I changed the world.

Go back to the first encounter

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

***

On the morning of the second day, after completing his martial arts training for the day, Zhang Jing went to the cave to check on the progress of the cave servants' work. They were moving faster than Zhang Jing had expected. In just one night, they had neatly arranged and stacked more than a dozen piles of materials on the open ground.

They tidied up the ruins with remarkable order. The cleared debris wasn't simply piled up; instead, it was separated into different categories. For example, large, intact logs were stacked into stacks according to their thickness, length, and type. Stone was similarly stacked into piles, making it look like a fortress from a distance. Only the actual rubble was piled up in a large heap and left aside.

Zhang Jing walked to a pile of stones and examined it carefully. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that each stone was carved with subtle patterns. Having gained a preliminary understanding of the patterns through his studies at Fazang, Zhang Jing could roughly identify that these patterns mostly served a supporting purpose, such as increasing strength or inhibiting plant erosion.

The skeletons salvaged from the ruins were neatly arranged side by side on the ground on the other side, and according to Zhang Jing's plan, they would eventually be buried together.

Meanwhile, some grotesque and deformed monster skeletons that had been sorted out were moved to another side and piled up together.

After inspecting the area, Zhang Jing was quite satisfied. He gave a few more instructions to his three celestial servants and then began his own cultivation...

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

After lunch, Zhang Jing spent some time reading history books in his study. He was currently reading "The World History of Gonville," published by Gonville University Press in the United Kingdom of Rune. It is a relatively objective general history of the world that is widely recognized in academia.

Around 14:30 PM, Zhang Jing closed the book, slipped a bookmark between the pages, changed into casual clothes, and went out.

He found a driving school in the west of the city. Today, in addition to registering, he also plans to discuss the course schedule with the instructor.

The driving school wasn't far from Zhang Jing's current residence, only about 3 kilometers away. Zhang Jing booked a ride-hailing car and arrived there quickly.

"Tianma Driving School" is a medium-sized driving school with a certain reputation in the industry. From any perspective, it is a fairly ordinary school among similar schools. Zhang Jing chose it for a simple reason: it was close to home.

Entering through the main gate of the driving school, there was a large asphalt-paved training area. Two training vehicles were practicing parking maneuvers on one side of the area. After asking the cleaning staff, Zhang Jing quickly found the driving school's administration office, a two-story building located in the northeast corner of the training area. Zhang Jing found a room on the first floor with a sign that read "Registration Room." The door was ajar, so he pushed it open and went inside.

There was an office desk inside, and a young woman was playing a mobile game while lying on it.

"Hello, are you here to register?" When Zhang Jing pushed the door open and came in, the girl quickly looked up. Seeing that she didn't recognize him, she quickly stood up, bowed, and then asked.

“Yes, but my situation is a bit special.” Zhang Jing walked to the table and cupped his hands in greeting: “I learned to drive with my elders before, so I’m quite skilled. Therefore, I hope to reduce the number of courses and get my license through the simplest process.”

P.S.: This is a tribute to Ms. Dong Min's flute arrangement of "Big Fish".

PS: According to the custom of Da Zhao, women greet each other by bowing or cupping their hands. If they cup their hands, it is slightly different from men. Men hold their right hand with their left hand, while women place their right hand on top of their left hand, but do not make a fist.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Zhang Hongjian Learns to Drive

The girl was taken aback for a moment, then glanced at Zhang Jing thoughtfully. In fact, she had heard similar requests from Zhang Jing before, and often at that. After all, compared to gasoline cars, electric cars are inherently simpler to drive. Also, driving schools charge by the hour, so many people often make this request to reduce the number of lessons and save on tuition.

However, since it was a customer's request, she couldn't say anything. She politely asked Zhang Jing to wait a moment, then left the office and soon brought back a middle-aged man from another room.

"This is Coach Yu; he needs to assess your technique first."

“That’s natural.” Zhang Jing cupped his hands in greeting to the visitor. “My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Hongjian. You can call me Hongjian, Teacher Yu.”

The coach was quite polite, cupping his hands in greeting and saying "Nice to meet you," before gesturing for them to come this way: "Then come this way with me."

