Ya She

Chapter 64 The Ninefold Conclusion

【one】

The doctor's request to leave Xiyong together was unsurprisingly rejected, so he persistently begged the young general to take him to see the people left behind in Xiyong. Although the young general looked reluctant, he agreed, proving he was a kind-hearted person despite his cold exterior.

The doctor cheerfully diagnosed the young general, and during the conversation, they reminisced about the previous encounters—one a young man, the other an old man—one a fugitive, the other a pursuer. "What? That child was actually the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty? Oh, I vaguely remember, the young emperor of Song was..."
He was carried by his subjects and jumped into the sea to die for his country. The doctor recalled what he had learned in history class years ago and sighed deeply. How old was that child? In modern times, he would be a primary school student who would only cause trouble everywhere, and might even fall into West Lake while fishing. But this young emperor of Song had to bear the hatred of his country and family and finally drown himself to die for his country.

The young general glanced at him sideways and couldn't help but advise, "They can't possibly leave. Don't bother visiting them. Zhao Bing is too frightened to leave Xiyong. And Lu Xiufu is sticking to his emperor; how could he possibly leave alone?"

The doctor immediately dismissed the idea of ​​"child abduction." "Besides," he continued, "if he were to leave with you, how could Zhao Bing possibly adapt to this world a thousand years in the future?"

As for Lu Xiufu, the Song Dynasty he desperately tried to protect had long since vanished, and only Zhao Bing before him was his last hope. "The young general spoke calmly, as if he were truly recounting someone else's story.

But the doctor, listening to him, felt that he was actually alluding to himself.

Yes, the outside world can no longer be described simply as changing rapidly; it's been completely transformed! He couldn't believe that an ancient person could accept such changes, especially since the Qin Empire was long gone, and everyone the young general knew had long since turned to dust. Moreover, although the young general hadn't said it, the doctor could guess that he had died in defeat. Besides, in the third year of Qin Er Shi's reign, the Qin Dynasty's collapse was irreversible; there should be no one or anything the young general cherished in the world anymore…

What if everyone in Xiyongli is unwilling to leave? The doctor rubbed his hands anxiously. He didn't want to stay in Xiyongli. Who knew when the next newcomer would arrive? What if he had to wait here for another two thousand years? Wouldn't it be the interstellar era by the time he left? Hmm? That's actually quite appealing…

No, no, no! How could he be wavering? Forget two thousand years, he couldn't even endure two! No, two years isn't realistic! Two days would be too much! He has to go to work tomorrow! That was a hard-won internship opportunity!
The doctor pounded his forehead, trying to shake off all the unrealistic thoughts.

He followed the young general toward the distant, scattered lights, looking up as he went, watching schools of fish swimming leisurely to and fro. He couldn't tell whether they were freshwater or saltwater fish, and occasionally a few huge shadows swept overhead, adding to the eeriness—the doctor had initially worried that the fish might swim over and eat him, but after looking around, he thought he should be worried that the fish might fall and kill him.

The flickering lights in the distance looked like a town, but due to the poor lighting, only vague outlines were visible. However, these outlines were not the layered shapes of the tall buildings he was used to; instead, they were towering and sharp, like telephone poles stuck on top of low-rise buildings, which was quite eerie.

But no matter how strange it was, he had no choice. The doctor sighed silently and continued walking. After a few steps, he noticed that the texture under his feet was becoming increasingly strange, and it didn't feel smooth at all. The doctor couldn't help but look down and was immediately shocked speechless.

It turned out that what he was stepping on was not the pebbles he thought he was standing on, but copper coins!

Wuzhu, Kaiyuan Tongbao, Qianyuan Tongbao, Tianxi Tongbao, Longxing Yuanbao, Chunyou Yuanbao, Huangsong Yuanbao… The doctor couldn't help but pick up and identify the coins as he walked. Some were brand new, some were rusty, some were strung together, and some were scattered on the ground…

"Where did all these copper coins come from...?"

"There are more than just fish in the water." The young general was already used to this and didn't explain further.

Although the doctor didn't understand history, he could still recognize that these copper coins came from various dynasties. Upon closer inspection, he could even spot a few one-yuan coins with chrysanthemums on the reverse side.

They really are keeping up with the times...

The further they went, the more copper coins they found, and mixed in with the copper coins were also many porcelain and gold and silver utensils, but the doctor had no time to pay attention to them.

As he got closer, he realized that the lights weren't on houses, but on ships!
These boats weren't floating on the water, nor were they overturned; they stood upright amidst the piles of copper coins. What he had initially thought were telephone poles were actually the masts of the boats.

"This...is this Xiyong?" the doctor asked, shocked.

"Yes, this is Xiyong." The young general's voice was much more relaxed, clearly showing a deep affection for Xiyong, where he had lived for so long. The doctor followed the young general as they moved between the boats, marveling at the sights.

