Chapter 1

The blizzard that raged for three days and three nights finally stopped. A helicopter flew back to the search and rescue base from the vast snowy plain. Two hours later, the TV station broadcast a news flash: the archery training team trapped by the blizzard had been found, with one person missing. It was reported that the missing person was the national archery champion, Li Qing'an. Currently, relevant authorities were making every effort to search for him...

A week later, the search team found Li Qing'an's training bow, but he had vanished without a trace. Due to another blizzard approaching, the search team had to abandon the search for Li Qing'an.

A year later, Li Qing'an's name gradually faded from people's memories.

...

"Amidst the fierce wind and broad clouds, the sand mouth is frozen, and the horse's hooves slip off."

In February of the fifth year of Tianbao, Anxi was still a world of ice and snow. The snow-covered Ling Mountains stood at the border of the Tang Empire, with white clouds floating halfway up the snowy peaks. The snow-capped mountains seemed like blue gems, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.

In the middle of the Ling Mountains, there was a mountain pass called Boda Ridge, a shortcut from the four garrisons of Anxi to Su Ye, known as the Su Ye Road. Xuanzang, the famous monk, crossed the Ling Mountains from here on his westward journey to obtain Buddhist scriptures, enduring great hardships, including avalanches and blizzards, and fighting against death for seven days before finally emerging from the mountains.

Thirty miles south of Boda Ridge was the Jilou Beacon Tower, a fortress about fifty feet high, built with huge stones from the Ling Mountains. It had three levels: the bottom for horses, the middle for sleeping, and the top for lookout and combat. On the top of the fortress were three pots for beacon fires. There were also a few tents beside the fortress where soldiers usually lived. In case of an emergency, everyone would take refuge inside the fortress. The Jilou Beacon Tower was garrisoned by forty-five Tang soldiers, and with the five Tang soldiers from the Ling Mountain beacon tower, there were a total of fifty men.

One morning, two foreign merchants arrived at the fortress with several horse-drawn carriages. Behind one of the carriages was a man on a horse, dressed in unusual attire, wearing a white short robe and leather boots, with short, soft hair. He lay limply on the horse, but as the horse stopped, his fingers twitched slightly, indicating that he was conscious.

Seeing the merchants arrive, the Tang soldiers excitedly ran out of the tents. This area was desolate for hundreds of miles, and the arrival of merchants every month was the happiest day for the soldiers, like a festival.

Everyone eagerly took out money to buy wine, meat, and other luxuries from the merchants, but all the soldiers' eyes were fixed on a carriage with lace curtains.

At this moment, an officer walked out of the tent. He was tall and muscular, with a dark complexion and a full beard. He laughed coarsely, "Wu Boda, did you bring women?"

"Of course!" The merchant flattered, pointing to the lace-curtained carriage and smiling, "There are two famous courtesans from Buhuan City inside."

"Bullshit, who are you trying to fool? They're probably just low-quality courtesans from a black brothel!" Despite this, the officer still grinned and approached the carriage.

Suddenly, he noticed the man on the horse behind the carriage and asked, "Who is this?"

"I found him on the road and was planning to sell him at the slave market."

"Found on the road?" The bearded officer walked up curiously and lifted the man's face with his whip. It was a young face with distinct features, though gaunt, still showing a strong and heroic demeanor.

"He's a Han Chinese!"

The bearded officer turned to the merchant and asked, "Where did you find him?"

"By the Hulu River. This man is lucky; he wasn't eaten by wild wolves."

At this moment, the young man slowly opened his eyes and hoarsely said, "Give me some water."

"Hey! Where are you from, Han Chinese?"

"I am... from Luoyang." The young man said weakly. "From the Eastern Capital, hehe! I love the women of the Eastern Capital."

The bearded officer pinched his strong arm and waved his hand, "Carry him into the fortress and give him some water."

Two soldiers immediately came over to lift the young man down. The merchant panicked and hurriedly said, "Commander Li Fei, he is my slave."

"Bullshit! How dare you use a person of unknown origin as a slave? Be careful, or I'll kill you."

