Chapter 4

Turning a corner of the mountain, Zhang Xuan fiercely stabbed the horse's buttock with his military dagger, leaped off the warhorse, and the horse, in pain, galloped eastward along the official road. Zhang Xuan quickly hid in a nearby bush.

In just a moment, the sound of hooves rang out again, and dozens of pursuers came rushing by, urging their horses to catch up with the horse in front.

After the pursuers were far away, Zhang Xuan emerged from the bush and ran into the forest behind him, quickly disappearing into the dense forest.

Zhang Xuan ran north for more than fifty miles before he finally slowed down. There was a small stream ahead, and he squatted by the stream to wash his face and drink some water. Then, he lay down on a large, flat rock, exhausted.

Only now did Zhang Xuan have time to think about what had happened in the morning. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly. He had just arrived at the end of the Sui Dynasty and changed history. He had actually killed Li Mi. What would the Wagon Fort be like without Li Mi?

Given the situation, he had no way to fix history. History had its own cause and effect, and he didn't need to deliberately do anything. Zhang Xuan could only put aside this regret.

At this moment, he thought of Yuwen Chengdu. Zhang Xuan could never forget Yuwen Chengdu's invincible bravery, riding a horse and wielding a trident, unbeatable in the world. He wondered if another mighty general, Li Yuanba, would exist, who should be called Li Xuanba. Li Yuan seemed to indeed have such a son.

Zhang Xuan was also deeply impressed by Yang Xuangan's bravery and combat skills, but he was also puzzled. Why did Yuwen Shu let Yang Xuangan go?

Although Zhang Xuan had learned a bit about the history of the Sui Dynasty through military strategy, it was just a rough overview. He was clueless about the details of history.

He knew he couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. He sat up and took out his pistol, ejected the remaining two bullets, and carefully put them away. In a critical moment, these two bullets might save his life again.

Zhang Xuan then took out Li Mi's leather pouch. The size of the pouch was similar to a modern wallet. He poured the contents onto the large rock. There were a few small pieces of gold, weighing about three taels, a copper plaque, a sealed wax ball, and a scroll.

Zhang Xuan picked up the copper plaque and saw three characters carved in small seal script. He vaguely recognized them as "Wuchuan Commandery." The back side had Li Mi's name.

Zhang Xuan didn't understand the meaning of the copper plaque, so he put it aside and picked up the wax ball. The wax ball was about the size of a walnut. From common sense, it should contain an important letter.

However, Zhang Xuan ultimately resisted his curiosity, put the wax ball down, and picked up the scroll. The scroll was tied with a silk ribbon. On the side, it read: "To Wang Bozhang, San Chun Lane, Huairen Fang, Luoyang."

At the bottom left, it read, "Respectfully from Li Mi."

It turned out to be a letter, and it was for Wang Bozhang, one of the five tigers of the Wagon Fort, the 17th best hero in the world. Zhang Xuan suddenly became interested.

Well, since he had killed Li Mi, he might as well deliver this letter for him. It would be a way to give an account to this Sui Dynasty hero who died before he could achieve his goals.

...

Without a horse, Zhang Xuan's eastward journey was much slower. However, the war had already subsided, and he encountered no obstacles along the way. He even came across markets and towns, where he exchanged the gold pieces left by Li Mi for some Sui Dynasty wuzhu coins to ensure his food and lodging.

After five days of travel, he finally arrived at the capital of the Sui Dynasty, Luoyang.

Luoyang, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, was still prosperous after Emperor Yang Guang's nine years on the throne, but it had a touch of沧桑 (cang桑sang, meaning "沧桑" can be translated as "the vicissitudes of life" or "the passage of time").

Outside the city, the scars of war were visible everywhere. Large areas of houses had been flattened and burned, with charred beams lying across the blackened walls. Not far away, two elderly people were kneeling in front of a new grave, weeping bitterly...

Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed. He couldn't believe this was Luoyang. He sighed inwardly. This was war. Two months of conflict had turned the outskirts of Luoyang into a wasteland.

The south city gate was crowded with people entering the city, bustling and lively. There were farmers carrying vegetables, merchants leading donkeys and horses, and many scholars.

Zhang Xuan stopped in front of a three-meter-high stone stele. A wanted notice was posted on the stele, with several spear-wielding soldiers standing guard. A group of people were whispering in front of the stele. A scholar was reading the notice aloud: "Capture the bandit leader Yang Xuangan. Those who bring his head will be promoted three ranks and receive 5,000 taels of gold. Those who know his whereabouts will be promoted one rank and receive 1,000 taels of gold..."

"Phew!" someone spat quietly, "Who would dare to claim such a reward?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yang Xuangan is Yang Su's son! Yang Su's followers are everywhere in the court and the country. If you bring Yang Xuangan's head and want to be an official, you're asking for death! In my opinion, if you get the gold, run as far as you can and live a quiet life as a wealthy man."

Zhang Xuan wasn't very interested in this. He shook his head and walked toward the city gate. The drawbridge was full of soldiers, but they only strictly checked merchant caravans or groups of two or more people entering the city. They didn't pay much attention to single travelers.

