Ch. 281Chapter 117
Chapter 117 Summary
The chapter opens with a philosophical reflection on time and Zhang Zhongjing’s famous poetry. His maxim that life is brief and time should not be wasted is presented as more than ordinary literature: Zhang’s poems preserve advanced knowledge and mysteries that modern science cannot fully understand. His writings influenced Huaxia culture, technology, and civilization, functioning almost like a hidden scientific legacy.
The narrative then reveals that several things described in Zhang’s poetry correspond to real discoveries. These include valuable extraterrestrial resources, specialized gold-like materials, the rare desert-growing Rosewood Tree, and a mysterious “human miracle”—a girl whose existence or body may contain the secret to producing an extraordinary life-form. Zhang’s poetry also alludes to ancient scientists who concealed dangerous discoveries to prevent wars and bloodshed. Humanity’s inability to interpret these poems demonstrates how far beyond ordinary knowledge their contents are.
A massive pyramid is discovered for the first time. It resembles a combination of pyramids and ancient Huaxia palace architecture, but its immense size—several kilometers across—and its powerful, mysterious energy make it unlike anything known on Earth. Only a few cultivators can sense the energy, which gives the structure an atmosphere of danger and mystery. The pyramid confirms theories once dismissed by Earth’s cultivators, though Zhang Zhongjing himself shows little interest in it.
The chapter then shifts into an account of humanity’s earlier history. Earth’s people and the Heavenly Empire, also known as the Shennong Clan, once possessed highly advanced technology. Their civilizations competed for power and resources, eventually becoming evenly matched. Suspicion, military rivalry, and fear of annihilation led to war. Although both sides suffered heavy losses, neither could decisively defeat the other, and the conflict ended in an uneasy ceasefire followed by constant political and technological probing.
This environment created widespread psychological insecurity. Despite material prosperity, people lived in fear of invasion, extermination, and betrayal. Nations sought weaknesses in one another and wished to destroy their rivals, while individuals became increasingly attached to their own families and clans. Trust in governments, nations, and even personal faith began to collapse. Family members killed one another over conflicting loyalties, leaving behind hatred and unresolved grief. People increasingly believed their own relatives and clans were innocent while distrusting outsiders and official commands.
The chapter ends as another war begins, apparently involving someone who was officially part of the allied forces, suggesting that the fragile alliances and divided loyalties are about to collapse further.
Key Themes
- Time, mortality, and legacy: Life is brief, but knowledge and cultural inheritance can outlast individuals.
- Poetry as hidden science: Zhang Zhongjing’s poetry preserves technological and biological secrets beyond modern understanding.
- Humanity’s hunger for resources: Gold-like materials and rare plants drive competition and conflict.
- Fear and political instability: Even advanced societies become fragile when trapped in mutual suspicion.
- Family, faith, and divided loyalty: War corrupts relationships and causes people to prioritize clans over broader unity.
- The danger of knowledge: Some discoveries are deliberately concealed because revealing them could provoke catastrophic violence.
Character Interactions
- A human and an intelligent being confront or argue with the Creator, with the human defiantly insisting that philosophy should be recognized as a science.
- Zhang Zhongjing’s words influence how later generations interpret civilization, technology, and human miracles.
- The chapter emphasizes strained relationships between nations, clans, parents, children, spouses, and allies, showing how war transforms trust into suspicion and hostility.