Chapter 5

" Cheng, you slept well." A burst of laughter from outside the tent woke Cheng up. Soldier Wenzhe marched in and placed the tray in his hand on the ground. It was only then that Cheng realized that it was already nighttime. The moonlight spilled into the tent like water, casting a dazzling silver frost. "Hmm?" Seeing the dense grass around Cheng, Wenzhe couldn't help but look surprised. Cheng was also confused. He didn't remember sleeping in the grass, but now the greenery was half a foot deep under his body, almost covering him completely. After a moment of confusion, Cheng asked in bewilderment, "Does the grass on the grassland grow so fast?" Wenzhe shook his head and looked at Cheng with a strange look in his eyes. Cheng smiled wryly and said, "Don't look at me like that. I don't know what's going on either." "Perhaps the water here is different," Wenzhe said, letting the matter go. " Cheng has come a long way and must be tired. We have no wine in the army, but we have a little food. Please enjoy it slowly." The wooden tray contained only a small bowl of glutinous rice, but there were two large pieces of cooked meat and a bowl of meat soup to go with it. The cutlery was a copper knife for cutting meat and a pair of chopsticks. Cheng had only taken two sips of coffee on the plane and was now starving, so he ate without hesitation. As the food entered his mouth, Cheng felt that something was off. The glutinous rice tasted bland, clearly made with old rice that had been stored for who knows how long. The two pieces of meat were of an unknown animal and were very tough and dry, with no salt added. It seemed like they had been boiled in plain water.

Wen Zhe explained, " Cheng, don't be offended. Our army has been outside the pass for more than three months now, and we have exhausted our vegetables and rice. This glutinous rice was saved for later. Even the general himself usually eats boiled horse meat with plain water."

Horse meat? Cheng tasted horse meat for the first time, and it was probably from an old horse, which tasted terrible. He managed to force down a few mouthfuls before putting down his chopsticks and saying, "Thank you, Captain Wen, I am full."

But Wen Ze showed no sign of leaving. He brushed his robe and knelt in front of Cheng, saying, " Cheng's appearance suggests he is also a man of the Six Dynasties?"

Cheng thought to himself: Here it comes. The army is at war outside, and a stranger suddenly arrives in the camp. As a staff officer, Wen Ze must surely want to find out his background.

Cheng quickly thought about it and retold the story he had made up for Lian Caiquan. Wen Ze listened very carefully and, hearing that he was a merchant, asked, "Where do you usually do business, Cheng? What kind of business do you do?"

Cheng couldn't even name a place, so he had to be vague and said, "Inland of the Six Dynasties, just beyond the Great Snow Mountain."

Wen Ze smiled and asked, " Cheng's dress is quite different from that of the Six Dynasties. Which tribe does it come from?"

Cheng looked at his shirt and said reluctantly, "Armani."

Wen Ze frowned and pondered, Armani? Is it a tribe south of the Panjiang River?

Cheng had a sudden inspiration and opened his backpack, taking out a leather wallet. "This is the leather goods we sell," he said.

Suddenly, Wen Ze's eyes lit up and he said in a deep voice, "May I have a look at Cheng's goods?"

Cheng didn't expect him to react so strongly. It was just a leather wallet, and it was empty, not even a penny in it. Besides, even if he had money, Wen Ze couldn't use it.

Cheng handed over the wallet, but Wen Ze ignored it and instead picked up his backpack, imitating his movements, carefully zipping and unzipping it. He repeated the process of opening and closing the zipper, and his gaze became more and more fervent.

Zipper! Cheng suddenly realized that what attracted Wen Ze's attention was not the leather wallet, but the metal zipper on his backpack!

