"Hurry, hurry!"

"Go faster!"

The pitch-black warhorse galloped furiously in the dark night, shattering the rain curtain ahead. Li Guan dazedly came to his senses, as if he had just woken up from a terrible dream. There was still a blurry halo of light from the computer screen before his eyes, and then he felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if his whole body had fallen into an ice cave, shivering with pain.

He immediately realized that his body had shrunk, almost to the size of an infant.

A woman rode a fast horse, rushing along. The clouds in the sky parted, and she strained her neck to peer through the fabric covering her, catching sight of something in the distance under the moonlight. Then, instinctively, she shivered—

In the distance, a squad of cavalry clad in ancient armor stood silently on horseback.

The tall warhorse's head was almost two meters high, and the white breath it exhaled made the leaves tremble. The cavalrymen on its back wore full-body iron armor and helmets that covered their entire faces. On the right side of their armor, arrow sleeves hung down, decorated with fine, white cloud patterns.

Solemn silence prevailed, and dark clouds gradually enveloped the scene. Only faint starlight pierced through the gloom. Torrents of rain poured down, splashing against their armor and creating a myriad of shimmering droplets. In the starlight, it seemed as if a veil of soft radiance surrounded them.

Mounted cavalry.

"Chen Guo's cavalry galloped at night."

As Li Guan heard the voice beside his ear, it was instantly torn apart by a sharp whistling sound. He seemed to see a white tiger before his eyes. Li Guan felt his body suddenly lifted up. In the next moment, the hooves of the galloping warhorse were severed by a flash of light.

In a horrifying shriek, the woman tumbled off the fiery steed with him in her arms.

She cradled the infant and rolled onto her back, exposing her spine to those heavily armored cavalrymen with their drawn bows.

“Little fox child…”

Thousands of arrows pierce the void.

fell.

"Little Apothecary, snap out of it"

In the tenth year of Tianqi, inside the largest pharmacy in Guan Yicheng, Chen Guo.

An old man tapped on the table with his finger, as if summoning a thousand arrows. Li Guan returned to his senses from his recollection and slowly raised his head. Sunlight fell upon his face. In front of him, an old woman was about to take several kinds of medicine. A look of apologetic amusement appeared on Li Guan's face as he responded with a sound.

Having received the prescription, he turned around and opened the medicine cabinet.

Seeing the young apothecary finally start preparing the medicine, the old woman stopped urging him. Instead, she gave the boy a thorough up-and-down look with that characteristic elderly gaze. He was thirteen years old, taller than most boys his age. Although his face was slightly pale, his features were clear and bright, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence.

Moreover, it's said that he is skilled in divination and medicine. Hmmm.

He is a good child.

It's a pity that there is no young and strong person at home, only an ailing aunt.

It's a pity...

However, he's also a good young man who can 'peddle' himself to other girls.

What's your name... Li Yi?

Still Li Da?

The old woman pondered.

Not knowing that he had been silently added to the group by the older woman behind him, Li Guan expertly dispensed his medicine after carefully calculating the cost and handing it over. A warm smile, characteristic of youth, graced his face.

This smile was truly beautiful. The old woman couldn't help but raise this young man several places on her list of recommended young men, and she also remembered his name.

The same as Zhang San, Li Si, Zheng Er, Wang Wu.

Li Yi.

But he didn't know whose name it was that had been added, and suddenly it stood out from the rest of these ordinary names.

Li Guan-yi.

That's right, his name is Li Guan Yi, he's a good child.

The old woman took the medicine and, smiling, inquired about any arrangements for a betrothal. After receiving the information she desired, she turned and walked away contentedly. The elderly man pushed open the intricately carved wooden door, and sunshine spread out before him, falling on the stone-paved ground. Pedestrians walked to and fro.

>

The carriage wheels flew swiftly forward along the tracks left on the street, the curtains fluttering slightly in the wind. Inside, there were either scholars sitting primly or beautiful women in thin gauze dresses, holding light silk fans and fanning their lips.

According to the algorithm of the Emperor in Zhongzhou, it should be the tenth year of Tianqi.

But now nobody pays any attention to him.

