I changed the world.

Page 9

Through this seed, he began to touch a vast and surging energy plane. Or rather, the word "plane" is not accurate, because in Zhang Jing's perception, it was actually another side of the world he lived in, another form of the world's existence.

This form of existence had been overlooked by all of humanity, including him, until now. Just as you breathe air every moment but are usually unaware of its existence, the other side of the world has always been there, but no one has been able to realize its existence, even though they themselves are equally inseparable from it.

Everyone was like a fish swimming in the water; not a single one could break the surface and see the world above.

At this very moment, Zhang Jing, the fish, poked his head out of the water!

Thus, another form of existence of the world made intimate contact with his perception in a naked and highly impactful manner.

Zhang Jing suddenly recalled a line from the Tao Te Ching from his previous life: "There is something undifferentiated and complete, which existed before heaven and earth. Silent and still, it stands alone and unchanging, ever-present and inexhaustible. It can be regarded as the mother of all things. I do not know its name, so I call it Tao, and I forcibly name it Great."

From the knowledge Zhang Jing acquired, he learned that it was called the void by his ancestors.

The next moment, a powerful, indescribable force poured in from the void. As soon as he realized the existence of the void, he was also directly connected to that vast ocean of energy.

In that instant, Zhang Jing even had a strange feeling, as if he were a tiny bubble connected to the ocean, about to burst instantly...

However, this illusion did not actually occur. The power seed that had already merged with him miraculously absorbed the excess energy and then fed it back out, forming a relatively gentle energy. Although it was still powerful, it was already within the range that his body could accept.

Four hours passed in a flash, and finally, Zhang Jing slowly opened his eyes.

He let out a long sigh and stood up from the rock. However, he didn't control his strength well and jumped nearly a meter into the air before landing on the ground.

"This is..." Zhang Jing's eyes widened. The next moment, he jumped with all his might. This time, he was more than two meters off the ground, which was not the height of a high jumper with his buttocks off the ground, but the height of his feet off the ground!

Chapter Twenty-One: A Sudden Increase in Appetite

Feeling the powerful physical strength within his body, Zhang Jing subconsciously threw two punches into the air. As he heard the sound of the air being cut, a smile appeared on his face.

I glanced at my watch; it was already 17:25 PM, time to head back.

Zhang Jing once again took out the Jade Token from the inside pocket of his clothes, and then tentatively probed it with a wisp of his divine sense.

The concept of divine sense is somewhat mysterious, and ordinary people cannot perceive its existence before they acquire it through cultivation. However, after Zhang Jing completed the Foundation Establishment, he naturally gained the ability to use divine sense, just like the wings of a bird or the ability of a fish to swim—an indescribable instinct.

In Zhang Jing's rudimentary understanding, this is more like a kind of extended ability that appears after one's spirit has reached a certain level of development.

Sure enough, when he explored the jade tablet with his divine sense, he sensed a lot of information that was imperceptible to the naked eye. In his perception, there was a kind of illusory line extending from the jade tablet, crossing space and probing towards a certain point in the darkness.

Zhang Jing then extended his divine sense towards the line, attempting to make contact with it. The next moment, he vanished from the spot.

..............................

"Phew..." The feeling of traversing space is never pleasant. Zhang Jing, who was back in his rented room, let out a long breath. However, having had the experience before, he was much calmer this time.

It was already night, and the sky outside was dark as far as the eye could see through the window. Zhang Jing casually picked up the water glass on the table, poured himself a glass of hot water, and gulped it down.

He hadn't eaten or drunk anything since breakfast, and his stomach was now completely empty. However, despite his hunger, he didn't feel weak at all. On the contrary, he felt better than ever before, and even the soreness from yesterday's overexertion had disappeared. This was clearly a change brought about by practicing the Foundation Building Method, "All Rivers Converge into the Sea."

After cooking a pot of rice in the rice cooker, Zhang Jing checked the time and decided to go out and buy some cooked food.

After changing into casual clothes and stepping outside, Zhang Jing saw several young men in leather jackets, bare-armed and covered in tattoos, laughing and talking loudly as they rode through the street on electric motorcycles. Speakers mounted on the back of the motorcycles were blatantly blasting a rock song.

