Chapter Eleven: A New Player?

About half an hour later, with his emotions settled, Zhuang Lin was teaching the students how to interpret a passage.

Liu Hongyu was studying alongside the children and displaying a considerable eagerness to learn. Once he had forced himself to set aside his embarrassment, he became the one who asked the most questions.

Elsewhere, at the edge of the valley, someone was making his way through a narrow cleft in the mountains.

A winding stream ran beneath his feet, hemmed in on either side by steep stone walls. The thin mist that had hung over the path earlier had gradually dispersed, though some still lingered overhead. He raised his head and gazed at the sky. The canyon soared high above, seeming to pierce the clouds, while sunlight suffused it with a faint radiance.

The man had originally been out boating for pleasure. Because of the morning mist, he had simply let his little craft drift with the current.

Then, at some point, he seemed to glimpse a brilliant haze rising from the mountains. Curious, the traveler decided to feel his way over and take a look.

Along the way, he truly did discover some extraordinary scenery. Groves of verdant trees and expanses of red flowers were breathtakingly beautiful, yet they did not seem to have grown there naturally. His anticipation deepened, and he became all the more determined to uncover what lay beyond.

Unfortunately, after passing through the thin mist, there was no longer any proper road.

The path beneath the traveler’s feet grew increasingly difficult. At its narrowest, it was scarcely a foot wide, with only a thread of sky visible overhead...

After a long while, the way ahead suddenly opened up. The traveler quickened his pace and rushed out of the narrow passage, only to find himself in a broad mountain valley—and, astonishingly, there were people living there!

Before his eyes lay fertile fields, clear ponds, and orderly houses. Wisps of cooking smoke curled upward among green trees and red flowers. It was more magnificent than a painted scroll, like a dream from which one could not awaken...

The traveler stood there dumbly, completely lost in wonder.

“Where... where is this? Could it be an immortal realm?”

Before long, someone passing nearby noticed the stranger. The stranger, of course, spotted him as well.

“Who are you? How did you find this place?”

The passerby’s astonishment was certainly genuine. Nearly everyone in the valley knew one another, and after only a couple of glances, it was clear that this unfamiliar face did not belong here.

The surrounding area was protected by the Liu family’s monitoring stations for its ecological conservation forests, so the chances of an outsider accidentally wandering in were exceedingly slim.

Besides, the man was dressed in a theatrical costume. Was he a new actor?

No one had heard of any such arrangement!

Still, they had to react appropriately. The people here were not fools. Any outsider entering the story should at least have a role comparable to that of the Liu family’s young master. After asking a few questions, the passerby raised his voice and shouted:

“Come and look, everyone! Another stranger has arrived!”

...

An outsider appearing in a secluded mountain valley was naturally bound to cause a commotion. On the one hand, it made the scene seem more natural; on the other, everyone was genuinely curious.

Before long, that curiosity turned into astonishment.

What on earth was the production crew trying to pull?

The village school was not far from where the stranger had been discovered. Soon, someone came to invite Zhuang Lin to go there, interrupting the lesson.

“Another outsider? He walked in by himself?”

Zhuang Lin looked at the sturdy man standing at the doorway, surprise showing on his face. The astonishment in his voice was impossible to miss.

“Yes. He came in through the narrow path behind the valley. The way he speaks, and the things he says, are strange too. Master Zhuang, you should go and have a look!”

The man at the door sounded rather anxious. The unspoken meaning was clear: something about the information did not match the script, so the star who could discuss plans with the chief director had better go and take control of the situation.

“All right! I’ll go at once. Lead the way!”

“Yes!”

The messenger hurried off, and Zhuang Lin quickly followed.

“I’m coming too!”

Liu Hongyu was tremendously curious and naturally refused to be left behind. He put down his book and left the school with Zhuang Lin.

The students in the classroom immediately began to rise as well, eager to follow. But outside, Zhuang Lin suddenly stopped.

“Read your books. No wandering off.”

One sentence was enough to suppress them all.

Liu Hongyu shrank his neck and pretended not to hear. Amid the resentful stares of his classmates, he continued hurrying after his teacher...

---

Near the place where the stranger had first entered the valley, a large crowd had already gathered around the nervous-looking newcomer. People were still coming from every direction, eager to join the spectacle.

When Liu Hongyu arrived and saw the scene, he could not help recalling his own first arrival. The difference was that he had crossed through time and space, while this man was a genuine outsider from the local world.

