The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 745 Can't see Zhuge Liang? No problem, watch me restart!

Since Yun Kun was too busy, Shen Le had no choice but to bother Gu Yulin again—Gu Yulin, who was being urged by Yun Kun to the point of wishing he had three brains to think and six arms to type and answer the phone.

Anyway, no matter how annoyed he was, he couldn't ignore Shen Le's calls. Even if he was furious, he had to speak politely and confirm every detail with Shen Le:

"Want a teacher to teach you about the history of the Three Kingdoms and Wei-Jin periods? One-on-one instruction? No problem, I'll submit my request, and the teacher will be there within a week."

"Want to identify some Chinese medicinal herbs, or some edible wild grasses? ... Okay, I'll report it and see which pharmacology or botany specialization has professors willing to come and give lectures."

"Want to learn... farming? Blacksmithing? In short, the basic skills for ordinary people to survive during the Three Kingdoms and Wei-Jin periods? Okay... fine..."

Shen Le heard his weak voice and felt he was about to be completely drained. She quickly tried to reassure him:

"I'll pay! I'll pay! I'll pay with Special Affairs Bureau points! A thousand points per class, is that okay? I'll ask the Special Affairs Bureau for a favor, whoever it is, to design a course for me, and I need to finish it within a month!"

"Pay up, that makes things much easier." Gu Yulin's spirits lifted.
It wasn't that the Special Affairs Bureau couldn't afford the money, but rather, extracting some points from Shen Le to prevent a huge number of points from sitting idle in the accounts was also one of his tasks...

"No problem! Don't worry! -- By the way, why do you suddenly want to learn these things? Are you going to time travel? Has your landing point been determined?"

Also, are you transmigrating as a soul or a body? If it's a body, should we create specific equipment for you?

Shen Le: "..."

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't travel through time?"

"Of course I believe you. So, did you bring back the complete copy of the Taiping Jing last time? What can you bring back this time? Can you pre-order it, or do a targeted search?"

Shen Le silently rolled her eyes.

I'd like to, but only if I could actually bring it back. I'm retrieving things from the remnants of history, so only texts and knowledge can be forcibly memorized; no physical object can be brought back.

So, is there anything particularly worth bringing back from the late Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty?

Is it the complete process of refining steel that I should learn, or the recipe for Lanling liquor that I should investigate?

Or perhaps Ge Hong's alchemy? These things are no longer rare in today's era of advanced chemistry, are they?
"Um, or, why don't you talk to the teachers? For example, they must have some wish, something they want to get..."

This wasn't something that needed to be rushed. Shen Le dumped the task of building the knowledge framework and finding renowned teachers onto the Special Affairs Bureau, while he stayed home idly, fiddling with this and that.

Less than a day later, I received a call from my supervisor:
"Shen Le, I heard you're going to travel back to the Three Kingdoms period?"

"Uh... I didn't! I didn't! Time travel doesn't exist!!!"

"Okay, okay, that doesn't exist," the tutor readily agreed.
"If you ever have the chance, remember to go see Zhuge Liang for me! Come back and tell me what he's like..."

Shen Le fell silent. Whether he could see it or not depended solely on the memories carried by the pottery block and the point of reference it provided.

If possible, he also hoped to see Zhuge Liang, even just once, even if it meant traversing the long Shu Road...

"By the way, if possible, could you help me collect some ancient books?" the tutor continued enthusiastically.
"The earliest extant version of 'The Art of War' is the bamboo slips from a Han Dynasty tomb. It was already a fragment in the Han Dynasty. It would be great if you could find the complete version."

You can also look for Hua Tuo's "Qing Nang Shu" and Ge Hong's "Zhou Hou Ji Bei Fang". It would be great to see what Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse looked like.

And there's "Guangling San"! "Guangling San"! It reminds me I absolutely must find you a music teacher, at least to ensure you have the ability to memorize music by ear!!!

Shen Le: "...The boss is really not sure if I can be teleported to the Jin Dynasty...and in such a chaotic situation, it's questionable whether I can even protect myself!"

"It's always better to be prepared! Can you control your departure time? If so, try to leave a little later so you can learn more!"

What does it mean to have an endless sea of ​​knowledge?
Shen Le studied day and night, memorizing until his head was spinning. With the Special Affairs Bureau involved, they were able to find experts, set up an advisory group, and create a special "Travel to the Three Kingdoms Knowledge Training" schedule for Shen Le.
Then, we carefully selected professors from various regions and schools to create courses specifically for him, providing one-on-one instruction to ensure he learns the material in the shortest possible time. What? Tuition?