The merchant dared not speak, but he was worried that the man might not survive. It was a two-hundred-mile journey back, and if the man died, it would be a waste of his food. He regretted not taking off the man's high-quality short robe first.

The bearded officer grinned and opened the carriage door, "Ladies, come out!"

"Coming!"

Two short, fat, and dark-skinned foreign women came out, batting their eyes at the Tang soldiers and smiling shyly, "One hundred coins each time."

These women would cost only five coins in Buhuan City, but here, in this fortress where even a female bird couldn't be seen, they were rare and valuable.

Despite their unattractive appearance, the bearded officer happily hugged them and laughed, "Alright! Alright! Please come to the tent, I want both of you to serve me."

...

Inside the fortress, the young man lay quietly on a pile of dry grass. A warhorse occasionally nudged his face with its nose, the warm and slightly sour breath gradually waking him up.

He was Li Qing'an, who had gone missing in the Tian Shan blizzard in 2007. When he emerged from the blizzard and was rescued by some merchants, he realized he had traveled through time and returned to the Tang Dynasty.

Tianbao fifth year, Li Qing'an sighed softly. It had been over 1,300 years!

At this moment, an old soldier came with a bowl of porridge. He sat beside Li Qing'an and smiled, "Brother, you must be very hungry. Have some porridge to regain your strength."

The porridge was thick and fragrant with a strong wheat aroma. Li Qing'an was very hungry and struggled to sit up, "Thank you, brother!"

The old soldier carefully fed him the porridge and asked, "What's your name? How did you end up in the Ling Mountains?"

The warm porridge warmed his insides, and Li Qing'an felt a bit more energetic. He had already prepared a story and said softly, "My name is Li Qing'an, my nickname is Qilang. My parents died when I was young, and I had nothing to do. Six months ago, I was hired by a foreign merchant to escort them to Su Ye. Unfortunately, we were ambushed by bandits in the Ling Mountains, and I lost all our possessions. I barely escaped with my life."

The old soldier sighed and nodded, "It wasn't bandits, but the Tujue people. You're lucky to be alive. However, your accent doesn't sound like you're from Luoyang, more like from Xiangzhou."

Xiangzhou is today's Anyang. Li Qing'an didn't know this and vaguely said, "My grandfather was from Xiangzhou, and I grew up with him."

"That makes sense. My wife is from Xiangzhou's Anyi County, and her accent is the same as yours. My name is Sun, and I'm the stable master here. You can call me Sun Mato."

"Brother Sun." Li Qing'an took a deep breath and said, "Can I stay here? I don't want to be sold as a slave."

"Don't worry! Since Commander Li Fei brought you in, you won't be sold. Besides, I need a helper. I'll talk to him and let you stay to take care of the horses."

"Thank you, Brother Sun!"

After finishing the porridge, Li Qing'an felt an overwhelming drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.

After a long time, Li Qing'an was woken by a loud voice, "How is he? Can he work?"

"Commander, he's fine, just very hungry. After two full meals and a good sleep, he'll be fine."

Li Qing'an opened his eyes and saw the bearded officer standing in front of him. He quickly sat up.

The officer's full name was Li Fei Yuanli, a foreigner who joined the army in the early Tianbao period and was promoted to commander through his merits. After a night of pleasure with the courtesans, he was in a good mood. Seeing Li Qing'an awake, he smiled, "Not bad! You looked like a dead man this morning, but now you can sit up."

He squatted down and examined Li Qing'an, touching the white short robe he was wearing and asked curiously, "What kind of foreign clothing is this? It feels good!"

Li Qing'an was wearing a white down jacket. He took it off and handed it to Li Fei Yuanli, "This is a Persian robe given to me by a foreign merchant. I'll give it to you, Commander."

Li Fei Yuanli took it without hesitation, put it on, and found it very light and warm. He grinned, "Good! This robe is mine now."

He patted Li Qing'an's shoulder and nodded, "Brother, if you were a foreigner, I would have suspected you as a Tujue spy and cut you down. But since you're Han Chinese, you can stay. You'll be Sun Mato's assistant and start working tomorrow to earn your food."