After finding the little rhinoceros, Li Er went mad.

When the first batch of Zhenguan salt entered the East and West Markets of Chang'an at the government's fair price, the shock it caused was far more intense than the family banquet at the Liangyi Hall.

The people of Chang'an went mad.

They never imagined that one day, the finest salt, white as snow and reserved for the wealthy, could be bought for less than three bushels of rice, with a whole pound available.

Just a month ago, the same weight of bitter and astringent black salt cost more than twice as much as this!

In front of the government salt shop, the queue stretched for miles, the faces of the people beaming with an almost unreal joy and endless praise for the current emperor.

And among the crowd, the legend of celestial beings bestowing blessings, along with each pure white salt crystal, was embellished and spread far and wide.

Some well-meaning people even spontaneously set up simple memorial tablets out of wooden planks in corners of the market, inscribed with the words "Head of the Celestial Immortal," and burned incense and kowtowed to pray for blessings.

However, in another part of Chang'an, in a quiet mansion deep in Pingkang Ward, the atmosphere was as cold as ice.

This is the villa of the Cui family of Boling in the capital.

Cui Renshi sat upright in the main seat, stroking a pair of warm, smooth white jade galls in his hands, his face as still as water.

Before him knelt a steward who had rushed back from Shandong Road, his clothes soaked through, not from sweat, but from fear.

"...Ah Lang, all of our...all our private salt fields in Cangzhou and Dizhou are finished." The manager's voice trembled uncontrollably. "The government officials, armed with magic maps, built new salt flats in less than a month."

Their salt comes out quickly and in large quantities, and it's so white it's dazzling!

Our veteran salt workers secretly tasted it and said that even our top-grade tribute salt, refined through ten processes, isn't as pure as their first batch!

"It's over..." the manager said with a mournful face. "Those salt farmers who have been with us for decades, as soon as they saw the government's salt, they all broke up and ran to join the government-run salt fields."

They said it was magic, and following magic meant food... Our salt, overnight, turned from gold into stone, piling up in the warehouse, and we couldn't sell a single pound!

Cui Renshi didn't speak, but listened quietly.

His cloudy yet sharp eyes held no trace of anger, only a bottomless chill.

After the manager finished speaking, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice hoarse but steady: "Have you seen the blueprints clearly?"

"Look... I can see the outline clearly, Ah Lang. The drawing is enormous, and it depicts things like pools and sand filters. I... I can't understand it, but the skilled craftsmen in the Ministry of Works are like they've gone mad, holding the drawing and laughing and crying, calling it a miracle."

"A miracle?" Cui Renshi sneered, the jade gall bladder lightly touching his hand, producing a crisp sound. "There are no miracles in this world. It's just some sorcery from some unknown sorcerer that Li Erlang found somewhere."

He stood up and paced around the hall.

Every step felt like stepping on the hearts of all the members of the Cui clan.

Salt was one of the most important economic pillars of the Cui family.

For centuries, relying on their actual control over salt-producing areas and their vast network of connections, they monopolized the private salt trade in several prefectures in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, with profits comparable to the annual tax revenue of the imperial court.

Now, Li Shimin has easily uprooted the foundation they have built over a hundred years with a so-called immortal map.

This is not a simple economic loss; it is a naked declaration of war by the imperial power against the aristocratic families!

If we can do this with salt today, tomorrow we can take away everything these aristocratic families depend on for survival, including iron, cloth, and fields!

"Ah Lang, what should we do?" the steward asked in a trembling voice. "Should we... should we contact the other families? The Cui family of Qinghe, the Lu family of Fanyang... their losses are no less than ours."

"Contact them?" Cui Renshi stopped and turned to look at him, his eyes sharp as knives. "And then? Like the Wagang rebels, rise up in rebellion? Fool!"

He took a deep breath, his tone becoming cold and methodical again: "Li Er's actions have been premeditated for a long time. What he wants is not money, but fame. He uses this sorcery to win the hearts of the people, to highlight his divine mandate, and thus completely suppress us."

"We cannot use underhanded tactics to deal with overt schemes. If we send people to smash the salt fields and destroy the salt flats, we will only give them a pretext to criticize us and play right into their hands, giving them an excuse to strip us of our titles and fiefdoms."

"Then...then we..."

"He wants fame, so we'll ruin it first." A glint of cunning flashed in Cui Renshi's eyes. "Since he claims it's divine magic, we'll make the whole world believe it's demonic magic!"

He walked up to the steward and instructed him word by word: "Immediately send a message back to Qinghe and get all the storytellers and wandering Taoist priests kept by the clan to get moving."

Make it up for me. Tell me that along the coast of Dengzhou, because of that sorcery, sea monsters were attracted ashore, fishermen could no longer catch anything at sea, and some villages were even swallowed up by tsunamis!

Take salt, for example. It turned white by absorbing the essence of the earth and the lifespan of the people. Eating too much of it will cause one to be childless!

