Chapter 1

I used to be an emperor. You might not believe it.

At first, I was absolutely certain. Later, my confidence wavered. Because everyone around me said I was sick.

I knew I wasn't sick, but after so many people said it, I started to believe I really was sick, and not just a little.

It all stemmed from that dream I once had.

In that dream, I clearly remembered that I was Kang Wang, the emperor, leading a group of ministers, soldiers, and concubines in a desperate flight south. I inadvertently stumbled in a Daoist temple called Mingdao Palace and fell into the Nine Dragon Well inside.

Ahead was the great river, behind were pursuing troops.

I didn't want Bianliang; I left it behind me. I didn't want Huaibei; I left it behind me too. I could even abandon Jiangbei. As long as the Jin troops didn't catch me, as long as I didn't end up like my father and elder brother, taken north into captivity.

Escaping was hard, but running and running, I got used to it after a while.

As for the half of the country I left behind, those Song citizens without homes, alas, I wanted to take them south with me, but their feet couldn't outrun the Jin cavalry. They could only pray for their own good fortune. Taking them would be a burden, slowing me down. I might not escape at all.

That wouldn't do. So, without a trace of regret, I traveled light, throwing away all my baggage. I knew that as long as I escaped Huaibei, crossed the great river, I could lose everything north of the river and still find a haven in Jiangnan.

Half a country was still a country.

But one slip can cause a thousand years of regret. That damned imperial guard, that damned Da Yabann, were nowhere to be seen when I needed them most.

If it were up to me, I would have beheaded that Yang Zhong or whatever his name was. As for the Da Yabann, I forgot his name. After all, it's been too long. Some people, some things, aren't as clear as they once were.

I fled during the day and at the slightest sign of trouble at night. I ran so hard, I ran in the dark for so long, that the skill of running was etched into my bones, becoming an instinct. I was almost to Jiangnan, I was about to see the light of dawn—

But damn it, I fell into a well. Fate played a joke on me, and it wasn't a small one.

Falling into a well wasn't so bad, but it was awful that there was no one around when I fell.

Not having anyone around wasn't the end of the world, as long as the well wasn't too deep.

The well was shallow. But I felt like I was falling for a long time…

Darkness caught up with me before the Jin troops did.

I fell into boundless darkness again before dawn.

That darkness was really tmd black!

Chapter 2

I felt a splitting headache. I hadn't even opened my eyes when I shouted, "Da Yabann…"

But that eunuch-like, fawning voice didn't respond as it usually did.

Instead, I heard a woman's surprised cry: "Son, you're finally awake! You scared Mom to death…"

I forced my eyes open. They were used to the dark, but it was so bright now, so bright I couldn't adjust.

This must be a hallucination, that's right, a hallucination. I rubbed my eyes, wanting to get rid of this damn hallucination.

But someone was holding my left hand tightly.

My heart sank.

Then, a drop of warm liquid landed on my face.

I opened my eyes again, wanting to scold the impudent person holding my hand.

Then I saw her, a middle-aged woman, slowly becoming clear in my eyes. She looked at me with concern, her eyes full of tears.

But I was angry. There were always commoners who wanted to harm the Emperor!

I was about to scold her when I noticed her hairstyle, her clothes. She wore no hairpins, so she must be a commoner. But what was that strange outfit? My mind went "buzz," a blank slate.

I stared at her, my mind churning: Who is this? Where am I? What does she want?

Everything around me was so strange, not just this strangely dressed woman.

I swallowed the fear that was about to burst out.

Though a million Ferghana horses were stampeding through my mind, "The Emperor's Self-Cultivation" told me that at this moment, even if Mount Tai collapsed before me, I must pretend to be calm and unconcerned.

The safest course of action now was not to respond, not to refuse, not to speak, and to observe.

The common woman babbled on, her lips moving constantly. But the sound disappeared from my ears.

Then, I saw a woman in a white hat and white coat standing by my bed.

They were talking to each other, and I clearly heard every word they said, but I sadly realized I didn't understand a single word…

But I slowly understood.

This was no longer the Song Dynasty.

And I was no longer the emperor who only knew how to run.

Chapter 3

A few days later, I was discharged from the hospital.

The handwriting on the discharge summary was flamboyant. Like Zhang Xu's "Four Cursive Scrolls" that I once collected. Roof leakage marks, broken hairpin strands. Having practiced calligraphy and painting since childhood, my writing, though not as good as my father's, was unique. Everyone who saw it praised it.

Although the characters on "Four Cursive Scrolls" were as graceful as startled swans and as lively as swimming dragons, I could barely understand them. But I couldn't understand this so-called doctor's advice at all.

The female doctor was explaining something to the common woman, and I vaguely heard words like "delusion" and "amnesia."

Before leaving, the female doctor looked at me and said softly to the middle-aged woman, "Don't forget to give your son his medicine."

The common woman took me home. So, I not only gained a mother, but also a father. They were always around me, taking care of me in every possible way. And I, on the other hand, always stared at them blankly, expressionless.

This world amazed me, dazzled me.

I gradually became addicted to it.

Time passed day by day.

I personally sat on the toilet and learned how to use the bathroom.

I took a bath myself, covering myself with foam and then rinsing it off.

I brushed my teeth, baring my teeth and grinning.

I watched TV…

I played with my phone…

I forgot I was once an emperor.

I was happy and didn't miss Shu. (a metaphor for forgetting one's homeland)

Until one day, I completely integrated into this world.

Facing the common woman, I called out, "Mom…"

She burst into tears of joy.

Chapter 4

I always felt like someone was following me.

It made me very uncomfortable.

At first, I was a little nervous.

Sometimes, I would be walking down the street and suddenly turn around, wanting to see who was following me. But each time I came up empty.

That gaze was like a snake. I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.

Later, I got used to that gaze, just like I got used to not being an emperor anymore. Since I couldn't get rid of it, I might as well pretend it didn't exist.

But I still wanted to say goodbye to the past. Everything started with that well, so let everything from the past, or rather, everything from the dream, end with that well.

I stepped into that classical garden.

Ancient trees towered in the garden, blocking out the sky.

There were few visitors, and the occasional bird call could be heard.

I walked towards the Nine Dragon Well.

I was only a dozen meters away from the well.

Suddenly, an old Daoist priest in a blue robe and wooden hairpin emerged from behind a tree and stopped me.

The old Daoist priest had a wrinkled face and white hair, but he didn't speak, only turned slightly, pointing his horsetail whisk at a sign with white characters on a red background.

On it were eight characters: Men and dogs, not allowed.

I ultimately couldn't stand before the Nine Dragon Well to mourn my past. The old Daoist priest was always with me, polite but stubborn.

I stepped out of the gate of the Daoist garden. After walking a hundred steps, I turned back and looked. The old Daoist priest bowed slightly, as if to see me off.

I never saw that old Daoist priest again. I never went to that Daoist garden again.

There is a grave in my heart, burying that unburied person.