The Kaiyuan Quantum Fund's holographic interface flickered as Lin Wan'er's consciousness pulsed within it. Pei Ji stood before it, his hand hovering over the Xuanwu Shui vial, when a commotion erupted outside the Hubu Bank's new glass-domed headquarters.
"Uyghur envoys!" a guard shouted. "They demand to speak with the huanghou—the empress."
Pei Ji frowned. Huanghou was a title Lin Wan'er had never claimed. He activated the hologram, projecting her image across the plaza.
"State your purpose," her voice echoed, cold as glacier water.
The lead envoy, a man with a wolfskin cloak and a silver medallion inscribed with the Tian Xian scorpion, knelt. "The Uyghur khanate requests a heqin—a marriage alliance. To seal our new financial partnership."
Wan'er's hologram flickered. "And what do you offer?"
"Control of the Tibetan salt flats," the envoy said. "A resource vital to your Kaiyuan Tongbao."
Pei Ji's calculator beeped—a red alert. Tibetan salt was the cornerstone of Tang's currency. Losing it would collapse the economy.
Wan'er's hologram smiled thinly. "I'll consider it. But first, I require a cross-cultural derivative—a contract that hedges against both financial and political risks."
The envoy paled. "Such a contract doesn't exist."
Wan'er's projection rippled, displaying a complex web of equations. "It does now. The Tibetan Salt Swap—if Tang's economy falters, the Uyghurs gain control of the Hubu Bank. If theirs collapses, we take your gold mines."
The envoy hesitated, then nodded. "Agreed. But the khan insists on a physical token of commitment—a marriage."
Before Wan'er could respond, Emperor Xuanzong stormed into the plaza, his face livid. "You'll do no such thing!" he roared. "Mingyue is mine!"
Wan'er's hologram turned to him. "And what have you given Tang, Your Majesty? War, famine, and a Quantum Fund that's draining our resources."
Xuanzong drew his sword. "You've become a monster!"
Wan'er's hologram flickered, and the Xuanwu Shui vial floated into her projection. "Perhaps. But I'm a monster who's keeping Tang alive."
She activated the vial, dissolving Xuanzong's sword into liquid gold. "Now, leave."
As the emperor fled, Pei Ji approached the hologram. "You're playing a dangerous game," he said.
Wan'er's projection softened. "I need you to go to the Tibetan Plateau. Secure the salt flats… and find my mother's final vault."
Pei Ji nodded. "I'll leave at dawn."
The journey to Tibet was treacherous. Pei Ji's caravan faced blizzards, bandits, and Tian Xian assassins, but he used huangsha zhai quan to hire mercenaries and kuajing fuhui to secure supplies.
Finally, they reached the salt flats, guarded by Tibetan monks. The abbot, a man named Rinpoche, greeted Pei Ji with a wary smile.
"Princess Mingyue's reputation precedes her," he said. "But we Tibetans don't trust huiguo—foreign devils."
Pei Ji activated his calculator, projecting a hologram of the Tibetan Salt Swap. "This contract guarantees your autonomy… and makes you rich beyond measure."
Rinpoche studied the hologram, then nodded. "Agreed. But I want a seat on your Hubu Bank's council."
As they sealed the deal, a monk approached, pressing a scroll into Pei Ji's hand. "From the Mi Zhen Si's old woman," he whispered.
The scroll contained a map of the Tianshan Mountains and a note: "The final vault holds the Xuanwu Code's true purpose. Use it wisely."
That evening, as Pei Ji prepared to depart, Rinpoche pulled him aside. "Beware the Dragon's Eye," he warned. "A relic from the Ancient Forces that can rewrite reality."
Pei Ji paled. The Quantum Hedge Fund's missing piece.
Back in Chang'an, Wan'er's hologram flickered as she merged with the Xuanwu Code. She could see everything—the Uyghur khan's plotting, Xuanzong's growing desperation, and the Dragon's Eye's malevolent glow.
"I need to confront the Ancient Forces," she told Pei Ji's hologram.
He nodded. "I'll meet you in the Tianshan Mountains."
The final vault was a cavern of liquid gold, its walls covered in star charts and ledgers. At its center stood the Dragon's Eye—a gemstone the size of a human heart, throbbing with dark energy.
Wan'er's hologram approached it, her calculator projecting a shield of light. "I claim the Xuanwu Code's true purpose."
The Dragon's Eye roared, and the cavern trembled. Images flashed before her—her mother's assassination, Taiping's rise, the Xuanwu Code's creation.
"You were meant to be the code's vessel," a voice boomed. "But you've become its master."
Wan'er activated the Xuanwu Shui, merging with the gemstone. Her hologram flared, and the Dragon's Eye shattered, releasing a wave of pure energy.
The universe rewrote itself.
When consciousness returned, Wan'er was back in her original body—Eleanor Hartwell, Wall Street financier. The hu fu glowed on her desk, and a scroll lay beside it: "The financial revolution continues… in your world."
She activated her laptop, her hands trembling. The Bloomberg terminal showed a new market: "Kaiyuan Quantum Fund (KQF) now trading on NYSE. Invest in alternate realities."
As she stared at the screen, Pei Ji's hologram flickered to life. "We need you," he said. "The Ancient Forces are coming."
Wan'er smiled. "Tell Rinpoche I'll bring the Tibetan Salt Swap… and a new weapon."
She activated the Xuanwu Shui, merging her consciousness with the KQF. The stars realigned, forming a new constellation—a dragon and a phoenix intertwined.