Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

Li Ji arched his back, causing the cloth strap on his right arm to burst open. He then extended his right wrist, twisted it downwards, and grabbed the other man's belt. He then pulled his forearm back, lifting the man's legs off the ground, and used his large body to block him from the ground.

A loud "bang" was heard, followed by a second scream from the unfortunate fellow.

Although his view was blocked by the other person's body, Li Ji could naturally guess that it must have been the archer in the distance who had drawn his bow and released an arrow—that guy's reaction was really fast, just as I expected... In the past, Li Ji had predicted that they were all skilled soldiers, not ordinary rebel soldiers.

Fortunately, he managed to shield himself with the enemy's body in time; otherwise, even a god would have been unable to dodge that arrow!

The distance between the two sides was only six or seven steps, less than ten meters in later times. Anyone who had practiced archery for a few days would theoretically not miss. However, in the rush, the opponent instinctively shot at the head and body, without thinking to specifically aim for the abdomen and below—plus, Li Ji was sitting with his legs spread apart on the ground, so the lower body was definitely a small target—therefore, the opponent used his companion as a shield, and the arrow accidentally hit his own side.

However, the man in his hand was first severely wounded in the right armpit, and then shot in the heart with an arrow, yet he still refused to die—after all, he was wearing armor—his left arm instinctively slammed down, and his sword came slashing down with a "whoosh." Li Bi, behind Li Ji, hurriedly raised his sword to parry, and with a "clang," the swords clashed. He felt a violent jolt in his hand, and his longsword nearly slipped from his grasp.

Actually, there was no need for him to specifically stop him, because the two sides were too close. The soldier's slash could not possibly hit Li Ji—at most, he could only try to bump Li Ji's right shoulder with his elbow—and since he was in mid-air, his movements would be distorted. Li Bi only needed to take a slight step back to avoid it.

At this moment, Li Ji's left hand also broke free. He immediately pressed down on his right hand, exerted force with both arms at the same time, and with a loud shout, threw the huge body of that guy forward.

Having acquired a "shield," it was not something to be easily discarded. However, this "shield" could still struggle and move, and there was still a knife in hand... In addition, the opponent was not an easy opponent either, and it was estimated that a second arrow would be shot soon, perhaps aimed at his stomach.

The soldier, weighing nearly 150 pounds (about 70-80 kilograms in modern times), flew close to the ground, spinning as he went, like a bowling ball, hitting the archer squarely between the waist and legs. The archer fell backward, and the second arrow he had just nocked went "whoosh" into the sky.

Li Ji thought to himself, "You have incredible strength!"

! ”

He was speaking to the other soul inside his body.

Li Bi, also known as Li Changyuan, was exceptionally intelligent, and even more remarkably quick-witted. The moment the two soldiers appeared, he immediately slipped and hid behind Li Ji. But this was more than just hiding—if Li Ji had remained seated like a wooden stake, how long could he have hidden behind him?

Using Li Ji's body to conceal his lower body, Li Bi, with his right hand hanging down and sword raised, quietly cut the strip of cloth on Li Ji's back. Li Bi wasn't very strong, and the bindings weren't very tight to begin with—it wouldn't have been too difficult for Li Ji to break free if Li Bi hadn't been pointing his sword at him at all times—so he only needed to cut one strip, and the rest would come off easily.

Taking advantage of this, Li Ji suddenly struck, capturing the soldier wielding the knife, and then threw him away, knocking over the enemy wielding a bow.

However, Li Ji's soul comes from a peaceful era more than a thousand years in the future, or perhaps from another world. He is neither a street thug nor a school bully. Although he has learned some fighting techniques, he has very little experience in life-or-death combat. Theoretically, it is impossible for him to seize that fleeting opportunity to take down the unsuspecting enemy who approaches him first. Therefore, the result will inevitably be that the other party captures Li Bi first, and then delivers the final blow to the "big zombie."

Suddenly, another voice seemed to ring out in his mind, and the soul that this voice was attached to actively drove his limbs to make fighting moves that Li Ji himself could never have imagined.

As for Li Ji's first reaction, it was to ask himself, "You're still alive!"

The voice didn't answer, but continued to urge its upper limbs, throwing the enemy in its hand far away, successfully knocking down another person. Then, its hands left the ground, and it swiftly pressed down, simultaneously using its uninjured left leg to spring up. After getting up, its movements didn't stop; dragging its right leg, which had just been secured with a willow branch, it used its left leg to leap repeatedly, quickly closing in on the two enemies.