Zhang Jing frowned slightly, walking along the side of the road as much as possible to let these people pass. These young men were all petty thugs involved in gangs, mostly from poor families. Many of them dropped out of school and couldn't find good jobs, and unwilling to work odd jobs like their parents to earn a living, they simply joined gangs. These gangs mostly dealt in things like adulteration, loan sharking, and gambling dens. Compared to Zhang Jing's previous life, gangs in this world were much more open.

Most passersby kept their distance from these young people, but the young people seemed quite proud of it, chatting and laughing even more enthusiastically, giving off a sense of being street-cleaning tigers.

Listening to the fading rock music behind him, Zhang Jing arrived at a braised offal stall not far from his home. The stall was simple, a modified two-wheeled handcart that could be pushed away once packed up. The stall owner was an elderly man whose age was hard to discern; he was slightly hunched over and was currently stirring something in a huge iron barrel placed on a coal stove. The red oil in the barrel was bubbling and releasing an enticing aroma. This stall mainly sold pork and beef offal and had been there for decades. The prices were reasonable and the taste was good, so many families in the neighborhood would patronize it when they had extra money.

"Uncle, this, this... and this." Zhang Jing walked to the stall, picked out a piece of braised pig's ear, then half a string of large intestines, and finally a large piece of beef.

The old man nodded, silently picked up the braised pork offal that Zhang Jing had chosen, placed it on the cutting board, and quickly chopped it: "Want some mixed?"

"Yes, less spicy." Smelling the aroma of the food, Zhang Jing swallowed, feeling even hungrier.

After paying with his mobile phone, Zhang Jing carried the two-plus kilograms of braised pork back to his rented room. The rice in the rice cooker wasn't ready yet. Zhang Jing put down the food, sat down at his desk, and opened his email on his phone.

As he expected, there were three emails in his inbox. Apart from two spam emails, one of them, which was sent this morning, was from the real estate agent on the "House Doctor" website.

Upon opening the email, after the initial pleasantries, the agent explained that he had found information on four properties according to Zhang Jing's requirements, which were attached. He asked Zhang Jing to take a look when he had time. He also asked Zhang Jing to let him know if he was satisfied with anything, and that he would continue searching.

Zhang Jing's requirements weren't particularly high. He mainly wanted a spacious house with a private area and a relatively large yard. He also wanted a quiet, private environment, away from the city center. He also wanted a safe and cost-effective house, as he didn't want his home to be constantly burglarized.

Because he possessed the original memories of the body's original owner, Zhang Jing knew that the real estate in this world was different from that in his previous life in China. In his previous life, urban public services were provided by the government and subsidized by the state. Therefore, regardless of whether it was a luxury house or a dilapidated old house, the public services enjoyed, such as police, communications, water supply, etc., were roughly the same, or at least there would be no essential difference.

This world is different. The public services a community enjoys are directly related to the residents' ability to pay, which is somewhat similar to some Western countries in my previous life. Therefore, in wealthy areas and certain communities where the middle class gathers, people can enjoy relatively good public services and public security, while in poor areas, only the most basic public services are available, and even the most basic ones may not be available. In essence, in this world, public services are also a commodity.

Therefore, now that he had money, Zhang Jing didn't want to wrong himself too much.

Zhang Jing opened the email attachment and browsed through it, becoming interested in one particular property. Looking at the accompanying pictures, it was a traditional building in the style of a southern water town in the Great Zhao Dynasty. According to the information, this building was located in the western suburbs of Linzhou City, a place originally built by the old owner for his retirement. The house had a spacious layout, a traditional two-courtyard house, a front courtyard, a fish pond, and a plot of land on a hillside behind the house. The house was fully equipped with water, electricity, furniture, internet, and even a parking space—ready to move in.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Jing dialed the real estate agent's number and arranged to go see the apartment together the next morning.

Just then, the rice cooker beeped, indicating that the rice was cooked. Zhang Jing quickly turned off his phone screen, ladled himself a bowl of rice, placed the braised pork he had just bought on the table, added some pickled vegetables he had made himself, and began to eat heartily.

