Centurion Chen was a little dazed, not quite understanding.
Old Nanfeng chuckled. "Dao Xuan Tianzun said that a person being sold like a commodity is a tragedy of this world, a tragedy of backward social systems, and something that should bring sorrow to everyone. Only by ensuring, as much as possible, that others aren't bought and sold, can we and our families avoid becoming commodities ourselves in the future."
Centurion Chen mused, "Ah… I don't quite get it."
Old Nanfeng replied, "That's exactly right, if you don't understand. Dao Xuan Tianzun speaks of celestial principles; it would be strange if you did. Only the children in the school who study the Heavenly Book can comprehend them."
Centurion Chen was speechless.
Old Nanfeng poked Centurion Chen's forehead with a finger.
"Don't overthink it. Just be happy. Enjoy a few years in this Flower World Star Agency, marry a wife, have a child, send the child to learn the Heavenly Book, so they can keep up with the celestial principles. Then we can die content, understand?"
Centurion Chen's spirits lifted. "Understood!"
At that moment, the girls rehearsing on stage changed again. This time, it was an entire group, five of them, who immediately began singing and dancing, swirling across the stage. It was a fierce, joyful song.
The atmosphere ignited instantly.
Old Nanfeng stood up, smiling at his subordinates behind him.
"The girls on stage are rehearsing hard, so we, the audience, should rehearse too! Let's practice doing 'the wave,' for when we need to energize the venue for me later…"
Everyone looked puzzled. "What's 'the wave'?"
Old Nanfeng explained, "The person at the very end stands up first, raises their hand, then sits down. Then the person next to them stands up, raises their hand, sits down…"
These were soldiers, after all, accustomed to long periods of drill training. They understood at once.
Soon, they mastered the essentials of performing 'the wave,' and they did it better and more uniformly than ordinary audiences who spontaneously started 'the wave' in later generations. Each person's rise and fall maintained perfectly identical timing—it was simply flawless.
Old Nanfeng exclaimed, "Good heavens, I never thought the army could be used for this! Why bother fighting? You should just specialize in this from now on!"
Everyone laughed in unison.
"No way, we'd rather stick to fighting battles."
That same evening…
The concert officially began; the rehearsal was over.
Fewer tickets were sold that day, over six hundred less than usual, because more than six hundred seats had been occupied by "special guests." Fortunately, the concert venue had expanded, now capable of accommodating far more spectators than when it first opened. When completely full, it could hold five thousand people, so selling six hundred fewer tickets wasn't a significant issue.
As the concert reached its peak, those six hundred "special guests" suddenly started doing 'the wave.'
Other audience members had never seen "the wave" before and immediately found it novel and entertaining. Many spontaneously joined the ranks, and the entire five thousand spectators in the Puzhou Grand Theater had an absolute blast.
Even Qiu Qianfan, the Prefect of Puzhou, stood up with the crowd, waving his hand, then sitting back down… He repeated this for several rounds, so thrilled that he was practically puffing out his beard.
Wang Zheng, protected by a retinue of household guards, set off in a carriage toward Chengcheng County.
He genuinely wished to see what scientific technologies the immortal known as Dao Xuan Tianzun had brought to this world, and if they surpassed those introduced by Catholicism.
In his youth, he had believed in Buddhism, but later found it to be of little practical use. He then turned to Daoism, only to discover that aside from some advancements in chemistry, it too was rather ordinary in other respects. It was when he encountered Catholicism that he realized it offered a wealth of Western scientific and practical technologies, leading him to accept baptism.
His creed was simple:
"Whichever religion is useful, that's the one I belong to."
Currently, Catholicism ranked highest in his estimation!
"Master, ahead is Dali County. After passing through it, we will reach Chengcheng County."
Wang Zheng nodded. He had been to Dali County before; it was a rather unremarkable place. He had no intention of stopping to rest, preferring to pass through as quickly as possible.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a subordinate exclaim in shock,
"Huh? What in the world is that?"
"That thing can actually move!"
His household guards outside were chattering excitedly.
Wang Zheng was a naturally curious man. Hearing the commotion outside, he couldn't possibly not look. He lifted the carriage curtain and peered out, instantly feeling bewildered. The official road between Dali County and Chengcheng County wasn't the usual dirt path; it was a strange, hard, grayish-white road.
At that moment, on this peculiar road, a remarkably large and strange vehicle was slowly advancing, heading directly toward Wang Zheng and his retinue.
The strange vehicle moved very slowly, as if burdened by an immense weight.
In fact, it truly was heavily burdened; it was carrying several large looms.
Wang Zheng recognized it at once.
"This! This is the solar car mentioned in 'The Dao Xuan Tianzun's Demon-Slaying Chronicle'!"
He was utterly astonished. When he had read about this vehicle in the book, he had been somewhat skeptical, finding it hard to believe. But seeing it now with his own eyes, its sheer size was truly breathtaking.
That such an enormous vehicle could move simply by being exposed to the sun was truly unfathomable.
Wang Zheng called out,
"Stop, stop! I want to get a good look at that large vehicle!"
Wang Zheng's convoy halted.
His household guards ran forward, blocking the road. Consequently, the colossal, strange vehicle also came to a gradual stop.
A head emerged from the vehicle—it was Song Yingxing—who angrily questioned the obstructing guard,
"Why are you blocking my path?"
The guard, unaware of Song Yingxing's importance, was about to retort arrogantly when Wang Zheng quickly stepped forward, waved his guard away, and bowed respectfully to Song Yingxing.
"I am Wang Zheng. Seeing this solar car, my curiosity was piqued, so I instructed my men to stop and observe. My subordinate misunderstood my meaning and blocked your vehicle. It was exceedingly rude, and I beg your forgiveness."
Seeing his impeccable manners, Song Yingxing's annoyance dissipated. He returned the bow with clasped hands.
"I am Song Yingxing. Your curiosity about this vehicle is natural; I am quite curious myself. I follow this vehicle around every day, pondering its exact principles."
Upon hearing this, Wang Zheng was overjoyed. This man before him appeared to be a fellow enthusiast in scientific study.
Wang Zheng quickly took a large step forward.
"My friend, have you discovered anything in your research?"
Song Yingxing explained,
"This vehicle likely uses solar energy. It absorbs heat from sunlight, converting that heat into electricity, which then powers a motor, driving the wheels… This is what I've deduced so far. However, I understand the 'why' but not the 'how.' I simply cannot comprehend the mechanism that transforms thermal energy into electrical energy."
Wang Zheng: "!!!"
Confound it, the moment he started speaking, I didn't understand a single thing he said!
With a soft thud, Wang Zheng collapsed to the ground. He had lost. The feeling of being knocked out with the very first move of an encounter was truly unsatisfying.