Well, this time it was his turn to watch the excitement!

People in the crowd noticed Zhuang Lin’s arrival and immediately seemed to see a savior.

“Master Zi’an is here!”

“Master Zhuang is here!”

“Master Zhuang, come and take a look!”

By the time the stranger had first been discovered, many people had already questioned him and gathered fragments of information. But those fragments were so absurd that they had nothing to do with the script.

In such circumstances, ordinary people naturally did not dare to react carelessly. It was safer to let Master Zhuang handle things. Perhaps this outsider simply had a different script!

Now that Zhuang Lin had arrived, the crowd quieted somewhat.

Zhuang Lin was equally astonished that another outsider had appeared. As far as he knew, the script contained no such arrangement. Besides, everything in the valley was proceeding smoothly. There was even less reason to add a scene that introduced so many variables.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhuang Lin emerged from the parting crowd.

The outsider was a tall, slender young man with slightly dark skin. He wore a deep green outer robe fastened down the front, over a white round-collared gown. A bamboo hat hung on his back, and his unruffled expression lent him a distinctive air of composure.

When the stranger saw a man of obvious status approaching—and heard the others address him as a teacher—he actually straightened his clothes and adjusted his headwear.

Then he stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and repeated what he had already told the others:

“I am Tao Yuanming. I was traveling through Wuling for pleasure and went boating far into the countryside. Because the journey was long, I lost my way. Then I saw what appeared to be a splendid haze in this direction and followed its traces, only to wander in here by mistake. I hope you will forgive the disturbance.”

What?

Tao Yuanming?

Though his accent was distinctly strange, his words could still be understood.

But the content of those words left Zhuang Lin completely stunned.

Those nearby who had already heard them once lowered their voices as well. Many turned to look at Zhuang Lin, as though silently asking: Surely you can admit this is absurd?

Quite a few people were cursing the script inwardly for being far too bold.

The Liu family’s young master might be mentally ill, but after spending time with him, everyone had realized that mental illness did not mean stupidity. And now the production had brought in Tao Yuanming?

At that moment, Liu Hongyu simply stared blankly at the man bowing before his teacher. A thunderclap seemed to explode in his mind.

In an instant, a current of electricity shot through his entire body, raising gooseflesh across his scalp. He did not even notice the brief abnormality in the reactions around him.

Although he had long understood that he was living in ancient times, seeing in reality the very material he had once studied in textbooks—and had been tormented into memorizing—shook Liu Hongyu beyond words.

This was different from the delight he had felt when he first crossed through time. This was the shock of history resonating with the present!

“This is the Peach Blossom Spring! This is the Peach Blossom Spring!”

The surroundings were relatively quiet, so Liu Hongyu’s uncontrollable cry rang out clearly. Many people turned to look at him, and he instinctively covered his mouth.

He had been too excited and blurted it out!

Zhuang Lin cast Liu Hongyu a glance but ignored him. Instead, he returned the stranger’s greeting.

“My name is Zhuang Lin. I am one of the teachers in this valley. You have come from afar and are our guest, so there is no need to be formal. Would you care to go to the school and speak there? This way, please...”

“Then I shall trouble you. After you.”

Tao Yuanming nodded and set off with Zhuang Lin. Yet he too could not help glancing at Liu Hongyu, having heard the young man’s low exclamation.

Many of the people nearby were unwilling to disperse. They followed along as though watching a spectacle, while even more came hurrying over from a distance. The growing crowd only increased Tao Yuanming’s unease.

“The people of our valley have lived here in seclusion for many years and seldom see outsiders. They are merely curious, not malicious, so I hope you will not be alarmed.”

“I see...”

Tao Yuanming nodded, steadying himself somewhat. Yet as he walked, his curiosity remained impossible to suppress, and he could not help looking around at his surroundings.

---

A short while later, inside the schoolroom.

Most of the desks had been moved to either side. Zhuang Lin and Tao Yuanming sat kneeling beside a central table, where a brazier heated water for tea.

Several respected elders of the valley had also come, including Old Master Mu. The students’ cushions were now beneath them, and they sat either kneeling or cross-legged nearby.

Liu Hongyu’s first arrival had been a carefully arranged part of the story. Because of his illness, the people who came to observe had arrived in separate groups.

