When Fellow Countrymen Meet, Their Eyes Fill with Tears

Xiang Yang had considered going to Shrek Academy, taking the usual route through intermediate and then advanced academies, or even joining Spirit Hall outright. In the end, though, he chose the Shrek route.

There was no denying that Shrek had its share of problems, but they could all be changed. Besides, as he had said before, Shrek had very few students, as well as two Soul Saints and several Soul Emperors. The attention they gave their students would help him make the best possible choices for his Soul Rings.

That was something other academies and sects would have a hard time providing. He couldn't expect the few top experts in those factions to revolve around him, but Shrek was different. Every time he went out, at least one Soul Saint would accompany him.

And then there were the most important things of all: the Immortal Herbs. To outsiders, his cultivation speed was almost on par with someone with Innate Full Soul Power, making him a genuine genius Soul Master. But he knew his own situation best. His normal cultivation speed was now only about the same as someone with innate level-three soul power. Choosing another route would most likely mean parting ways with Tang San, and then it would be difficult to obtain the Immortal Herbs he needed.

Forget about joining Spirit Hall. If they really got their hands on the Immortal Herbs, would they give them to a small fry like him? Besides, he couldn't tell which Immortal Herbs would be useful to him, so he couldn't even make the first move. If he chose the wrong one, he could only pray he wouldn't be so reckless in his next life.

Since he already had this start, he might as well follow the plot. Even if he did nothing, he would still get an Immortal Herb. Why put in so much effort for so little reward?

He also needed to go early, the sooner the better. At his current pace, in three years he would at most reach Tang San and Xiao Wu's current level. Even passing the entrance examination would be troublesome, so he might as well cut in line early.

Besides, the longer they spent together, the deeper their bonds would grow. In an environment with almost one-on-one instruction, the relationships between teachers and students would be much like Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's. They would all be strong helping hands while he was weak. That was why he had brought up the idea as soon as he obtained his First Soul Ring, and the first thing he needed to do was persuade Tang San.

"Mm, that works," Yu Xiaogang said after listening to him and Tang San. He pondered briefly and, sure enough, did not object. "But it's a little dangerous for you to travel together. I'll go first and have Flender come pick you up."

He had his own considerations. His friend had a somewhat peculiar temper, and he had originally planned to let Xiao San gain admission six years later through his own genuine talent and strength. But now, although he was confident his friend wouldn't refuse, the children were only nine, and Xiang Yang had only just become a Soul Master. Something unexpected might happen, so it was better for him to go and explain everything first.

Thus, the next day, the three saw Yu Xiaogang off at the gates of Nuoding City.

"Ah, we've only been here three years, and now we have to move again."

On the way back, Xiao Wu still felt a little regretful. Sadly, her wonderful life was about to end, and she was heading for a new beginning. She wondered whether there would be any underlings there for her to boss around. Tang San knew exactly what she was thinking and could only raise an eyebrow without saying anything.

"Enough about that. I'll take you out for breakfast," Xiang Yang said, changing the subject. He led them to a flower shop.

"Dad, Mom!"

"Oh, my son's back, and he brought friends. Xiao San and Xiao Wu are here too!" Lin Yin was preparing lunch. People in business generally ate rather late, and Xiang Huo was helping her.

People in this world generally married young, and the two of them were not yet thirty. Since their work wasn't particularly heavy, they still looked very young.

"Good morning, Auntie Lin!" x2

No sooner had Xiao Wu greeted her than she asked eagerly, "Are there any chrysanthemum cakes left?"

"There are, and we have chrysanthemum pastries and chrysanthemum tea too." Naturally, none of these had existed before. But thanks to Xiang Yang's "wonderful ideas" and the couple's experimentation, chrysanthemum cakes had been the first to appear, a little over a year ago. Xiang Yang had taken quite a few to give to his friends, including those two, and the cakes had since become a major source of income for the flower shop.

Chrysanthemum tea in particular kept for a long time. After discussing it, the couple decided that although making it took time, it wasn't hard work. They returned to the village and taught the method to Lin Yin's younger sister, Lin Jing, and others they were close to and trusted. Once the tea was ready, the village's transport merchants delivered it all together every half month. After the goods were checked, they took the money back for the village chief to distribute.

It improved efficiency and freed the couple to make cakes and pastries, so they certainly earned more overall. Quite a few pastry shops had also followed suit, learning to make pastries with all kinds of flowers.

