Li Ze had never imagined that on an unremarkable evening, amid an ordinary rainstorm, he would be confronted by the hand of fate.
That day, as usual, he was at home, leafing through ancient texts, his thoughts immersed in the unfinished pursuits of his scholarship. In his mind echoed his father's final words on his deathbed: "Zeer, life is but a dream. Never forget your original aspiration."
Outside, the rain poured down in torrents. The oil lamp inside the room flickered violently in the wind. Li Ze lifted his gaze from the book and looked toward the window. The sky was dim and thunder roared, as if even heaven and earth trembled at the approach of something momentous. In that instant, the bookshelf beside him shook violently, a cloud of dust rising into the air. Then, a blinding light ripped through the sky, stabbing into Li Ze's eyes like a sword.
Darkness swallowed his vision. His body swayed, as though being pulled into an invisible vortex. Consciousness slipped from his grasp.
When Li Ze opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar place—this could not be the hometown he knew.
Around him lay an ancient street, lined with traditional architecture. Carriages rumbled by, people bustled to and fro, but their attire was utterly foreign to his modern memory. It was as if he had been thrown back hundreds of years into a bygone era.
Li Ze stood still, his mind hazy, fighting off a dull headache as he surveyed his surroundings. Hanging banners on both sides of the street read: "First Year of Tianqi." A cold realization struck him—he had traveled through time, and not into the future, but into the past.
"Where... where am I?" Li Ze murmured, unease creeping through his chest. He tried to recall the events before the storm, searching for any thread that might explain the crossing—but came up with nothing.
Looking down, he saw he was wearing a plain scholar's robe, simple and familiar—almost identical to what he had worn before. His heart began to race. It wasn't just the time shift that troubled him. He had a faint sense that this was more than a change in environment. This—this was destiny shifting.
Li Ze understood: this world before him wasn't merely the ancient past—it was something new, vast, and laced with both peril and opportunity. He had once been a scholar whose academic dreams had gone unfulfilled. Now, he had become an outsider in an empire at its peak. But in this age, he was not destined to remain a nameless figure. Here, challenges and secrets awaited him.
He took a deep breath and stepped toward a nearby tavern. Perhaps there, he could find some clues—some thread to begin untangling the truth of this place. Above the tavern door hung an old, weathered wooden sign, reading: "Tianqi Tavern."
He pushed the door open. A wave of alcohol-scented warmth greeted him. The liveliness inside calmed his nerves, if only slightly. But he did not linger. Instead, he strode straight to the counter.
Behind it, a middle-aged man was polishing a cup, head lowered. As Li Ze approached, the man glanced up and gave him a knowing smile.
"New in town, sir? Judging from your plain robe, you must've just come down from the academy?" the man asked casually as he continued wiping the glass.
Li Ze paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes... I just arrived. I'm unfamiliar with everything here."
"Haha, no matter," the man chuckled. "Since you're a scholar, it's natural that you're new to these parts. This city may bask in prosperity, but beneath the surface, the waters run deep. Many here wear kind faces but hide foul deeds. If you plan to make a life here, there are some things you should know first."
There was a subtle weight to the man's words. Li Ze's brow furrowed slightly, heart tensing as he tried to grasp their meaning. But the tavern around him seemed cloaked in secrets and temptations.
This world had just opened its doors to him. And already, it was whispering.