The young couple before him felt very unfamiliar, yet the body his soul now inhabited was thanks to them, bound by an unbreakable blood relationship.

This gave David Clark a strong sense of dependence in his heart.

Listening to the gentle words of Chris Clark and his wife, the heart that had been unsettled by nightmares seemed to suddenly become especially calm...

He closed his eyes and lay down again.

He enjoyed The Bolton Family's gentle movements as she covered him with the quilt, feeling a warm sensation inside.

"Dear, ever since Little Ryan woke up, he's been having nightmares all the time. This can't be a good thing."

"I know... Little Ryan has always been frail since childhood. That day he suddenly fell into a coma, and now he's plagued by nightmares. I'm worried he might have encountered something unclean. Dear, how about I go to Zhongyang Mountain in a couple of days to ask for some talisman water from the immortals? I heard the immortals at Zhongyang Temple are very capable. Not long ago, the Wang family's boy got sick, and he recovered after drinking the talisman water from the immortals."

Chris Clark and The Bolton Family spoke softly to each other.

David Clark seemed to be asleep, but he heard everything clearly.

After waking up, he had tried to subtly inquire about the world he was in and the era he now lived in. But neither Chris Clark nor The Bolton Family could explain things clearly. So all David Clark knew was that he was now in Zhongyang Town, at the foot of Zhongyang Mountain.

And Zhongyang Mountain was under the jurisdiction of Nanyang Commandery.

Nanyang Commandery?

Throughout China's long history, many dynasties had a Nanyang Commandery.

At the very least, David Clark could be sure that the world he was in was still within China.

But which dynasty exactly?

He still couldn't be sure!

Chris Clark and The Bolton Family lowered their voices, chattering on.

From the talisman water at Zhongyang Temple, the conversation drifted to household matters...

Suddenly, Chris Clark said, "I heard from old man Wang across the street today that Andrew Thompson and Little General Bolton have stopped fighting, and it seems they might even form an alliance."

Andrew Thompson?

Little General Bolton?

David Clark's heart skipped a beat. Vaguely, he already had an answer!

Chapter 02 Born in the First Year of Jian'an

How big is Zhongyang Town?

According to the official count, there are 217 households, totaling 936 people. In David Clark's era, this would be nothing. But in the time when Ryan Clark lived, a town with 217 households was already considered a large town.

It sits at the foot of Zhongyang Mountain, under the jurisdiction of Wuyin County.

But because it's far from the county seat, it doesn't get much attention.

The Qin River flows from Zhongyang Mountain, passes through Wufang County (which is present-day Suiping County, Zhumadian City), and then empties into the Ru River.

"Dad, is Andrew Thompson actually Liu Biao?"

Now renamed Ryan Clark, David Clark put on a curious look and asked Chris Clark for guidance.

After lying in bed for more than ten days, his bones were aching from inactivity. He really didn't want to keep lying down, so despite The Bolton Family's objections, he started getting up and moving around.

Ryan Clark's body was very frail. It was said that when The Bolton Family was pregnant with him, there was war and banditry everywhere.

Once, bandits even attacked right outside Zhongyang Town and nearly broke in. The Bolton Family was frightened, which caused Ryan Clark to be born prematurely.

And because of the fright, The Bolton Family lost her milk.

So Ryan Clark never had breast milk as a child, growing up on porridge and water, which made his constitution much weaker than other children his age...

David Clark had gained some scattered memories from Ryan Clark, but they weren't of much use.

A thirteen-year-old child who had never set foot outside Zhongyang Town couldn't possibly provide David Clark with much useful information. All he knew was that Chris Clark was a blacksmith, though not a particularly skilled one. He could help people repair farm tools and make small items, but when it came to larger things, he was out of his depth... In troubled times, what is most valuable? The answer is simple: weapons.

Skilled craftsmen were mostly recruited by the local warlords.

But craftsmen like Chris Clark, who were only moderately skilled, were not highly regarded.

But that was just as well—by not getting involved in the bloodshed, Chris Clark's family had remained safe so far. The small Zhongyang Town was peaceful and isolated. Although David Clark had a vague guess about the era he was in, he couldn't be sure. Last night, he heard Chris Clark mention Andrew Thompson, so early the next morning, he couldn't wait to get up, sat on the threshold, and casually asked as if by chance.

"Shh!"

Chris Clark was startled, quickly put down his hammer, ran over to Ryan Clark, and signaled him not to speak carelessly.

"The name of Andrew Thompson is not something people like us can mention lightly."

"It's just a name, Dad. Why are you so nervous?"

Ryan Clark couldn't help but feel a bit dismissive, but at the same time, he immediately understood: just as I suspected, this is the Three Kingdoms period!

In later generations, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms became a household name, known to all. As the saying goes, 'the young should not read Water Margin, the old should not read Three Kingdoms'... Of course, Ryan Clark was very familiar with this classic, and had read various versions of the Three Kingdoms more than once. As a man, he naturally longed for the passionate era of warhorses and clashing swords. According to Ryan Clark's knowledge, in history, the only person known as Andrew Thompson was Liu Biao.

But then, who was Little General Bolton?