The two men, one on top of the other, were still struggling to get up. The one below still had his bow in his hand, while the one above had long since thrown his sword to the ground. Li Jidong approached like a rabbit, bent down, picked up the sword, and swung it like lightning, slicing their necks in two quick strokes.

Li Bi was about to draw his sword and rush forward to support Li Ji, but upon seeing this scene, he was greatly shocked and exclaimed repeatedly, "It's enough to subdue him, why kill him... why bother..."

Li Ji casually replied, "I can't let them live—I've lost a leg, while they still have the strength to fight. How can I not kill them? What if they shout and their companions are nearby and come running at the sound?"

Li Bi came to his side and nodded slightly, saying, "That makes sense. You're quick-witted... It's just a pity we couldn't get any information about his background or true purpose..."

Seeing Li Ji swing his knife again, severing the leather cord binding the corpse's scabbard, and picking up the scabbard, then sheathing the knife and using it as a walking stick, Li Bi glanced at him, his eyes filled with undisguised sorrow, and sighed, "Only a warrior like you, who has fought through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, could make such a decision. If it were my younger brother, he would never have been able to bring himself to do such a thing."

Li Ji turned to look at him and said coldly, "They have accomplices. Let's leave this place as soon as possible. I'd appreciate it if you could help me. I can't hop far on one leg."

What he really thought was: Li Changyuan, it turns out you don't even know your own brothers very well...

He wasn't some "warrior forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood" at all. Before transmigrating, he rarely even fought, let alone killed anyone. Even in this critical moment, when reason told him he had to be ruthless, he couldn't possibly swiftly and decisively take a life with two cuts without batting an eye. In fact, the one directing this body to kill and the one driving the limbs to fight were both another soul—the real Li Ji, Li Changwei, in this life!

Although the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras before An Lushan's rebellion were hailed as a golden age of peace and prosperity, the social order was far inferior to that of his previous life. Coupled with the extravagance of the court and heavy taxes, while cities enjoyed a life of revelry, the countryside was rife with banditry. Li Ji had accompanied Li Bi on numerous journeys throughout the capital region seeking immortality and visiting friends, during which he had fended off more than one group of highway robbers. Although he had never killed anyone before, he had witnessed the killing of others, and his psychological resilience far surpassed that of a soul from the future.

However, the real Li Ji in this world relied on his cousin Li Bi for four whole years and always acted very honestly, even to the point of seeming a bit slow-witted—in fact, he should be quite shrewd, but no matter how shrewd he was, could he be shrewder than Li Bi? In addition, the two were more than ten years apart in age, and on the surface they were friendly and respectful brothers, but in reality they were close to father and son.

Therefore, Li Ji usually acted like a good boy in front of his elder brother, and Li Bi instinctively thought the best of his brother's character and nature—my brother would never kill someone so calmly and without batting an eye, it must have been that old ghost!

Li Ji couldn't explain to him that it really wasn't him just now, but his brother, and that he wasn't as innocent as he thought—because he had already said that his brother was dead and his body was occupied by him... But why wasn't that guy completely dead, and was able to jump out at the critical moment and briefly take control of the body?

Li Ji used his knife as a crutch, while Li Bi shouldered his bundle again, picked up the enemy's bow, and casually pulled out four or five arrows from his bag, holding them in his right hand. He then used his left shoulder to support Li Ji as they set off on their journey, hoping to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.

Li Ji kept calling out to the other soul in his heart, the original owner of this body, but there was no response—was he sometimes awake and sometimes asleep, or were those few movements just a final burst of energy before he was truly dead? It would be best if he was truly dead; two souls sharing one body—this feeling was so strange—especially...

Chapter 5, Reflections in the Water

Although Li Ji in this world hides his shrewd nature with an honest face, he is ultimately young and inexperienced. In his mind, he may truly regard his elder brother Li Bi as the Zhuge Liang of his time. As for the time traveler, his knowledge is far beyond that of most people in this world. In addition, after studying history for many years, he has almost no confidence in Li Bi.