The two approached an electric vehicle parked in a parking space on the side of the area. It was a "Hideyoshi" brand electric vehicle manufactured in Japan, a brand known for its low prices and high cost-performance ratio. Zhang Jing had already noticed that the driving school mostly used this brand of vehicle.

Zhang Jing entered the driver's seat from the left, took the key from Coach Yu, and then, under Coach Yu's guidance, found the keyhole and started the vehicle.

Since Zhang Jing had never driven this type of vehicle before, the instructor carefully explained the location of the main controls to him. Afterward, he placed his foot on the brake pedal on the passenger side, keeping it ready to stop at any time, and then signaled to Zhang Jing that he could start the car.

The two first drove slowly around the training ground, and at the instructor's request, Zhang Jing completed maneuvers such as moving the car into and out of the parking space. Zhang Jing's skillful and stable driving gradually put the instructor at ease, so he asked Zhang Jing to drive the car out of the gate. The two chose a route with traffic lights and various traffic signs, and drove around the driving school. About five minutes later, Zhang Jing drove the electric car back to the driving school.

They parked the car in the same spot where they had originally gotten it. The two got out of the car, and Coach Yu said with a smile, "You have the feel of an experienced driver. I've never seen anyone with a driver's license who can drive like this."

The two then returned to the registration office. Finally, after confirmation from Coach Yu, it was determined that Zhang Jing only needed to attend one targeted training session before the exam. The driving school would handle his regular class attendance, so he did not need to attend.

Because national regulations require 35 hours of driving lessons to obtain a driver's license, the driving school, after consultation, scheduled Zhang Jing's driving test for ten days later. Before the driving test, Zhang Jing needs to complete the online learning and examination for the written test on his own.

In this way, it's equivalent to only taking the exam through the driving school, without needing any extra training from the driving school. Therefore, the tuition fee is also reduced significantly. Tianma Driving School normally charges 1500 yuan for tuition, but in Zhang Jing's case, the two parties finally agreed to charge only half price, 750 yuan.

After paying the fee and providing the relevant documents, Zhang Jing left the driving school.

After leaving the driving school, it was still early, so Zhang Jing didn't take a taxi and walked home.

Unlike the previous life, in this world, Da Zhao, you can see many Chinese-style buildings on both sides of the street. Although it has entered the interstellar age, there are not many high-rise buildings in the city. Many shops are old shops that have been in business for generations. The distinctive flags hanging outside the door reveal a classical style with the characteristics of Jiangnan.

The biggest difference from my previous life is that the pedestrians on the streets here are mostly dressed in traditional-style clothing or simplified versions of traditional clothing. This is especially true for the young people, whose clothing style blends Chinese and Western elements.

Equally interesting are the hair ornaments, especially those for men. Because tradition has remained unbroken, the proportion of men who still wear their hair up is still relatively high. Of course, due to the need for efficient work in modern society, many men are accustomed to wearing a short bun, which is then tied up with an exquisite hair crown. They don't wear the kind of waist-length hair that Zhang Jing saw in period dramas in his previous life. Many men also wear crowns of various shapes and styles.

Since the introduction of Western learning to the East, especially after the Jia Shen coup, the Great Zhao has gradually opened up in terms of culture. The restrictions on clothing and hair ornaments have long been lifted, and all kinds of trendy hair ornaments and clothing designs have emerged. Therefore, many people will add some decorations to their heads and clothes for aesthetic reasons.

Therefore, in this world, those who actually shave their heads short are mostly from lower-class families. For example, in the slum where Zhang Jing lived, many people did this. For economic reasons, short hair is more convenient in terms of maintenance and accessories, saving the family some money.

As far as Zhang Jing knows, in terms of fashion, the fashion center of the East has always been Jiangling, known as the Southern Capital of the Great Zhao Dynasty. This was the place where the Great Zhao Emperor established his capital. Although the capital was later moved, the palace complex from that time is still preserved. Currently, Jiangling is also the stronghold of the noble families in the south of the empire. The banks of the Longzangpu River there are considered the fashion and entertainment center of the East, a world-renowned city that never sleeps.