After collecting a ten-wen entry fee from out-of-town visitors, a soldier waved Zhang Xuan into the city and shouted, "Next!"

But Zhang Xuan was attracted by something above him. Dozens of wooden cages containing human heads were hanging high on the city gate. They had once been powerful figures, but now their faces were grotesque, hanging on the city gate. Zhang Xuan vaguely recognized one of the heads, which seemed to be Li Mi.

But Zhang Xuan was stunned. There should have been a bullet hole in Li Mi's forehead, but this head had a smooth forehead with no bullet hole. What was going on?

Zhang Xuan's mind was in chaos. Could this not be Li Mi's head? Or was the person he killed not Li Mi?

"Move, you're blocking the way!" a dozen farmers carrying vegetables shouted impatiently.

Zhang Xuan looked at Li Mi's head again, puzzled, and then walked into Luoyang with a full heart of doubt.

Inside Luoyang, it was a different world. The bustling and lively atmosphere hit him as soon as he entered the city gate. The streets were crowded with people, and the vendors' cries on both sides of the gate were continuous. A caravan of hundreds of camels was slowly moving.

On both sides were lush, dense trees and tall, sturdy red walls. In the center was a straight, wide road leading to the distance. At the end of the road was the magnificent imperial city and the Daejeong Palace, with golden and splendid pagoda domes and flying eaves reflecting in the morning sunlight.

Zhang Xuan's heart opened up with the grandeur of the Sui Dynasty's capital. He temporarily forgot about the authenticity of Li Mi. This would be the starting point of his new life. Regardless of whether the future was stormy or sunny, he would walk forward without hesitation.

...

After asking around, Zhang Xuan found Huairen Fang near Jianchun Gate. He entered the坊 (fang, meaning "ward" or "district") and asked an old man for the specific location. The old man pointed to a large locust tree ahead, "Do you see that locust tree? That's San Chun Lane. There's only one family surnamed Wang in the lane. Go to the end!"

"Thank you!"

Zhang Xuan bowed to the old man and quickly came to the locust tree. It was a deep, narrow alley with about a dozen households. Zhang Xuan walked to the end, where there was a residence covering about two to three acres. The walls were not high, made of yellow mud, and the gate was old and dilapidated, with no eaves, a sign of a commoner's home.

Zhang Xuan knocked on the door. After a moment, the door opened a crack, and he saw a young man's face, a few years older than him, slightly shorter but still quite tall and robust.

"Who are you looking for?" the man's voice was strong, and he looked at Zhang Xuan with suspicion.

"Is this Wang Bozhang's house?"

"I am. Who are you—"

This man was the famous Wang Bozhang. Zhang Xuan quickly took out the scroll, "I am Zhang Xuan. I was entrusted to deliver a letter."

He handed the letter to Wang Bozhang, who was shocked when he saw it. It was a letter from Li Mi. Wasn't he already dead?

Wang Bozhang quickly opened the door and invited Zhang Xuan into the courtyard. He closed the gate and asked, "Where did you get this letter?"

"I saved a severely injured man in Hongnong County. Unfortunately, he died from his injuries. There were pursuers behind him, and before he died, he asked me to deliver this letter. His name was Li Mi, right?"

Zhang Xuan then took out the leather pouch, "He also had some items. Can I give them to you as well?"

"Who is it, dear?" a young woman led a five- or six-year-old boy out of the room. She was very pretty, wearing a green narrow-sleeved silk dress, a red silk shawl, and a light layer of powder on her face. Her black hair was like a cloud, and she wore a golden hairpin and several shiny gold bracelets. Although Wang Bozhang was dressed simply in a plain robe and a flat cap, his wife's attire showed that their family was quite well-off.

The little boy was sturdy and strong, with features similar to Wang Bozhang, clearly a good candidate for martial arts training.

"It's a friend of mine!"

Wang Bozhang quickly put away the letter and smiled, "Dear, go back to your work!"

The young woman glanced at Zhang Xuan and then led the child to the inner courtyard.

Wang Bozhang then said to Zhang Xuan, "Let's go inside to talk."

Zhang Xuan followed Wang Bozhang into the guest hall and sat down. It was the first time he had entered an ordinary Sui Dynasty household, and he curiously looked around.

The room was spacious, and sunlight shone through the translucent tiles, making it very bright. The furnishings were simple, with three double-person couches arranged in a triangular shape, each with a small table.

There were no paintings on the walls. On the east side hung a sharkskin-sheathed sword, and on the west side hung a large red bow, intricately wrapped with gold thread. Below it was a quiver of long arrows.

However, Zhang Xuan's gaze lingered on a bright silver spear with an iron shaft hanging on the wall. It was about ten feet long, with a very smooth design, clearly a masterpiece.

Zhang Xuan estimated that the spear weighed at least 40 to 50 pounds. A thought suddenly came to him. Could he ask Wang Bozhang to teach him some martial arts? Yuwen Chengdu's bravery had left a deep impression on him.

But then he thought it might not be possible. He was just delivering a letter, and they didn't have a deep friendship. How could Wang Bozhang casually teach martial arts to a stranger?

...