These boats weren't arranged in neat rows, but rather piled up haphazardly. Not every boat had its lights on; some had cracked hulls, while others were intact, their sails still half-hung on the masts. The boats varied in design, but all clearly belonged to the ancient Chinese shipbuilding style. Some were flat-bottomed and narrow-bodied with long hulls; some were pointed at the bottom and wide at the top, with a pointed bow and wide stern, both ends curving upwards; some had pointed bows and long bodies, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with a slender, pointed bottom; some had bows resembling bird beaks; some even had tiger heads on their bows; some had dozens of oars protruding from their sides, like centipedes with countless legs; some even had three stories high, with their bows and sterns raised high…

The doctor was dazzled by the variety of ships, and he noticed that those with cannons mounted were heavily damaged, indicating they were warships. These warships were wrecked beyond recognition by artillery fire, some even broken in two.

"Oh! Is there a newcomer?" Just as the doctors were getting excited, an enthusiastic voice came from above them.

The doctor looked up and saw a gray-blue figure leaping off the ship's side, pulling on a rope. His clothes fluttered, and his movements were graceful and elegant.

This was a young man around twenty years old, with fair skin and handsome features. His bright and spirited eyes were unforgettable, and his smile was especially radiant, making people want to smile along with him.

"This is Prince An," the young general introduced briefly, then tried to lead the doctor forward. The doctor felt the name sounded familiar, but before he could think about it, he was stopped.

"Oh, newbie, can you recite poetry?" The young man named Wang Zi'an blocked the doctor's path with his arm outstretched. He stared at the doctor with his bright, shining eyes, like an adorable puppy, which was simply irresistible.

"Recite poems?" The doctor paused for a moment before realizing what the question was, and was taken aback. "Yes... I should..."
"You should know a little bit..." "Then let's try memorizing it! Anything is fine!" Wang Zi'an clapped his hands excitedly.

Seeing that he couldn't avoid the doctor, the young general, unwilling to stay and listen to useless poetry, raised his chin and said, "Zian, since you have nothing to do anyway, why don't you lead the newcomers around Xiyong?" After saying that, he ignored the doctor's hesitant look and walked into the depths of Xiyong.

The doctor was on the verge of tears. He had just started to get to know the young general a little better, and now they'd switched again? "Oh dear, I love mentoring newcomers!" Wang Zi'an rubbed his hands excitedly, holding up his right index finger.

"A poem I've never heard before can provide an answer to a question."

The doctor wondered, how would he know if this person had heard of it before? But he knew the next second, because as soon as he said "The bright moonlight shines before my bed," Wang Zian immediately followed with "I suspect it is frost on the ground," and as soon as he said "Birds have vanished from a thousand mountains," he was met with "Traces of men have disappeared from ten thousand paths"...

He rattled off every word and phrase he could remember in one breath, completely draining the doctor's meager repertoire of poetry. He squatted on the ground, clutching his head, thinking that he hadn't touched poetry much since the college entrance exam, and that reciting this many lines was already his limit. He couldn't even recite some poems in their entirety, only remembering one or two well-known lines, but Wang Zi'an could still quickly continue the poem.

"Ah! I just remembered another line! 'The sunset glows and the lone wild goose flies together; the autumn water blends with the vast sky'..." The doctor only remembered this one line; he couldn't recall anything before or after it.

Upon hearing this, Wang Zian beamed with delight, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Oh my, you still remember what I wrote! I can't let you memorize it for nothing! Alright, you can ask me a question now!"

The doctor looked up in shock. The line he was reciting must be the most famous line from "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng"... Prince Zi'an, Wang Bo's courtesy name was Zi'an?

The person before me is none other than Wang Bo, the foremost of the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang Dynasty! Uh, so Wang Bo also drowned…

"Oh? So I really am a celebrity? That old scholar Lu Xiufu's eyes lit up when he saw me, and he even recited many poems from later generations for me." Wang Zian paced back and forth, overjoyed, and began to introduce himself incessantly before the doctor could ask any questions.

It turns out he really was Wang Bo, also known as Prince Zian. From a young age, he displayed extraordinary intelligence and poetic talent, which propelled him to a meteoric rise in his career. However, his youthful arrogance, haughtiness, and reckless behavior offended many. His famous work, "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng," was written at a banquet celebrating the completion of the pavilion. In fact, the host, Governor Yan, had already commissioned a congratulatory message to promote his son-in-law and specially arranged the banquet. But then Prince Zian appeared out of nowhere, and on the spot, he wrote the lines, "The sunset glows and the lone wild goose flies together; the autumn water blends with the vast sky." These two lines made the entire Pavilion of Prince Teng famous, not only throughout the world but also immortalized in history.

Afterwards, Wang Zian went to Guozhou to serve as a military advisor. For some unknown reason, he offended someone and was falsely accused of murder and arrested. If it hadn't been for a general amnesty, he might have lost his head long ago. However, because of this incident, his father, who was originally a high-ranking official, was demoted to a county magistrate in Jiaozhi. Wang Zian traveled across the sea to see his father, but on his return journey, he encountered a storm and drowned. He was only twenty-six years old that year.

When he woke up again, he was already in Xiyong.

