Chapter 1

"Tonight, I'm flying back home! Since I've come all the way to Chang'an, I should buy some souvenirs, right?" Li You scratched his head in distress outside the Chang'an History Museum. He had climbed Mount Hua and visited the Terracotta Army a few days ago, and had such a great time that he only remembered he hadn't bought any souvenirs when it was time to leave.

Hmm, the stuff on this street stall looks interesting! If the price isn't too high, I'll pick something out! Just as he was thinking this, Li You turned around and saw an old man setting up a street stall by the roadside. The stall was mostly filled with items that looked ancient and rusty.

"Sir, how much is this?" Li You picked up a wuzhu coin and asked the price. He wasn't naive enough to think that everything on the stall was genuine; the chance of finding a bargain was highly unlikely. However, he thought these items matched the style of Chang'an. If the craftsmanship was decent and the price reasonable, he would buy a couple to use as decorations.

"This is an Eastern Han wuzhu coin. It's not a rare item. If you like it, I'll sell it to you for 21 coins!" The old man glanced at him and replied.

Eastern Han wuzhu coins are very common, so the price is indeed low. This coin doesn't look like a rare treasure, and 20 coins is a reasonable price.

"Oh, let me look at something else!" Li You put down the wuzhu coin and picked up a small bronze Buddha, "How much is this?"

"This is something dug up from Famen Temple, a Buddha statue from the Tang Dynasty. If you really want it, I'll sell it to you for 5,000!" The old man's answer almost made Li You fall over. It sounded plausible at first, but then he started exaggerating. If this really came from Famen Temple, do you think I would call the cultural relics bureau and let them take it for 400 yuan?

"What about this painting?"

"That's Zhang Zeduan's 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival.' The one in the Palace Museum is fake; mine is the real one, 6,800 yuan, no negotiation!"

Li You was speechless. After some probing, he finally picked up the item he had been eyeing, "How much is this?"

"You have good eyes, you've picked my shop's treasure!" The old man gave him a thumbs up, "This is the tiger talisman that Xinning Jun used to save Zhao. I dug it up from my backyard last month. Just 8,000 yuan, and it's yours!"

"Sir, I'm not well-read, so don't trick me! Xinning Jun was from the State of Wei! From your accent, you're from Chang'an, right? How did the tiger talisman from Wei end up in your backyard?" Li You was amused, "Alright, I know you're working hard in this heat. I'll take it for 50 yuan!"

"Hey, what's wrong with something from Wei? Didn't Wei eventually get conquered by Qin? So, wouldn't this end up in the hands of the Qin people?" The old man's argument was logical. He took a puff of his tobacco and scanned Li You with his shrewd eyes, "If you really want it, I'll sell it to you for 3,000!"

"100 yuan, no more!"

"2,000, you take it!"

"150 yuan!"

"1,000 yuan!"

"160 yuan!"

"500 yuan!"

After some haggling, the old man stuck to 200 yuan and wouldn't budge, no matter how much Li You tried to persuade him. This price was exactly what Li You had in mind. He always set a limit of 200 yuan for souvenirs when traveling. If the price was below this, he would buy it for fun; if it was higher, he wouldn't buy it no matter how good it was. The tiger talisman, a symbol of military command, was very appealing to a military enthusiast like him. In the end, he took out his wallet, counted out two 100-yuan bills, and put the tiger talisman in his backpack.

Li You left with the tiger talisman, and the old man happily put the money in his wallet. Today's luck was good; he could have a drink tonight! After a while, he looked at his stall in confusion. Hmm, I've never had a tiger talisman before. Where did this thing come from?

At 10 PM, Li You had already returned home from the airport. Without even taking a shower, he took out his phone and took several photos of the tiger talisman, then uploaded them to a military forum he often frequented, "Let me show you something. I found this tiger talisman in Chang'an today. Xinning Jun used it to command troops and save Zhao!"

"Wow, this looks like the one the king gave me! I used such a tiger talisman to conquer the six states!" A netizen with the ID Wang Jian immediately replied.

"Great day, Li Dashi! If you cash out, remember to treat us to a good time!" Li You's forum ID was Li Dashi, and his friends often called him Dashi, "If you cash out, remember to treat us to a good time!"

"What's so special about a tiger talisman? Wait until tomorrow, and I'll show you the nuclear button I found on a street stall in Red Square!" The replies turned into a boasting contest.

Li You chuckled and started posting in the military fantasy section. Hmm, this post is interesting! A thread titled "A top-notch WWII German division vs. 100,000 elite Mongol cavalry, who would win?" quickly caught his attention. He always enjoyed these cross-temporal military scenarios.

He immediately started replying, "100,000 elite Mongol cavalry, starting from 1,000 meters away, charge the German troops! During the charge, the Germans use all their firearms to fire, but due to the flat terrain, only the front-line Germans can shoot. The rear-line Germans shooting would hit the front-line troops. So, while the Mongol army will suffer casualties, I estimate that at least 50,000 cavalry will reach the German lines. If the Germans don't have tanks, the outcome is uncertain because close combat with machine guns is ineffective and can easily hit their own troops..."

He then engaged in a heated debate with the netizens. He didn't really believe that 100,000 Mongol cavalry could defeat the German army; he just enjoyed the fun of the argument.

The debate lasted until midnight, and after making several netizens mentally exhausted, Li You turned off the lights and went to bed, quickly falling asleep.

Just as Li You started snoring, the tiger talisman on his desk suddenly emitted a faint white light, gradually spreading and enveloping him. The intricate seal script on the bronze tiger also lit up, giving the ancient talisman a mysterious high-tech feel...

Then... Li You disappeared from the room.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends