Footprints of Time 时之足

Chapter 01

The time when Zhou Zekai first met Ye Xiu at a place called Xianyang on the blue planet Earth was 201 BC, local time.

He was then basking on the roof of the royal palace, enjoying the pleasing chants of traditional Chinese orchestra. He favored the sound of Bianzhong(*) in particular: the chimes under the strikes of a mallet on such bulky instruments should be so clear and brisk that the notes could flow straight into one's heart and wash away all the negative feelings.

Zhou Zekai picked up the dark-red ceramic teapot. With a slight tilt, the lime-and-amber-colored tea poured out. After a gentle sip, his brows smoothed. The LongJing tea in the pot was a gift from a reverend master in LingYin Temple over 1200 years later. Novice tea connoisseur as he was, he could taste the refreshing feelings after a few sips down the throat.

He took a down a book from the shelf beside him and started browsing with the company of the music and the tea scent around. The shelf was loaded with a dozen of books: ShiJing or The Book of Songs, The Divine Comedy, Evil Under the Sun, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Liao Zhai Zhi Yi or Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, and The Sunset of the Cybermen...

Let's speak not of the tea from North Song Dynasty. Those books that did not come out unless in other continents, or until later ages, should not exist here; let alone the one written by an alien.

But it was Zhou Zekai, and what he sat inside by its open door, that were the most out of place.

He wore a top hat, and a double-breasted grey trench coat with a black shirt inside. Although he sat with his legs crossed, one can tell he had straight, slender legs. On the hand-made leather belt hung two holsters at his both sides, revealing the two gunstocks, one black, and the other silver.

This was a man who did not belong here and now.

But he was not the only one.

The ruckus approaching from afar raised Zhou Zekai's head. He frowned slightly: No one likes to be bothered when enjoying his vacation and the music. He closed the book, put it back onto the shelf at the door, stood up, and took a look at the distance.

A man in white T shirt and jeans carrying a backpack was holding something and running in the front, while a shouting mob of armed men were chasing after him. His moves were so agile that he could always break out from a tricky angle before he got besieged. And then he dashed around with the long line of pursuers on his tail. Within a blink he came to the front of the chamber which Zhou Zekai rested atop.

The orchestra came to a pause.

With a few looks from above, Zhou Zekai could tell that the man would be caught sooner or later, as a few more hundreds of people were closing in on him. But the next moment, he saw the man raise his head and throw a look into his eyes.

Zhou ZeKai's heart missed a beat. He dismissed the idea immediately – Misconception. He was standing inside his TARDIS – TARDISes are equipped with chameleon circuit that could blend the machine into the environment – Despite the open door, not a tip of his toe was exposed. No one can see him as long as he stayed within her range.