Chapter 1: The Peach Blossom Spring

  In the northeast of Shaoguan, Lingnan, more than 20 miles away, there is a nameless mountain valley. The valley is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and even the only exit, that narrow valley road, has a low hill blocking the way. Only after crossing the low hill will it suddenly become clear and reveal another world inside.

  In the third year of the Xianheng era of the Great Tang Dynasty, suddenly there were eleven surnames with a total of more than 100 people who came to this secluded valley under the arrangement of the local government. They cleared the grass and leveled the ground, cut down trees to build houses, and in a few days they built a small village called Taoyuan Village.

  Due to the village's secluded location, Taoyuan Village had little contact with other mountain people. However, as woodcutters and hunters often passed through here, gradually, there was a slight understanding of this small village surrounded by mountains on all sides.

  The villagers here are different from the ordinary mountain people in the local area. The residents of this village are mostly literate and courteous, although they also engage in farming and weaving, but it is often possible to hear the sound of reading and music coming from the village, including the playing of the guqin and sheng.

  At first, the mountain people all thought it was strange, and there were discussions from time to time. However, as time passed, they got used to it and didn't think it was unusual anymore.

  Eleven years later, on a certain day in the second year of Datang Yongchun.

  It's late spring, the valley is lush and green, with several hectares of mountain fields hidden among the wild grasses and thorns. In the mountains and valleys, there are dozens of households scattered about, with bamboo fences and wooden eaves all hidden in a sea of greenery, occasionally revealing a corner, like a poem or a painting.

  A girl with a bamboo basket on her back was leading a mischievous boy less than ten years old to the low hill outside the village. The girl wore a green short shirt, a lotus-colored long pants, and a simple mountain-style outfit, with dark cheeks and a hint of redness from working in the fields, but she had an extraordinary aura that set her apart from ordinary village girls.

  This girl is just at the age of 14 or 15 when the bud begins to open, with a slender and tall figure, a thin waist that is straight and flexible, walking like a soft and flexible bamboo swaying in the wind. Those bright eyes, a straight and high nose bridge, a small red mouth, look very pretty.

  A 8 or 9-year-old mischievous boy was walking beside the girl, who should be her younger brother. Although this naughty boy had a dark complexion like other mountain children, he didn't have that sturdy and robust appearance of mountain kids. In comparison, his build looked much thinner, with an oval face that resembled the girl's by 60 or 70 percent, with delicate eyebrows, big eyes, and a pointed chin.

  The girl's name is Yu Rong, and the boy following behind her is her younger brother, nicknamed Ah Chou. Ah Chou is only nine years old this year, and he is always lively and active. If no one pays attention to him, he will run off into the mountains, climbing up and down trees as high as ten or more zhang like a monkey, earning him the reputation among village children as the number one tree climber.

  The result proved the old saying: "A good swimmer may drown, a skilled rider may fall." Three months ago, Ah-Chou fell from a tall tree while picking bird eggs. He fell from a height of over 50 feet, although branches broke his fall and the soil was very soft, he still cracked open his head and broke one leg.

  This frightened the parents who doted on him like a precious pearl, and his sister, as the eldest daughter, was scolded by her parents for not taking good care of her brother. Ah Chou stayed at home for more than three months, recently his body has gradually recovered, and he can walk around without any problem, but his parents still forbade him from going out.

  Today, his elder sister went up the mountain to pick wild vegetables. Seeing her younger brother staying at home with a gloomy face after spraining his leg, she was worried that he would become depressed and asked their parents to bring him out for some fresh air. Although their parents agreed, they set the condition that Ah Chou must not leave her side.

  In a small courtyard surrounded by bamboo fences, a young girl two years older than Yu Rong was embroidering flowers. Seeing Yu Rong and her brother approaching, she smiled and greeted them: "Yu Rong, Xiao A-Chou, going up the mountain?"

  "Hmm, taking little brother up the mountain to pick some wild mushrooms and vegetables... is Sister Xiuxiu preparing her dowry?"

  "Oh, come on, I'm just embroidering for fun."

  Xiuxiu's face turned red, and she hastily hid the embroidery in her hand behind her back, bringing a burst of joyful laughter from Yuexiang.

  An old man playing chess under a nearby elm tree looked over here and laughed loudly, saying: "Little Ah Chui, is your leg better now? Haha, don't be naughty again in the future!"

  Yuè Róng politely greeted them: "Uncle Qiú, Uncle Fāng."

