Ding
"Teleport function is now available. Please select a place to continue the evaluation."
There was no time to lose, the other God Candidates were probably doing their second storyline by now. Li Jun would do anything to leave this place anyway. He immediately opened the teleportation app and scanned through the world map full of countries to choose from.
Where should I go next?
Looking across the map, a large country caught his eyes straight away.
"China..."
The place where he was borned and raised for three years. The first home that he never remembered.
Without a lot of hesitation, he clicked on the China icon in the app. He looked back to the vast streets of Bangkok. Even at night, it was still bright. He spent pretty much his whole life here, and he truly loved Thailand.
Life goes on,
Suddenly, his vision was consumed by brilliant white, and a weightless sensation swept through him as if he was having an out of body experience. It was like moving so fast that he couldn't really feel anything, like falling into a really deep slumber...
.
.
.
.
"Mister! Hello, are you awake? Mister!"
So noisy.
Li Jun woke up with a sensation of his body being shaken softly while laying on the ground. He slowly opened my eyes to the bright sky and sat up.
"Mister, you're awake. You were lying here for a while now. Are you okay?"
He had to blink his blurry eyes a few times before he saw the figure in front of him. He was sitting on one knee, looking directly at Li Jun's face.
"Ah… um…" Jun was still dazed from teleporting and exhaustion, "I'm okay. Thanks." The guy then helped him stand up after noticing his condition.
After a while of clearing his head, Jun could finally look at him properly. The boy stood slightly shorter than the average Chinese man, roughly reaching my shoulder's height. His face looked young with a mole below his narrow right eye. The bright red headband on his forehead complements his exquisite crimson
"Thank you again." Li Jun bowed his head in politeness. The boy replied with a gesture for him to please lift his head up so I did. "May I ask, where am I?"
"You are in Leshan city, Sichuan prefecture." He replied with a steady voice.
"Leshan?" Jun looked around the city. Almost everyone here was wearing the ancient Hanfu like it was normal clothing. Some people even carry Chinese swords around their waist, how interesting.
Have I transmigrated into ancient China? That's probably not it, because Sichuan prefecture hadn't been created in the era where people wear Hanfu… then when exactly is this?
"Can you tell me what year it is?"
"Of course. It is the year of the Tiger."
…Somehow, Li Jun was expecting this. "Thanks." he replied shortly with disappointment, and looked at the map on his phone again. China right now looks like modern China with 333 prefectures, so it shouldn't be the past. Yet, no one here used technology and they all wore traditional clothing; even some of the houses were built with straws.
If I were to hypothesize, then this would be some kind of simulation that God created just for the Storyline in modern China.
"Mister, you don't even know where you are? You look like you're Chinese, but your clothes are pretty foreign. Who are you, exactly?" He asked curiously, but without suspicion.
"Ah, I apologize for asking too many questions without introducing myself. My name is Lì Jūn."
"Jun as in 'monarch'? That is a very nice name, Mister. I am Lǐu Xìng." He introduced himself with a kind, yet slightly loud and hoarse voice.
Jun nodded, "I kindly thank you for earlier again, Liu Xing. How should I- ??!!" Suddenly, Liu Xing grabbed his collar and threw Li Jun behind him swiftly. At first Jun was perplexed but then he noticed a gang of harmful-looking people in shabby worn-out clothes who were holding weapons. They all seemed very poor and had a yellow headband on their heads.
"Run, mister! I'll handle this."
The boy's gestures were elegantly moved, signifying that he was ready to fight. He slowly breathed in and out, concentrating his mind on the flow of his breathing, and steadily extended his arms towards the thieves' necks. He only used a soft tap by the side of his hand on the back of their neck. Although his moves looked slow and weak, the men fell on the floor unconscious.
"Amazing…" Li Jun stared at the kid in awe. He was victoriously smiling at the center of the group of falling thieves, and villagers around the town cheered for him.
"How was I, mister?" He grinned while using this thumb to point at his heart proudly.
"You did well. Who even are those people?" Li Jun sighed. If it wasn't for Liu Xing who saved him, he didn't even know if he could survive.
"You don't know, mister?"
"Why would I ask if I do?"
"True, my apologies." He bowed his head politely, "Those are the Yellow Scarves Rebels. They are thieves rebelling against the Han dynasty by causing trouble for other people." Liu Xing scoffed in hatred.
Yellow Scarves Rebels… Yellow headbands…
At that moment, Li Jun finally remembered where this was, and what was happening then. This situation was probably based on the book 'Romance Of The Three Kingdoms' that he had read when he was much younger. In Thailand, this book was translated by Chaophraya Phrakhlang (Hon), who was a famous author in Siam and had a high ranking in the ministry.
I read that way too long ago! How could I possibly remember the details?
