Chapter Summaries

Wang Yang and three others discovered that they had transmigrated to a period between the Han and Tang dynasties, while a fifth man remained terrified and evasive. After the burly man smashed the Soul Bottle, Wang Yang realized the skinny man was not from the modern world and ordered the others to chase him.

• Wang Yang recognized Editor Xu and two other men, then used their unfamiliar speech to determine that they were speaking Middle Chinese and had landed sometime between the Han and Tang dynasties.
• The group remembered that five people had gathered around a Soul Bottle at the museum and found the same bottle in the grass beside them.
• The burly man claimed water would reveal writing on the Soul Bottle, then smashed it and kicked most of its fragments into the river to stop anyone from using it to return home.
• Wang Yang questioned the skinny man about his favorite movie and recognized his fear as evidence that he was not from the modern world.
• The skinny man shoved Wang Yang, fled while shouting about ghosts, and Wang Yang called for the others to chase him.

Wang Yang and the other two survivors were captured by soldiers after a garrison patrol mistook them for spies. Their invented identities failed to convince the commander, who ordered the two prettier men sent to the Squad Leader and the burly man handed to a clerk.

• Wang Yang watched soldiers kill Xu You and the skinny man with arrows, then surrendered with the burly man and the handsome youth.
• The garrison commander questioned the three about crossing the border and their household registrations, while Wang Yang identified himself as a vagrant.
• The burly man claimed to be from Lingnan, and the handsome youth claimed to come from the overseas Kingdom of Great Britain, but neither could produce a travel pass.
• After the burly man and the handsome youth insisted Wang Yang was with them, the commander decided to keep all three captive.
• The commander ordered Wang Yang and the handsome youth sent to the Squad Leader and the burly man kept for the clerk.

Wang Yang tried to escape capture by claiming he belonged to the powerful Langya Wang clan, and the soldiers laughed at his ragged appearance. He doubled down on the lie and faced their skepticism, leaving him to find a way to make his claim convincing.

• The burly man tried to distract the soldiers by running west, but an arrow stopped him, and soldiers seized him and the handsome youth.
• The burly man shouted that he could make refined salt, while the handsome youth recited poetry, but the soldiers beat them instead of understanding their claims.
• When soldiers moved to seize Wang Yang, he roared that he was a son of the Langya Wang clan and threatened to have their families exterminated.
• The soldiers laughed at Wang Yang's claim because his clothes looked too poor for an aristocrat, and he said he had changed clothes to evade bandits.
• The squad commander ordered Third and Ding Jiu to pin Wang Yang down, but Wang Yang repeated his threat, forcing them to hesitate.

Wang Yang used threats, aristocratic credentials, and a Daoist talisman to convince the soldiers that he belonged to the powerful Langya Wang clan. Just as they began to believe him, two familiar voices also claimed to be members of the clan.

• Wang Yang threatened the soldiers with charges of rebellion against the throne and claimed his second uncle was a Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary.
• Wang Yang gave his name and courtesy name, cited the Book of Songs, and said his second uncle had sent people to fetch him.
• When the squad leader asked for proof, Wang Yang claimed his genealogy and household registration established his identity.
• Wang Yang drew a talisman and claimed the Langya Wang clan had practiced the Way of the Celestial Masters for generations.
• Two familiar voices interrupted Wang Yang by claiming they were also from the Langya Wang.

Wang Yang turned the handsome youth and the burly man’s claims of kinship into accusations that they were northern spies, then convinced the soldiers to examine their sleeves for hidden marks. A brown circle appeared on the heated cloth, leaving the squad leader and his men with apparent evidence against the two men.

• Wang Yang slapped the handsome youth and the burly man, then accused them of impersonating members of the Langya Wang clan and crossing the border as spies.
• The two men called Wang Yang an impostor, but Wang persuaded the squad leader that northern spies had help from a traitor within the army.
• Wang Yang claimed he had heard four men speaking a barbarian tongue and identified the two men and two others already killed as northern spies.
• Wang Yang told the soldiers to heat pieces cut from the men’s right sleeves, and a brown circle appeared on the cloth.

Wang Yang convinced the soldiers that the two men were northern spies and secured their execution, using his supposed status as a member of the Langya Wang clan to strengthen his authority. After killing them, he tried to avoid meeting Squad Leader Xue and escape, but three soldiers stayed to guard him.

