Chapter 0001: The People of the Peach Blossom Spring

Where is it? This is just for fun.

The self-proclaimed master of tree climbing and rock climbing, A Chou, seemed to be quite embarrassed by the old man's words. In a fit of anger, he kicked out with his foot, sending a small stone flying, which happened to hit a large white goose.

A mischievous boy of about eight or nine years old walked beside the girl, who appeared to be his sister. Although this boy, like other children from the mountains, had a dark complexion, he lacked the robust and sturdy appearance typical of mountain children. In comparison, his figure seemed quite slender. His oval face bore a resemblance to that of the girl, sharing about sixty to seventy percent of her features, with delicate eyebrows, large eyes, and a pointed chin.

This girl is at the age of fourteen or fifteen, when she is just beginning to blossom. She has a slender and tall figure, with a delicate waist that is both upright and flexible, moving like a slender bamboo swaying in the wind. Her bright eyes, straight and prominent nose, and rosy little mouth make her look quite charming.

Sister!

Ah Chou, once we reach the mountain, please do not run around aimlessly, lest your parents worry about you again. Your sister will gather some wild vegetables and take you back. Mother is currently preparing bone soup for you; make sure to drink it while it's hot so your legs can heal faster. Don't you love dipping wild vegetables in sauce? Once your sister gathers the vegetables, she will prepare the dipping sauce for you.

"Come on, you little rascal, as if you've grown up. Haven't I been carrying you over mountains and hills since you were little?" Without further ado, Yuè Róng hoisted her brother onto her shoulders, picked up the bamboo basket, and ran up the mountain, while the big white goose relentlessly quacked and chased after them.

In Lingnan, more than twenty miles northeast of Shaozhou, there lies an unnamed valley. The valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and even the only exit, a narrow gorge, is obstructed by a low hill. One must climb over this low hill to be greeted by a sudden expanse, revealing a unique world within.

Although Yue Rong was unclear about the intentions of these soldiers, she sensed danger. She quickly set Ah Chou down and advised him, "These soldiers may pose a threat to us, Ah Chou. You are unable to move easily, so hide here. I will return to the village to report! You stay here, and under no circumstances are you to come out! Do you understand!

It is also necessary to place a chick inside.

A young girl carrying a bamboo basket is walking towards a low hillside outside the village, accompanied by a mischievous boy who is not yet ten years old. The girl is dressed in a short green shirt and long lotus-colored pants, embodying the attire of a mountain dweller. Her cheeks are dark, with a hint of flush from working in the fields, yet she exudes a certain vitality that sets her apart from an ordinary rural girl.

The siblings climbed up a low hill, and Yue Rong set A Chou down, saying: "You stay here and sit well, sister will go gather ... ... Huh?"

Mother, the officials are coming

As A Chou ran, he couldn't help but cry out in pain. Yue Rong, annoyed, said: "You little rascal, the goose general from Aunt Liu's house is the fiercest of them all, yet you insist on provoking it." Saying this, she took off her bamboo basket and squatted down, saying: "Come on, I'll carry you on my back."

At the end of spring, the valley is lush and verdant, a sea of greenery, with several acres of farmland nestled among wild grasses and thorns. Scattered throughout the valley are dozens of households, their bamboo-fenced courtyards and log eaves all hidden within this expanse of greenery, occasionally revealing a corner, picturesque and poetic

Xiu Xiu blushed, hurriedly hiding the embroidery she was working on behind her back, which elicited a burst of cheerful laughter from Yue Rong

Oh dear! Sister, my leg still hurts a bit

The large goose, with its head held high and striding with a gentlemanly gait, resembled a general reviewing the troops, walking majestically along the path. Suddenly, it was attacked, and unable to contain its fury, it immediately stretched its neck, spread its wings, and honked loudly as it charged towards A Chou.

At the front of the formation, there are two horses. The soldiers are wearing cloaks, while the officers are dressed in robes. On one of the horses sits a robed general, clad in leather armor, with a cloak adorned with a pattern of lions and tigers.

A Chou was somewhat curious; when he had previously accompanied his father to Shaozhou City, he had also seen the appearance of soldiers. However, those were merely a few old soldiers on the city wall, lacking the fierce and imposing atmosphere of this troop. Moreover, their attire seemed to differ as well.

