"Guigu!" Ye Xiu murmured involuntarily, a slight unease stirring in his heart. Yunmeng Mountain was the cradle of the Guigu School, boasting the title of China's premier military academy. Figures renowned for their supreme stratagems—Zhang Yi, Sun Bin, Pang Juan—all originated from this lineage. What on earth was happening? Could it truly be transmigration?

"Heh heh, so the young hero recognizes this place?" The old man paused his steps, stroked his beard, and looked up. "This is the very location of Guigu. What do you make of it?"

"N-no," Ye Xiu couldn't bear such florid dialogue. He simply bowed his head and started walking into the valley. He only heard the old man call out behind him urgently, "Young Hero Ye, please wait! The gate of this valley is formed by the 'Profound Illusion Array.' Outsiders are absolutely forbidden to enter casually..."

Without waiting for the old man to finish, Ye Xiu had already plunged in alone. It was too late to turn back now, but fear was absent in his heart.

"Damn it, why didn't he say so sooner!" Ye Xiu had no experience dealing with such formations. Once inside alone, he found everything shrouded in gloom and thick fog; he couldn't locate the array gate at all.

Outside, the old man was burning with anxiety. This formation was simple for him, but for an outsider, it was incredibly difficult, posing a genuine threat to life.

"What the heck am I supposed to do?" Although Ye Xiu was clever, even with years spent studying the 'Nine Palaces Sorcery,' this was his first confrontation with such a perilous setup.

"Qian three lines, Kun six breaks, Zhen upturned bowl... What good are these incantations!" Ye Xiu began muttering things incomprehensible to ordinary folk. This situation was nothing like what the books described. He decided to simply gamble!

With that thought, Ye Xiu actually closed his eyes. What is seen is illusion; what is heard is real. Only by listening to the wind could he find a way out—how perfect!

"Father, I think we should just enter the valley. It doesn't matter if this boy dies," Hong'er was growing impatient.

"Alas," the old man sighed, speaking softly. "It is my carelessness. This young hero has talent, what a pity, what a pity..."

The old man bowed twice before the massive stone gate as an apology to Ye Xiu, preparing to step into the valley grounds himself.

"Venerable Elder, aren't you going to lead me in?" A voice drifted serenely from the gap between the two giant stones. Before anyone could react, Ye Xiu was standing steadily before them all.

"Ah, it is Young Hero Ye!" The old man showed surprise, yet his face immediately lit up with joy. "I never expected that at such a young age, Young Hero Ye could break my Profound Illusion Array. Truly rare! How did you manage it?"

"Heh heh, nothing much. Just sheer luck, blundering my way out by mistake," Ye Xiu replied, dusting soil off himself and shaking his head. "This array is formidable, completely dark. I just crashed through wildly to find the exit. It is quite miraculous that your household can set up such an extraordinary formation."

"Haha. Good! Good! Truly gifted beyond measure," the old man stroked his beard and roared with laughter. "Young Hero Ye, please come in quickly. We shall discuss matters within the valley. I take a liking to young men like you."

"Go now!" Ye Xiu respectfully mimicked the gesture the old man had made. Though he still had no clue how he’d actually gotten out, transmigration was an undeniable certainty.

"Hmph! You got lucky," Hong'er, standing nearby, was thoroughly displeased with Ye Xiu, but she was helpless; her own father seemed taken with the fellow.

Ye Xiu was equally helpless. Only now did he have the leisure to properly observe the woman. Her complexion was vibrant, her skin fair and luminous; by any measure, she was a beauty.

Walking with the old man, all the perils of the valley transformed into beautiful scenery, exhilarating to behold.

Before long, a courtyard situated atop a lake materialized before them.

"Wow! This Siheyuan is huge!" Ye Xiu tightened the straps of his backpack, clearly delighted. "And built right on the lake—it truly is magnificent!"

"Never seen the world, have you?" Hong'er never spoke kindly to Ye Xiu. "Look at the way you carry yourself!"

"Siheyuan? Heh heh, this is just an ordinary courtyard, nothing special," the old man clearly didn't grasp the concept of a Siheyuan. "Look at the name on the plaque."

"Guigu Shura Court?" The characters on the lintel were distinctly classical, yet this posed no difficulty for Ye Xiu. Having studied ancient texts and military strategy for over a decade, he recognized various archaic script forms. Unexpectedly, this knowledge proved useful here.

The old man offered no explanation, merely sensing that the young man before him was somewhat out of the ordinary. "Young Hero Ye, please enter the hall."

"Master is back, Second Senior Brother, Junior Sister..." Seeing people approaching the doorway, a host of young boys stepped out to greet them, creating an impressive scene.

The main hall was unbelievably vast. Ye Xiu craned his neck, trying to make out the ceiling beams, yet the entire interior décor possessed zero novelty—just tables and chairs. No stools? How was one supposed to sit!

