Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 1136 The Ability to Transcend Time

When Zhang Zhiwei sent the message to Lü Ci, Lü Ci was practicing his hoeing skills in a wasteland in the village, while also helping the villagers reclaim the wasteland. With each stroke of his hoe, he turned over the clods of earth, making them neat and orderly.

Suddenly, a familiar voice flashed through my mind.

"Erbi, do you want a wife? If you do, just say the word and I'll arrange one for you."

Lu Ci's hand trembled, and he was stunned for a while before he realized that it was Senior Brother Zhang's voice.

"Senior Brother Zhang?!"

He was overjoyed, thinking that Zhang Zhiwei had come out of the pass to visit them in northwestern Shanxi. He looked around frantically but saw no one. He even jumped up a big tree to look out, but still saw nothing.

Just as he was puzzled, the voice rang out again: "Don't look anymore. I am still in seclusion on Tianmen Mountain. This conversation is my way of speaking to you from the perspective of fate. This is a conversation that is destined for you."

Lu Ci didn't quite understand what "a predestined conversation" meant, but Senior Brother Zhang asked that question again: Do you want a wife?

Lu Ci shook his head vigorously, refusing outright: "I, Lu Ci, am single-mindedly devoted to the Dao and determined to reach the pinnacle on the path of cultivation. Wealth and honor are like fleeting clouds to me, and romantic love is like dust to me."

"Human strength has its limits, but the path of spiritual cultivation is long and boundless. To pursue limitless spiritual cultivation with limited energy is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you will fall behind."

"I'm not willing to waste my precious energy on romance like Lu Mang did. Women will only slow me down when I'm swinging my hoe!"

Lu Ci brandished his hoe, speaking with resounding conviction.

"I was hoping to help you out when Duanmu Ying was in trouble, but since you don't seem to care, I'll look for someone else."

"Wait a minute."

Sure enough, no one can escape the "it smells so good" phenomenon.

"What? You've changed your mind?" Zhang Zhi asked with a smile.

"Ahem... Well, Senior Brother Zhang, Dr. Duanmu has superb medical skills and a kind heart. If she encounters any trouble, as a former comrade-in-arms, I naturally cannot sit idly by!" Lü Ci said seriously.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Zhiwei laughed and then briefly explained Duanmu Ying's current situation to Lü Ci, and instructed him on what to do next.

Upon hearing this, Lü Ci immediately put away the hoe that he had nurtured with his Qi for over twenty years and turned to ask the brigade commander for leave.

At the brigade headquarters, the brigade commander, wearing black-rimmed glasses, was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) looking at a map. When he saw Lü Ci enter, he looked up.

Lu Ci recounted the recent situation in the martial arts world, and then said he needed to ask for leave.

The brigade commander looked at Lü Ci and asked, "What does this have to do with you?"

Lu Ci paused for a moment and said, "Of course it's related. A good friend of mine has been involved, and I'm going to rescue him."

"Which good friend?" the brigade commander asked with interest.

Lu Ci thought for a moment, then told a little lie, saying, "Zhang Huaiyi, the same Zhang Huaiyi from the Independent Regiment."

After all, Zhang Huaiyi was on the list.

The brigade commander was taken aback: "Zhang Huaiyi is such a shrewd fellow, he's involved in this too?"

"Yes."

“Then bring him to the army, and I’ll protect him,” the brigade commander said.

“If I meet Zhang Huaiyi, I will tell him,” Lü Ci said.

The brigade commander narrowed his eyes, looked Lü Ci up and down, and said, "That's not right. I remember there was a soldier named Lu Jin in the 385th Brigade who said that Zhang Huaiyi's methods were extremely clever, even he admitted that he was not as good as him, and he was far superior to you! If he really encountered danger, he couldn't even handle it himself, how are you going to protect him?"

That wretched Lu Mang, when did he learn Zhang Shixiong's big mouth habit? We're not even in the same brigade anymore, yet he still speaks ill of me in front of the brigade commander... Lu Ci cursed inwardly.

He is currently in the 386th Brigade, while Lu Jin is in the 385th Brigade. Although both are in Northwest Shanxi, they are quite far apart and rarely see each other.

Actually, before coming to see the brigade commander to ask for leave, he had intended to contact Lu Jin using yin-yang paper to ask if he wanted to come with him. But after thinking it over carefully, he ultimately gave up the idea.