For three hundred years now, the world has been divided.

Chen controlled the Jiangnan region of eastern China. It was a land of beautiful scenery with flourishing culture, talented writers and scholars, beautiful women, and breathtaking landscapes.

Although they fought against Xuan Guo over a decade ago and were defeated.

Yet, there was also the famed general Xiao Wuliang leading seven cavalry charges, shaking the world with their power.

Guan Yucheng was very close to Chen Guo's capital, Jiangzhou, a day's ride by fast horse. Naturally, it was quite bustling and prosperous. Li Guan's gaze retracted from the scenery outside, rubbing his brow. Perhaps it was the afternoon of autumn, the sunlight warm, making people feel listless.

He recalled the events of ten years ago.

As shift change neared, Li Guan walked slowly to the back room of the pharmacy. He took off his thick blue long robe and, seeing no one around, unbuttoned his inner garment and looked inside. On his chest was a small, cauldron-shaped mark visible only to him. It was covered in intricate patterns of green iron qilin dragons and bird designs, but within the cauldron, a crimson light flowed continuously.

... Around the heart, there were streaks of black converging, like venomous snakes twisting and writhing, dancing around the fire. They contrasted with the pale skin in a ghastly way, chilling to the bone, like an ancient blood sacrifice on a distant, primordial plain.

Ancient, rough.

Wild and bloody.

This is poison, deadly poison, or something like sorcery that can take your life.

This thing is a consequence of what happened ten years ago. It was also this poison that activated the bronze cauldron, causing it to break free from its prenatal state and awakening an adult consciousness within a two-year-old infant. The bronze cauldron has also been suppressing this poison, though it flares up from time to time, causing him excruciating pain and making him want to smash his head against the wall. But at least he's still alive.

...the frequency of these outbreaks has been increasing recently.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate! ?

Over the past decade, her aunt has visited doctors everywhere, but none have a cure. She is on the verge of dying from the poison before she even reaches adulthood.

Li Guan's face darkened.

Suddenly, a commotion came from outside.

Li Guan-yi looked again into the cauldron. About 80% of the jade liquid had been gathered.

Even if he knew that looking at this thing wouldn't cause it to suddenly skyrocket, he still couldn't help but want to look again.

Right now, the only hope is that this bronze cauldron, which has been suppressing the poison for ten years, will change once the jade liquid inside accumulates to its full capacity. Ideally, it would be able to eliminate all this venom entirely. And the way this jade liquid accumulates within the cauldron, Li Guanyi finally had a clue about a month and a half ago.

The sounds outside grew louder and louder. Li Guan frowned, wondering if someone had come to visit at this time? He changed his clothes, hung the green cloth bag around his waist—it still had a water gourd hanging from it—and then stepped out. He raised his hand to lift the curtain and said, "Chen Bo, why..."

The sound cut off abruptly.

Boom!!!

A dull voice gripped everyone's throats like a hand.

The three hired guards from the apothecary were thrown like sacks of grain, crashing into the wall beside Li Guan with a sickening thud. They lay there, gasping for breath, blood trickling from their mouths, faces pale, eyes wide with terror.

Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

“!!!”

The pharmacy's door was kicked in, the elaborately carved door falling with a crash and smashing into the wall.

A man with a hero's sash tied around his head, dressed in a parrot green slanted collar robe, iron belt around his waist, and a knife hanging from his side strode forward aggressively. With one hand, he grabbed the collar of young Li Guan-yi who had just been crouching beside the wounded, lifting him effortlessly into the air. His eyes swept across the surroundings, and he roared:

"Bold to shield the court's criminals!!!"

>

"Aren't you afraid of dying?!"

When Li Guan Yi was lifted, he gasped for breath, his face flushed red. His gaze swept outward, landing on a young scholar riding a steed outside the door. This youth wore a sword at his waist and gazed peacefully at the boy struggling to breathe with a hand clamped over his throat. The youth's right sleeve was dark in color, hanging down with intricate cloud patterns embroidered upon it.

Let me know if you have more text you'd like me to translate! ?

Just like that rain-soaked night ten years ago, filled with darkness.

(Editor in charge：saya no uta visual novel)