When the Wang family arrived, Lucas was in his room conducting an experiment. The ancient book lay in his hands.

Following the instructions in the book, Lucas gradually exerted force, starting from his toes, directing the energy upwards to his lower abdomen, and then from the top of his head down to his stomach. The two forces were not far apart and gradually merged under his concentrated effort.

As the book instructed, he focused his mind, storing the energy in this location, holding it until he felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Just as he thought he couldn’t hold on any longer, a rush of heat surged within him.

Could this be the yang energy that he was supposed to expel?

Lucas didn't dare to release it.

Following the book’s advice, he held the energy in place, slowly relaxing his mind until the heat dissipated naturally, fully returning to his body. Only then did he allow himself to relax.

He let out a long breath of relief.

It was real? 

Could ordinary people really "expel energy" without any prior training?

Lucas’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Was the world truly this mysterious?

At that moment, there was a commotion outside.

Lucas stood up, taking a few steps to check his physical and mental state. Seeing no difference from before the experiment, he finally opened the window to look out.

The Wang family from Heng Village had indeed been thoughtful.

Perhaps they felt that simply delivering the food and wine they had promised in the morning wasn’t enough, so they had brought additional gifts, creating a package that was quite substantial by local standards.

The steward of the Wang family had come personally, along with the servant Lucas had previously mistaken for a steward.

His aunt was flustered by the unexpected attention and hurried to greet them, and Lucas quickly followed suit.

The real steward, who was quite shrewd, exchanged pleasantries with Lucas and his aunt before visiting Lucas’s uncle. After checking on his condition and hearing which doctor had been consulted, the steward nodded in approval, acknowledging the skill of the renowned physician. He then asked to see the prescription, calculated the cost, and handed over ten taels of silver, fulfilling the Wang patriarch’s promise.

The servant Lucas had mistaken for a steward earlier also seemed to have a good impression of him and shared the reaction of the Wang family after Lucas’s departure, which eased Lucas’s unease about receiving such a generous gift.

As night approached, the Wang family didn’t stay long and soon took their leave.

In the end, what should have been a reward of ten taels for spending the night in the ancestral hall turned into a total of forty taels of silver and numerous gifts.

For an ordinary family, this was a considerable sum.

His aunt stored the cloth, hung up the cured meat, placed the stinky mandarin fish in the kitchen, and properly stored the wine. The only thing left for Lucas was the meal the Wang family had brought.

The meal included dried bamboo shoots from the previous winter, a common local dish, stewed with fatty pork in a rich, savory sauce that was incredibly appetizing. The fresh bamboo shoots recently harvested from the mountains were tender and crispy, perfect for cooking with cured meat. The heady aroma of the dishes, combined with solid white rice steamed to perfection, made it a meal unlike any Lucas had had since coming to this world.

For a moment, he focused solely on eating, his thoughts elsewhere.

With his uncle's medical expenses temporarily covered, even though his condition hadn’t improved, the relief and the good meal brought a sense of contentment.

Happiness could indeed be so simple.

His aunt sighed, giving most of the meat to Lucas and his cousin, saying, "We wanted you to focus on your studies, but now you’ve had to exchange money this way. Your father would scold us if he knew."

"He wouldn’t..."

Lucas swallowed his food and said, "That steward seemed reliable. He mentioned that in a few days, there will be a temple fair in the city, attracting many merchants from out of town, including medicine vendors. The prices might be lower. Even if we can’t identify the herbs, and if we don’t trust the street vendors, we can still go to the usual pharmacy, which should also offer discounts during that time."

His aunt agreed, adding, "We have enough medicine to last your uncle a few more days. I’d prefer to stick with the usual pharmacy, even if it’s more expensive, just to be safe."

His cousin nodded in agreement, but Lucas’s mind was elsewhere.

There were two temple fairs nearby.

One was the smaller Sangu Temple Fair in Shu Village, held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which had just passed.

The other was the larger Luoxian Temple Fair in the city, held on the second day of the second lunar month.

Last year, during the Luoxian Temple Fair, Lucas had fallen into the river and, after being rescued by his uncle, had spent several days bedridden. His uncle had advised rest for both body and soul, so Lucas hadn’t gone to the fair, even though the rest of the family had. He remembered lying in bed, contemplating life, while his cousin Lin Qi recounted the sights and sounds of the fair.

