The instant the blue light swallowed me, I felt as though I had been thrown into a spinning washing machine. Amidst the dizzying whirlwind, Xiao Longnü’s hand was my only anchor. I gripped that icy, soft hand for dear life, terrified that letting go meant losing her forever.
"Dragon Girl! Hold on to me!" I shouted over the howling wind.
She seemed to say something, but her voice was distorted beyond recognition. Countless fragmented images flashed before my eyes: an ancient battlefield with a thousand armies, a magnificent palace, a bustling market... finally freezing into a scene of a bamboo grove.
Thud!
I slammed heavily onto the ground, with Xiao Longnü landing on top of me. The faint, elegant fragrance radiating from her hair instantly cleared my head—thank goodness, she was still here.
"Ugh..." Xiao Longnü propped herself up, her long hair draping across my face. "Where is this?"
I helped her sit up and looked around. We were deep inside a dense bamboo grove, with the faint outline of city walls visible in the distance. Dusk was falling, casting a golden rim over the bamboo.
"I have no idea..." I rubbed my bruised backside. "But this definitely isn't Zhongnan Mountain."
Xiao Longnü suddenly pressed a hand over my mouth. "Someone is coming."
We held our breath and hid behind a clump of bamboo. Footsteps drew closer, accompanied by the crisp sound of bells. A young maiden dressed in a goose-yellow silk gown came skipping along, a string of silver bells tied around her waist. She was around seventeen or eighteen, bright-eyed and white-toothed, her radiant gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
"Huh?" The maiden suddenly stopped, looking suspiciously toward our hiding spot. "Who's there?"
Xiao Longnü tightened her grip on her maiden's sword, while I fished out my Swiss Army knife—though I knew full well it was practically a toy in front of martial arts masters.
Seeing no response, the maiden suddenly flicked her wrist, launching three golden needles! The needle tips cut through the air, piercing the bamboo directly in front of us with pinpoint precision, forming the shape of the character for "product."
"If you don't come out, the next needles won't be so polite~" The maiden smiled brightly, though her tone carried a chilling edge.
Xiao Longnü and I exchanged glances and had no choice but to show ourselves.
When the maiden saw us, her eyes went wide. "Wow! What a gorgeous young lady!" Completely ignoring me, she bounded right up to Xiao Longnü. "Big Sister, where are you from? Such an exquisite dress!"
Xiao Longnü instinctively took a half-step back, on guard. "Who are you, Miss?"
"My name is Lin Chaoying~" the maiden said with a cheeky grin. "And you two?"
Xiao Longnü and I froze in unison. Lin Chaoying? The founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect? Had we... traveled back in time?
"Y-You're Lin Chaoying?" My voice cracked out of pitch. "Then what... what year is this?"
"The third year of Zhenghe in the Northern Song dynasty~" Lin Chaoying tilted her head. "Did you two bang your heads or something?"
My legs turned to jelly, and I nearly hit the floor. The third year of Zhenghe... 1113 AD! Nearly two hundred years before the era we originally came from!
Xiao Longnü maintained some composure, but her fingertips were trembling slightly. "Lin... Miss Lin, where is this place?"
"At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain~" Lin Chaoying blinked. "You two are really strange. Oh well, it's getting late. Why don't you come to my place and sit a while?"
I was just about to politely decline when my stomach let out an uncooperative growl. Lin Chaoying burst into a laugh. "Let's go, let's go! My cook makes the best braised pork meatballs~"
Just like that, bewildered and bewildered, we followed this "young maiden grandmistress" back home. To our surprise, her home wasn't an ancient tomb at all, but an elegant mountain estate with a plaque bearing four large characters: "Tomb of the Living Dead."
"Tomb of the Living Dead?" My mouth twitched. "That name..."
"I came up with it~" Lin Chaoying said proudly. "Isn't it evocative?"
Inside the estate were pavilions, winding corridors, and flowing streams—a world away from the gloomy ancient tomb of later days. Upon seeing Lin Chaoying, the maidservants curtsied one after another. "Young Miss is back."
"Prepare dinner and tidy up two guest rooms~" Lin Chaoying instructed before turning to us. "By the way, I haven't asked your names yet."
"My name is Huanxi, and this is Xiao Longnü," I introduced, then suddenly remembered, "Uh... her surname is Xiao..."
Xiao Longnü shot me a sidelong glance.
During dinner, Lin Chaoying acted like a bundle of curiosity, firing off question after question. "Big Sister Xiao Longnü, I've never seen fabric like your dress before! Brother Huanxi, what is that glowing metal chunk at your waist?"
Cold sweat poured down my back, terrified of blowing our cover as time travelers. But Xiao Longnü handled it with ease, simply explaining that we came from the Western Regions and that our clothes and belongings were local specialties from there.