Xiao Wu didn't stand on ceremony. She picked up a cake from the table and took a bite. "Mmm~ The ones here are still the best."

"Xiao Wu." Tang San looked at her helplessly and took out a few Copper Soul Coins. "Auntie, we'll buy some."

"Oh, Xiao San, you're being too polite. Why spend money when you're visiting your uncle's home?" Xiang Huo said. "That's right. Auntie is happy enough that you came to visit. Stay for a meal later and go back tonight."

The Douluo Continent also had a festival similar to the Spring Festival. Last year, Xiang Yang had taken the two of them back to Xiangjia Village. Fortunately, he hadn't mentioned their soul power levels, or his aunts and other relatives would surely have kept them there even longer.

"No, thank you. We still need to cultivate and take care of some things this afternoon, so we won't disturb you here." Tang San politely declined. It wasn't an excuse; for the past few years, he had spent most afternoons at the Blacksmith's Shop.

"All right, take plenty to eat." She packed a bag for each of them. "That's enough, that's enough. It'll go bad if we can't finish it." Xiang Yang himself wasn't particularly fond of pastries, and, as anyone who knew would understand, no matter how delicious the things your own family sold were, eating them every day would eventually make you sick of them.

"Ish fine, Little Yang. Give whatever you can't finiff to Sister Little Wu. I'll help you." Xiao Wu had just stuffed a third piece into her mouth, and her cheeks were bulging. She mumbled so much that it was hard to make out what she was saying.

On the road, just as the three were about to part, Tang San called Xiang Yang back and told Xiao Wu to return to the academy alone. Naturally, this made her suspicious, and she complained a little, muttering about secrets and being left out again. Tang San had to spend quite a while coaxing her and promise to bring her some snacks that evening before she let it go.

"Mm, all right. What is it?" Tang San hadn't taken Xiang Yang to the Blacksmith's Shop. Instead, he had brought him to a secluded alley where he occasionally tested Hidden Weapons.

Rather than answer, Tang San took a deep breath and said, "I'll show you something first." He took out an exquisite cylinder, as long as a palm and as thick as a thumb, then waved his hand forward. With a whoosh, an iron arrow pierced straight through a wooden board and lodged there.

"Do you know what this is?" Tang San immediately asked. Xiang Yang could tell he was doing his best to restrain himself.

Xiang Yang looked thoughtful. "Since you put it that way, it definitely isn't a Soul Tool." Tang San nodded. "I can think of something that looks a lot like it. It's..."

He deliberately paused and looked at Tang San, who stared right back at him.

Seeing this, he stopped keeping him in suspense and said directly, "It's a mechanical Hidden Weapon called a Sleeve Arrow, right?"

Sure enough, his feeling had been right. Tang San had never imagined he would meet someone from his homeland in the alien world of Douluo. This was... wonderful!

In fact, this was because Xiang Yang had deliberately made no secret of it. Apart from the beginning, when they weren't yet very familiar with each other, he had intentionally or otherwise used expressions in their daily interactions over the following years that only someone from China would use.

At first, Tang San hadn't noticed anything. After all, he had spent his previous six years living in a small village, and there were many kinds of names in this world, so it wasn't strange for some identical expressions to have developed.

But quite a few expressions required knowledge of their associated allusions. That was different, and it unconsciously led him to pay attention to the way Xiang Yang usually spoke. Comparing him with the people around him in particular, Tang San could clearly see that Xiang Yang was different from the others, just like himself. There was the feeling of being a guest in a foreign land, and the difference brought by different knowledge and cultures.

"That's right. This is the Sleeve Arrow, one of the Tang Sect's basic Hidden Weapons. It could be even stronger with better materials." Whenever Tang San spoke of the Tang Sect, a note of pride unconsciously entered his voice.

Xiang Yang teased him a little. "Palace jade liquor?"

"What?" Tang San was puzzled.

"Odd changes, even stays the same?"

"Huh?" This...

After teasing him, Xiang Yang grew serious again. "What year are you from? Which dynasty was it when you transmigrated?"

As for information on that point, the original work had only indirectly described it through the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges. But that could only establish that Tang San had lived during or after the Tang dynasty, since the poem was written by Du Mu of the Tang dynasty. One could work backward from that.

As an aside, the second half of the line was actually more famous~

"Yuan." Tang San hadn't understood Xiang Yang's earlier questions at all and was starting to suspect he had made a mistake, so he said only one word.