The parade of the Luoxian deity, the dancers, the array of snacks and trinkets, the wandering sorcerers and fortune-tellers, and the mysterious, almost magical performances.

Fortune-tellers... 

Magical performances...

Lucas wondered if these were just tricks or if there was some real magic involved. He also wondered if the ancient book would react to any of it.

As his aunt fretted about Lucas’s health and whether he should go alone, he spoke up, "Aunt, I heard from Grandpa Shu that after interacting with spirits, one might pick up some residual energy or something unclean. On my way back from cutting grass today, I paid my respects at the Sangu Shrine. They say Luoxian is also very effective. I’d like to go and pay my respects as well. Why don’t I go instead?"

His aunt immediately agreed, "That’s a good idea! Lin Qi can go with you. You’re well-read and less likely to be tricked, so he can carry the stuff."

"That works."

"Did you really see a spirit?"

"In a dream..."

"What was it like? Tell us!"

People in these times were naturally curious about such matters, and Lucas’s family was no exception. Setting aside his meal and thoughts, Lucas recounted the previous night’s events in even greater detail than he had that morning.

A few days later, it was time for the temple fair.

"Let’s go!"

Before dawn, his cousin, carrying a large basket filled with bamboo shoots, called for Lucas to head to the city.

Lucas brought along the ancient book and a smaller basket.

Shu Village was about two hours’ walk from the city along mountain paths.

The terrain was uneven, and someone had once written a poem describing the area as "villages nestled by water, half the land farmed, half mountainous," which was quite fitting. The mountains here were vast, covered in dense bamboo forests that were so thick they blocked out the sky even during the day. Now, in the pre-dawn darkness, the forest seemed even more impenetrable.

The wind rustled through the bamboo, creating a soft shushing sound.

Lucas couldn’t tell if it was his imagination or if the spirit’s breath had weakened him, but he kept feeling like there were strange shadows moving in the forest as he followed behind his cousin.

If only he had a machete, it might give him more courage.

Fortunately, it was almost dawn, and soon enough, the sky began to lighten. With the rising sun, the uneasy feelings faded.

As they walked, more and more people joined the road.

In these times, there weren’t many opportunities for gatherings, so those who wanted to buy or sell something had to go to the city. Many farmers from the countryside carried heavy loads, gradually converging on the main road like streams forming a river—a sight that was unexpectedly impressive.

The road quickly became lively.

With so many people around, both on the road and in his heart, there was no room left for thoughts of spirits or ghosts.

Soon, they could see the city gates.

"Give me the bamboo shoots in your basket. I’ll head to Sky Lantern Alley to sell them. You go buy the medicine. You’re smarter. Once you’ve got the medicine, we can meet on the street behind the Luoxian Temple to watch the performances. If we’re late, we might miss them, or at least won’t get a good spot."

These bamboo shoots, which his cousin had dug from the mountain, were tender enough to sell well. His cousin was confident in his product.

Lucas agreed.

As he walked through the city, it was indeed much busier than usual, especially near the Luoxian Temple.

There were also many people speaking in different dialects.

This temple fair was held once a year, sometimes smaller, sometimes larger. In a big year, its influence could extend to several provinces, attracting merchants and curious scholars from afar. They would set out weeks in advance to join in the festivities.

The Luoxian Temple Fair wasn’t the largest, but thanks to the local prosperity in recent years, it wasn’t small either.

It was still early, but many people had already claimed spots in the streets and alleys, setting up stalls. The foreign accents were dominant, and even the city patrol officers had replaced their iron rulers with swords.

Lucas saw many vendors selling medicinal herbs and tonics.

He asked around for prices but didn’t linger, heading straight to the old pharmacy, Ji Shi Tang. Using the prices he had gathered earlier as leverage, he managed to get a good deal from the shopkeeper by buying in bulk.

By the time Lucas walked out with

 the medicine, the streets were even more crowded.

People were packed together like a river.

The noise was deafening, with all kinds of sounds merging into a cacophony, making it hard to hear anything clearly.

Such a bustling scene was rare even in his previous life.

Lucas looked around, slung his small basket in front of him, and tried to make his way through the crowd toward the Luoxian Temple. Before long, he spotted a group of people gathered around an open space. Standing on tiptoe, he could see people performing tricks, and the crowd’s exclamations confirmed that something magical was happening.