If this is the Song Dynasty, then the village’s architecture, the villagers’ clothing, language... all these anomalies now have a reasonable explanation.

As for the changes in strength and memory... perhaps it’s the result of the space-time wormhole’s transformation of the body.

Henry Clark’s thoughts wandered, and for a moment he forgot to answer the clan leader’s question. It wasn’t until the clan leader called out to him several times that he realized the clan leader was holding a cup of hot tea, inviting him to drink, with the other hand holding a clay pot just taken from the hearth.

A faint fragrance drifted in the air, seemingly cardamom or cinnamon. Henry Clark, absent-minded, took the teacup and sipped the tea distractedly.

The taste of the tea made him frown, but after a moment’s thought, he relaxed his brow, took another gentle sip, and nodded in satisfaction.

Henry Clark frowned because the tea had a strong spice flavor, which he wasn’t used to. But as he savored it carefully, he found the taste somewhat familiar, a bit like English “Earl Grey” tea.

After a brief reflection, he understood.

The Song Dynasty was precisely the era when it was popular to add various spices to tea. If this was the Song Dynasty, and if this was the southern foothills of the Dabie Mountains near Huangzhou, then it should not be far from the Lanxi Spring. Lanxi Spring was rated by the Tang Dynasty’s “Sage of Tea” Lu Yu as the “third best spring under heaven.” The local tea culture had a long history and happened to be one of the birthplaces of Song tea culture.

This habit of adding spices to tea had long been criticized by modern people, who believed that adding spices masked the tea’s own fragrance, and thus considered it something “vulgar people” would do... However, even the most adamant critics of Song tea, when drinking a hundred-yuan pot of English “Earl Grey” in a bar, would still consider it “petty bourgeois.”

The Song Dynasty was the peak period of China’s tea trade, and it was from this era that Europeans began their efforts to steal Chinese tea plants. The Song people’s tea-drinking habits were passed on to the West and regarded by foreigners as the height of elegance, which is why there is “Earl Grey,” “Ceylon cardamom tea,” “cinnamon tea”—all modern “petty bourgeois” luxuries.

The Tang poet Du Mu once wrote: “Graceful and slender at thirteen, cardamom buds in early February.” To be able to drink authentic cardamom tea in the Song Dynasty—suddenly, the countryside, wooden houses, elders, hearth... all transformed into a living ancient painting.

This painting did not evoke a sense of desolation; it was full of the meaning of “the age of cardamom,” making Henry Clark feel a longing for this era.

The clan leader had been watching Henry Clark’s expression. Seeing him relax his brow and take another enjoyable sip, he continued to ask, “How are the Han people doing in Liao?”

This was a question Henry Clark could not answer. All he knew now was that he was in the Northern Song.

Centuries of hatred between Song and Liao made him wary of speaking carelessly. He cautiously, in the calmest tone, asked in return, “Liao? Are you sure such a country exists?”

The clan leader relaxed a little, skipped the previous topic, and asked, “What is the guest’s surname?”

Henry Clark answered slowly, “My name is Henry Clark, courtesy name Liren. I have always lived in the mountains, @#￥￥%%...”

And in the Song Dynasty, what surname was the safest? Zhao! The emperor’s surname was Zhao, and it was first in the Hundred Family Surnames—who would dare question it?

Henry Clark means “the Zhao clan prospers.” This name has “powerful backing.” In this era, cultured people liked to have a courtesy name. “Liren”—a person who has left his homeland—aptly described his identity. Thus, the full name meant: “I am but a traveler in the Song Dynasty.”

This name made the clan leader completely relax.

The clan leader was not very educated. In his view, barbarians would never think to give themselves an elegant courtesy name. “Liren”—he didn’t understand what it meant, but it sounded profound.

In fact, Adam Brooks didn’t know that there were many pure Han people in Liao territory, all of whom were great scholars, and their courtesy names were even more elegant than “Liren.” But the villagers’ knowledge hadn’t reached that level. Adam Brooks simply thought: barbarians are just that—uncivilized, illiterate, so it’s normal. Who would expect them to have a courtesy name? That was a skill for officials and great scholars...

“Where does the guest wish to go?” Adam Brooks asked casually.

“Nowhere to go,” came the reply, just as Adam Brooks expected. However, these words were spoken with deep loneliness and desolation.

“Then why not settle down here?” Adam Brooks asked sincerely, full of the cunning of mountain folk.

Chapter Two: Became the King of the Children

Seeing Henry Clark still hesitating, Adam Brooks boasted proudly, “Here in these thousand-li mountains, people are scarce. Among the nearby mountains, our Chengjia’ao village is the largest, with the most people...”

—This is large? Henry Clark couldn’t help but sneer inwardly: this village of just over 20 households and a little more than 100 people counts as large? He hadn’t even seen a city with millions of people yet.

Adam Brooks had no idea what Henry Clark was thinking. He continued, “My Cheng clan comes from the Jiangxia Cheng family, one of the great clans of Jiangxia, incomparable to the mountain barbarians.

Back then, my ancestor fought alongside the founding emperor (of course, as a lowly soldier), and this place was still inhabited by Hu people. Later, when my ancestor grew old, he was granted leave by the Taizu to return home, but the Jiangxia Cheng clan refused to recognize him. In a fit of anger, my ancestor came here empty-handed and single-handedly established this land...”

Adam Brooks’s words were often exaggerated, but the information revealed left Henry Clark puzzled—since when did the Hu people herd horses by the Yangtze River?