Chapter 7: The Only Flower in the Wilderness

Shu Guan turned to the second page of the notes.

"...My wife, child, and I were all slaughtered by the Baiyi people. I fled south with my fellow villagers, reaching the border between E and Tan states. As we encountered the defeated soldiers of the Heavenly Dynasty, an immortal appeared riding a dragon and used his immortal abilities to disperse the chaotic army, saving us in this secluded place..."

Shu Guan was dumbfounded.

It was one thing for someone to exaggerate, but it was another thing to fabricate a story out of thin air.

Moreover, these notes were the private record of the old scholar after he arrived in Taoyuan Village. There was no motive or necessity for him to lie.

So... are there really immortals in this world?

Shu Guan suddenly stood up from the railing, breathing heavily. If it weren't for his face full of black moles, one would've noticed that his face had turned quite pale.

Could it be that the world he had traversed to was not a normal one, but a mythical and fantastical one?

After a long while, Shu Guan managed to suppress the surging emotions and continued to look through the notes left by the old scholar.

The following pages recorded the process of the immortal saving the old scholar and other villagers to Taoyuan Village. The old scholar's narration was embellished with magnificent words and phrases, making Shu Guan feel as if he was reading an old-fashioned wuxia novel.

The general meaning was that the immortal waved his hand and conjured a massive white cloud, which enveloped the hundreds of villagers. Amidst the howling wind, they were brought to this peaceful and beautiful valley in the blink of an eye.

The immortal told them to live peacefully in this valley, away from the chaos of the outside world. If peace were to return to the world someday, he would naturally come to lead them out of the mountains.

After giving these instructions, the immortal rode away on his dragon.

The old scholar and the other villagers settled down in this isolated valley.

The last few pages of the notes recorded their life in the valley.

However, there were not many records, as the old scholar passed away a few years later.

He was already in his 60s, and scholars' bodies were generally frail. In addition, he had experienced the tragic deaths of his wife and child, had been on the run, living in constant fear, and had suffered both physically and mentally. Naturally, he could not live for long.

Before his death, the old scholar always hoped that when the immortal returned to take them out of the mountains, he would still be able to take part in the imperial examination of the Dahua Heavenly Dynasty.

In every stroke of his writing, his longing and regret for losing a whole box of books on his escape were evident. Otherwise, he could have peacefully studied the classics in this carefree land and eventually participated in the autumn session of the imperial court.

Unfortunately, by the time he died, the immortal had not returned.

In fact, the immortal never showed up again even more than two hundred years after the old scholar's death.

...Shu Guan slowly closed the thin notebook.

At this moment, his eyes showed a touch of confusion and horror.

Although Shu Guan's appearance in this life was extremely ugly, even making people feel nauseous at the sight, he had a pair of beautiful eyes amidst the dense black moles. His pupils were clear and bright, and when emotions surfaced in his eyes, they had a captivating charm like the changing of the moon.

If what was recorded in this notebook was true, then the place where he had traversed was not Huaxia in the late 18th century, or even Earth!

... But knowing this didn't seem to have any significance to his current life.

Shu Guan gave a bitter smile.

Since he was a child, he had hoped to see these very words about the origin of Taoyuan Village, in order to find out how the very first villagers had come to this valley that ordinary people could never reach, and perhaps find a way to leave.

Now, he had indeed found it.

It was to wait for the return of the mysterious immortal.

However, the immortal hadn't shown up for nearly three hundred years. Who knew whether he still remembered this valley and the people in it?

The immortal!

Based on Shu Guan's previous experience from reading various online novels, these immortals might close themselves off for hundreds or even thousands of years at a time, or become engrossed in refining pills or enlightening the path. Who knew when he would remember that there are still many mortals in this valley waiting for him?

Perhaps the immortal would truly return, but more likely, by that time, Shu Guan would have already turned into a handful of dust and spent his entire transmigrated life in Taoyuan Village.

Shu Guan sat back on the railing, staring at the sky above the courtyard for a while.

He didn't think about anything.

He didn't think about the Dahua Heavenly Dynasty.

He didn't think about the Baiyi people, iron-armored ships, immortals, or dragons.

He was just spacing out.

Not long after, he sighed, put the notebook back into the wooden box, and returned the box to its original place in the side room.

When he came out of the room, he found that the old cripple had already woken up from his nap.

"Little moles, what's the matter?"

The old cripple looked at Shu Guan and asked puzzledly.

Although it was difficult for others to read Shu Guan's emotions from his mole-covered face, he could never hide anything from the old cripple.

Shu Guan didn't know if it was because the old cripple was too familiar with him, or if it was for another reason, such as being inherently able to read people's hearts.

Shu Guan didn't answer the old cripple's question. His mood was indeed low at the moment, but he couldn't say it out loud. Even the old cripple, who had raised him since childhood, couldn't truly understand his current feelings.

No one in this world would understand.

Then, a green smoking pipe was handed to his face.

Ever since Shu Guan was caught stealing a smoke at the age of four, the old cripple had never let him touch the pipe again.

Today, he handed it to Shu Guan voluntarily.

Shu Guan looked up at the old cripple.

A slow-witted smile hung on the old cripple's face, as it always did.

The old cripple was a man of few words. Even when talking with his closest Shu Guan, he didn't say much. His kindness towards Shu Guan could be found in every little moment of their daily lives.

Shu Guan took the tobacco pipe, lit it awkwardly, and sat on the railing quietly smoking a pot of tobacco.

"Let's get to work."

After Shu Guan finished smoking, the old cripple patted his head and spoke in his usual dry tone.

Shu Guan jumped down from the railing and silently followed the old cripple.

There were three days left until Shu Guan's fourteenth birthday. He gave up all fantasies and expectations, prepared to live out his life in Taoyuan Village.

The days ahead would undoubtedly be plain, but he had to make the best of it.

And in this life, he had an important task to fulfill.

This task was to care for the old cripple in his old age and to see him off at his end.

If his transmigrated life journey would be as bland and uneventful as a desolate wasteland, then the old cripple was the only flower in that wasteland.