At that time, Wang Zian had considered leaving Xiyong and had tried many times. He had pestered almost everyone in Xiyong, but to no avail.

In Xiyong, time seems to stand still. Before long, a century had passed in the outside world by the time the next newcomer arrived. Prince An's family had long since passed away, leaving him with a heavy heart; leaving Xiyong would be pointless. Furthermore, his naturally straightforward and outspoken nature had unknowingly offended many people, but in Xiyong, this was no longer a concern. Interpersonal relationships were simple, and most people were content and without ambition, allowing Prince An to live without burdens. Over time, Prince An's desire to return home faded, and he settled comfortably in Xiyong.

Go home? Where does he even have a home anymore?
Just as Lu Xiufu once recited a poem to him, "Home is where the heart finds peace." "Alright, you can ask your questions now." Wang Zi'an crossed his arms in his sleeves, looking confident. The doctor glanced around, thought for a moment, and raised his hand to ask, "I... want to know who's in Xiyong." "...You look like a pretty honest guy, but you're actually so cunning!" Wang Zi'an exclaimed that he'd been tricked.
That's an incredibly insightful question!

However, he had already made his boast, and the newcomer's question did not violate any rules; it was simply a question!

Wang Zian sighed and obediently led the newcomer around Xiyongli. "This Xiyongli...it's so sparsely populated by women, there are too many girls who have drowned themselves," Wang Zian lamented. "Ah? Then why have I only seen men since I arrived?" The doctor didn't really want to interrupt, but it was Wang Zian's...
An spoke too slowly, and the pauses in between made him want to say something. "What are you asking? I'll only answer one question!" Prince An shouted a couple of times, but still kindly replied.

In response to the doctor's question, he said, "Young women, of course, tend to stay at home and rarely go out. I rarely get to see them."

As he spoke, he pointed to the sunken ships in the distance and introduced them as if they were his own treasures: "The lady who lived on that warship was surnamed Sun. It is said that her husband's family name was Liu. Their marriage was originally a marriage between two countries, but they were separated soon after due to the falling out between the two countries. There were rumors that she lost both her wife and her army. In the end, when she heard that her husband had died of illness in the army, she threw herself into the river."

No… this plot sounds so much like Sun Shangxiang and Liu Bei, doesn’t it? The doctor wanted to ask, but then remembered that he didn’t have the right to ask questions, so he swallowed back the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

"The ship further away with cannons is called 'Hengyang,' and the beauty living on it was a concubine! It is said that she was once the most favored, but when the capital fell, the Empress Dowager had her pushed into a well." Prince An sighed, lamenting the impermanence of life.

This plot... it sounds like Consort Zhen and Emperor Guangxu... The doctor swallowed hard again. "Further away, there's a small boat called the 'Ten-Oar Cangshan Boat.' The eldest sister living there is a feisty character..."

I heard she was once a renowned courtesan, but she married the wrong person and was almost sold to someone else by that scoundrel. In the end, she angrily jumped into the river with her treasure chest.

Wait, Du Shiniang was a real person? Not a fictional character?
When introducing the owners of each ship, Prince An deliberately did not name them, just so that the doctor would be unable to resist asking questions and he could exchange poems with him.

The doctor listened and guessed as he went, some he could guess, others he couldn't, but he didn't force himself to. He noticed that the ships Wang Zi'an pointed to weren't necessarily the largest, but they were definitely the cleanest and tidiest, some even adorned with silk decorations, clearly meticulously arranged. Sure enough, the girl's place was different.

He also noticed a five-story giant ship not far away. Although it was not lit, the railings were decorated with silk flowers, and he could vaguely see strings of seashell curtains inside the cabin, suggesting it belonged to a woman of high status. But whether Prince An did it on purpose or not, he seemed to know all the other ships well, yet he completely ignored this five-story giant ship.

Was this specifically designed to elicit a second question from him? The doctor listened, feeling increasingly frustrated. The golden age of classical Chinese poetry was the Tang and Song dynasties. Lu Xiufu must have recited everything he could remember to Wang Zian; he wasn't a humanities major, how could he possibly remember so many Tang and Song poems?
Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing... Suddenly, the doctor had a flash of inspiration, coughed lightly, and recited: "The scenery of the Northland, a thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow..."

After reciting the poem "Qinyuanchun: Snow," the last line, "All have passed away; let us look to the present for truly remarkable figures," drew attention.

Wang Zian clapped and cheered.

Wang Zian silently recited the last line several times, but fearing he would forget it, he took out a brush, ink, and notebook from his bosom and wrote down the poem in a flourish.

The doctor noticed that the calligraphy brush in Wang Zi'an's hand had a jade handle and a dark purple tip, clearly an extraordinary piece. After finishing writing, Wang Zi'an admired the brush for a while before looking up at the doctor with a smile and saying, "You want to ask about..."
Who lives on that five-toothed ship?