The elder sister's back is flat and soft, with some sweat stains, but it has a pleasant scent. After A Chou struggled a bit, he stopped resisting after being slapped on the buttocks by his sister.

The next day, the government of Shaozhou issued a proclamation announcing that a great plague had occurred in Taoyuan Village, resulting in the death of all its inhabitants. To prevent the spread of the plague, the authorities set the entire village ablaze and warned the surrounding populace not to enter Taoyuan Village to avoid contracting the disease. Taoyuan Village vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared.

The villagers here are quite different from the ordinary mountain dwellers. Most of the residents of this village are cultured and well-mannered. Although they engage in the same activities of farming, weaving, and planting melons under the mulberry trees, one can often hear the sound of reading echoing through the village, and even the music of playing the zither and blowing the sheng.

Alright, listen to A Chou, and fry it.

Note: Some terms that were too discordant with modern usage, such as referring to one's father as "brother," the second-person pronouns "you" and "you" being referred to as "thou" and "thee," and the third-person pronoun "he" being referred to as "he," have been modified to align with contemporary reading habits.

Kill! Exterminate! Not a single one shall be spared!

Then... the sauce needs to be deep-fried

Hmm, are you taking the younger brother up the mountain to gather some wild mushrooms and vegetables? Is Sister Xiu preparing a dowry?

Yue Rong giggled: "Alright, add another egg, you little glutton."

A Chou stood up in a hurry to look towards the mountain. He was short and could only tiptoe to peer out from between the tall wild grass and vines. In the valley, a troop was gathering; it was the army of the Tang Dynasty. The soldiers were all dressed in battle jackets, carrying quivers on their backs, slinging battle bows, wielding broadswords, and riding warhorses.

Not good

Yue Rong pressed A Chou into the bushes, shouldered the bamboo basket, and ran off. After just a few steps, she hurried back, casually pulling some wild grass to cover A Chou. Buried under the tangled grass, A Chou looked up in confusion through the gaps, watching her sister dash toward the mountain village, not understanding what had just happened.

A chilling voice echoed coldly in A Chou's ear. A Chou withdrew his gaze from A Jie and looked in the direction of the sound. The one giving the order was the scholar in a blue robe, sitting tall on his horse. This person had a tall and slender figure, a long horse-like face, sunken eyes, and an eagle-like nose, exuding an imposing presence without any display of anger.

General Goose chased for a while and finally returned triumphantly, walking proudly back to the village. Seeing that the large goose had stopped chasing, Yue Rong finally slowed her pace, panting heavily, but she did not put her younger brother down.

When he issued orders to the soldiers behind him, he instinctively turned his head, and his entire face came into view for A Chou. A Chou could clearly see his features: on either side of his hooked nose were two deep, knife-like nasolabial folds, which slanted sharply to the sides, enveloping his thin lips. The voice, filled with murderous intent, emanated directly from that mouth

The other old man seemed to be on the verge of losing the game, looking extremely frustrated, repeatedly urging him to make his move quickly. Only then did the old man stroke his beard and turn his head.

Another horse carried a civil official in a green robe, who was pulling his horse to turn around and speaking to the soldiers. As his voice rang out, the soldiers drew their swords one after another, the sunlight glinting off their blades, creating a chilling gleam.

Yue Rong politely greeted them: "Uncle Qiu, Uncle Fang"

Pung!

No one dares to enter this valley anymore. Years later, no one could remember the name of Taoyuan Village; people only recalled that there was a Valley of the Plague located over twenty miles northeast of Shaozhou. Many even did not know the origin of this name

On a certain day in the second year of Yongchun during the Great Tang, eleven years later

Not far away, an old man sitting under the elm tree glanced over in response to the sound and laughed aloud, saying: "Little A Chou, is your leg better now? Haha, you mustn't be naughty anymore in the future!"

The official in the blue robe stood on the hillside, coldly gazing at the village in the valley, a hint of a cruel smile at the corner of his mouth. With his whip pointed forward, he repeated his orders: "Kill! Leave no one alive!"

In the third year of the Xianheng era of the Tang Dynasty, suddenly, over one hundred people from eleven surnames, under the arrangement of the local government, arrived at this secluded valley. They cleared the grass and leveled the ground, cut wood to build houses, and within a few days, they established a small village, naming it Taoyuan Village

Ah Chou, you are being naughty again

A Chou suddenly felt darkness before his eyes and immediately fainted.

