Chapter 5: The Person Exactly Like Myself

Early in the morning, Aru emerged from her room with dark circles under her eyes, her steps unsteady and swaying as she walked.

"I saw your client last night—so young and handsome, with a decent figure too! Judging by how you look, was he that good?" teased a woman who had just stepped out from another room, immediately drawing close to Aru with a playful grin.

"Don’t even mention it. I ran into a lunatic last night—he made me teach him words all night long. I can barely keep my eyes open now!"

Aru’s tone soured at the memory. She would have preferred a far simpler night.

"Seriously? You just sat there teaching him to read?" the other woman asked in astonishment.

"It was him who wanted to learn, and he made me teach him! Absolutely crazy. I was already undressed, sitting there, and he still insisted on a reading lesson! Came all the way here just to study? Forget it—I can’t take it anymore. I’m going back to sleep before I drop dead from exhaustion!" Aru complained rapidly.

Meanwhile, Gu Changqing was sleeping soundly, not waking until half past eleven when a knock at the door startled him.

"Sir, it’s almost checkout time!"

The bathhouse service lasted until six in the morning, while room service extended until noon.

"Throwing your guests out, huh? What kind of business is this?" Gu Changqing cursed irritably. Still, after more than five hours of sleep, he felt quite refreshed.

To his surprise, he found that the bead and the passageway in his mind had returned to normal. With just a thought, he could go back to that other world again.

"So, it takes a whole day for the passageway to recover after each use?"

"Like hell I’m going back," Gu Changqing muttered, curling his lip. Here, there was food and drink, and yesterday he’d encountered that ghostly thing he could drain for blood energy. He’d be a fool to go back and suffer.

He took a long shower, paying special attention to his hair, which was now so long he could tie it behind his head and it hung down his back.

Then he headed downstairs to settle his bill, finding he still had over sixty yuan left. Although he’d spent the whole night teaching and hadn’t really used the bathhouse, so technically he didn’t need to pay, Gu Changqing had always been extravagant in his previous life and was too proud to haggle. If he’d been short on money, it would have been another matter, but since he had enough in his pocket, he paid without complaint.

After leaving, he found a noodle shop and ordered a bowl of noodles, eating as he pondered. Prices in this world were simply too high; what he’d earned last night barely covered his expenses. He’d already inquired about some local gang leaders, so tonight he planned to strike a big deal. With more money, everything would become much easier.

Gu Changqing hadn’t forgotten his current identity—a cultivator! With money, he could pay people to gather information on those ghostly beings, or even acquire livestock to drain their vital energy. Even if the effects were weak, small gains would accumulate over time.

As his power grew, earning money would only become simpler.

After finishing his meal, Gu Changqing bought a hat for ten yuan from a street stall, then found a small shop at the corner that recycled phones. He tossed two phones onto the counter.

Phones in this world didn’t use SIM cards; they connected directly to the network, and he had no use for these two. The shopkeeper glanced at him and powered on the devices.

As soon as one turned on, a flood of messages appeared—almost all insults and threats. Two minutes later, a call came through.

The shopkeeper looked up at him.

"Nothing wrong with the goods, right?" Gu Changqing asked casually, switching off the phone before handing it back.

The shopkeeper checked again. "Four hundred in total!"

Gu Changqing took the money and left, finding a park bench to lie on. From his pocket, he pulled out several sheets of paper filled with the world’s script, annotated with his own notes.

Fortunately, the language here was pictographic, not phonetic. By combining different characters, he could form new words, unlike phonetic languages that continually invent new vocabulary. So, by mastering about a thousand characters, he could read and write at a basic level.

The "Flesh and Blood Refinement Technique" manual already contained some characters, though many weren’t commonly used. Last night, he’d recorded four hundred more common ones, and if he memorized them all, he’d just about be able to read newspapers and books.

He stayed there until evening, then made his way to the southern district.

Angang had a population of 2.2 million, divided into six districts and one island. The southern district, with over half a million residents, was the most densely populated. It hosted eight different gangs, the largest being the Dragon Wandering Gang with just over two thousand members.

But Gu Changqing had his eyes on the Sea Gang, originally formed by sailors who competed for work at the docks. Those days were long past; now, it was just another ordinary gang with about eight hundred members. Besides the boss, there were four lieutenants, each overseeing several streets and some contraband business.

Zero Point Bar was Old Dao’s headquarters.

Gu Changqing surveyed the bar from outside, then went in to sit at the counter and ordered a drink, his gaze roving casually.

Inside, a staircase led up to the second floor, guarded by someone. It looked like Old Dao’s office was up there.

Gu Changqing considered his options. The windows were protected by security grilles, so he’d have to rush the staircase to reach Old Dao and propose a life-or-death deal. It wouldn’t be too difficult.

The follow-up might be trickier, but nothing unmanageable.

He scanned the bar again—apart from the bartender and servers, only one person was stationed at the base of the stairs. There couldn’t be many more upstairs.

Just as he was about to make his move, his eyes narrowed.

A man in a mandarin-collared short-sleeved shirt, wearing a faint smile, was walking unhurriedly toward the stairs. He exchanged a greeting with the guard and went straight up.

Gu Changqing was stunned.

The man looked almost exactly like him—only his hair was short, while Gu Changqing’s was long. Their builds and heights were nearly identical.

He could hardly believe it—what were the chances of meeting someone so alike in this world?

Once the shock passed, Gu Changqing was elated. He’d been worrying about his lack of an identity here.

No need to rush the business meeting now.

He left the bar, bought a bottle of juice at the convenience store diagonally opposite, and sat outside to wait.

After about half an hour, he saw the man emerge from the bar, carrying a bag and heading in his direction—not toward him, but toward a car parked nearby.

Gu Changqing kept scanning the area. When the man opened the car door, Gu Changqing walked over quickly, head slightly lowered.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" he called out.

The man tossed his bag into the car and turned to reply, "What is it?"

He looked up just in time to see a fist coming at him.

His reflexes were sharp—he jerked his head aside and reached to grab Gu Changqing’s wrist. But Gu Changqing was faster, stepping in and driving his elbow forward like a spear, straight into the man’s chest.

Caught between the car door and the vehicle, the man had nowhere to dodge. He could only raise his arm to block, fury and shock in his eyes.

The moment their arms collided, he felt an immense force from the elbow, nearly driving him back into the car. Pain shot through his arm—it was broken.

"Aaaagh!" the man howled in agony, but before he could recover, Gu Changqing landed an uppercut on his chin, knocking him out cold.

Gu Changqing stuffed him into the car, climbed into the driver's seat, and floored the accelerator.

He’d paid attention while taking cabs before—cars in this world were similar to those in his previous life. Technological development often followed parallel tracks.

A few people at the bar entrance noticed the commotion and hurried over, but Gu Changqing was already barreling toward them. They dove aside, only to see the car speed off into the distance.

One hand on the wheel, Gu Changqing grabbed the bag and opened it—inside were stacks of cash, at least thirty bundles, three hundred thousand in total.

"Making money is too easy!" he exclaimed.

Then he noticed a blue booklet on the dashboard, emblazoned with a shield insignia and the word "Security" below it.

He picked it up and flipped through. The photo inside was his own.

Name: Gu Quan’an
Gender: Male
Blood Type: Illegible
Date of Birth: September 6, 1139
Position: Third Squad Patrol Officer, Southern District Security Bureau
Rank: Officer

Gu Changqing put the credentials back on the dashboard, a grin spreading wider and wider across his face.

"Haha… Hahahaha!"