The 18th year of the Da Yong reign: The beginning of the story involves rescuing revolutionaries.

The three characters "福寿膏" were pronounced in Chinese by Pastor Ingis.

Although it sounded a bit stiff, Shen Lingyu heard it very clearly, and she subconsciously repeated it: "Ointment of longevity".

"Yes," Pastor Ingis nodded.

The name seemed to possess some kind of magic. As Shen Lingyu repeated it herself, her eyes shone brightly as she stared at Pastor Ingis's palm. She no longer felt that the mud-like thing was lowly and dirty, but was filled with some mysterious radiance.

She asked, "Pastor Ingis, what is its use?"

"This is a precious food. After consuming it, one will experience physical and mental pleasure, happiness, satisfaction, and well-being, and it will bring blessings and longevity." Ingis's face was full of radiance as he used several concise positive words in succession.

He then added, "If the Shen family is willing to dump this 'longevity ointment,' then I am also willing to introduce you to the finance officer of the Xiyou Empire, thereby opening up trade routes between the Shen family and the Xiyou Empire."

"Why wouldn't I want something so wonderful?" Shen Lingyu thought to herself. But she wasn't stupid; she couldn't just say whatever others said. So, she mustered her courage and said:

"Reverend Ingis, may I try a little? Of course, it's not that I don't trust you, but I'm just too ignorant and curious about such things."

"Of course." Pastor Ingis gave a kind smile.

Then he took out a small metal bowl and a metal needle from his pocket and said to Miss Shen Lingyu, "Please come forward, Miss Shen."

"The way to inhale this longevity ointment is somewhat similar to that of the incense sticks in your Dayong. Both need to be burned before inhaling. That's why I say this precious product is very suitable for Dayong, for the nobles and even the common people of Dayong." After saying this, Pastor Ingis used a fine metal needle to pick out a little bit from the clay block and put it into a small bowl.

He reached out and pushed it forward, then handed the matchbox to Shen Lingyu, indicating that she should try it herself.

Guided by the other party, Shen Lingyu lit a match and held it under the small bowl to heat it. She watched as smoke slowly rose from the soil, and with a skeptical heart, she took a deep breath.

A happy and contented smile then blossomed on his face.

She gently closed her eyes, knowing that she was about to perform a great service for her family.

......

The driver's smile froze on his face; he hadn't expected his disguise to be so clumsy.

Just as he was about to speak and explain something, the man in front of him pulled the young lady into the car.

"Hurry up, Zhaoyang Railway Station," Wang Zhi said quickly.

"Yes," the driver replied.

The wind whistled past his ears; this driver was much faster than the young man from before.

The reason Wang Zhi chose to get on the carriage was because Wang Lingguan secretly scratched his palm and wrote the character "好" (good).

Now that they were in the carriage, Wang Lingguan leaned close to Wang Zhi's ear and said, "I've seen this man before; he's Third Brother's right-hand man."

He trusted Wang Lingguan's memory.

He was skeptical of the word "capable," as the skill level of this fake driver was quite worrying.

If the so-called third brother's subordinates are all like that, then it's no wonder that after searching for five days, they still haven't found any clues about Wang Lingguan.

Now that his identity had been exposed, the coachman didn't bother to hide it anymore. He ran as fast as he could and said, "I'm the Third Young Master's man. He had me stake out Zhaoyang for five days, and I've finally found you, Miss."

He could clearly tell that the young lady was not being held hostage, but rather that this composed-looking middle-aged man had rescued her; judging from his demeanor, he seemed to be a true martial artist who had reached a certain level of proficiency.

The sound carried on the wind and reached their ears.

"How is Third Brother?" Wang Lingguan asked.

"This is not good. The Third Young Master has been extremely anxious these past few days. If he can't find Miss soon, he's planning to apologize to the Mistress."

The woman referred to as "Mistress" by the coachman was the principal wife of Marquis Wuyi and the mother of Wang Lingguan.

The driver continued, "I have train tickets in my pocket. You two can go straight onto the train; there will be someone to meet you on board."

"The person who will meet you is sitting right next to your seats."

"Okay." Wang Lingguan wrote it all down and readily agreed.

A moment later, the driver pulled the two of them to a stop on the train station platform.

The wheels were smoking the whole way, but the car was surprisingly stable with very little bumping.

The station building in front of us is in a Western style, built with red bricks and gray stone, with tall arched doors and windows, marble columns, and a dome carved with peonies and other flowers.

Wang Zhi led Wang Lingguan to a small pavilion inside the station with its flying eaves and brackets. After showing the official two tickets, they continued on their way.

Looking around, there weren't many people near the train station, far fewer than at the dock.

Given the circumstances at the time, the fact that Aunt Tao was able to abduct Wang Lingguan suggests that, apart from the fact that her third brother was being held back by the person behind the scenes, her methods were truly remarkable, and her speed must have reached a high level.

Boat tickets are much cheaper than train tickets.

A regular third-class train ticket was worth one tael of silver, while a first-class ticket was ridiculously expensive, costing one silver dollar, which was almost a month's wages for a dockworker.

The railway and trains in front of us were built using technology brought back by envoys sent by the Dayong Dynasty to various western countries.

The emperor originally sent envoys to bring back complete blueprints for magic crystal cannons from the West, but unfortunately, they failed. In the end, several railways and trains were built on the land of China.

The Zhaohua Railway, which runs through the two provinces of Tianxi and Guping, passes through seven cities from Zhaoyang to Huatong City.

At first, a group of old-fashioned ministers in the court disagreed, saying that this would sever the ancestral dragon lineage. They cried and wailed, almost to the point of threatening to smash the pillar with their heads. In the end, the reformists suppressed their objections.

The imperial court has already dispatched Qiu Boqing, the Minister of Trade for the Western Regions, on a second visit to the Western Yu Empire, with the aim of bringing back firearms manufacturing technology centered on magic crystals.

Wang Zhi knew that it would still end in failure.

However, at this waiting area, there were quite a few vendors selling fried dough sticks, sesame balls, tea eggs and other snacks, which must have brought Aunt Tao a lot of convenience when she mingled among them.

A loud whistle rang out, and a huge, dark gray train came into Wang Zhi's view, its roof emitting wisps of light blue smoke. This was the Magic Crystal Train.

The heavy iron wheels rolled on the rails with a rhythmic clanging sound. With a screeching sound, the train came to a stop, the doors opened, and one after another, foreign firm compradors in suits and leather shoes holding walking sticks, modern ladies in cheongsams with curly hair, and country gentlemen or old-fashioned literati in long gowns and mandarin jackets wearing melon-shaped hats stepped off the train.

After a short while, Wang Zhi firmly led Wang Lingguan by the wrist and got into the carriage.

The entire process proceeded without any further incidents, allowing Wang Zhi, who had been on edge the whole time, a moment to catch his breath.

Holding their first-class tickets, they walked through the hardwood benches of the third-class carriage, through the compartments of the second-class carriage, and finally reached the first-class compartment.

Each private room here has soft, Western-style sofas.

A young man dressed in a white robe sat upright on the sofa, elegantly raised his hand and waved to the two of them, while holding a newspaper in his other hand.

"Third Brother!" Wang Lingguan exclaimed in surprise.