Chapter 3: Niu Niu Speaks for the First Time

They talked continuously until dusk. Lu Ge was completely drained, but Lao Dan remained spirited and enthusiastic. His energy was completely unmatched for someone his age.

“Uncle, uncle,” came Li Da’s voice from outside the courtyard. “I’m back after selling the firewood.”

But Lao Dan was reluctant to let Lu Ge go just yet.

“Once you’ve finished selling the firewood, come straight home,” he called out. “From now on, Lu, you’ll be living here with me.”

After shouting that, Lao Dan turned back and urged Lu Ge to continue speaking.

Outside, Li Da scratched his head. It seemed Uncle Lao quite admired this young man. Usually, those high officials and nobles wouldn’t chat indoors for more than half an hour. Seeing Lao Dan hold onto his guest, Li Da decided not to say more and went home by himself.

Inside the room, Lu Ge was on the verge of exhaustion.

“Sage, how about we continue tomorrow?” he suggested. “I’ve been talking all day; I’m really a bit tired.”

Lu Ge had never spoken so much in his entire life. From technology to military affairs, from people’s livelihoods to humanities, he hadn’t stopped talking once. Luckily, he was at the peak of his senior year in high school; otherwise, he might have just answered with “I don’t know” or “I forgot” to everything.

Lao Dan, a bit reluctant but understanding, nodded. “Alright, let’s pause for now. And don’t call me Sage anymore. After today’s meeting, we’re like old friends; I’m old, you’re young.”

“You call me Old Li, and I’ll call you Young Lu.”

Lu Ge blinked. Was he really that impressive now? “Calling the Sage Old Li…” He smirked inwardly; it felt quite satisfying.

Lao Dan had a few empty rooms in his house and could let Lu Ge stay. However, the food was no different from what Li Da had. During the day, Lu Ge was hungry, so any food tasted good. But now, he found it hard to swallow.

“Not tasty?” Lao Dan immediately noticed something was off with Lu Ge.

Lu Ge nodded honestly. “When hungry during the day, it’s not noticeable. But now, the food here isn’t quite like what I’m used to.”

Lao Dan’s eyes twinkled as he seized the opportunity to ask, “What do people eat in your future world?”

Talking about this gave Lu Ge a bit of energy.

“There’s so much food,” he started listing quickly: “steamed lamb, steamed bear’s paw, steamed deer tail, roast flower duck, roast chick, roast young goose…”

Lao Dan listened, mouth watering. Even sages are human and enjoy delicacies.

After Lu Ge babbled on for a while, Lao Dan finally stopped him, looking down at the rice bowl in his hand. It was indeed a bit difficult to swallow. But food must not be wasted.

Despite the difficulty, Lao Dan and Lu Ge grit their teeth and finished the meal.

After a day’s hard work, Lu Ge finally rested. The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Lu Ge was awakened by the mooing of a cow. Upon stepping outside, he saw a blue ox calling incessantly.

Lao Dan stood nearby, brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ge asked, puzzled.

Lao Dan sighed. “The person who’s been delivering fodder for me said it might be hard to keep supplying it from now on. Not just here, but the surrounding counties too.”

“This old ox is throwing a tantrum because it’s out of food.”

Lu Ge glanced at the mooing blue ox. Though he didn’t understand cow language, it was clear from its expression that the ox was cursing profusely.

“Why is it hard to supply the fodder?” Lu Ge asked, confused.

Lao Dan sighed again. “Seeing the small signs to know the big picture... The shortage of fodder in the village means someone must be buying it up.”

“Only the state could have the power to buy so much.”

“If the state is purchasing so much grain and fodder, what do you think it’s for?”

A flash of insight struck Lu Ge’s mind. “War?”

Lao Dan’s expression darkened, nodding gravely.

This was the first time Lu Ge had come so close to war.

“What… what shall we do then?”

Lao Dan shook his head. “War is a matter of the state; what use are you and I? Even if we wanted to intervene, we are powerless.”

“Instead, it’s better to pursue knowledge and the Way.”

“Come on, let’s continue talking about the future world from yesterday.”

Hearing this, Lu Ge felt a chill run down his spine. Lao Dan’s curiosity was insatiable. It seemed it wouldn’t be long before he’d be completely drained by this old man.

“Moo, don’t just think about yourself, look at me too.”

“Moo, I’m starving to death here!”

The blue ox next to him seemed so desperate it was speaking human words.

“I’m out of food, and you’re still thinking about stories?”

“Yeah, yeah, the cow’s starving…”

Lu Ge tried to divert Lao Dan’s attention with other matters to get some rest, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly sensed something was off.

Tilting his head, he looked at the blue ox beside him.

“Did it just speak?” he asked Lao Dan, stunned, pointing at the ox.

“Who else could it be? Moo,” Lao Dan replied without hesitation.

The blue ox spoke again.

Holy hell!

The cow could talk?

Lu Ge felt a cold shiver rush through his mind. Judging by Lao Dan’s reaction yesterday, this world seemed historical. So why could this cow speak?

Lu Ge was utterly baffled.

Lao Dan, however, was unfazed.

“This old ox has been with me since it was young. When I had nothing to do, I often spoke the Way to it. Over time, it naturally gained intelligence.”

“That’s nothing unusual.”

Unusual? Lu Ge felt like his head was about to explode. This was clearly mythological.

“Um, Old Li,” Lu Ge stammered, trying to suppress his excitement, “if the ox can talk because of your teachings, do you have some magical powers yourself?”

If this was a world of mythology, then he had hit the jackpot. Learn a few tricks, and he’d never worry about anything again. The Nine-turn Golden Elixir, the Banana Leaf Fan, the Purple-gold Gourd, the Mysterious Heavenly Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, the Taiji Diagram—all seemed to beckon him.

“Ha ha ha ha,” Lao Dan laughed heartily. “Want to learn?”

Lu Ge nodded eagerly. Who wouldn’t want to learn that stuff?

Lao Dan stroked his beard. “If you want, I’ll teach you. You tell me about the future world’s ways; I’ll teach you the laws of nature. We can be teachers and friends to each other.”

“But first, we need to solve the old ox’s fodder problem.”

Lao Dan looked troubled.

Lu Ge glanced at the blue ox and smiled. “There’s no fodder for sale in the village, but grass grows everywhere on Earth. Why don’t I take it out to graze?”

Lao Dan clapped his hands. “Good, it’s settled.”

Seeing Lao Dan’s reaction, Lu Ge couldn’t help but think that this old man had probably been waiting for him to say that. Maybe he was just too lazy to take care of the ox himself.

But Lu Ge didn’t mind. Taking the ox out to graze wasn’t a tough task. And since the blue ox could speak, it was extraordinary. Maybe he could even learn a few tricks from it.

Seeing someone willing to lead him to food, the blue ox was overjoyed. It grabbed the rope with its mouth and handed it to Lu Ge.

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

The blue ox looked at Lu Ge expectantly, urging him to hurry.

This ox was truly starving.

Lao Dan watched Lu Ge lead the blue ox out the door, a smile playing on his face.