The Great Wall

In the late Northern Song Dynasty, Huaxia was peaceful and prosperous. The people lived and worked in contentment, and the nation was secure.

Only the northern nomadic peoples occasionally caused trouble. However, with the Shadowless Imperial Army stationed at the Great Wall to safeguard the entire Song Dynasty, neither the court nor the common people worried too much.

The Shadowless Imperial Army was the most elite force in all of Huaxia. Stationed at the Great Wall, they defended not only against invasions by the Khitan people and other nomadic tribes beyond the frontier, but also, more importantly, against the Taotie invasions that came once every sixty years.

Taotie were monsters from ancient Huaxia mythology, famed for their greed and their appetite to devour everything. Yet the Taotie here were more than mere legends; they were real monsters.

Over two thousand years ago, during the reign of King Zhou of Shang, a Skyfall Meteorite descended, bringing disaster upon the land. For thousands of miles, the earth lay barren and scorched. These savage Taotie monsters arrived on Earth with the Skyfall Meteorite and ravaged mankind.

Later, the various dynasties began constructing the Great Wall precisely to defend against these monsters' feeding frenzy every sixty years.

Bianliang, the capital.

Inside a small teahouse, Xiao Hen wore a long azure robe and sat by the window, quietly drinking tea. Tea from ancient times had a lingering charm to it, especially authentic in flavor.

Smack!

Setting down his teacup, Xiao Hen appeared calm, but his heart was anything but. This was actually the movie world of The Great Wall.

The Great Wall was a newly released movie that told the story of the Shadowless Imperial Army fighting the Taotie monsters during the Northern Song Dynasty.

The European mercenary William and his companions had traveled thousands of miles to ancient Huaxia to steal the formula for Black Powder, only to be pursued by Khitan people beyond the frontier. By chance, they were rescued by the Shadowless Imperial Army guarding the Great Wall. Treated as spies, they were imprisoned, where they witnessed the great battle between the Shadowless Imperial Army and the Taotie. William saw the Taotie's brutality, as well as the Shadowless Imperial Army's elite strength and courage. Moved by the trust and sacrifice shared among those warriors, he eventually joined the war to protect humanity without hesitation and helped the Shadowless Imperial Army defeat the Taotie.

Although Xiao Hen did not know every detail of the movie's Plot, he understood the general outline. This included the fact that every monster of the Taotie race was controlled by the King of Taotie, while magnets could sever the connection between them. This was the conclusion Advisor Wang of the Shadowless Imperial Army had reached after countless experiments.

The Plot of The Great Wall ran through Xiao Hen's mind again and again. At the same time, he recalled the tasks assigned by the Shuttle when he had first entered this world.

Main Quest: Repair the Shuttle and obtain the special crystal inside the Skyfall Meteorite.

Side Quest: Help the Shadowless Imperial Army defeat the Taotie.

Xiao Hen had originally had a plan for this task. He would wait until the movie ended and the Shadowless Army killed the Taotie, then leisurely head to the Skyfall Meteorite and easily obtain the mysterious crystal inside it.

After all, he had already asked about it. The Plot of this movie gave him a full year to remain here, so he had plenty of time to wait for it to end.

However, the Shuttle told him that because of the special connection between the King of Taotie and the crystal, once the King of Taotie died, the crystal would disappear as well. By then, it would be too late to look for the mysterious crystal.

Therefore, Xiao Hen could only find a way to obtain the mysterious crystal within the Skyfall Meteorite before the King of Taotie died, because it was the mysterious substance needed to repair the Shuttle.

One year. This was different from the previous Resident Evil plane. This time, he could remain in the world of The Great Wall for an entire year. At a ten-to-one time ratio, more than a month would pass in reality.

Likewise, this timeline was set in ancient times. With the Shuttle handling the language issue, it naturally was not a problem. Back when his English had been atrocious, he had entered the Resident Evil world and naturally gained English mastery. It was the same now; the language of the Northern Song Dynasty had already been implanted in his mind by the Shuttle.

"This is Bianliang, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. The place I'm in now is this flourishing Bianliang—Tokyo, the Kaifeng we know so well!"

Xiao Hen looked out the window at the anciently dressed pedestrians coming and going. Fortunately, when he had purchased supplies, he had suddenly considered whether he might travel into a movie set in ancient times. The currency used back then certainly would not be RMB, so he had specially exchanged some gold and silver. Sure enough, they proved immensely useful this time. Without this hard currency, he could only have wandered about in camouflage fatigues that people of this era would find utterly bizarre. Whether the authorities would have arrested him then was another matter entirely.

After calling over the waiter to settle the bill, Xiao Hen left the teahouse and headed out of the city.

This was the Central Plains, still a long way from the Great Wall in the north. Xiao Hen wanted to get there, but in an era where the fastest means of transportation were only horse carts and ox carts, he truly could not arrive in a short time.

"I just don't know whether the movie Plot has already begun. I hope I'm not too late!"

Xiao Hen arrived outside the city gates and found a caravan. Stepping forward, he asked, "May I ask whether the master of the caravan is present?"

A burly man leading a horse asked suspiciously, "You are?"

"Oh, I heard that nomadic peoples in the north have once again attacked the northern frontier of our Great Song. I wish to contribute what little strength I have and help our Great Song border troops repel the invading enemy. I came here hoping to hitch a ride with your caravan. Please forgive the laughter of a brave man!" Xiao Hen affected the manner of an ancient man, cupping his hands in salute while stroking the topknot on his head. He had paid a considerable sum to a theater troupe to have that wig made.

"So, you are a hero who wishes to serve the country bravely!" The burly man's expression turned solemn, and he gave a respectful bow. "I will fetch the master at once. Please wait a moment, Hero."

"Please."

Watching the burly man's retreating back, Xiao Hen wiped away a bead of sweat. Speaking in that ancient style was more exhausting than fighting a horde of zombies. And "hero"? The corner of Xiao Hen's mouth twitched. When he spotted a potbellied middle-aged man approaching from afar, he suppressed his embarrassment and assumed a solemn expression.

"Hero, do you wish to travel with the caravan to the northern frontier and fight the enemy along the way?" The potbellied middle-aged man bowed and asked gravely.

"Yes. I ask the master to make an exception for me." Xiao Hen cupped his hands and bent at the waist in salute.

"Why not? Hero, please come with me!"

"Please!"

And so, Xiao Hen joined a merchant caravan bound for the northern border. The traveling speed of an ancient caravan truly could not compare with modern transportation. It took a full month before they finally reached the northern frontier.

"Hero, once you depart, none can know what lies ahead. I have a token belonging to my younger brother. He is a member of the Shadowless Imperial Army. If you take this token with you, you may be able to join the Shadowless Army and serve our Great Song loyally!" The plump caravan master took out a bronze token and handed it to Xiao Hen. After spending this time together, he had seen that Xiao Hen was not merely talking big. He truly wanted to reach the border, resist foreign enemies, and defend the Great Song. Thus, he gave him this token.

"Thank you greatly for your trust, Master. Please rest assured, Xiao Hen will never disappoint you!"

Fine words came pouring out as if they cost nothing. Under the respectful gazes of the caravan's people, Xiao Hen strode away. A longsword hung at his waist, and he wore light armor. As he walked, he cut an imposing figure.

"Truly worthy of a heroic figure. With such bearing, we should admire him." The plump caravan master stroked his beard and sighed.

"Indeed, indeed." The people beside him all nodded.

Well... the usual plea: please vote. For a new book, favorites and votes are the most important things!!!