The doctor nodded. Ten minutes ago, he might have hesitated to ask such a trivial question, but now he was no longer afraid; he had so many of Chairman Mao's poems in his mind!
“Alas, I never met the former owner of that Five-Toothed Ship. She had already left when I arrived in Xiyong. She was said to be an unparalleled beauty!” Prince An looked on with longing. “Legend has it that she endured humiliation and was offered to the king of an enemy country, causing him to become obsessed with women and neglect state affairs, leading to the downfall of his kingdom. However, when she returned to her homeland, she was considered a woman who brought ruin to the country and was eventually drowned in a lake.”

Isn't this... Xi Shi, the foremost of the Four Beauties of ancient China?
The doctor didn't continue questioning him, because he realized that Wang Zi'an was probably lonely for too long and had a strong urge to talk. Even if he didn't ask, Wang Zi'an would have told him on his own.

Sure enough, Wang Zian only paused for a moment before continuing his rambling: "You guessed who it was, right? Madam Shi didn't actually stay in Xiyong for very long. The decorations on the Five-Toothed Ship were all purchased by her sisters who admired her. They also used it as a gathering place."

"Oh, so it's a club, no wonder." "Newcomer, are you trying to ask how Madam Shi left Xiyong?" Wang Zi'an smiled at the doctor. The doctor hesitated, then realized Wang Zi'an really wasn't going to continue, and could only recite his poem under the doctor's intense gaze.
The first poem was "Qinyuanchun Changsha". When he recited the lines "Pointing out the landscape, stirring up emotions with words, treating the powerful officials of the past as dirt", Wang Zian clapped his hands excitedly and quickly wrote the poem down with a purple brush.

“Such verses! Such spirit! Not just anyone could write this! Could it be…” Wang Zi’an paused deliberately halfway through his sentence, looking at the doctor expectantly, hoping he would continue.

"You can ask questions, we can take turns asking each other." The doctor quietly wiped away his sweat. He had just thought about it and suddenly realized that he couldn't recite every poem by Chairman Mao either; he had to thank his Chinese teacher for remembering these two...

"You little rascal, you're quite cunning!" Wang Zian pointed at the doctor with the tip of his pen and scolded him with a laugh.

Despite his complaints, he still gossiped enthusiastically, "Who else could have gone out of their way to escort Lady Shi out of Xiyong? Of course, it was Tao Zhugong! It's said that Tao Zhugong not only took Lady Shi away, but also took many treasures with him..."

Tao Zhugong? Fan Li? Did Fan Li's path to wealth begin in Xiyong? The doctor's eyes widened as he listened.

Perhaps his attitude pleased the other party, and Prince An, finally having an audience, began to speak eloquently. "The Heavenly Mandate of the Black Bird descended and gave birth to the Shang Dynasty." The totem of the Shang Dynasty was the bird, and the Shang Dynasty revered white, so its plumage was pure white.
The egret was regarded as a noble and sacred creature by the Shang people. According to legend, the Zhenlu Pavilion originally belonged to the Shang people as a treasure. After the Shang Dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou Dynasty, the Shang people, who were originally royalty, were stripped of their territory. Without fixed land...

Without a source of income, they could only survive by selling goods over long distances. Over time, this formed a fixed profession, and these remnants of the Shang Dynasty were called "merchants." For a long time, merchants were also considered to be unproductive, only earning profits from price differences, and were the lowest of professions.

Zhenlu Pavilion is a secondary space carried by the Shang people to store their goods. Originally, it contained treasures that could not be easily taken out.

In Xiyong Village, the rule for Zhenlu Pavilion is that two people must leave together to retrieve treasures. This is actually a system of supervision used by the Shang people; two people must enter and exit at the same time. It is said that when only one person remained of the Shang people's ancestor, Zhenlu Pavilion could no longer be opened.

Later, for reasons unknown, one of the Zhenlu Pavilions fell into the water. Some people who drowned were destined to enter this wonderful world, and gradually Xiyong Village came into being.

As the doctor listened, he pondered whether the people of Xiyong Village were dead or alive. Could it be that they had fallen into a time rift, and that getting out would solve everything?
“A long time ago, the Zhenlu Pavilion at the entrance of Xiyong Village disappeared, so we haven’t had any newcomers here for a long time.” Wang Zi’an looked intently at the doctor, very curious about the newcomer who appeared with the Zhenlu Pavilion.

"Hehe, let me tell you the story of that 'mastermind' first..." the doctor quickly changed the subject. Could he really say that Zhenlu Pavilion was just a pavilion model he randomly picked up from an antique shop? Nobody would believe that!

The two walked and talked, finding themselves getting along very well. Seeing that the doctor's knowledge was indeed limited, Wang Zi'an stopped insisting on exchanging a question for a line of poetry. After hearing the story of "pointing out the landscape," he generously took him around Xiyong. This time, instead of pointing at the various ships and making the doctor guess, he directly led him to visit each one.

At first, the doctor found it intriguing, but many residents of Xiyong politely declined when they heard he was there to find someone to leave with. After being turned away so many times, the doctor gradually felt despair.

