Chapter 2, The Silent Arrival of the Courier.

Xu Haoyue, upon hearing the names of the states such as the Great Zhou and the Tang Dynasty, suddenly wondered if the time and space he was in could be the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period marked by warlords' fragmentation and chaos in history. He straightened up and eagerly asked, "Elder, is there still a Wu-Yue state in the south? Is the emperor of the Later Zhou surname Guo? Is the emperor of the Southern Tang Li Yu?" Although he was not very clear about this period of history, he still knew about Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou, and Li Yu, the emperor of the Southern Tang.

"Why can't we kill him?" The village boy was puzzled. Brother Zhang pointed his long knife at Xu Haoyue's head and said, "Look at his short hair; doesn't he look like a monk?" More than ten days ago, Xu Haoyue had indeed gotten a haircut, opting for a shaved head hairstyle, hoping to shave his head as a vow to fulfill Jing Ru's last wish. Now, more than ten days later, his hair had grown a bit, but it was still very short.

The old farmer shook his head and said: "I do not know anything about the Later Zhou or Southern Tang; I only know that the emperor of the Central Plains Zhou Dynasty seems to have the surname Chai. Our Great Tang emperor has the surname Li, but he is not Li Yu. As common folk, we dare not directly mention the name of the great emperor. The Kingdom of Wu and Yue does exist and often engages in battles with our Great Tang."

Brother Zhang sheathed his long knife and said: "I have heard that the Zhou Dynasty in the Central Plains has ordered the monks of the Buddhist sect to return to secular life, and many monks have fled south. This person may have escaped from there. Although I cannot understand the few lines of poetry he recites, I feel there is profound Buddhist wisdom in it. Moreover, look at how he sits cross-legged, calmly accepting death; he does not exhibit the fear typical of ordinary people. Only those who have transcended life and death in the Buddhist monastic community possess such courage."

Xu Haoyue did not decline, as a person is like iron and food is like steel; being well-fed is essential for continuing the search. He then followed the old farmer back to the thatched cottage. Outside the cottage, Xu Haoyue scooped a large ladle of water from a big wooden barrel and drank it. The old farmer went inside and brought out two dark, coarse buns, the ingredients of which were unknown, seemingly mixed with some wild vegetables, and one was not even the size of a fist. Taking the dark bun, Xu Haoyue frowned and asked, "Old man, is this all you eat?"

The child was quite puzzled and tilted his head, asking, "Brother Zhang, why are you stopping me?"

Having attempted to end his life but failing, Xu Haoyue could not help but feel a surge of sorrow. He did not wish to commit suicide, as that would betray his promise to Jingru, for he had vowed to take her to explore the famous mountains and rivers of China. Not having succeeded in his attempt, Xu Haoyue stood in a daze for a moment, devoid of any sense of relief from surviving. He turned around, intending to continue searching for his wallet. When he had gotten up last night, he had brought nothing with him except for his wallet and a sachet; even his phone had been left behind in the tent. At this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to describe him as having nothing on him.

Not having clarified the era in which he found himself, Xu Haoyue was too lazy to delve deeper and continued searching for his wallet. The old farmer, noticing his anxious expression as if he were looking for something important, spoke up: "Little monk, what are you looking for? You seem to be in quite a hurry, let me help you look for it." Xu Haoyue thanked him and informed the old farmer that it was a black leather bag. The two began searching in the mulberry grove, but after searching for quite a while, they still could not find it. As noon approached, both were exhausted, drenched in sweat and parched. The old farmer then suggested that they return to his thatched cottage to drink some water and have a meal before continuing the search.

The thirteenth year of the reign of Emperor Baoda of the Tang Dynasty? Whose era name is this? Did any emperors of the Tang Dynasty use this era name? The Tang Dynasty is known as a time of peace and prosperity, so why are the officials' soldiers so fierce, almost like bandits? Xu Haoyue thought to himself, cursing his own foolishness; he was about to die, so what did it matter whose era name it was or whether the Tang Dynasty had good public order? With a mocking smile, he said, "I have finished asking, please proceed." After saying this, he slowly closed his eyes and began to recite the Ten Commandments poem he had memorized before death: "First, it is best not to meet, for then one can avoid falling in love. Second, it is best not to know each other, for then one can avoid longing. But once we meet, we come to know each other; how does meeting compare to not meeting? How can I part from you, to avoid the pain of longing in life and death?"

As they were speaking, a sound of hooves echoed from the path outside the thatched cottage. Xu Haoyue raised his eyes and, upon seeing, felt as if his chest had been struck heavily by a great hammer, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. On the path outside the cottage, a man and a woman rode two fine steeds, galloping towards him. The woman riding the steed was strikingly graceful, and her appearance and figure turned out to be none other than Liu Jingru, the one he had been longing for day and night.