• Wang Yang explained the vinegar marks on the captives’ sleeves as secret spy symbols, persuading the squad corporal that the men were northern spies.
• Wang Yang urged the corporal to kill the burly man and the handsome youth, promising to testify that all four captives were spies.
• Third and Ding Jiu killed the burly man and the handsome youth as they pleaded and cursed.
• Wang Yang turned away from the killings, then refused to meet Squad Leader Xue and told the corporal to bring Xue to him.
• The corporal ordered Third and Ding Jiu to guard Wang Yang, and the dark-skinned spearman volunteered to stay as well so Wang Yang could not escape.

Wang Yang tried to learn which dynasty he had landed in while keeping up his claim to be a nobleman of the Langya Wang clan. Hei Han revealed that the era name was Yongming, identifying the dynasty as Southern Qi, whose history Wang Yang barely knew.

• The squad chief warned Xiao Chan and the soldiers to keep quiet and let Squad Leader Xue and Clerk Wang decide whether Wang Yang was genuine.
• Hei Han and Ding Jiu brought Wang Yang a stone seat and water as he worried about the approaching authorities and tried to identify the dynasty.
• Wang Yang asked Hei Han and Ding Jiu about their military service, then offended them by calling attention to their status as soldiers’ sons.
• Wang Yang asked Hei Han about the era name, and Hei Han identified it as Yongming.
• Wang Yang realized he had arrived in Southern Qi and panicked because he knew little about its history or rulers.

Wang Yang used his learning and a fabricated imperial edict to convince Squad Leader Xue that he was a nobleman of the Langya Wang clan, then returned to camp with him. Clerk Wang identified Wang Yang as an impostor after hearing that he claimed his second uncle was a Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary, and Squad Leader Xue reacted furiously.

• Wang Yang explained the reign name Yongming with classical quotations, impressing the dark-skinned man and Ding Jiu.
• When Squad Leader Xue arrived with soldiers, Wang Yang threw a waterskin at him and accused him of neglecting an imperial edict about frontier vigilance.
• Wang Yang intimidated Xue Ling with threats and questions, learned that it was the fourth month of the eighth year of Yongming, and persuaded him to escort him back to camp.
• Clerk Wang questioned the leader of ten about Wang Yang's claimed relative and learned that he had said his second uncle was a Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary.
• Clerk Wang concluded Wang Yang was an impostor because the current Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary was Xiao Rui, the Prince of Nanping, and Squad Leader Xue kicked over the desk.

Wang Yang was summoned by Squad Leader Xue and Clerk Wang, who suspected his false identity after discovering a flaw in the title he had given his supposed uncle. He bluffed that he had said “Cavalier Attendant,” winning Clerk Wang’s apology and forcing Squad Leader Xue to stand apart from him.

• Wang Yang entered Squad Leader Xue’s tent and sensed that the unfamiliar Clerk Wang and the squad leader were treating him with suspicion.
• Clerk Wang mocked Wang Yang’s claim that his uncle was an Attendant Gentleman of the Cavalier, exposing the flaw in Wang Yang’s story.
• Wang Yang insisted he had said “Cavalier Attendant,” and Black Han backed him up while Ding Jiu followed suit.
• Clerk Wang introduced himself as Wang Luo of Zhijiang, apologized, and gave up his seat to Wang Yang.
• Wang Yang challenged Squad Leader Xue for sharing a table with him, and the squad leader hurriedly stood up.

After Squad Leader Xue and Clerk Wang realized Wang Yang might be a member of the Langya Wang, they decided to escort him to Jiangling to meet Wang Tai and verify his identity. Wang Yang agreed and wrote a calling card whose ordinary handwriting left Clerk Wang confused.

• Squad Leader Xue berated Clerk Wang for wrongly doubting Wang Yang, and the two debated whether to report him or investigate themselves.
• Clerk Wang persuaded Squad Leader Xue that taking Wang Yang to meet Wang Tai in Jiangling could both verify his identity and win them favor with the Langya Wang.
• Clerk Wang and Squad Leader Xue offered to escort Wang Yang to Jiangling, and Wang Yang accepted while concealing his suspicion of their motives.
• Clerk Wang asked Wang Yang to write a calling card, and Wang Yang added a modified poem to help explain his assumed identity later.
• Clerk Wang admitted that Wang Yang's calligraphy was far too ordinary, leaving him unsure whether he simply lacked appreciation.