"Young Hero Ye, sit here," the old man gestured for Ye Xiu to take the seat to the right of the main seat. "And serve tea."

"Thanks," Ye Xiu was just a young boy, never having experienced such ceremony. He’d crossed over, but there were no stools—this group must be dirt poor.

"Oh, right, Senior, what should I call you?" Ye Xiu finally realized how impolite he had been. After all, this man was clearly elderly.

"I dare not claim the title of 'Senior.' My name is Wang Long." The old man’s demeanor was genial, and his tone polite.

"Wang Long?" Ye Xiu seemed to recall something historical, especially with the surname Wang. "Could you possibly be the legendary Gui Gu Xian Sheng, Wang Xu, the progenitor of the School of Diplomacy and Strategists...?"

"He is indeed my ancestor!" Wang Long involuntarily performed a salute toward the sky when mentioning Wang Xu, expressing remembrance. It seemed this man was indeed an authentic successor of Guigu.

"Ah, that's perfect then!" Ye Xiu wasn't sure how to pose the question, but his interest was piqued.

"Young Hero Ye, ask whatever you wish. I shall consider us friends." Wang Long possessed a keen insight into the human heart, a primary secret art of the Guigu School: Observation of the Heart.

"What time is it now?" This was an extremely rudimentary question. Its utterance left many people stunned.

"Time? What do you mean?" Wang Long paused momentarily but quickly recovered. "It should be the hour of Shen, I believe."

"Hour of Shen!" Ye Xiu was completely bewildered, frozen in place. "No, Elder Wang, I meant, what dynasty is it?"

"Dynasty?" Wang Long found this question surprising coming from a youth. He nodded slightly.

"Hah! You fool, how can you be so dull-witted," Hong'er seized the chance to mock Ye Xiu once more. "You look shifty, act strangely, and yet you are so ignorant. Alas."

"Hong'er, do not be rude," Wang Long admonished her, then turned back with a smile. "It is a time of widespread chaos. The might of Qin is waning, that is the situation."

"Qin's might waning. So, the Chu-Han contention is next. How exciting!" Ye Xiu's grasp of history was excellent; a mere hint was enough for him to grasp the full picture.

"Chu? Han? Heh heh, a multitude of heroes vie for dominance under Heaven; the final outcome is still unknown," Wang Long waved his sleeve, exuding an air of command over the entire situation. "How can Young Hero Ye presume to determine the future of the realm?"

"Hmph! As far as I know, the Qin Dynasty is destined to fall. In the near future, an extraordinary King of Chu will arise, followed by the King of Han..."

As Ye Xiu spoke of these things, he experienced a sudden jolt of surprise. Having transmigrated to the end of the Qin Dynasty, everything that unfolded was already known to him. What a thrilling advantage!

"Heh heh, Young Hero Ye is truly interesting," Wang Long was greatly amused by Ye Xiu’s pronouncements. "Last night I observed the celestial movements, and a nameless star streaked across the firmament. Afterward, the star named Qin's Star naturally fell. Could all of this truly be the will of Heaven?"

"That was merely a shooting star," Ye Xiu dismissed Wang Long’s tone while taking a sip of tea.

"A shooting star? What is that!" Wang Long was momentarily speechless again. "Does Young Hero Ye also understand the art of stargazing? You even have names for such phenomena."

"Oh, dear. How am I supposed to explain this..." Ye Xiu wanted to stop the old man from making such wild interpretations, but he felt too awkward to correct an elder.

"Could I have another bowl of this? This stuff tastes quite good." Its pleasant taste was matched by a certain efficacy. "I would like another bowl."

"Heh heh, certainly. Someone, bring more tea." This tea was not a big deal, but Wang Long found it interesting that this young man could drink tea like wine—truly unusual.

"Ah... refreshing!" Ye Xiu downed the second bowl in one gulp. Looking over, Hong'er looked ready to stab him.

"By the way, I still don't know which country Young Hero Ye hails from?" Wang Long was growing increasingly perplexed. "Judging by your attire, you are not from the Central Plains. Could you be..."

Ye Xiu realized that during the Qin and Han eras, the Central Plains people harbored intense hatred for the Xiongnu. At this point, Wang Long might be thinking of that nomadic tribe. He quickly interjected, "It's just that my homeland is a place called China, far to the north—yes, north of here."

"North?" Wang Long became confused again. "China? How far is that from here? What kind of place is it?"

"There are..." Ye Xiu felt that explaining this was fundamentally impossible for them. "Ah, in short, this entire region is China, but it is very far away. We needn't discuss this further."

"He's spouting nonsense again! Father, don't believe this man," Hong'er suddenly stood up, clearly annoyed. "He is truly a liar."

"To be frank, Elder Wang, I fell down from a mountain and somehow ended up here," Ye Xiu decided that telling the truth directly was best, with no need for circumlocution.

"Fell down from a mountain and didn't even break your neck!" Hong'er was truly sharp-tongued. "You are still lying at a time like this."