The Time Traveler

As is widely known, Wood Plark is a time traveler.

He came from another parallel universe, transcending the barriers of time and space, and arrived in the Western world of Shambhala in FE33031.

So, besides this one, are there any other time travelers?

The answer is yes, and there is more than one.

Otherwise, FE204863 wouldn't need to work for the Administration Bureau.

The duties of the Tindalos Hounds are to oversee, examine, and manage all sorts of time paradoxes and resolve the problem of spacetime expansion. Among these, there are countless dossiers on time travel, and their main focus is usually on individuals who have obtained great power by using their time travel identities.

There are also clear standards regarding the strength of the force applied.

Like Wood Plark's psionic arts, it is very weak. Even if Wood is regarded as a normal person, he is merely a part of the historical trend, unable to escape the current timeline, nor can he cause the branches of the time tree to expand wildly.

Psychic arts like FE204863 are different. The ability of the Regret Pill can create multiple different parallel universes, generating a huge spacetime tumor at a certain time, like a large chunk of redundant information. The act of marrying 9527 ten thousand times is like a bright firework exploding in a lush spacetime landscape, in the vast and boundless cosmic medium—hounds can spot him, but they can't locate him.

Only when FE204863 successfully unlocks stronger psionic powers and gains the ability to freely travel to multiple parallel universes will the hound be able to catch him.

Having said all that, let's return to Taiye City, this bustling ancient metropolis. Hidden within this city is a time traveler. His power is not yet enough to attract the attention of the hounds, but his psionic skills have already allowed him to thrive, grant him a shortcut to reincarnation, and give him a vision far ahead of his time.

He is the leader of the Yin Yang Qian Kun Dao, a member of the Immortals Alliance —his name has changed with the dynasties of history, and his current Daoist name is Kunwu the Taoist.

Behold, the temple is shrouded in swirling incense smoke, where pilgrims kneel Pangu and worship Nuwa. After offering incense, they toss money and ask for directions, then come to the prayer cushions and perform three and nine prostrations, sometimes standing, sometimes kneeling.

The young Daoist boy serving the incense master picked up a wooden stick and struck it once for each guest to bow—hitting the enamel vat to produce a loud bell-like sound.

Following the sound of the bell, we entered the inner courtyard, where more than forty strong and robust martial artists were practicing. Judging from their physical composition, each of them was a skilled soldier, a brave and fierce man.

The statues of the Divine Officers are hung in the four corners of the courtyard, each with its own entrance, representing the branch disciples of the four cardinal directions of Yin and Yang, Qian and Kun.

The main seat is located on the fifth floor of the Qiandao Pavilion, signifying the supreme authority of the emperor. This is the office of Kunwu the Taoist.

About seven or eight days ago, Zhao Jianying came to the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple. He knew that this was the north of the city, a place specifically for people from the Central Plains. To avoid trouble, he came to the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple to ask the Daoist priests for help.

The travel permit only cost five silver dollars; he could earn that in half a day by selling his physical labor. He wouldn't become a slave. Thinking this, Jianying decided to go to the officially certified temple in Taiye Prefecture. He thought—at least that's more reliable than doing odd jobs, right?

On the Qianyuan Tower, Kunwu was receiving a distinguished guest. This white-haired, youthful-looking Daoist priest held a lewd book in one hand and a luminous cup in the other. Two beautiful women in plain clothes were his disciples and always by his side. He was not ashamed at all and received his guest in this manner.

Members of the Immortals Alliance are easy to recognize; they have youthful features but malicious hearts.

The guest was a small-scale salt merchant from Taiye Prefecture. I mentioned this salt business before in Zhuzhou.

--Wu Xiuwen's former lover was a small salt merchant in Zhuzhou City.

In feudal times, the salt and iron industries were extremely sensitive, as they were considered powerful tools for rebellion, and could not be touched unless one had a strong backing.

As for the claim that it is called "small salt," it is neither sea salt nor proper mineral salt, but rather nitrate salt that has been repeatedly filtered and purified; it is the mud salt that the lowest social classes eat.

Although it's not a legitimate industry, salt is still essential for people's livelihoods. The Kunwu Sect Leader naturally wanted to cultivate relationships with the wealthy and never neglected them.

"Brother Han, what brings you here today?"

Kunwu is not a person of this era, and he is too lazy to speak in literary terms.

