Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

He asked Yan Huai'an for his thoughts, and Yan Huai'an was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

“If you haven’t made up your mind yet, you can think about it for a while,” Zhuang Xing said. “You can tell me in a few days.”

He didn't know what the female knight would choose. If she stayed on the mountain, she would have pandas for company. If she went with him, although he could cook for her and relieve her boredom, there would be no red pandas at home. Moreover, while the female knight was close to his mother, she was really not familiar with his father and younger sister, so she might not be very comfortable there.

Ultimately, it depends on the heroine's own decision. Whether she stays or leaves, he will definitely have to make proper arrangements for her.

Chapter 261 Gone

Now that he was going home, Zhuang Xing began packing his luggage.

He needs to bring a change of clothes. He only goes back home once a year, and there are no clothes suitable for him at home anymore. The only thing left are his old open-crotch pants from when he was a child. His mother keeps those old things in his room as collectibles. They are no longer needed, but they can be taken out to reminisce about the past when he is bored.

Time really flies; in the blink of an eye, he's already thirteen years old.

As for what he did, it seems he did quite a lot. While tidying up his clothes, he found his own book, "The Tale of Demon Subduing," in the study. He had been writing this book for several years, and it was about two fingers thick when stacked up.

He casually flipped through it and it felt like a book.

Originally, he only wrote it as a diary. He was mainly influenced by the White Lotus Hermit. He thought that if he could leave behind a diary to show that he had been in this world when he died, it would be quite nice.

After flipping through it a couple of times, the idea popped into his head to take the diary to Yidu and have it printed into a book.

He felt that his writing was quite good, more interesting than the miscellaneous books he had bought, and that his writing was less literary and mostly plain language, which would allow it to spread more widely.

If we print the book and spread these stories, who knows, many years later, someone might even make a TV series based on his book, making it a household name.

Since I need to deliver a message for the old Taoist priest and go to Yidu anyway, this is a good opportunity to get this done.

He then wrapped the paper in oiled paper, tied it three times with straw rope, and placed it at the very back of his bag.

He wrapped it very carefully. Before this book was printed, there would only be one copy in the world. If it got wet or damp, and the words became blurred, then it would be gone.

This is a unique piece, so of course it needs to be carefully kept; he doesn't want to rewrite it.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened in the following days.

Zhuang Xing went to find Uncle Wei and asked him to look after the house while he was going down the mountain.

In the morning and afternoon, Zhuang Xing urged the panda to exercise on the roller to build up its strength. The little guy suffered a lot, but he was determined to make the panda lose weight and showed no mercy.

On the third day, Da Chun handed him the letter he had written.

On the fourth day, Yunling told him that the nourishing pills were ready. There was only one jar of pills, and the pills were too potent to be suitable for ordinary people.

Yunling mainly prepared two packets of roasted flower tea. This tea is suitable for all ages and is a genuine health product, not a scam.

Dry-fried flower tea, if stored properly, can last for three or four years without any problems.

As for that jar of pills, they are for dealing with emergencies and can be used to save lives.

Zhuang Xing thought the gift was great. In addition, he had gotten a small wooden sword these past few days. His little sister was six years old this year. Although dolls and stuff seemed more suitable for little girls, Zhuang Xing thought his little sister wouldn't really like dolls. Perhaps influenced by her older brother, his little sister wasn't as delicate as other little girls. Although she had been a crybaby since she was little, she could get up on her own after falling down and ran around with plenty of energy.

If you give your little sister a doll, she'll probably just leave it to gather dust in her room. But if you give her a delicate little wooden sword, she'll absolutely adore it and carry it with her everywhere she goes.

However, she needs to be properly disciplined. She can't take a sword and wreak havoc on other people's vegetable fields. It's fine to cut some weeds by the roadside, but if she runs into someone else's field and causes a blizzard, and someone comes looking for her, her backside will be in big trouble.

He hadn't seen his younger sister for a year, and he missed her quite a bit.

As he excitedly prepared to descend the mountain, little did he know that Yan Huai'an was in a state of confusion.

