Siheyuan: Starting from the Old Society

When Sha Zhu woke up again, he found himself lying on a bed with dragons and phoenixes carved on it. He struggled to sit up and looked around. He saw that the room was magnificent with carved beams and painted buildings, all of which showed the royal nobility.

"Where am I?" Sha Zhu rubbed his still dizzy head, and memories slowly came to his mind. That old man, that alley, and that unbelievable identity - Emperor Wanli!

"Could it be... that I really traveled through time?" Sha Zhu muttered to himself, feeling both incredible and slightly excited.

"Your Majesty, you're awake!" A clear voice sounded in my ears.

Sha Zhu turned his head and saw a beautiful girl in palace dress walking towards him with a bowl of medicine.

"You are..." Sha Zhu looked at the strange girl in front of him, but a familiar name emerged in his mind - "Xiang Ling?"

The girl smiled slightly, bowed, and said, "I am Xiangling. Your Majesty has been unconscious for a day and a night. Please drink this bowl of medicine quickly."

Sha Zhu took the medicine bowl and drank it all. The medicine tasted slightly bitter, but it had a faint fragrance that refreshed him.

"Xiangling, what time is it now?" Sha Zhu put down the medicine bowl and asked.

"Your Majesty, it is the third day of March in the fifteenth year of the Wanli reign," Xiangling replied respectfully.

The fifteenth year of Wanli? Sha Zhu's heart moved. He knew that this year was destined to be an extraordinary year for the Ming Dynasty. Because it was in this year that the famous "Demon Book Case" occurred!

"The Demonic Book Case?" A bold idea suddenly flashed through Sha Zhu's mind, and a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Sha Zhu felt his head buzzing, doubt, fear and a hint of expectation intertwined in his heart. Change his fate? Of course he wanted to! He had lived a miserable life, and in the end, he was tricked by Qin Huairu and Deputy Director Li. He was simply a loser in life!

"You... who are you? Can you really change my destiny?" Sha Zhu's voice trembled, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

The old man stroked his beard, a cunning light flashed in his eyes, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is, are you willing to pay the price?"

Sha Zhu was stunned. "Price? What price?"

"Everything in the world has its cause and effect. If you want to get something, you must pay the corresponding price." The old man paused and continued, "I can let you go back to the past and change the trajectory of your life, but you must agree to one condition of mine."

"What conditions?" Sha Zhu asked impatiently.

The old man did not answer directly, but took out an ancient bronze mirror from his sleeve and handed it to Sha Zhu, "Look for yourself."

Sha Zhu took the bronze mirror with half belief and half doubt, only to see a chaotic scene on the mirror surface - a dilapidated courtyard with many people crowded in the yard, all of them were pale and thin, in tattered clothes, as if they were struggling on the verge of death.

"This is......"

"This is the world you are about to go to," the old man said quietly, "an era that is more chaotic and cruel than the era you are in now."

Sha Zhu's heart was shocked, and the scene in the mirror made him feel inexplicably depressed and suffocated.

"In this era, you will face various challenges and dangers, and you may even lose your life. Are you still willing to go?" The old man's tone was calm, but it seemed to carry an invisible pressure.

Sha Zhu took a deep breath, his eyes gradually became firm, "I am willing! As long as I can change my fate, no matter how hard it is, I will accept it!"

"Good! You have courage!" The old man's eyes flashed with admiration, "Remember, you only have one chance. Once you make a choice, you can't regret it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sha Zhu felt a black screen in front of his eyes. When he woke up again, he found himself lying on a hard wooden bed.

He struggled to sit up and looked around. There were dilapidated earth walls, dim light, and a musty smell. This was not a hospital, but a shabby house.

"Where...am I?" Sha Zhu rubbed his still dizzy head and tried hard to recall what had happened before.

At this moment, a sharp voice suddenly sounded: "Hey, Shazhu, you finally woke up? I thought you were dead!"

When Sha Zhu looked up, he saw a fat woman wearing a flowery jacket and with a mean face standing at the door. She was none other than Jia Zhang, the famous "evil woman" in the courtyard!

Sha Zhu was stunned. Didn't Jia Zhang die a long time ago? Why did she appear here?

"I... Am I not in the hospital? How..."

"Hospital? Are you confused because of the fever? This is a courtyard house, your home!" Jia Zhang rolled her eyes and said unhappily.

