Chapter 007: What Year Is It Tonight

Which year? Hehe, anyway, it's not the year of the white mist. Are you going to start teasing people again, you little rascal? Cao Hongbin did not take Zhou Lie's question seriously

Zhou Lie is currently thinking that if Brother Cao could read the manuscript left by Master Dong, perhaps his abilities could improve in the short term. This would mean he could live better than others, and maybe one day he could leave the small mountain village to see Yangliu City, which is his dream

In fact, the village has its own rules; fights among children do not concern outsiders. However, one must also be wary of a cornered dog jumping over the wall, for who knows what Xu Shaoyou might do? This young man seems to hold a somewhat special status in the village

Zhou Lie took a deep breath and said with an extremely serious expression: "Human civilization has suffered a devastating blow, and it took two hundred years to slightly recover some vitality. Another two hundred years passed before villages and towns began to be established on the ruins. Even today, villages and towns are still affected; every time the Year of the White Mist arrives, crops fail completely, and many terrifying beasts emerge to attack the villages. Therefore, in order to survive, one must strive for self-improvement."

Entering the stone cave, he let out a sigh of relief; Xu Shaoyou had not yet brought anyone to look for him. He felt around the gap of the wooden bed and took out his mobile phone, then after a moment's thought, he also retrieved a bag of silver coins.

Just as Zhou Lie was about to leave the stone cave, he never expected that his phone suddenly rang, and Brother Cao actually reached out to him at this moment

Brother Cao, please listen carefully. The era I belong to is the Retro Calendar Year 708. Just a few months before the year 708, many demonic stars suddenly appeared and descended upon the earth. In just a few months, the world was filled with terrifying dust, and it is said that many strange events occurred at that time

Good brothers naturally help each other. In fact, he once taught the two of them yoga, but the chubby one insisted he could not continue practicing, while Xu Tianbao had a family tradition of skills, though he only practiced occasionally

Until 2:00 PM, Zhou Lie had not waited for Xu Shaoyou, nor had he received a phone call; instead, he had waited for Zu Wanhao and Xu Tianbao.

This money is the hard-earned savings he has accumulated over the past two years; if it were to be taken by those lackeys, it would be devastating

The fat man entered the stone cave and laughed, "Brother Lie! You really gave Xu Shaoyou a hard time, but I think that kid is mostly just angry, trying to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, but in the end, he couldn't kill the chicken and instead kicked against iron. After hitting the younger ones, the older ones couldn't sit still. Damn it, at noon, the Third Elder went to Brother Lie's house, and it was still Sister Xiaohuan who was impressive, managing to make that old man blush with just a few words. Anyway, the village rules are there; if one's skills are inferior, who can they blame? It's just... Damn it, at noon, the Third Elder went to Brother Lie's house, and it was still Sister Xiaohuan who was impressive, managing to make that old man blush with just a few words. Anyway, the village rules are there; if one's skills are inferior, who can they blame? It's just... Brother Lie, when did you become so formidable? Can you teach me and Tianbao?"

After obtaining the mobile phone and the silver coins, Zhou Lie contemplated moving back home for a few days. If anyone bullied his mother and sister, he would not hesitate to break a few dog legs.

"Hahaha, are you envious? Alright, practice diligently with me, and I guarantee you will make remarkable progress." Zhou Lie was very pleased and did not hold back on this matter

Cao Hongbin continued, "This is definitely the result of the old gentleman's years of hard work. It is evident that he holds you in high regard, so you should cherish the intentions of your senior."

After this incident, Zhou Lie was in no hurry to return home; he had to wait in the cave for Brother Cao to return his call. As long as he was in the stone cave, his phone would be unusable, so even if he was blocked here by Xu Shaoyou, he could not leave easily

Upon hearing this, Cao Hongbin took a deep breath and, feeling somewhat bewildered, said: "I still cannot believe that such a thing could happen. Let me hang up the phone first; I will verify this with a classmate who is working in the United States."

I said, Zhou Lie, you wouldn't be suffering from delusions, would you? Although the American observatory failed to detect the asteroid impact on the ground in advance, this matter is indeed somewhat peculiar. However, you are underestimating the resilience of human civilization. With the rapid advancement of technology today, even if some disasters occur, we can still respond in a timely manner

Zhou Lie attempted to explain: "According to the elders in the village, it is due to the Earth's magnetic field that most items from the old era are unusable. In many places, it is even impossible to charge devices, let alone make phone calls with a mobile phone! It is quite troublesome for us to contact others here, and currently, there seems to be no convenient method. The stone cave where I reside is quite rare, referred to as a sanctuary or a magnetic storm eye. The villagers are temporarily unaware of this treasure, and I plan to keep it a secret for as long as I can. If others find out, I would not be able to use it based on seniority."

Cao Hongbin hung up the phone, and Zhou Lie sat down. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was miraculous that he had been able to converse with ancient people from over seven hundred years ago and even received guidance from them. If this mobile phone could maintain the connection, would it not mean that he could learn a great deal of knowledge?

Zhou Lie slapped his thigh: "Brother Cao, this is true! I had my suspicions before, because how could a renowned master like Master Dong possibly provide such meticulous guidance to a village boy like me? Here, the threshold for learning exceptional skills is extremely high, sometimes so high that it feels hopeless. The phenomenon of passing down skills only to males is very common, and some techniques are not even taught to illegitimate sons."

Something happened at Grandpa Dong's home? America, asteroid

Previously, he was only slightly stronger than Zhu Wanhao and Xu Tianbao; if the two joined forces, he would find it very difficult to cope. However, ever since receiving guidance from Master Dong, many aspects became clear to him, and he immediately widened the gap.

Cao Hongbin chuckled: "Hehe, kid, don't overthink it! Assuming what you said is true, can we really communicate across seven hundred years? Furthermore, let's make another assumption: as long as humanity endures through difficult times, the urgency to develop technology in order to combat natural disasters will undoubtedly increase. It won't take hundreds of years; just a few decades will lead to a situation far more prosperous than today, and the state of military power will also reach its peak"

Zhou Lie hurried back to his residence, and compared to that belt, he was more concerned about his mobile phone

I answered the phone and only heard the other party say: "Hello, is this Zhou Lie? I have tried calling several times before, but I couldn't get through. There was a major incident in the United States last night. I heard that several small asteroids entered the atmosphere, and the military launched missiles for interception. After that, California lost contact with the outside world. Uncle Dong's son and grandson are in California. This morning, I accompanied the old man to exchange some US dollars. Before he left, he handed me two manuscripts of Bagua Zhang. When do you have time to come and pick them up?"

Brother Cao, listen to me

Cao Hongbin remained silent for a while before saying: "Humanity has been ravaged, civilization has regressed, so has it returned to ancient times? Assuming all of this is true, a rift in time has appeared, allowing me to communicate with people seven hundred years in the future? Hahaha, this... although you speak very seriously, I still find it too absurd."

Zhou Lie muttered to himself, suddenly widening his eyes to look at his phone, and hesitantly asked: "Brother Cao, may I ask you something? What year is it this year?"