Sunlight streamed through the window. Lu Zheng groggily opened his eyes, raising a hand to block the light that had poured in because he had forgotten to draw the curtains last night. He tugged the blanket around himself, and only after a moment did his brain begin to function.
With a jolt, he immediately focused his thoughts and "saw" the Jade Seal floating within the empty, chaotic space in his mind.
The Jade Seal seemed to be the size of a fist, blue-white in color. Its bottom was smooth and blank, bobbing unsteadily within his consciousness and giving off a hazy glow.
"It's still there. Great, it wasn't a dream!" Lu Zheng muttered to himself.
This was already the eighteenth time that month he had confirmed it upon waking in the morning.
There was no other reason—it was simply too shocking.
Because this thing was connected to an ancient world, one he could travel back and forth to whenever he wished.
At any time, without conditions, physically traveling there—and bringing along anything he could carry!
Lu Zheng calmed himself, rolled out of bed, and reached for the white cloth inner robe beside him.
Just as he was about to put it on, he remembered that he was in the modern world. So he grabbed a short-sleeved shirt instead, put it on, and casually made the bed and folded the quilt.
At the same time, he sorted out the inner robe, dark-blue cotton long gown, hat, thin-soled fast boots, online-bought wig, and other items he wore in the ancient world, setting them aside.
After washing up, Lu Zheng picked up his phone and checked the delivery updates. He nodded in satisfaction, then headed out in high spirits.
Breakfast and parcel collection took less than an hour altogether. Lu Zheng returned to his rented apartment and eagerly unpacked the packages.
A box containing a silk four-piece bedding set.
A thin velvet quilt.
A set of purple clay tea ware.
A set of Jingdezhen underglaze-colored porcelain tableware.
"Mm, the kitchen knives and seasonings have already been sent over. With these plates and bowls, everything's complete."
Along with the toiletries he had sent over earlier, Lu Zheng felt that he had more or less finished furnishing his home in the ancient world.
That meant that even if he stayed in the ancient world for twenty-four hours straight, nothing would be inconvenient. After all, he had already prepared five huge bags of toilet paper over there.
"With the bedding sorted, all I'm missing is a maid to warm my bed. Then I can live the carefree life of a wealthy landowner."
Lu Zheng changed back into the outfit in his bedroom, gathered the delivered items in his arms, then used his thoughts to connect with the Jade Seal in his mind. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from this world.
In the blink of an eye, heaven and earth had changed.
Gray brick walls, whitewashed plaster—the sunlight outside filtered through the paper-covered window, faintly illuminating Lu Zheng's bedroom in this world.
A brand-new canopy bed stood at the very back, with a clothes rack and wardrobe beside it. Several large wooden chests were piled against the wall, while a table and chairs stood nearby. A single oil lamp sat lonely on the tabletop.
The furniture was all made from fine paulownia wood, its surfaces carved and waxed. The best carpenter in the county had spent two months crafting it all by hand.
After setting down what he carried, Lu Zheng replaced the thin cotton quilt on the bed with the silk bedding set. He took out the dishes and tea set, placed them in a rattan basket he had prepared earlier, then traveled back once more to return the packaging boxes to the modern world. Only then did he carry the wooden box out of his bedroom.
"Uncle Li!"
"I'm here, Young Master. You're up!" An old man in coarse cloth work clothes came jogging over from the front courtyard.
"Mm. Move these to the kitchen."
"Right away!"
Uncle Li took the rattan basket from Lu Zheng. Seeing the exquisite plates and bowls inside, a flicker of amazement crossed his eyes. He asked no questions and simply carried the basket toward the front courtyard.
Lu Zheng stretched lazily and looked through the dappled sunlight at the backyard before him.
Two persimmon trees stood in the courtyard, with a stone table and stone stools beneath them. On either side stood a side room and a study.
The little courtyard was secluded and tranquil. This was his new home in this world.
Lu Zheng was an exemplary young man of the new century. He had just graduated from university when the company that had promised him a job suddenly laid off staff. Thus, he graduated straight into unemployment and was now looking for work again in this coastal first-tier metropolis.
