Chapter 23

A month later.

Lu Yao climbed up the slope and sat down with his back against a large tree.

Under the gentle mountain breeze, Lu Yao carefully twisted his waist and tightened his clothes to make himself more comfortable.

After the onset of winter, the weather gradually turned cold, and the vegetation withered. However, the climate in this mountain area was uniquely favorable, being warmer than the outside world. Looking around, the scenery was beautiful, with dense forests. A clear stream meandered through the mountains, and in the distance, the mountains were layered and the peaks were green like screens. There was a small village in the mountains, inhabited by dozens of simple farmers, all of whom had fled into the mountains to avoid taxes in previous generations. The entire village worked together to cultivate several small fields, living self-sufficiently and rarely going down the mountain.

Perhaps because of this, the village had fortuitously escaped the widespread disasters and wars. It was truly a blessing from their ancestors.

In the battle with Xiang Fei and his band of thieves, Lu Yao and his companions had not yet recovered from their old injuries and had sustained several new ones. The group came to this place, feeling unable to continue, and decided to settle here. Xue Tong gave the villagers several knives and weapons he had taken from the bandits. Knowing that iron tools were extremely precious in the deep mountains, the villagers were overjoyed and welcomed the three men to stay.

Several dozen days passed in a flash, and everyone's injuries gradually improved.

He Yun's shoulder had been pierced through by Xiang Fei, and even after resting for a long time, his right arm still felt weak. Apart from that, he had no other serious injuries. Before joining the army, He Yun was an excellent hunter, often capturing birds and beasts to share with the villagers. Once, he even caught a huge black bear. The black bear, especially plump before winter, provided a feast for the entire village.

Xue Tong's injuries were not very severe and did not hinder his movements. He had an impatient nature and, as soon as he felt better, he wandered around the village, occasionally doing heavy work like building walls, which he considered a form of physical exercise. The villagers welcomed him warmly.

Compared to the two of them, Lu Yao's condition was unusual. Sometimes he would be lost in long periods of silence and contemplation, not speaking for days. At other times, he would gesture wildly and deliver long speeches. His accent was very strange, and no one could understand him. Xue and He were worried and asked the villagers to prepare some herbal medicine to calm his nerves, but they had no other solutions.

Lu Yao was aware that this was the result of two distinct sets of memories rapidly merging. However, he was so focused on this process that he could not spare the time to explain it to others, nor did he know how to explain it.

This process should have been completed over a longer period, more slowly, and thus more safely. However, the continuous mental stress after the穿越 (time travel) had significantly accelerated this process. For a whole month, Lu Yao endured both physical and mental torment, often teetering on the edge of sanity and madness. Only now could he be certain that he had not gone mad, and that the integration of his memories had achieved more results.

At this moment, Lu Yao was both a struggling office worker from the 21st century and a warrior fighting for survival in the 4th century. The personalities and memories of these two Lu Yaos were seamlessly integrated yet distinctly separate, a phenomenon that was difficult to express in words.

The experiences of these past days played out like a scroll before him. He closed his eyes, and the many memories he had organized flashed before his eyes, each image clear and vivid, arranged in order. There were countless more memories, and Lu Yao even doubted whether he would ever be able to review them all.

Lu Yao raised his hand and clenched his fist, feeling a surge of power within him. As his mental state improved, his physical strength seemed to have been enhanced as well. Lu Yao, the military leader of Bingzhou, was already a brave warrior, and now he seemed to have the potential to become even more formidable.

"Very good," he said to himself with satisfaction. "The body is the capital of the revolution!"

Xue Tong's loud voice came from nearby, interrupting Lu Yao's thoughts: "Daoming, are you feeling better?"

"Feeling like I've cheated death, how could I not feel better? Lao Xue, come, please sit down," Lu Yao replied loudly.

Xue Tong strode over and casually threw a wild boar he had caught today beside them. The period of rest had made his already massive body even stronger. When he sat down, the ground shook. "It's good to see you recovering! Your condition a few days ago really scared us."

Lu Yao nodded. "Thank you for your concern. My old illness suddenly flared up, causing me to be in a sorry state. Fortunately, I turned a crisis into a blessing and have fully recovered, which is a pleasant surprise."