Xu Haoyue shook his head with a wry smile and said, "I am not a monk; you have misunderstood, old man." After saying this, he continued to search through the grass for his wallet. The old farmer responded with an "oh," stroked his grizzled beard, and stepped forward to say, "Little monk, do not be afraid; in our Tang Dynasty, we do not force monks to return to secular life. I have also heard that the Emperor of the Northern Zhou has ordered monks to return to secular life, and many monks have escaped here in recent years." The old farmer continued to misunderstand, and Xu Haoyue smiled wryly again, unwilling to waste more breath on explanations.

Xu Haoyue widened his eyes, unable to believe that reciting a few lines of his beloved poem before his death had led to a misunderstanding between the two. Instead of killing him, did they intend for him to continue suffering in this ancient time? In a hurry, he exclaimed: "You two have misunderstood; I am not a monk. I seek death with all my heart, so please act quickly!"

Zhou Dynasty of the Central Plains? Scout? What do these have to do with each other? Xu Haoyue stood up anxiously and said: "I am not a scout from the Zhou Dynasty; I am a visitor from another place. Have I violated some local customs or taboos? I apologize to you; I am a law-abiding citizen, and you have no right to arrest me." Xu Haoyue looked at the attire of the two with confusion and tentatively asked: "You aren't filming a movie, are you? I know there is a Tianlong Babu film studio in Dali; you must be extras, just joking around, right?" I apologize to you; I am a law-abiding citizen, and you have no right to arrest me. Xu Haoyue looked at the attire of the two with confusion and tentatively asked: "You aren't filming a movie, are you? I know there is a Tianlong Babu film studio in Dali; you must be extras, just joking around, right?"

"Is the government not providing disaster relief?" Xu Haoyue took a bite of the black bread, which was both bitter and hard, making it extremely difficult to eat

A cold long knife was held before him, startling anyone who encountered it. Xu Haoyue was so frightened that he fell to the ground, staring blankly at the two leather-armored soldiers in front of him. Among these two soldiers, one was slightly older, sporting a short beard. He stepped forward, the long knife still pressed against Xu Haoyue's chest, and coldly demanded: "Who are you?"

Elder Brother Zhang frowned and said: "What a mad monk. Let’s go, local boy; we still have to patrol. There are still over ten miles to cover." After saying this, the two of them left behind the bewildered Xu and the bookish Haoyue, striding away.

"Young man, are you the monk who escaped from the north?" A hoarse voice came from nearby. Xu Haoyue turned to look in the direction of the sound and saw the old farmer who had just emerged from the mulberry grove, peering out cautiously. It seemed he had been hiding in the woods and had witnessed the earlier scene.

Brother Zhang sneered, "This method is excellent; the dead cannot argue. If we say he is a spy, then he is a spy, and no one will doubt it"

The old farmer snorted in anger: "The government? They would be grateful if they collected fewer taxes. In previous years, we fought wars every year, and our grain was requisitioned by the government for military supplies. The soldiers who just tried to harm you are the patrol soldiers from the government fields. All the crops we grow here are from government land, and any grain that grows in the fields must be submitted. The government is afraid that we will hide the grain from the government fields, so they have sent soldiers from the county and township to patrol, watching us very closely"

Elder Brother Zhang let out a low grunt and said, "This country bumpkin, it seems he cannot be killed."

"That sounds plausible, but why doesn't he say he is a monk?" The rustic youth also sheathed his knife and continued, "If he truly is a person who has renounced the world, and we are both believers in Buddhism, then we really cannot kill him"

The child did not flee, resist, or call for help upon seeing Xu Haoyue, which puzzled him greatly. After listening to Xu Haoyue's question, he casually replied: "You are asking about the era name, right? This year is the thirteenth year of the Great Tang Baoda. Now that you have your answer, you can continue on your way with peace of mind"

Then, Brother Zhang with the short beard and the young leather-armored soldier exchanged a glance and burst into laughter together. Brother Zhang laughed heartily and said, "Country bumpkin, has this person lost his mind? I can't understand a word he is saying."

The young man nodded in agreement and said: "Brother Zhang is right, I almost killed a monk, and after death, I would surely fall into Avici Hell. This person is peculiar in every way; we should leave quickly."

Having thought this through, Xu Haoyue sat cross-legged, the fear on his face dissipating as he calmly said: "Are you two not afraid of being discovered and sent to the authorities for murder and robbery?" He tried to avoid using modern vocabulary to gauge their reactions. The older brother, with a fierce expression, shouted: "We are the authorities; as long as you are dead, who will investigate? You can rest easy on your journey!"