Yan Huai'an was still pondering the same question from before: why did the panda have to run out to see the tabby cat every day?

Even though the little panda had exhausted itself on the wheel during the past two days of training, it still braved the wind and snow to go out.

She was in a strange state of confusion, and in the end she decided not to go back with Zhuang Xing.

Zhuang Xing received a reply on the evening of the fourth day, and by the morning of the fifth day, he had everything ready.

He shouldered his backpack and picked up his luggage. Before setting off, he cleaned the house spotlessly. He entrusted the important task of supervising the pandas' weight loss to Shoumu, asking Shoumu to urge his younger brothers to run for at least the time it takes to burn an incense stick every day.

Shoumu assured him that he would definitely complete the task assigned by the king, and Zhuangxing nodded and stood in front of the courtyard.

"Sister, I'm leaving now." He said to Yan Huai'an, "Leave the miscellaneous tasks to Red Panda."

"Okay." Yan Huai'an nodded. "Take care."

“Your Majesty, we will miss you,” the panda said, huddled under the eaves.

Although they say that, their tails keep wagging.

They only wag their tails when they are happy. It seems that they have been terrified by Zhuang Xing's training over the past five days. When Zhuang Xing went home, they finally had a chance to catch their breath. Although their eldest brother would supervise their weight loss, he was easier to talk to than the king, and at least he wouldn't be so exhausted.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Zhuang Xing didn't want to push the panda too hard.

Let them rest if they want. Anyway, he weighed them one by one before leaving. If they come back and their weight has increased instead of decreased, he can just make up for the lost weight through extra training.

Whether it's sweet first and then bitter, or bitter first and then sweet, it's up to them to choose.

If he doesn't know his place normally, he won't be lenient when the time comes.

Zhuang Xing waved his hand, took one last look at the courtyard, and walked out through the snow.

The fog was very thick today, and after walking only a few steps, his figure disappeared into the wind and snow.

He arrived at the medicinal herb field, where Yunling was waiting for him in front of the fence.

"Let's go," Zhuang Xing said.

"Mm." Yunling nodded.

The two walked side by side out of the Taoist temple, stepped onto the blue stone steps, and headed down the mountain.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, it began to snow. Zhuang Xing went to the stable, found Wuzhui, led the horse out, put the horse bag on its back, and let the horse carry the bag and luggage.

When she arrived, Yunling had even prepared fresh radish leaves. Radishes don't grow well in this weather, so she used her life-giving magic to help them grow.

She remembered that Wuzhui liked radish leaves, so she prepared a gift for him.

The black horse chewed on a leaf and let out a happy neigh.

Zhuang Xing put a bamboo hat and a raincoat on Yunling, and Yunling also put a bamboo hat and a raincoat on him. The two of them and their horse then walked forward in this white world.

At this moment, Yan Huai'an did not feel that this day was any different from the past. She sat in the house and watched the panda curl up and sleep.

The sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen; Xiao An's father was preparing a meal for her and the panda as promised.

It was during dinner that she realized that someone wouldn't be coming back today, wouldn't be coming back tonight, and wouldn't be coming back tomorrow.

She suddenly felt a little empty and stared blankly at the painting hanging on the wall.

Chapter 262 Changes in the Times

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling walked along the narrow path for three days. On the fourth day, the path became wider and there were more people.

This is thanks to the successful transformation of the village. After all, it was an imperial edict issued directly by the emperor to enclose this land for farming. In ancient times when technology was underdeveloped, agriculture was the foundation of the country. Nothing was more important than having enough to eat. If a place produced grain and had good soil and water, it would naturally have more people.

The road became much easier to travel, and it was no longer difficult to find someone to stay with along the way.

The changes around here are truly remarkable. Ten years ago, most of the surrounding land was desolate and uninhabited, but now small villages are everywhere, and there are even inns that provide food and lodging for passing travelers.

Thanks to this good road, Zhuang Xing and Yunling arrived at the village after five days of travel.

