Chapter 3

The bloody smell of the Xuanwu Gate had yet to dissipate, and the aura of slaughter still lingered on the faces of the Tang Dynasty soldiers.

Fear did not belong to the people of the Tang Dynasty; only the subordinates of the Crown Prince Jiancheng were in fear, awaiting the arrival of blood and purges.

At the foot of the Qinling Mountains to the south of Chang'an, a young man in blood-stained attire stood with his back to the continuous mountain range. This man had slightly curly whiskers, deep-set eyes, a robust figure, and was handsome without losing his bravery, and elegant without losing his valor!

Not far from him, hundreds of armored soldiers stood like statues.

A soldier ran up to the general leading the troops and presented a leather case with both hands. It was just a leather case, with a crocodile emblem on it, though this thing was known as a "ground dragon" in the southern part of the Tang Dynasty and was unknown in the north. The general glared at the soldier, seemingly blaming him for coming over for such a trivial matter.

The general glanced at the leather case, his pupils constricted, and his body trembled involuntarily.

The sound of the armor plates moving startled the young man gazing at the mountains.

"What is it?" The young man did not turn around but asked a question. These past few days had been eventful, and there were still bigger matters to handle. He stood here only to recall the joy of hunting with his brothers when he first arrived in Chang'an, a time when brotherhood still existed among them.

Who would have thought that now, his brothers were dead.

If he did not kill his brothers, he would die, and those who had fought and died with him would also die. He had no choice but to kill, he could not avoid it.

His heart was not yet at ease; there were still many important things to do!

The general walked over in large strides, presenting the leather case with both hands and opening it in front of the young man.

The young man was shocked and looked at the general in confusion.

"Your Highness, Prince of Qin! The soldiers found someone unconscious over there, holding this item in his left hand and a wooden plaque in his right. There was blood writing on it, but the characters were strange, and the soldiers couldn't understand them!" The general reported quickly.

This young man was none other than Li Shimin, the 27-year-old Prince of Qin and Supreme General of the Heavenly Strategy of the Tang Dynasty, also known as Li Er.

The leather case in his hand opened to reveal a photograph. The man in the photo, without a beard and dressed in peculiar attire, had the same face as Li Shimin. How could this not shock the soldiers, and how could it not surprise Li Shimin?

"Take me there quickly!" Li Shimin, led by the soldier, arrived at a riverbank where a young man lay on a flat stone.

The young man's attire was strange to Li Er of the Tang Dynasty.

He wore a sleeveless jacket, dark blue jeans, and a pair of sports shoes.

Two soldiers each held a long sword with both hands, while another held the wooden plaque.

Li Er did not move, and the two soldiers stood motionless beside him. Li Er gazed at the young man lying on the stone, and the face brought back memories. It was very similar to his fourth brother, Yuanba, who had bravely fought against the heavens but unfortunately did not get to enjoy the Tang Dynasty's rule. Especially the way his brows were slightly furrowed, it was even more similar. If Li Er had not personally placed Yuanba in his coffin, he would have taken the young man for his fourth brother.

He gently gestured, and the two soldiers brought the long swords and the wooden plaque closer. Li Er did not take the swords but picked up the wooden plaque. The characters on it were strange and written in blood. After careful examination, Li Er recognized the words "parents not waiting" and "elder brother like father," seemingly expressing grief for his brother.

Under the care of the military doctor, the young man lying on the stone slowly regained consciousness.

Seeing the man waking up, Li Er pushed aside the people around him and walked over. The young man's first sight was Li Er, and he called out, "Brother!" and then burst into tears, reaching out to hug Li Er.

Li Er was taken aback but allowed the young man to hug him, waving to stop the soldiers who were about to rush forward.

As Li Er was moved by the call of "Brother" and felt a deep sorrow, the young man let go of him and began slapping his own face, saying, "I'm a bastard, I'm a bastard."

Li Er understood that the young man had mistaken him for his brother. Listening to the young man's sobs, he seemed to be recounting how he had not studied diligently, often fought with others, and was even imprisoned for injuring someone, and how he had not been able to see his brother one last time. The words were filled with genuine emotion and brotherly affection!

Then he spoke of how the two of them had lost their parents at a young age, and how his brother had raised him and provided for his education.

His brother had been a farmer all his life and had not married even at the age of thirty.

Li Er cried, tears streaming down his face.

Such genuine brotherly affection!

Li Er was about to rule the world and become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, possessing everything except for brotherly affection. The sons of his father's concubines had the title of younger brothers but did not truly qualify as Li Er's brothers. His true brothers were only his elder brother Jiancheng, his third brother Yuanba, and his fourth brother Yuang.

At this moment, among the four brothers, only he was alive.

Li Er clenched his teeth, enduring the pain in his heart, and patted the young man, who looked very much like his fourth brother Yuanba, on the back twice. "From today on, you are my brother, my real brother. I, Li Shimin..."

The young man, who had been sobbing, froze, staring at Li Er.

Li Shimin! This name was too powerful.

When he heard the name Li Shimin, he did not hear anything else Li Er said.

The young man came from the year 2012, with a very ordinary name, Li Yuanxing, a medium-level thug from the south of Xi'an. The rumored end of the world did not destroy the Earth but sent Li Yuanxing, who was worshiping his deceased brother in his family's contracted forest land, to the Tang Dynasty. Even now, Li Yuanxing still thought he was dreaming.

Li Yuanxing knew that few people in modern times dared to name their children Li Shimin. When he came to his senses and saw the soldiers' armor, which still had dried blood, he was confused, his eyes full of bewilderment.

"Back to the mansion!" Li Er's strong arm lifted Li Yuanxing.

There were no carriages here, only horses, with a simple cloth laid out as a saddle.

From the Qinling Mountains to Chang'an was about forty to fifty miles, a leisurely journey of one or two hours for Li Er and the soldiers, who were accustomed to riding.

But for Li Yuanxing, it was a terrifying ordeal.

On the way, Li Er only asked for Li Yuanxing's name and then remained silent, riding his horse quietly. Li Yuanxing did not dare to speak, enduring the pain of riding while observing everything around him.