  Another old man was about to lose the chess game, with a look of extreme frustration, repeatedly urging him to hurry up and make his move, only then did the old man stroke his beard and turn around.

  Ah Chu, who had always claimed to be the best at climbing trees and rocks, seemed to have lost face after being scolded by Old Man, and in a fit of anger, he kicked out with one foot, sending a small stone flying into the air, which happened to hit a large white goose.

  The big goose held its head high and chest out, strutting along with the gait of a general reviewing his troops, walking proudly on the path when it was suddenly attacked, and it became furious, immediately stretching its neck, spreading its wings, and honking loudly as it charged at Ah Chui.

  "Ah Chou, you're being naughty again!"

  Yuè Róng said, pulling á Chǒu's hand and running away. The big white goose flapped its wings, stretched its neck, and chased after them, not giving up. A little shepherd boy in the grass saw this scene and couldn't help but laugh until he fell over.

  "Ouch! Sister, my leg still hurts a bit."

  Ah-Chou ran and ran, couldn't help but cry out in pain. Yue Rong said with a bad temper: "You little stinker, the most ferocious one is the goose general at Liu Aunt's house, you just had to provoke it." As she spoke, she untied the bamboo basket, squatted down and said: "Come on, I'll carry you on my back."

  " No way, they're all grown up and very heavy, how can sister carry them?"

  "Alright, you're just a little kid, and you've grown up, haven't you been carried by your sister since childhood, climbing mountains and crossing rivers?" Yu Rong didn't say another word, put her brother on her shoulders, picked up the bamboo basket, and ran up the mountain. The white goose chased after them relentlessly, honking loudly.

  Sister's back was flat and soft, with some sweat stains, but it smelled very good. Ah Chou struggled a couple of times, after being slapped on the butt by her sister, she stopped struggling.

  The goose general chased for a while, and finally returned triumphantly, proudly walking back to the village. Yuer saw that the big goose was no longer chasing her, so she slowed down her footsteps with a sigh of relief, but still didn't put her brother down.

  "Ah Chou, once you're on the mountain, don't run around everywhere, or Mom and Dad will worry about you again. Ah Jie is going to pick some wild vegetables and then bring you back down. Ah Mu is cooking bone soup for you, drink it while it's hot and your leg will heal faster. You love eating wild vegetables with sauce the most, right? Ah Jie will pick some wild vegetables later and make wild vegetable sauce for you when we get back."

  "The sauce... needs to be stir-fried with oil."

  "Alright, listen to Ah Chou's, blow it up."

  "Also put an egg inside."

  Cheng, put another egg in there, you little glutton.

  The sister and brother climbed up the short mountain. Yuerong put Ahchou down and said, "You sit here well, sister will go to pick... eh?"

  Yu Rong glanced out of the valley and exclaimed in surprise: "How come there are so many officers and soldiers?"

  Ah Chou listened and stood up to look towards the mountain front, he was small in stature, could only stand on tiptoes, from among the wild grass vines more than one person high, looking outwards, in the valley below a troop was gathering there, this was the military of Great Tang, soldiers all wore battle armor, carried quivers on their backs, slung bows diagonally, grasped horizontal swords, riding war horses.

  More than three hundred people, more than three hundred horses, stood solemnly and silently.

  At the forefront of the team, there were two horses. The soldiers wore cuirasses and the officers wore robes. On one of the horses was a general wearing a robe with a leather armor on his body, and the robe had patterns of lions and tigers embroidered on it.

  Another horseman, wearing a green robe, was reining in his horse and turning back to say something to the soldiers. As he spoke, they drew their swords from their scabbards, and the sunlight glinted on the blades, casting a cold glow.

  Ah-Chou felt a little curious, as he had seen soldiers before when he went to Shaoguan City with his father, but they were just a few old soldiers on the city wall, which didn't have such a strong and intimidating atmosphere, and their clothes seemed different too.

  "Sister, whose soldiers are these and what are they doing?"

  "Not good!"

  Yu Rong didn't know the intentions of these soldiers, but she felt danger. She quickly put Ah Chou down and instructed him: "These soldiers are probably going to harm us. Ah Chou, you can't move easily, hide here! Sister will go back to the village to report the news! You crouch here, no matter what, don't come out! Do you understand?"

  Yuè Róng pushed ā Chǒu into the shrubs, picked up the bamboo basket and ran. Just a few steps out, she rushed back, casually pulled some wild grass to cover ā Chǒu's body. ā Chǒu was buried under the messy grass, looking bewildered through the gaps as his sister sprinted towards the mountain village, not understanding what had happened.