Eighteen days ago, he had wandered into the City God Temple with nothing better to do and spotted a stall selling all sorts of jade seals. Remembering that his father enjoyed calligraphy, Lu Zheng had thought of buying him a seal as a New Year's gift.
Then, that very night, the seal moved into his head.
Yes, there was no need to drip blood and claim it as his master. The seal had simply moved in on its own. It was just that unreasonable.
Having devoured webnovels of every stripe, Lu Zheng immediately knew that his cheat had arrived.
Though he found it strange that he had neither grown up in a Qidian orphanage nor harbored any intense obsession or grudge, so why had a cheat come knocking at his door?
And at the beginning, Lu Zheng had not yet understood the Jade Seal's functions or how to use it. So with one careless slip, he was transported to another world, scaring him half to death.
But he was not immediately killed. Once he quickly familiarized himself with how to use the Jade Seal, he cast aside those minor doubts and began eagerly exploring the other world.
Then he came back half an hour later...
Because he had encountered people from the other world. After observing them from afar, he realized that his clothes stood out like a crane among chickens in that world.
After calming down, Lu Zheng carefully observed from a distance for a while before returning to the modern world to buy a set of ancient-style clothing online. He also purchased stab-resistant clothing and a stun baton for protection before returning to the other world to continue exploring.
Since Lu Zheng had arrived near the outskirts of Tonglin County, he soon encountered merchants and commoners on the official road, allowing him to get a look at the people of this world.
After discovering that the people here looked just like him, Lu Zheng's disguise became flawless. He naturally blended in among the commoners and easily entered Tonglin County.
Over the next two days, he learned the basic circumstances of this world.
Its language, writing, ethnicity, and culture were almost identical to ancient China, strongly resembling China during the Song and Ming dynasties. Yet this was a world entirely unfamiliar to Lu Zheng.
Unfamiliar geography, unfamiliar history, unfamiliar dynasties.
"A parallel world?"
When he learned that the Great Jing Dynasty had endured for centuries, with favorable weather, peace throughout the land, and prosperity among the people, Lu Zheng's heart blossomed with joy. He felt as though he had discovered a treasure trove.
"My cheat is treating me far too well. It actually gave me such a peaceful and harmonious world!"
After roughly learning about the Great Jing Dynasty's customs, public order, prices, and so on, and confirming that basic safety and order existed here, Lu Zheng returned to the modern world and bought a pair of glass lion ornaments online.
What came next was a cliché so overused in the modern world that it could make one sick.
His family had fallen on hard times, and too ashamed to face old friends, he had traveled far from home to make a fresh start.
Surprisingly, the people of the Great Jing Dynasty really bought that story. Using a family heirloom that was supposedly "the very last thing at the bottom of the chest," Lu Zheng pawned it outright at the largest pawnshop in the county for five hundred strings of cash. He then immediately registered his household with the county government office and bought a three-courtyard residence in the city.
Uncle Li and Aunt Liu were servants included with the purchase of the residence. Their indenture contracts, along with the property deed, had been handed over to Lu Zheng.
Uncle Li guarded the gate and handled cleaning, while Aunt Liu cooked and did the washing.
For the following few days, Lu Zheng busied himself furnishing his new home in Tonglin County.
He bought furniture, clothes, daily necessities, and the like in this world, while bringing over small items from the modern world that were not especially technologically advanced but were luxurious and exquisite enough for this world.
Such as spices, porcelain tableware, and purple clay tea ware.
And, of course, toilet paper! The grass paper in this world was far too rough!
To keep Uncle Li and Aunt Liu from growing suspicious, Lu Zheng stacked several large chests in his bedroom and strictly forbade either of them from entering.
As for the new items, whenever they asked, he said they had been brought from his hometown and were still being sorted out, then took them out one piece at a time.
And so, eighteen days passed.
Even now, Lu Zheng had not figured out what exactly he wanted to do in this world. His initial plan was to gain an identity, acquire some property, and become a small-time trader connecting the two worlds without arousing suspicion, growing into a minor wealthy man in both.
He would keep his head down, take no risks, and safely live as a wealthy landowner with no worries in life and no shortage of comforts.
At the very least, he would no longer have to earn "blessings" through the 996 grind, right? New author, new book—please give your support, dear readers!
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