The eldest son of the Han's immediately handed over the gift. He untied the cloth bundle, opened the brocade box, and saw a dazzling little golden pig inside.

The casting of this golden pig was extremely exquisite; even the pig's ears, snout, and half-closed eyes were lifelike. After testing its weight, the Kunwu Sect Leader, without any hesitation, held it in his arms, not even wanting to touch his beautiful disciple beside him.

"It weighs a full twenty-six pounds! Such a valuable gift! Brother Han, what do you want me to do with it?"

Han's got straight to the point. "Last time, it was thanks to the sect leader's guidance that I was able to find the prefect's uncle's help to expand my business here—this time, I'll have to trouble you again."

The Kunwu Sect Leader said impatiently, "Just say what you have to say! You people love to whine and complain, it's so annoying!"

"Then I..." Han's was still a little embarrassed and didn't want to ask for a favor. "I went home for the Spring Festival at the beginning of the year. My two brothers looked down on me at first. I made some money selling salt a couple of years ago, and I wanted to keep up with them. I hired porters, bought a carriage, and even took a second wife to come back to the village with me, all to outdo them."

The Kunwu Sect Leader scolded, "You busybody! Get to the point!"

"It was only when I returned home this year that my elderly mother suddenly fell ill. That's when I remembered my duty as a son—I've only been thinking of myself and haven't had time to fulfill my filial duty," Han's's eldest son said guiltily. "If we could obtain a prescription from the sect leader to prolong my mother's life, this golden pig is just a deposit; there will be additional fees for future consultations."

"I understand." Kunwu suddenly realized, "It's about treating your mother, I get it."

Han's's eldest son asked, "Does the sect leader have a solution?"

Kunwu: "Your filial piety has moved Heaven, and even Heaven will help you. Of course, there is a way."

At this point, the Daoist priest gently stroked the pig's head.

"But..."

Han's's eldest son hurriedly asked, "Is the sect leader in trouble?"

Kunwu the Taoist feigned reluctance. "My spells and supernatural powers require rituals and offerings, which deplete my vital energy."

"Then let's mend it! Let's mend it!" Han's's filial son immediately said, "How much do you need?"

Kunwu the Taoist immediately opened his mouth wide like a lion's jaws—

"--Not many, six thousand five hundred and forty-four silver dollars."

Young Master Han did some mental calculations and suddenly became wary.

This amount was exactly the tax that the small salt business paid to the Taiye County Governor's household.

"What's wrong? Feeling the pinch?" Kunwu the Taoist sighed. "That's right, even Young Master Han might not be able to come up with that much money all at once."

Han's immediately said, "No! That's not it."

Kunwu the Taoist pressed his advantage, then sighed, "What a pity, your old mother won't be able to enjoy this blessing. It's so painful, so very painful."

Just as Han's was hesitating, Kunwu the Taoist offered another way out.

"How about I cast the spell first? Young Master Han, please reconsider?"

"If it's not going to be handled well, the prefect will come to my temple to hold me accountable and bring up this matter—he asked me what happened to Han's makes small-scale salt business? Why did she donate money to my temple? That's what I told him."

"I said that Young Master Han is a well-known and respected Filial and Incorrupt from the southeast coast. Paying taxes to the Great Xia for business is loyalty and righteousness, and spending money to treat his elderly mother's illness is filial piety. For such a person who is both loyal and filial, what is money? At worst, he can just come to me and pay the prefect another tax."

"Young Master Han, please rest assured, I can treat your mother's illness first. Once she is fully recovered and walking with ease, I will pay the remaining balance."

Upon hearing this, Han's was astonished. He immediately agreed.

Kunwu the Taoist saw the distinguished guest out, took out the birth date and time of Old Lady Han's, and threw the cloth over his shoulder—immediately two little figures emerged from his arms.

These two little figures, one red and one blue, one with fire emanating from its head and the other with smoke coming out of its mouth and nose, are the spirits of Kunwu.

"Go back to the countryside with Young Master Han and take care of his mother."

Little Red obeyed the order and immediately climbed into Han's's carriage and crawled into the food box.

Kunwu wandered around the main hall for a while and saw Zhao Jianying come to ask for incense. He saw the peasant's burly figure and gradually became confident - using Zhao Jianying's life to pay for Han's's mother's life was a sure-fire way to make money.

So Kunwu went to the inner courtyard, found the money box, took out silver coins, rolled the Little Blue man into a ball and flattened it, turning it into a tie, used it to bind the three hundred taels of silver notes, along with the imperial edict talisman and red thread, and casually tossed it next to the Pangu Altar.

