Chapter 1

Amidst the cries of seagulls and the sound of waves crashing, Dongyeo Chang slowly opened his eyes on the beach, feeling somewhat powerless.

("Dongyeo" originates from the Ji surname of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Descendants of the Duke of Zhou were enfeoffed to Dongye, and thus took the place name as their surname.)

"Where am I?"

Dongyeo Chang propped himself up with his hands on the fine, soft sand and looked around.

Suddenly, his drooping eyelids stiffened, and he stared blankly at the mountain peak standing between heaven and earth in the distance.

The snow-capped mountain peak, illuminated by the sunlight, seemed to emit a white glow, and from afar, it appeared as a beautifully conical shape.

"Mount... Fuji..."

Dongyeo Chang murmured.

This world-famous mountain, with its distinctive appearance, was immediately recognized by Dongyeo Chang at first glance.

"But... how did I end up near Mount Fuji?"

Dongyeo Chang clearly remembered being swept away by a wave at the seaside and found it hard to imagine how long he had drifted in the sea to end up here.

"Cough, cough!"

Dongyeo Chang couldn't stop coughing, expelling a lot of seawater, feeling a burning sensation in his chest and a general weakness, making it extremely difficult to stand up.

'First, I need to find someone to help.'

Realizing his condition was quite bad, Dongyeo Chang was struggling to get up when he noticed a katana lying beside him.

About a meter long, it was completely wrapped in white cloth, lying quietly on the sand.

"Given its length, it should be called a tachi, right?"

Dongyeo Chang held the hilt in his hand and felt it was quite comfortable. He tried to pull the white cloth but couldn't move it at all, as if the cloth had grown onto the tachi.

For a moment, even though Dongyeo Chang felt extremely uncomfortable, he couldn't help but be captivated by the tachi.

Influenced by his childhood memories, Dongyeo Chang had always had a certain admiration for tachi, but he was somewhat disappointed not to find a scabbard nearby.

"But this tachi might not have a scabbard. It could be a cosplaying item, just wrapped in white cloth to give it shape..."

While speculating about its origin, Dongyeo Chang used it like a cane and walked toward Mount Fuji.

Mount Fuji, being one of the world's famous mountains and a well-known tourist attraction, would surely lead him to help if he followed it.

However, to Dongyeo Chang's surprise, after walking for almost an hour, he found neither signs of civilization nor a road. Instead, the surroundings became increasingly secluded, as if he had entered a forest that had never been developed.

Dongyeo Chang, who had never been in such a forest, swallowed hard and muttered.

"Strange..."

Fortunately, holding the tachi provided him with a sense of security.

However, in this environment, Dongyeo Chang couldn't help but feel anxious and his steps became increasingly hurried.

As Mount Fuji in his line of sight grew larger, Dongyeo Chang never saw any familiar modern signs.

Suddenly, Dongyeo Chang stopped, his eyes filled with joy as he noticed smoke rising not far away.

"Someone?!"

After wandering in the forest for a long time, Dongyeo Chang immediately ran toward the smoke. Even if the person was just a fellow traveler, it would be enough.

What Dongyeo Chang needed most now, besides food, was a communication device.

However, when Dongyeo Chang stood at the edge of the forest and saw the source of the smoke, he froze.

Patches of rice fields, low thatched huts emitting smoke, and people dressed in extremely simple coarse clothes.

"This... what kind of place is this?"

For a moment, Dongyeo Chang felt his brain was a mess, overwhelmed by the unbelievable information.

"Did I... travel through time?"

Dongyeo Chang sat on the ground, staring blankly at the scene before him.

After a long while, driven by hunger, Dongyeo Chang forced himself to accept the reality and walked toward the village.

Perhaps because of his clothing or the tachi wrapped in white cloth, Dongyeo Chang received a lot of attention from the farmers, which made him quite uncomfortable. He lowered his head slightly and continued walking into the village.

The village wasn't large, with only a few dozen households, and there were no markets or facilities to provide food.

The most troublesome thing was Dongyeo Chang's Japanese level...

Cough!

Dongyeo Chang only knew a few basic Japanese words, which didn't even qualify as a level.

In the end, after much effort, through a series of gestures, Dongyeo Chang managed to trade his jacket for a bowl of coarse rice mixed with stones and rice husks from a farmer.

If it were in the past, Dongyeo Chang would never have eaten such coarse food, but now it tasted... extremely fragrant.

"But... what should I do from now on?"

Dongyeo Chang, leaning on the tachi, fell into a state of confusion.

Surviving was the top priority, but trading one piece of clothing for a meal wouldn't last long...

As dusk approached, Dongyeo Chang's mood was like the setting sun.

At this moment, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded around him, including the sound of weapons clashing, which instantly put Dongyeo Chang on alert.

In a series of familiar but incomprehensible shouts, about ten men with tachi at their waists surrounded Dongyeo Chang.

They were about 1.6 meters tall, mostly thin, and wore crude armor to protect their chests.

The only one who seemed to be the leader wore a kimono-like garment, with his arms crossed and a haughty expression. He listened to a farmer dressed man babbling something and then sized up Dongyeo Chang.

Then, the man in the kimono waved the farmer away and, with a haughty tone, said a few words to Dongyeo Chang.

Dongyeo Chang's face turned serious...

After all, he couldn't understand a word.

At this moment, feeling the subtle hostility from the people around him, Dongyeo Chang suddenly felt a bit regretful.

If he had known this would happen, he should have listened to his teacher more carefully and studied comprehensively.

In the end, facing the increasingly fierce gazes of the people around him, Dongyeo Chang's lips twitched, and he decided to make an effort to communicate, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"I, am, a, good, citizen."