Zhang Jing strolled along, appreciating the familiar yet strange scenery he had never seen in his previous life. He even saw two blonde, blue-eyed girls dressed in traditional vests, carrying round fans, gracefully passing by, exuding the air of elegant Eastern ladies.

He couldn't help but recall his past life, and for a moment, a strange and complicated emotion welled up in his heart.

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

Zhang Jing stopped in front of a roadside shop. The shop had a projecting Chinese-style eaves, under which were two old wooden doors. On the left and right sides of the doors hung a couplet: "The changes of strength and gentleness, orthodoxy and ingenuity, are unpredictable; the subtle understanding of movement and stillness, illusion and reality, is found in the mind." Above the door hung a plaque: "The True Lineage of the Great Mountain".

This should be a martial arts school.

"The Great Yue Sect? That's quite an boast..." Zhang Jing suddenly became interested. Since transmigrating to this world, even the original owner of this body had never met a real martial arts master. Now that he saw the martial arts school, he immediately became interested.

Zhang Jing reached out and pushed open the door, entering the martial arts hall.

The martial arts school was a spacious, brightly lit area with large terrazzo tiles on the floor. A row of weapon racks stood in one corner. On the wall opposite the main entrance hung a calligraphy scroll that read "Gui Family Dayue National Martial Arts School." Zhang Jing also noticed a wooden shrine on one side of the space, containing a photograph of an elderly man with a long beard. According to contemporary customs, Zhang Jing guessed this might be the founder of the school. An incense burner sat before the portrait, but the incense had already burned out.

PS: I saw some people asking in the comments what "open door" means when describing gold coins in the previous article. Here's an explanation: "Open door" and "very open door" are terms widely used in the collecting world. They mean that the item is obviously genuine at first glance, with very obvious characteristics, and the possibility of it being fake is very low.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Uninvited Guest

The venue was rather deserted at the moment, with only one person practicing a set of martial arts similar to Tai Chi. When Zhang Jing entered, he stopped and walked over. He was indeed a tall, rugged-looking middle-aged man.

"Hello, are you here to learn martial arts?" the middle-aged man asked, clasping his hands in greeting.

"I just happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look." Zhang Jing also smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. "I've never been exposed to Dayue martial arts before. By the way, I don't know what to call you?"

"My surname is Gui, which means 'to return to the past'."

"So you are Master Gui, my apologies for my rudeness." Zhang Jing cupped his hands in greeting again: "My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Hongjian. May I ask if Master Gui could introduce me to the martial arts of Dayue?"

Guicang nodded upon hearing this and explained, "The Cheng Tongwei Xianhua Zhenren on Mount Dayue has always been the family temple of the imperial family of this dynasty. You must already know this, so I won't go into details."

Zhang Jing nodded. The imperial family of this dynasty has carried out major renovations on Mount Dayue many times in its history. Although there seems to have been no similar actions in the last hundred years, it still gives Mount Dayue a unique position in the Xuanmen (Taoist sect).

With a large and powerful family, it's natural to train disciples to protect the family and property. Zhang Jing remembers that this is how Shaolin martial arts originated in his previous life.

What truly made Dayue Mountain famous was the rise of animation and game products in recent decades, which made Dayue Mountain of the Xuanmen sect and Dachan Temple of the Futu sect widely known.

“Our lineage is inherited from my grandfather’s generation. My grandfather was a martial arts instructor at Dayue Taoist Academy and was the twelfth generation disciple of the Jing generation,” Guicang said, bowing to the wooden shrine next to him. “Later, my grandfather had to leave the temple and go down the mountain to continue the family line after my elder brother passed away. He then opened this martial arts school, and I am the third generation.”

"Dayue martial arts are known for their freehand fighting, fist fighting, and sword fighting, and they have a tradition of both unarmed combat and weapon fighting."

As Guicang spoke, he gestured for Zhang Jing to sit down on a chair by the side of the field. Seeing that Guicang seemed to be going to make tea, Zhang Jing quickly waved his hand and said no need.

"By the way, is that the sword Master Gui uses?" Zhang Jing pointed to a sword hanging on the wall. It had a sharkskin scabbard and a gleaming brass beast-head hilt, indicating that it was used frequently. This sword looked wider than an ordinary sword, and Zhang Jing knew at a glance that it was a sword used in actual combat.

