Chapter 25: Departure for the Aquarium

Lin Xuan closed the scroll.

Finally, he picked up a folded sheet of rice paper resting on top of the box.

The paper was wrinkled, the ink seeping through to the back.

He opened the ancient text recognition and translation app on his Mobile Phone and scanned the paper.

A line of simplified characters appeared on the screen.

"I am Emperor Li Shimin of the Great Tang—this serves as payment for your care and medical treatment of Sizi—please treat my daughter well—"

Lin Xuan finished reading the last line.

He plopped down on the carpet and rubbed his face hard with both hands.

He took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.

With Xiao Sizi's sudden appearance,

he found it much easier to accept this millennia-spanning material transmission.

Lin Xuan couldn't help remarking: "The Emperor's quite protective of his daughter."

With this box, his mortgage, car loan, and the high cost of modern life vanished instantly.

Li Shimin had utterly flattened the economic burden of raising a Tang princess with the simplest, most brutal method.

The doorknob of the master bedroom turned.

Xiao Sizi walked out, rubbing her eyes.

She wore the cotton short-sleeve shirt she'd changed into last night, barefoot on the floor.

She yawned, her gaze sweeping the living room and landing on the large wooden box beside Lin Xuan.

Xiao Sizi stopped in her tracks.

She recognized this box.

It was the Golden Nanmu Box from the Imperial Treasury, used to store the finest treasures.

Her eyes moved upward, settling on the sheet of rice paper in Lin Xuan's hand.

Xiao Sizi rushed over, knelt on the carpet, and snatched the paper away.

She could not read simplified characters.

But she recognized the ink's flow, and the crimson imprint of the State Seal at the end.

"Father's handwriting—"

Xiao Sizi traced the paper, her eyes flooding.

Large tears splashed onto the paper's edge, blurring a patch of ink.

She clutched the paper tightly to her chest, her shoulders shaking violently.

"Father found me! He knows I'm here!"

Lin Xuan did not stop her from releasing her emotions.

When her sobs grew quieter, he reached out, pinched one corner of the paper, and gently pulled it free, placing it on the coffee table.

"Done crying?" Lin Xuan stood and extended his right hand.

Xiao Sizi sniffled and placed her hand in Lin Xuan's palm.

Lin Xuan led her toward the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet and tested the water temperature.

He tore off a clean, soft towel and soaked it in warm water.

"Look up."

The warm towel covered Xiao Sizi's face, gently wiping away tears and the redness around her eyes.

"Your father paid your food and medical bills in full."

Lin Xuan hung the towel back on the rack, his tone light: "He paid quite a bit."

"I was worried that after my vacation ended, I'd have to go to work and not know how to take care of you."

"Now it seems I can just quit and become your full-time nanny."

"Today we're not wandering around nearby—it's boring. Let's upgrade your travel standards."

Xiao Sizi let him wipe her face, her eyes still red: "Where are we going?"

Lin Xuan grinned mischievously, teasing: "Not telling yet. You'll know when we get there—I guarantee you'll love it."

Hearing this, Xiao Sizi's anticipation soared.

"Then... then let's hurry and go!"

Above the Sky Screen.

The civil and military officials in the Taiji Palace courtyard looked up, watching Lin Xuan put away the letter and re-pack the Gold Ingots and Jade Artifacts into the box.

A long, drawn-out sigh came from the palace steps.

Li Shimin, hands clasped behind his back, finally relaxed his tense back after a sleepless night.

"Good. He accepted it."

"If he accepts Tang's wealth, then Sizi's life is firmly rooted in the future."

Zhangsun Wuji lifted his sleeve and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Your Majesty is wise. With this karmic bond, our Great Tang is no longer merely receiving favors."

————

"Since the divine figures of the future have taken the Emperor's payment, they will surely treat the Princess's qi illness with all diligence."

The profound sense of inferiority and helplessness the Tang court had long felt toward modern civilization

was restored, faintly but unmistakably, by the transfer of this Golden Nanmu Box.

They can trade.

The wealth of the Tang Dynasty still holds value in the future. This is hope.

Modern apartment.

Lin Xuan rummaged through the closet and pulled out a black backpack.

He swiftly stuffed items into it.

A thermos filled with warm water, two packs of wet wipes. He took a Salbutamol Aerosol from the Yaoxiang and shoved it into the net pocket on the side of the backpack.

Finally, he pulled out a children's sun hat and placed it on Xiao Sizi's head.

"Let's go, downstairs."

Lin Xuan slung the backpack over his shoulders and locked the security door.

The two took the elevator straight to the underground second floor parking garage.

The underground garage was dimly lit, with hundreds of cars neatly parked in marked spaces.

Lin Xuan led her to a black mid-sized SUV.

He pulled out the car key and pressed the unlock button.

Beep-beep.

The car's hazard lights flashed, and the side mirrors unfolded automatically.

Xiao Sizi startled, stopping in her tracks.

"Iron-shell beast?"

She recognized the monster that had raced past on the road last night.

Lin Xuan opened the rear door.

"Get in. This is called a car. Today, it's our transport."

Xiao Sizi hesitated, then climbed into the back seat.

The seat was soft and comfortable, far better than the hard wooden boards of a carriage.

Lin Xuan leaned halfway in, grabbed the seatbelt, and fastened it across her waist.

"Buckle this. It's for collision protection."

Lin Xuan closed the rear door and walked around to the driver's seat.

Vroom—!

The V6 engine let out a deep roar.

The dashboard lit up instantly; the central screen activated with a navigation map.

Lin Xuan shifted into D gear and released the electronic parking brake.

The black SUV slowly pulled out of the parking space and climbed up the garage ramp.

A few seconds later, the car burst out of the garage, sunlight flooding the windshield.

Lin Xuan turned the steering wheel, merging into the morning rush-hour traffic on the main road.

He pressed the accelerator.

The engine RPM climbed.

The vehicle accelerated on the smooth black asphalt, the roadside trees and buildings blurring past.

The cabin was extremely quiet, with only the faint hum of tires and the whisper of air from the vents.

Xiao Sizi sat in the back, gripping the seatbelt with both hands.

She stared wide-eyed at the vehicles flashing by outside.

"Lin Xuan, this vehicle has no horse—why does it run so fast?"

"This thing runs on oil."

"The engine up front burns oil, generating power to turn the wheels."

Lin Xuan kept one hand on the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

The black SUV sped along the urban expressway for forty minutes.

Lin Xuan turned on the right turn signal; the car exited the ramp.

Ahead, a vast blue building with a futuristic design came into view.

Its exterior mimicked the undulation of ocean waves, reflecting an oceanic shimmer in the sunlight.

The parking entrance's barrier arm automatically recognized the license plate and lifted to let them through.

Lin Xuan parked the car, unfastened Xiao Sizi's seatbelt, and lifted her out.

"We're here."

Lin Xuan slung the backpack over his shoulders and took her hand.

Xiao Sizi looked up at the enormous blue building stretching endlessly before her.

"Where is this?"

Lin Xuan led her toward the ticket hall. "Polar Ocean World."

"I showed you the Globe before. The blue parts are oceans."

"Today, I'm taking you for a walk underwater."