The Little White Dragon Is My Master, and I’ve Seen All the World’s Ages

Wu Sheng was an ordinary man in the modern world. His life had been unremarkable, and he could see exactly where it was headed. One night, he dreamed of the Grand Void, where the ancient White Dragon Ao Ying took pity on him and accepted him as her sole disciple. His master, Ao Ying, taught him no arts of flight or teleportation, nor any path of heaven-defying slaughter. Instead, she took him through the cycles of history. One lifetime, one dynasty; one life, countless people. In the Shang and Zhou, he saw diviners consult the oracle and farming slaves till the land, witnessing the first shoots of Chinese civilization break through the soil. Across the mountains and rivers of the Qin and Han, he joined officials in governing and conscripts in guarding the borders, witnessing the iron will forged by unification. In the chaotic Wei and Jin, he exchanged ideas with famed scholars and accompanied fishermen and woodcutters seeking refuge from the world, coming to understand the spirit and sorrow of an age in turmoil. In the flourishing Tang, he watched emperors govern, scholars compose poems, artisans craft their wares, and Hu merchants travel the roads. In the bustling Song, he experienced thriving markets, flourishing agriculture and commerce, scholars dying for their country, and ordinary people standing firm. Through the rise and fall of the Ming and Qing, he watched dynasties end, the cultural heritage endure, the people weather upheaval, and trades pass from one generation to the next. From emperors, generals, ministers, royal clans, and nobles, to scholars, artisans, merchants, physicians, and wandering swordsmen, to farmers, tenant laborers, street performers, refugees, and conscripted workers. With his master Ao Ying, Wu Sheng witnessed every facet of life and every trace of everyday warmth across five thousand years of Chinese history. Ao Ying was always by his side, gently guiding him through the world: “The Great Way is not in the heavens. It lies in these ancient mountains and rivers, among the countless people, and in the unbroken thread of our cultural heritage.” After thousands of lives and deaths, Wu Sheng finally understood: dynasties rise and fall in the blink of an eye, but the spirit of China endures for all eternity.