"You're really that interested in Qingluan Academy? …Don't tell me that this place, revered as sacred by the entire empire, never piqued your interest before?"
The old man stared at the teenager in front of him for a long while. He finally decided not to say more, realizing that a seventeen or eighteen-year-old like this boy probably thought in ways far beyond his understanding. So he simply closed his eyes and settled in for a nap.
—
The spring rain continued to fall, soft and persistent. The carriage had pushed more than ten miles north through the muddy path when Lin Xi, pulling back the curtain, caught sight of a mountain range rising suddenly in the distance. The rain still drizzled on.
These mountains were towering, their peaks covered in gleaming white snow. Above the rainclouds, sunlight bounced off the cliff faces, casting a crisp and serene light midway up the slopes.
"That's the main Shanhai Range."
The old man at the front of the carriage, wrapped in a raincoat, didn't turn his head. "It stretches from the Eastern Miao Sea, runs along the coastline, and ends at the Northern Ice Sea. It's one of the two major mountain ranges in our Yunqin Empire. Once we cross it, Qingluan Academy isn't far."
"Qingluan Academy is just on the other side of that range?"
Lin Xi gazed ahead at the distant mountains. Rain, snow, grass, and sunlight refracted off the cliffs—it all felt incredibly pure. On either side of the muddy road, wildflowers bloomed across open meadows stretching to the base of the mountain. This clean and peaceful scene brought him comfort.
At the foot of the mountain sat a village, wooden cottages scattered over a gentle slope. The nearby hills and gullies were covered in apricot trees, all in full bloom—vivid clusters of blossoms like floating clouds.
"Uncle Liu, are we passing through there?" Lin Xi's gaze was drawn in by the quiet, beautiful village.
The old man paused, then nodded. "That's Xinghua Village. The gorge we need to take runs right behind it."
"Xinghua Village?" A smile crept across Lin Xi's lips. "Do they have wine there?"
The old man glanced at him in surprise. "If the little shop at the village entrance is still around, they might. But the wine's nothing special. And if we stop, it'll delay us another day…"
"No, I just thought of a poem, that's why I asked." Lin Xi laughed, eyes crinkling. He knew the old man wouldn't understand his reference.
The old man nodded without much interest.
As the carriage drew closer, Lin Xi was startled.
On a hillside, a few cows grazed. One had a little boy on its back, wearing a straw raincoat.
"'I asked the shepherd boy where a tavern could be, he pointed toward Xinghua Village amid the apricot blossoms.'"
There might not actually be wine in Xinghua Village, but this scene was startlingly close to the poem.
"Uncle Liu, can we stop for a moment?" Lin Xi asked suddenly.
The old man paused, then halted the carriage.
Lin Xi opened a yellow oil-paper umbrella and stepped down into the drizzle under the old man's surprised gaze.
To the left was a meadow covered in small purple flowers, with an apricot tree raining petals. Lin Xi walked through the flowers toward a wooden cottage near the village.
A brook flowed by the cottage, with a small wooden bridge spanning it.
A woman holding a basket was crossing the bridge, umbrella in hand. Her clothes and face were plain, but honest and sincere. That kind of innocence and purity wasn't something any girl in his former world could ever truly possess or fake. Just that alone—the shepherd boy, the woman on the bridge, the apricot village—made the whole scene beautiful to him.
"What's so interesting about a random village girl?" the old man grumbled when Lin Xi returned to the carriage after staring for a while.
Lin Xi took off his slightly wet shoes and reclined comfortably before answering with a tone that made him feel quite profound:
"Uncle Liu, I wasn't looking at the girl. I was looking at loneliness."
"Cough… cough…"
The old man seemed to choke on his own saliva.
"Almost at Qingluan Academy now," Lin Xi said, turning serious. "According to you, people from all over the empire gather there—most of them noble or important. I'll keep my mouth shut once we cross the mountain. But before that, I may as well talk freely. I've got the best parents and little sister in the world now, but sometimes I still feel lonely."
"Because no one understands." He lifted the curtain and looked outside. "Actually, I'm from another world. In that world, there are skyscrapers, airplanes, trains. I was just a regular college senior. Then I had a car accident—and woke up here, as Lin Xi. Honestly, I really like this world. It's so clean. My parents back there didn't care about me. If I died in that crash, they probably wouldn't even know. I've read a lot of books here. I thought the Yunqin Empire was just like some ancient Chinese dynasty—simple, swords and spears. I didn't expect a girl to suddenly appear and start questioning me nonstop. I didn't expect Qingluan Academy to be what it is, either. At first I didn't want to go. Living rich and carefree in Lulin Town was pretty nice. But then that man who came with you invoked the command of the lingdu—which is like a mayor in my world. I couldn't refuse. I came along. But now it feels like Qingluan Academy is more like a cultivation sect… or a magic school. I guess that kind of makes me like Harry Potter?"
"You asked why I look at everything so attentively—even that girl." He paused and added, "It's because, in this world, I'm a traveler."
"…That story of yours is nonsense," the old man said sternly. "You absolutely cannot talk like that once we're inside."
Lin Xi nodded. Seeing the man so serious, he smiled. "I've told my story, Uncle Liu. What about yours?"
The old man stiffened slightly, turned away, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. "There's nothing much to tell. I served in the border army for a few years."
—
The carriage passed through a long, narrow gorge. By the time they emerged from Xinghua Village into the fantastical canyon that awed Lin Xi, it was already evening, though they'd entered at dawn.
On the other side, the spring rain had stopped. At first, the scenery seemed no different: mountain plains, wildflowers in bloom.
No towns were in sight, but the old man didn't stop to camp like usual. He kept driving north.
Lin Xi was surprised to feel the air growing warmer—like moving from spring to summer. The scenery changed accordingly.
"This is the Four Seasons Plain. It lies between the Shanhai Range and the Mount Ascend. As we go, we'll pass through all four seasons. You can take off a few layers. It'll keep getting hotter. But don't get too casual—someone from the academy will come meet us," the old man said as dusk settled and mist began to rise.
"We'll meet someone from Qingluan Academy tonight?" Lin Xi had just rolled up the curtains when he heard that, startled.
"Tomorrow is the entrance trial. I wanted to get here two days early, let you learn more about the academy. But the rain slowed us down. Forcing the horses would've only made things worse," the old man explained. "Tonight, gather whatever info you can."
Lin Xi finally understood why the old man had insisted on crossing the mountains today.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped sharply.
Peering past the unmoving figure of the old man, Lin Xi saw a faint light through the mist.
A young man holding a lantern stepped out.
He wore a black robe with gold trim at the cuffs and hem. He looked only a few years older than Lin Xi, with handsome features, sharp brows, and a calm, friendly smile. His hair was neatly tied with a green ribbon.
"My name is Xia Yanbing. I'm from the academy. Here for the entrance trial? Your recommendation token, please," he said politely, nodding to both Lin Xi and the old man.
"Yes." The old man handed him a square golden token from his sleeve—heavy and solid-looking.
"Please follow me."
Xia Yanbing examined the token, smiled, and led the way.
The slope grew steeper. The old horses struggled, so Lin Xi and the old man dismounted to walk. The mist faded, revealing a hot summer landscape.
When they crested a hill, Lin Xi stood in awe.
Below lay a broad plain, with a crystal-blue mountain lake. Tall green willows ringed its banks.
Countless fireflies flickered in the air. Around the lake, hundreds of tents were pitched and bonfires burned—a scene that reminded Lin Xi vividly of the Quidditch World Cup from the Harry Potter movies.