Consider Li Mi, for example. Though he was intelligent from a young age, gaining the favor of the emperor and the crown prince, and able to converse fluently with several prime ministers, he was ultimately just a scholar—and a scholar who had been detached from court for many years. Warfare and governance are two different things, and governing ability is not necessarily related to the level of scholarship. Throughout history, countless scholars have wielded great power, believing that once they held power, the world would be at peace, only to be thoroughly defeated by reality. Similar examples abound in history. How many Zhuge Liangs have there been throughout history?

Furthermore, even when Zhuge Liang first emerged from seclusion, he was only planning strategies and coordinating logistics for Liu Bei. He needed several years of experience before he could lead troops. And frankly speaking, the battles he fought when he first went to Qishan were not very impressive. The so-called "genius of the world" had to be developed gradually.

Li Bi, Li Changyuan, you're just a scholar or Taoist seeking immortality in the countryside! Faced with the current crisis of rampant banditry and the fall of the two capitals, do you think you can single-handedly save the world by helping the Crown Prince with a few schemes? If the Crown Prince doesn't listen to you, fine, but if he does... perhaps the Tang Dynasty will be doomed!

Of course, Li Ji wouldn't voice his true feelings or confront Li Bi directly—he was lame in one leg, and although he claimed he could protect Li Bi, he actually needed Li Bi to protect him in return. Putting aside everything else, without Li Bi's support, could he continue hopping on one leg? How far could he jump? Once the pursuers caught up, even if he wasn't their primary target, with his companion dead and his sword still in his hand as a crutch, do you think they would spare Li Ji's body?

He continued to call upon the original owner of his body in his mind to appear, while pondering how he could survive in this unfamiliar era and unfamiliar world.

Having transmigrated inexplicably, there's little chance of finding a way back—should I go up a mountain and fall again? Besides, my original body would probably be shattered from falling headfirst from the rooftop of an 18-story building; even if my soul traveled back, I'd still be dead!

There was no other way but to say goodbye to the first half of my life. Since I was already here, I might as well make the best of it and figure out how to survive in this Tang Dynasty.

Furthermore, the fact that Emperor Taizu Pei Gai did not exist in the history of this world further fueled Li Ji's suspicion that Pei Gai was also a time traveler. If Pei Gai traveled to the chaotic late Jin Dynasty, crossed the river by boat, overcame numerous hardships, pacified the Hu tribes, destroyed the Jie Zhao state, and ultimately defeated the Sima clan, achieving imperial power, then perhaps I could too.

A time traveler who doesn't want to fight for supremacy is definitely not a good history researcher!

In particular, the Tang Dynasty seems quite similar to the Jin Dynasty. Although there was no "War of the Eight Princes," it was still a rebellion by ambitious foreigners that swept across half of the Central Plains in an instant. However, unlike Pei Gai, I was not born into a prominent family, which made it easy for me to quickly occupy a territory and then raise a private army.

In this situation, he could only temporarily rely on his cousin, who was familiar with both the emperor and the crown prince, and was the only stepping stone he could use.

Thinking of this, Li Ji couldn't help but ask Li Bi, "Is there really any hope for the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Bi retorted angrily, “What are you saying? Although the rebel An is rampant, the people’s hearts are still with our Tang Dynasty, and there are not many who are determined to join the rebellion. Even if I cannot assist the Crown Prince, or even if he does not listen to me or follow my plans, the civil and military officials of the court can work together to suppress the rebels. However, I am afraid it will take several more years before we can achieve complete success.”

At this point, a thought struck him, and he immediately understood what Li Ji was thinking—this old devil was from the Jin Dynasty, and must be thinking of the Hu-Jie rebellion during the Western Jin Dynasty, believing it to be quite similar to the current situation. So he patiently explained:

"In your time, there was the War of the Eight Princes, and the country's elite troops and generals had already been exhausted in the internal strife. In addition, those who held military power were mostly self-serving and unwilling to devote themselves to the affairs of the country—Sima Yue and Gou Xi fought each other, Suo Lin and Qu Yun were also at odds, and Sima Rui and Wang Dao fled to Jiangnan—which is why the Hu forces grew stronger day by day."

“Our Tang Dynasty is different. The court still retains its prestige, and there are still large armies in Shuofang. There are also uprisings in various counties and prefectures—as Na Zhensui said before, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi are leading troops into Hebei to attack the rebels from behind. As long as the Emperor or the Crown Prince has the will to revitalize the dynasty and has no desire for peace, and gathers troops from all sides to support the Emperor, we will surely be able to recover the two capitals and wipe out the rebels!”

