The Kaiyuan Quantum Fund's holographic interface rippled as Lin Wan'er/Eleanor Hartwell materialized in 21st-century Manhattan, her hu fu glowing like a miniature sun against her Versace blazer. The Bloomberg terminal beside her blared: "KQF Surges 300% as Multiverse Theory Goes Mainstream."
"Eleanor!" a voice shouted. "The SEC is here!"
She turned to face her assistant, a young woman with a pixie cut and a Mi Zhen Si star tattoo hidden beneath her sleeve. "Stall them," Wan'er said, activating her calculator. "I need five minutes."
She projected a hologram of Tang's collapsing financial system. "Pei Ji, the Ancient Forces are using interdimensional CDOs to destabilize our timelines."
His hologram flickered into existence, sword drawn. "What do you need?"
"A cross-timeline credit default swap," she said, inputting equations. "If Tang's economy fails in one reality, the KQF covers the losses in another."
Pei Ji nodded. "I'll secure the Tibetan salt flats as collateral."
As he vanished, the SEC agents stormed in, led by a man with a Tian Xian scorpion tattoo. "Eleanor Hartwell, you're under arrest for—"
Wan'er activated her calculator, projecting a hologram of the agent's embezzlement. "You're under arrest for insider trading."
The agents froze, then fled. Wan'er smiled. Finance is the ultimate weapon.
She materialized in Tang's Hubu Bank, where Pei Ji awaited her, bloodied but triumphant. "The salt flats are secure," he said. "But Mu Guiying's forces are massing at the border."
Wan'er activated the interdimensional CDO, merging Tang's salt reserves with Manhattan's stock market. "Now, let's see how the Ancient Forces like a little reality arbitrage."
The KQF's interface flared, and the Ancient Forces' timeline manipulations reversed. Markets across the multiverse stabilized, but Wan'er's hologram began to flicker.
"Wan'er!" Pei Ji shouted. "You're fading!"
She pressed the hu fu into his hand. "Take this… and remember—finance is both science and art."
She dissolved into light, her final words echoing: "Bet on love, Pei Ji. It's the only sure thing."
In Manhattan, Eleanor Hartwell awoke in her penthouse, the hu fu glowing on her desk. A scroll lay beside it: "The Ancient Forces are coming. Prepare the Xuanwu Shui."
She activated her laptop, coding a quantum encryption algorithm. "I'll protect both worlds," she whispered.
As she worked, a figure emerged from the shadows—Jiao, the Dragon's Bride, now wearing a power suit and a cold smile. "You can't hide, Khatun," she hissed. "The Ancient Forces will have their revenge."
Wan'er activated her calculator, projecting a hologram of Jiao's financial vulnerabilities. "I've shorted your interdimensional CDOs," she said. "You're bankrupt."
Jiao screamed, dissolving into code. But as she vanished, the Xuanwu Shui vial cracked, releasing a wave of energy that merged Tang and Manhattan into a single reality.
Wan'er materialized in a hybrid city—skyscrapers towering over pagodas, Kaiyuan Tongbao clinking beside Bitcoin ATMs. Pei Ji stood before her, his hufu now inscribed with binary code.
"Welcome to the Quantum Nexus," he said. "Where finance transcends time and space."
Wan'er smiled. "Let's build a better world… one trade at a time."
As they walked hand in hand, the Xuanwu Code's hologram expanded, encompassing the merged reality. Markets flourished, wars ceased, and love conquered all—for now.
But in the shadows, a figure laughed. "The game isn't over," Xuanzong hissed, his face half-human, half-code. "The Ancient Forces will rise again."
As he spoke, the stars realigned, forming a new constellation—a virus attacking a financial graph.