The spring rain was falling softly on this particular day.
It was already nighttime, and the sky was growing progressively darker, consuming the blood-red sun in the process and replacing it with a full moon that resembled a jade.
Tonight's rain was unusually heavy, and it began to fall faster and harder as the evening wore on, showing signs of an impending storm.
Even though the night had only just begun, not many people were out on the streets due to the intense rain, this the streets were completely lifeless and most shops and businesses were closed. But at the same time, in a stark contrast with a lifeless and silent environment like this, a few spots were full of life, crowded with people.
Unlike other shops and businesses, taverns remained open and bustling, with even more customers than usual. Because of the downpour, many people took shelter inside those tevrns and inevitably some even bought drink because they were just bored or maybe, they just couldn't resist against the temptation for doing that, considering they were in a tavern where they can easily buy those tasty alcoholic drinks.
At the same time at one of the three taverns in the village–
Bang!
"Get lost, you fucker!" A middle-aged, tall, and strong man shouted loudly as he threw someone out of the tavern.
"You better thank your parents for being born with the Gu Yue surname on you, or I'd have beaten you to death, Hmph."
The strong man spat on the boy that was lying on the ground and then slammed the tavern door shut. A few seconds later laughter echoed from inside of the tavern as thought they were mocking the young man on the ground.
The young man tried to get up but kept stumbling until, finally after many tries, he succeeded.
The boy's face and clothes were covered in mud, but the heavy rain quickly washed it away, revealing his face— it was a common and average face, a face that you could easily forget if you didn't specifically tried to remember it. The young man wore a plain black robe, but the robe was old and worn in various places.
The young man began walking through the streets of the ″village″, as the men in the tavern had called it.
He looked around, staring at the weird bamboo buildings of this ″village″, surprised.
"Where the hell am I exactly ?" the young man asked himself after some time walking in the streets, his heart trembling as he wandered the streets without any destination in mind.
He didn't know what this place—this village was. He was just a regular man, living a boring and ordinary life as a member of society like most people. But one day, overwhelmed by his problems and the difficulties in his life, he decided to do the most logical thing a person would do under such a pressure, to drank excessively and forget all his pain, at least for a small amount of time.
But when he came to his senses, he found himself in this strange place—this strange ″village″ as the people in the tavern had called it. And even worst he was dressed in strange clothes that wasn't his own and couldn't remember what had happened to him.
The boy sighed and thought to himself "So... getting drunk... something like that could really happen, huh ? Throughout my life, even when I drank a little bit too much, nothing like that ever happened to me. to blackout like this, it is my first time.."
"I should've controlled myself better." Standing in the middle of the empty, quiet street beneath the heavy rain, the boy muttered to himself and sighed again. He could only blame himself for the situation now.
He started walking down the deserted street, in hope of finding someone that could help him.
But how could he find anyone in such an empty place in the middle of the night ? And because of what had happened at the tavern earlier, he wasn't going to go back there, he was afraid that those men might actually beat him to death this time.
After wandering the streets for nearly a hour, he still couldn't find any kind of help. Though he had came across another tavern, but unfortunately it was closed.
"Sigh. Under such heavy rain, even insects and birds hide away in their nests. How am I supposed to find someone to help me ?" The young man sighed once more, frustrated and angry at himself because of this situation, the boy suddenly smacked himself with as much force as he could muster at that moment.
"Ouch! That hurt!" he winced, rubbing his cheek. "Anyway, this place is really weird. This village... it feels, no it looks so old with all those weird structures. How did I end up in such a strange place with buildings made of bamboo almost everywhere ? What age are those people living in—the Stone Age or something ? Who make houses made of such material like bamboo these days anymore ? This Gu Yue village... how come I've never heard of it before? And that man... calling me someone with this ″Gu Yue″ surname or whatever... Is it because of these weird clothes that I'm wearing now ?"
Just as he was lost in thoughts, suddenly a woman's voice interrupted him.
"Thank God! I finally found you, young master."
The voice was old, obviously from a old lady, and weirdly enough the voice was full of relief.
Hearing this, the boy's face lit up, he had finally found another living person in this lifeless street or…. Maybe someone found him, but it didn't matter, it was still something to he happy about. Now he could get some help–
"W-what ? Young master ? Me ? Sorry, I think you've got the wrong—" Having processed the old lady's words, the boy's expression suddenly change from happiness to confusion.
But before the young man could finish what he was saying, the old lady reached him and grabbed his hand firmly by force.
"Young Master Fang Zheng, how many times have I told you not to go out for drinking ? Now hurry up, let's go back home. The old master is waiting, and he's really angry at you!"