Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Zhu Wuyao recited seven or eight lines of classical poetry about "water" before falling silent.

Although behind her lies the cultural heritage of an entire world.

However, she wasn't a genius back then, and her reading volume was limited.

Even if one embarks on the path of cultivation, and while one's physical constitution and memory are greatly improved, the knowledge that can be recalled will eventually come to an end.

If she were to reveal everything this time, she would be of no value to the old man.

In particular, this is the cultivation world, where there is a craft called "soul searching".

The old man stared at her intently.

With his knowledge, he could tell that these annotations about "water" were not written by one person.

They have different styles and some of their viewpoints conflict with each other.

Some praised its ability to adapt to circumstances, while others criticized it for drifting aimlessly and lacking direction. Some said that wise people enjoy water, while others felt that it showed its own heroic spirit.

The old man smiled sinisterly and had a seat brought over.

Zhu Wuyao and I sat across the table from each other.

She sat down in front of the old scholar, rested her arms on the table, propped her chin up, and looked straight at him, seemingly deep in thought.

After a while, Zhu Wuyao asked:

"Old Master Shu, what is your true identity?"

In her view, if a person has great wisdom, there is an 80% chance that they will choose the right path.

Even if they're just pretending, they'll put on a facade of benevolence and righteousness.

If the old scholar is so learned that he can see the coming of autumn from a single leaf, how could he possibly support the existence of the mine and aid and abet the evildoer?

Or perhaps, such a small world shouldn't confine such a learned person.

"Hehe, where did you come from?"

Upon hearing the old man's question, Zhu Wuyao calmly told a lie:

“My family has had wise men and scholars for generations. They wrote books and kept them hidden from outsiders. This has been going on for five thousand years.”

“Some changes occurred in this generation, so I am now living alone in a foreign land.”

"After losing both parents and having his collection of books destroyed, he embarked on the path of cultivation, hoping to one day regain his strength and continue his legacy."

The old bookkeeper asked, "So, you've memorized all those books?"

Seeing his scrutinizing gaze, alarm bells went off in Zhu Wuyao's mind.

As expected, the old man thought of "soul searching".

Zhu Wuyao, without changing his expression, replied:

"The real value lies not in the ink characters, is it?"

"In the school, there are the same books and the same teachers, but some people are able to write books and make works, while others can only scribble and read words."

"In other words, my value lies in the fact that I am an independent individual who can have different interpretations of the same passage in a book."

Zhu Wuyao, please be careful with what you say.

In any case, the words "soul search" are unavoidable. If the old book's intentions cannot be dispelled, she may truly become a library that can be taken and plundered at will.

It is both a danger and a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation.

Zhu Wuyao was on high alert.

Upon hearing her words, the old man lowered his eyelids and smiled, seemingly neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Perhaps in his view, everyone in the world is foolish, or perhaps—literary figures despise each other.

He asked casually:

"Then you present an argument and see if I can refute it?"

An argument that cannot be refuted?

Zhu Wuyao smiled.

She pointed to her side and said:

"To my left, there is a tabby cat, but it is strange. It can become invisible, has no weight, no temperature, and can't make a sound. And because of its different body structure and unique life form, you can't touch it."

This is the "garage fire-breathing dragon" in modern physics.

Upon hearing these words, the old scholar snorted coldly:

"absurd!"

How absurd?

"Are you out of your mind, pointing at nothingness and saying there's a tabby cat there?"

“Old Book Master, is this really absurd? How can you prove it doesn’t exist? It’s right here, but you can’t see it because your abilities are limited.”

"You..." The old man frowned, seemingly a little angry, then fell into thought.

He knew, of course, that there wasn't a tabby cat there.

But how can this be proven?

Most importantly, the old man had never encountered such a viewpoint before, so it was quite novel to him.

May Wuyao find peace of mind.

Thank you to my seniors.

This author is indeed a liberal arts student; he doesn't have much knowledge of science.

"Old Master, I have another point of view that you cannot refute."

"Tell me."

The old man's expression returned to normal.

"Once an arrow is shot, it does not move."

This time, the old scholar did not rush to refute. He narrowed his eyes slightly, waiting for Zhu Wuyao to provide his arguments.

Without hearing the old man's rebuttal, the dry, uninteresting explanation was rather dull.

But Zhu Wuyao was now under someone else's roof and couldn't ask the old man to come and support him, so he could only continue speaking on his own:

"If an arrow leaves the bowstring, it takes ten breaths for the arrowhead to pierce the target."

"So in the first breath, the arrow is suspended in the air, and the same is true for the second breath. Similarly, in every instant between the first and second breaths, the arrow is suspended in the air."

The old man fell into deep thought.

The two examples cited by Zhu Wuyao are common sayings that are frequently mentioned in physics.

But this was the first time that the old scholar had heard such a viewpoint.

Ultimately, it's because the world she lives in has a different developmental path from this world.

No matter how many books an old man has read, he can never truly escape the world of today.

As the old man pondered deeply over the book, Zhu Wuyao felt much more at ease.

It seems I might live a little longer.

But to everyone's surprise, the old scholar looked up at her the next second and sneered:

"It's just a clever trick."

After saying that, he ordered his men, "Throw her back."

Zhu Wuyao's smile froze.

Could it be that this book is only interested in humanities knowledge?

In the field of literature, this withered old man is clearly very knowledgeable. Comparing literature with him would be like attacking his strengths with one's own weaknesses, which would be self-destructive.

This was a rare opportunity, and Zhu Wuyao was about to speak when he suddenly stopped.

She shut her mouth.

They were led back down the long corridor toward the entrance to the mine.

The old man did it on purpose.

He wanted to use a sense of urgency to make him reveal everything he knew, so that he could take whatever he wanted from him.

Even if he's not interested in science, he'll definitely be interested in the explanation of water.

Soul searching will cause irreversible damage to the soul.

Furthermore, much of the information is read in a vague manner, requiring some selection and discarding.

If the old bookworm were truly a book lover, he wouldn't be able to suppress his curiosity and would surely call him over again.

Zhu Wuyao was pushed into the mine shaft.

My right shoulder has recovered a little, but after the impact, it still hurts so much that I can't lift my arm. My landing posture was incorrect.

Looking at the familiar light shield in front of him, Zhu Wuyao realized that it seemed that Elder Shu really did not intend to take his life.

Being thrown down from above guarantees safety for a period of time as long as you don't step out of the light circle.

However, we cannot place all our hopes on the old man.

The instant she stepped out of the circle of light, she heard someone ask:

"came back?"

This is Sister Rong's voice, much gentler than before.