Please control me, my divine being!

The object Zheng Chi mentioned was naturally the "fun and interesting" item that Zhou Qing had previously instructed him to find.

This includes, but is not limited to, antiques, ancient artifacts, exotic treasures, and so on.

"Take me there." He wasn't interested in these things now, but he still had to maintain his image in front of Zheng Chi.

His predecessor was a playful and idle playboy who liked strange and unusual things.

Zheng Chi led the way, while Zhou Qing strolled leisurely behind, adapting to his much stronger physical abilities.

We made our way to the lobby.

A middle-aged man dressed in silk robes stood at the door, bowing and clasping his hands in greeting: "This humble commoner, Qian Siliang, greets Your Highness."

Zheng Chi explained from the side, "This is a famous antique dealer from the north, the manager of the Qian Family Trading Company."

Zhou Qing nodded and got straight to the point: "Manager Qian, do you have any rare items?"

"I have long heard that Your Highness is fond of antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and rare artifacts. I happened to have traveled all the way from the north to Jiang'an and collected some." He kept his head down, extremely respectful.

Zhou Qing glanced at it.

In the corner of the hall, there was a sturdy wooden crate that looked heavy and must have been full of goods.

He walked over and opened the wooden crate.

Just as Qian Siliang had said, the room was filled with all sorts of antiques, many of which appeared to be quite valuable.

Isn't this blatantly using money to corrupt oneself?

The path to extraordinary success is right before me. As the dignified heir of the Prince of Ning, do I lack such worldly taint?

Zhou Qing was about to casually dismiss him, but one item made him change his mind.

It was a bronze wine vessel, with a design reminiscent of a previous dynasty.

Logically speaking, it was no different from other antiques, but in Zhou Qing's perception, it was very strange and had a kind of inexplicable attraction.

"Leave the things here, Zheng Chi, take him to claim his reward."

After casually giving the two orders to leave, Zhou Qing took the bronze wine cup and returned to the warm pavilion.

He opened the book and entered the game.

Li Qinghe was still waiting at the clinic, but Zhou Qing was there to verify one of his conjectures.

"This bronze wine vessel must be related to the game!"

Zhou Qing can now confirm what the [Inspiration] attribute does: the perception of spirituality, or rather, the enhancement of one's spiritual awareness.

However, his own "golden finger" was a word game, while the wine vessel was a real, tangible object.

How can two things intersect?

Zhou Qing searched through the game's UI and soon his eyes fell on the [Sacrifice] function.

Offering sacrifices to oneself?

Logically speaking, since blessings in the game can be bestowed upon oneself, the reverse should also be possible.

Without further ado, Zhou Qing used a brush to draw a rough ritual pattern on paper, following the steps of the previous sacrificial ceremony. He could only draw this by feeling.

However, when you're performing a ritual for yourself, you shouldn't be too particular about such things.

He placed the bronze wine vessel in the very center of the ritual diagram as a sacrificial offering, and then began the sacrifice.

Splash!

The next second, Zhou Qing felt dizzy and disoriented.

It felt as if countless mosquitoes were flying around my ears, or as if a hundred ghosts were howling and ten thousand Buddhas were chanting sutras.

Then, the bronze wine vessel actually disappeared from the desk.

In the blink of an eye, his personal player item stand no longer contained only the lonely Destiny Dice Cup; a small, exquisite bronze wine cup stood beside it.

"It's a success!"

[Bronze Wine Cup (One-Time Consumption): A traveler beyond the mundane world, a celestial being among wine drinkers. This wine cup, bearing the weight of countless years, possesses the power to protect against illusions.]

Zhou Qing clenched his fists, filled with countless doubts and curiosity about this folk adventure and simulation game.

It must be connected to reality!

...

"Young lady, I know you're anxious. But this old man is getting on in years, please be understanding, I really can't run anymore."

Doctor Liu followed behind Li Qinghe, drenched in sweat.

The two left the clinic and walked along West Street, turning through several streets.

As you get closer to the shantytown, the streets become increasingly desolate and lifeless.

Many of the low-rise shops along the street have closed down, leaving fishermen who relied on the water for their livelihoods without a means of support. They have become refugees and disaster victims, going hungry and worrying.

Li Qinghe clutched the oil paper package in her arms.

It contained steaming hot buns and freshly baked sweet potatoes, which were my mother's favorite foods.

Today is a day to be happy about and should be celebrated.

Once Doctor Liu has cured my mother's illness, winter will pass and spring will come. The seeds will be sown in the soil, and the flowers and grass will sprout new buds. By then, my mother's health should have almost fully recovered.

Then she can go to the market and temple fair with her mother...

Thinking of all this, Li Qinghe's steps became lighter and lighter until Doctor Liu's breathless shouts came, at which point she stopped somewhat embarrassed and waited for the panting old doctor.

The two walked quickly into the shantytown.

The ground here was even muddier, the air was murky, and there was a faint fishy smell.

On both sides were low shacks built with wooden planks, tarpaulins, and thatches. Many of the shacks were empty, and it was unknown where the people had gone.

Most of the residents in the shantytowns rely on the fish market wharf for their livelihood. Whether it's fishing and selling fish or weaving and repairing nets, the wharf, with its countless merchant ships, is enough to support most of them.

However, the disease caused widespread sores and the docks were closed.

This almost completely cut off the livelihood of the residents of the shantytown.

Seeing this, Doctor Liu sighed, "I hope the government can resolve this soon, otherwise, if it drags on any longer, who knows how many more people will die. Compared to the sores, hunger is even more deadly."

The busiest place in the shantytown these days is actually the porridge distribution point of the Fajiao (Fajiao) organization. Many people live on a bowl of porridge every day, and the porridge distribution point is always crowded with people.

Li Qinghe also spotted Jiang Chuling among them.

The poor girl, who had been abducted by a matchmaker, had already entrusted the escort agency to return the other, even younger children. Now, she was in the queue for porridge, and the two of them made eye contact.

Jiang Chuling pointed to the long queue in front of the porridge stall and made a face at Li Qinghe.

This means she has been queuing for so long that it is inconvenient for her to leave.

"I don't know where she lives. Once my mother's illness is cured, we can let her come and stay at our house first."

It is too dangerous for a person to be homeless.

Without much thought, Li Qinghe led Doctor Liu to her front door.

A strong, foul odor wafted over.

Doctor Liu frowned, his expression turning serious: "Miss Li, is this the place?"

"Yes, Mother is ill and can't move around much, so she's been resting at home." Li Qinghe pushed open the door and called into the room, "Mother, I've called the doctor to come and see you!"

In the darkness, the silhouette of a person sat on a straw mat, offering no response.

Doctor Liu's heart sank as he stepped into the house with the girl.

The cramped shack was dark, with no lights on.

However, the thatched roof of the shed had several large holes, and sunlight shone through the holes, allowing Doctor Liu to make out the shape of a human figure.

It was a middle-aged woman sitting on a straw mat, her skin covered in sores and her face pale purple.

His stiff body remained motionless, without any breath.

This is a dead man!