Hello

Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang had much to catch up on since their reunion, so they ambled to the very back of the procession.

Up ahead, Shang Chaozong overheard Shang Shuqing still muttering about "planes and tanks." He glanced back at the two figures trailing far behind and couldn't help but chuckle, "They didn't want to talk about it, yet you're still dwelling on it, Qing'er? Why didn't you press them for details earlier?"

Unable to discern Shang Shuqing's expression beneath her veiled hat, she replied, "They didn't want to say, but I don't think Niu Youdao is someone who just talks nonsense. The casual remark he let slip gave me a strange feeling. It wasn't like a slip of the tongue, more like he felt there were things he didn't need to hide from us. And Yuan Gang's gaze towards us also held a hint of disdain."

Shang Chaozong looked puzzled. "Qing'er, your words contradict each other. I'm finding it a bit confusing."

Shang Shuqing: "I can't quite explain it myself. It felt like a condescending attitude towards us, as if he thought, 'I'll just say it casually since you wouldn't understand anyway.' In a way, he seemed to have a psychological advantage over us, a feeling of superiority."

Shang Chaozong let out a scoff. "Perhaps he thinks he's a sorcerer, and we're just ordinary mortals in his eyes."

"Perhaps!" Shang Shuqing mused for a moment, then turned to ask, "Mr. Lan, what do you think he meant by agreeing to go to the village with us earlier, only to refuse so suddenly?"

Lan Ruoting: "It might be a form of protection for the villagers. Yuan Gang might genuinely not want us to interact with them."

Shang Chaozong: "The location is known now. If they want to interact later, won't it be easy?"

Lan Ruoting: "Didn't Your Highness just see it? If there really is a village in the mountains, it's clearly no ordinary place. Just from that whistle, you could tell the village has strict self-protection measures. Outsiders might be met with suspicion as soon as they approach. Perhaps, as they said, they're afraid of being raided by soldiers."

The group exited the narrow path and continued galloping along the official road.

Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang rode side-by-side at the rear, discussing their respective situations over the years. Seeing each other again brought them joy, and they didn't mind eating the dust kicked up by the procession.

Niu Youdao had nothing to hide from Yuan Gang. He recounted his experiences from waking up in the dilapidated temple and meeting Dong Guo Haoran, all the way to his recent emergence, even omitting his discovery of the 'Qiankun Jue' in the bronze mirror.

Yuan Gang was surprised that Niu Youdao had been under house arrest for five years. "Daoist Master, if what you say is true, then the Shangqing Sect wanted to harm you?"

Niu Youdao sighed. "Most likely. From all the signs and Tu Han's reminder, they probably wanted me dead sooner rather than later. I don't know what I did to offend them, and I didn't harm them, so why would they go after me? I still can't figure this out."

Yuan Gang: "When you were at the Shangqing Sect, it would have been easy for them to act. Why wait until now?"

Niu Youdao: "I'm also puzzled by that."

Yuan Gang: "How do you plan to resolve this, Daoist Master?"

Niu Youdao: "It seems following the group ahead isn't safe either. Let's wait until after we pass Nanshan Temple. Once the Shangqing Sect believes I'm dead and the threat of entanglement is gone, we'll ditch them immediately. Then, the world is our oyster. With our skills, we can go anywhere and see anything."

After discussing the matter, and to broaden Yuan Gang's understanding of the world beyond his mountain village and enhance his self-preservation abilities, Niu Youdao began recounting his knowledge of the cultivation world. It was a shame the Shangqing Sect's books on cultivation affairs couldn't be brought out; otherwise, it would have saved them a lot of talking. Yuan Gang, having spent years in the 'archaeology world,' had no problem reading Small Seal Script.

As he listened and pondered, Yuan Gang suddenly blurted out, "It's hard for me to understand how people from the cultivation world intervene in secular affairs, even getting involved in the power struggles between nations."

Niu Youdao chuckled. "What's so hard to understand? It's only difficult to understand if you're ignorant. Just because something is unknown doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Have you read 'Investiture of the Gods'? The War of Shang and Zhou within it, how many cultivators were involved? Figures like Jiang Ziya, Nezha, Yang Jian... it's much like the world we're in now. Just imagine you've entered the world described in 'Investiture of the Gods,' and your mind will naturally start to grasp it."

Yuan Gang was somewhat speechless, frowning. "Daoist Master, if what you say is true, does that mean there are really immortals who can fly around in this world?"

Niu Youdao, gripping the reins as he rode, smiled again. "It depends on how you define 'immortal.' If it simply refers to the ability to fly, then yes, it's likely possible. It's just that there don't seem to be many people who have reached that level of cultivation in this world currently. If someone truly possessed that cultivation, they would be at the top of the food chain. There would likely be a host of people providing them with benefits, and ordinary matters probably wouldn't draw their attention."

"They can really fly?" Yuan Gang shook his head. Despite hearing it from someone he trusted, he still found it hard to believe. "That's not scientific!"

Niu Youdao spread his hands. "It's very scientific. You just haven't grasped the core principles to understand it."

Yuan Gang looked surprised. "Scientific? Where is the science?"

Niu Youdao paused for a moment, contemplating how to explain it. After organizing his thoughts, he said, "Before we came here, I was just like you. I didn't believe in immortals either. However, after cultivating at the Shangqing Sect for five years, and comparing the two, I think I've roughly understood the essence of it. Look!"

