It took Chen Cuo the time it took an incense stick to burn to reach the gates of the Daoist Temple.
The sun had set completely. Night was just beginning to fall, and lamps glowed inside the temple.
Looking up at the moon, Chen Cuo felt a pang at how much the world had changed. The Mind Daoist held a faint glow of Human Thought, its thoughts turning over without rest.
"Knowing nothing of the Han Dynasty, much less the Wei-Jin..."
As he contemplated the core of that Human Thought, Chen Cuo let out a long sigh.
"First, the Sixteen Kingdoms slaughtered one another across the north. Then Northern Wei united the region, only to split into eastern and western states before long. Through all that turmoil, even the noble clans suffered repeated upheavals. The traditions of learning fell into chaos and nearly vanished in some places. As for the common people, they could barely recognize a few characters, let alone read books. Struggling to survive in troubled times, with no certainty they would see tomorrow, how many could still spare a thought for the past? Little by little, that history ceased to live in people's hearts..."
Spirit Light gathered around the Mind Daoist, refining the shared understanding within the glow of Human Thought. Eight indistinct characters in Seal Script faintly appeared, only to shatter and dissolve back into light.
"Still not enough. The shared understanding I've gathered isn't strong enough. Perhaps I should see more of this world. As Little Pig said, I need to get my feet on the ground..."
With that thought, he put the glow into the Human Thought Golden Book and continued up the steps. Suddenly sensing something, he looked up.
A man was coming out of the Daoist Temple.
A long sword hung across