Siheyuan? Sha Zhu suddenly remembered what the old man said. Could it be that... could it be that he really went back to the past? Back to this era where people couldn't even get enough food?

Sha Zhu stood there blankly, feeling a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Changing fate, old voice, all sounded like evil to him. Although Sha Zhu was not very smart, he was not fooled by such weird things.

"Psycho!" Sha Zhu spat, turned around and wanted to leave this damn place.

But before he could take a step, the old voice sounded in his ears again, this time with a hint of teasing in the voice: "Don't you want to know how Qin Huairu and Deputy Director Li hooked up? Don't you want to know what good things they did behind your back?"

Sha Zhu's footsteps froze in place. He clenched his fists tightly, veins popped on his forehead, and a nameless anger burned in his chest.

"You...what did you say?" Sha Zhu's voice trembled, as if it was squeezed out from between his teeth.

The old man turned around slowly, and under the dim light, his face looked even more eerie and terrifying.

“If you want to know the truth, follow me.” The old man said, turning and walking deeper into the alley.

Sha Zhu hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and followed. He wanted to see what this old man knew!

The alley was deep, winding and seemingly endless. Sha Zhu was getting more and more unsure. He wanted to give up, but when he thought of Qin Huairu and Deputy Director Li, he couldn't help but want to know the truth.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a ray of light finally appeared before their eyes. The old man stopped in front of a dilapidated house, opened the door, and motioned for Sha Zhu to go in.

Sha Zhu walked in with a nervous mood. There was only a table and a few chairs in the room, which was extremely simple. The old man sat down on a chair, pointed to the chair opposite, and motioned Sha Zhu to sit down as well.

"Just ask whatever you want to know." The old man said lightly, with a hint of unquestionable majesty in his tone.

Sha Zhu took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and asked: "Who... who are you? Why are you telling me this?"

The old man did not answer his question directly, but asked in return: "Do you believe in time travel in this world?"

"Travel through time?" Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "Old man, have you become stupid from reading too many novels? There is no such thing as travel through time in this world!"

The old man smiled noncommittally and said, "Have you ever thought that the reason you have ended up like this is because your fate was controlled by someone?"

"Destiny is controlled by others?" Sha Zhu frowned. He always felt that there was something behind the old man's words, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

The old man stood up, walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and said faintly: "Do you know that you should not belong to this world..."

Sha Zhu was startled by the sudden sound. He was almost sober now and looked around in confusion, but he only saw narrow and deep alleys and mottled blue brick walls.

"Who? Who the hell is talking?!" Sha Zhu bravely yelled, his voice echoing in the empty alley, but there was no response.

Just when he thought he was hallucinating and was about to turn around and leave, the old voice sounded in his ears again, this time the voice was closer to him, as if it was right behind him: "Young man, you are in pain, you want to take revenge on them, right?"

Sha Zhu turned around abruptly and saw a hunched figure standing behind him, almost blending into the darkness. If it weren't for the dim street lights, he would not have been able to detect this person at all.

"You... who are you? What do you want to do?" Sha Zhu subconsciously took a few steps back, staring vigilantly at the mysterious man who suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Don't be afraid, young man," the old man slowly approached. With the light of the street lamp, Sha Zhu could see his face clearly. It was a weather-beaten face with an elusive light flashing in the deep eye sockets. "I can help you, help you realize all your wishes."

Sha Zhu was stunned. He looked at the strange old man who seemed to have emerged from the ground, and his heart was full of doubts and vigilance: "Can you help me? Help me with what? Why do you help me?"

The old man smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. "Young man, I see that you are a rare genius. As long as you are willing to become my disciple, I can give you abilities that ordinary people cannot imagine. By then, not to mention Deputy Director Li, you will be able to control the entire steel mill!"

The old man's words were very tempting, and Sha Zhu's heart could not help but stir. He thought of Qin Huairu's betrayal of him, the smug face of Deputy Director Li, and the humiliation he had suffered in the courtyard for so many years. A flame of revenge burned in his heart.

"Really? Can you really give me such powerful strength?" Sha Zhu's voice trembled a little. He longed for power, longed to change his own destiny, and longed to make those who had looked down on him and hurt him pay the price.

"Of course," the old man smiled, a sly look flashing in his eyes, "If you want, I can make you the master of this world, allowing you to do whatever you want and be omnipotent!"