Chapter 9

Ignoring the minor incident where Li Xiaofeng was bitten by a dog, the revolutionary situation developed so rapidly that it completely took everyone by surprise. On the morning of the 12th, Duma Chairman Rodzianko, who had discovered that Petrograd had changed hands overnight, hurriedly sent a telegram to Nicholas II, reporting that the situation was extremely urgent. However, Nicholas II did not take Rodzianko's words seriously and instead mocked, "This fat man is talking nonsense to me again; I don't even need to reply to him!"

Indeed, Nicholas II did not need to reply, because three days later, this mediocre and vain Tsar was forced to abdicate and was thrown into the dustbin of history. The Romanov family, which he represented, also disappeared from the mainstream political world, never to make a ripple again.

With the collapse of the Tsarist regime, Russian history reached a crossroads. The Constitutional Democrats, Social Revolutionaries, Octoberists, Progressives, Mensheviks, and Bolsheviks all stepped onto the stage to vie for control of Russia. Among them, the Bolsheviks were probably the least noticeable.

Over the past two days, Li Xiaofeng, who had been following Dzerzhinsky's speeches, was surprised to find that his historical perspective seemed to be overturned. The Bolsheviks, known as the majority, were truly a minority. Whether in terms of numbers or popular support, the Bolsheviks had no advantage compared to the Constitutional Democrats, Social Revolutionaries, or even the Mensheviks, who were known as the minority. Compared to these giants, the Bolsheviks seemed like a small, insignificant group.

Wherever the Bolsheviks were, there was no scene of mass response as described in later accounts. What surprised Li Xiaofeng even more was that the revolutionary Bolsheviks did not seem to show much revolutionary spirit. Even Dzerzhinsky, one of the most committed Marxists, did not think about launching a new, more advanced revolution. The majority of the Bolshevik leadership was very satisfied with the current state of the revolution, and many even secretly communicated with the Mensheviks.

Li Xiaofeng had few kindred spirits. Apart from a few people in the Russian Central Committee of the Bolsheviks who agreed with his views, no one appreciated his radical revolutionary rhetoric. This included the later famous Molotov, who, although he agreed with Li Xiaofeng's opinions, did not know how to initiate a new revolution and was even forced to revise his stance by the Petrograd Committee.

This experience left Li Xiaofeng full of doubts, even thinking that his arrival had caused a butterfly effect, deviating history from its course. In fact, there was no need for him to be discouraged. What he encountered was the true history. Although the two factions of the Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks and Mensheviks) split in 1912, their understanding of the future revolution was relatively consistent: the new revolution would be a bourgeois-led revolution, and backward Russia was far from ready for a socialist revolution. The success of the February Revolution also aligned with Lenin's predictions in 1905. The Mensheviks naturally welcomed this "conservative" outcome, and for the Bolsheviks, this theoretically sound result was also acceptable and even welcomed.

The situation was fundamentally changed only after Lenin, who was in exile, returned to Russia. Before that, the leaderless Bolsheviks were not much stronger than the Mensheviks. Even Mikhaylov, who returned from exile, almost fell into the trap of patriotism. Therefore, Li Xiaofeng had no reason to be disappointed; he had not chosen the wrong side. He was merely a dragon lying low for the moment.

Of course, the 2B youth was not really disappointed but rather indignant. He believed himself to be naturally correct and had just "led" a successful uprising. To be despised by the group so quickly, he thought, was a result of jealousy and persecution. So, even though Dzerzhinsky repeatedly tried to retain him and was ready to introduce him to the party, the 2B youth resolutely refused, even saying, "No revolution, no life!" before leaving.

In fact, the 2B youth was quite interested in joining the party, and the earlier he joined, the better, as it would give him more seniority and influence. However, his confidence had grown so much that he thought Dzerzhinsky was using a carrot-and-stick approach—how could a person of his stature be bought by such small favors?

It can only be said that Li Xiaofeng overestimated himself and did not understand the internal dynamics of the Bolsheviks, leading him to misinterpret Dzerzhinsky's intentions. Dzerzhinsky was not the kind of person who would play such games. He intended to introduce Li Xiaofeng to the party because he believed that Li Xiaofeng was dedicated to the revolution, even though his personality was overly strong and intense, he was a good comrade and a promising youth, and his intentions were entirely public-spirited.

However, Li Xiaofeng's refusal was not a bad thing and did not leave a bad impression on Dzerzhinsky. On the contrary, due to Li Xiaofeng's strong stance, Dzerzhinsky appreciated him even more, believing that Li Xiaofeng could consistently uphold principles, which was highly commendable.

In fact, there was a deeper reason for Li Xiaofeng's decision to leave. During his two days in the Russian Central Committee, he was thoroughly frustrated. It was endless meetings and arguments, or one speech and debate after another. For someone who did not understand revolutionary theory and whose political classes were like meetings with the Duke of Zhou, such days were a form of torture.

Every moment, Li Xiaofeng felt as if thousands of flies were buzzing in his ears. To last two days was already quite an achievement. Dzerzhinsky wanted him to stay longer, but how could he bear it? Besides, at this moment, his mind was not on the revolution; he was eager to see the wonders of the treasure pot.

Following Andrei's memory, Li Xiaofeng easily returned to the Petrograd State University. To be honest, it was not far from the Peter and Paul Fortress, only about two kilometers away, and from the riverside road, one could clearly see the gloomy prison.

