Chapter 001: The Traveler

"What is this nonsense? You foreign students," the farmer interrupted Xiao Tian, "Just focus on your studies. Why do you have to cut your braids? Don't you know that the county is currently rounding up people like you? They catch one and kill one!"

After walking for a while, I sat down on a small ridge in the field. I just asked Uncle Xia, and he said it is the 31st year of Guangxu, which is 1905.

The farmer also feared causing any trouble, so when Xiao Tian changed his clothes, he simply waved his hand to urge the foreign student to leave quickly, not wanting to attract any complications for himself

Martial arts and knife fighting, studying military textbooks, is this the beautiful childhood that a child should have? Yet, I have experienced it myself.

A tragic childhood. Xiao Tian shook his head, feeling completely awake. Strangely, he felt no pain at all. After a careful examination, he was astonished to find that he had no injuries whatsoever.

The farmer curiously scrutinized Xiao Tian, as if he were looking at a monster: "A foreigner? A foreign student?"

Life is precious, life is precious. Xiao Tian rolled over from the ground and looked around. Where is this place? Where are the cars? Where are all those bustling crowds? Why is there not a single one in sight?

A pack of cigarettes, a disposable lighter with a design, a set of keys, a wallet containing one ID card of Xiao Tian, several Renminbi, two credit cards, and on the wrist, a vintage Longines watch from the 1930s gifted by his grandmother on his birthday, which she treasured like a precious gem.

Xiao Tian felt a deep sense of gratitude and pondered how he could repay the farmer. However, he wondered what he could offer in return. Suddenly, he glanced at the farmer's clothing and hat and said, "Uncle, my clothes are quite valuable. How about we exchange outfits?"

Three generations of soldiers

Having finally entered university, I thought I had escaped my father's strict discipline, which included the use of belts and sticks. I planned to spend a few years in university and then apply to a military academy, thus fulfilling the dream of three generations of my family serving in the military. However, I never expected that I would nearly lose my life on Qingcheng Mountain

That is Qingcheng Mountain, so high and steep, climbing up and down every day, the Taoists on the mountain would not become martial arts masters. As for you, after falling over a thousand times, you still seem to be completely fine

Is there anyone?

No one answers themselves

Am I not dead? What a stroke of luck, what a stroke of luck. At the moment I lost my footing and fell from Qingcheng Mountain, I thought I was surely doomed. I had planned to enjoy the summer and the library break by traveling to Qingcheng Mountain, but I ended up being deceived by a black taxi. When I fell from the cliff at the back of the mountain, I truly believed it was the end.

A bad premonition rose from Xiao Tian's heart

In the thirty-first year of Guangxu, the fall of the Qing Dynasty was only a few years away. What could I do? Become a soldier? I would indeed be qualified; in terms of battlefield combat, military knowledge, and expertise, I might even manage to become a brigade commander or something similar. That would be quite good, as I would realize my grandfather's dream at this time

Xiao Tian suddenly felt that something was amiss. He had fallen from a height of over a thousand meters, yet his clothes and pants were still new, and his body was completely unharmed. Could it be...

"You, student, are you afraid that your attire will attract the authorities?" The farmer shook his head: "Come, my home is just nearby. I will get a set of my son's clothes for you. My son is also studying in the county town, but he is not like you foreign students who enjoy causing trouble."

Xiao Tian's mind suddenly exploded with a "bang"; he could finally confirm that he had traversed from one era to another era

Sitting by the roadside, Xiao Tian took out his belongings one by one.

Braids? The Qing Dynasty? The Westerners who cut their braids - images - book students? The only thing that can be certain is that I have traveled back to the late Qing Dynasty

Is it really possible to survive in this era with just these things? Going to battle with a lighter in one hand and a key in the other? Will you burn the enemy to death with the lighter, or stab them to death with the key?

Suddenly recalling something, I pulled out a red string that I had always worn around my neck, from which hung a small gold medal. It is said that this was captured by my grandfather on the battlefield many years ago, and it later became the heirloom of the Xiao family

Looking around, it is desolate; there is nothing to say but desolation. In the distance, there seem to be a few patches of farmland. However, on the way to Qingcheng Mountain, I did not see any fields.

My own father was also a soldier, and I grew up in the military camp from a young age. My rough father used military discipline on me since childhood, and I was often met with the belt and wooden stick. In the freezing cold, he even dared to throw his six-year-old child into the icy river, making his child run bare-chested in the harsh winter.

There are still twenty-nine days until I turn eighteen; dying like this is simply not worth it

This gold medal has been examined carefully; the front features the character "萧" which is the same as my surname. Perhaps this is the reason why my grandfather did not return the book to the library back then. The back bears a slightly smaller character "容" whose meaning is unknown. Could it be that the original owner of the medal was named Xiao Rong?

Xiao Tian opened his eyes, still feeling waves of dizziness in his head

With no one around to ask for directions, Xiao Tian stretched his muscles and cupped his hands into a trumpet shape, shouting loudly:

Following the rambling farmer into the house, he changed into some clothes, put on a small cap, and tucked his braid behind his head. In a daze, Xiao Tian could only wonder if he was dreaming.

My grandfather, an old soldier, often said that in the most dangerous moments on the battlefield, grand heroic figures would emerge in his mind. Yet, when he found himself suspended in mid-air over a cliff, all he could think of was his own father

Unfortunately, I do not know where my travel backpack has ended up; otherwise, it contains a phone and a camera that I could use

The feeling of uncertainty grew stronger for the foreign student, and Xiao Tian quickly nodded: "Uncle, I am..."

However, I truly thank my father; if it weren't for his strict, quasi-militaristic approach to raising me since childhood, I wouldn't have developed such a strong physique. Perhaps I would have really fallen to my death this time.

But who wants to be on their own? Beiyang? Xiao Tian felt a stir in his heart. Beiyang is indeed not bad, but at their place, talents are abundant. Having one more or one less of oneself makes no difference; it is uncertain whether they even want oneself.

Fortunately, this gold medal might still be exchanged for some money, and perhaps it could even be used for some small business ventures

It was quite a coincidence; a figure was approaching from a distance, carrying a hoe. Xiao Tian quickly went to greet him: "Uncle!"

Sitting there in a daze for half a day, my mind was in a jumble. I wanted to enlist in the Beiyang Army, but I needed to find a place to do so. The only thing I had to consider now was how to survive in this era

The farmer looked at Xiao Tian with pity. After a while, he took out an oilcloth bundle from his pocket: "Here, a while ago, there was a foreign student who cut his braid. As a result, he got scared and begged me to help him buy a braid. Who would have thought that just as I went to the county town to buy it, this student was captured by the authorities, and with a snap, his head was chopped off on the spot. Consider yourself lucky; as for this braid, well, take it and use it, poor child..."

Moreover, how did my grandmother marry my grandfather? My grandfather, apart from his own name, truly does not recognize many characters, yet my grandmother came from a scholarly family, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Later, she became a university history instructor, and after having me, her precious grandson, she was eager to impart all the knowledge she possessed to me