  This is the land of the Tang Dynasty, and these are the people of the Tang Dynasty. Why should the Tang army be unfavorable to the common people here? The villagers are not mountain bandits or local tyrants. Ah-Chou, who couldn't understand no matter how hard he thought, could only squat there motionlessly, following his sister's instructions.

  The iron hooves trampled the gravel on the mountain path, and two fine horses led the way up the gentle slope. From Ah-Chui's angle of view, he could only see the blue-robed civil official riding a black horse, while the military general standing on the other side was partially blocked by the civil official, with only his crimson cloak occasionally lifted by the mountain breeze visible.

  Yuè Róng waved the green scarf wrapped around her head, running and shouting towards the village: "Father! Mother! The government soldiers are coming, the government soldiers are coming!"

  "Kill! Kill them all! Not a single one is allowed to escape!"

  A chilling voice echoed in Ah Chou's ear, and he withdrew his gaze from Ah Jie to look in the direction of the sound. The person who had spoken was a slender, tall, green-robed official sitting upright on horseback, with a narrow, long face, sunken eyes, and an eagle nose, exuding an aura of authority without even being angry.

  As he gave orders to the soldiers behind him, he unconsciously turned his head back, and his entire face was reflected in Ah Chou's eyes. Ah Chou could clearly see his features: a hawk-like nose with two knife-sharp creases on either side, which deeply slanted downwards to frame his thin lips. The voice that sent shivers down one's spine came from those very lips.

  The general with the lion and tiger pattern on his battle robe slowly drew his sword from its scabbard, the blade scraping against the scabbard, making a chilling grinding sound. Ah-Chou listened, and involuntarily broke out in goosebumps. The general raised his sword, urged his horse forward, let out a short, sharp cry: "Kill!" And then with four hooves flying, he charged down.

  Behind him, soldiers with horizontal swords rushed down in a flurry.

  Ah Chui watched as Ah Jie desperately ran through the mountain path, her figure flashing in and out of sight like a deer leaping across the wilderness. The general galloped after her on horseback, like a hunter hot on the heels of his prey. His warhorse thundered along, quickly closing the distance between them, and soon caught up to Ah Jie. Ah Chui's heart involuntarily rose to his throat.

  Pong!

  The sword rises, cold light flashes, blood light appears.

  "Mother, the government soldiers have arrived..."

  Yuè Róng's voice stopped abruptly, the knife passed by, and a head flew into the air. The hot blood sprayed out of her throat, forming a bloody mist. The general swung his bloody sword and swept past her side. Immediately afterwards, countless military boots trampled on the soft body of the girl, rushing into the small mountain village.

  "Big Sister!"

  A Qiu suddenly felt dizzy and fainted on the spot.

  Hundreds of officers and soldiers were rushing forward on the mountain path, their footsteps and the sound of gravel crunching covering up his one sob.

  A green-robed official stood on the mountain slope, gazing indifferently at the village in the valley below. A cold, cruel smile played on his lips as he pointed with his whip and repeated his order: "Kill! Kill them all! Not a single one is to be spared!"

  The next day, the Shaozhou government posted a notice announcing that Taoyuan Village had been hit by a major plague, and all its villagers had died. To prevent the spread of the plague, the government burned down the entire village and warned people from surrounding villages not to enter Taoyuan Village to avoid infection. Taoyuan Village disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared.

  No one dared to enter the valley again. Years later, no one could remember the name of Taoyuan Village, and people only remembered that there was a plague god valley twenty miles northeast of Shaoguan, and many people didn't even know where the name came from...

  Note: I'd like to explain that before writing the book, I researched a lot of historical materials, but found that some things couldn't be written strictly according to history at that time. Because if it were so, it would be too unsuitable for today's habits and would make everyone feel very uncomfortable. For example, at that time, fathers were often called "brothers", the second person singular was not "you" but "thou", and there was no "you" like now; instead, they used "thou" or "thee". The third person singular was referred to as "he" or "him".

  For example, the most commonly used self-appellation for women is "er", equivalent to men's self-appellation of "mou"; officials should be addressed by their surname and title, while elders are only used to address close relatives in the family; young ladies from noble families are called "niangzi", strange women met on the road are also called "niangzi", and one's own wife is still called "niangzi". If we were to revive ancient language here, it would be extremely awkward. Therefore, we will continue to use the terms that modern readers are accustomed to.