Chapter 4

In the evening, Ren Baoqian sat at a street stall with a man and a woman.

The man was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and jeans, with a handsome appearance. He was Ren Baoqian's only friend, Chen Qing.

Sometimes, Ren Baoqian even doubted how he and Chen Qing became friends. He came from an ordinary background, was somewhat selfish and cold, lacked enthusiasm for everything, and had been idling in a small company for a year, earning a meager salary.

Chen Qing, on the other hand, was completely different. He came from a wealthy family, was sunny and handsome, and was extremely savvy in both speech and action. He was always the center of attention wherever he went, envied by others. He had already obtained his lawyer's license and was interning at a law firm, not far from becoming a full-fledged lawyer, with a bright future ahead.

One could say that they were two completely mismatched people.

Yet, Chen Qing took a liking to Ren Baoqian, and they became friends after meeting twice.

According to Chen Qing, Ren Baoqian was very much like him, always on the fringes of the crowd.

However, Ren Baoqian felt that he simply couldn't fit into other people's circles, so he stood alone outside.

Chen Qing, on the other hand, moved effortlessly within those circles and then stepped back to observe others' performances.

Their natures were completely different, yet they became friends.

It was a strange thing.

The woman in a long dress, a quiet and elegant lady named Jiang Nan, was Chen Qing's girlfriend. She wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was above average, and she was also a very strange person.

Chen Qing, with his sunny and handsome appearance and wealth, often frequented nightclubs, with different girls by his side every day. However, his only official girlfriend of nine years didn't mind his womanizing at all, and their relationship was still very good.

What surprised Ren Baoqian the most was that Chen Qing, who changed girls every day, had never slept with his official girlfriend.

According to what Chen Qing said after drinking, the sweetest fruit should be picked and tasted last.

Perhaps this was why Jiang Nan never cared about his actions. She knew that the others were just passing guests, and she was the one who would eventually marry Chen Qing.

She was a smart woman. Ren Baoqian also found her strange.

"Where have you been the past few days? I went to your company, and your colleagues didn't know where you went. It's hard to imagine someone like you disappearing without a word," Chen Qing asked while drinking beer.

His voice was calm, but Ren Baoqian could hear a faint concern in it.

He knew that if he had any problems, this guy would definitely help.

However, the problem he was facing now was something no one could solve.

"It's a long story," Ren Baoqian sighed. "I barely escaped death!"

"Tell us about it?" Chen Qing asked.

Jiang Nan also showed a listening expression.

"Never mind, it's too complicated," Ren Baoqian shook his head. The matters of that world were impossible to explain.

"I'll tell you, you need to seize the moment. When you face death, you realize how much you've missed," Ren Baoqian said with a hint of meaning.

Chen Qing smiled, held Jiang Nan's hand, and then said, "It seems you've really gone through something to make such a remark."

Ren Baoqian nodded in agreement.

After a few rounds of drinks, Ren Baoqian suddenly said, "I've been reading a lot of穿越唐朝的种田小说 (穿越唐朝的种田小说 translates to '穿越' meaning '穿越' and '种田小说' meaning 'agrarian novels set in the Tang Dynasty'). If someone really did travel through time, what knowledge or skills would be most useful?"

"Cooking, to ensure you don't starve and can find a job," Chen Qing blurted out, then laughed.

He then said seriously, "It depends on where you are and your position. But generally, knowledge related to people's livelihood is the most useful. In simple terms, anything related to food, whether it's farming or cooking, is always useful. In that era, there was no patent protection, so improving farming tools would be an easy way to get rich."

Ren Baoqian agreed with this, as it matched his thoughts.

"What about for those in power? For example, what would be most useful for an emperor?" Ren Baoqian asked again.

"There are many things. An emperor is the ruler of a country, and everything is useful to him. But if we combine it with the previous question, it can be divided into two categories: one is internal, related to agriculture, such as increasing food production. The other is external, related to military, such as cement for fortifications. As for other things, they are beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Ren Baoqian nodded again and asked one last question, "What would Wu Zetian like?"

This time, it was Jiang Nan who answered, her voice soft, not at all like a girl from Northeast China.

"A caring person and a strong support. Every woman wants these things. But given her position, what ordinary women most desire is what she finds hardest to obtain."

Hearing Jiang Nan's answer, Ren Baoqian thought of the red-clad woman he had seen and shuddered. It was hard to imagine that woman being gentle and dependent in a man's arms.

Most of the time, she would probably say coldly, "Chop him off."

"Are you planning for a time travel?" Chen Qing laughed.

Ren Baoqian nodded seriously, "Yes."

After they finished eating, as they were about to part ways, Jiang Nan said softly, "Our company is hiring. If you want to change jobs, you can consider it."

Ren Baoqian knew she was giving him face. After being missing for so long, he would definitely lose his job, and she couldn't be unaware of that. He smiled and said, "I want to rest for a while before looking for a job. If I can't find a suitable place, I'll ask for help."

The most important thing now was to find out how he ended up in that world and how he returned.

Without finding the reason, how could he focus on work?

He might not be able to come back if he went through again.

For the next two days, Ren Baoqian stayed in his room.

Unable to find the reason for his time travel, he spent his time browsing the internet for knowledge about agriculture and diagrams of farming tools.

If he went back to that world again, these things might be useful.

During this time, Ren Baoqian received an email from Chen Qing. When he opened it, he found a long table comparing common knowledge with knowledge from the Tang Dynasty, along with a long list of books.

At the end, there was a message: "If you really do time travel, remember to bring these books."

Ren Baoqian laughed halfway through reading it. It was clearly a joke, but Chen Qing took it so seriously.

He saved the book list and planned to buy a few interesting ones the next day.

However, he was woken up by the cold in his sleep.

Still half-asleep, he felt something was different around him.

Ren Baoqian was still lying on a mattress, but it felt very cold. This season, it was only slightly cool at night, not cold.

He opened his eyes, and everything was pitch black.

He reached out to touch the mattress and the surroundings, but instead of the bed frame, he felt rough, uneven stones.

"Is this... a prison cell?" Ren Baoqian looked puzzled.

After searching carefully, he found a ventilation window, twenty centimeters high and one meter wide, with a faint light coming from outside.

He was back in that world!

Ren Baoqian's heart raced, and he was completely awake.

He sat up, and the page turned to an ad.

The page turned back from the ad.