After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

A sound came from behind Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng turned around and saw Zhou Yan flying in mid-air.

Xu Sheng smiled at Zhou Yan.

"My cultivation has greatly improved, so I came out for a walk. I haven't been out for decades. I never imagined this world was so wonderful."

Since he started practicing, Xu Sheng felt that his back no longer hurt, his legs no longer ached, and of course, he didn't stop breathing, but his body was truly very comfortable.

Zhou Yan said with satisfaction.

"It's good that there's progress. Oh, by the way, Mr. Xu, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

Xu Sheng's heart stirred. During this period, Zhou Yan had assisted him in his cultivation, brought him pills, and prepared almost everything for Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng was old and not stupid. He knew very well that if someone was being overly solicitous, they must have ulterior motives.

Zhou Yan did so much for him; if he wasn't his father, then he was trying to get more benefits from him.

However, buying and selling is all about mutual consent. If Xu Sheng wasn't willing, he wouldn't have accepted Zhou Yan's offer. Since he accepted it willingly, he had to be prepared to do things for Zhou Yan.

Xu Sheng said with a smile.

"Mr. Wu, just tell me, and I'll sell everything I own to help you."

"Here's the thing, the Midnight Bookstore in the Third Ring Road area has closed down, and there's a batch of old history books that need to be disposed of. Could you buy all of these history books and read them all?"

Zhou Yue: ≠费＃【§‰：、△◎陆♀∴[∷4?☆四|◎二衍 cupped his fists toward Xu Sheng.

"After reading it once, that's considered what someone asked the old gentleman to do."

Xu Sheng was somewhat puzzled: buying books, reading books?

What are we supposed to do?

However, since Zhou Yan had spoken, Xu Sheng couldn't refuse, so he nodded.

"As instructed by the young master, I, Xu, will do my utmost to fulfill his request."

Zhou Yan left.

Xu Sheng went downstairs, and the nanny, who had gotten up earlier, hurriedly greeted him when she saw her master come down.

"Professor Xu, breakfast is ready."

"Yes, Aunt Wang, you should go and rest if you're tired. Don't overwork yourself."

After giving a few words of advice, Xu Sheng went to the restaurant on the first floor, picked up his bowl and chopsticks and started eating. The old man's menu was very simple: a bowl of plain white porridge that wouldn't upset his stomach, a salted duck egg with butter on it, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

After eating until he was about 70% full, Xu Sheng walked to the parking lot outside the villa and drove his car to the Midnight Bookstore that Zhou Yan had mentioned.

Midnight Bookstore is a very small room, only a dozen square meters, with three bookshelves. When Xu Sheng walked in, two elderly people were sorting and packing boxes of books.

Xu Sheng hurriedly replied.

"Wait a minute, gentlemen, is your bookstore clearing out a batch of history books? Could you sell them to me?"

One of the elderly men, whose face was covered in age spots, nodded his chin at a box in the corner.

"You want a history book, right? It's over there. Three hundred for you, all of it." >∽Zero＝≮÷

Xu Sheng took out three RMB 100 bills from his wallet and carefully placed them on the relatively clean but extremely old counter in the bookstore. Then he went to the corner where the history book box was placed and picked it up.

This box weighed at least thirty pounds. In the past, Xu Sheng, who was old and weak, would not have been able to lift it. But now, having cultivated the first level of insight and opened his divine eye, Xu Sheng easily lifted the heavy object, put it in the trunk of his car, and then drove back to his villa.

After unloading the box from the trunk of the car, Xu Sheng carried the books to his study without blushing or panting.

Next came organizing the books. Xu Sheng tore off the transparent tape on the box and took out books such as "History of Tang Dynasty" and "History of Ming Dynasty". He carefully arranged them in historical order and then placed them on his desk.

……

Across from the villa stands a high-rise hotel.

Zhou Yan and Xiao Yanjun sat by the floor-to-ceiling window of a high-end suite, staring at the study of Xu Sheng's villa not far away.

Little Yama is being watched by ghosts, and Zhou Yan's omniscience allows him to see Xu Sheng through the wall.

Little Yama nudged Zhou Yan's side with his elbow.

"The opportunity you discovered is hidden in this pile of dry, boring, and headache-inducing history books?"

Zhou Yan nodded.

"There is a book here called 'The Late History of Nantong,' which contains... visualizations that can influence a person's thoughts. If Xu Sheng can see through these visualizations, he will make great progress in his cultivation."

After a pause, Zhou Yan patted the shoulder of the little Yama beside him.