There are indeed many people in Xiyongli, but as the young general and Prince An said, if everyone wanted to leave, they would have left long ago. How could they have wasted their lives like this?
Wang Zian had long anticipated this outcome, accompanying the doctor with a smile throughout. Seeing the doctor's increasingly ashen face, he showed no mockery or ridicule. However, he didn't offer many words of comfort, knowing they would be futile. He felt as if he were seeing his younger self, newly arrived in Xiyong Village, through the doctor's eyes. He had thought it would be a simple task, but had failed to accomplish it for a long time, until he had given up entirely.

The doctor was unaware of the complex gaze directed at him by Prince An. He was walking towards a brightly lit warship and looking up. He recognized it as a warship because of the signs of battle on its hull, including deep red bloodstains. The ship's gunwales had crenellations made of cowhide, with crossbow slits and arrow slits that faintly emitted light.

"This is a sea falcon warship, with a low bow and high stern, large in the front and small in the back, resembling the shape of a falcon. There are floating planks on both sides under the hull, shaped like falcon wings. Even when the wind and waves are high, the ship will not capsize..." Seeing the doctor examining the warship in front of him, Wang Zi'an began to introduce it as usual, but his voice was much lower than before.

At that moment, an aged sigh echoed from the sea hawk warship: "The road ahead is long and arduous, I will search high and low." The doctor paused, silently repeating the words twice, then looked at Wang Zi'an in astonishment. This poem, combined with the atmosphere of Xiyong Village...

The unusual way of entering… Could the people on this sea hawk warship be Qu Yuan, the old man who drowned himself in the Miluo River? Wang Zian nodded, a hint of caution in his expression. After all, he was wary of the old man who was about the same age as his father.

The gentleman was completely helpless.

The doctor couldn't imagine that Qu Yuan would agree to leave Xiyong with him, so he simply didn't go to pay his respects. Instead, with the zongzi in high esteem, he stood silently for a long time under the sea hawk warship, and then slowly left as Qu Yuan recited, "I cannot change my heart and follow the vulgar ways, so I will suffer and die in poverty."

After walking a short distance, the doctor saw a small, black-hulled boat with its sails covered in writing. As he got closer, he realized they were lines of poetry.

"Ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no trace left." "Laughing loudly, I stride out the door; how can I, a man of such talent, be a mere commoner?" "Life is short, so seize the day and enjoy it to the fullest; don't let your golden goblet stand empty before the moon." "There will be times when the wind will break the waves, and I will set sail to cross the vast ocean." The doctor recited these lines one by one, and Wang Zi'an's face lit up with a look of rapture with each recitation. The doctor didn't need to ask; he knew...

Who lives on that boat? Judging from the deafening snores emanating from the black-hulled boat, the poet Li Bai is probably fast asleep. Wang Zi'an, a passionate poet and admirer of Li Bai, grabbed the doctor and began gossiping incessantly. Actually, chronologically speaking, Li Bai was Wang Zi'an's junior. Years ago, Li Bai, drunk on the river, tried to catch the moon...

He fell into the water and finally arrived at Xiyong. However, because he had drunk a lot of wine, he was in a state of semi-consciousness and hangover for many years. He lay in Zhenlu Pavilion for a long time. In the end, it was the kind young general who carried him and put him in this black-hulled boat.

At first, Wang Zi'an simply thought he was a drunkard and didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until Lu Xiufu arrived and recited those poems to Wang Zi'an from memory that he realized what a remarkable person the seemingly carefree old man on the small boat was. The poems on the sails were all added by Wang Zi'an later. He did wish the "Poet Immortal" would wake up and compose some more timeless masterpieces, but Li Bai was rarely sober; most of the time he was in the throes of sleep.

The doctor stood outside the black-hulled boat for a long time, looking at the sails covered with writing overhead. Lines of poetry that had tormented him with memorization and recitation in junior and senior high school flashed through his mind. He decided to express his admiration silently in his heart...

The doctor, accompanied by Wang Zi'an, visited several more residents of Xiyong. Except for those who couldn't communicate, everyone refused to leave Xiyong after hearing the doctor's purpose. The doctor grew increasingly frustrated. Although time didn't flow here, it did in the real world! He had an early shift tomorrow, and even being a minute late would get him scolded by the head doctor!

"What, are you still going to keep shopping?" Wang Zian asked with a smile when he noticed the doctor had stopped. "Are you tired? Should I help you find a boat to settle in? Let's find a small boat first, it'll be easier to tidy up. There's a small boat up ahead that's in pretty good condition, you can use it for a while. When you have time, we can find a boat you like and tidy it up slowly."

The doctor looked around at the misty Xiyong Village. Schools of fish swam leisurely overhead, and boats of varying heights lined up one after another, with twinkling lights among them. It was a beautiful scene, yet it gave people a sense of desolation and bleakness.

Apart from the sounds of his own breathing and heartbeat, there was only deathly silence around him.

This place doesn't feel like a village inhabited by living people; it's more like a graveyard where many people are buried.

The doctor took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "I'd better go back to Zhenluting first and see if I can find anything. Could you please give me directions back, Brother Wang?"