The Special Affairs Bureau can easily produce some good stuff, such as pills for nourishing the body, elixirs for regulating the constitution, and talismans for healing—all of which are rare and valuable items that cannot be obtained outside!

Go give a two-day lecture, and in return, one pill can cure your stomachache, stop your leg pain, and prevent your child's asthma from recurring. Would you go? Of course I would!

Under the influence of high tuition fees, the teachers' enthusiasm for teaching exploded, and Shen Le's academic pressure increased dramatically.

In one month, he memorized a detailed map of all of China, especially the changes in the border maps of various countries (What! Changbanpo is already on the edge of Yichang, and we're about to enter the Three Gorges!).
He memorized the promotions, transfers, reassignments, general personalities, and death dates of important figures from the late Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
He memorized various basic medical and epidemic prevention knowledge, identification of herbs and medicinal materials, identification of edible wild grasses and fruits, and agricultural and handicraft technological innovations;
Having memorized important classics from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the early Three Kingdoms period, at the very least the Four Books and Five Classics, one cannot be speechless when dealing with scholars.
In addition, hands-on skills are also essential. Under the supervision and guidance of her teacher, Shen Le made soap by hand and brewed a strong liquor using a simple rural stove, pots and pans.
I made a Takahashi saddle and stirrups by hand;
I made gunpowder, lead bullets, and even fired the simplest shotgun by hand...

Why should I learn these things?!

After being forced to memorize "The Essential Techniques for the Common People" and Chen Fu's "The Book of Agriculture" to the point of exhaustion, and being required to personally push the plow, turn the soil, plant rice seedlings, and make ridges, Shen Le finally screamed in despair, clutching his head:

"Even if I really did time travel, I'll still have some self-defense abilities, so I really don't need to memorize everything!"

"You chose him, hero." The bald PhD student, who followed his mentor, responsible for teaching Shen Le step by step and incidentally working on the project (Shen Le suspected he was the one working on that project), looked at him with a smile:
"Come on, take the plow off the old ox and put it back on. Be gentle, this ox is very expensive to rent, fifteen thousand a month!"

"So expensive?!"

“Yes…” the PhD student gave a miserable smile:
"Three hundred a day, fifteen thousand a month, and the farmer who takes care of the cattle gets an extra salary... The rent for these cattle is more expensive than my salary!"

In other words, Shen Le's cultivation had been successful, and his spiritual power had undergone several transformations, which was why he was able to withstand such cramming.

A month later, he passed the assessment, saw off the last teacher who had come to instruct him, breathed a long sigh of relief, and held the pottery shard that the teacher had retrieved from the deep sea and which the teacher had carefully restored:

"call……"

Come, let me see where you're taking me this time—please, please, let me catch a glimpse of Mr. Kongming!

Even if it means struggling out of a state of utter destitution as a refugee or a slave, and then walking step by step on foot through the Shu Road, I would be willing!
The light and shadow blurred, quickly weaving into a cage around him, dragging him forward at breakneck speed. Shen Le held his breath, straining to open his eyes wide:

What are these flowing lights?
Did they intertwine to form specific talisman shapes?
How do they work? If I figure out these secrets, can they carry me to any era I can reach?

The movement of light was both incredibly fast and incredibly slow. It felt as if centuries had passed, yet also as if only a fleeting instant had elapsed—

Observing these streaks of light put immense pressure on Shen Le's mind. Each glance felt like a cut or a file scraping through the threads of his mental energy. He swayed precariously, yet he desperately kept his eyes wide open, scrutinizing everything.

A series of ambiguous lights and shadows fell into his eyes, etched into the depths of his memory. Finally, all the threads of his spiritual power were severed, his vision went black, and he collapsed...

When Shen Le woke up again, she was surrounded by a hazy darkness, and the strong smell of herbs filled the air. Before she could even open her eyes, she was pulled into a warm embrace and rocked back and forth.

"Oh my! Young master is awake! Thank heavens, thank our ancestors! You've finally woken up!"

A woman's voice, trembling with sobs, almost boomed in her ears. Shen Le turned her head slightly, trying to open her eyes wide, but could only see the constantly swaying bed curtains.

After a while, he was laid flat, and only then, by the dim candlelight, did he see a woman dressed in coarse cloth robes kneeling beside the bed, wiping away tears.

"Young Master, you're finally awake... You scared me to death! You burned for three days and three nights, and the family was about to call in someone to perform a ritual!"

Young master...?
This is, the current identity of this body?
The woman's soft accent reminded him of the familiar Wu dialect. Was this... a Wu region?
A quick glance revealed a small, exceptionally soft hand, significantly smaller than a woman's. This body must be under ten years old, right? Or perhaps five?