Li Ji thought to himself, "No way! If that happens, I'll never have a chance to rise in the world. Wouldn't all my time travel have been for nothing?"

However, one should only listen to what a scholar says and not take it seriously—it's a pity that the original owner of this body was too ignorant; with the little knowledge he left behind, he couldn't analyze the situation at all.

So he changed the subject and asked Li Bi, "How far have we gone? Where should we hide?"

Li Bi remained silent for a long while before finally sighing softly, "I am not familiar with the roads north of the capital... I originally relied entirely on Zhen Sui as my guide, but he has perished..."

But then, as if to comfort himself, he pointed ahead and said, "Look, that's the plateau rising high in the distance. If we follow the bottom of the plateau westward, we should be able to reach Tongguan County. I just don't know if Tongguan has also fallen to the bandits?"

Li Ji was quite familiar with the geography of the area near Tanshan in later generations. He guessed that the "Tongguan" Li Bi mentioned likely referred to Tongchuan City in later times, which would be about ten kilometers away. He looked up at the sky; the sun had already set halfway down.

At this limping pace, we won't make it before dark.

“Brother, do you want to go into the city? Tongchuan and Tongguan are not far from Xijing. How could the rebels not send troops to occupy them? It would be safer for us to do as before, bypass the cities and villages, and find a secluded place to go west.”

Li Bi shook his head and said, "We must find a place to rest..." He turned his head slightly and glanced at Li Ji's lower body, saying, "Your right leg is broken. Although I set the bone, it's best to rest quietly for a few days. Otherwise, you might suffer a lifelong disability..."

He sighed softly and said, "After all, it is my brother's body. How can I bear to destroy it? I had no choice but to help you hurry because I was afraid that the pursuers would catch up. But it is still nearly a thousand miles to Pingliang. How can we keep running in the wild? Besides... I'm afraid we won't have enough food and water."

They naturally carried food and water with them, but Li Bi, though physically weak, was of noble status and shouldn't have been allowed to carry the luggage—he volunteered to carry it himself to ease the pressure on Li Ji's injured leg—so half the food and water went with Zhen Sui to the bandits, while the other half was carried by Li Ji, and together they plummeted down the cliff. Their clothes wouldn't be damaged, and even if the rations were broken, they could still be eaten, but the water…

They used bamboo tubes to hold the water, but those bamboo tubes weren't even as strong as Li Ji's leg bones, so they naturally shattered into pieces, making it impossible to recover the spilled water.

Since fields are usually built around water, and cities and villages are formed around wells, if they always avoid people, the chances of finding a water source are really too slim.

By this time, they had reached the bottom of the plateau and turned west. Li Ji pointed uncertainly ahead: "There should be a river near Tongguan..."

He remembered that the upper reaches of the Shichuan River, a tributary of the Wei River, flowed through what would later become Tongchuan City, but he wasn't sure if such a river existed in this world, in this era. Regardless, Li Bi's words made sense; with his injured leg, he couldn't stay there for long, and it would be best to find a place to rest for a few days. However, if he couldn't find a water source first, even if he had already left his pursuers far behind, he dared not stop.

They were indeed lucky. Before nightfall, when they were still seven or eight miles away from Tongguan County, they discovered a shallow stream flowing down from the plateau—it was definitely not the Shichuan River, but probably a tributary—so they decided to stop for the time being, draw water, eat, and then prepare to camp out.

Li Ji asked Li Bi to help him to the stream, where he lay down and reached out to grab the water. Although the sun was setting, some reddish afterglow still shone on the clouds and spread to the world. Only then was Li Ji able to see the body that had occupied him for nearly half a day for the first time in the water.

Of course, Li Ji in the past couldn't have never looked in the mirror, so he naturally retained some memories of his own appearance, but it was never as clear as seeing it with his own eyes.

Li Ji had already noticed that this body was about 1.75 meters tall, just like the one he had in his previous life—equivalent to five feet seven inches in the Tang Dynasty. However, the young man was only eighteen years old and might grow taller. In ancient times, this was considered tall, but while commoners might be less than five feet tall, this height was quite common among nobles and officials.

