Chapter 2

It's quite embarrassing to say, but from a young age, Suning has been a directionally challenged person, completely unable to tell directions. He can only recognize north, south, east, and west on a map, knowing that north is up, south is down, west is left, and east is right. Once it becomes three-dimensional, he can't find which direction is which. Currently, this problem is particularly urgent.

In desperation, Suning took out his phone. The magical phone should have a compass function, right? Since the magical phone wasn't damaged, the function must still exist. So, Suning opened the tools, found the compass, and tapped it. Phew, thank goodness, the compass showed the correct direction. It seems the magical phone is indeed magical, truly impressive. Even after upgrading to a smartphone, it's still so reliable, a real industry conscience! Although it's a bit expensive...

With the direction clear, let's go! Let's go now!

But just as Suning took his first step, he suddenly felt the ground trembling. Damn, my luck can't be that bad! An earthquake right after I arrive? This is a grassland, so there's no need to worry about anything falling. So, just sit down. As long as the earthquake isn't too strong to split the ground and drop me into a crack, it should be fine.

But after sitting down, Suning suddenly felt something was wrong. This earthquake isn't right. Earthquakes should sway left and right, but this one is just slightly vibrating up and down, and there's an inexplicable sound. Suning didn't know what the sound was, but it was clear that this wasn't a regular earthquake. Could it be the end of the world? No, wait, why do I hear the sound of horses? No, why do I hear strange shouts? Hmm?

Suning looked in the direction of the sound and was instantly shocked. What is that? A dark mass of something was rapidly advancing towards him, and there were strange flags fluttering... What is that? Demacia? Suning closed his eyes again, switched to 24k gold-plated dog eye mode, and focused. He was immediately scared to the point of falling to the ground in a panic!

On the flag, there was a large, large, large character—Tang...

Could it be that the time on the magical phone is correct? The era I'm in now is really the Tang Dynasty? The Zhenguan period? The era of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin? I actually time-traveled? And it's been over a thousand years?!

While Suning was shocked and his brain was in a daze, the black mass had already rushed over. It turned out to be a cavalry, about three thousand strong. At the front was an old general with white hair and a long white beard, galloping ahead of the three thousand iron cavalry with a fearless momentum. It was hard to tell, but he was already fifty-nine years old. He was the famous national hero and frontier general, Li Jing!

"Hmm? Who is that? Why is he alone here? Could it be a trap? Has our sneak attack been discovered?" Li Jing suddenly saw Suning sitting dazed on the ground, was startled, and thought to himself. Then, he suddenly realized and shouted loudly, "Halt the entire army!" His voice was deep and resonant, full of energy, not at all like that of an old man approaching sixty, but more like a loud-voiced brave general. No wonder he could still lead the army at over seventy.

Li Jing's voice wasn't very loud over the galloping of three thousand horses, but those nearby heard it and immediately shouted, "Halt the entire army! Halt the entire army! Halt the entire army!" The cavalry immediately stopped, their formation neat and orderly, clearly well-trained. They were silent, except for the snorting of the horses, waiting for Li Jing's next command.

Li Jing stroked his long beard and pointed at Suning, saying to those around him, "Go and check who that is. There shouldn't be anyone here at this time, and he's alone. Be careful, it could be a trap!" Three cavalrymen nodded, "Yes, sir!"

The three cavalrymen slowly rode towards Suning, shouting as they went, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Suning was just in shock when he suddenly heard human speech, in Chinese, with a familiar Guanzhong accent. He was suddenly delighted. Looking at the three horsemen approaching him, he was about to speak but then closed his mouth. Who are they? They speak Chinese, so they must be Han Chinese. If it's the Tang Dynasty, then these people on horses, wearing armor, and holding large flags coming from the south must be Tang troops! That means they are the regular Chinese army?!

As long as it's the regular army, they shouldn't kill people randomly. Otherwise, I would be the most unfortunate time-traveler, arriving and being killed before I could leave my mark. How tragic would that be?

After some thought, Suning felt his judgment was correct, but how to answer them was a problem. What should he say? That he's a time-traveler? This might not even be the Tang Dynasty! Could the magical phone be deceiving him? Before figuring out the situation, he needed to maintain a skeptical attitude! He needed to ask these people clearly. He had to hear it from their mouths to believe it. Otherwise, what if this was a film set? That would be embarrassing!

Modern makeup techniques can make a burly man look like an old man without revealing any flaws, and can turn Dong Shi into Xi Shi. This made Suning somewhat cautious. The old man once told him, "Even a cunning rabbit has three dens, how much more so a person?" Thinking about this, Suning had an idea.

"May I ask, what year is it now?" Suning thought this was the best question to ask first, to clarify the year and month. If it really is the Tang Dynasty, he could think about other things later.

The three cavalrymen looked at each other, wondering who this person was. How could he forget the year and month? Is he a foreigner? No, his clothes are strange, but his hairstyle is a standard Tang Dynasty Han hairstyle, not a foreigner's. He speaks Chinese with a Guanzhong accent, clearly a Han person.

So, one of the cavalrymen said, "It is the 16th day of the first month of Zhenguan 4. Who are you? Why are you here?"

Suning sighed and nodded, as if accepting his fate. Gods and Buddhas! You really dare to play this international joke on me! Alright, alright! It seems it really is the Tang Dynasty! The early Tang Dynasty, the Zhenguan period, the era of the most wise and powerful emperor, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. The army in front of him is definitely the Tang army... and I have definitely time-traveled...