Kunwu the Taoist chuckled, "You asked for this."

As Zhao Jianying expected, he immediately discovered the money. At first, Little Blue did not make a move, intimidated by the strong man's vital energy and dared not cause trouble.

But when Jianying picked up the money, examined the silver dollar note and the ink printing, and confirmed that it wasn't fake, his defenses immediately crumbled.

Feeling guilty, his surging spiritual fire instantly subsided. With shifty eyes, he looked around furtively, afraid that others would see the money. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and left.

At that moment, the Little Blue man popped out of Jianying's arms and plunged into his throat and stomach!

Kunwu the Taoist followed her out and saw Xiangxiang waiting outside the temple. He first cursed at her.

"This woman is strangely ugly; why does she have to cover her face with mud? But she has a pretty good figure."

Later, when they arrived at Xiangxiang's Shop, Xiangxiang washed her face and discussed marriage matters with her future husband's family. Kunwu the Taoist was squatting by the window, drooling.

"No wonder this man was acting so suspiciously when he came to ask for incense; turns out he's hiding a beautiful woman at home!"

"You damned bastard! You must be a bandit! You kidnapped a woman and ran to the city! Wait for my divine power to strike! I'll come and rescue you right away, my beauty!"

"How shameless! They dare to be all lovey-dovey in broad daylight at home?! Damn it!"

Kunwu the Taoist watched for a while, and when he saw Little Blue start working, the soul-powerful creature lay on Zhao Jianying's chest, grinding its teeth and sucking blood, absorbing all the spiritual energy and true essence, before finally leaving satisfied.

Not satisfied when he reached the alley entrance, he immediately took out the Daoist robe of the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple, recited the Buddhist name, and asked the neighbors about the family, thus obtaining the real names of Zhao Jianying and Xiangxiang.

The sorcerer immediately became eager to please, wanting to erect a Moral Archway and arranging for his disciples to deliver gifts, dowry, and wedding robes.

"Such a beautiful young lady, if her husband had died, I could easily comfort her, wouldn't that be a piece of cake?" Kunwu the Taoist thought with a chuckle. "Ah, Young Master Han's mother is saved, and I've gained another female disciple! Double happiness! Double happiness!"

You saw what happened next last time.

Several days passed, and Zhao Jianying's health deteriorated day by day.

His complexion worsened, and his body grew weaker.

Xiangxiang had no Inspiration, so she naturally couldn't see any strange little people. Zhao Jianying only knew that she was experiencing waves of severe pain in her abdomen, as if poisonous insects and rodents were drilling holes in her stomach. Her flesh and blood were like snow, melting away a little bit every day when she woke up.

Only then did he realize that the money he had picked up from the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple was meant to buy his life.

He was a weak-willed person; without Zhang Guiren's help, how could he possibly deal with demons and monsters?

Furthermore, the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple is a local orthodox religious site appointed by the prefect. If someone were to cause trouble at the temple or file a lawsuit against the Daoist priest for harming people, it would be considered utterly ridiculous by the people of Taiye.

He lay down very quickly, admitting defeat in an instant, without the slightest hesitation.

On the way to the clinic, Zhao Jianying tried to comfort Xiangxiang.

"Don't call me husband, it'll be hard for me to marry later, I'm not even married yet."

Xiangxiang wouldn't listen and told Jianying to stop talking.

"Shut up!"

Jianying continued, "At first, I asked for this quick money just for convenience. After all, I had no connections, and I didn't know anyone in this unfamiliar place, so I didn't want to be bullied. But later, I came to a realization."

Xiangxiang continued, "What have you figured out?!"

Jianying: "Why don't you take the rest of the money and find a good family to marry into?"

Xiangxiang: "Bullshit!"

Jianying: "When Wu Cheng Zhang tore up your indenture, Zhang Guiren didn't provide you with any new documents. You're not a slave, and you don't need me to redeem you—we owe each other nothing."

"Then do you still keep your word?!" Xiangxiang thought of this and was about to cry again.

She had given up hope at first, but now she wanted to come back to life. However, Jianying was being drained away little by little, and she could only watch helplessly—was she destined to die of heartbreak again?

When they arrived at the clinic, Jianying didn't want to go in, Xiangxiang suddenly gained superhuman strength and was able to carry Jianying over the threshold.