He went to protect Duanmu Ying this time. If Lu Mang finds out, he'll make a fool of himself.

He also cares about his image.

So this time he will act alone.

The brigade commander was a very clever man. He could tell from Lü Ci's expression that the kid wasn't telling the truth. He slammed his hand on the table and said:

“Zhang Huaiyi is much smarter than you. He doesn’t need your protection. Erbi, you’re definitely lying. Come on, show me your list and let me see what’s going on.”

Because Zhang Huaiyi and Tian Jinzhong both called Lü Ci "Er Bi" (meaning "Second Jade"), the brigade commander found it interesting and started calling him that too.

Lu Ci didn't want to give it to them, but what could he do when the brigade commander was his superior? He awkwardly pulled out the list.

The brigade commander glanced at the list and immediately understood what was going on. He pointed to the name "Duanmu Ying" on the list and said, "I didn't expect Dr. Duanmu to be on it. You did this for her, but you were too embarrassed to say it, so you used Zhang Huaiyi as a shield?"

Having his little scheme exposed to his face, Lü Ci felt somewhat embarrassed, his eyebrows furrowed in shame.

The brigade commander burst into laughter when he saw him like this.

"Hahaha! You little rascal, you didn't even blink when you were killing Japanese pirates, so why are you acting all coy over this little thing, like an old woman? What's there to hesitate about? Hurry up, hurry up, you have to get him out of here for me!"

Lu Ci straightened his back and saluted: "Mission accomplished!"

"Get out of here! If you can't save this, I'll hold you responsible!" The brigade commander laughed and flicked his riding whip.

"Yes!" Lü Ci hurriedly ran out.

After leaving the headquarters, Lü Ci took out a talisman he had treasured for many years from his bosom.

He held the talisman between his fingertips, infused it with vital energy, and chanted incantations rapidly.

In an instant, the talisman grew in the wind, quickly filling up and transforming into a tall, magnificent horse.

This was a talisman horse that Zhang Zhiwei gave him when he traveled all over the country with Zhang Zhiwei.

Over the years, he has carefully preserved it, warming it with Qi every day, so not only has it not been damaged, but its power has also become stronger and stronger.

Lü Ci leaped onto his horse and galloped away at breakneck speed, like a white lightning bolt.

At the same time, Lu Jin also left northwestern Shanxi.

He also rode the talisman horse that Zhang Zhiwei had given him years ago.

His reason for leaving was that he saw Zheng Zibu on the list.

Zheng Zibu was his close friend, and now that he was in trouble, he naturally couldn't just sit idly by.

However, Zheng Zibu was just a close friend of his and had no direct relationship with Lü Ci. In addition, the war was intensifying recently, and he did not want to involve Lü Ci in his personal affairs. Therefore, he did not inform Lü Ci and the others, but chose to go alone.

Tian Jinzhong was also eager to help. Upon learning that Zhang Huaiyi was embroiled in this mess, he wanted to assist him as well. However, he had barely entertained this thought when he received instructions from his senior brother.

His senior brother told him to stay put and not to make any rash moves. Zhang Huaiyi, that big-eared fellow, had become quite capable now and would be fine. Since his senior brother had said so, Tian Jinzhong felt relieved; he always trusted his senior brother implicitly.

Then, noticing the unusual nature of the message, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, are you using the Thousand-Mile Transmission Technique to communicate with me?"

Even if it's a telepathic transmission, this distance is still too far, isn't it?

“This isn’t a telepathic message. I’m speaking to you from the perspective of fate.” Zhang Zhiwei’s voice echoed in his mind again.

"From the perspective of fate?" Tian Jinzhong didn't understand.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't explain directly, but instead said, "Don't you feel a strange sense of familiarity about our conversation right now? It's like we've heard or experienced something similar before?"

Tian Jinzhong paused for a moment: "It does seem a bit familiar, like a scene I've experienced before. But I can't quite remember it."

"Think about it carefully."

Tian Jinzhong thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "I remember now. Senior brother, you said these words to me a few minutes ago. Strange, why didn't I remember just now? I thought about it carefully before it came to my mind."

Zhang Zhiwei said, "Because I am using the present to change the past."

"Just now, I first had a conversation with the present you, and then I transcended time and had the same conversation with the past you."

"So, you didn't react in that instant because, in your memory, that event hadn't happened yet."