“Brother Yan, you’re right. Heaven has already found an opportunity for Xu Sheng to improve his cultivation. We’re just delivering this opportunity to him.”

……

Inside the study of Xu Sheng's villa.

After reading through the history from the Warring States period to the Tang Dynasty, Xu Sheng pulled out a history book called "Late History of Nantong". The book did not record a rough history, but rather a story about a small family that was captured by invaders after the fall of the dynasty. The men were tortured and beheaded, and the women were treated as toys and became playthings for the invaders.

Besides the heart-wrenching text, there were also illustrations that were almost indistinguishable from images of executions in hell. Although these illustrations were all in black and white, the muscle textures and human organs were depicted with exquisite detail, as if a person had been tortured and killed alive and then photographed and filtered.

Even Xu Sheng, who was used to seeing things, felt that these illustrations were too graphic. He thought they were okay for an old man like himself, but if young people saw them, they would be so scared that they couldn't sleep at night.

So, who painted this picture, and which publishing house dares to publish it? Aren't they afraid of being reported and severely punished by the State Administration for Market Regulation?

Curious, Xu Sheng flipped the book back to the cover, and something strange happened: there was neither a publisher's name nor an author's name on the cover.

This is a book with no copyright, no manufacturer, and no quality certification.

Xu Sheng immediately realized that the book Zhou Yan wanted him to read was very likely this one, *The Late History of Nantong*. Compared to other books with authors and publishers listed, *The Late History of Nantong* stood out like a crane among chickens—it was far superior.

Xu Sheng carefully read the book, imprinting every word and every color illustration into his mind. He then went on to peruse other historical books, but after finishing *The Late History of Nantong*, it was almost eleven o'clock. Soon after, there was a knock on the study door.

"Master, it's time to eat."

The maid's voice came from behind the door.

"Oh, alright."

After putting down his book, Xu Sheng went downstairs and ate a small but hearty lunch.

A little-known fact is that after eating, blood rushes to the stomach, making you instinctively feel drowsy, especially if you have weak blood circulation; the drowsiness will be even more pronounced after a meal.

As an elderly person, Xu Sheng would naturally feel sleepy after eating. Because he was afraid that this drowsiness would affect his thinking ability, Xu Sheng would take a nap after lunch. Only after his nap would he be refreshed and ready to handle his work.

The same thing happened again. After finishing his meal, feeling tired and sleepy, Xu Sheng returned to his bedroom, lifted the covers, and lay down.

As soon as I closed my eyes, sleepiness arrived as expected.

……

"Ok?"

Xu Sheng groggily opened his eyes, sensing something. A faint smell of feces and urine, along with a feeling of restraint on his hands and feet, were then perceived by his brain.

"Snapped!"

A sharp, explosive sound filled the air, followed by a burning pain in my chest.

Xu Sheng was no longer sleepy at all. The old man suddenly opened his half-open eyes, and a scene that left Xu Sheng somewhat bewildered appeared before him.

Xu Sheng found himself in a dark room lit by a brazier. He was wearing tattered white clothes stained with blood, and his hands and feet were bound by chains.

The scene looked familiar. Xu Sheng, who had read a lot of "The Late History of Nantong" because of Zhou Yan, suddenly realized that this place was a prison where the invaders had abused the old Dongxia family.

There was indeed a bald, burly man opposite them. This bald man had a ferocious expression and was holding a whip. His malicious gaze was wandering over Xu Sheng.

“You killed our brothers, and our centurion said that you will all die! Die a terrible death.”

This family served as the local garrison and dealt a heavy blow to the invaders.

Combat:

Chapter 711, Chapter Thirty-Nine Analysis

Human willpower is actually lower than many people imagine. For example, 99.9% of normal people, when beaten up, will be able to reveal their most shameful secrets. In a normal sense, anyone who can withstand a beating without giving up is considered a true tough guy.

In the past, Xu Sheng would definitely have been the kind of person who, even after being punched a few times, would have dared to reveal how he had tricked his students into marrying him.

"What are you looking at!"

Seeing that Xu Sheng not only showed no fear but was also looking at him very subtly, the bald man opposite him swung his long whip, and with a cracking sound, Xu Sheng's clothes tore open on his chest, and his skin was torn open with a wound as thick as a thumb.

Xu Sheng frowned. The pain in his flesh, which would normally make him howl in agony, caused him to cry out in agony, then he begged for mercy, shamelessly pleading with the man in front of him to let him go.

Xu Sheng, who was used to a life of luxury, did not think he could withstand the torture.