How long will it take for him to regain the ability to move freely, to... go to Shu and see Zhuge Liang?
"What year is it this year...?"

He asked in a hoarse voice. The wet nurse thought he was delirious from illness, and hurriedly wiped his forehead with a damp cloth, saying with heartache:
"Young Master is really delirious. It's the fifth year of Jiahe now... You were born in the first year of Jiahe, and the head of the family thought it was an auspicious sign, so he named you Qinghe. Have you forgotten?"

Jiahe... Jiahe?
Shen Le strained to recall the knowledge he had memorized a month ago. Regarding reign titles, the Han Dynasty, starting from the Yellow Turban Rebellion, used titles such as Zhongping, Guangxi, Chuping, and Jian'an, but not Jiahe.
Then came Wei...Shu...Wu...Sun Quan, starting from his claim to the throne, used era names such as Huanglong, Jiahe, and Chiwu...

I was indeed in Sun Quan's territory. Then, Jiahe... the first year of Jiahe was 232, the fifth year of Jiahe should be 236... Zhuge Liang died in 234...

It's three years too late. Even if he sets off immediately and rushes there at all costs, it's still three years too late.

Prime Minister!

I'm late!!!
So much anticipation, so much preparation, my mentor's instructions, and my determination to go and see him, even if it meant trekking across the Shu Road...

Before the joke of time falls, it all becomes a bubble.

"No way... I'm already this close..."

Shen Le lay down on the bed, his eyes closed, murmuring silently. He ate what the woman offered him and drank what she offered him, and after finishing, he continued to lie in bed lost in thought.

The woman assumed he was asleep and tiptoed out of the house. After a long while, Shen Le suddenly sat up, his spirits lifted.
"Wait, I still have a chance! I can try restarting! Who says I can't restart? Who says this is the only possible landing spot?"

Those lights and shadows, those patterns that resemble talismans—if he could just grab one and manipulate it, he might be able to change the landing point.

He waited patiently for several days, until he had recovered somewhat and until the woman who had been with him had lowered her guard. Then, he quietly slipped out of the house and into the fields…

The Wu region is a water town, crisscrossed by a network of rivers. Shen Le hadn't walked far when he saw a small river, with villagers drawing water and children playing in the distance. He estimated the depth of the water, and without hesitation, jumped in!
The icy river water instantly filled his mouth and nose, and a feeling of suffocation quickly overwhelmed him. In his final moments, as his consciousness blurred, he thought hopefully, "Next time... next time for sure..."

dark.

Then, the familiar, hazy light and shadow pulled him forward rapidly. Shen Le strained his senses, quickly extending his spiritual power, and gave it a sharp tug—

Familiar darkness descended. Shen Le, feeling dizzy and disoriented, suddenly opened his eyes.

It's still that same wooden roof, and it still smells of that same herbal incense.

"Oh dear! Young master is awake! Thank God, thank our ancestors! You've finally woken up!" The wet nurse's voice, choked with sobs, rang out again, word for word.

Shen Le was stunned. He... came back? Back to this point in time?

Good news: Death can indeed be restarted. Bad news: the restart time is the same as last time; this time, his manipulation of the light and shadow lines failed…

This failure might lead to success next time.
try again!
still have a chance!

Shen Le patiently rested for a few more days. This time, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, he climbed up the watchtower in the corner of the mansion.

He rushed towards the watchtower in the courtyard, which was used for observation and drying clothes. He climbed to the top, climbed out of the window, and looked down at the solid bluestone ground.

"Mr. Kongming, I'm coming!" With a determined heart, he closed his eyes and leaped down.

After a brief moment of weightlessness, a sharp, teeth-grinding snapping sound came from my neck. The excruciating pain vanished in an instant, and consciousness was once again swallowed by darkness.

dark.

come down.

Pulling and stretching the light and shadow.

Open your eyes.

"Oh dear! The young master is awake! Thank heavens, thank our ancestors..."

The wet nurse's face, filled with a mixture of surprise and worry, appeared before him for the third time. Her familiar words, like a recording that automatically plays at the touch of a button, made Shen Le wonder if he was trapped in a vicious cycle…

Come again!

Come again!

After failing to choose a landing spot for the Nth time, Shen Le finally lay down on the couch, motionless, staring blankly at the ceiling.

It seems the restart failed, or rather, no matter how many times it restarts, it can only return to the current point in time and the current body.

The memories carried by the ceramic block, or rather, the power of the copper sheet, are too mysterious for him to contend with at present.

It seems the only option is to accept the fate of this body and see what else can be done...

(End of this chapter)