“What trouble is there? I’ll take you there right away! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Zhenlu Pavilion, let’s go see what’s different!” Wang Zi’an said enthusiastically, since he had nothing better to do anyway.

The two turned around and headed out of Xiyong Village.

As they passed a large ship, the doctor saw a shadowy figure in armor in the cabin and asked curiously, "Is that the general?"

“That’s right.” Wang Zian glanced at it, and, being used to introducing things to doctors, he casually recited the other person’s resume as well.

"Then he came out and said, "That general was named Wang Li, the grandson of Wang Jian, a famous general of the Qin Dynasty. He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wucheng and held the official rank of General. He was defeated by Xiang Yu at the Battle of Julu and was captured. There are no further records of him in history. In fact, he committed suicide by drowning in the Zhang River."

The doctor was taken aback. Looking at the bloodstains all over the young general's body, it was clear he had been through a fierce battle...

"Actually, Xiang Yu's famous Battle of Julu, where he broke the cauldrons and sank the boats, is somewhat exaggerated. The Qin Dynasty was already on the verge of collapse, and morale was wavering. And Wang Li witnessed Fusu's suicide and Meng Tian's execution, yet he still devoted himself to serving Qin Er Shi?" Wang Zian hadn't gossiped with anyone in a long time, and fearing that Wang Li would overhear him, he deliberately lowered his voice.

There's no way around it, Xiyong Village is just too quiet.

Although Prince An only said a few words, he had already sketched out the bloody battles on the battlefield and in the court. The doctor glanced silently at the figure in armor and could vaguely feel the heavy burden he carried.

Even after so many years, even now in Xiyong, he hasn't let go of it. "Ahem, actually, there's more to Zhenlu Pavilion than meets the eye!" Wang Zian noticed a movement in the cabin of the Yuhang ship and immediately...

Feeling guilty, he forced a change of topic, grabbing the doctor's arm and pulling him towards Zhenlu Pavilion. "Huh? What saying?" The doctor's mind was still full of Qin Dynasty history; he hadn't even realized what Wang Zi'an was talking about.

what.

"The young Ming King Han Lin'er I just took you to see, his father Han Shantong was the leader of the White Lotus Sect. Before he drowned in the Guabu River, he and his mother fled to Hangzhou and lived there for a while. It's said that there was another Zhenlu Pavilion on West Lake back then." "There was one later too, but it collapsed a long time ago. This is a rebuilt pavilion in the middle of the lake." The doctor recalled.
Suddenly, I remembered what the boss had said before.

"Back then, Zhenlu Pavilion was called the Release Pavilion. Many people released not only fish, snakes, and turtles, but also antique artifacts. Sometimes, even people were released. A few lucky ones did reach Xiyong, but they all left one after another," Wang Zian said with a smile. "Actually, the villagers in Xiyong Village are not just humans! Some artifacts have been in Xiyong since before the Shang people disappeared. It is said that they have the ability to break through the shackles of Xiyong Village and leave from Zhenlu Pavilion on the water, but they can only move around the West Lake."

The doctor was speechless. There were always rumors of haunted hotels around West Lake. Could it all be a prank by these antiques?

"Hehe, isn't it quite interesting? There are other interpretations too! '亭' means 'to stop.' It refers to a place along the road where people stop and gather."

Pavilions, by their very nature, are places for people to gather and await reunions. It is said that Zhenlu Pavilion was also a tool used by the Shang people to summon their kin. Legend has it that one can meet the person they wish to see at Zhenlu Pavilion; many long-separated people would arrange to meet there. It is even said that one can transcend the boundaries between life and death…

"This is a bit far-fetched!" Seeing Wang Zi'an's increasingly absurd claims, the doctor couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. He'd been skeptical of the Fang Sheng Ting's explanation, but this was even more outrageous. This young Wang seemed like a reliable person; why was he starting to lie?
“Really! You can’t believe it! It’s said that Madam Shi waited for Tao Zhu Gong to come and take her away at Zhenlu Pavilion…” Wang Zi’an was very talkative when he started gossiping.

The doctor listened casually, treating it as background noise, and walked towards Zhenlu Pavilion, his steps uneven as he stepped on the copper coins.

Will he really meet the person he wants to see at Zhenlu Pavilion? And who is he looking for right now...?

“Look, after we turn around this bridge boat, we’ll see Zhenlu Pavilion directly…” Wang Zi’an led the way around the bridge boat, but then asked in surprise, “Huh? There’s someone under Zhenlu Pavilion? Who is it?”

The doctor stopped and looked up.

The first thing he saw was the striking and familiar crimson dragon pattern in the dim light...

【two】

Inside the cabin of the magnificent ship, Wang Limo stood before the table, his eyes fixed on the brocade pouch placed on it.

This was a brocade pouch given to him by a young high-ranking official when he went on a campaign against the Wei Kingdom. He gave the silk scroll containing the plan to flood Daliang City to his father, but kept the brocade pouch. Later, during a casual conversation with the young high-ranking official, he learned that this brocade pouch was no ordinary item.

