The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

Fanlou Restaurant in Bianjing.

Tonight, this place is not only a den of iniquity, but also a battlefield of carnage.

An admission ticket can fetch 300 strings of cash on the black market, and you still need to verify your assets—anyone with less than 10,000 strings of cash can go to the first floor for tea.

This is the rule set by Jiang Lin: not the best, but the most expensive.

The rooftop terrace had an eerie atmosphere.

The surrounding area was completely sealed off with black velvet cloth, so that not even a fly could get in.

There were no string and wind instruments, no fine wine or delicacies, only twenty hard, stiff armchairs.

Prince Zhao Yunrang of Runan sat in the head seat, the pair of exquisite lion head meatballs in his hands almost crushed.

"What is Su Zizhan up to?"

He is a descendant of Emperor Taizong, and is usually treated with great respect. Tonight, he paid a high price to come in and sit on the sidelines.

"I think he's lost his mind!" the purple-robed elder beside him sneered. "Half an hour has passed, and we haven't seen a single ghost! Are they making a fool of us?"

Behind the curtain.

Su Shi was drenched in cold sweat, his undergarments soaked through. Peeking through the gaps at those murderous eyes, his legs trembled. "Headmaster! This is about to explode! Prince Zhao is already touching his belt; that's a sign he's about to whip someone! Quickly, get Xiu Niang up there and sing 'Eighteen Touches' to put an end to it!"

"What's the rush?"

Jiang Lin crossed his legs, calmly spitting out the sunflower seed shells, and toying with the thick copper pipe studded with rubies in his hand.

"Zizhan, learn this. The more you fawn over these big shots, the more they'll treat you like a grandson. The more aloof you are and the more you lecture them like a grandson, the more they'll think you're a wise and shrewd person."

Jiang Lin stood up, straightened his clothes, and a playful smile appeared on his lips: "This is called—extreme stretching."

After saying that, he yanked off the curtain and strode out.

Su Shi covered his face in despair: "It's over, tomorrow's headline will be—Scholar Su mocks the powerful and wealthy, lying dead in the street..."

The moment Jiang Lin appeared, the anger on the scene instantly reached its peak.

"Who are you? Where is Su Shi? Tell him to get out here!" Zhao Yunrang slammed his fist on the table, his expression menacing.

Jiang Lin didn't bow, and didn't even look at him directly.

He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers crisply.

"Smack."

The men who had been lying in ambush acted instantly, extinguishing the few remaining oil lamps on the rooftop.

Absolute darkness descended in an instant.

"You bastard! What are you doing?!"

"Assassins! Protect the Emperor!!"

Darkness is the best catalyst for fear. These pampered old men instantly imagined a hundred ways to die, and the sound of drawing their swords filled the air.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Jiang Lin's voice rang out softly, echoing around him.

"If you wish to see common, vulgar women, turn left at the theater outside, and you'll find a hundred different poses to choose from."

"Having come all the way to the top floor of Fanlou and spent a fortune, do you think you're just here to see mundane things?"

That's incredibly arrogant.

Zhao Yunrang was stunned by the arrogance, and the sword, which he had only half-drawn, got stuck in its sheath.

"Sizzle—"

With a clanging sound, a round tear appeared in the black velvet cloth overhead.

A beam of moonlight, condensed and almost tangible, shone straight down on the center like a stage spotlight. On the rosewood stand, the gleaming, menacingly shaped long cylinder instantly captivated everyone's attention.

The ruby ​​refracted an eerie luster under the moonlight, exuding an aura of "I'm expensive, you can't afford me."

"This object is called the 'Sky-Gazing Mirror'."

Jiang Lin had half his body hidden in the shadows, like a tempting devil.

"It is made from the 'Heavenly Crafted Glass' left over from the stones Nuwa used to mend the sky, and then refined and polished over eighty-one days. Only today, when our destiny has arrived, do we dare to invite you all to open your eyes."

