“What’s going on?”
Lu Zheng froze, chopsticks hovering mid-air.
He thought the jade seal only enabled travel between worlds, so why had five strands of fortune’s light suddenly appeared?
Where did they come from?
What were they for?
The seal offered no answers, so Lu Zheng suppressed his confusion, eating mechanically while his mind raced.
Even after finishing his meal, he was no closer to understanding.
“Young master, the old beggar at the gate has eaten and wants to thank you personally,” Uncle Li said.
“No need.” Lu Zheng shook his head.
“Young master, the beggar has something to say!” came the beggar’s shout from the gate.
“Hm?” Lu Zheng’s expression shifted.
He’d only just said “no need” quietly, yet the beggar responded instantly. Unless it was a coincidence, he’d heard him.
Lu Zheng was over ten metres from the gate, separated by a screen wall and a door—normal ears couldn’t catch that.
Thinking of the fortune’s light he’d just gained, an idea struck.
Could it be a reward for helping others?
Shouldn’t that be called merit, though?
This beggar must be special somehow.
Suspicious, Lu Zheng stood, strode through the front courtyard, passed the screen wall, and stepped outside.
The old beggar was finishing the last drop of wine.
“Good steamed chicken, fine dishes, but the wine’s a bit lacking,” he sighed.
Despite his tattered appearance, his demeanour was natural, almost carefree, with no hint of despair.
Recalling novel tropes, Lu Zheng wondered if this beggar was a hidden master.
An ancient world… cold weapons… could there be martial arts here?
His eyes lit up. He’d only been here eighteen days, and Tonglin County was just one of six under Yizhou in Lingbei Circuit. How much did he really know about this world?
“Sir, you have something to tell me?”
“No ‘sir’ for me. I’m just grateful for your meal and wine. Seeing you’re about to face a minor calamity, I couldn’t bear it, so I’m here to ease your trouble.”
“Oh?”
“Old beggar, stop your nonsense!” Uncle Li snapped, glaring. “Young master, you’ve been kind to the wrong person. This old fraud’s just scamming for more food and drink. I’ve seen plenty like him—don’t fall for it!”
Uncle Li raised his broom to shoo the beggar. “Hand it over, get lost!”
The beggar faltered, dodging the broom, hurriedly shoving the wine cup into Lu Zheng’s hands. As he fled, he shouted, “Place the cup by your side tonight to avert this danger.”
…
Before Lu Zheng could respond, the beggar was gone.
…
“Old swindler, pah!”
Uncle Li spat after him, broom raised. “Young master, see? A fraud!”
Lu Zheng snapped out of it, giving Uncle Li a wry glance, then examined the cup closely, finding nothing unusual.
“What’re you looking at, young master? Just a trickster, all talk until you call his bluff,” Uncle Li said, reaching for the cup. “I’ll have my wife wash it a few times.”
“Hold on!” Lu Zheng pulled the cup back.
The five strands of fortune’s light were real, and after racking his brain, Lu Zheng could only link them to feeding the beggar. Plus, the beggar’s hearing was extraordinary…
If he wasn’t a fraud, could his cryptic words mean something?
“Better to believe it than not. It’s just one night with the cup in my room—what’s the harm?”
His heart pounded wildly.
…
First, Lu Zheng sent Uncle Li and Aunt Liu to bed. After washing up, he placed the cup on his bedroom table, lit the oil lamp, and sat on the bed.
Then, he crossed back to the modern world, donned his stab-proof vest, hid the taser in his sleeve, dabbed menthol under his nose, and returned to the ancient world, slipping under the covers.
Next…
He unlocked his phone with a fingerprint.
Gaming was out, but he’d downloaded movies and novels to pass the night.
Meanwhile, Lu Zheng kept a third of his attention on the door and windows, staying connected to the jade seal, ready to act.
“If the beggar’s a fraud, nothing will happen tonight.”
“If he’s genuine, this cup might actually work.”
“Worst case, I can jump back to the modern world. Any supernatural stuff should be fine by daylight… right?”
“As for excuses… I’m young, I’m fast!”
…
Midnight arrived, all was silent.
“Pfft!” The oil lamp went out with a soft sound.
Lu Zheng stayed still in bed, his phone’s privacy screen invisible from the side.
Another hour passed.
“Scritch!”
His eyes gleamed.
A dagger slipped through the door’s gap.
“A person?”
The dagger lifted the latch, and moments later, the door was silently pushed open. A figure in black night clothes glided in soundlessly.
“A person!”
Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered, thumb on the taser’s switch.
But…
As the figure passed the table, nearing the bed, the wine cup suddenly blazed with light.
“Buzz!”
The room lit up like a small sun.
“Ah!”
The intruder, blinded by the glare, cried out, instinctively shielding their eyes.
The next moment, the cup, as if alive, shot up with a “whoosh,” striking the intruder’s forehead like lightning.
“Thud!”
The intruder groaned, collapsing, not unconscious but writhing in pain.
“Young master!”
A frantic shout came from the front courtyard, followed by hurried footsteps.
Uncle Li and Aunt Liu, in thin clothes, rushed over.
“Young master!”
Lu Zheng threw off the covers, staring at the rough ceramic cup rolling on the floor, unscathed despite its fragility.
A local product, so coarse it’d chip with a knock.
His eyes grew brighter.
“Uncle Li, get some rope, tie him up, and take him to the authorities!”
“Right away!”
…
When Lu Zheng and Uncle Li delivered the intruder to the county office that night, another strand of fortune’s light appeared in the jade seal in his mind.
