The man who had drifted down the river was extraordinarily handsome. The little boy's first thought was of the banished immortals from the storytellers' tales.
"Little one, the water's deep over there. Be careful!"
Hearing the commotion, the child's mother hurried over. When she leaned closer for a look, she too was struck by the drowned man's heavenly appearance.
The two hurriedly dragged him ashore. Finding that he was still breathing, they called over nearby villagers and carried him back to the village together.
Aside from his exceptional looks, there was another strange thing about this man.
Even while unconscious, he clutched a gray stone tightly in his hand. No matter how the villagers pried, they could not force it loose.
At first, the villagers thought the stone had to be some treasure. But when the village stonemason arrived and examined it several times, he only said it was a piece of bluestone—nothing special besides its smooth exterior.
Everyone lost interest after that, assuming it was merely some plaything of the handsome young master.
"Xiaopeng, who do you think this person is?"
"No idea. I asked my parents and the village chief. They all said he might be a young master from some great family that met with disaster upstream in Heye County."
Dan Peng and another child about his age clung to the window, watching the still-unconscious man inside.
"Oh, oh! I heard the adults say it too. Things are unsettled outside right now. Everywhere in Great Song, people are fighting wars."
"Yeah. Good thing we live in the mountains. All that chaos outside can't reach us."
Dan Peng had barely finished speaking when several distant curses and shouts carried over.
The two children jumped in fright. After exchanging a glance, they immediately rushed toward the source of the