"Mm, the Yuan dynasty. I see." Xiang Yang paid no attention to his reaction and instead recited a poem.

"Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors began it all, Yao, Shun, and Yu passed on the call;

Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou followed in line, Eastern Zhou split into two by time;

Spring and Autumn, Warring States, then Qin united all, the two Han dynasties followed its fall;

Three kingdoms, Wei, Shu, and Wu, then Western and Eastern Jin came through;

Northern and Southern dynasties stood side by side, Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties followed their tide;

After Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing had reigned, the age of dynasties at last was ended."

"This! This is!" Tang San had already been certain after hearing the beginning, and what followed made his scalp tingle. This meant...

Xiang Yang saw what he was thinking and said outright, "That's right. We lived in different dynasties. The time I transmigrated from should have been more than seven hundred years after yours."

"I..." Tang San choked up. He hadn't expected that the man he had thought was a fellow countryman would turn out to be a son of his homeland instead. Had it really been so long? Wait!

"The Tang Sect! What happened to the Tang Sect? Have you heard of it?" He gripped Xiang Yang's arm tightly, his heart racing and his hands trembling with excitement.

But Xiang Yang's reaction was calm. "I remember it existed, along with Shaolin Temple, the Wudang Sect, Mount Emei, the Beggar's Sect, and the like, right?"

Tang San had a bad feeling. In his time, those had all been illustrious major sects. People shouldn't react like this when mentioning them. "Yes, that's right. What happened afterward?"

"Mm." Xiang Yang first organized his words in his head, then said, "To put it simply, there were no martial arts sects left in my time. Although I don't know how long the Tang Sect existed, in the era I lived in, I never heard of any sects or schools still existing. Even if some remained, they probably weren't on the same scale as in your time."

"How could that be?" Tang San was somewhat distraught. Although he had expected it to some extent when he heard the words "seven hundred years"—after all, the Tang Sect had already begun to decline over several centuries, and the vast majority of its top Hidden Weapons had not been made by anyone for decades or even centuries.

One of the reasons he had stolen the secret manuals and Hidden Weapon blueprints back then was his wish to restore the Tang Sect to glory. Unfortunately, as an outer disciple, he had no way to study them normally and had been forced to resort to such a desperate measure. Had the things he left behind back then still been of no use?

Looking at his distraught expression, Xiang Yang continued, "As I see it, there was only one reason they declined: they were no longer needed. Martial arts sects could give their members strength, but as the saying goes, by the same thing a ruler rises, so too does he fall. As science and related technologies developed, they were rendered obsolete by greater violence. After all, you don't need powerful inner strength to operate a machine created by technology."

He couldn't say for sure about inner strength. Who knew whether the cultivation methods of the world Tang San had transmigrated from could extend a person's life or do something similar? If they could, they would surely still have been passed down. After all, even with science, it couldn't increase a person's lifespan until it had developed to a certain level.

"Science? What's that?" Tang San temporarily calmed himself, then keenly realized that this unfamiliar word was the key.

"Science isn't a concrete thing. It's a kind of methodology that relies on observation, experimentation, hypothesis testing, and logical reasoning. It emphasizes empirical evidence, reproducibility, and falsifiability, and is systematic, logically self-consistent, cumulative, and subject to dynamic revision."

"Huh?" Hearing that, Tang San felt that although he recognized every word, putting them together left him baffled.

"Hmm... do you know about investigating things to acquire knowledge?" Xiang Yang had no choice but to put it another way.

This time Tang San understood. "I know about that. When I make Hidden Weapons, I have to master the properties and characteristics of the materials, and many parts also require precise measurements using arithmetic. If I don't understand them well enough, I can't make the weapons at all. That should be much the same as what you're talking about, right?"

Because he had lacked much of that knowledge, he had spent a great deal of time searching for books and studying them. Now it seemed that had been the right thing to do. If he hadn't, he presumably wouldn't have been able to make those top Hidden Weapons at all.

"Mm, pretty much. To sum it up simply, it's things like learning, observing, researching, and experimenting."

After that, Tang San asked him about things from later times, such as how the Yuan dynasty had fallen and whether there were any more powerful Hidden Weapons.

From Xiang Yang, he learned about muskets and cannons, tanks and airplanes, rockets and missiles, and even electronic networks—all things he had never heard of or seen. He listened in fascination, wishing he could see them with his own eyes and, better yet, try them for himself.