In the world of Cheng, the mass use of zippers by humans had been less than a century. This modern item that people are already accustomed to has changed human life with its convenience and practicality. Along with the application of atomic energy, it is regarded as one of the top ten most important inventions of the last century. Looking at Wen Ze's sparkling eyes, Cheng felt a dreamlike sensation. A civilian officer of an ancient army was carefully examining a zipper produced in the 21st century. It felt like seeing Zhang Fei eating McDonald's or Yang Guifei dancing to disco music. "Such a marvelous invention! Ingeniously crafted!" Wen Ze exclaimed repeatedly. "Using copper for the teeth, aligning them as a chain, with a single movement of the mechanism, the teeth interlock seamlessly. It can be opened and closed effortlessly, without a seam in sight!" He lifted his eyes and said sincerely, " Cheng, your craftsmanship is truly remarkable!" Cheng felt ashamed. In his world, zippers were everywhere, but he had never looked closely at them, and knew nothing about their structure. Wen Ze, on the other hand, could see the key elements at a glance. His eyesight and agility were much stronger than Cheng's. Wen Ze examined the zipper carefully for a long time before reluctantly putting down his backpack. "May I ask, Cheng, what is the name of this object?" Cheng scratched his head. "It's called a zipper." "How much silver coins does it take to buy a foot of it?" Silver coins? Cheng knew nothing about the currency in this world, so he hesitated and gestured with two fingers.

"Wen Ze smiled bitterly and said, 'My monthly salary is only five silver coins, and one foot of fabric costs two silver coins, which is too expensive.' Cheng quickly said, 'Then one silver coin will do.' After thinking for a moment, Wen Ze said, 'In that case, can you sell me 5,000 zippers, each two feet long? And also provide 1,000 zippers, each three feet long.' Cheng had no idea about the value of silver coins, so he hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, 'Excuse me, Wen, how much does a warhorse cost?' Wen Ze laughed and replied, 'Are you also in the horse trading business, Cheng? In the border areas, a warhorse costs only twelve silver coins, but it can be sold for fifty silver coins in the inland areas.' Cheng quickly calculated in his mind, and his heart raced when he realized that twelve feet of zipper could exchange for one warhorse. This business was too lucrative! Although he had no knowledge of zipper manufacturing, the cost could not exceed one percent of that of a warhorse, which meant at least a hundred times of profit! A famous saying emerged in Cheng's mind: Once there is appropriate profit, capital becomes daring. If there is a 10% profit, it will be used everywhere; with 20% profit, it becomes active; with 50% profit, it takes risks; for 100% profit, it dares to trample on all human laws; with 300% profit, it will dare to commit any crime, even at the risk of being hanged."

"This is a profit of one hundred times, one ten thousandth of a percent! Cheng looked at the zipper with some disbelief. He never thought he would stumble upon such a big business opportunity. But the problem was, regardless of whether it made sense to earn this money or not, how was he going to procure the raw materials and manufacture the product? Cheng asked, " Wen, why do you need so many zippers?" Wen Ze calmly replied, "Our army's armor is mostly leather armor, which is inconvenient to wear. By adding a two-foot-long zipper under the armpit, soldiers can put on and take off their armor without having to tie it. Also, for these tents, it's difficult to tie them tightly with leather straps in the face of wind and rain. If there's a zipper, they can be windproof. And then there are quivers..." Wen Ze suddenly paused, stared at Cheng's face, and smiled, "If Cheng is doing business with people outside of the Six Dynasties..." Wen Ze's expression made Cheng shiver. He chuckled, "I'm also a person from the Six Dynasties, how can I trade with outsiders? Hahaha..." Wen Ze smiled, "I also know that Cheng is not that kind of person. Earlier, in the commander's book, Lian Jiaoyu praised Cheng for fighting alone against the savage beasts and uglies, protecting Lady Wei and Lady Yue. Without inherent chivalry, how could such a feat be accomplished? Wen is grateful." Saying this, Wen Ze bowed deeply. Misunderstanding cleared, Cheng thickened his face and did not explain. He couldn't help asking, "Taiyi Zhenzong is a first-class Taoist school, why did you come all the way to visit the general who is leading troops outside? Also, why does this General Wang refer to himself as 'Teacher Shuai'?"

Cheng still didn't understand and asked, "How could the leader of a sect become a general?"

Wen Ze showed a reminiscing expression and said, "It all started fifteen years ago. At that time, the Northern Zhen Liao invaded the south, and the Han army suffered defeat after defeat. The world was in an uproar, but luckily, a peerless genius emerged. He was invincible in all his endeavors, never suffered a defeat, and was known as the Martial Emperor. When the Northern Zhen Liao invaded, the Martial Emperor single-handedly led the northern expedition and defeated the enemy, personally beheading the Great General Tan Shi of the Northern Zhen Liao army on the battlefield, turning the tide of the war. Unfortunately, the Song Emperor was misled by his advisers and issued twelve golden plaques to order the Martial Emperor to retreat, which led to his failure to complete his great achievements."

