The scent of straw filled the room. The flickering light of the oil lamp danced across the walls. I lay on a bed made of dry hay, covered only by a coarse cloth. It was surprisingly comfortable. We had just finished our meal—a generous amount, thanks to the money Past Ethan Justice gave us. This family even offered some meat to welcome us. Most of the food was roasted, and tasted quite good.
The man of the house, Lee Hsing, warned us during dinner that we could search for herbs, but had to return to the village before sunset. He said the mountains weren’t safe, though he didn’t specify what dangers lay there.
Past Ethan Justice sat by the door behind a low table, holding a ram’s horn cup and sipping wine. A small plate of meat sat beside him. We still didn’t know exactly what era we’d landed in.
All we knew was that we were in Chenford County, within the State of Chen. This place was called Li Family Village—a relatively prosperous little village. Most people here made their living with medicinal herbs. Every household had some farmland and orchards; life was comfortable.
Historically, there are few detailed records about Laozi’s parents. The State of Chen had not yet fallen, and the current ruler was Duke Ai of Chen. We could only keep searching in this village.
“There are plenty of wandering ghosts in those woods. You must have sensed them when you arrived, right?”
I asked. Future Ethan Zhang nodded.
“A hundred and twenty-eight. Three of them are vengeful ghosts, deep in the forest. They can’t enter the village, so they send wandering ghosts to collect the offerings left by villagers. It seems people and ghosts here coexist peacefully.”
I looked at Past Ethan Justice, puzzled.
"Should we ask the ghosts ourselves?"
Past Ethan Justice smiled, took a sip of wine, and said:
"I’ve already asked around once. For now, all we can do is keep watching to see who Laozi’s parents really are in this village."
I responded with a simple 'oh', but quickly sat up and said:
"My history wasn’t great, but I remember Laozi’s family was considered quite wealthy here. He received a good education as a child and was taught ritual and music by someone named Samuel Rong. Maybe we should look for Samuel Rong?"
I suggested, but Past Ethan Justice shook his head.
"I asked around in Chenford County’s town today—there’s no one named Samuel Rong anywhere nearby."
I looked at Past Ethan Justice, puzzled how he’d managed to get money and clothes. Could it be...
"I just found a family in town and helped them dispel a curse. They gave me some money, and I bought a few clothes."
It seemed we weren’t going to find a breakthrough for now. We didn’t even know exactly why we’d come here. Juchen hadn’t appeared, and Future Ethan Zhang was nowhere to be found. Based on the current ruler, though, we could tell this was before Laozi established his philosophy. But at this rate, even if we found Laozi, we’d have to wait years. The thought sent a chill down my spine.
"I want to check something. Maybe you should stay here for a few days."
I looked at Past Ethan Justice, confused. He stood up, clearly preparing to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Hell."
I swallowed and stood up in shock.
"Didn’t Juchen say we can’t interfere with anything in this world? If you go to Hell..."
Past Ethan Justice just smiled, relaxed.
"As long as I don’t use my powers to interfere with this world, it’s fine. Right now, the new underworld should just be getting established. I need to find where the Wraithlord’s Earth Soul is being held. Only then will I know where he might appear after escaping. Take this sword—if anything happens, it will protect you."
As he spoke, Past Ethan Justice handed me the sword from his back—a crystal-clear, strangely shaped blade. It felt incredibly light in my hand, almost unbelievable. The moment I gripped it, a gentle warmth began to flow into my body.
"Besides, this sword will benefit your Sunfire Body. Now get some sleep! Take this money."
With that, Past Ethan Justice tossed me a bag of coins and continued:
"If Lee Hsing asks tomorrow morning, just tell him I left early today and will bring someone back."
I nodded, already thinking of what to say.
Soon after Past Ethan Justice left, I fell asleep—and slept soundly.
When I woke up in the morning, the smell of rice filled the air. Lee Hsing’s wife brought me some porridge and pickled radish. After eating, I told them my brother had left early for business. They didn’t ask much, so I started wandering around the village.
I asked around about different things. Most people here were ordinary farmers, not wealthy. It struck me as odd—Laozi’s family was supposed to be well-off, otherwise they couldn’t have afforded tutors or let him devote himself to study and travel.
Thinking about it, I realized we must have arrived at the wrong time—before Laozi was born, and before Samuel Rong came to teach him.
The villagers were simple and friendly. Some children gathered around me, asking questions, but I didn’t know what to say and just replied casually.
The village wasn’t large. By lunchtime, I’d learned a lot about the place. After eating, I strolled through the fields to the edge of the woods. The yellow and red cloth strips on the fences looked ancient. I asked about them.
The villagers said that years ago, Master Fang passed through and told them to put up those strips to block the bad luck from the woods. Only then would the feng shui be favorable. Before that, disasters happened from time to time—children cried, families were uneasy, and life was hard. But since Master Fang’s visit, the weather and harvests have been good. Everyone’s lives have gotten better.
A strange floral scent caught my nose. I looked up and saw a patch of pale purple flowers in the woods. I decided to check them out, climbed over the fence, and soon sat among the blossoms, enjoying their fragrance.
Life here was so simple it bordered on dull. Villagers rose with the sun and slept at dusk, free from major worries, getting along well. Soon, I felt sleepy and leaned against a tree by the flowers, planning to nap before heading back.
I had nothing else to do, so as drowsiness crept in, I fell asleep.
A gentle breeze stirred, but for some reason, in my hazy state, I seemed to see shadows flickering before my eyes. I rubbed my tired eyes, and as soon as I opened them, I stared in shock—the village had vanished. I stood up, gripping the sword, not feeling bewitched, but the village was truly gone.
Just as I was about to leave, a beam of white light shot down, like a rope, wrapping around my arm and yanking me back. Only then did I notice patches of black and white on the ground—like swamps. I looked up; the white sword hovered above me, glowing faintly.
It was as if the sword was shielding me from something. As I puzzled over it, the scene shifted—then I saw a black claw reaching for me. With a swish, the sword sliced through the claw as it touched me, and everything went back to normal.
Panting, I stared wide-eyed. The village was back to normal; the patches of white and black were gone. Everything had returned to normal, but what just happened wasn’t a dream.
"What the hell just happened..."
As I wondered, I suddenly felt the ground give way beneath me—I was falling, screaming in terror. But then a hand grabbed me.
"Rachel Lan, don’t be afraid. Your fear attracted these things."
I stared wide-eyed into the darkness, where countless blood-red eyes fixed on me. Above, Future Ethan Zhang slowly pulled me up.
"That guy really is irresponsible."
I swallowed and thanked him, staring at the gaping hole before me. Suddenly, I heard a shrill, piercing sound. In an instant, Future Ethan Zhang pressed a hand to the black pit, and streaks of red and purple shadows darted out.
"Get back."
With a boom, I felt a faint tremor. Amid the shaking, I heard wailing from the unknown space below. Wisps of blue smoke rose from the pit, but soon the hole vanished.
"What was that thing?"
"The Eye of Time has locked onto you."
Future Ethan Zhang stood up and looked into the distance.
"Staying here is a waste of time. This is the world more than thirty years before Eli Lear was born. No matter how hard you search, you won’t find his parents—they’re probably still children. And if you keep interacting with the villagers, you might change his parents’ fate. If Eli Lear can’t be born, everything will be ruined."