Tianlong: I am carefree

Chapter Two: The Treasury

After bidding farewell to the woodcutter, Wang Lie walked forward along the road. Fortunately, Dali City was not far away, and since he had just eaten a lot of peaches, he was not worried about being hungry for the time being, so he strode towards Dali City.

As dusk fell, Wang Lie, who had been traveling all the way, finally arrived at the foot of Dali City. He had asked several people for directions along the way. Thanks to his excellent language skills, Wang Lie was able to communicate normally with the local natives. Fortunately, he had traveled to Yunnan and stayed in Dali for a period of time before, otherwise he would not have been able to understand the local language for a short time. At this time, there were very few people who could speak Mandarin.

Wang Lie entered Dali City through the South Gate. The city was densely populated, with smooth bluestone paving the main streets and bustling markets. Wang Lie felt as if he had returned to the human world. This day and night, from the valley floor to the city, although without any real danger, had been thrilling for him. The scenery before him was no longer the familiar metropolis, but rows of antique buildings. People on the streets were dressed in ancient costumes, and even the hawkers' cries had an ancient accent. Wang Lie finally believed that he had traveled to ancient times, and it seemed to be the world of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

"Uncle, where is an inn?" Wang Lie strolled around the street for a while, then remembered that he needed to find a place to stay, so he stopped a passing uncle and asked.

"Go straight along the road, turn left after two intersections, and the largest inn in Dali City is there," the uncle replied after staring at Wang Lie for a long time.

Wang Lie attracted a lot of attention as soon as he entered the city. His pajamas were quite strange in this era, but he got used to being stared at a few times.

"Thank you, Uncle." Wang Lie clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. Surely this couldn't be wrong in the world of martial arts.

Following the uncle's instructions, Wang Lie walked to the entrance of the inn. Although it was the best inn in Dali City, it was just a two-story building. Just as he was about to enter, Wang Lie suddenly remembered that he had no money on him.

"Damn it, those heroes in martial arts dramas used to be so dashing, but why is it so complicated for me?" Wang Lie muttered, annoyed. He searched his entire body, and the only thing he could sell for a little money was the sandalwood bracelet on his wrist.

"Everyone else gets a cheat code when they transmigrate, but I have to pay for it myself. It's ridiculous." Wang Lie sighed helplessly and asked someone else for directions to the pawnshop, planning to pawn his bracelet to tide him over.

After pawning the bracelet, Wang Lie successfully checked into what was touted as the best inn in Dali City. After enjoying a hearty meal in the lobby, Wang Lie returned to his room.

"The prices here are really expensive. A sandalwood bracelet worth tens of thousands of yuan was only sold for fifteen taels of silver. According to the inn's charges, plus food, it's only enough for me to survive for two months. Whoever says life in ancient times is good, I'll spit in your face!" Wang Lie thought helplessly as he weighed the small piece of silver in his hand.

Penniless and without any martial arts skills, Wang Lie was at a loss for what to do. After sitting quietly for a while in a daze, Wang Lie slammed his hand on the table, "I'm a dignified PhD in physics, how could I starve to death? Since I'm here, even if I can't become a great hero, I still have to learn some kung fu. Damn it, I've been envious of Lingbo Weibu for a long time."

Wang Lie stood up and paced back and forth, pondering his plans for the new world. During this time, the waiter came in and lit a candle. After thinking for a long time, Wang Lie sat down again.

"Based on the information I gathered today, this should undoubtedly be the world of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. The Dali Duan family does indeed have the One-Finger Divine Skill. The Legend of the Condor Heroes didn't mention the Boundless Jade Wall, so it shouldn't be there. The Duan family's martial arts are not passed down to outsiders, so the Six Meridians Divine Sword is impossible to learn. If only I could become a disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect. Since no one lives in the Boundless Jade Wall yet, it means that Wuyazi hasn't gone into seclusion yet. So he should be in Tianshan or Xingxiu Sea. The original work doesn't explicitly state this, so I'll search in both places. The Lingjiu Palace is such a massive project that it wasn't built in a year or two, so it should be the Free and Unfettered Sect's territory now. I'll give it a try. After all, I'm a handsome and intelligent man." Wang Lie thought narcissistically, habitually grabbing a mirror and looking at himself.

"Holy crap, what's going on now!" Wang Lie exclaimed in surprise, even dropping the bronze mirror on the table. The reflection showed a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, with exquisitely handsome features, though his original appearance was still vaguely discernible. "He was already handsome, but now he's ten years younger—he's absolutely stunning!" Wang Lie rubbed his face. Was this some kind of perk of time travel? "Maybe I'd get a hundred or so years of cultivation," he thought. "I'm already handsome enough; being even more handsome would be a lifesaver." Wang Lie grumbled. Since time travel had already happened, he wasn't surprised by anything else.