As Wen Ze spoke of this, he couldn't help but sigh with regret.

Cheng licked his dry lips and carefully asked, "Is the Martial Emperor you mentioned Yue Fei?"

"Yue Fei?" Wen Ze was stunned for a moment, "The Martial Emperor's surname is Yue, and his given name is Pengju. He was known as the Martial Emperor."

It seems that the history of this time and space differs slightly from what he knew. It was still Yue Fei, but his given name had become his personal name, and his posthumous title had become his title. However, the outcome for both individuals remained the same.

Wen Ze continued, "The Martial Emperor had not been in the Song court for long before he was falsely accused and imprisoned by the Song Emperor. Before his envoys arrived, the Martial Emperor suddenly died. The people were in an uproar, and at that time, the sect leader, who was also a military commander of the Taiyi Zhen sect, and the Martial Emperor were close friends. Upon hearing the bad news, the sect leader drove a thousand miles to Lin'an, the capital of Song, and inserted the Martial Emperor's sword into the stone before the palace, pleading to be allowed to join the army. The Song Emperor had no choice but to issue an order to appoint the sect leader as the general of the country. The emperor then conferred the sect leader as the Left Guard General."

So this was how Wang Zhe joined the army. No wonder as a leader of a Taoist sect, he became a military commander in the court. However, the Song Dynasty was really chaotic, with both a Song Emperor and a Heavenly Emperor? If Cheng asked this question, he was afraid that this military officer would think he was an idiot, so he could only nod with a smile, pretending to understand everything.

Wen Ze continued, "After the Martial Emperor's death, the Northern Zhen Liao once again invaded the south. The sect leader rode alone to the north, gathered heroes from all over the six kingdoms, and fought the Northern Zhen Liao army at the Kufu River. At that time, the sect leader had just completed his cultivation of the Nine Yang Divine Art, and with his personal strength, he slew more than ten generals of the Northern Zhen Liao army. From then on, our Northern Military's First Army became the dominant force in the north, and no one dared to challenge us."

"Nine Yang Divine Technique, such a familiar technique. Could it be that there are also monks from Shaolin Temple in this time and space?"

Wen Ze didn't pay attention to his expression and spoke confidently, "Since the Northern Border has been settled, the General has written to the Emperor requesting to station in the Western Border. The First Legion of the Left Military District has been relocated to the western frontier for ten years now."

Cheng asked, "Is the Legion staying here to fight against the savage beasts?"

Wen Ze was silent for a moment and slowly replied, "The Martial Emperor once said that the root cause of the Six Dynasties' problem lies not in the north but in the west. Although the Zhen Liao Dynasty is powerful for a time, it is only a scabies disease. To the west of the desert, the land is vast and there are many powerful countries, some of which are no weaker than the Six Dynasties. Therefore, the General has stationed in the Western Border."

As he spoke, Wen Ze revealed a strange expression.

"What are you thinking about, Wen?"

Wen Ze did not hide it, "For ten years, the General has sent people to investigate in various ways. Although the savage beasts in the Western Border are brave, they are still inferior to our army. The most powerful country in the west is none other than Persia. However, Persia is thousands of miles away from the border of the Six Dynasties, and has sent troops to the west for several years, leaving no time to look east. We have discussed this repeatedly and do not know why the General has said this."

Persia? Could it be that unlucky Darius? In Cheng's memory of history, the Persian Empire had always existed as a stepping stone for famous generals to establish their achievements. In this era, he couldn't think of any threat Persia would pose to the East.

"Cheng, how are you doing now?"

Cheng stretched his body and the fatigue in his body had disappeared. He felt invigorated and replied, "I'm much better now."

Wen Ze said, "Just now in the General's account, Lin Jiao-yu praised Cheng's strength, fighting alone against the savage beasts and protecting Miss Wei Hu-yue. Cheng, thank you very much."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply with clasped hands.

