Chapter 3, A Traveler

After ascending a hillside, Lin Xi gazed into the distance, momentarily rendered speechless.

But the mountains are extremely high, with the peaks accumulating a blanket of pure white snow. The sunlight reflects off the cliffs above the rain clouds, while the mid-mountain area appears exceptionally clear.

My name is Xia Yanbing, I am from the academy, and I am here to participate in the entrance examination, recommendation letter. This young man, neither servile nor overbearing, first nodded slightly to the elder and Lin Xi, and simply stated this sentence, yet it conveyed a sense of warmth and pride.

This young man is dressed in a pure black robe, the hem and cuffs of which are adorned with golden edges. He appears to be a few years older than Lin Xi, with a handsome countenance, eyebrows like swords, and a friendly smile. His forehead is broad, and his hair is neatly tied back with a blue cloth ribbon.

On the distant hillside, there are several cows, among which one has a young shepherd dressed in a raincoat sitting on its back

Please follow me

Hearing the sounds from the carriage, the old man sitting at the front in a raincoat did not turn around but spoke: "Starting from the East, the East Sea stretches along the coast, ultimately reaching the Arctic Ocean. This is one of the two major mountain ranges of our Yunqin Empire. Once we pass through this mountain range, we will be close to Qingluan Academy."

Lin Xi was stunned, finally understanding why the old man had to cross the main ridge of the mountains and seas today to arrive here

The village hidden among the apricot blossoms drew closer, yet Lin Xi was taken aback

We are almost at Qingluan Academy, Liu Bo. According to your account, many people have gathered from various places in the Yunqin Empire to Qingluan Academy, and most of them hold significant status. Words can lead to trouble; once we cross this mountain, I will refrain from speaking nonsense. Lin Xi looked at the slightly trembling figure of the old man, smiled, but then became serious. However, before we cross this mountain, I might as well say all the nonsense I want, so that I won't hold it in later... I now have the best parents and younger sister in the world, but sometimes I still feel a bit lonely.

The old man turned his head in surprise, looking at Lin Xi, and with a slight frown said: "If the small shop at the village entrance is still there, there should be wine for sale, but that wine is indeed not very good. Moreover, if we are to stop here, it will delay us for another day..."

Yes. The old man nodded, reached into his sleeve, and handed something over.

A young man holding a lantern emerged from the mist

Lin Xi was astonished to discover that the heat in the air was becoming increasingly intense, as if transitioning from spring to summer, with the scenery along the way becoming ever more distinct.

The old man's body stiffened slightly, he turned his head, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, "I don't have any stories, I just spent some years with the border troops."

Behind the canyon, the spring rain has ceased, and the scenery initially bears little difference from the outside, still characterized by vast high mountains and plains, where apricot blossoms and various wildflowers bloom vibrantly

The young man looked carefully for a moment, then smiled gently and turned to lead the way ahead

The old man paused slightly and stopped the carriage

Lin Xi nodded, looking at the solemn elder, smiled and said, "My story is finished, Uncle Liu, but what about your story? I have yet to hear you tell your story."

May I ask where the wine house is? The shepherd boy points distantly to Xinghua Village. Although there is no wine in Xinghua Village, the current scene is surprisingly fitting.

Lin Xi took off his slightly damp shoes, then reclined in the carriage in the most comfortable position before saying something he felt was profound and impressive: "Liu Bo, I am not looking at that woman, but at loneliness."

... ... and - picture - book

The mountains gradually rose higher, and the two old horses struggled more and more. Even the elderly man and Lin Xi got off the carriage, while the surrounding mist gradually dissipated. The climate and scenery around had already transformed into the sweltering heat of summer

Lin Xi gazed at the distant mountains ahead. Regardless of the rain, the snow, the vegetation on the mountains, or the sunlight refracted between the cliffs, everything appeared exceptionally clean. The muddy cart path was flanked by a prairie adorned with various small flowers, stretching all the way to the base of the mountains. This clean and tranquil atmosphere greatly pleased him

Countless fireflies dance across the plains, while on the plains near the lake, numerous tents are pitched, and piles of bonfires are lit. This scene is reminiscent of Lin Xi watching a Harry Potter movie in a past life, particularly the scene during the Quidditch World Cup.

Cough... cough... The old man seemed to have choked on his own saliva, resulting in a fit of coughing

No towns were visible within sight, yet the old man did not stop to set up camp as usual; instead, he urged the horse-drawn cart to continue northward

Lin Xi looked on with curiosity; he had never heard of such a recommendation token. However, he saw that the young man received a square golden token, which appeared to be quite heavy

Lin Xi opened a yellow bamboo-framed oil paper umbrella and stepped out of the carriage under the astonished gaze of the elderly man

The old man nodded slightly, clearly showing no interest in the verses, and did not say anything further

"Your story is indeed nonsense." The old man's brow furrowed more tightly than ever as he looked at Lin Xi and instructed, "Such nonsensical talk must not be uttered once inside."

At the foot of the mountain, there lies a village, with wooden houses scattered across the gentle slopes. In the surrounding valleys and on the hillsides, apricot blossoms are planted everywhere, blooming vibrantly and profusely, resembling clusters of clouds.

