Chapter 4: When you're traveling, your identity is something you give yourself.
Wang Yi waited inside for a while, and then saw the Taoist priest from before bring in another Taoist priest who looked older than him.
After the three performed a Taoist greeting, and through an introduction, the elderly man who had been brought along was indeed the Taoist Master Zhike, whose Taoist name was Shushi Weng.
After being introduced, Wang Yi chatted with the Taoist priest for a few minutes before the priest got straight to the point.
"I've heard you're from Penglai, but I don't know what Penglai is..."
"Penglai is merely a secluded place for cultivation overseas, with misty waters and rosy clouds as companions. Every day, I simply sit quietly to regulate my breathing, idly play the zither, or wander through the mountain streams with white cranes. This time, I came to Tang because my master said that I still have some karmic debts to settle in the human world, and specially ordered me to come down the mountain to find an old friend."
"Has that fellow Daoist found it?"
“I have sown the seeds and am waiting for the fruit. If the fruit ripens this year, I will pick it this year. If the fruit will not ripen until the next life, then I will return to Penglai and wait for it in the next life.”
"Then I wish you all the best in advance. I will arrange for my servant to take care of your food and lodging later. If you need anything, please feel free to tell the servant."
Thank you.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Taoist priest immediately arranged for Wang Yi's accommodations.
Unbeknownst to Wang Yi, while he was being arranged to stay at his lodgings by the young Taoist priest, the two white-bearded Taoist priests who had just received him began talking about him.
"Senior brother, do you really believe he's from Penglai just from a few words?" These words came from the Taoist priest at the divination site, clearly indicating that he didn't quite believe Wang Yi's words.
"Junior brother, don't be anxious. You've been so focused on his words that you haven't paid attention to her appearance."
Upon hearing this, the Taoist who was called junior brother recalled for a moment and said, "His clothes are made of fine material, but his attire doesn't look like that of a Taoist practitioner."
"Is there anything else?" The old Taoist priest was clearly keeping everyone in suspense.
"Oh, senior brother, you know what kind of person I am, so just tell me quickly."
"Didn't you notice that his clothes seemed to have a dust-repelling effect?"
"Avoiding dust? I didn't notice."
"It rained last night, and although the Taoist temple has been washed, there is still some mud and dirt inside. Our clothes also have some mud spots on them. But look at his clothes, the hem of which is clean and drags on the ground. What else could this be but keeping away from the dust?"
“Speaking of which, I just remembered. When I led him here, the road wasn’t exactly clean, but her clothes were spotless.”
“Indeed, this alone shows that he has some skill. It would be good to keep him here and have him treated well.”
"Understood, senior brother."
Through a series of unexpected events, Wang Yi found a place to stay, and his background was initially recognized.
Well, if there were modern people, they would definitely be able to tell that this is nanotechnology. Although nanotechnology is very expensive in modern times, especially when it is applied to the clothing industry, a foot of fabric can cost tens of thousands.
However, because it doesn't get dirty, this fabric isn't expensive for some people.
Especially for some high-end custom-made clothes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, cleaning them is very troublesome, and if not done properly, the clothes will be ruined.
Therefore, in modern times, almost all slightly expensive clothes use nanotechnology. Wang Yi is now quite wealthy, and although this piece of clothing costs nearly a million, it is nothing to him.
For a small business like Xiaomi, incorporating nanotechnology into clothing is basic practice, not to mention the additional flame-retardant function.
Of course, the ancients could not have imagined these technologies; to them, this was the legendary dust-repelling effect.
And so, Wang Yi settled down at Xuandu Temple.
Meanwhile, Li Shimin, who returned home at night, saw the package that Changsun Linglong had given him. He didn't intend to look at it right away, after all, there were many people who wanted to curry favor with him, and he received quite a few such gifts.
In his view, although Wang Yi was not exactly trying to curry favor with the powerful, he was somewhat ingratiating. He had received many such gifts and would not even look at most of them.
But isn't this gift of gratitude a bit too much?
Night had fallen, and Li Shimin had finally finished dealing with the pile of documents on his desk. Insects chirped outside the window, and the candlelight flickered gently in the occasional night breeze that swept through the room. He rubbed his aching temples, his gaze sweeping over the corner of the study—where lay an inconspicuous package, made of an unusual material, neither silk nor leather. It had been delivered by a maidservant to Changsun Linglong that evening, saying that a woman who had once received a favor from him had come to "repay the debt" and left it there.