Cheng Zhong Yang, even with his thick skin, still felt embarrassed. "Actually, I just happened to stumble upon the situation. If I were to fight those half-human, half-beast guys, they would probably slap me to death with just one hand." Wen Ze nodded, " Cheng is not a soldier, yet he still managed to stand up against those savage beasts. If it weren't for his innate sense of chivalry, how could he have achieved such a feat?" Although Cheng didn't agree with Wen's praise, he couldn't deny it either. " Cheng's righteous act has earned the gratitude of our army. Our general has ordered that if Cheng has rested well, he would like to invite him to the general's tent to express his thanks in person." Cheng was quite curious about the general and leader, Wang Zhe, and he didn't refuse the invitation. He left the tent with Wen. Under the cover of night, the army's tent was imposing like a tiger. Just as they reached the front of the tent, the four disciples of Taiyi True Sect emerged together with the general. Cheng didn't know what they talked about, but he saw that Shang Lexuan was very angry. He held the hilt of his sword with one hand while gesturing with the other. "The leader has been in the army for fifteen years. Every year, someone is sent to invite him back to Longchi to take charge of the sect, but he always refuses. Taiyi True Sect is leaderless, and I ask him to appoint someone to take over!" Zhuo Yunjun frowned, "The leader has his own reasons for not appointing anyone. Since Lin hasn't shown up, why do you need to push so hard, Shang?" Shang Lexuan raised his voice, "How am I pushing so hard? You know what Lin Zhilan did in Longchi! If he continues to behave recklessly, where will that leave us?" Ling Caiquan was still amiable and said, "Serving the country and the people is the right thing to do. The leader's actions are an example for us all. However, what Lexuan said also makes sense. In these years, the leader has abandoned Longchi, and there is no one to manage the sect's affairs. It has become chaotic and disorganized. If this continues, it will be detrimental to Taiyi True Sect." Su Weiyao remained silent, and under the moonlight, his strange long sword on his shoulder looked like a twisting flying dragon, as if it could break through the sky at any moment.

Wen Ze stood on the side with his hands hanging down, expressionless, as if he hadn't heard their discussion. It wasn't until the four of them walked away that he led Cheng into the commander's tent.

It seemed that Wen Ze was not lying about the shortage of supplies. Even the commander's central army tent was not lit with candles, but with several pine branches for illumination. The furnishings inside the tent were simple, with only a screen and a desk, and a few ancient rattan mats on the ground, still in the style of Taoism.

A figure stood in front of the wooden screen, examining a huge map on the wall. He was not particularly tall, but as soon as Cheng stepped into the tent, his attention was drawn to him. He involuntarily slowed down his pace and didn't even notice that Wen Ze had quietly retreated.

Wang Zhe was studying the map, and his finger slowly traced over it until he reached the bottom right corner. Suddenly, he straightened his back, and his figure became majestic, like an unscalable mountain range, emitting a compelling aura that even dimmed the light of the pine branches.

Cheng's throat became dry. He felt as if he was facing a scorching sun. Although Wang Zhe had not turned around, he seemed to see through him completely from the inside out.

The flames of the pine branches flickered slightly, and the light became bright again as the compelling aura slowly dissipated. The figure standing in front of the map turned around.

Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, his forehead covered in a layer of cold sweat. To his surprise, the famous head of the Taiyi Sect, the Left Wuwei General, looked much younger than Lin Caiquan. His long beard under his chin was as black as ink, not much older than Han Geng. He stood with his hands behind his back, his figure as steady as a mountain, seemingly immune to any storms that could break him. His dark eyes were calm and restrained, showing that his age was not as simple as he looked.

Unlike the Taoist head that Cheng had imagined, this general who also held military power had a different temperament.

His body was straight as a knife, like an unstoppable weapon. That was the temperament of a soldier, only gained through countless battles of life and death, and the baptism of iron, fire, and blood.

"You are not a merchant," Wang Zhe said. "Tell me your identity."