"Yes, that's the sword I use for practice." Guicang walked to the wall, took off his sword, and casually drew it out. He noticed that the sword was a finger's width wider than an ordinary sword and was also longer than a typical martial arts longsword.

He casually made a slashing motion, the movement swift and clean. The sword stopped without the slightest wobbling, which made Zhang Jing even more certain that this was not the so-called soft sword that could be bent with a finger in his previous life.

Gui Cang asked, "Hongjian, have you ever practiced martial arts before?"

"I've only learned a little bit," Zhang Jing said modestly.

"Oh? What style of kung fu is it?"

"It's a rural style of martial arts taught by my elders, belonging to the Northern school," Zhang Jing said vaguely, not being very familiar with the martial arts of this world. Just like in his previous world, the martial arts of this world also have distinct styles from the North to the South.

In fact, the differences between Northern and Southern martial arts are determined by geographical environment. The South has a dense network of waterways and a developed economy, so its martial arts need to take into account the characteristics of naval warfare and private duels. As a result, it eventually developed a style of short, powerful punches that can be delivered even in a crouching ox-like space, and its weapons are mostly dangerous short weapons. On the other hand, the North is crisscrossed by plains and has a history of more wars. Therefore, Northern martial arts need to take into account the characteristics of mounted combat and battle formations, and its weapons are mostly long weapons such as spears and double-handed swords.

In fact, geographically speaking, Dayue Mountain also falls under the category of Northern martial arts.

Gui Cang nodded and walked to the side of the field. After a while, he came back carrying two sets of protective gear and two short sticks wrapped in foam. He stuffed one set of protective gear into Zhang Jing's arms and said, "Come on, let's play a game."

Gui Cang's action made Zhang Jing, who was used to martial arts masters in his previous life cherishing their reputation and mostly "talking the talk but not walking the walk," take a second look at him with new respect, thinking to himself that this was indeed a true martial arts expert. Without refusing, he took the protective gear and put it on.

This is a type of half-body protective gear for short weapons, mainly protecting the head, hands, and upper body. Because the short stick used as a weapon is covered with foam, it does not need to be as heavy as kendo protective gear.

After putting on protective gear, the two people stand facing each other, about two meters apart.

"Come on, attack me, don't hold back." Guicang beckoned.

Without hesitation, Zhang Jing took a few steps around the area, gripped the foam stick, and thrust it towards Gui Cang's chest. Of course, he didn't use his full strength, but rather suppressed his power and speed to the level of a normal person.

Just as he was about to strike Guicang, Guicang made a swift move. His movements were small, and he used his short staff to meet Zhang Jing's attack. Zhang Jing felt a force coming from the side, and his sword involuntarily deviated. Then, the opponent's short staff thrust forward, making it seem as if Zhang Jing was offering himself up to be stabbed.

In a moment of panic, Zhang Jing instinctively exerted force with his feet, narrowly avoiding the attack.

The person opposite him let out a "Huh," clearly not expecting Zhang Jing to be able to dodge. Guicang couldn't help but praise, "Impressive footwork!"

Zhang Jing knew in his heart that, purely from the perspective of kung fu, he had lost this move. If he hadn't had superhuman physical abilities, he would definitely have been stabbed.

Becoming even more cautious, the two entered a standoff again. Zhang Jing paced back and forth a few steps, spotted an opening, and tentatively thrust his staff towards the opponent's lower abdomen. However, Guicang twisted his wrist, his staff landing on Zhang Jing's staff, and with a twist, pressed down, while simultaneously sliding down Zhang Jing's staff and slicing across his wrist.

This time, Zhang Jing did not dodge, allowing him to strike his wrist. Guicang stopped immediately upon contact and withdrew his stick.

After two more rounds, Zhang Jing became more cautious, and although he failed to launch an attack, he was at least not hit by his opponent, resulting in a draw. However, Zhang Jing was certain that Master Gui was indeed skilled, and he had the advantage of superhuman reflexes. In terms of pure swordsmanship, he was far inferior to his opponent.

Feeling there was no need to continue, Zhang Jing stopped, clasped his hands together as if to say something, when the door of the martial arts school was pushed open again.