"What are you looking at?" Zhao Yunrang's anger subsided considerably, but his curiosity was piqued. "Could it be that we can look at the moon?"

"What does Your Highness think is on the moon?" Jiang Lin asked instead of answering.

"Nonsense! The legends since ancient times are all about Chang'e and the Jade Rabbit, and Wu Gang chopping down the cassia tree," Zhao Yunrang scoffed. "What else could there be?"

"Oh? Your Highness has seen the real thing?"

"Myths and legends—how could mortals with their naked eyes possibly see them?"

Therefore, mortals should not look at it.

Jiang Lin sighed and made a move to put the telescope away. "This mirror can dispel illusions and reveal the truth. However, because it reveals too many heavenly secrets, those whose fate is not strong enough or whose blessings are not deep enough will lose ten years of their lifespan if they look at it once."

He stopped what he was doing, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, his eyes carrying three parts provocation and seven parts disdain.

"While you all are incredibly wealthy, if your fates cannot bear it... I advise you to take your money back and go have some fun. That's safer and will save your lives."

Provocation tactic.

Although clumsy, it was a direct slap in the face to these top nobles of the Song Dynasty who valued face more than life itself.

"fart!"

Zhao Yunrang exploded, his beard trembling wildly. "I am of Emperor Taizong's blood! A descendant of the imperial family! Is there any destiny in this world that I cannot suppress?!"

"Exactly! Who do you think you are!"

"I'll offer 20,000 strings of cash! Let me see first! I want to see if this moon can kill me!"

The scene instantly transformed from a "punishment rally" into a "survival contest."

Su Shi watched from backstage, dumbfounded. How could these usually shrewd and calculating big shots all become fools vying to give him money in Jiang Lin's eyes?

"Since Your Highness insists on trying..." Jiang Lin stepped aside and elegantly gestured for him to enter. "Life and death are predestined, and all that we see is fate. Your Highness, please."

Zhao Yunrang snorted coldly, straightened his python robe, and strode forward.

At this moment, the entire room was deathly silent. Tense, jealous, and suspicious gazes were all fixed on his back.

Zhao Yunrang took a deep breath and leaned closer.

One eye closed, the other pressed against the cool goggles. The lenses were still slightly fogged up—the fingerprints Shen Kuo had deliberately left for a "soft-focus" effect.

one second.

two seconds.

Suddenly, a hissing sound, like a rooster being choked, rang out.

"hiss--!!!"

Zhao Yunrang suddenly looked up, his face deathly pale. He took three steps back as if he had seen a ghost, and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Your Highness!" The guard was shocked and drew his sword to charge.

Zhao Yunrang raised his hand shakily, pointed to the moon in the sky, then to the copper pipe, his lips trembling so much that he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"What's going on? Is there a ghost?" The people around craned their necks.

Zhao Yunrang swallowed hard, his eyes unfocused, as if his worldview had just collapsed and been rebuilt.

"Trees...there really are trees..."

His voice trembled, filled with an almost manic fear and excitement, "What a huge tree... so pitted and scarred... those are the marks left by Wu Gang chopping down the tree! I see it clearly! It's a miracle from millions of years ago!!"

The craters that could only be seen through a telescope, with their desolate and lifeless texture, had an impact on the ancients no less than seeing aliens directly.

In his mind, those craters were the giant tree stumps left behind after being felled for millions of years!

boom--!

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Everyone's gaze changed. They were no longer looking at a toy, but at a sacred object, their eyes burning with an intensity that could melt even the copper pipes.

Shorten one's lifespan by ten years?

If I could truly glimpse the true face of the Heavenly Court, it would be worth sacrificing twenty years of my lifespan!

In the shadowy corner, the foreign merchants stared intently at the "Sky-Gazing Mirror," their eyes no longer filled with curiosity, but with greed and murderous intent.

This is no mirror! This is clearly a divine artifact! If the Liao Dynasty could obtain this...

Jiang Lin stood in the darkness, gently waving his folding fan, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This batch of chives is perfectly ripe.