Hundreds of soldiers were hastily advancing along the mountain path, their footsteps and the sound of gravel crunching drowned out his sob.

... ...

Yue Rong spoke as she grabbed A Chou's hand and ran. The large white goose flapped its wings, stretched its neck, and relentlessly chased after them. A young shepherd in the grass, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but laugh so hard that he fell over.

At first, the mountain dwellers found it strange, and there were discussions about it; however, over time, they became accustomed to it and no longer regarded it as unusual

The sound of hooves trampled the scattered stones in the mountains, as two fine horses ascended the low slope first. From A Chou's perspective, he could only see the scholar in a blue robe riding a black horse. The general standing on the other side was obscured by the scholar, and all A Chou could see was the crimson cloak that was occasionally lifted by the mountain breeze.

Yue Rong glanced outside the valley in surprise and said, "Why are there so many officials and soldiers here?"

Yuerong's voice abruptly ceased, and as the blade passed, a head flew into the air. The hot blood that gushed from her mouth splattered into a mist of crimson. The general brandished his bloodied sword and swept past her. Immediately after, countless battle boots trampled over the soft body of the young girl, storming into the small village.

The girl's name is Yue Rong, and the boy following her is her biological younger brother, nicknamed A Chou. A Chou is usually lively and active; if he is not being watched, he will run off into the mountains. He climbs trees as high as over ten zhang with the agility of a monkey, earning him the title of the best tree climber among the children in the village

The blade rises, cold light flashes, and the blood light appears

Yue Rong waved her headscarf while running, shouting into the village: "Father! Mother! The officials are coming, the officials are coming!"

In a small courtyard surrounded by bamboo fences, a girl who was two years older than Yue Rong was embroidering flowers. Upon seeing Yue Rong and her younger brother approach, she greeted them with a smile, saying: "Yue Rong, little A Chou, are you going up the mountain?"

Today, his elder sister went up the mountain to gather wild vegetables. Seeing his younger brother sulking at home after injuring his leg, he felt quite sorry for him. His nature had always been wild; in the past, he would finish his studies each day and go out to play with his friends. Now, apart from being taught by his father, he could only lean against the window, enviously watching his friends running in the fields and mountains. It was truly pitiful, so he pleaded with his parents to take him out for some fresh air. Although his parents agreed, the condition was that he could not leave his elder sister's side.

This is the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and the people living here are the subjects of the Tang. Why should the Tang army act unfavorably towards the common folk here? The villagers are not bandits or outlaws. Confounded, A Chou could only follow her sister's advice and crouch there, remaining completely still

More than three hundred people, more than three hundred horses, standing solemnly, silent and still

Behind him, the soldiers wielding broadswords rushed down in a frenzy

The general, adorned in battle robes featuring a lion and tiger motif, slowly drew his sword from its sheath. The blade grazed the sheath, producing a chilling sound of friction that sent shivers down A Chou's spine. The general raised his sword, urged his horse forward, and let out a sharp command: "Kill!" With that, the horse reared and charged downwards.

Sister, whose soldiers are these, and what are they doing?

Due to the secluded terrain of the mountain village, Taoyuan Village has little contact with other mountain dwellers. However, as woodcutters and hunters frequently pass through, they have gradually gained a slight understanding of this small village surrounded by mountains.

A Chou said: "No, I have grown up, it is very heavy, how can my sister carry it"

Ah Chou watched as Ah Zi desperately ran along the mountain path, her figure leaping and darting like a doe bounding through the wilderness. Meanwhile, the general galloped on horseback, resembling a relentless hunter in pursuit. The warhorse raced forward, and in an instant, it caught up with Ah Zi, causing Ah Chou's heart to leap into her throat.

This frightened the parents, who regarded their child as their most precious treasure. The elder sister, as the firstborn, was punished by their parents for not taking good care of her younger brother. Ah Chou had been at home for more than three months, and recently his health had improved, allowing him to walk without difficulty. However, his parents still confined him to the house and forbade him from going out

The outcome perfectly illustrates the old saying: "Those who are skilled in water may drown, and those who are adept at riding may fall." Three months ago, A Chou fell while climbing a tall tree to collect bird eggs, plummeting from a height of five or six zhang. Although some branches broke his fall and the ground was quite soft, he still suffered a head injury and broke a leg.