The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

In the seventh year of the Xuanhe era, in Binzhou, in a dilapidated Taoist temple,

A boy, barely out of school, was squatting on the bluestone steps at the entrance of the Taoist temple, sighing as he watched the setting sun. The blood-red sunset illuminated his furrowed face, making him look somewhat comical.

"Ah, the sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it's only a fleeting moment!" Watching the last rays of the setting sun disappear in the west, Wang Huanzhen shook his head. Like a little adult, he stood up with his hands behind his back, preparing to return to the Taoist temple.

Just then, a clear, melodious girl's voice, like that of a nightingale, drifted down from the foot of the mountain: "Brother Zhen, I've brought you your food! There's half a duck leg left over today, so I brought it to you!"

Upon hearing this pleasant voice, a smile appeared on Wang Zhenhuan's face. He patted his flat stomach, turned around, and waved to the bright yellow light below the mountain.

Upon seeing this, the girl giggled, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. She lifted her skirt and jogged up the stone steps until she reached the entrance of the Taoist temple.

"What's the rush? The sun has just set, it's still a long way from dark." Wang Huanzhen took the food box from her with one hand and gently patted the girl's back with the other to help her catch her breath.

"Father said it's almost mid-autumn, and the days are getting shorter. The food is still warm, Brother Zhen, please eat!" The girl smiled and raised her head, her bright eyes and white teeth making Wang Zhen somewhat lost in thought.

"So alike!" Whenever he saw the girl's familiar face, he was always reminded of someone from the past. Wang Zhen shook his head, banishing these thoughts from his mind. Although he had been in this world for almost a month.

But he still vaguely recalls people and events from his past, unsure whether it's because he time-traveled or was reincarnated and didn't drink the Meng Po soup that erases memories of past lives. In any case, he now feels an inexplicable sense of alienation from this world.

Wang Zhenhuan sat on the mottled bluestone steps, eating the supper the girl had brought him while recalling hazy memories of the past. The girl in the yellow dress sat quietly beside him, tilting her head and leaning on his shoulder.

As dusk settled, Wang Zhenhuan's food box was nearly empty. Lights began to twinkle in the village below the mountain. A gust of autumn wind brought a chill. He tightened his worn-out clothes.

He stood up and handed the clean food box to the girl, then took her hand and said, "Let's go, I'll take you down the mountain. If you go back late, your father will scold you again. It's getting cold now, you don't need to come every day anymore, I'll have food to eat."

"Oh." Although the girl sounded somewhat reluctant, she obediently took the food box and was pulled up by Wang Zhenhuan as they walked down the mountain.

The girl's name is Lin Qingyan.

She was the daughter of the village's only schoolteacher. In the eyes of the villagers, she was well-educated, gentle, and charming from a young age—a true lady of high society. But only Wang Zhen knew the mischievous and clever nature hidden within her.

Ever since she went up the mountain with Wang Zhenhuan, she has become obsessed with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants there. She often begs Wang Zhenhuan to take her up the mountain, and each time he can't refuse her.

And so, the two gradually became acquainted. Unfortunately, their happiness was short-lived, as her father found out about it. In this era where scholars were revered, an orphan who looked after a Taoist temple naturally did not meet his approval.

However, every time Wang Zhenhuan saw this unfamiliar yet familiar face, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Fortunately, Lin Qingyan's father, although a scholar...

However, she was extremely afraid of her wife, and her mother doted on her. That's why Wang Zhen was able to have a hot meal every night, for which he was very grateful.

Each lost in their own thoughts, the two walked hand in hand down the old stone steps. Just as they reached the halfway point, Wang Zhenhuan suddenly noticed that the village below was much brighter than usual.

It was early autumn, and the days were getting shorter. Unlike usual when he escorted Lin Qingyan down the mountain, the sky was already dark, so the bright flame in the center of the village looked particularly dazzling.

"What festival are we celebrating today? Why is there a bonfire in the village?" Wang Zhenhuan turned to the girl beside him and asked.

Upon hearing his words, the girl subconsciously looked up. After a while, she replied with some doubt, "No, it's only the beginning of autumn. There are still many days until mid-autumn."

Wang Zhenhuan heard the girl's words but remained silent. After standing there for a while, he noticed that the wisp of fire in the village was starting to spread outwards.

This was not a good omen. Could it be a fire? Wang Zhenhuan, holding the girl's hand, walked along, lost in thought. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he abruptly stopped.

"What time is it now?"

"Huh? Brother Zhen, are you out of your mind? It's the first day of the eighth month." The girl replied with a puzzled look. She even took out her hand and pretended to touch Wang Zhen's forehead.

"I know, what I mean is, what year is it now?" Wang Zhenhuan slapped the girl's hand away and asked with a solemn expression, looking at the ever-spreading firelight in the village below the mountain.

"The seventh year of the Xuanhe era, why are you asking about that?"

Lin Qingyan's words startled Wang Zhenhuan. The seventh year of Xuanhe—although this was the first time he'd heard this reign title, it felt strangely familiar, as if he'd heard it somewhere before!

"The seventh year of Xuanhe, the seventh year of Xuanhe... the third year of Tianhui!! Oh no!" Wang Zhenhuan suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered something that made him tremble all over. He grabbed the girl's hand and rushed down the mountain to confirm whether it was as he thought.

Lin Qingyan was startled by Wang Zhenhuan's sudden action. She wanted to ask him what had happened, but seeing his serious expression and increasingly rapid pace, she wisely kept quiet.

Wang Zhenhuan was extremely anxious at this moment. Although he hadn't spent much time with the villagers, he was able to settle down in this unfamiliar world thanks to their help when he first arrived.

He prayed in his heart that he was just overthinking things, and quickened his pace. But alas, it was already dark, and the steps of the Taoist temple were in disrepair. It took him and Lin Qingyan a full quarter of an hour to walk the short half-mountain path!

Although Lin Qingyan often went up the mountain with Wang Zhenhuan, she was still a stay-at-home girl who rarely left the house on ordinary days. The short half-mountain path almost exhausted all her strength.

Wang Zhenhuan was extremely anxious, but seeing Lin Qingyan covered in sweat and pale-faced, he couldn't bring himself to urge her. So he simply squatted down and carried her on his back.

And so, the two walked along the forest path until they reached the riverbank outside the village. Through the trees, they could faintly hear shouts coming from afar. And the moment they stepped out of the woods...

The sight before him made Wang Huanzhen's eyes widen in fury and his spine turn cold!