The old man paused slightly, nodded, and said, "That is Apricot Blossom Village. Beyond Apricot Blossom Village, the canyon we need to take is right behind it."

Lin Xi's gaze passed over the still figure of the elderly man seated in front, and in the mist ahead, a glimmer of light appeared without warning

... ...

"Liu Bo, are we going to cross over from that side?" Lin Xi's gaze was completely captivated by the tranquil and pristine beauty of the village, and she couldn't help but ask the old man in the raincoat who was sitting at the front of the vehicle

The Qingluan Academy is just behind this mountain range

"What is there to admire about an ordinary country girl?" After Lin Xi gazed at the woman for a long time before returning to the carriage, the old man furrowed his brows and said

Is your interest in Qingluan Academy growing? ... ... Could it be that you previously regarded this entire empire as a sacred place and yet had no interest in it?

The carriage passed through a deep and long canyon, traversing Apricot Blossom Village. When entering this canyon that gave Lin Xi a sense of a fantastical epic, it was still morning; however, by the time they exited the canyon, it was already evening.

"Is there wine in Xinghua Village?" Lin Xi couldn't help but reveal a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

Tomorrow is the day of the entrance examination for Qingluan Academy. I originally planned to arrive two days early, at least to give you more time to understand Qingluan Academy, but this year's rainfall has been excessive, making the roads difficult to traverse. If we force our way through, these two horses will not be able to endure it, and we would only end up slower. The old man turned his head and said to Lin Xi, "You can only take advantage of tonight to inquire more about the entrance examination tomorrow."

At the foot of the hill lies a vast plain, within which there is a deep blue alpine lake, bordered by towering green willows.

"Liu Bo, could you pause for a moment?" Suddenly, Lin Xi said this to the elderly driver.

Suddenly, the horse-drawn carriage came to a sharp stop

"No, I just suddenly thought of a line of poetry, which is why I asked." Lin Xi smiled, his eyes curving with delight, knowing that the old man would certainly not understand the meaning of his earlier words

Today, I will meet the people from Qingluan Academy? Lin Xi had just rolled up the curtains and window drapes in the carriage when he heard the old man's words, and was immediately taken aback

That is the main vein of the mountains and seas

The spring rain fell in a lingering manner, and the horse-drawn carriage traveled northward for more than 10 miles through the muddy terrain. It was not until Lin Xi caught sight of the suddenly appearing continuous mountains in the distance through the lifted curtain of the carriage that the spring rain continued to patter down.

A small stream flows in front of that wooden cabin, with a wooden bridge above it

A woman carrying a basket is walking across a bridge, holding a matching oiled paper umbrella. Her appearance and clothing are ordinary, yet genuine; the innocence and purity she embodies are qualities that the girls from the world he previously inhabited could never possess or feign. In his eyes, this simple detail transforms the distant shepherd, the woman on the wooden bridge, and the apricot blossom village into the most beautiful scenery.

The old man stared blankly at the young boy for quite a while, realizing that the age difference between them, with the boy being around seventeen or eighteen, was too great for him to fully comprehend many of the thoughts in his mind. Ultimately, he said little and simply closed his eyes, taking a short rest.

This is the Four Seasons Plain, a basin located between the main mountain ranges we have traversed, namely the Shanhai and the Tianshan ranges. Along the way, we will experience the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. You may remove some clothing as it will become increasingly warm; however, do not be too casual, as the academy's personnel will come to guide you. As night falls, a light mist rises in the mountains, and everything becomes hazy. The old man continues to drive the cart forward, yet he says this to Linxi.

"Because no one understands." Lin Xi lifted the curtain of the car again, looking outside, and continued, "Actually, I come from another world. In my world, there are tall buildings everywhere, with airplanes and trains. I was an ordinary university student there, about to graduate from my fourth year. After a car accident, I woke up and found myself in this world, having become Lin Xi. To be honest, I really like this world; it is very clean. Especially since my parents in that world don't care about me, they probably wouldn't even know if I had an accident. I have read many books about this world. I originally thought that the Yun Qin Empire was similar to the Qin dynasty in our history, a typical cold weapon dynasty. However, I didn't expect that girl who kept asking me questions to suddenly appear, along with the Qing Luan Academy. I wasn't particularly interested in the Qing Luan Academy at first; after all, being a carefree rich second generation in Lu Lin Town is also quite good. But that day, the adult who came with you mentioned the order from the Ling Du, who is equivalent to the mayor in our world. I had no choice but to come. However, I didn't expect the Qing Luan Academy to be such a place. Is it a cultivation sect or a magic academy? Doesn't that make me a bit like Harry Potter..."

To the left of the carriage was a meadow filled with purple flowers, where the petals of an apricot blossom tree were fluttering down. Lin Xi walked into this meadow, gazing at a wooden house near the village in the distance

You asked me why I seemed so engrossed in observing certain things along the way, paying such close attention, including that woman just now. After a pause, Lin Xi added, "In this world, I am essentially a traveler."