"Find a few more people who have contracted the plague or given birth to deformed children, bribe them with a large sum of money, and have them go around crying and complaining that they were punished by heaven for eating celestial salt!"

"We need to create public opinion first! We need to make the people afraid! Make them think that this so-called natural salt is an ominous substance!"

The steward was stunned, then suddenly realized what he meant, and his face lit up with ecstatic joy: "My lord is brilliant! This is a brilliant plan, a direct attack on the enemy's weaknesses!"

"This is just the first step." Cui Ren stood with his hands behind his back, gazing towards the imperial city with a deep look in his eyes. "If Li Er can summon immortals, does that mean my Cui family can't summon gods and Buddhas? Go and invite all the most famous monks and old immortals in Chang'an to my residence. I have a use for them."

A massive conspiracy targeting Tianyan and Shangxian quietly unfolded within the deep courtyards of Chang'an.

In the modern world, at home by the river

"Jiang He, are you home? Open the door, the community is here to help!"

A familiar, loud knock on the door, accompanied by Sun Li's signature booming voice, broke the afternoon's tranquility.

Jiang He paused for a moment, then quickly put down the apple he was peeling, walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole.

It was indeed Sun Li, and standing next to him was a middle-aged man with a refined and scholarly air, wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat.

It's time to come.

He composed himself and opened the door.

"Brother Sun, what a rare guest!" he greeted with a smile.

"Kid, you've been living the good life lately, haven't you?" Sun Li chuckled, walking in and placing a carton of milk and a huge fruit basket on the ground. "This is for you and...your niece to nourish yourselves."

His gaze swept around the room, and when he saw Xiao Sizi on the carpet, hugging a Xiong Er doll and looking at them curiously, his eyes softened considerably.

"Uncle..." Little Sizi was a little shy and hid behind Jiang He, calling out softly.

"This is my colleague, Professor Bai, an expert in the history department," Sun Li said, pointing to the middle-aged man behind him.

"Hello, Jiang He." Professor Bai smiled and extended his hand, his gaze behind his glasses gentle yet full of inquiry. "Please forgive my intrusion."

Jiang He shook hands with him, feeling the other's hand was warm and strong.

He knew in his heart that this was by no means a community outreach effort; after more than a month of analysis, the state apparatus, according to the Tang Dynasty timeline, finally began the second round of contact.

After everyone was seated, Sun Li got straight to the point: "Jiang He, let's not beat around the bush. Regarding the middleman you mentioned last time, after our investigation, we can basically confirm his existence."

I am here today on behalf of the country, and through you, I would like to convey some...intentions of cooperation to that gentleman.

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive: "Cooperation? How do we cooperate?"

Professor Bai adjusted his glasses and took over the conversation. His voice was unhurried, carrying the rigor of a scholar: "Jiang He, based on our continuous observation and analysis of the celestial images over the past month, we have made a startling conjecture... What you have connected to is very likely a real parallel universe in the early Tang Dynasty of China, where we are at a different time flow.

Jiang He's pupils contracted slightly. Although he had his own guesses, hearing such a definitive conclusion from an authoritative expert was still incredibly impactful.

Professor Bai continued, "And your middleman, that is, yourself, has unintentionally played the role of a deity. The 'Tiangong Kaiwu' salt-making method you provided has already caused tremendous social changes over there. According to our model analysis, this technology would at least increase the national strength of the feudal dynasties of that era by more than 30%."

"We've come today to ask 'that gentleman' if... he could bestow some more gifts upon us?" Professor Bai's tone became somewhat earnest.

"What is it?"

"Two kinds." Professor Bai held up two fingers. "First, breeding or cultivation techniques for high-yield crops. For example, improved wheat and rice. If these could solve the food problem of that era, their significance would far exceed that of salt. Second, basic metallurgical techniques, especially steelmaking."

Sun Li added, "Jiang He, don't feel pressured. We're not forcing you, we're making a request. You can think of this as a transaction. For every key technology 'that gentleman' provides, the state can offer corresponding, generous rewards." He paused, emphasizing, "Including but not limited to money, real estate, and even... resources and conveniences that are unavailable through conventional channels."

Jiang He's heart skipped a beat.

He thought of his cramped rented room, the soaring prices, and how huge the expenses would be if Xiao Sizi went to kindergarten and school.

He originally just wanted to live a peaceful life, but the pressure of reality and the almost irresistible conditions offered by the other party made the idea deep in his heart that he wanted to do something to prove his worth start to grow wildly.

He was no longer just passively responding; for the first time, he began to actively think: What can I do? How can I maximize my benefits while ensuring the absolute safety of myself and Xiao Sizi?

He remained silent for a long time, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Finally, he raised his head, looked at Sun Li and Professor Bai, and slowly said, "I will... try to communicate with that gentleman."

However, he has his own rules.

Offerings... that is, rewards, must be provided first.

Moreover, I need a detailed list of technologies, the more basic the better; anything too advanced will be beyond his comprehension.

The moment he uttered those words, Jiang He realized that his life had completely departed from the ordinary.