"The Free and Unfettered Sect only accepts handsome men, so this should be fine, right?" Wang Lie thought to himself. "But I also need to be prepared. Besides the Free and Unfettered Sect, I can only choose Shaolin. There's no Wudang Sect in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and the only other powerful martial art is Murong Fu's 'Star Shift,' which, like the Six Meridians Divine Sword, is only passed down within his family. Although Shaolin is easier to get into, I don't want to become a monk. Besides, who knows when I'll be able to learn the Yi Jin Jing after I get into Shaolin. The Free and Unfettered Sect is still my first choice. I'd be lucky to learn either the Beiming Divine Skill or the Xiaowuxiang Skill."

"The problem now is how to get to Tianshan. There are no planes from all over the country, so I need to find a way to raise some travel expenses. Also, since I'm in Dali, I have to find a way to see the One-Finger Divine Skill." Wang Lie thought about it carefully for a long time, and after walking all day, he was so tired that he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Wang Lie woke up early, stretched, had breakfast at the inn, and then strolled out onto the main street. Yesterday he had only wandered around casually, but today he had time, and Wang Lie planned to properly explore the ancient city of Dali from a thousand years ago. At this time, Dali was not the tourist-saturated city of later years; everything exuded a simple, ancient charm. Wang Lie wandered around, thoroughly enjoying the sights. Before he knew it, Wang Lie came to a main road. At the end of the road stood countless palaces with yellow tiles, the sunlight shining on the glazed tiles, making them resplendent and dazzling. Wang Lie continued on, arriving at a memorial archway. He saw four large golden characters on the archway: "Holy Way, Vast Compassion." Behind the archway stood pairs of guards. He thought to himself, "This should be the Dali Royal Palace. Although Dali is a small kingdom, the emperor is not someone you can just meet casually. I'll go find the Zhennan Prince's Mansion next."

After leaving the palace, Wang Lie wandered around, chatting with passersby and vendors from time to time. Before long, he came upon a large mansion. Two large banners fluttered before the gate, embroidered with the characters "Zhennan" and "Baoguo" respectively. The lintel above the gate read "Zhennan Prince's Mansion." The gate was guarded by numerous personal soldiers. Wang Lie knew his place and didn't bother to seek an audience. He currently had no connection with the Duan family, and the Zhennan Prince had no interest in him.

After walking around for a while, it was already afternoon. Wang Lie found a stall, bought some things, and then began to implement his plan to make a fortune. He found a general store, bought some white paper and a wooden box, tore it evenly into hundreds of small balls, crumpled each ball into a ball, and put it in the wooden box. He then borrowed a pen and ink from the shopkeeper, drew a pig's head on one of the paper balls, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his sleeve. Then he carried the wooden box to an open area on the street.

He borrowed a gong from the acrobatic troupe next door, took a deep breath, and then struck the gong with a deafening roar.

Clang clang clang clang...

"Don't miss out! Unexpected windfall awaits you! With just two coins, you have a chance to win a grand prize. Everyone has an equal opportunity, and the prizes are fair and honest..."

Clang clang clang clang...

In the bustling city, the deafening sound of the gong quickly attracted passersby, who gathered in a large circle, three layers deep.

People stood on tiptoe to look, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"What kind of gimmick is this? A windfall? Is it real or fake?"

"They say it's called a 'lottery,' and it costs two taels of silver to draw once. If you win, you get a prize..."

"Oh? Then wouldn't that mean the lottery? But the idea of a lottery is quite novel..."

The onlookers discussed it for a long time, but in the end no one stepped forward to be the first to try it.

Unable to contain their gambling urges, a passerby shouted, "Hey, young man banging the gong, you said you've won a big prize, but what exactly is it? If the prize isn't worth a penny, wouldn't we be wasting our money?"

"Uncle, if you win the draw, you'll get a grand prize of twenty taels of silver." Wang Lie took out his remaining ten taels of silver and waved them in front of everyone.

The crowd gasped. This prize was no small amount. Wang Lie didn't know if gambling was prohibited in Dali. He had no other way to raise money at the moment, so he could only try his luck this time, since he was about to leave anyway.

After careful consideration, people felt that spending two coins was not a bad deal.

After a brief silence, the crowd gradually erupted in excitement.

“Young man, here’s some silver. I’ll draw a prize for you…”

"Me too!"

As countless hands handed over the weighed two taels of silver, and countless hands reached into the box to pull out a crumpled piece of paper, and of course, countless sighs and resentful... renewal? Wang Lie chuckled inwardly. After a while, Wang Lie returned to the inn with several dozen taels of silver in his pocket, leaving behind a crowd of sighing people.