He had seen too many of these kinds of "repaying kindness" requests, most of which were just excuses to curry favor. He didn't want to pay any attention to them, but perhaps his tense nerves needed some trivial distraction, or perhaps the material of the package was indeed strange, he hesitated for a moment and then reached out and took it.
Lightweight and flexible, the closure features an ingenious, never-before-seen interlocking structure (self-sealing bag), which opens with a gentle pull. Inside are three items: an exceptionally white and crisp "paper roll," a small package wrapped in the same uniquely flexible "paper," and a flat, smooth, jade-like box (a solar-powered power bank).
He first unrolled the paper. The handwriting wasn't done with a brush; the strokes were even and sharp, the ink as black as lacquer (laser printing), yet it possessed an indescribable clarity and order. The content, however, gave him a jolt:
"Your Highness, the King of Qin, I, a recluse from overseas, admire your brilliant strategies and have no way to repay you. I have never forgotten the kindness that saved my life. I humbly present you with three small items, which may be of some benefit to Your Highness's grand plans."
Firstly: A map of the world. This map depicts the view from the heavens, portraying the four seas and eight directions, which may help Your Highness to have a broad vision of the world and understand the terrain and strategic plans of the nation.
Secondly: One packet of Jiahe 'Yumai' seeds. This crop is drought-resistant, high-yielding, and widely adaptable. If it can be promoted, it may alleviate the people's suffering from famine and strengthen the foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty's national power.
Thirdly: A design of the new type of plow, the "curved-shaft plow." Compared to the straight-shaft plow, it saves more than half the effort, allows for deeper plowing and easier weeding, and can increase the yield per acre.
Also included is an 'energy storage jade box', which can store energy on its own when placed under sunlight or candlelight, and may produce miraculous effects when placed on a map at night.
A wild man recklessly proclaims: Internal strife arises from within; the gates of Xuanwu (the Black Tortoise Gate) must be guarded against unforeseen events. I earnestly request your care. Respectfully submitted by Wang Yi, a humble man from overseas.
"A world map? A panoramic view from the heavens?" Li Shimin's gaze was fixed on the tracing, his heart pounding faster involuntarily. As a commander who had conquered the world, he knew all too well the value of an accurate map! And the high yield of "jade wheat," the labor-saving "curved plow"... if these were true, they were all powerful tools capable of shaking the very foundations of the nation!
What sent a chill down his spine was the final warning: "Internal strife arises from within; beware of hidden dangers at the gates of Xuanwu." This seemed to be pointing to the increasingly thin veil between him and the Crown Prince and Prince Qi, highlighting the most perilous situation! Who exactly was this person? Was he a reclusive sage who could see through the secrets of heaven? Or was he a villain with ulterior motives?
He suppressed his turbulent emotions and picked up the small packet. Inside were dozens of golden, exceptionally plump seeds, each larger and rounder than any millet he had ever seen, emitting the unique fragrance of grains. Was this "corn"?
Then, he unfolded the drawing of the "curved plow." The exquisite detail of the drawing, the standard of the lines, and the clarity of the structural annotations once again astonished even him, a man accustomed to seeing drawings from the Ministry of Works. The curved shaft, the rational stress-bearing structure... Although he wasn't an expert in agriculture, his basic eye for detail remained, and he immediately recognized the ingenuity behind the design—it was far from mere fantasy!
Finally, his gaze fell upon the so-called "world map" and "energy storage jade box." The map was rolled up, obscuring its contents. He picked up the warm, smooth "jade box" as instructed; it was cool to the touch, neither gold nor jade, its surface perfectly smooth, with faint, extremely subtle flowing patterns of light. He placed it beside the candlestick. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, several tiny, strangely arranged green dots lit up on one side of the jade box!
Even Li Shimin, who was used to seeing many storms, could not hide his surprise at this moment. He composed himself, carefully untied the silk rope binding the map, and slowly unfolded it.
The first thing that catches the eye is the unprecedented clarity and vastness! The paper is enormous and exceptionally durable. The mountains, rivers, and coastlines depicted are so precise they're breathtaking. Even more astonishing is the color and detail—different regions are distinguished by light washes, mountains are rendered with shading to create a sense of depth, and rivers seem to be truly flowing!
