XiangCheng, now living as Yuan Yao for approximately five years, was sitting in his courtyard reading bencao, a medicinal book penned by esteemed Cai Yong.
Thud!Thud
He raised his head and looked.towards the sounds of footsteps.
"GrandUncle!" He shouted joyously.
"Yao'er, get ready to leave." Yuan Wei, his granduncle, urged him in a steady voice.
"Has Ren Liqin been evacuated?" He asked.
"Yes, she left under the protection of Ji Ling."
"Thank you, Granduncle."
Yuan Wei unveiled a cauldron. "Quick, get in here."
Yuan Yao could taste the urgency in his granduncle's voice. He jumped into the cauldron without a second thought.
The lid crashed on top of the cauldron the next moment. He felt that the cauldron rose into the sky and flew through the air.
This world had people with extraordinary abilities and his granduncle was one of them.
As soon as Yuan Yao got into the cauldron Yuan Wei rose to the sky and flew with it.
In these last five years he had diligently studied and graduated from Taixue Academy. Besides his studies he mainly concerned himself with how to avoid the tragic fate of yuan yao in history as he had noticed although this world differed from earth greatly nevertheless this earth also exact same events as that of Three Kingdoms were happening since he came here. Furthermore, he also found out the history of the two worlds is almost exactly the same.
XiangCheng had racked his brain to come up with a solution; sadly to this day he hasn't come up with any foolproof one. So he switched to temporary solutions, one of them was befriending famous scholars and generals. He started doing this as soon as he was able to attend the academy. He also made use of his knowledge from the future that could make him look like an intelligent man to attract these talents.
Since he had no money other than the allowance given by his father his plans, by necessity, needed to be long term. One good thing in all of this was that his father did, actually, like him and love him.
For a long time XiangCheng has decided to use the affection of his father to let him run his own affairs. To this end he became the most filial son one could ask for. Even then he could see a glint of sadness in his father's eyes.
The reason for it is as obvious as the sun in the midsummer's day.
He couldn't cultivate.
Even with the vast resources of the Yuan family he couldn't even enter cultivation much less be a cultivation talent. It wouldn't matter if he had one of the seven extraordinary abilities, which cultivation was but one of it.
In other words, he was a very common man—a peasant even, in some people's eyes.
But his father, Yuan Shu, was still pleased to have him alive rather than dead.
He planned to ask his father the right to run his own manor and grow it as he pleased as a gift to have entered adulthood.
In the Yuan family one could enter adulthood as soon as they finished their studies, no hard age requirements were in place. XiangCheng, with his knowledge and intellect, had become one of the youngest to finish his studies.
Even though what he did was the stuff of the legends, nobody celebrated it. As he was unable to practice any type of extraordinary abilities, all he ever taught was mere theoretical knowledge. He didn't need to go through tests that others of his family went through.
His mastery in six arts and five classics was excellent as long as it didn't need any cultivation. What he lacked was any martial skill. Before he left he had written a letter to each of his friends asking them to help him.
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Finally light illuminated inside of the cauldron. As Yuan Yao lifted his head he saw his granduncle's face.
"We have reached our ancestral home." He said.
Yuan Yao got out of the cauldron and glanced around.
It was his first time coming here. He looked around to see what his ancestral home looked like.
The Ancestral home—rather an estate—stood on the vast farmlands on the banks of Yanhe river.
It was enclosed by tall earthen walls, soldiers stood on top with their spears ready.
The gate of the estate was narrow which allowed only one carriage to pass through. Two guards stood on the each side bowed in the presence of Yuan Wei.
"Protector, this humble guard salutes and welcomes you back."
Yuan Wei acknowledged them with a nod and a faint smile. He led Yuan Yao inside to his chambers.
"I've assigned you a courtyard and a maid." He picked up a small bell and gently shook it as he addressed Yuan Yao. A maid, who is similar to Ren Liqin, came quickly and bowed her head deeply. "She is Ren Liqiu, cousin of your maid. She'll be taking care of your courtyard and you."
The new maid turned to him and with a slight bow said "This Maid greets her master." Yuan Yao acknowledged her somewhat stiffly and said "I'll be in your care."