Unlike usual, he ate rice five times for this dinner, finishing off the rice and two pounds of braised pork offal in the pot before he finally felt full.

Looking somewhat unsatisfied at the empty bowl on the table, Zhang Jing guessed that this was probably a side effect of his cultivation. It seemed he was on the verge of becoming a glutton...

Chapter Twenty-Two: The New House by Yunhu Lake

The next morning at nine o'clock, Zhang Jing met the real estate agent at a pre-arranged subway station in the western part of the city.

"Is this Mr. Zhang? It's a pleasure to meet you!" The real estate agent was a young man in a suit with neat short hair. He greeted Zhang Jing with a warm smile and clasped his hands in greeting.

The term "先生" (xiānsheng) was originally a respectful title for scholars of a certain status. However, since the introduction of Western learning to the East, this title has gradually become more generalized. Nowadays, ordinary people often address each other as "先生," especially in the last thirty years, when it has become increasingly common among the general public.

“My surname is He, He Zhou. Mr. Zhang, you can just call me Xiao He.”

"Mr. He, you're too kind." Zhang Jing returned the greeting and said with a smile, "Then shall we set off first and talk as we go?"

“My car is over there, Mr. Zhang, please come this way…” He Zhou quickly pointed to the side of the road.

A white "Flying Swallow" brand electric scooter was parked by the roadside. Zhang Jing pulled out the passenger seat and got in, and the vehicle started moving...

Linzhou City is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces a river on the other. The Yunhu Scenic Area within the city is a well-known tourist destination in China. Originally, the entire city was built along the lake, making it extremely suitable for living. The hilly area to the west of the city borders the Yunhu Scenic Area and is a famous tea-producing region. Its Longxu tea is one of the most famous green tea varieties in southern Dazhao. Coupled with its pleasant scenery, many wealthy families built villas there for their retirement and relaxation.

Along the way, He Zhou further explained the situation of the property to Zhang Jing. According to him, the property was currently vacant because the original owner had recently passed away. His son, due to business reasons, lived in the capital for most of the year and rarely returned to Linzhou, so he planned to rent it out. Because of the recent death, the rent was much cheaper than usual, currently at 4000 yuan per month.

To be honest, the rent was already higher than Zhang Jing's previous expectations. However, judging from the pictures He Zhou had provided, he was still quite interested in the property. As for the money, he wasn't too worried because he had already made some plans.

About fifteen minutes later, the car left the main road and entered a mountainous section. Since this was a tourist area, the road was well maintained, with a flat asphalt surface in the middle and sidewalks on both sides. From time to time, some backpackers could be seen walking.

Zhang Jing looked out the window and saw large tea gardens on both sides of the road. This area was already the core production area of ​​Longxu tea.

About ten minutes later, the car gradually slowed down and finally stopped at the roadside. The two got out of the car, and Zhang Jing noticed that there were some villas scattered around, each with a different shape, clearly not developed at the same time.

“This area belongs to Yunshanfang in Yunhu District. Apart from some wealthy tea farmers, most of the houses around here were built by people who bought the land and built them themselves.” He Zhou introduced when he saw Zhang Jing observing the surroundings: “Most of them are well-off families who come here occasionally for leisure and residence, so it is generally quiet and the security is also very good.”

"Some prominent gentry and nobles have also acquired properties here, so Mr. Zhang, you have excellent taste. This way, please..."

........................

While offering compliments, He Zhou led Zhang Jing to the side. Not far away was a traditional building surrounded by a white Chinese wall, beyond which one could see exquisite Chinese eaves.

The two stopped in front of a large red double door with vermilion lacquer. Two pine trees were planted on either side of the door, and above it was a roof covered with black tiles to provide shelter from the rain. Zhang Jing noticed that the beams and pillars under the roof were decorated with wood carvings, and the workmanship was very exquisite.

"This is the main entrance. If you have your own car, you can enter through the side door, where there are parking spaces," the agent said, taking out his key and unlocking the door.

The rental of this house is currently handled by the company where He Zhou works, entrusted by the homeowner. According to He Zhou's introduction on the way, the homeowner himself returned to the capital after handling his father's funeral.