This time, the gathering was far more formal. Not only were many people seated inside the schoolroom, but even more stood around it. The area outside was packed as well, and people who had only just heard the news continued to arrive.

At times, there were noticeable differences in the way the two sides spoke, but each assumed that the other was merely using a distant regional dialect.

The conversations inside the room occasionally provoked gasps. Some were feigned; others were genuine.

Tao Yuanming’s astonishment, naturally, was entirely real.

After speaking with the people there for some time, he became increasingly amazed by the valley’s unusual nature.

“So you have all lived here for generations, for so many years that no one knows how long it has been? Is there any record of when your ancestors first arrived?”

The people in the room exchanged glances.

Why was he asking such precise questions?

This man was looking less and less like an actor. The script required such details to remain as vague as possible. The more specific they became, the easier it would be to expose the deception.

“Well...”

“We cannot remember either...”

“I do not know where to begin...”

“Indeed. Master Zhuang, what do you think?”

None of the elders could give a clear answer. They all turned toward Zhuang Lin.

It was up to him now.

Zhuang Lin was just about to speak when Liu Hongyu, seated to one side, could no longer restrain himself.

“Of course it was during the chaos of the Qin era!”

Zhuang Lin frowned slightly and shot him a glance. Liu Hongyu immediately fell silent.

“When the sages first fled disaster, the world was in turmoil. Perhaps they feared that people, unable to bear the loneliness, would venture outside and bring ruin upon themselves. For that reason, the records concerning those times were not made very detailed...”

As he spoke, Zhuang Lin tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. Then he suddenly remembered what the appropriate reaction ought to be.

“By the way, is the world outside still in chaos?”

At those words, everyone around him suddenly understood.

Of course. They had nearly been distracted from the real issue. This was the normal response.

“Yes, yes! Young sir, is the world outside still in turmoil?”

“Are there still wars?”

“What is the state of the world?”

“Who is emperor now?”

One question after another flew out, drowning Tao Yuanming beneath them.

The sight brought Liu Hongyu back to the circumstances of his own arrival. He could not help grinning, yet his gaze at Tao Yuanming grew increasingly fervent.

Could my hidden immortal master actually be Tao Yuanming?

The crowd only quieted after Zhuang Lin and Old Master Mu sternly rebuked them. Tao Yuanming felt as though his head were about to split open, but he roughly understood what they were asking and could also understand why the people here were so agitated. Thus, he patiently began to answer.

“The realm cannot truly be called peaceful. To some extent, propriety and music have fallen into disorder...”

Tao Yuanming went on to describe various conditions beyond the valley, answering their questions one by one.

“Ah, yes. The imperial house at present is the Sima clan. The current sovereign is... Sima Yao. The name of the state is Jin.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Tao Yuanming directly spoke the emperor’s personal name. His voice paused.

He had intended to dip his fingers into the water in his cup, but he found himself reluctant to waste it.

The tea, boiled without any seasoning, was faintly bitter at first, then left a sweet aftertaste. Tao Yuanming had taken only one sip before falling in love with it, deciding that it must be a precious drink reserved for honored guests.

So he poured a little tea onto the table, dipped one finger into it, and wrote the character for “Jin” in the water.

“This is the Jin I mean.”

The room fell utterly silent.

Tao Yuanming lifted his head and looked around. Then, as though struck by a thought, he asked another question.

“You know of the Han dynasty, do you not? The great Han that ruled the world with its might for four hundred years, pacified the Western Regions, opened the Silk Road, defeated the Xiongnu, and raised a monument at Langju Xu...”

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

The entire room was silenced by a single question. No one knew what to say. They felt that the more they spoke, the more mistakes they would make, so it was better to say nothing. Suspicion and uncertainty appeared on every face.

This man was looking less and less like an actor.

Seeing their expressions, Tao Yuanming was even more shaken. They truly had never heard of it. For a moment, he did not know how to respond.

“If you have not even heard of the Han, how could you know of the Wei and Jin...”

Tao Yuanming murmured to himself, melancholy appearing upon his face. He could not help sighing inwardly at the thought that he had actually encountered descendants of the people who had fled the chaos of the Qin era.

The collision between the people of his own time and those of antiquity filled him with indescribable awe.

Among those present, apart from Liu Hongyu—who had been convinced from the beginning that this man truly was Tao Yuanming—only a few, including Zhuang Lin, had begun to develop an absurd suspicion they could no longer shake.