"Oh, so these are silk scrolls of a different texture!" Wang Long thought he finally understood, taking Ye Xiu's Nokia in both hands to examine it closely. "I wonder how this artist achieved such clarity in the figures and architecture. These buildings are so magnificent, truly rare in this world; and these simplified characters look so utterly clear—this must be the China you spoke of."

"It was... I took the pictures myself... and painted them," Ye Xiu didn't want to elaborate. He feared that saying too much would cause the old man to overthink, perhaps driving him mad and causing him to die. If that happened, that girl Hong'er over there would surely draw her sword to assassinate him again.

"Indeed, marvelous! I never expected Young Hero Ye's painting skills to be so exquisite." Wang Long praised the young man of unknown origin before him with renewed fervor. Honestly, from their first meeting to entering the valley, and now to their conversation, he was filled with curiosity about Ye Xiu. He felt he had never before wanted to understand someone so deeply, especially a junior who was about the age of his own daughter. This was likely an encounter he would rarely experience in his lifetime.

"I don't deserve such praise," Ye Xiu grinned, taking the phone back from Wang Long. In his haste, he glanced at the moving signal indicator—there was truly zero bar. Damn it! He had really returned to the late Qin period.

"By the way, Elder Wang, speaking of the Guigu Sect! I have always heard of the military strategists: Sun Bin, Pang Juan, Wei Liaozi; and the proponents of the Vertical and Horizontal schools: Su Qin, Zhang Yi, Mao Sui, and others. Did they all emerge from here?" As expected of someone well-versed in history, Ye Xiu maintained a strong interest in it.

"Hmm, it seems Young Hero Ye knows a great deal. These matters are considered the secrets of our Guigu School." Wang Long was utterly impressed with Ye Xiu now. "The world has no idea that those individuals entered and exited Guigu; they only know of the Diplomats. And those esteemed ancestors strictly adhered to the sect rules, never revealing the slightest thing about Guigu. How did Young Hero Ye come to know of them?"

"From books, of course," Ye Xiu replied casually, though he felt it might be inadequate. "In any case, I am quite informed, and I haven't told anyone else. I feel a special kinship with Elder Wang today, so I just casually asked."

"Heh heh," Wang Long stroked his beard and smiled happily. "It is true, I feel a special bond with Young Hero Ye. Like a shooting star, Young Hero Ye descended from the heavens. Upon first entering Guigu, you managed to break the Seven Illusions Array, and you know so much about our Guigu ancestors. Could it truly be fate that has brought you to meet the disciples of Guigu?"

Ye Xiu didn't know what to say. He was simply relieved that the first group of people he met after transmigrating happened to be decent folks, even high-level masters. However, the thought of Sister Ji Jiang still being missing, and his own inability to find her while fooling around here, felt wrong. He wondered what method he could use to return, and how much longer it would be before he could see his sister again. Everything was so inexplicable. Thinking of this, he felt the urge to grab a few cans of alcohol to numb himself again.

"Young Hero Ye. Young Hero Ye, are you troubled by something?" Wang Long was indeed worthy of being a descendant of Guigu. After all, the people of Guigu were all extraordinary—adept at self-cultivation, skilled in understanding the human psyche, profoundly versed in the balance of hardness and softness, masters of the tactics of alignment and cleavage, possessing wisdom that pierced the heavens. Not an exaggeration at all.

Ye Xiu looked somewhat dejected and said slowly, "Yes, thinking of my relatives in my homeland."

"Young Hero Ye traveling the martial world alone, occasionally missing his parents and elder brother/sister-in-law—that is truly commendable." Wang Long appreciated the young man's filial piety. Though he only saw it through Ye Xiu's expression, he could discern the genuine emotion.

"To be perfectly honest, Elder Wang, I am an orphan, without father or mother. I only have an elder sister who adopted me, and now I have become separated from her." As he spoke, Ye Xiu started to lose control; the grown man seemed on the verge of tears.

"Such a grown man, crying so easily! Not as good as a frail woman like me." Hong'er, seeing the situation, softened a little too. She pouted and stared intently at the supposed thief before her.

"Young Hero Ye is perhaps just tired. Someone, escort Young Hero Ye to the disciple quarters to rest." Wang Long understood the courtesy of giving space, lest Ye Xiu be embarrassed by shedding tears in front of others. "Young Hero Ye, please stay in the valley for a few more days. I still have many questions I wish to ask you, hehe."

"Thank you, Elder Wang," Ye Xiu nodded lightly, clutching his backpack and following a disciple toward the inner courtyard.

The night was as dark as flowing blood. Ye Xiu lamented his situation while taking the opportunity to slip into the military camp, only to be spotted by a soldier who had stepped out to relieve himself.

"Halt! Who goes there?" The soldier brought his short blade up and pressed it against Ye Xiu's back.

Ye Xiu, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, was jolted wide awake by the shout. He quickly raised his hands. "It's me! Brother, it's me. I'm the one in charge of drilling the recruits."

"How did you sneak in from outside, you brat!" The soldier grinned maliciously as he turned to face Ye Xiu. "What were you out doing? Were you off visiting country girls?"

"..." Ye Xiu was speechless, only managing a silly smile. Although he wasn't the most handsome man in the world, he was definitely quite dashing. What sort of a country girl could compare?

"Spit it out! Was it fun? And how was it fun? Otherwise, I'll report you to the Sergeant." That dull soldier was extremely starved for action, spending all day thinking about things in bed. Just thinking about it made his mouth water. How could one expect such a fellow to fight in a war?

Ye Xiu felt overwhelmingly sleepy and had little patience for meaningless chatter. He casually blurted out, "First, you do the front. Then, you do the back. Then, you do the top. Then, you do the bottom. And that's it!"

"That's all there is to it?" The dull soldier felt like he was just getting warmed up and was quite displeased that Ye Xiu was already finished. "Your little brother is too weak. Next time you go out, take big brother along! I'll let you see my Golden Cudgel!"

"Damn it!" Ye Xiu truly didn't want to talk any more to this weapon-wielding fool. He flicked his sword away. "Next time, I'll definitely see your Golden Cudgel show some kindness. I need to go back to sleep now."

"Hey, hey! You're leaving already? Stay and chat with your big brother for a bit longer!"

"Chat about your sister!" Ye Xiu cursed him and burrowed into his wood shed to lie down. He was exhausted today. The worst part was the lingering displeasure from hearing about another Guigu that he hadn't known existed.

"Woooo... woooo..." Before the sky was fully bright, the sound of a massive horn startled Ye Xiu awake.

"Damn it, can't a man get any sleep?" Ye Xiu intensely disliked having his slumber disturbed. Just as he was about to go out and shout, he saw soldiers, both large and small, rushing toward the central assembly platform. He couldn't help but follow them.

On the assembly platform, Xiang Liang, Xiang Yu, and Ying Bu stood full of spirit. The fierce north wind whipped the battle banner embroidered with the character "Chu" into a resounding flap, looking incredibly imposing.