Gu An returned to his room.
It was an ordinary wooden hut, with very simple furnishings inside. Just a bed, a wooden cabinet, and a meditation cushion placed on the floor.
It was said that once cultivators reached the Qi Sea Realm, they could replace normal sleep with meditation. But for outer sect disciples like Gu An, proper sleep was still necessary.
It was now noon, and by his usual routine, Gu An would first take a short nap.
However, today he did not do so. He walked to the cushion, sat down cross-legged, and began to circulate his beginner cultivation technique.
A wisp of spiritual energy appeared with his thoughts, slowly flowing along fixed meridians before finally coming to rest in his sea of consciousness.
Gu An closed his eyes, calming his mind and steadying his breath.
Within his sea of consciousness, there suddenly appeared… a book!
An enormous, heavy book.
A faint golden glow radiated from the edges of its pages, and the aura it exuded was ancient and timeworn, shrouded in mystery.
This book had suddenly appeared in Gu An’s sea of consciousness yesterday.
At first, he thought it was the long-overdue cheat he had waited over ten years for, but then he felt something might be off, so he did not act rashly.
After all, this was a world of cultivation. There was no telling when some strange or evil anomaly might appear.
But after observing it for an entire day, Gu An realized it did not seem to bear him any ill will. If he did not deliberately calm his mind and focus on it, the book was as if it did not exist at all and would not interfere with him.
With that, along with the letter brought by the white crane today, he finally made up his mind.
“In the end, I guess I’m still a bit unwilling to accept it.”
The young man let out a self-mocking smile.
Although slinking back down the mountain, marrying and living an ordinary yet happy life was indeed something he had once longed for. Or rather, that thought that had never truly changed.
But after seeing the other side of this world, learning that not only immortals existed but also all kinds of mountain spirits and demons, he suddenly realized that if he remained content with the status quo and made no effort, then should anything unexpected happen in the future, he would be left watching helplessly, unable to do anything at all.
He could not bear for such a scene to come to pass.
So he wanted to grow stronger, to gain the power to protect his family. That was why, over the past three years, he had cultivated diligently, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
With that thought, his mind became clear.
Gu An no longer hesitated. He guided the pitiful wisp of spiritual power within his body toward the golden book suspended high in his sea of consciousness.
In fact, he had made other attempts during his spare time before this, such as shouting “System, give me some points!” or “Deep Blue, let me see your limits!”. But none had produced any results.
Today was the first time he had chosen to use his spiritual power to make contact.
In the next instant, the moment that wisp of spiritual power touched the golden book, the ancient and steady book began to tremble slightly, like parched land finally receiving rain, or a long-waiting wife at last feeling her lover’s touch.
Gu An was momentarily stunned by what he saw.
“Whoosh!”
The huge golden book suddenly began flipping its pages on its own, without any wind. Each page that turned was densely packed with text until it finally stopped on a certain page.
Just as Gu An was about to focus and examine it closely, waves of ancient, vast voices had already echoed in his mind.
“An outsider to this world, untouched by karma, unbound by reincarnation…”
“And now, the Heavenly Dao is incomplete, time and space are chaotic and disordered, fate itself is collapsing…”
“Outsider, are you willing to bear the will of heaven and save its fate?”
***
About the time it takes an incense stick to burn passed.
Gu An sat cross-legged on the cushion and slowly opened his eyes.
After a “friendly” exchange with this entity that called itself the “Heavenly Book”, he finally grasped the general situation.
According to it, for reasons beyond explanation, the Heavenly Dao of this world had become abnormal, causing certain predetermined fates to deviate. Those who were meant to die remained alive, while those who should not have died had perished instead.
What he needed to do was to set things right, to restore order from chaos, traverse the river of time, find those “chosen by fate,” and return them to their destined paths.
Of course, it wasn’t without reward. For every “chosen of fate” he successfully saved, the Heavenly Book would grant generous rewards.
As for why he had been chosen, it was precisely because of that first statement. He was an outsider, untouched by karma and unbound by reincarnation. If anyone were to be chosen, it could only be him.
Gu An let out a slight sigh of relief. It seemed that the worst possibilities he had feared had not come to pass.
In any case, it wasn’t a bad thing.
He then spoke, “In that case, let’s begin.”
The moment his words fell, the golden book began flipping its pages once more.
The pages flowed past like a stream until they halted at a certain moment.
Fragments of history that should have remained buried, a mere speck of dust within the river of time, slowly surfaced.
…
…
The Great Zhou Dynasty in its 474th year stood at the height of its prosperity.
In this year, a new emperor ascended the throne, proclaiming the era name Tianqi and granting amnesty to all under heaven.
In this year, a heavy snowfall blanketed Xiqi City.
Because of the snow, the shops lining both sides of the road closed early. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and even the slave traders who were usually the loudest hawkers were yawning today, leaning against walls in drowsiness.
The long street was unusually quiet, filled only with the soft rustle of falling snow.
Until a faint crunch broke the silence.
It was the sound of boots stepping into thick snow.
“Hello, I’m here to buy someone.”
A gentle male voice followed.
The broker woman, who had been dozing, suddenly snapped awake. Her half-lidded old eyes opened wide, and her lips curled into a grin, revealing two large yellowed teeth.
“Heh, honored guest, please come inside!”
Her shrill voice echoed along the quiet street.
But when she saw who it was, she froze for a moment.
“Mr. Gu? Why is it you?”
The young man in a blue robe, carrying a bamboo basket on his back, paused and replied, “Am I not allowed to come?”
“Hey, listen to you…someone as refined and distinguished as you, how could you personally come to such a filthy place? If you’re lacking servants, I can have some delivered to you tomorrow right away.”
“It’s fine. Since I’m already here, I’ll just take a look around.”
“I’m only worried it might dirty your feet or offend your eyes…”
“I’m just a wandering physician who knows a bit of medicine. I’m hardly as esteemed as you make me sound. There’s no need to be so polite.”
As the broker woman led the way ahead, she fawned with a grin, “Hehe, in all of Xiqi City, who hasn’t received your help? Those high and mighty officials don’t care whether small households like ours live or die. If I were to slight you, the neighbors would be pointing fingers at my back!”
This time, Gu An said nothing more, simply following silently behind her.
At the same time, he was sorting through the memories in his mind belonging to the young physician “Gu Qing”.
Following the broker woman through winding passages and down into the cellar, a damp and rotten stench assaulted them head-on.
Gu Qing frowned, holding back from speaking.
Once the broker woman adjusted the oil lamp, a series of horrifying scenes came into view.
The ground, covered in dry straw, was mixed with scraps of unidentifiable food and excrement.
Rows of slaves were separated by brick partitions into small enclosures, waiting like livestock to be chosen by buyers.
The broker woman was long accustomed to it. She kept chattering nonstop as she introduced each slave to Gu Qing. She described them as strong and healthy, clever and quick-witted, obedient and well-behaved, and nimble with their hands and feet.
Gu Qing glanced over them one by one, but his gaze settled on the darkest corner at the very back.
There, a figure lay curled up in silence, thin as a stick, unmoving from the start, like something lifeless.
“I’ll take her.”
“Huh…?! No, no! Absolutely not! That one’s a complete loss…. her limbs are all crippled. What would you even buy her for?”
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