"The Western Regions~" Lin Chaoying rested her chin in her hand. "I've always wanted to go visit!"
Just then, a maidservant hurried inside. "Young Miss, Master Wang is here."
Lin Chaoying’s eyes instantly lit up, though she quickly forced a look of indifference. "Hmph, what is he here for?"
Before her voice had even faded, a man in white strode into the room. He had sword-like brows, starry eyes, a heroic bearing, and a long sword strapped to his back.
"Chaoying, I..." The man started to speak, but caught sight of us and instantly grew guarded. "And these two are?"
"Friends I just made~" Lin Chaoying deliberately looked away from him. "Xiao Longnü and Huanxi, from the Western Regions."
The man cupped his fists toward us. "I am Wang Chongyang."
I spat out a mouthful of tea. Wang Chongyang! The founder of the Quanzhen Sect! And right now, he was still just a handsome young man!
Wang Chongyang looked thoroughly baffled by my reaction, but politely said, "Since you've come from afar, if you have any needs, Chongyang is more than willing to lend a modest hand."
Xiao Longnü gave a slight nod. "Many thanks."
Seeing that Wang Chongyang’s attention was fixed on us, Lin Chaoying was visibly displeased. "Didn't you say you wanted to discuss martial arts? Are we going to discuss them or not?"
Wang Chongyang gave a wry smile. "Naturally we are. It's just..."
"Then let's go!" Lin Chaoying jumped up, grabbed Wang Chongyang by the arm, and pulled him outside, calling back over her shoulder to us, "Make yourselves at home, treat it like your own place~"
After they left, Xiao Longnü and I stared at each other in dismay.
"Did we really... return to the past?" Xiao Longnü wore a rare expression of bewilderment.
I pulled out my phone—it still had battery! I opened the photo album and flipped to the pictures we'd taken inside the ancient tomb earlier: "Look, these patterns are identical to the ones in the stone chamber. Lin Chaoying must also be..."
"A time traveler," Xiao Longnü finished my thought, her brow furrowed. "So those mechanisms in the ancient tomb..."
"She designed them!" I said excitedly. "She might know how to send us back!"
Xiao Longnü fell silent for a moment. "Do you... want to go back?"
I looked at her profile bathed in moonlight and suddenly lost my voice. Right, going back meant leaving her...
"Let's figure out the situation first," I deflected, changing the subject. "Let's see how much Lin Chaoying actually knows."
In the dead of night, I quietly slipped out of the guest room, hoping to scout the estate. Just as I rounded a corridor, I overheard the arguing voices of Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang.
"...You just refuse to admit I'm stronger than you!" Lin Chaoying said angrily.
"Chaoying, who is stronger doesn't matter..." Wang Chongyang said helplessly.
"It matters!" Tears tinged Lin Chaoying's voice. "The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra I created is clearly superior to your Congenital True Qi, why won't you use it?"
"I..."
"Because you look down on me for being a woman!" Lin Chaoying shouted. "You think women aren't worthy of creating advanced martial arts!"
I was listening intently when a sudden chill hit the back of my neck—the tip of a sword rested right against my spine.
"Eavesdropping is not a good habit~" Lin Chaoying’s voice came from behind me.
I froze. Then who was arguing in the room ahead...?
I turned my head to look. Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying were standing right in front of me—the ones arguing just now turned out to be two mechanical puppets!
"Friend from the Western Regions~" Lin Chaoying smiled radiantly, though her eyes were icy. "You're very interested in us?"
Wang Chongyang also wore a solemn expression. "Just who are you, sir?"
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. "I... I just got up to use the nightstool..."
"Is that so?" Lin Chaoying moved with lightning speed, snatching my phone right out of my hand. "Then what is this?"
She pressed the power button, and the screen lit up, displaying my lock screen wallpaper—a night view of a modern city.
Lin Chaoying stared at the photo, her expression shifting from confusion to shock. "This is... the future?"
Wang Chongyang stepped closer to look, his expression darkening as well. "Chaoying, this object..."
Lin Chaoying looked up at me, her gaze sharp enough to pierce right through me. "You aren't from the Western Regions. You're from the future."
Game over, my cover was blown. My brain raced, trying to cobble together a plausible excuse, but facing these two grandmaster-level figures, any lie was futile.
"Yes," I simply admitted. "I come from about nine hundred years later."
To my surprise, Lin Chaoying didn't throw a fit or try to kill me; instead, she jumped up excitedly. "I knew it! Time travel is possible!"
Wang Chongyang frowned. "Chaoying, are you messing around with those bizarre contraptions again..."
"This isn't some bizarre contraption!" Lin Chaoying retorted. "This is science!" She asked me eagerly, "How did you travel through time? What device did you use? What was the energy source?"
Blasted by her machine-gun volley of questions, I was completely dazed. "Uh... I don't really know, there was just this disc in the ancient tomb..."