"But only after I finish talking to your past self will you feel familiar and then remember it."

Tian Jinzhong was dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief. "This...how is this possible?! Could it be...Senior Brother, you have already mastered the ability to change the past?!"

Zhang Zhiwei corrected, "No, I can't really change the past. The past can't be undone. I just use the present as a starting point to work backward into the past, and then use the past to influence the present and the future. In the end, what I change is only the present, not the past."

This is one of Zhang Zhiwei's abilities after he cultivated his ancestral nature and perfected his subjective consciousness.

The principle behind its ability is actually quite simple.

Since his subjectivity has been able to transcend time, he has stood at a perspective that transcends time.

Time, in essence, is the change of all things.

The changes of the past, the changes of the present, and the changes that may occur in the future are closely linked and form a complete line of destiny.

This line of fate is incredibly winding; as long as a person is alive, the line extends little by little. And all living beings are like countless tangled threads of a knot.

If a person's perspective can transcend time, they can see the trajectory of a person's past, present, and future destiny.

If a person can stand from a perspective that transcends time, he/she can influence a person's past, present, and future.

This impact stems from the change itself.

A person exists not only in the present moment, but is the sum of their past, present, and possible future.

If someone takes a perspective that transcends time and starts from the past, distorting a certain part of another person's past destiny, it will have serious consequences.

The past has already happened, the future has not yet happened, and the present is the only true reality.

Before one's cultivation reaches a certain level, a person existing in the present cannot perceive such subtle changes in the past that have become illusory.

Therefore, even if the past has been distorted, we can only passively accept this change in the present.

A person's destiny is a line, and the future is the product of the inertia generated by the sum of the past and the present, which keeps moving forward.

The spiritual path is about gaining complete control over the present moment to break free from the inertia of the past and thus autonomously create the future.

But in any case, the past remains the foundation of the future.

Even if only a small, insignificant fragment of the past is disrupted, then that person's fate has come to an end.

This person will die, but will not know how. Because once the thread of fate is broken, he will no longer have any ability to control his own destiny, and can only passively accept the arrangements of fate and wait for the end of his destiny.

Therefore, Zhang Zhiwei can use the present to deduce the past, and then use the past to influence the present.

He can speak to Tian Jinzhong of the past, and in turn, he can influence Tian Jinzhong of the present.

If he wanted, he could even flick the threads of Tian Jinzhong's past fate.

If he had broken it, Tian Jinzhong's fate would have ended instantly.

He would die in a dramatic, Final Destination-like manner, such as being struck by a meteorite falling from the sky while walking down the street, or choking to death while drinking water.

This sounds complicated, but it's actually the same principle as killing someone using Qi.

The Twenty-Four Heavenly Valleys are designed to distort the past destinies of trespassers, thus eliminating them in the present.

What Qi Ju can do, Zhang Zhiwei can naturally do as well.

Of course, to distort a person's past fate, one must also consider the weight of that person's fate.

If it were an ordinary person whose life was as insignificant as grass and whose body was as fragile as a feather, it would naturally break with a light flick, without any effort.

However, for those powerful figures who can influence the world order, their fate is very important, and it is not easy to break their spirit.

Forcing yourself to play it might even backfire.

Zhang Zhiwei's explanation astonished Tian Jinzhong. Although he was somewhat confused by it, it did not prevent him from realizing that his senior brother had reached a level where even reading was incomprehensible.

Since his senior brother said that Huaiyi was alright, he was completely relieved.

……

……

In the Duanmu family's clinic, patients were lined up in long queues.

A young doctor sat behind his desk, facing a haggard-looking female patient.

The female patient whispered that her illness was very unusual and that she needed to ask Mr. Duanmu to come and see her.

The attending physician smiled and said, "Old Master Duanmu is quite advanced in years, and it would be too much trouble for him to examine each one individually. Don't worry, I'll examine you first. If it's truly that my skills are insufficient and I'm not up to the task, I will definitely ask the doctor to examine you, okay?"

After saying that, he stretched out his hand and began to take his pulse.

The doctor's expression changed after a moment when his fingertips touched her wrist.

The pulse was so strange that he had never heard of it before. It beat sometimes fast and sometimes slow, sometimes faint and sometimes faint, as if something was moving through his meridians.

He apologized, quickly got up, lifted the curtain, and went into the inner room to invite Elder Duanmu to come. (End of Chapter)