I'm just an ornamental fish in the water.

As soon as the man asked the question, Jiang Li suddenly realized that she could move again.

True Qi and magical power, as well as all spiritual energy, began to stir again.

Jiang Li immediately transformed back into human form, then straightened her clothes and bowed deeply to the man.

"Jiang Li, a pilgrim of the Luoshui Divine Palace, pays respects to the Immortal."

The man asked curiously, "Why do you think I'm some kind of immortal?"

Jiang Li smiled wryly and said, "Even if you are not an immortal, you must be a rare and highly skilled cultivator in the mortal world."

As she spoke, Jiang Li paused for a moment and whispered, "After all, you didn't mean to hide anything."

The man smiled without saying a word, but winked at Jiang Li.

The meaning is simple: he is waiting for Jiang Li's answer to the question he just asked.

"You just asked, in my view, what is the Tao?"

Jiang Li also became serious and very consciously moved a small stool to sit next to the man.

The man nodded with a smile, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Li.

Jiang Li just smiled helplessly and said, "You should know very well that I can't possibly answer this question."

He counted on his fingers and said, "I only entered the Dao by chance, having obtained some spiritual essence. To this day, I have never had a proper cultivation."

"After gaining sentience, he spent most of his time in the Wanyu Pond of the Luoshui Divine Palace, and it only took him a few dozen days to take human form."

"How could someone like me, who can barely be called a cultivator, possibly have any opinion on the Dao?"

"So, the only answer I can give you is, I don't know."

Upon hearing this, the man wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, he sat up slightly and said very seriously, "I know."

"At least, I think I know. Want to learn? I'll teach you what the Tao is."

Jiang Li was stunned.

That sounds very unreliable. What do you mean by "I think I know"?

According to the previous life, only amateur scientists would make such confident statements.

But the man in front of me is different.

When he says "I think I know," he is certain that he has his own explanation and views on the Tao. It may not be the real Tao, but it is definitely a path that he has opened up himself and is sure can be followed.

And now, he says he'll teach Jiang Li...

This didn't sound like a joke, nor was it just a casual remark. Jiang Li could see the bright, burning seriousness in the man's eyes.

As long as Jiang Li nods, he will truly teach her everything he knows.

"Please don't joke with me."

Jiang Li stood up, bowed to the man, and said with a wry smile, "It's not that I'm ungrateful, but rather that I'm feeling uneasy."

"Are you worried that there's no such thing as unprovoked hatred or unprovoked love in this world, and that I have ulterior motives?"

The man asked with a smile, then sat back down, the recliner creaking.

Jiang Li nodded, then shook his head, and said seriously, "It's also because I have self-awareness. Do you know the Monkey King who was imprisoned under the Five Fingers Mountain back then?"

He suddenly started talking about something else.

The man nodded slightly and said, "I've heard of him. It's said that he was a villain who once wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and that it was the one from Mount Ling who suppressed him."

Jiang Li said softly, "It is said that the Monkey King has a Ruyi Jingu Bang (magic cudgel). When he wields it, even immortals and gods will die if they are hit, or be injured if they are grazed."

"But if that stick were in my hands, do you think it would still be as powerful?"

The man looked at Jiang Li and asked, "You mean, even if I give you my Taoist teachings, you won't be able to use them?"

"I don't have that ability."

Jiang Li said quite frankly, "So, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid I can't learn your way."

"Hehehe..."

The man chuckled softly, a simple smile without any particular meaning.

"Do you know that my path, even within this limited world, is a method that commands attention?"

Jiang Li shook her head and said, "I don't know what I missed, nor do I believe in the so-called 'if you don't take what God has given you, you will suffer the consequences.' I only believe in what I consider to be worthy of having."

Upon hearing this, the man looked at Jiang Li without saying a word, simply watching silently.

Jiang Li's body stiffened slightly, wondering what this incredibly mysterious big shot, who hadn't revealed his name yet, was thinking.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous.

After a long silence, the man murmured to himself, "Self-sufficient, not relying on external sources."

After a pause, the man said to Jiang Li very seriously, "You just said that you don't understand what the Dao is, but in my opinion, you know very well what the Dao is."

Jiang Li blinked but didn't say anything.

He didn't know what the Tao was, but he knew what the harsh realities of society meant.

Rushing into things that are beyond one's ability to control or interfere with will almost always result in one outcome: a dramatic decline in one's fortunes.

If it were Lady Luoshui who told him that she would impart all her Taoist arts to him, Jiang Li would kneel down and kowtow without the slightest hesitation.

But the person in front of him wasn't enough to make Jiang Li make that kind of decision.

Call him tactless or ignorant, it doesn't matter.

Jiang Li indeed thought this way, and that's what she said.

Although Jiang Li didn't know who the big shot in front of her was, she knew very well that speaking the truth was the most important thing in front of such a person.

Whether it sounds good or not, whether it's what the big shots want to hear, it doesn't matter.

"You are from the Luoshui Divine Palace, so why are you on the Wei River?"

The man suddenly changed the subject.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li did not hide anything and told him everything she had experienced and knew.

There was no concealment whatsoever.

This includes the investiture ceremony at Shouyang Mountain, following Feng Mu, and matters concerning the Goddess Wusheng.

Especially the last one, which took Jiang Li a lot of time to explain.

Finally, Jiang Li concluded, "Such evil practices, if not eradicated, pose a significant hidden danger!"

After saying that, he stared intently at the mysterious big shot in front of him.

If this person were willing to take action, it would probably be a simple matter of waving his hand, and then Lady Wusheng would definitely have no chance of survival.

A true cultivator who can put their beliefs into practice and truly discover their own path definitely possesses such strength.

However, the man simply shook his head and sighed, "Unfortunately, I cannot help you."

Jiang Li opened her mouth, but still didn't say anything, nor did she seem to want to ask any further questions.

"However, I can show you a way."

The man then changed the subject, smiling as he looked at Jiang Li.

Please don't hesitate to offer your guidance!

Jiang Li's eyes lit up, and she stood up and bowed.

The man casually tossed the nameless book in his hand to Jiang Li.

Jiang Li subconsciously took it, without looking at it, but simply held it in both hands, looking at the man with a puzzled expression.

The man chuckled and said, "Take this, head west, and at the first city you encounter, at the first shop, stand at the door, randomly flip to a page, and read it aloud."

"Within a couple of sentences, someone will come looking for you, um... or maybe not a person."