" Zhou Wen stood up. "I'm going now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped out of Jingtian Nunnery.

Their next move is unknown.

Su Xin stood quietly by the window, her gaze following the imperial golden boat all the way toward the county government office...

A voice came from behind: "Your Highness, you've made a discovery!"

The voice was old, but also full of excitement.

Su Xin turned around abruptly, her eyes suddenly becoming excited as she stared intently at something in the old man's hand.

An old man, a fisherman on the East River.

In his hand was a small black and white fish.

The fish was no more than a finger's width, but the old man gripped it with the strength of a drawn bow.

"A half-caught fish!" Su Xin exclaimed softly, "You finally caught one!"

"After twenty years of fishing without success, we've finally caught one today. Perhaps we really should owe this kid a favor!" said the fisherman from the East River.

Su Xin's eyes flickered slightly: "A new poem sets a new poetic form, Dao Hai activates the secrets of heaven, and that's how Ban Dao Yu came to be?"

"Besides divine intervention, this is probably the only explanation!"

"Without further ado, let's activate the guiding altar immediately!" Su Xin flashed into her bedroom and quickly brought out the golden bowl: the Dragon Bowl.

A bowl of clear water is poured in, and a golden dragon appears in the dragon-shaped bowl, lifelike.

While it can indeed be described as lifelike, it is only lifelike; in essence, it is still a dead dragon.

The old fisherman from the East River released the half-caught fish he was holding into the water.

Upon placing it, a strange change occurred within the dragon bowl.

The golden dragon seemed to suddenly come to life, connecting head to tail with the black and white halfway fish.

A strange aura emanated from the bowl.

The old fisherman of the East River and Su Xin both watched nervously...

This bowl, which looks no different from the dragon bowl, an ordinary royal artifact, is actually not a dragon bowl; it is a guiding altar.