Wang Zhe said:"Tell me your identity." Cheng struggled to swallow his saliva. The person in front of him was not Lin Caiquan or Wen Ze. He was afraid that his fabricated story wouldn't even last a sentence before being exposed. This was a gamble. If he couldn't win Wang Zhe's trust, he might be in mortal danger right away. But how could he make him believe him? Cheng nervously pondered for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth, "You won't believe it." Wang Zhe stood with his hands behind his back and said lightly, "Tell me about it." Cheng took a deep breath and told Wang Zhe everything that had happened to him, and finally said, "When I woke up, I saw a half-orc and your cavalry fighting. I don't understand how all this happened. This world is completely different from the one I was in." Cheng finished speaking and couldn't help feeling guilty. This was a ridiculous story, and even he, the person involved, felt it wasn't true. But Wang Zhe listened quietly, without any change in his expression. "When you were on the 'aircraft'," Wang Zhe hesitated for a moment when he mentioned this unfamiliar term, "you encountered purple lightning. What kind of lightning was it?" Cheng recalled and said, "It was very dense, like a spider web. It looked far away but also very close. It was rotating and constantly emitting light..." Wang Zhe listened very carefully. Cheng suddenly took a breath and exclaimed, "Could that be the door of time and space?" Duan Qiang had said that there were many time and space rifts in the world they lived in, connected to other parallel worlds. They were like unknown doors of time and space. Passing through them would take you to another time and space. Wang Zhe slowly said, "I don't know what the door of time and space is. But the root of life and death on your body is the rarest thing I've ever seen in my life." "The root of life and death?"

Cheng dared to swear that he had never heard of such a thing before. Wang Zhe raised his finger and pointed it far away, and a warm feeling suddenly appeared at Cheng's right temple. "The qi of heaven and earth flows mixedly. When it encounters life, it gives birth, and when it encounters death, it brings calamity. The root of life and death is the ability to transform death qi into vitality. Have you ever noticed that the plants you touch grow particularly fast? And that your wounds heal particularly easily?" Cheng suddenly remembered the green grass in the tent. In just an hour, the grass, which had only roots left, had grown knee-deep. Was it because of his root of life and death? But he remembered that he didn't have this special ability in his original world. The flowers and plants he raised even died faster than others'. Could it be that the lightning that hit him when he crossed over changed everything? Cheng nervously pondered, does transforming death qi into vitality mean that after coming into contact with death, the death qi would pass through his root of life and death and be transformed into the function that life needs? As someone who had been influenced by modern civilization, Cheng instinctively did not believe in such myths. But thinking about the half-beast people he had encountered after crossing over who could turn into lions and use fire spells bare-handed, his confidence was shaken. After all, this was not the world he had lived in before. Cheng frowned and thought for a while, then asked, "What is the use of the root of life and death?" Wang Zhe frankly said, "I don't know." He looked at Cheng with burning eyes, "I have only seen the term 'root of life and death' in ancient texts, but it was not elaborated on. However, people who have the root of life and death have particularly strong yang energy in their bodies. Since you have not practiced the spell of gathering true yang, your yang energy is so strong that it can only be because you have the root of life and death." It turned out to be a guess. Cheng was a little disappointed. Immediately, he thought of how Lín Cǎiquán had looked at him strangely when they first met. The old man had probably noticed the yang energy emanating from him and might even have thought of him as a great master, no wonder he spoke up for him.

Cheng is still not giving up, "I have vitality and yang energy in my body. Can it be useful to others? If someone is injured or sick, can I transfer my vitality and yang energy to them so that they can recover?"

Wang Zhe replied, "In theory, yes, but..."

"But what?"

Wang Zhe looked at him deeply, "Do you know how to transfer your vitality to others?"

Cheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

Seeing his expression, Wang Zhe couldn't help but sigh inwardly. But he quickly regained his spirit. After all, he had finally encountered someone with the root of life and death, which was much better than being at a loss and helpless.

Wang Zhe asked, "Since you have no family or friends here, what are your plans for the future?"

Cheng was taken aback, then overjoyed, "Do you believe what I said?"

Wang Zhe replied, "I only know that you didn't lie when you said those words. As for whether they are true or not..."

He shook his head.

In this world, there is a kind of roc bird that can fly thousands of miles high, and in another world, perhaps there is a bird that can hold hundreds of people in its belly. For Wang Zhe, whether that world has such a bird or not is not important. As long as Cheng's words are true, it is enough.

After the excitement, Cheng fell into silence.

"What are your plans?" He hadn't had time to consider this question.

After a long time, Cheng said, "I want to go back."