Chapter 001: The Profligate

The third crossing, just like the first two, he woke up from sleep and found himself in a different world.

Now Wang Bo had left the world of Batman and arrived in a new world.

This time when he woke up, Wang Bo found himself dressed in an ancient robe, luxurious and finely crafted, clearly indicating that he belonged to a family of wealth or nobility.

And when he looked around, he found himself in a room of antique elegance.

Wang Bo had seen plenty of rooms like this in historical TV dramas. But compared to the sets in those shows, this room felt more natural, carrying a greater sense of historical depth.

Combining the clothes and the room he was in, Wang Bo easily reached a conclusion.

The world he had entered this time was most likely an ancient one.

But which specific dynasty it was, Wang Bo was not yet sure. That didn't matter, though, because Wang Bo knew that as long as he concentrated, he could receive the information about this identity.

In the previous world, Wang Bo was already very familiar with this process.

In just a few minutes, Wang Bo had grasped the information and quickly confirmed his identity in this world.

In this world, Wang Bo was the owner of a tavern in Luoyang. He still bore the surname Wang, with the single given name Bo—that is to say, in this world, Wang Bo was still called Wang Bo, except that he now had a courtesy name as well.

His surname was Wang, his given name Bo, and his courtesy name Shao'ai.

To be honest, although Wang Bo had read Romance of the Three Kingdoms and knew that many people had courtesy names—such as Zhao Yun, courtesy name Zilong; Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang, and so on—he really didn't understand what a courtesy name actually meant.

However, after receiving this piece of information, Wang Bo finally understood what a courtesy name meant.

In ancient times, upon reaching adulthood, a person needed to be respected by society. Calling them directly by their given name among peers was considered disrespectful, so they would adopt a courtesy name to use in social interactions, as a sign of mutual respect.

Therefore, after reaching adulthood in ancient times, one's given name was used only by elders and oneself; calling oneself by one's given name indicated modesty, while the courtesy name was used by others in society to address one.

Wang Bo couldn't help but sigh, the rules of ancient people were truly numerous.

Furthermore, through the information he received, Wang Bo also learned that the current dynasty he was in was... Tang!

That's right, the Han were dirty and the Tang were chaotic—no, it's the mighty Han and the glorious Tang dynasty!

But at this point in time, the one on the throne was not Li Shimin, who had inaugurated the Zhenguan era of good governance, for he had already been dead for several years.

Now, the one who has ascended to the supreme throne is his son, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi.

In recent years, however, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, had been in poor health, so the real power of the court gradually fell into the hands of Wu Zetian. The two of them handled state affairs together and were jointly referred to as the Two Sages!

This move aroused the dissatisfaction of many court officials, and many began to submit memorials.

However, Wang Shao'ai was not very clear about the outcome.

After all, he was nothing more than a merchant.

During the Tang dynasty, the status of merchants was extremely low. Civilian industrialists and traders were often regarded as miscellaneous types, base classes, or vile categories, and such notions even penetrated the consciousness of scholar-officials and commoners. They were seen as profit-seeking petty individuals, unfit for refined society, and even less eligible to enter officialdom.

So how could the owner of a tavern possibly know about the court's movements?

Moreover, Wang Shao'ai did not pay too much attention to the court's movements. After understanding his own identity and the historical background of his time, Wang Bo could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This time, his cheat artifact finally did not let him down.

Although merchants had low social status in the Tang dynasty, they were wealthy.

As long as he managed this tavern well, he would have no worries about food and clothing, and might even be able to purchase some maidservants, a few Hu girls, and take several wives and concubines, living out his life in happiness and contentment.

As for what kind of world this actually was—a martial arts world, a historical world, or a xianxia world—Wang Bo had absolutely no interest.

Right now, he just wanted to live his own little life peacefully.

Although the ancient world was a bit dull, Wang Bo had long been prepared, having filled his four-dimensional pocket with entertainment tools such as movies, computers, phones, novels, and games.

At that time, he would be able to tease his beautiful wives and concubines while entertaining himself, and occasionally take them on outings to enjoy the magnificent landscapes of the ancient world.

This kind of life—even an emperor wouldn't trade it.

Wang Bo couldn't stop grinning at the thought of his future blissful days.

In the following days, Wang Bo quickly assimilated into the identity of Wang Shao'ai, gaining a certain understanding of the affairs around him, not limited to the information he had obtained.

First, the restaurant he ran was called Tai'an Restaurant, meaning peace and well-being.

This restaurant in Luoyang, though not the most influential, could still rank among the top ten. Its wines, in particular, were renowned throughout Luoyang, and many who came from afar enjoyed drinking here.

For this very reason, this Tai'an Restaurant could absolutely be said to be raking in money hand over fist.

Secondly, this tavern was not established solely by Wang Shao'ai, but was inherited from his parents, who passed away from illness a few years ago.

This made Wang Bo feel a bit fortunate; he admitted that his thoughts were indeed somewhat dark, but at least he didn't need to call two strangers his parents.

Secondly, because his parents died early, Wang Shao'ai lacked discipline and thus developed a libertine character, often lingering with a group of disreputable friends in brothels and spending money quite lavishly.

Although not the kind of big spender who throws money around, he was definitely the most welcomed guest in the brothels.

Within the city of Luoyang, he had visited every famous brothel.

He had pursued every famous courtesan.

But unfortunately, most of those famous courtesans were not lacking in suitors, and among the vast throng of suitors, men like Wang Shao'ai were as numerous as hairs on an ox.

So far, the famous courtesans Wang Shao'ai had slept with could be counted on one hand.

Even those he had slept with were all past their prime, their influence waning.

Of course, this was ancient times, where thirteen-year-old marriage was common, sixteen was considered a grown woman, and twenty-six was already an old maid. In the brothels, any woman over twenty-six was a woman past her prime.

But even such women still commanded a high price.

If not for Wang Shao'ai's Tai'an Tavern raking in money hand over fist, this fellow might have already squandered all his family fortune.

But even so, seventy percent of Tai'an Tavern's annual profits were all squandered by this libertine in brothels or elsewhere.

Precisely because he was such a spendthrift, many women of suitable status gave him a wide berth.

Thus, although Wang Shao'ai was already twenty-five years old, he had not yet started a family.