Wang Yang prepared to visit the Langya Wang clan’s main family, struggling with the danger of maintaining his assumed identity. He arrived in Jiangling with Squad Leader Xue, Clerk Wang, Black Han, and Ding Jiu, facing the clan visit with his hastily memorized cover story.

• Black Han asked Squad Leader Xue to take him to Jiangling so he could visit his daughter, and Squad Leader Xue warned him not to expect much from attaching himself to a great clan.
• Wang Yang woke from a night of anxious dreams and learned from Black Han that ordinary people cleaned their teeth with their fingers.
• Ding Jiu brought Wang Yang barley porridge, dried fish, salted vegetables, and an egg; Wang Yang gave the fish to Black Han and the egg to Ding Jiu.
• Wang Yang traveled with Squad Leader Xue, Clerk Wang, Black Han, and Ding Jiu to Jiangling, where he feared facing members of the Langya Wang clan.

Wang Yang and his escorts visited Wang Tai, but were left waiting outside for hours without being received. Wang Yang turned the slight into a display of offended noble pride, while Squad Leader Xue and Clerk Wang decided to leave him behind and report the matter to their superiors.

• Wang Yang sent his calling card to Wang Tai’s residence, but the doorman made the group wait for hours without offering them a place inside.
• Squad Leader Xue and Clerk Wang suspected Wang Yang was a low-ranking or possibly false member of the Langya Wang clan after Wang Tai failed to receive him.
• Wang Yang realized his patient waiting did not suit his role as a young nobleman, then loudly condemned Wang Tai for treating him coldly.
• Squad Leader Xue and Clerk Wang left Wang Yang behind, granting Ding Jiu and the soldiers five days’ leave.
• Clerk Wang persuaded Squad Leader Xue to report Wang Yang to their superiors while leaving two soldiers behind so they would not personally take responsibility.

Wang Yang tried to shake off the soldiers accompanying him, but Black Han instead took him to his home in Eighth Camp Village. There Wang Yang met Black Han’s daughter A-Wu and learned that villagers shunned her because she was born on the fifth day of the fifth month.

• Wang Yang asked Ding Jiu for money and a meal, prompting Ding Jiu to flee.
• Black Han gave Wang Yang his thirty-three copper coins and offered him lodging at his home.
• Wang Yang followed Black Han to Eighth Camp Village, suspecting he might be leading him into a trap.
• Black Han introduced Wang Yang to his daughter A-Wu, who welcomed him into their home.
• Black Han explained that A-Wu was a Double Fifth child, and Wang Yang dismissed the taboo as nonsense.

Wang Yang stayed with Black Han and met his seven-year-old daughter, A-Wu, who managed their household despite their poverty. After Wang Yang shared his porridge with them and struggled to swallow their soup, A-Wu told her father she thought something was wrong with him.

• Wang Yang learned that A-Wu’s mother had left after Black Han refused to let her drown their daughter, and that A-Wu stayed home alone while he served in the barracks.
• A-Wu prepared a sparse meal, and Wang Yang invited her and Black Han to share his food after noticing they were eating only beans.
• A-Wu accepted some of Wang Yang’s porridge, then insisted on passing much of it to her father, while Black Han urged her to eat.
• Black Han told A-Wu to trade cloth for Jar-Pickled Fish for Wang Yang, but Wang Yang refused and forced himself to drink the bitter Huocai soup.
• After Wang Yang returned to his room, A-Wu privately told Black Han she thought something was wrong with Young Master Wang.

Wang Yang reflected on his time travel and worried he would never return home, while Black Han and A-Wu shared a warm moment. Their peace ended when Third Master Du arrived to demand repayment of a debt or take A-Wu as collateral.

• Little A-Wu warned Black Han not to trust Wang Yang, and he taught her that giving something up could lead to future rewards.
• Wang Yang wondered whether the Soul Bottle had caused his time travel and prayed that its original owner would care for his mother in the modern world.
• A sudden pounding at the door startled Wang Yang, while Black Han told A-Wu to stay hidden and went to answer it.
• Third Master Du confronted Black Han over a loan Zhang A-Nü had taken, claiming Black Han had guaranteed it with A-Wu as collateral.
• Black Han pleaded that he had been tricked and offered his house, but Third Master Du gave him less than half an hour to prepare A-Wu before taking her.