However, none of this left much of an impression on Li Xiaofeng. He ran straight to his apartment, not even noticing that someone seemed to be calling his name. Of course, he was not really deaf; he just had not fully associated the name Andrei Petrovich with himself and did not realize they were calling him. The German Shepherd following him was quite puzzled, not understanding why his new owner was ignoring him.

"Come in, you dead dog! Stop looking around!" Li Xiaofeng impatiently dragged the dog into the room and slammed the door shut.

The German Shepherd was very dissatisfied with this treatment, baring its teeth and barking in protest, even casting a malicious glance at Li Xiaofeng's private parts.

Li Xiaofeng quickly protected his lower half. Although he had been protected by spiritual power last time, it still hurt a lot: "Alright, Leonid, I was wrong, I admit it!"

Li Xiaofeng had no real way to deal with the German Shepherd. It seemed that due to the treasure pot, the dog was no longer an ordinary canine but had been endowed with intelligence, making it more like a demon. For a low-level demon, Li Xiaofeng had to show some respect. Well, in terms of ferocity, this dog demon lived up to its name—lion-like in combat.

Snorting, Leonid accepted Li Xiaofeng's apology and found a warm spot to lie down and sleep. Li Xiaofeng, however, was completely amazed by the powerful functions of the treasure pot.

Originally, Li Xiaofeng thought the treasure pot was like a personal bank, capable of endlessly producing money. But after using it, he realized he was wrong. This treasure pot was different from Shen Wansan's, which was just a copying machine. The treasure pot in his hands, a version of the God of Wealth, was more like the fake goods website he often visited in his later life—perhaps it should be called the Taobao Pot.

Like the Taobao of his later life, the treasure pot was a trading intermediary, with the only difference being that it did not accept money but only spiritual power!

Li Xiaofeng was not concerned about this; he was dazzled by the vast array of items. To put it simply, anything that existed in his previous life could be found in the treasure pot!

"Rich! This time, I'm really rich!"

Looking at the dazzling gems, luxury sports cars, and opulent items in the treasure pot's product catalog, Li Xiaofeng's eyes sparkled and his mouth watered. He wished he could immediately take out all these things he could only dream of in his previous life and experience the thrill of being a nouveau riche.

What should he choose first?

Li Xiaofeng's finger moved back and forth on the menu, unsure of what to pick. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a Lamborghini, a brand he was very familiar with, as he had been hit by a Lamborghini in his previous life.

"New and old grudges together! It's you!"

Li Xiaofeng clicked the confirmation button without hesitation, expecting a super cool Lamborghini to appear in front of him in the next second.

It can only be said that this guy was too bold. He did not consider whether his small apartment could fit a Lamborghini, or how to get it out of the third floor. Fortunately, the treasure pot was not as foolish as he was and immediately rejected his request.

"Insufficient spiritual power, cannot exchange!"

Li Xiaofeng was shocked by this message. Only then did he notice a long string of red numbers under the Lamborghini's picture.

"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions... " Li Xiaofeng's mouth dropped open, "Three million! A broken car actually costs three million units of spiritual power! What a scam!"

Well, the luxury sports car that had made his mouth water just moments ago was now considered junk. Whether to call this person fickle or brain-damaged, he only realized that the treasure pot was not free.

Deeply hurt, Li Xiaofeng angrily opened his personal center to check his status:

Username: Li Xiaofeng

User Status: 5th-level Cultivator

Next Level: 6th-level Cultivator

Spiritual Power Status: 500/555

Spiritual Qi Absorption Efficiency: 55/hour

Upgrade Experience: 555/600

Next Level Function: 1st-level Storage

It felt like a video game, and Li Xiaofeng secretly scoffed. However, when he saw his three-digit spiritual power, he was so angry that he almost threw the treasure pot out the window. He now understood why, in the Heavenly Court, the God of Wealth did not value the treasure pot. For immortals, this thing was indeed too useless. Although it could store everything from the human world, using it required a cost, unlike Shen Wansan's version, which could produce items without consuming any energy.

For true immortals, who had various magical abilities, transforming a Lamborghini or even a beautiful woman was not difficult. What use was the treasure pot? Carrying it around was just a burden. Only someone at Li Xiaofeng's level, with little spiritual power and few magical abilities, would consider the treasure pot a treasure.

Sighing, Li Xiaofeng put down his raised hand. Although the treasure pot was somewhat useless, he could not do without it. Even if there were no other immortals competing for spiritual qi, he could quickly improve his cultivation. However, cultivation and magical abilities were complementary. Without magical abilities, even high cultivation was not very useful. He knew very few magical abilities, especially not how to create something out of nothing. Therefore, even if the treasure pot was somewhat useless, he had to endure it.

"Let's see what I can buy now!" Li Xiaofeng sighed deeply, knowing that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

After studying the treasure pot for a while, Li Xiaofeng finally discovered a pattern. The main factor determining the value of an item was time. The more recent the item, the more spiritual power it required. For example, a Lamborghini required three million units of spiritual power, while the world's first mass-produced car, the Ford Model T, required only ten units.

Of course, the time factor was not the only determinant of spiritual power consumption. The technical content of the item also played a role. For example, a top-tier, limited-edition Louis Vuitton bag from the same era as the Lamborghini required only a dozen units of spiritual power. In general, the more recent and technologically advanced the item, the more spiritual power it required.

Understanding the value rules, Li Xiaofeng was about to select some items that could help him and start exchanging when a knock on the door interrupted him. A silver voice asked, "Andrei Petrovich, are you there?"

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