Edward Clark listened, carefully choosing his words, and thanked him: “I am grateful for General’s kindness. It is already inconvenient to stay overnight, and composing poetry would be an added disturbance. I am already an uninvited guest—how could I possibly accept the host’s thanks?”

“Your poetry holds a different meaning for me, but it cannot remain on the wall for long. Therefore, I would like to ask you to write it out on paper with your own hand!” Golden Armored Warrior glanced over and made his request.

“That’s easy!” Edward Clark replied without hesitation, and soon a maid entered, presenting a fine inkstone and a blue brush.

Edward Clark composed himself, wrote calmly, and soon finished, presenting it to Golden Armored Warrior.

After reading it, Golden Armored Warrior was greatly impressed, and his doubts were dispelled. These two pieces were indeed composed by this young man. He immediately said, “You are truly a talented person, bringing much honor to my humble temple. I have nothing to offer in return, but there are three treasures in my temple—please choose one.”

Upon hearing this, Edward Clark firmly declined: “I cannot accept!”

But Golden Armored Warrior’s tone turned impatient: “No more refusals—just choose as I say.”

Hearing this, Edward Clark was startled, recalling that this person had been General in life, accustomed to a general’s ways. He immediately understood that he could not go against him, so he could only force a wry smile and nod: “Then I shall obey rather than decline.”

Inwardly, he grumbled that this did not match the rumors. It seemed that in his previous life, the scholar had been frightened, but after obtaining the treasure, he had embellished the story with flowery words—truly misleading!

“It’s good that you understand!” Golden Armored Warrior saw Edward Clark agree and smiled with satisfaction, a hint of composure in his eyes behind the bronze mask: “I must repay you, or my heart will not be at ease.”

Three beams of golden light appeared, gradually revealing their forms.

A cup, a book, a pill.

The three items shone with golden light, floating in the air above the hall, each containing an indescribable power and aura—clearly not ordinary objects.

Edward Clark was taken aback and couldn’t help but ask, “Are there any explanations or suggestions?”

The gaze beneath the bronze mask carried a hint of teasing: “You must choose for yourself—it all depends on your fortune!”

Edward Clark opened his mouth, unable to argue, but fortunately, he had seen examples in his previous life and had analyzed them before.

“I suppose they are a magical artifact, a cultivation method, and an elixir!”

“As I expected, I will have access to cultivation methods in the future, so I don’t lack them. Besides, I have no official status now—even if I had a method, what use would it be? It would only bring trouble.”

“The elixir can increase cultivation, but at this point, I am still a commoner—what cultivation do I have to improve?”

“This cup can hold fortune, though its effect is limited, but right now it suits me perfectly!” Thinking this, Edward Clark pointed to the golden cup and said, “I choose this cup.”

“Oh?” Golden Armored Spirit sized him up for a moment, then smiled noncommittally: “Then take it.”

The other items vanished, and the golden cup materialized, turning into a beam of golden light that flew into Edward Clark’s arms.

This left Edward Clark a bit dazed—was it really that simple?

The golden curtain slid shut before him, closing again, and only then did a subtle voice of approval come from behind: “I gift you a cup of fortune. If fate allows, we shall meet again someday!”

“Clang—”

There was the sound of something falling and rolling on the ground.

Edward Clark struggled to his feet and opened his eyes to find daylight streaming in and the campfire extinguished.

Looking down, he saw a cup at his feet, and could faintly sense golden liquid flowing within—it was clearly the fortune he had been given. Unfortunately, without magical arts, he could not see it clearly.

“This deity is quite straightforward… Come to think of it, yang text and yin fortune, yin artifact and yang fortune—this could be called a union of yin and yang.”

But such things are not worth fussing over here—after all, on Earth, how often have such things occurred?

Shaking off his historical musings, Edward Clark picked up the cup and found it was actually made of bronze, cold to the touch, but immediately a trace of power seeped in, making his spirit feel intoxicated.

“It seems to be true—this cup of fortune isn’t much, but I no longer need to beg my clan for fortune. This fundamentally solves my problem!”

“In hunger and cold, a cake and a cup of water are worth more than ten thousand taels of gold!”

“Heh, this golden cup of fortune is just a minor spiritual artifact—at best, it’s like the fate of a minor official. The fortune it holds probably only equals the total support I could get from my clan once or twice—not much, but for me right now, I don’t even have that kind of fate or fortune, so I really can’t refuse this favor!”

Edward Clark carefully put away the bronze cup, bowed to the deity’s statue, and said, “For the kindness of a cup of water, I shall repay with a gushing spring. When I return home in glory, I will come again to pay my respects and rebuild your golden image!”

The temple was silent, with no response. Edward Clark was not surprised, and turned to leave the mountain temple at a leisurely pace.

In the morning sunlight, after traveling several miles, Edward Clark took out Riverwood Journal, and saw a passage in golden script appear on the blank page: “In the eleventh year of Daji Pingjing, in Pingshou County, Nancang Prefecture, at the southern foot of Mount Beimang, Edward Clark arrived at the ancient Wei battlefield, worshipped the deity, and inscribed a sacrificial poem on the wall. That night, he dreamed of the deity, who gifted him a golden cup containing a portion of golden fortune!”

Below was the complete sacrificial text and poem, a few simple lines, serving as confirmation. Seeing this, Edward Clark let out a breath and smiled.

As expected, this Riverwood Journal truly has the power to record. Now, bound by the rules of the present world’s Dao, it cannot be released.

As long as I gain official status or advance in cultivation, the secrets recorded will continue to emerge. This is true fortune, but it must be revealed gradually, so that the brilliant golden script can manifest.

Chapter 0007: Punishment

Traveling through the night, staying at a mountain temple at midnight, returning at dawn, and even spending some copper coins along the way, he hired an ox cart to go back.