"A disc?!" Lin Chaoying shrieked. "You activated the Spacetime Compass?!"
"The Spacetime Compass?"
She grabbed my hand in excitement. "Take me to see it! Wait... no, the ancient tomb hasn't been built yet..." She spun around in circles. "Oh my god, this is a grandfather paradox! This is too thrilling!"
Wang Chongyang looked deeply worried. "Chaoying, this person's origins are unknown..."
"He's a time traveler!" Lin Chaoying's eyes shone with excitement. "Just like me!"
My jaw practically hit the floor. "Y-You're a time traveler too?"
"Of course~" She blinked triumphantly. "I'm from the 21st century, a physics graduate student. Something went wrong during a time-travel experiment, and I fell all the way back to the Northern Song dynasty~"
My legs gave out, and I hit the floor. Lin Chaoying, the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, turned out to be a modern physics graduate student?!
Wang Chongyang looked on the verge of a mental breakdown. "Chaoying, what on earth are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know..." Lin Chaoying thought for a moment, then explained it in a way an ancient person could understand. "I'm an immortal maiden who descended from the heavens to tour the mortal realm~"
Wang Chongyang: "......"
Right at that moment, Xiao Longnü’s voice rang out: "Huanxi?"
She approached with sword in hand, and seeing me being held by Lin Chaoying, she immediately pointed her sword at Lin Chaoying. "Let him go."
Far from being angry, Lin Chaoying grew even more excited. "Woah! Another time traveler?"
"She's not," I hurried to explain. "Xiao Longnü is... uh... from this era."
Lin Chaoying looked Xiao Longnü up and down, sudden comprehension dawning on her. "Wait! Your surname is Long... white clothes... ancient tomb... Oh my god! You're my future disciple's disciple's...?"
Xiao Longnü was dizzy from these convoluted relations, but she kept her guard up. "Please release Huanxi."
Lin Chaoying let go and giggled. "Interesting~ This is too interesting!" She turned to Wang Chongyang. "Chongyang, I'm taking them to the secret chamber. Are you coming?"
Wang Chongyang rubbed his temples. "...I'm going to meditate."
Lin Chaoying’s "secret chamber" was basically a modern laboratory! The walls were plastered with blueprints, various metal parts littered the tables, and there was even something resembling a small generator in the corner.
"All of this is..." I was dumbstruck.
"Components of the spacetime device~" Lin Chaoying said proudly. "Pity my materials are limited, so this is as far as I could get." She pulled out a metal disc identical to the one in the ancient tomb. "This is the Spacetime Compass I designed based on theory, but I've never been able to activate it..."
"Because of me?" I guessed.
"Spot on!" She clapped excitedly. "You have Congenital True Qi inside your body, which makes the perfect energy source!"
Xiao Longnü listened in a fog, but caught the crucial point. "Can you send Huanxi back?"
Lin Chaoying nodded. "In theory, it's possible. However..." She flashed a sly smile. "Do you want him to go back?"
Xiao Longnü was momentarily speechless, the tips of her ears turning pink.
I quickly changed the subject. "Miss Lin, why is Gongsun Zhi hunting down time travelers?"
"Gongsun Zhi?" Lin Chaoying frowned. "Who's that?"
"Uh... probably your future disciple's disciple's..." I was getting tangled up in the relationships too.
Lin Chaoying waved a hand dismissively. "Whoever it is, there's only one reason to hunt down time travelers—to prevent spacetime paradoxes." Her expression suddenly turned serious. "If someone alters history, the consequences would be unimaginable."
A chill struck my heart. "So... by coming to this era, we've already altered history?"
"In theory, yes," Lin Chaoying nodded. "However, history has a certain self-correcting ability; minor changes are automatically patched." She paused. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you do something that severely impacts the course of history," she stared straight into my eyes. "For example... killing a key individual."
Cold sweat broke out on my back. Xiao Longnü tightened her grip on her sword hilt as well.
Lin Chaoying suddenly burst into a smile. "Relax~ You don't look like bad guys." She leaned in close to me. "Though... do you want to go back? I can help you."
I looked at Xiao Longnü. Her eyelids were lowered, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"I..." My throat felt dry. "I don't know."
Lin Chaoying gave a knowing smile. "Trapped by romance~" She turned to Xiao Longnü. "Dragon Girl, if I send him back, you..."
"He has his own choice to make," Xiao Longnü said softly, yet resolutely.
Lin Chaoying clapped her hands. "Great! Then stay here for now. Once I perfect the Spacetime Compass, you two can make your decision~"
In the days that followed, we temporarily stayed at the Tomb of the Living Dead. By day, Lin Chaoying researched the Spacetime Compass, and by night, she pestered me to tell her stories about the future. Wang Chongyang visited occasionally, only to be roped in by Lin Chaoying to discuss martial arts—which was to say, she used the time to unilaterally show off the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra she had created.
