Chapter Four: If I Were a Hero, I Would Repay Good and Evil!

As Ling Xin returned home, he did not immediately reach for the Tao Te Ching. Instead, he quietly gazed at the fragments of the newspaper for quite some time. Only after a while did he finally extend his hand to hold the Tao Te Ching in his grasp

Although Ling Xin felt anxious, he appeared increasingly relaxed on the outside. He smiled without responding, took out 200 yuan from his wallet, and handed it to the shopkeeper, even asking the shopkeeper to carefully wrap the four ancient books. Only then did he walk calmly towards the exit of the antique market. His actions were remarkably natural, showing no trace of his inner anxiety, reflecting an exceptional psychological quality.

Although it is merely a thought held in case of an unlikely event, if that legendary internal power truly exists, combined with these fragments of newspapers that can foresee and even alter certain futures, along with my own intelligence that is not inferior to others, then my conviction can indeed be realized

Because he saved that little girl yesterday, it would indeed be unreasonable to ignore the matter afterward. Moreover, he knew the location of the little girl's hospital, so he simply took this opportunity to visit the antique market, intending to buy an ordinary piece of ancient jade. He planned to use the excuse of the little girl losing her mother to present this jade to her as a means of calming her mind. This way, he could also erase the causal connection of his visit to the antique market. Even if someone noticed that he had been to the antique market, they would generally not associate the purchase of the ancient jade with the acquisition of the Dao De Jing.

The shopkeeper slightly furrowed his brows, then smiled and said: "Alright, little brother, you didn't even blink when you bought the jade pendant earlier. It's clear that you are a straightforward person, so let's make it two hundred yuan. In the future, I hope you will come by more often to support my business."

Ling Xin remained calm and unhurried, instead strolling leisurely along the way, entering every shop that sold ancient jade to inquire about their offerings. This served two purposes: first, to ascertain the prices of these antiques, and second, to create a diversion. Even if someone was watching him with fragments of another newspaper, they would be unable to discern his true intentions.

At this moment, Lingxin's heart was beating violently, for he had truly found a yellowed, thread-bound copy of the Dao De Jing inside. Without hesitation, he set this Dao De Jing aside and casually picked out three other books. He then said to the shopkeeper: "You see, I am just a student, and these books are merely for casual reading. That jade pendant can be given to someone else, and I can spend some money on it. However, these books at one hundred yuan each are rather expensive. How about this: let’s make it half price, fifty yuan each? I will buy four books in total, so that would be two hundred yuan. What do you think?"

Having come to this realization, Ling Xindun felt as if he had consumed a great elixir, his entire being became extraordinarily unburdened. He exhaled a deep breath of pent-up frustration, and the aura he emanated was imbued with a sense of nonchalance. He walked back and forth in the room with fragments of the newspaper in hand, gradually calming the fervor that had surged within him, while simultaneously engaging in silent contemplation of the newspaper fragments.

Could it be that this is due to past events, and since this matter has already been settled, even if I were to learn about the circumstances, it would not lead to significant changes? Therefore, the consumption of causal points is very minimal, is that the meaning? If I were to attempt to alter the future causality, for instance, by having the newspaper report on some treasure—though that seems rather cliché—how about having the newspaper display martial arts manuals left by ancient heroes? Not necessarily those related to immortality, even if it were to show a common internal cultivation method, that would still... If I were to attempt to alter the future causality, for instance, by having the newspaper report on some treasure—though that seems rather cliché—how about having the newspaper display martial arts manuals left by ancient heroes? Not necessarily those related to immortality, even if it were to show a common internal cultivation method, that would still...

Ling Xin felt increasingly anxious inside, yet appeared more relaxed on the outside. After getting out of the taxi, he casually bought a bottle of mineral water from a nearby store, glancing around with a vague gaze. He then walked towards the antique market while drinking the mineral water. This was his first time here, and he had no idea how large it was or how many people frequented it. Once he entered the streets of the antique market, he realized it was extremely crowded. This was already the largest antique market in Shanghai, and since today was Sunday, it was essentially packed with people. If a bomb were to be thrown in, it could easily kill hundreds, illustrating just how densely populated the area was.

Then, Ling Xin looked at the other tools and walked over to the pile of books to start browsing. The shopkeeper clearly noticed that he was a student and said, "These books were all published in modern times, and there are no genuine ancient texts among them. They are merely different editions, but they still hold some collectible value. If you want them, you can take them for one hundred yuan each."

(Internal skill, is there really such a thing as internal skill? Then can I ... ... learn this internal skill?)

Upon entering the shop, Ling Xin did not follow the example of other antique connoisseurs by first examining inconsequential items. Instead, he directly approached the pile of jade pendants and jade rings. After all, this was not his true objective, and spending a little more money was of no concern to him. His real aim lay among the stack of books. After inquiring about the price of the jade pendant and selecting a few items, he finally purchased a moderately priced green jade pendant, spending over 2,000 yuan. However, as the saying goes, gold has a price while jade is priceless. This jade pendant was not an ancient masterpiece, and the quality of the jade itself was rather mediocre, so this price could be considered a profit for the shopkeeper.

The text that appeared in the newspaper stated that in the antique market on a certain street, in shop number 7 of the block, there is an authentic internal cultivation method hidden within an old copy of the Dao De Jing. According to what Ling Xin knows, there is indeed such an antique market in Shanghai, but he does not understand antiques, so he has never visited it before. This time, going there to buy something is somewhat troublesome

Ling Xin thought of this and felt a stir in his heart. He then focused his attention on yesterday's series of collisions, which were indeed detailed in the fragments of the newspaper. The causal point, however, was merely deducted by ten.

( Causality, causality, the information contained in these two words is overwhelming. God knows whether this fragment of newspaper, aside from being able to foresee the future, possesses other functions as well. And is acquiring these causality points easy or difficult? Suddenly obtaining tens of thousands of causality points seems deceptively simple... )

As Ling Xin was contemplating this, the newspaper suddenly became chaotic and blurred. Just as he was feeling secretly disappointed, words unexpectedly appeared on the newspaper, and the number of causal points had decreased by more than 7,000, leaving over 5,500 causal points. This revelation nearly made Ling Xin jump in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. He hurriedly read the text on the newspaper once, then tucked it into his bosom. He opened his wallet and carefully counted the money inside. Only then did he grit his teeth, push open the door, and walk out.

Ling M. thought for a moment, then immediately withdrew 5,000 yuan from the nearby bank. He then called a taxi and headed towards the antique market, his mind set on taking advantage of the situation.

First, the issue of money is secondary; at most, I can withdraw some of the savings. The key is not to raise any suspicion about me. Although today is Sunday, I do not usually have the habit of visiting antique markets. If I were to suddenly go to the market this time, it would inevitably expose me to scrutiny. Moreover, I cannot keep hesitating and lingering around, as that would create even more obvious flaws.

Thus, Ling Xin leisurely arrived at Shop No. 7, a store specializing in ancient coins, ancient jade pendants, and various ancient artifacts. There were also more than ten yellowed thread-bound modern books piled together.

There was nothing particularly strange about the major collision; it was merely that the truck driver dropped his cup while drinking water in the cab. Coincidentally, there was a deceleration lane just ahead outside the university. In his haste, he stepped on the brake, but because the cup was stuck underneath, his downward force inadvertently turned into acceleration. As a result, a tragic incident unfolded, leading to a chain reaction of collisions that claimed many lives. Although the details of the incident were indeed somewhat coincidental, such occurrences are not unheard of, so Lingxin was not overly surprised. What astonished him was that the causal point was only deducted by ten points.