At this moment, Xiangxiang felt despair—it wasn't that her strength had increased, but that this seven-foot-tall man had become unrecognizable.

The young clerk from the clinic's pharmacy came to pick her up. Upon seeing Zhao Jianying's face, he immediately took her to the manager's examination room.

The shopkeeper was a highly respected old traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Xiangxiang's Shop. He took Jianying's pulse, examined his bones, and massaged his muscles.

The old Chinese medicine doctor shook his head.

"Prepare for the worst."

Xiangxiang exclaimed in surprise, "Is there no hope?"

The old Chinese medicine doctor replied, "The disease has progressed to the point of being incurable; the patient's breath is barely a thread, and even a god couldn't save him. The meridians in his limbs and bones are riddled with holes. Even if he tries to get up, he'll be a cripple, unable to do any physical labor—I don't have that ability. Please, young lady, try to find a solution elsewhere. Don't die in my shop and ruin my reputation."

"You son of a bitch!" Xiangxiang cursed, "He puts up a sign that says 'Healing the sick and saving lives'! And you're kicking this person out who's dying?!"

"Show them out!" the old Chinese medicine doctor called out.

The young man, being naive, went to the side of the examination room and asked a question.

"Master! It seems there's a cure for this illness."

The old Chinese medicine doctor glared at him coldly and snorted, "What did you say?! Say it again?!"

The young man immediately stopped talking.

But when you get to Xiangxiang, things change. You have to obediently bite the hook and swallow the bait.

She didn't try to reason with the old Chinese medicine doctor; instead, she simply took the young waiter's hand, feigning intimacy, and helped Jianying out the door before speaking.

"Buddy, you said my husband can be saved. Yes."

Before he could finish speaking, the young waiter whispered something.

"It's just a plague. My master refuses to treat it for fear of getting into trouble. You don't know this, young lady. A divine being came this morning and entrusted my master with a wish to bestow a good fortune upon your Zhao family. This illness can only be cured by the Kunwu Sect Leader."

Xiangxiang was unaware of the dangers of the Yin Yang Qiankun Temple and thought she had struck it lucky.

"Really? Dude, are you going to lead the way?"

The waiter naturally wouldn't lead the way. He pointed to an inn at the west end of the street, handed the key to Xiangxiang, and then touched her palms and the backs of her hands before he was satisfied.

"Hey, just be kind to others!"

Zhao Jianying was already delirious, while Xiangxiang was moved to tears of gratitude. She only thought about curing her husband's illness and had no other schemes. She even took out a few coins from her purse and handed them to the shop assistant.

Thank you! Thank you!

"She should thank us!"

The man returned to his master's side, slapping his thigh in wild joy.

The old Chinese medicine doctor also looked embarrassed and bewildered.

Hahahaha! Hahahaha!

The two of them worked together to lift a pastry basket from under the table. Inside were over six hundred gleaming silver dollars.

The waiter grinned lewdly. "A bargain!"

"Indeed cheap!" the old Chinese medicine doctor said. "The cult leader has taken another wife and is willing to spend money. For just over six hundred silver dollars, he bought a beautiful and devoted woman. It's a good deal. When her husband dies, she'll be all alone and will surely go to the cult leader."

The man said with anticipation--

"--If one day I also have such an ability."

The old Chinese medicine doctor smacked the waiter on the head and yelled.

"Don't daydream! Go and watch the fire!"

"You might ask, how did I, Wang Damin, rise from being penniless to becoming the head of a sect hundreds of years ago?"

Inside the guest room, the Kunwu Sect Leader muttered to himself, raised his glass to drink, and basked in self-satisfaction.

"It relies on methods, brainpower, and the art of spending money."

"There's nothing in the world that money can't buy; the key is how you spend it, where you spend it, who you give it to, and what you want them to accomplish."

"I looked down on Wood Plark for creating a business miracle in various countries with his family fortune, because I, Wang Damin, can turn six dollars into a net worth of six million. I can only describe my genius with two words—gambling freak!"

What is the most successful business? Is it leveraging up to multiply profits? Is it steady, long-term growth? Is it astonishing profits? Is it long-distance trade involving buying and selling goods from various places?

"No! None of these are correct!"

"I sold the slaves, made them kneel to earn money, and they still have to thank me."

"Putting people first is the true essence of wealth."

Kunwu downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, a smile on his face, and waved to the non-existent audience.

"I understand applause."