Chapter Eighteen: A Troubled Era, Part 2

Within such beauty, endless danger lurked.
It signified that the power of the Pearl had been torn apart, unable to protect his soul!
Whether it was the mirror of the heart, or the lake of the heart, or even the manifestation of the sea of consciousness, it was made up of countless thoughts and reflections.
Even in the deepest state of meditation, one’s heart lake could never be truly calm, never entirely without ripples.
Beneath the surface of seemingly tranquil waters, countless undercurrents surged and ebbed.
This was inevitable...
At the very least, Wang Ling knew that he could never achieve absolute serenity.
Yet now, for reasons unknown, a sudden surge of fear rose as he faced his heart lake, disturbing its peace and sending wave after wave of ripples across its surface.
“No, if I leave my body now, my soul will surely be torn apart...
My soul is still too fragile. Forcing it to depart would only lead to ruin and death.”
Wang Ling had experience—he had died this way in his previous life.
That time, just like now, he forced his soul to leave his body, and the result...
Wang Ling abandoned the idea. His heart lake shattered, and his consciousness returned to the real world.
He sensed that if he really forced an out-of-body experience, the moment his awareness entered the heart lake, it would splinter apart.
If that happened, he feared he would lose his mind—if not become a vegetative state, then surely a madman.
“It’s best I continue my cultivation honestly. Wait until my soul grows strong enough to withstand danger before trying again... But first, I must solve the problem of food!”
Though it was said that those who live on spirit energy grow enlightened and live long, and that at a certain stage of cultivation one could survive without food, relying only on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth,
Wang Ling was far from reaching that level.
He could go three to five days without eating and feel no hunger or thirst,
But if he fasted any longer, it would be impossible!
He hoped there would be no trouble atop Little Plum Mountain.
Though he lived alone in the mountains, every ten days or so, someone still brought him food, vegetables, and daily necessities.
If he did not return for a long time, he might be considered missing.
And that jade box, it should still be in his house. If someone found it...

But that could wait—he had to deal with the immediate issues first.
Wang Ling muttered to himself, wondering where he could get some money to buy things.
As the saying goes, “A single coin can defeat a hero,” and indeed, this was true.
Yet it posed little challenge to someone with magical arts.
Especially someone like Wang Ling, who had rather loose morals.
He knew well that in these overcrowded, modern cities, the distance between people was often the greatest.
Beneath the prosperity, who knew how much crime lurked?
So Wang Ling wandered nearby, and soon found a solitary person. It was easy to solve his problem with hypnosis.
Fortunately, Wang Ling knew hypnosis, otherwise the matter would have been difficult.
In his era, society had already begun to enter a cashless age—just scan your phone and you could go anywhere.
Here, it was even more so: cash had vanished entirely.
All currency was virtual, existing as points.
Without hypnosis, he would have struggled to find another way to get money.
Even so, it was troublesome; credit currency was tracked, and with cameras everywhere, once the person realized their points were gone, it would be easy to trace.
So Wang Ling crafted a story for this person—a romantic encounter.
He made him believe he'd met a beautiful woman that night and had a wonderful time, explaining why he'd spent more than usual...
Since he had already hypnotized him, Wang Ling took the opportunity to ask about this world’s basic situation.
Of course, these were small matters, mentioned in passing.
Wang Ling planned to hide in the Celestial Observatory and cultivate quietly, seeking no trouble.
Yet in this world, often when you wish to avoid trouble, trouble finds you.
This area was an old district, supposedly a central business zone, surrounded by tall office buildings.
During the day, the place was bustling.
But at night, especially in the backstreets, the facilities appeared aged, and safety was poor.
Ordinary people hurried along, barely daring to linger.

Especially since even the streetlights had been vandalized, plunging the street into darkness.
This was not surprising; with the rise of artificial intelligence, more and more jobs had vanished, and unemployment soared.
Though the authorities kept increasing welfare benefits, public safety only worsened.
Some people refused to quietly collect subsidies and stay home gaming.
Instead, they wandered the streets, bored, destroying public property and committing other crimes.
But none of this had anything to do with Wang Ling!
Ahead, a sharp siren sounded: “You are destroying public property, which is illegal. Please stop immediately...”
From a distance, Wang Ling saw a group of young men and women, members of a reckless gang, waving alloy baseball bats and smashing a police patrol car.
With loud crashes, the police patrol car blared its alarm.
Suddenly, with a roar, a vintage internal combustion vehicle slammed violently into the police patrol car.
The siren cut off instantly. The youths cheered, drinking various alcoholic beverages, and poured gasoline over the car, setting it alight.
For a moment, Wang Ling felt a strange illusion: the burning police car became a bonfire, and these gang members were like ancient people dancing and worshipping around the flames.
They were worshipping this era itself!
Wang Ling shook his head and hurried past.
“Hey handsome, want to join us? It’s fun!”
Some of the girls in the gang shouted at him.
Wang Ling quickened his pace, clutching the big bag of food he had just bought from the supermarket, and hurried away.
From this scene, Wang Ling seemed to gain new insight into the era.
In this time, artificial intelligence had replaced countless jobs; unemployment kept rising, and jobs grew ever scarcer.
Yet the population had not declined thanks to increased welfare.
Not everyone was content to receive government subsidies and immerse themselves in virtual games, waiting idly for death.
Especially among energetic young people with nothing to do, who banded together and wandered the city, venting their restless energy by destroying public property!