This isn't a map fit for the human world! It's practically... the perspective of a god looking down upon the earth!
He recalled the hints about the "jade box" and the map in the letter, and tried to gently place the "energy storage jade box," which had already lit up with a few green lights, in a corner of the unfolded map.
In an instant, a strange change occurred!
As the jade box touched the edge of the map, a soft, moonlit glow flowed out, quickly spreading across the map's surface. Even more incredibly, the previously static map seemed to come alive in the area covered by the glow! A phantom image appeared above the map, the outlines of mountains and rivers faintly glowed, and several major rivers even showed flowing halos, mimicking the movement of water. Important passes and cities were marked with clearer golden dots!
The map was densely covered with countless place names, some familiar and some unfamiliar: Guanzhong, Hedong, Henan, Hebei, Longyou, Jiangnan... even as far as the northern grasslands, the Western Regions, the Tibetan Plateau, Liaodong, Japan... and many distant continents and oceans that he had never heard of before!
"This...this..." Even with Li Shimin's unwavering will, he was so shocked that he couldn't utter a complete sentence. A celestial treasure! This is definitely a celestial treasure! That Wang Yi...could he really be an envoy from an overseas immortal or a reclusive sect? Otherwise, how could he possess such abilities?
Well, if a modern person were here, they would immediately recognize that this is the most advanced 3D projection map on the market. However, the content of this map was reconstructed by historians at Wang Yi's expense based on historical materials from the Tang Dynasty.
But you can't expect an ancient person to understand what technology is. According to the ancients, this thing was a magic weapon.
Getting back to the point, Li Shimin, still reeling from the awe of the magical artifact, suddenly remembered that his strategist Du Ruhui had mentioned rescuing a woman who had fainted on the triumphant return journey, giving her some travel money and sending her on her way. He hadn't paid much attention at the time. Could this be the woman? Was this the reason for the so-called "life-saving grace"? But if she were truly an immortal or a reclusive master, how could she easily collapse by the roadside?
Doubts arose, but the incredible map before him, along with the high-yield seeds and the intricate plow illustrations, were undeniably real. The warning, in particular, pointed directly to his deepest, most pressing anxieties.
"Someone come here!" Li Shimin's voice rang out in the quiet study, carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.
"What are your orders, Your Highness?" The captain of the personal guards entered in response.
"Investigate immediately! Has a woman named Wang Yi appeared in Chang'an recently? Where is she staying now? Be quick, and be discreet! Once you find out, don't alarm her, report back to me immediately!" Li Shimin's gaze returned to the shimmering map, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"Yes, sir!" Sensing the solemnity in the King of Qin's tone, the captain of the personal guard dared not delay and immediately turned around to make arrangements.
Silence returned to the study, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight and Li Shimin's slightly rapid breathing. He stretched out his hand, his fingertips hovering above the map, moving it slowly as if measuring the world that had suddenly become incredibly clear and incredibly vast.
"Wang Yi." He murmured, pondering the name and its origins. "Are you a friend or an enemy? You sent such a generous gift and left such a warning. What do you really want?"
He had a vague feeling that this suddenly appearing "visitor from overseas" might become a key variable in breaking the current deadlock and even influencing the future course of the world. And all of this was just the beginning.
Almost at the same time, in the guest room of Xuandu Temple.
Wang Yi did not fall asleep. She changed into a comfortable modern silk nightgown (with a Tang-style outer robe over it just in case), sat on the couch, and, by the light of a small oil lamp, flipped through a printed summary of early Tang Dynasty historical materials in a waterproof document bag, highlighting major events and key relationships from the seventh year of the Wude era to the early Zhenguan era.
“The seed has been planted; now it’s just a matter of when Li Shimin will ‘sprout’ it.” She closed the file, a controlling smile playing on her lips, typical of a Leo female CEO. “Asian Governor, don’t disappoint me. This ‘gift of gratitude’ isn’t given for nothing.”
Her fingertips lightly brushed across her flat stomach, a determined glint in her eyes.
"The father's genes must be top-notch."
Outside the window, the moonlight, like water, flowed through the silent city of Chang'an. An encounter spanning a thousand years, each with their own hidden thoughts, was quietly beginning. The river of history gently turned a corner here, surging towards the unknown future.
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