"This, this..."
Li Laoshi startled and hurriedly looked around.
Fortunately, his family's fields were located at the very edge of the village's fields, and it was midday, so there was no one around.
The sight of the gleaming silver made Li Laoshi leap into his throat, and even his mind became much sharper.
Carefully picking up a silver ingot, I saw inscriptions from the previous dynasty on the back.
Clearly, this box of silver was buried here by a wealthy man or official from the previous dynasty. It had been lying dormant in the earth for decades, and today it was unearthed by him, the poorest and most destitute man in the entire village.
Xu Xiao chuckled softly in front of the mirror, "What an accident, everything was an accident, yet it makes so much sense!"
"I encountered a newly sprouted spiritual herb in the cave, and luckily consumed it. I also unearthed silver from the previous dynasty as financial assistance. With these two great helpers, my future life will indeed be extraordinary."
The effect precedes the cause; fate spontaneously altered Li Laoshi's life, making the change of his destiny seem so natural.
Li Laoshi's life continues as seen in the mirror.
With this unexpected windfall, Li Laoshi no longer worries about making a living. His humble mindset also taught him not to flaunt his wealth.
He secretly took some money and went to the county town to buy some food, planning to live a peaceful life for a while before buying a few acres of fertile land to settle down.
During this time, Li Laoshi also realized that he was different from others. He was several times stronger than before, his legs and feet were agile and he was full of energy, as if he had been reborn.
As his body changed, Li Laoshi was no longer content to be an honest farmer toiling in the fields, and his thoughts began to wander.
Coincidentally, less than a month later, the county issued a notice saying that a group of roaming bandits had recently arrived, and all villages and hamlets were urged to take precautions.
Relying on his increased strength, Li Laoshi also signed up for the village's security team. Then, one night about half a month later, he happened to encounter bandits who came to rob him.
Li Laoshi led the village's hunters and able-bodied men in a desperate resistance. Thanks to their significantly improved physical condition, they not only fought off the bandits, but Li Laoshi also personally captured two of them.
One of them happened to be the leader of a bandit gang!
This incident alarmed the county. Li Laoshi's bravery was remembered by the villagers, and the county magistrate was also deeply impressed by his strength. He rewarded him with twenty taels of silver and bestowed upon him the title of "village hero".
With fame and power, the ill-gotten gains from the land could be quietly used, Li Laoshi's family quickly rose to the ranks of landlords.
After purchasing more than ten acres of land, Li Laoshi gave up farming and began to hone his martial arts skills, occasionally accompanying the county officials on official business.
As their reputation grew, their wealth also increased over time.
In places unseen by others, the prophecy above Li Laoshi's head, "May he be immensely wealthy and die peacefully in his old age," shone ever brighter, as if it were already a predetermined fate.
"Interesting."
Only then did Xu Xiao gradually withdraw his gaze, finding his self-correction of cause and effect as unbelievable.
"First, a fortuitous encounter deepens their understanding and builds their foundation; then, an unexpected event is created to grant them official backing—everything seems so logical and reasonable."
The scenes in the mirror kept changing, and countless causal lines were constantly emanating from Li Laoshi, binding him with many people in Qinglin County. Each of these small branches served the ending of "becoming extremely wealthy".
"This is the beauty of Reverse Effect into Cause; it naturally completes the causal logic, allowing everything to silently move towards the predetermined path."
Xu Xiao's eyes were full of admiration. As Li Laoshi's fate changed, a mysterious power also separated from the causal lines associated with him and came to Xu Xiao.
The Power of Variables!
It may seem that only Li Laoshi was changed, but in fact the impact radiated throughout Qinglin County, and the fates of many people were changed, all because of the emergence of such a variable as Li Laoshi.
From then on, the future of Qinglin County would take a completely different turn due to the appearance of Li Laoshi's family, and all the changes that arose were due to Xu Xiao.
Cause and effect are simply fate!
"Fate is uncertain, and unforeseen events can occur at any time!"
A chaotic light emanated from Xu Xiao's hand, and as soon as it appeared, all the rules and principles of the entire Sky-Patrolling Bureau were confused.
The Power of Variables is the 'one' that has been hidden within the fifty principles of the Great Dao, possessing the power to disrupt all other laws and rules.
By taking from variables and using them for one's own benefit, one can transcend the constraints of the Great Dao and disregard all rules and principles!
Even if someone is far stronger than Xu Xiao, as long as Xu Xiao has enough Power of Variables, it's not impossible for him to turn the tables and defeat his opponent.
Variables, by their very nature, are unknown and possess boundless power!
This is another Great Dao, and it is also the temptation that Grand Master Xuandu gave to Xu Xiao.
'Simply changing the fate of a mortal yields such rewards; what if one successfully intervenes in the Journey to the West Calamity!'
'I'm afraid I might be able to achieve enlightenment through the Power of Variables and become a Daluo Golden Immortal in one fell swoop!'
Xu Xiao also felt a pang of regret. He knew it was bait, but his greed inevitably surged within him.
This is a blatant, open conspiracy!
The Power of Variables generated by Reversing the Dao of Cause and Effect is a fundamental power, just like the most basic Forty-Nine Great Dao. Anyone who obtains this power will not abandon it.
Intervening in such a momentous event as Journey to the Journey to the West, let alone completely reversing the ending, even just changing some of the destinies would grant him a massive amount of Power of Variables.
At that time, supported by the Power of Variables, Xu Xiao will be able to directly become Golden Immortal by Reversing the Dao of Cause and Effect, and even suppress Xu Xuanpin. After that, he will unite with other individuals in the mysterious world and become a Daluo Immortal!
Of course, this is the ideal outcome, but it is almost impossible to achieve. The Western Sect would not tolerate Xu Xiao's interference in such a major matter of the church.
This is the Journey to the West Origin World. If there are any major changes to the Journey to the West, it will affect countless time and space dimensions related to Journey to the West.
It truly is a case of "a single hair can affect the whole situation"!
Fortunately, the Daoist Sect sect didn't insist, and Xu Xiao only needed to go with the flow.
In any case, as long as he changes some causal destinies at the right time, he can obtain what others may not be able to achieve even after a thousand years of arduous cultivation.
Even if that's not possible, he can choose to continue interfering with cause and effect in other worlds, accumulating quality through quantity, and there will always be a way to obtain enough Power of Variables.
"In short, since I have nothing to do during this time, I'll continue to use the All-Heavens Star Mirror to travel through the Three Realms and Heavens, making small-scale alterations to fate and accumulating the Power of Variables!"
As Xu Xiao channeled his Magic Power into his hands, the scene in the mirror changed once more.