This 'version' of Romance Of The Three Kingdoms seemed twisted, though. With different kinds of landform and location – since the land was modern China – many events must be different.
"Do you have a place to go, mister? It's dangerous out here so please follow me. I know a good place."
.
.
Liu Xing's steps stopped after we reached a two-floored inn that seemed more well-constructed than any other houses nearby. It had a big sign written in 'God's Language' (or so that was how I called it) that translates to 'Jade House'.
The red Hanfu swung himself inside the door casually as Li Jun followed him. The first floor was a large room filled with wooden tables and of teas on them. Lights hung from the ceiling and multiple teacups were arranged and displayed in a glass cabinet. To Jun's surprise, there wasn't a single customer in here; however, there was merely a middle-aged woman sitting on one of the tables lifelessly.
"I'm home, mama." Liu Xing's usual cheerful tone dropped, he sounded more gentle when he talked to his mother.
"..."
She, however, didn't reply. The mother looked me in the eyes for a few seconds, and then disappeared into the second floor.
"I'm sorry about my mom. She's kind of…heartbroken. Well anyways, please have a cup of tea, mister." He flipped his mood like a lightswitch and poured me some very well-made Oolong tea. Li Jun wanted to rinse his mouth from the sweet Kool-aid mixed with the oiliness of gasoline, so he really appreciated the tea.
At least I finally got to drink something that's not poisonous.
Liu Xing suddenly spoke something randomly like an NPC giving a quest. "Since the empire is under a war against the Yellow Scarf Rebels, someone inheriting the royal bloodline such as me must fight to protect us all. Tomorrow, I am going to receive my position as the general officer, and fight for the empire!" He sat up straight, lifted his head, and said in a proud voice with a slight smile.
"Bloodline? .. Are you a royalty, Liu Xing?" Jun asked calmly. At this point, not many things can surprise him anymore.
"Yes and no. Right when I was born, my mom got kicked out of the royal family. Sometimes I go live inside the palace, but most of the time I come outside and help mom with the inn. It was because of me that they found out about mom's affair." He looked up the staircase towards his mom's room with sad eyes.
"It was not your fault." Li Jun said, not to console him, but he simply stated the truth.
"It definitely was not. But sometimes I think, if I wasn't born, would my mom be happier? The answer is probably yes. Well, the past, once lived, is forever etched in time. Even if I regret being alive, I could not change anything by dying." He smiled dryly and scratched his cheeks.
This kid…is so smart for his age. Was I this cool when I was younger? Because man, I just want to give this child a hug.
"Then why are you fighting for the emperor? Aren't you angry that he kicked your mom out? He was a horrible father." Li Jun asked with genuine curiosity.
"He might not be the best father, but he is a great ruler!" He defended the king with all his might, "He… simply did that because of his duty. And as his biological son, I must serve him."
The evaluation is probably at Liu Xing's
"Liu Xing, can I accompany you to the promotion ceremony tomorrow? I just want to see what the palace looks like."
Liu Xing gasped and smiled, "You want to come? That would be great! You know, mister, although I'm the son of the emperor I don't really have friends and-" He paused and slowed down. "Sorry, mister. I got excited."
Jun was surprised, he didn't expect a prince to consider him his 'friend', "I was moved by your speech. Also, you saved me, this is the least I can repay you."
"Ah, since we are comrades now, may I call you brother Jun?"
Li Jun nodded; their age gap was probably not too large anyway.
"And did you know, brother Jun? It's really hard to become a royal general officer. I think only a few very strong people got this title!" He continued bragging, but didn't look down on Li Jun at all. "In the ceremony, I'll get a badge from the emperor! That is like, the coolest thing ever, I'm so excited!"
His face got red with excitement and told me eagerly. He described the badge as shiny gold with the Han dynasty symbol crafted on it.
Time passed and evening approached. It had already been over six hours since I arrived in China.
I'm so exhausted. Where should I sleep tonight? On the streets?
"Brother Jun, do you have anywhere to stay for now? If it's alright for you, you could stay at this inn."
For free?
And as if the boy could read Li Jun's thoughts, he replied with a smile "For free, of course. It is only natural to help allies."
It was rare for Li Jun to express any emotions on his face without any mention of science, but this time, he wasn't scared to smile a little.
"Thank you, I relied on you again."
"You're not a bother at all, don't worry." He smiled. "Oh, look at the time. You must be hungry, brother Jun. I'll hurry and go make dinner,"
"I'm not too hungry, don't rush." I'm so hungry I'm gonna die
Liu Xing nodded and ran to the kitchen area in front of the inn. He pulled out his pan and chopped vegetables, masterfully frying rice and boiling soup. Li Jun got even more hungry from just the smell. He truly admires the young prince who is loyal to the country, loves his mother, good at fighting, and can cook good food.