As Xu Haoyue saw the long knife in his hand raised, it emitted a chilling gleam of death under the bright morning sun. When the blade's light swept across Xu Haoyue's face, he felt no fear; instead, a sense of relief washed over him, thinking that the moment of liberation had finally arrived. It was merely that he had died after traversing to ancient times, and the separation from Jingru was not only geographical but also temporal, which brought a hint of regret. He sat cross-legged, a smile on his face, and said: "If you two wish to kill me, then please go ahead. What joy is there in life? What suffering in death? My heart is at peace, as fallen leaves return to the earth." After glancing at the two, Xu Haoyue asked again: "Before I die, I have one last question: what era is this?"

The earth child listened and slowly lowered his long knife, saying: "If Brother Zhang were a monk, why wouldn't he wear a monk's robe?"

Xu Haoyue, still shaken, stammered, "I am... I am a tourist, I just... I just came to travel"

Upon hearing the verses recited by Xu Haoyue, Brother Zhang's face displayed a look of doubt, and the long knife he raised remained suspended for a long time without striking down. The earthy boy's face twitched; unable to contain his impatience, he let out a loud shout and swung the long knife down fiercely towards Xu Haoyue's neck.

The earthy boy and Brother Zhang exchanged a glance, both feeling that this person was incredible. Even ants strive to survive; why does he wholeheartedly seek death? Brother Zhang said in a deep voice, "Earthy boy, this person must be a monk. The Buddhist teachings have precepts that prohibit self-harm. He wants to use our hands to end his life; otherwise, wouldn't it be easy to seek death? Why must it be us who kill him?"

That young leather-armored soldier scratched his nose, casting a malicious glance at Xu Haoyue, and said, "Brother Zhang, do you think he might have something valuable on him? If not, why don't we just kill him? We can keep the valuables for ourselves and send the corpse up to claim credit, saving us from his incessant chatter"

The old farmer sighed and said, "In these times, having this to eat is already quite good. Last year's harvest was poor, the fields failed, and many people starved to death. My old partner died of starvation last year."

Seeing the two about to leave, Xu Haoyue hurriedly stood up and said: "You two cannot leave; if you must go, please kill me first before you do."

Xu Haoyue listened to the sound of the wind, feeling at peace in her heart, just waiting for the moment of separation of body and soul to arrive. However, she suddenly heard a crisp and pleasant sound of metal clashing. The imagined death did not come; Xu Haoyue opened her eyes to see her elder brother extending his long knife to block the long knife of the earth child. After the two blades collided, the blades continued to tremble, clearly indicating that the earth child's strike was indeed powerful, as if he intended to sever her head with a single blow.

Xu Haoyue felt a sense of confusion. The Later Zhou and Southern Tang were terms created by later historians to distinguish between dynasties; in ancient times, people referred to them simply as the Great Tang and Great Zhou, without mentioning the prefixes "Later" or "Southern." The emperor of Later Zhou, Chai Rong, was the adopted son of Zhou Taizu Guo Wei, and after ascending the throne, he restored the surname Chai. Xu Haoyue was not well-versed in the history of the Five Dynasties, so he mistakenly believed that Guo Wei established Later Zhou and that all subsequent emperors bore the Guo surname. As for the Southern Tang emperor, he only remembered the cultured and charismatic Southern Tang's last ruler, Li Yu. The common farmer, a mere commoner, was not very clear about who the emperor was and could not even articulate the order of the zodiac. Moreover, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was the darkest and most chaotic era in Chinese history, with frequent changes in states and courts, leaving even the common people often bewildered; today the emperor might be surnamed Liu, and tomorrow he could be Guo. The two soldiers just mentioned that the thirteenth year of the Baoda era was the reign title of Southern Tang's middle ruler, Li Jing. The common farmer lived in hardship, barely surviving from day to day, and had no time to inquire about who the emperor was.

Watching the two openly plotting to commit murder for profit in broad daylight, Xu Haoyue felt an unsettling sense that something was amiss. The two did not seem to be joking, and the gleaming long knives in their hands were certainly not props for a play. Had he really traveled back to ancient times? Xu Haoyue let out a bitter smile; if it were indeed heaven's doing, it was a cruel joke. His heart was now ashen, and what could he possibly do in the ancient world? Jingru had left him, and here he was in this unfamiliar place, it would be no different from being truly dead. In fact, he could reach the afterlife sooner to accompany Jingru.

The short-bearded soldier scoffed and snorted, "Tourist? What tourist? What is tourism?" A younger leather-armored soldier beside him said, "Brother Zhang, don't listen to his nonsense. I think he is a spy sent by the Zhou Dynasty from the Central Plains. Let's lock him up and present him; perhaps the official will reward us with some food and drink."