This brocade pouch is made of pure mulberry silk, with a surface featuring a layered, slanted pattern, hence the name "ling" (绫), meaning "brocade" or "silk." Ling comes in plain and patterned varieties: "plain silk with patterns is called qi (绮), while silk with a mirror-like surface and floral designs is called ling." The brocade pouch in his hand is woven from various colors of brocade using a varied twill weave. It is said that such brocade pouches, woven according to a special pattern, not only prevent the contents from being lost but also serve as a talisman, protecting the wearer.

Perhaps he survived the chaos of battle but was captured, and though he fell into the Zhang River, he did not drown and arrived in Xiyong.
The result of carrying the silk pouch with me for protection.

Wang Li has been in Xiyong for a long time, long enough to know many things that Prince An did not.

Not just anyone can come to Xiyong. Countless people have drowned in rivers, lakes and seas throughout history, but the fact that Xiyong Village is not overcrowded is enough to prove this point.

He observed for a long time and discovered that everyone who came to Xiyong carried treasures. For example, there was the brocade pouch he carried, Wang Zian's ever-present three-inch purple-tipped brush, Li Bai's jade wine jug, and Du Shiniang's treasure chest…

Perhaps Zhenlu Pavilion was a treasure trove for the Shang people, and it also served the purpose of collecting treasures independently. And these people were merely byproducts of those treasures.

But what Wang Li's gaze fell upon was not the silk pouch itself, but a knot tied to it. It was a Nine-Complete Knot.

The Ten Perfection Knot is a popular knot. It evolved from the Double Coin Knot, also known as the Money Knot, which resembles two coins tied together, symbolizing "good things come in pairs." Because money, like flowing water, is called "spring," which sounds similar to "complete," the Double Coin Knot is also sometimes called the Double Perfection Knot. The Ten Perfection Knot is simply five Double Perfection Knots tied together in a lucky knot.

The young high-ranking official's favorite knot was the Nine-Complete Knot. He once said that few things in the world are perfect, and nine is the largest single-digit number, also symbolizing "longevity."

Because the Nine-Complete Knot has one less knot than the Ten-Complete Knot, the knotting technique changes, resulting in a unique pattern that Wang Li has only ever seen that young high-ranking official use. The newcomer to Xiyong wore this very special Nine-Complete Knot on his longevity lock.

It was exactly the same as the Nine-Complete Knot tied on the silk pouch in front of him, and even the details, such as the larger copper coin pattern on the far left, were identical.

The village of Xiyong was dimly lit, so he went back to the cabin to light a lamp and took out the silk pouch to examine it closely under the lamp. Sure enough, his guess was confirmed.

Wang Li gripped the silk pouch tightly in her hand.

The Nine-Complete Knot on the newcomer's body, while not appearing to be a new type of knot, couldn't possibly be more than thirty years old. Could it be... that Aro is still alive?
Wang Zian's soft voice drifted from outside the cabin; he must have been with the new bride. Wang Li reflexively turned around, intending to leave the cabin and inquire about the longevity lock. But he froze after taking only one step.

Even if he found out that Aro is still alive, how could he face him?
When they parted in Shangjun, Aro solemnly entrusted the safety of the eldest prince to him, but he failed to do so...

The image of Fusu lying in a pool of blood with his eyes closed in his final moments flashed before Wang Li's eyes, and he almost gritted his teeth to pieces.

No, that's not the point right now. Wasn't Aro supposed to have been buried with Qin Shi Huang? Could he really still be alive?

At this moment, the conversation outside the cabin gradually subsided, and judging from the direction, it seemed to be heading towards Zhenlu Pavilion. Wang Li came back to his senses, put the silk pouch into his bosom, and slowly walked out of the cabin to chase after them.

The journey from Xiyong Village to Zhenlu Pavilion wasn't actually far, but Wang Li was filled with anxiety and hesitation, his pace slow and deliberate. In his mind, now that the newcomer had come to Xiyong, he wouldn't be able to leave, and he had plenty of time to ask about the longevity lock.

His memories of the Qin Dynasty had long been sealed deep within his heart, but they were instantly unlocked upon seeing the Nine-Complete Knot. He recalled the green-robed youth who had caused such a ruckus at the Half-Step Hall, the young high-ranking official who had spoken eloquently in the High Spring Palace, and the military camp of Shangjun.

A lone knight in armor... various images of Aro flashed before Wang Li, so clear it was almost as if they had happened yesterday.

Wang Li stumbled and turned the bridge, and when he looked up, he saw a flash of white light at Zhenlu Pavilion not far away. A figure he remembered vividly gradually disappeared in the light.

That's... Aro? How could that be!

Wang Li tried to call out, but his voice seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word. "Eh? General Wang, what brings you here?" After an unknown amount of time, Wang Zi'an returned and noticed Wang...
Li stood blankly beside the bridge boat. "You're here to find that newlywed? He's already been specially picked up! Really, I never expected that someone would be like Madam Shi, having someone come all the way to Xiyong to pick him up!"