Meanwhile, Xiao Longnü grew exceptionally quiet, often practicing her sword alone late into the night. I knew what she was thinking—if I chose to leave, she would be left alone to face this unfamiliar past.
One early morning, I found Xiao Longnü practicing her sword in the bamboo grove. The morning sun gilded her with light, her swordplay flowing like silk, so breathtaking she hardly seemed mortal.
"Dragon Girl," I called out softly.
She halted and lowered her sword, fine beads of sweat dotting her brow. "What is it?"
I summoned my courage. "If... if I choose to stay, would you be willing to... stay with me forever?"
She froze, and her long sword clattered to the ground.
"Huanxi..." Her voice trembled. "You do not belong here."
"But I belong to you," I stepped forward and took her hand. "A future without you isn't what I want."
Her eyes grew red, but she stubbornly turned her face away. "Nonsense..."
Before I could say more, the sound of rushing air ripped through the forest! An arrow shot straight toward Xiao Longnü's back!
"Look out!" I instinctively pushed her aside, and the arrow pierced deep into my shoulder.
"Huanxi!" Xiao Longnü cried out in alarm.
Over a dozen figures in black burst from the bamboo grove, their leader sneering, "Time traveler, we've finally found you!"
I gritted my teeth and pulled out the arrow, noticing the arrowhead was blackened—poisoned!
"Did Gongsun Zhi send you?" I asked through gritted teeth.
The black-clad assassin blinked in confusion. "Who the hell is Gongsun Zhi? We're from the Spacetime Administration!"
The Spacetime Administration?! I was dumbfounded. Didn't Lin Chaoying say...
Before I could think further, the assassins charged with raised blades. Xiao Longnü picked up her sword and unleashed the Jade Maiden Pure Heart Sword Technique at full force, dropping three men in an instant. But they were heavily outnumbered, and we were gradually getting overwhelmed.
"Dragon Girl... go..." My vision began to blur as the poison spread.
Ignoring me entirely, Xiao Longnü scooped me up in her arms and vaulted into the bamboo canopy. Assassins below fired arrows; she parried left and right while taking an arrow to the arm, yet she still held me tight.
"Put me down..." I murmured weakly. "You can make it out on your own..."
"Shut up," she said, her voice laced with tears. "I won't let you die!"
Through a haze, I saw Lin Chaoying and Wang Chongyang arrive to reinforce us. The Spacetime Compass in Lin Chaoying's hand blazed with blue light, while Wang Chongyang’s Congenital True Qi swept across the bamboo grove...
When I woke up again, I was lying in Lin Chaoying’s laboratory. Xiao Longnü was keeping vigil by the bedside, her eyes red and swollen—she had clearly been crying.
"Dragon Girl..." I called out softly.
She snapped her head up, her eyes flashing with joy. "You're awake!" Then her face immediately hardened. "Who told you to take that arrow for me?"
I smiled weakly. "Pure instinct..."
"Idiot," she whispered, though she gripped my hand tightly.
Lin Chaoying pushed the door open. "Yo~ You're awake?" She held up the Spacetime Compass. "Good news and bad news, which one do you want first?"
"The good news?"
"The Spacetime Compass is fixed, I can send you back anytime~"
"And the bad news?"
"Those men in black really are from the Spacetime Administration," Lin Chaoying sighed. "They hunt down all time travelers to prevent history from being changed."
My heart tightened. "Then you guys..."
"Relax, Chongyang and I chased them off~" She flashed a sly grin. "Though they might come back."
Xiao Longnü suddenly spoke up: "Send him back."
Lin Chaoying and I looked at her simultaneously.
"Send Huanxi back," Xiao Longnü repeated, her voice trembling yet resolute. "It's too dangerous here."
Lin Chaoying raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Xiao Longnü nodded, but tears finally spilled over and fell.
I struggled to sit up and grasped Xiao Longnü's hand. "No, I'm not leaving." I looked at Lin Chaoying. "Is there any way for all of us to be safe?"
Lin Chaoying fell into deep thought for a moment. "There is." She raised the Spacetime Compass. "I can send you two to a spacetime rift. It's outside of historical records, so the Administration won't be able to find you."
"Where's that?"
"The Tomb of the Living Dead... before the ancient tomb was ever built," she smiled slyly. "Meaning, right now."
Xiao Longnü and I had a sudden epiphany. The most dangerous place was the safest place!
"But there's one condition~" Lin Chaoying held up a single finger. "You have to do me a favor."
"What favor?"
Her face suddenly turned red. "Help me win over Wang Chongyang! That blockhead just won't get a clue!"
Xiao Longnü and I: "......"
And just like that, we began our bizarre life of "helping Grandmistress woo Grandmaster."