But things are different now. Xu Sheng has attained the wisdom of distinguishing between name and form. This kind of Buddhist wisdom is a kind of supernatural power. In simple terms, the effect of this supernatural power is to abandon subjectivity and begin to look at the world with an absolutely objective attitude.

When using this name and color 7 separate 4 wisdom, Xu Sheng could feel his own subjective part, zero pain, cold and heat, and emotions constantly moving away, making him feel as if he had become a robot with human thinking and powerful computing ability.

This feeling wasn't exactly pleasant, but in this moment, the pain that had previously tormented Xu Sheng to the point of wishing for death had been reduced to a tolerable level.

Xu Sheng even had the leisure to reflect on everything recorded in "The Late History of Nantong," and, combined with the scene he was witnessing, ponder what was happening and what he should do.

"Hey, that's a tough guy."

The bald man opposite him saw that Xu Sheng hadn't reacted even after he had whipped him several times, and couldn't help but admire Xu Sheng's toughness. However, admiration was useless. The bald man picked up a dish of salt from his side and slowly walked towards Xu Sheng.

"I'd like to see how long you can hold out."

The bald man took a salt dish to Xu Sheng, dipped one hand in salt, and pretended to apply it to Xu Sheng's wound.

Xu Sheng suddenly spoke.

"You should know that our family is a prominent family in Runan, right?"

The bald man stopped moving, his pair of vicious triangular eyes revealing curiosity. He wanted to know what Xu Sheng meant by saying these words.

Xu Sheng continued.

“Our family is very rich. We have gold and silver utensils, jade treasures, and you can take any of them. You’ll never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of your life.”

"But judging from your current appearance, you probably didn't take much money from our family, did you?"

The bald man looked rather unwell. He was at the bottom of the entire group of invaders. The people above would give him a little something after they had finished their share, but it wasn't much.

Xu Sheng lowered his voice.

“Let me tell you about some treasures that my family has kept hidden away. You people here... don’t know what antiques are, so you probably don’t know the value of those things.”

The bald man's expression shifted slightly.

Xu Sheng said in a low voice.

"I'm not begging you to let me go, just stop hitting me. You can take these treasures, brother. You've come all this way to Nantong, aren't you here to eat and drink well? How much did your boss give you? How much do you think I can give you?"

The bald man removed his salt-covered hands.

"Okay, tell me where those things are. If there are no problems, I'll at least give you a quick death."

“There is a lotus oil lamp in my room. That lamp is extraordinary, worth a hundred gold pieces. Your master is not an expert and cannot see the value of this lamp. You can take it.”

The burly man turned back, put away the whip in his hand, and left the cell.

After listening to the burly man leave, Xu Sheng looked down at the shackles on his hands and feet. He activated his Heavenly Eye, and his gaze bypassed the small keyholes of the handcuffs and leg irons, beginning to see the internal structure.

After examining the hairpin for a while, Xu Sheng removed it from his hair and inserted it into the keyhole.

After several stirrings, with the help of the Heavenly Eye's ability to easily see the internal structure of the handcuffs and leg irons, Xu Sheng's handcuffs and leg irons automatically opened.

After moving his hands and feet to make sure he was alright, Xu Sheng slowly got up and began to think about how to resolve his current predicament.

Normally, it would be difficult for an old man like Xu Sheng, who is used to a life of ease and comfort, to think calmly in such a predicament. The normal Xu Sheng would probably be afraid of the torture that is about to come and would commit suicide as soon as possible. But now that he has the ability to distinguish between name and form, Xu Sheng is able to temporarily abandon his subjectivity and search for the records in the "Evening History of Nantong" in his memory with a purely objective mindset.

According to a record in the "Nantong Evening History", the invaders who entered Jiu's home this time were a group of enemy soldiers, totaling 0 people. There was a centurion as the core, thirteen platoon leaders who were not very capable but extremely vicious, and below the platoon leaders were squad leaders.

The man who interrogated Xu Sheng just now was not even a corporal, let alone a private.

Under such circumstances, the simplest solution would be to capture the centurion alive and use him to blackmail him into releasing himself and his family.

As his thoughts raced, Xu Sheng heard wails, sobs, and pleas for mercy coming from the cell next door.

Xu Sheng silently got up.

Perhaps I should find some helpers first. You know, there are no cell phones or pagers in this era. Even if you kill everyone in the prison, no one outside will come in to see what happened inside.

……

Xu Sheng's bedroom.

Xu Sheng, who was sleeping in bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

The first thing the old man did upon waking was to touch his neck. Just now, Xu Sheng went to rescue people in other prison cells, but a young man chopped off his head with a knife.

After death, do we return to reality?