Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 46: Deductive

Chapter 46: Deductive

Beneath the bright moonlight and the tranquil veil of night, Jun Wu Xiao and his companions were on their way home. There was no rush, so they proceeded slowly, contemplating what Jun Wu Xiao had shared. Chu Wu asked in surprise:

"I never expected you to speak such words. I thought that after such a long seclusion in cultivation, you’d remain an immature old child forever."

Jun Wu Xiao’s expression darkened upon hearing this, losing the calm demeanor he had earlier. He retorted:

"What do you mean? Why shouldn’t I be able to speak such words?"

Seeing Jun Wu Xiao revert to his usual demeanor left Chu Wu at a loss for words. He understood that Jun Wu Xiao’s behavior could change depending on what he was doing, but he hadn’t expected such a swift shift in attitude.

"It’s not that I’m speaking nonsense. As far as I know, you began your secluded cultivation at the age of eleven and disregarded worldly affairs. Essentially, you’ve only lived as a normal human for about eleven years, and having been born in a small kingdom, even if you were a genius, the knowledge you could have accessed was limited. Not to mention, you didn’t spend much time learning, so I don’t understand how you could know so much." Chu Wu explained.

He wasn’t wrong. Compared to his age, Jun Wu Xiao had indeed spent a very brief period interacting with human society. This period was even shorter than that of his friends, not counting the first two or three years as an infant.

Jun Wu Xiao understood why Chu Wu could find this perplexing and explained:

"You are not wrong. I indeed didn’t spend many years in formal education or much time interacting with human society. But you forget that the brain can still deduct. From the little knowledge I initially had, I have been able to deduce many other things over the past sixty-five years. This is something normal humans cannot do because their lives are different from ours. They spend each day learning and working, constantly acquiring new knowledge and lessons. Moreover, in their lives and jobs, their priority in deduction is how to improve their lives, not to think about all of humanity.

However, I am different. Partly because I have a fondness for humanity and partly because, although it’s hard for me to acquire new knowledge during cultivation, I can still think. Thinking about humanity over the decades, I’ve come to understand them better and find them increasingly interesting. If there’s a chance in the future, I might even want to try living as a normal human for once, but it seems that will be quite challenging. After all, I don’t know where the end of my path is, so how can I afford to immerse myself in the experiences of human life?"

Hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned. Although Jun Wu Xiao was not wrong, as cultivators themselves, they had never considered this issue.

Apart from Chu Wu, who had been a general for over eighty years and was not considered in this comparison, Jun Wu Xiao was the one most akin to humanity among the remaining individuals.

The others, although born human, did not pay as much attention to human affairs. It wasn’t that they hated humanity, they simply felt it was not overly important. But this was hardly surprising. After all, what normal human would gamble their life and freedom on cultivation without knowing if humans could even cultivate successfully?

"You, you’re deeper than I imagined. Perhaps next week when we attend the discussion, you might actually be capable enough to persuade His Majesty." Chu Wu said.

Jun Wu Xiao was quite surprised to hear this. He had originally planned to just observe, but now it seemed there was a real task for him to undertake. Yet, doing something was more interesting than just watching, though he voiced his concern with a hint of anxiety:

"Do you think it’s a problem? Will the Emperor listen to a stranger wearing a mask?"

Chu Wu curled his lip in disdain, fully aware that Jun Wu Xiao was merely feigning hesitation when he actually wanted to proceed. He retorted roughly:

"Damn it, what happened to your enlightened sage act just now? Now you’re nothing but a clown."

"Ha ha, enlightened sage? That’s too much praise, too much praise. I didn’t expect you to hold me in such high regard. Truly, I’m embarrassed to death." Jun Wu Xiao laughed heartily.

Chu Wu’s mouth twitched slightly, and he snorted:

"Hmph, cut the nonsense. I don’t believe you can’t convince His Majesty. Moreover, if His Majesty isn’t convinced, then he doesn’t deserve to be the emperor anymore, so just let someone else take over."

Once again, Jun Wu Xiao felt the profound loyalty of Chu Wu. His loyalty was so deep that if the Emperor stepped out of line, Chu Wu would be the first to challenge him.

"Ha ha, the Emperor would be furious if he knew you said that." the others laughed and said.

They knew Chu Wu wouldn’t actually do such a thing to the Emperor because after all, they had been working together for decades. If the Emperor deserved a beating, Chu Wu would have done so long ago. Being acquainted with Jun Wu Xiao, what would he fear from the Emperor? After a fight, no one could catch him anyway.

But they also recognized the trust Chu Wu expressed in his words. While his speech sounded disloyal, his tone and expression conveyed trust in the Emperor.

Why? If the Emperor were incompetent, Chu Wu would have taken his place long ago, given his good relations with high-ranking officials at court.

"Forget it, I know you won’t do it. After all, you’ve been serving under him for decades, so there’s no way he’s a fool. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have worked for him." Jun Wu Xiao concluded.

Realizing his thoughts were completely exposed, Chu Wu decided not to argue further as it would change nothing. He simply responded:

"Alright, let’s hope so."

After walking together for a while, the group of seven reached the center of the capital. Unlike the remote and desolate areas, the center of the capital city sparkled with lights under the dark sky. Clearly, these were oil lamps, as electric lights had not yet been invented.

"Wow, this place at night is really different from where I was born. Where I live, seeing even one oil lamp is extremely rare." Jun Wu Xiao remarked.

Indeed, the place where he was born could hardly boast such a scene. It was a small town in a minor kingdom, lacking in many respects. Typically, having enough to eat was already considered good. Additionally, his memories of the town were nearly seventy years old. Obviously, oil lamps weren’t as prevalent back then.

Suddenly, a person riding a bicycle passed by them. The group’s attention was drawn to the strange contraption that allowed for rapid human movement.

Chu Wu, noticing everyone’s curiosity, was slightly startled, although bicycles had been invented several years ago, and he had already heard about them. He explained:

"That’s called a bicycle. It can help people move much faster than walking. To put it simply, it consists of five parts: the frame, the wheels, the drivetrain, the steering component, and the braking system which is used to stop the bicycle."

As he spoke, he pointed to each part of the bicycle. Although it was quite far, their vision was not that of ordinary humans, so they could clearly see what he was pointing at.

"This is truly marvelous. It seems to use the same effort but achieves higher speeds." Yue Guang said.

"You’re not wrong, but you guys wouldn’t be able to use it. With your strength, you’d probably break it just by pedaling hard." Chu Wu said, cutting off any thoughts of using the bicycle to increase their speed.

He understood that for his friends, speed was also a part of their power. Increasing speed meant enhancing their strength, so they definitely wanted a bicycle

"Haiz, can you not treat us like fools? Even iron armor gets smashed by our punches. How could this toy possibly withstand it?" Jun Wu Xiao sighed, feeling that Chu Wu’s image of them was perhaps a bit foolish.

But the others nodded in agreement, fully aware of their own strength. They would definitely not engage in such foolish acts.

"Ha ha, my mistake. So, do we continue our night stroll, or head back to my residence?" Chu Wu asked a bit sheepishly.

Everyone immediately responded:

"Let’s keep going."

Chu Wu sighed, suddenly feeling like he was leading a group of playful children who didn’t want to go home. But the ages of these ’children’ were certainly inappropriate.

"Alright, it’s been a while since you all went out. Let’s continue to broaden your horizons." Chu Wu said.