Ha, the original fear and unease suddenly disappeared when he got confirmation. Ha, years of failing experiences have indeed honed a strong psychological resilience. That's why underachievers often do better in society than good students. Nothing else, just a good attitude. Being looked down upon from a young age, he got used to it, ha...

"I am a Tang person, traveling with my master. My master passed away, and I am following his instructions to return to the Tang Dynasty, to Chang'an, on my way." Suning could only say this. Otherwise, there would be no reason to explain why he was alone in such a desolate place. But there was still a problem: where exactly is this place?

The grassland is vast. Where is this grassland? In Zhenguan 4, I remember the Tang Dynasty was fighting the Turks. In Inner Mongolia, there was a famous story that the old man used to tell from "Romance of Sui and Tang"! What was it called? Oh! Li Jing's victory over the Turks at Yinshan! Yes, that's the story. Li Jing, Li Yishan, was a truly famous and capable person! Whenever the old man told this story, he was always animated...

So, what's the situation with the army in front of me?

The three cavalrymen, hearing Suning's explanation, couldn't determine anything, so they rode back to Li Jing and reported, "General, that person says he is a Tang citizen, traveling with his master. His master passed away, and he is following his master's instructions to return to the Tang Dynasty, to Chang'an. He is just passing through here." Li Jing listened, looked puzzled, stroked his beard, and asked, "Is he trustworthy?"

The three cavalrymen looked at each other, and one stepped forward, "His hairstyle is a Tang hairstyle. Apart from his strange clothes, everything else is fine. His accent is Guanzhong, so he should be a Han person." Suning had a bit of a trick here. He heard the cavalryman speaking in a Guanzhong accent, so he used it too, being from Xi'an. But this also confirmed his Tang identity...

"An accent from Guanzhong isn't formed in a day. How old is he?" Li Jing, known for his meticulous and cautious nature, asked detailed questions, considering all aspects, and had already secretly ordered the archers to draw their bows. If Suning made any suspicious moves, they would shoot him on the spot. This expedition was significant, and no one could be allowed to disrupt it!

"He is at most a teenager, no more than a few years old, and should not be a spy," a cavalryman replied.

Li Jing nodded, feeling a bit more at ease. A teenager with a Guanzhong accent should not be a spy. He waved his hand slightly, and the archers immediately lowered their bows. Suning didn't know that if he had made any suspicious moves at that moment, he would have been killed. Li Jing's mission was significant, and a common Tang citizen couldn't compare. If he was killed, it would be because he was suspected of being a spy...

Fortunately, he met Li Jing. If it were someone else, like Cheng Yaojin, a rough and bold person, they would have shot him with a rain of arrows without a second thought!

So, Li Jing, with his bodyguards, rode to Suning's side and carefully examined him. Suning also guessed something. This old general with white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard must be the commander of this army. His appearance was so imposing, and he exuded a presence that made Suning feel uneasy. This old general must be a significant and high-ranking officer. Although Suning didn't know who he was, he instinctively bowed to the old general, "I am Suning, styled Sanming. I greet the old general. May I ask who the old general is and what brings you here?"

The old man used to tell stories and gave him the style name Sanming, meaning to understand right and wrong, ancient and modern, and good and evil. The old man said that if you have a name, you should have a style name, otherwise, it's not proper. Chinese people no longer take style names, which is disrespectful to their ancestors! Others can't control it, but Suning must! So, Suning had this style name, which he got without much effort...

Li Jing was taken aback, thinking this boy was truly bold, asking who he was and why he was here. Military secrets couldn't be revealed to irrelevant people. But this also showed that the boy knew nothing, and he seemed to be a simple teenager. His story was mostly credible, but he couldn't let his guard down, "I am Li Jing. As for why I am here, it's not something you should know. Suning, Sanming, good name and style name. Did your master give them to you?"

Li Jing stared intently at Suning's eyes, ready to kill him if there was any inappropriate reaction. But at that moment, Suning thought of his parents. Although they made him walk home alone, causing him to climb Mount Tai and curse the heavens, if this was really the Tang Dynasty, he would never be able to return. He wouldn't even be able to mourn the old man...

Thinking of this, Suning felt a deep pain and sorrow, and could only nod, "Yes, it was my master who gave them to me! My master hoped I would understand right and wrong, ancient and modern, and good and evil, so he gave me this style name." But then, Suning felt something was off. Who is this old general? Li Jing? Li Jing? Li Yishan? The Li Jing who defeated the Turks? One of the Three Heroes of the Dusty World? This is really the Tang Dynasty! It's the Tang Dynasty!

Suning looked at Li Jing with shock, unable to speak, which was quite unexpected for Li Jing. Originally, Li Jing just wanted to test if Suning's story was true. If it was, mentioning his master would make Suning show sadness. Fortunately, Suning thought of his parents and showed sadness, which was very timely. But then, Li Jing noticed the boy looking at him with shock, which made him curious. Why did this boy first show sadness and then shock?

"Why are you like this? Do you know me?" Li Jing asked, feeling a bit wary, but then thought his name was indeed well-known, and felt a bit proud.

Of course, I know you. You are a great general of the Tang Dynasty, known by everyone in the Tang Dynasty.

But I don't know if the stories and reality are the same. After all, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is very different from the real Three Kingdoms. If it's not the same, it could be a disaster. But what else can I do? I don't know where to go. Meeting Li Jing is a stroke of luck. If the heavens wronged me in my previous life, they must make it up in this one! Hero! You must exist! I rely on you to survive!

After silently reciting "Amitabha" a thousand times, Suning slowly spoke...