A white figure sits curled up on the edge of the cliff, with water droplets about to fall from the eyelashes. The day Zhou Wenqing of the Department of History passed his thesis defense, he fell into the abyss. When he opened his eyes, blood oozed from his shoulders and his chest hurt. The sound of rain dripping from a pottery urn in the distance was like a bell. He pushed himself up to reach for the ladle of clear water: Survive first, and then figure out which dynasty this was. The wind blew up from the bottom of the cliff, carrying the scent of unfamiliar vegetation.
