Bamboo Mound

After Village Chief Lin left, Ning Chang stared at the thatched roof and fell into deep thought.

"I've never seen Lintou Village on the map, and this village chief has never heard of Wucheng County. How far and remote have I been thrown into? There are no traces of electrical wires in this house, and the style of the clothes that Village Chief Lin is wearing looks like something out of an ancient costume drama... I can't have time-traveled, can I?" Ning Chang said incredulously.

"There's no scientific basis for this. It's just a plot from a novel... Let's not jump to conclusions for now. My parents must be very worried about me right now." Thinking of this, Ning Chang felt a little sad again.

"Let's wait for the village chief to come back, no matter what." Ning Chang was unwilling to believe that he couldn't go home.

Ning Chang pondered for a long time. Even though he had just woken up, he felt sleepy again and had no choice but to fall into a deep sleep. It wasn't until evening, when the light and shadow outside the window dimmed, that Ning Chang woke up again. He turned his head and found a bowl of cold porridge on the bedside table. He couldn't see what color it was anymore, but he figured it was probably still medicinal porridge. Ning Chang picked up the bowl and drank it down in one gulp, and the bitter taste filled his mouth again.

After putting down the bowl, Ning Chang secretly checked his foot and found that the pain had lessened considerably. He was sure he could get out of bed and walk tomorrow. Ning Chang was surprised by the speed of his recovery.

Perhaps it was because of the medicine, Ning Chang soon felt sleepy again. Not seeing where Village Chief Lin was, he lay down and fell asleep again.

........

"Cock-a-doodle-doo~" The next morning, accompanied by the crowing of roosters, Ning Chang opened his eyes, stretched, and could no longer feel the pain in his feet.

Ning Chang threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. There was a pair of straw sandals under the bed. Although Ning Chang's feet were now wrapped in some kind of plant leaves, the straw sandals were still a size too big.

After putting on her shoes and getting used to the unusual feeling of the semi-dried herbs inside the leaves, Ning Chang opened the wooden door and stepped over the threshold.

The view is of a small courtyard enclosed by a fence, with some vegetables growing in one corner and a shed with firewood piled up in another, next to which is an earthen stove.

Not seeing Village Chief Lin, Ning Chang walked towards the courtyard gate. From the fence, he could see the village scenery, all of which were earthen houses, with smoke rising from the chimneys of a few houses.

Several peasant women were already walking along the road. When they saw Ning Chang from afar, they pointed and whispered among themselves. Ning Chang ignored them and simply observed his surroundings silently.

“This is obviously not modern. After all, even the poorest villages will have a few stone or brick houses. Here, all the houses are made of earth. In addition, the style of clothing worn by these peasant women is something that only exists in ancient times…” Ning Chang sighed.

"There's no going back. I hope my parents won't be too heartbroken for me, and it's a shame about the monthly subscription I just bought." Ning Chang couldn't help but feel a little sad.

He is now certain that the plot of the novel has indeed happened to him. He has traveled to ancient times. Although it is not a particularly ancient time, according to Ning Chang's understanding, the main task of ordinary people in the past five thousand years is simply not to starve to death. Someone like him, who has no strength, no identity documents, and no background, would probably be locked up in prison and tortured to death in a few days.

"Am I going to live in this village for the rest of my life?" Ning Chang was somewhat unwilling. It is said that it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Ning Chang lived in the peaceful socialist era. Suddenly, without any preparation, he was transported to ancient times. It was as if he had fallen from the clouds to the ground.

"Let's gather more information," Ning Chang said, taking a deep breath. "At least the air here is much fresher."

He pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped out of the yard. He looked around and saw Village Chief Lin walking towards him from the left. When he saw Ning Chang standing in front of the gate, he once again showed an incredulous expression.

"You...your foot is healed?" the village chief asked in surprise.

"I don't know, but at least it doesn't hurt anymore now." Ning Chang walked towards the village chief.

The village chief raised his hand to stop Ning Chang, laughed, and said, "Looks like you're being protected by a celestial being!"

"It's mainly thanks to Village Chief Lin's help, otherwise I would still be lost in that forest," Ning Chang said with a smile.

The village chief noticed that Ning Chang still had some questions, so he pulled Ning Chang back into the house and sat him down on a stool. He said, "Ning Chang, about Wucheng County, which you mentioned, I've asked everyone in the village, and none of them have ever heard of it. Tomorrow, when the group of hunters from the village comes back, I'll ask them to go to the city on their way and inquire about it."

"There's no need for the village chief to worry about this. I guess... I can't go back anymore." Ning Chang said with a bitter expression, having accepted his fate.

The village chief, having been through similar experiences, immediately saw Ning Chang's predicament and gently comforted him, saying, "It's alright, child, Lintou Village welcomes you."

Ning Chang remained silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Village Chief Lin, what dynasty are we in now?"

Village Chief Lin was taken aback for a moment, but then replied, "The 36th year of Ping Le was the year the country was named Ping."

Upon hearing this, Ning Chang immediately sensed something was wrong: "Oh no, it's still ancient times in another world, what's the point of me playing this game?"

"Village chief, can you tell me about the situation here? I'm unfamiliar with this place."

Village Chief Lin laughed heartily: "Of course, but before that, we need to cook. We can't go hungry this morning."

So Village Chief Lin went to the stove and started a fire, with Ning Chang helping out. Before long, breakfast for the two of them was ready.

After the meal, the village chief sat in the courtyard and told Ning Chang about the situation inside and outside the village. During the conversation, Ning Chang asked a few questions.

After a long while, the village chief finished speaking and left, leaving Ning Chang to digest the information in the courtyard. It took Ning Chang a while to come back to his senses.

"It's actually a cultivation world! This is much more interesting!" Ning Chang was secretly delighted. He believed he was quite talented; even when he was slacking off every day at school, he was still among the top students!

He learned from the village chief that there were three sects within the Ping Kingdom: the Qingyun Sect, the Huayu Sect, and the Xuanshan Sect.

The closest sect to Lintou Village is Qingyun Sect, and Lin Ping'an, the son of the village chief, was accepted as a disciple by Qingyun Sect a few days ago. The village chief met Ning Chang on his way back to the village and rescued him.

“The Qingyun Sect recruits disciples in Chang Le City every year around the fifteenth of April, which means I have to wait another year in the village.” Ning Chang pondered with his head down.

After thinking it over, Ning Chang decided to take a walk around the village first to familiarize himself with the environment.

Once outside, Ning Chang wandered aimlessly through the village. The villagers were very hospitable and greeted him whenever they saw him, to which Ning Chang responded in kind. There were no farmlands in the village, but almost every household had vegetables growing in their yards. Children were chasing and playing, but there were very few able-bodied men to be seen, presumably because they had gone hunting in the mountains and had not yet returned.

Lintou Village is a village that makes a living by hunting. Some of the game is kept to dry and preserve, while the rest is transported to the city to exchange for other food. According to the village chief, the hunting team will return to the village this afternoon.

An idea popped into Ning Chang's mind.