"Is that so? That's great, really great!" Xue Tong laughed heartily, slapping Lu Yao's shoulder so hard that it hurt. His strength was so great that Lu Yao could clearly feel Xue Tong's genuine joy.

"Daoming, since you've recovered, let's go down the mountain."

Lu Yao thought for a moment and shook his head slightly. "Not in a hurry."

It was the end of Guangxi Year 1, which was 306 AD. The sixteen-year-long War of the Eight Princes was finally coming to an end. If he remembered correctly, Prince Sima Ying of Chengdu had been falsely executed by Liu Yu, the chief secretary of Prince Sima Yi of Fanyang, just half a month ago. Another powerful prince, Sima Ying of Hejian, would soon be killed by Liang Chen, a general of Prince Sima Mao of Nanyang.

The various Sima princes who had coveted the imperial throne had almost finished killing each other, and they were gradually putting down their weapons. In the end, Prince Sima Yue of Donghai, who had seized control of the court, looked out from his stronghold in Luoyang and saw only the desolate landscape of bones exposed in the fields and no roosters crowing for miles. The opportunistic non-Han tribes took advantage of the chaos, leading to the darkest and most brutal period in Chinese history, the Wu Hu Uprising.

In the first year of Guangxi, not only the Xiongnu Liu Han rebelled. The entire Jin Empire was in turmoil, with wars breaking out everywhere: Chen Min of Wu turned the tide in the Jiangnan region, advancing all the way to Wuchang; the bandits Liu Bogeng and Wang Mi caused chaos in Qing and Xu; the Wuling tribes invaded Ningzhou, causing tens of thousands of deaths due to famine and disease; Li Xiong, the leader of the Di ethnic group, repelled the government army and established his own rule in Yizhou; and in Ji Province, Gong Shifan continued to cause unrest, with countless counties and cities in disarray.

In such a situation, where could he find a place to use his talents and achieve something? He carefully searched his memory, repeatedly calculating which course of action would be more advantageous.

After a while, he slowly said, "Lao Xue, you mentioned a few days ago that this place is in the mountainous area upstream of the Danshui River, right?"

Xue Tong nodded. "Yes, this place is near the boundary of Xian County. The Danshui River originates from these mountains."

Lu Yao nodded. This mountainous area was located north of the Taihang Pass. Although the journey was perilous, it was a necessary route from Henei to Shangdang. Because of the Danshui River, the mountain pass was also known as the Dan Pass. The Danshui River, also called the Changping River, merged with the waters of the Shangdang mountains and flowed southward. During heavy rains, the water level could rise by two to three meters, with red sand and water flowing like blood, hence its name. This river was historically obscure, but it was mentioned in the opening lines of a famous poem.

"Morning out through the Guangmo Gate, evening lodging on the Danshui Mountain..." Lu Yao recited softly, unable to make a decision.

He stood up and comforted Xue Tong, "Don't worry. The Huns are rampant in Bingzhou, so we need to be cautious. The village will soon organize a caravan to go down the mountain to sell mountain goods. We can send He Yun with them. He is from Bingzhou and can speak without any slip-ups, which is perfect for gathering information about the outside world."

Xue Tong did not ask more questions, and He Yun always followed Lu Yao's orders. The three of them continued to rest and recover in the village.

A few days later, the young men of the village had processed some of the game they had hunted into leather goods. The villagers planned to travel sixty miles over the mountains to the market below to trade for salt, cloth, and farming tools. He Yun set out with several villagers. Before leaving, Lu Yao solemnly pulled He Yun aside and gave him detailed instructions to pay attention to the various developments in the mountainous area upstream of the Danshui River. He Yun rarely saw Lu Yao so talkative and was almost driven to distraction.

According to the usual schedule, the round trip would take two days, and the trading one day, so the villagers would stay in the market for no more than three days.

However, three days passed, and they did not return as expected.

By the fourth day, they still had not returned.

The families of the villagers were extremely worried, and Lu Yao gradually became anxious. He was very concerned about He Yun's safety and was also beginning to doubt whether they had stayed in the mountains too long and missed something important.

"Daoming, He Yun is a smart and skilled guy. Even if there's some danger, he should be able to take care of himself," Xue Tong tried to reassure him.

Lu Yao paid no attention. After some deliberation, he finally said in a serious tone, "Lao Xue, we need to go down the mountain."