This place is no longer a small village that can be seen everywhere. It has become a big place with officials, soldiers, merchants and travelers. Even in winter, you can still see a lot of people walking around.

Merchants drove carts and horses, transporting the mined coal into Manggu Village.

Even if you want to go to Yidu, you have to take the official road outside Manggu Village. In addition to producing wheat, Manggu Village has also become a transportation hub.

It's true what they say: if you want to get rich, build roads first.

In addition, the original river at the village entrance has been dug into a canal ferry crossing. This small river has been connected to the main ferry crossing in Yidu, allowing people to travel directly to Yidu by water.

Many wooden boats were moored at the ferry crossing. At this time, the river was not yet frozen and boats could sail. Ten years ago, the river would not freeze even in the depths of winter, but in recent years, a thin layer of ice would form on the river in December, at which point it would be impossible to take a boat from the ferry crossing.

After all, these days, boats are either wind-powered sailboats or manually rowed by boatmen. If it were an icebreaker made of steel, it could easily break through the thin ice, allowing smaller boats to follow. But for wooden boats, that was just wishful thinking.

Apart from Zhuang Xing, probably no one in the world had ever thought of using iron to build ships.

Intuition tells everyone that iron is heavier than water and will sink to the bottom, but in fact, whether iron sinks or not depends on its own weight and buoyancy.

However, in the end, the technology of iron smelting is not mature enough yet, and it does not meet the standards for building iron ships in all aspects. Iron ships will not suddenly appear out of nowhere.

As Zhuang walked across the ferry, watching the men carrying sacks of coal onto the transport ships, causing the ships to sag under their weight, he couldn't help but exclaim, "What a huge change!"

He wasn't just talking about the increased population in the village, the opening of the canal, and the construction of the official road.

There are small coal-burning stoves right by the ferry crossing, and you can smell the coal ash that's different from charcoal.

Ironware also increased. Coal was a better fuel for iron smelting than charcoal. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the iron smelting industry developed greatly due to coal mining. The amount of coal mined in Dayu also indirectly affected ironware.

Stir-frying became popular starting in the Song Dynasty. Iron woks were an essential tool for stir-frying. With more iron produced, every household could afford iron woks. It is said that the amount of iron produced in the mid-Song Dynasty was twice that of Europe in the 17th century.

Zhuang Xing felt that everything before him was inextricably linked to him.

He indirectly or directly influenced all of this, and the people in this region are developing in the direction he is familiar with.

The village has changed a lot, but the times have changed even more.

He remembered the question the virgin had asked him: if there were no cotton, no coal, no wheat, perhaps this world would truly be in chaos.

Without food, heating, and fuel, when the conditions necessary for survival cannot be guaranteed, and when one's most basic physiological needs cannot be met, how can it be a prosperous era?

What he did was not particularly special to him, but it truly affected the lives of many people.

When he returned home and saw the familiar millstone and yard, the warmth before him gave him an even stronger feeling.

His mind was filled with knowledge and understanding that was ahead of its time. He stood on the shoulders of giants. He had seen skyscrapers that soared into the clouds and steel fighter jets that swept through the clouds.

He only extracted a tiny bit of knowledge from it, yet it influenced so many people.

He realized that there was still a lot he could do, even though he himself only had a superficial understanding of many things, he could be the one to start something new.

While he was thinking about these things, a little girl with two braids and wearing a red cotton robe crossed the threshold and ran out of the house.

"Brother!" she called out, running towards Zhuang Xing with a joyful expression.

Zhuang Xing smiled, squatted down, and opened his arms. His six-year-old sister was not even a meter tall. Her circumstances were different from Zhuang Xing's when he was a child. Zhuang Xing's family was now considered wealthy, and she had been raised to be a delicate and beautiful little girl, like a little princess.

The younger sister reached into Zhuang Xing's arms, stood on tiptoe, and hugged Zhuang Xing's neck.

Zhuang Xing picked her up in his arms. Compared to when he left last year, his little sister had grown a lot. That's how children are; they change every year.

Zhu He then came out from behind the door. She saw Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling and smiled.