Wang Zian admired the poems, a hint of envy inevitably rising in his heart. But then he thought, it was someone else's fate after all, what did it have to do with him? It was more important to return to Xiyong and transcribe the two poems he had acquired today for his own enjoyment.

At this moment, Wang Li, who had been silent all along, reached out and put his hand on his shoulder, and asked seriously, "Is there anyone else in Xiyong Village who wants to leave? I want to leave too."

"Huh? What?" Wang Zian was dumbfounded. What had triggered this? "What about you? Do you want to leave Xiyong? Let's go now." "Wait... General Wang! Don't be impulsive! Hey! Let go!"

【Three】

The doctor blinked, staring at the familiar interior of the Silent House, unable to process what had just happened. Had he... remembered something? Zhenlu Pavilion? Xiyong Village?
Lu Zigang was clutching the book, hesitating about how to explain the whole situation to the doctor, when he saw the latter close his eyes for a while, then suddenly open them, get up, and stride towards the door of the mute shop without even saying hello. By the time Lu Zigang realized what was happening, the doctor had already left the mute shop.

Is this... something you remembered?

Lu Zigang stared blankly for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh.

It's better to remember. Although sometimes forgetting would be easier, memories are a person's most precious treasure. He really did make a mistake.

The doctor couldn't determine whether what he had seen and heard in Xiyong Village, along with the events described in the flashback, were his memories or his imagination. But the walls of the house had been renovated! The Silent Shop was real! And the owner was someone he had met last night!

He didn't believe there could be so many coincidences.

In the illusion of the black jade ball, the boss had pulled him to a paving stone in the Zhenlu Pavilion in Xiyong. He noticed that unlike the other paving stones which only had one egret, the paving stone beneath their feet had two egrets engraved on it, flapping their wings in flight.

After a flash of white light, they found themselves beside the Mid-Lake Pavilion in West Lake, standing on the same dilapidated paving stone, some even broken into pieces. The owner explained that the current Mid-Lake Pavilion was built on the site of the collapsed Zhenlu Pavilion, or more precisely, two meters laterally. The original Zhenlu Pavilion still had its foundation intact.

Perhaps all of this was in his imagination, and so was that floor tile.

If he can find that paving stone next to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, then all of this will be... Let's find that paving stone first!

The sun finally rose, but the winter sun was always somewhat weak and feeble. At this time, due to the cold weather, there weren't many tourists on the shores of West Lake. The doctor bought a boat ticket at the pier on the west side of Bai Causeway and boarded a rowboat to the island in the middle of the lake. He heard from the staff that due to visitor limits, the pleasure boats no longer went to the pavilion in the middle of the lake; he would have to rely on his own strength.
We rowed across.

The surface of West Lake was vast and misty, shrouded in fog. In the distance, Leifeng Pagoda and Xizhao Mountain appeared pale and elegant, like a traditional Chinese ink painting. The doctor had no time to appreciate the scenery; as soon as the boat docked, he jumped aboard and headed straight for the pavilion in the middle of the lake.

However, he did not see the familiar floor tiles in the place he remembered.

The area has been transformed into a lush green lawn, and the entire island looks as if it has been renovated. So, was all of this just his imagination?

The doctor stared blankly for a while, then took out his phone and searched the news. He discovered that the island in the middle of the lake had been closed for several months a few years ago and renovated according to the "Map of the West Lake Imperial Palaces" from the Qing Dynasty. For example, the roof of the "Taixu Yidian" pavilion was rotated 90 degrees, returning it to an east-west orientation, consistent with the orientation of the "Chong Er" ancient stele of Emperor Qianlong. Some historical relics, such as broken floor tiles and railings, were collected and placed in the museum's collection room, awaiting restoration and exhibition.

So... we still can't be sure? Is it all really just his imagination?
The doctor slumped down on the steps of the pavilion in the middle of the lake, clutching his head in frustration.

What should he do next? Should he go back to the shop and interrogate the young man who was minding the store? But he'd definitely give himself away after a couple of sentences! He didn't actually know anything! The young man would just give him evasive answers, and he wouldn't be able to tell if what he said was true or false…

He should calm down first...

The doctor buried his head in his knees and stared blankly into space.

There are already very few tourists visiting West Lake in the morning, and even fewer at the Huxin Pavilion, where visitor numbers are limited and can only be reached by small boat.

The doctor, who hadn't slept all night, listened to the sound of West Lake water lapping against the shore, and as if bewitched, began to drowsy. He didn't know how much time had passed when, amidst the rhythmic sound of the water, he heard footsteps.

The footsteps were clearly ordinary, yet strangely familiar, causing his heart to race. "Legend has it that one can meet the person they long to see at Zhenlu Pavilion, and many long-separated people arrange to meet there..." Wang Zian's voice suddenly appeared in his ear, and the doctor instinctively trembled.

Will I really meet the person I want to see under Zhenlu Pavilion? The doctor took a deep breath and suddenly raised his head.

(End of this chapter)