Peering at the Sun, Fearing It Might Bear Away the Mountain; Raising Wine, Delighting in the Moon

"Before I woke after crossing over, the Prince of Nankang's Residence had little to do with the Shen Clan. Even before Shen Zunli came to the library to make trouble for me, the Nankang Lineage and the Shen Clan were in-laws in name at most. This encounter is nothing like the story as it originally unfolded. And this trip to Guangling is strange too, considering this body already held traces of poison..."

Chen Cuo's expression changed sharply.

"The original Chen Fangqing died after receiving his title. Only then could I take his body and live again. Everything that followed came afterward. As for what happened before, most of it survives only as fragments of memory..."

His brows slowly drew together.

"If I act rashly after waking this time, will I change history completely?"

At the thought, Chen Cuo narrowed his eyes. After a moment, though, he laughed. "There's little point weighing it all. My presence here is already a variable. Unless I bind my own hands and feet and suppress every thought, I'll affect history sooner or later. I might as well cast a stone to test the road!"

With that, Chen Cuo made up his mind.

"I'll throw caution aside and stir things up. Then I'll see whether I can touch the mysteries of space and time, uncover the secrets of the River of Time, perhaps even make up for a few regrets—and glimpse an opportunity to attain the Dao!"

The thought lifted his spirits, but plans could not keep pace with change.

When Chen Cuo's carriage party reached the place where the Shen Clan's carriages had become stuck, Chen Hai brought news that caught him by surprise—

"The Shen Family's Young Lady said there was no need to trouble you, Young Master. She asked me to thank you."