In fact, this is the norm for many mid-to-high-priced rental properties around the world, where landlords typically entrust the process to an agency. However, for properties like Zhang Jing's current residence, where both the landlord and tenant are price-sensitive, direct rentals from the landlord are usually the norm.

After entering the main gate, one enters the first outer courtyard. The spacious courtyard is paved with blue bricks, and various plants, including bamboo, wintersweet, tiger paw, and others that Zhang Jing may or may not recognize, are planted in different locations. Some artificial rocks are scattered throughout, creating a typical Eastern aesthetic, which is clearly the result of careful design.

To one side of the main gate was a rear-facing room, a typical room in traditional Chinese architecture used for receiving ordinary guests. The two went inside and looked around; the decor was Chinese style, with tables and chairs made of elm wood, and the craftsmanship was quite exquisite.

The two continued inside, and after passing through the outer courtyard, there was a screen wall with latticed windows. Directly opposite the main gate of the house was a hanging flower gate.

Passing through the hanging flower gate leads to a larger inner courtyard, which is also decorated with artificial hills and greenery, among which two tall osmanthus trees stand out.

On one side of the courtyard is a fish pond about four meters square. A stone dragon head embedded in the pond wall is gushing water out. Large stones are arranged around the edge of the pond, interspersed with various plants.

"When this fishpond was built, it was fed by a mountain stream and had inlet and outlet water features, so normally no additional filtration or maintenance is needed. Of course, space was also reserved for placing a filter," He Zhou explained opportunely.

The inner courtyard is surrounded by east and west wing rooms, east and west side rooms, and the main house, all of which are built in accordance with traditional architectural structure, and are exquisite and sophisticated as a whole.

Zhang Jing followed He Zhou around the various houses. The decorations of these rooms incorporated many modern elements, rather than using a completely traditional style. However, this also increased the comfort. The interior materials were of high quality, and overall, Zhang Jing was quite satisfied.

During this time, Zhang Jing also inquired about the original owner's passing. According to He Zhou, the old man slipped and fell in the outer yard during the rain last month, hitting his head. By the time his family in the inner yard found him, he had already passed away.

Passing through the main house, there is a backyard. There is a side gate on one side of the backyard, which allows cars to drive in and park directly. The backyard is connected to the back mountain and has stone steps that can be climbed up.

Seeing that Zhang Jing seemed quite satisfied, He Zhou simply led Zhang Jing up the hillside. After walking about a hundred meters, they reached a viewing platform surrounded by stone railings and paved with stone slabs. On the platform stood a black-tiled, red-lacquered wooden pavilion with stone tables and benches inside. A plaque hung above the pavilion, bearing the inscription "Shuoren Pavilion".

“The name is Kaopan Zai A, a name of great virtue.” Zhang Jing looked at the plaque, nodded and smiled, “A good name.”

“Mr. Zhang, you are truly a refined gentleman,” He Zhou said with a smile. “A house like this is not easy to find.”

P.S.: Um... someone asked what Black Moon has been doing for the past 8 years. Well, naturally... I've been working. (?゜▽゜)ノ Because being a full-time job would really starve me, I'm writing this secretly after get off work now.

Also, please don't rush me, let me write slowly. There are so many things to consider for this story, it's not easy to write. Plus, Black Moon is a stickler for historical accuracy, I've meticulously researched everything including architecture, clothing, character titles, national systems, and history. Some plots have already been cut several times. If it weren't for some drafts I still have, I'd be starving. Writing haphazardly might feel fun in the moment, but it would be incredibly embarrassing if it went wrong, since many plot points require careful consideration of historical context...

Finally, I would like to thank the following readers for their generous donations: 厄夜怪客, 禍禍禍, 书客71668702979, 特别迷的七曜, 记录, 任风摇书客27669221010, and 九转春秋蝉.

By the way, there will be more later tonight~

Chapter Twenty-Three: Rising Social Rank

Zhang Jing stood by the railing, looking out over the distant tea plantations. A gentle breeze blew by, making it a very pleasant place.

“It’s really nice, I like it quite a bit.” Zhang Jing nodded, then turned to He Zhou and said, “In that case, I’ve decided to rent this place.”