Third Master Du came to take A-Wu over Black Han’s debt, but Wang Yang intervened and used his claimed aristocratic lineage to intimidate Du’s men. The chapter ended with Third Master Du ordering the man who cursed Wang Yang’s mother to apologize.

• Third Master Du tried to take A-Wu, while Black Han pleaded for more time to repay his debt and the Village Head fled when Du ordered him away.
• Wang Yang emerged from the eastern room and promised to protect A-Wu in repayment for Black Han’s service and Squad Leader Xue’s help.
• Wang Yang calmly challenged Third Master Du and claimed his mother belonged to the Chen Commandery Xie Clan after one of Du’s men cursed him.
• Wang Yang ordered Black Han to kill the man who insulted his mother, and Black Han drew his saber and advanced.
• Third Master Du stopped his men and ordered the offending subordinate to apologize to Wang Yang.

Wang Yang stopped Black Han’s henchman from being killed, then promised to pay Third Master Du’s debt in three days. When Du questioned his claim to belong to the Langya Wang family, Wang used a recitation of the Luosheng Chant to convince him of his aristocratic pedigree.

• Little A-Wu pleaded with Black Han and flattered Wang Yang, giving Wang a way to spare the kneeling henchman without losing face.
• Wang Yang told Third Master Du that Black Han’s debt of 13,200 coins would be paid in three days, when Wang’s people arrived.
• Third Master Du questioned Wang Yang’s claim to be from the Langya Wang family because he knew of another Wang in Jingzhou City.
• Wang Yang recited the Luosheng Chant and claimed that proper Central Plains pronunciation was an heirloom of his family.
• Third Master Du was awed by Wang Yang’s recitation and aristocratic bearing.

Wang Yang signed as guarantor for Black Han’s debt to Third Master Du, then confronted Black Han for using him to delay collection. Though he had no certainty he could raise the money, Wang Yang promised to do so within three days, leaving Black Han and A-Wu overwhelmed with gratitude.

• Third Master Du required Wang Yang to sign the loan contract as guarantor, and Wang Yang added his name and fingerprint.
• Third Master Du left suspicious of Wang Yang’s identity and ordered his men to investigate whether he truly belonged to the Langya Wang clan.
• Wang Yang challenged Black Han about bringing him home, and Black Han admitted he had hoped Wang Yang’s status would deter Third Master Du and buy time.
• Black Han offered to take the blame and urged Wang Yang to leave Jingzhou, but Wang Yang pointed out that A-Wu would be left in danger.
• Wang Yang told Black Han to keep caring for A-Wu while he raised the money within three days, and A-Wu listened from behind the wall.

Wang Yang woke to a proper meal and learned that A-Wu had sold her hair to buy food for him. After A-Wu fought the Village Head’s grandson, Wang Yang stepped in when the Village Head confronted her.

• Wang Yang ate wheat, pickled vegetables, an egg, and Jar-Pickled Fish prepared by Black Han.
• A-Wu returned with river snails and revealed that she had sold her long hair to provide Wang Yang with a good meal.
• Village Head Zhang arrived with his bruised grandson and demanded that Black Han discipline A-Wu for beating the boy.
• A-Wu described how the boy and Da Fei had mocked and provoked her, leaving the boy and Village Head Zhang taken aback.
• Village Head Zhang insulted A-Wu and demanded an apology, but Wang Yang defended her and joked that she should have made the boys’ injuries match.

Wang Yang intimidated Village Head Zhang for condemning A-Wu and questioned him about Jingzhou’s schools and their scholars. Village Head Zhang left to fetch paper and a brush, while Wang Yang learned that both school leaders studied the Book of Documents.

• A-Wu claimed Village Head Zhang had kowtowed to Wang Yang, and Black Han identified Wang Yang as a young master of the Langya Wang clan.
• Wang Yang rebuked Village Head Zhang for spreading superstition about children born on Double Fifth, and the Village Head backed down.
• Wang Yang learned that Jingzhou had a local commandery school and Wang Academy, led by Liu Zhao and Liu Tan.
• Wang Yang warned Village Head Zhang not to ask unnecessary questions, then learned that both Liu Zhao and Liu Tan studied the Book of Documents.
• Wang Yang dismissed Village Head Zhang and ordered him to treat the villagers kindly and bring paper and a brush.