He gestured for Yuan Gang to look, then flipped his palm and channeled his energy. A clump of dust stirred up by the horses galloping ahead began to swirl like a vortex in his palm, refusing to dissipate. He casually waved it away and asked, "What do you think I was doing just now?"

Yuan Gang: "That's the effect of the internal energy from your Qigong cultivation." He had witnessed similar phenomena from Niu Youdao before.

Niu Youdao nodded. "It is Qigong, but after channeling the energy, where does this power come from? Can you explain it?"

Yuan Gang fell silent. He hadn't truly considered this before, only knowing it was Qigong. He shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

Niu Youdao: "In my early years of practicing Qi, when my mind, body, and senses opened up, I could feel my body absorbing something from the void into me. According to Taoist teachings, it's called the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. I've always understood it in this mystical, vague way. After coming here and making comparisons, I think I've finally understood what this so-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth truly is."

Even with Yuan Gang's usual composure, he couldn't help but ask with curiosity, "What is it?"

Niu Youdao: "If I explain it using a more scientific term, you should understand. Dark matter. Have you heard of dark matter?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Yuan Gang's eyes. "You mean that substance that's smaller than electrons and photons, which cannot be directly observed and scientists are trying to capture by any means?"

Niu Youdao nodded. "Exactly. After comparing them, I pondered it carefully. The so-called spiritual energy is likely dark matter. In the past, in what was considered superstition, there was the concept of ghosts. You're probably familiar with ghosts; they seem to exist, yet they don't. But at the Shangqing Sect, I confirmed from certain texts that ghosts truly exist here. I believe what are called ghosts are actually formed by invisible dark matter. After death, a person's thoughts and consciousness are preserved, using dark matter as a medium to exist, thus forming so-called ghosts. This principle is actually similar to the physical bodies we now inhabit. The difference between us and ghosts is likely just the medium used to operate our thoughts. The universe is vast, and diversity coexists. There are many things humans don't understand, which doesn't mean they don't exist. It all involves a process of contact and understanding."

"..." Yuan Gang looked at him, somewhat speechless.

"Don't look at me like that. There's nothing to be surprised about. If I'm not mistaken, the so-called differences in internal energy and magic power are simply the result of controlling dark matter and releasing its energy." Niu Youdao smiled slightly, waving his sleeve to block a gust of dust. He continued, "After cultivating here, I discovered that the spiritual energy in this world, or what you understand as dark matter, is far more abundant than in our previous location. I've tested it repeatedly, and the cultivation speed here far surpasses that place. According to some texts, there wasn't this much spiritual energy here before, and consequently, not as many cultivators. Later, the founding emperor of the Wu Kingdom, Shang Song, reportedly punched a hole in the sky, causing spiritual energy to continuously leak into this world. I'm not sure about the specifics. Oh, right, are you still practicing your Hard Qi Cultivation?"

Yuan Gang nodded. "I've been practicing it since my injury healed. It's always good to have some self-defense skills."

Niu Youdao said with a playful tone, "True Hard Qi Cultivation for body tempering actually incorporates a breathing technique, which also involves absorbing spiritual energy, or what you understand as dark matter. If I'm not mistaken, your progress in practicing Hard Qi Cultivation must also be far beyond what it was before."

Yuan Gang fell silent. That was right; Niu Youdao had guessed it accurately. He had been puzzled about it before, but after Niu Youdao's clear and insightful explanation, he felt he could finally understand.

Niu Youdao chuckled. "My Qiankun Jue cultivation is quite good. I'll examine your body later to see if your current physique is suitable for cultivation. If it is, you can practice it too."

Yuan Gang shook his head. "I'm not interested in that kind of meditative, time-consuming practice. I'd rather do something meaningful with my time."

Niu Youdao: "Don't be foolish. This world is different from where we came from. Isn't it better to have stronger self-preservation abilities? Living longer and slowing down aging is also a good thing."

Yuan Gang still shook his head. "What's the point of living longer if I spend most of my time meditating? Life is about movement!"

"Monkey, I'm telling you..."

"Daoist Master, stop trying to persuade me. I'm not as obsessed with this as you are. I'm truly not interested in those mystical things. You understand my attitude towards life."

"Fine, I won't bother anymore." Niu Youdao sighed, then pointed at him again, advising, "However, don't abandon your Hard Qi Cultivation. I suspect the Hard Qi Cultivation you're practicing is not ordinary. In our previous location, we could glimpse some clues from Taoist legends. The amount of spiritual energy back then should have been decent, but then, for some reason, it became extremely scarce. Over the long years, cultivation methods with poor absorption and sensing abilities would have been eliminated. The methods that still have cultivation effects by the time of you and me should all be extraordinary. Perhaps here, they can yield completely different results. You should have already felt this yourself."

Yuan Gang grunted, then after a moment of silence, asked, "Daoist Master, what are your plans for the future?"

Niu Youdao surveyed the surroundings and laughed heartily, "Since we are here, we shall stay. I have two words for this world!"

"Two words?" Yuan Gang didn't understand and asked, "Which two words?"

"Hello!"

With a raised eyebrow, Niu Youdao dropped the words, flicked his whip, and galloped away.

"Hello?" Yuan Gang was stunned for a moment. He looked around, then also spurred his horse to chase, the two of them pursuing each other.