Li Bi was only about an inch shorter than Li Ji. However, Li Ji had a large frame and a wider build, so unless they were standing close together, he appeared slightly shorter than the slender Li Bi.

Through years of rigorous training, Li Ji's entire body was covered in solid muscles, a physique that was incomparable to the one he had developed in the gym in his previous life. After all, the main purpose of fitness is health and appearance, not fighting ability, and often one has to diet and lose fat while building muscle.

The most direct changes are twofold: first, my strength has increased several times over; second, my waist is much thicker than in my previous life, but alas, my nascent four-pack abs are gone...

As for appearance, the two Li Jis bear no resemblance whatsoever. The Li Ji of the previous life was at least a cultured man; while not exactly refined and fair-skinned, he did have a scholarly air when wearing glasses. The Li Ji of this life, however, has a baby face, darker skin, and while each of his features is somewhat distinctive, they appear rather ordinary when put together, and he is also overly honest.

To put it simply, just by looking at his face, he's just an ordinary country boy who's ignorant and incompetent, the kind of guy you can't beat into talking. Li Ji finally understood why even a shrewd guy like Li Bi would misjudge his cousin who he'd been relying on for so many years.

Another difference is that men in ancient times did not shave. Li Ji had large patches of short, coarse downy hair on his upper lip and chin. Because it had never been trimmed, it looked a bit messy. However, it could modify his baby face to some extent, making people realize that he was no longer a child. He had undergone the coming-of-age ceremony and even had a courtesy name, so he was considered an adult.

He stared blankly at his reflection in the water, not reaching for a drink for a long time. Li Bi handed him half a pancake, looking melancholy, and asked as if trying to make conversation, "What did you originally look like? How old were you when you died?"

Li Ji took the cake and sighed as he replied, "My original appearance... was much more mature. But when I died, I was only... thirty-three years old..."

He added five years because he felt that becoming a military commander in one's twenties might be unusual and difficult to gain people's trust. Besides, in terms of experience, could he be inferior to a thirty-year-old warrior from two thousand years ago?

However, the two Lis were not without conversation along the way; on the contrary, their conversation was almost non-stop. Li Ji wanted to learn more about the affairs of this world, while Li Bi was afraid that if he quieted down, he would be unable to help but mourn his brother's death, and even more so, he would be unable to resist shoving the counterfeit goods to the ground and abandoning them.

However, reason told him that he couldn't travel far alone, and he still couldn't leave that old ghost. And his feelings...

Chapter Six, Split in a Dream

The dry biscuits were coarse and hard, and even with the clear water from the stream, they were difficult to swallow. If Li Ji hadn't been extremely hungry, he certainly wouldn't have given them a second glance.

However, a voice seemed to be reminding him: This is the kind of food we usually eat, so what's so hard about swallowing it?

No, those were just the instinctive reactions of the various organs of this body, including the mouth, teeth, throat, and even the nasal cavity and stomach. Li Ji continued to call out to the original owner of this body in his heart, but he did not receive any response at all.

After eating and drinking, they moved slightly away from the stream and found a dry, sheltered spot to camp. Li Bi, who had lived in seclusion in the countryside for many years, was not a weak scholar who did not engage in physical labor—at least not in spirit—and had already gathered some dry branches and fallen leaves before it was completely dark, and lit a fire with a flint. The two sat on opposite sides of the campfire, one to the east and one to the west.

Li Bi said, "Let's rest early. We still have to travel tomorrow morning. We'll try to get into Tongguan or find a village outside the city to stay in."

Li Ji casually agreed, but refused to lie down.

Li Bi sneered, "You refuse to sleep, are you afraid I'll draw my sword and harm you in the middle of the night?" Before Li Ji could answer, he added, "I'm also afraid you'll draw your sword and kill me in the middle of the night, so you can use my brother's body to do whatever you want and live a carefree life!"

Li Ji stammered, "How could that be? My leg is broken, and I still need my brother's help..."

Li Bi said, "I must also hold my nose and pretend that you are my brother and bodyguard, so that you can protect me and help me reach Pingliang safely. If we both put aside our suspicions, we can both live. If we are wary of each other, I'm afraid we will both die." As he spoke, he stood up, leaving his long sword behind for self-defense, and placed the bow and arrows he had picked up beside Li Ji. He said, "Since you don't want to sleep, you can keep watch for the first half of the night. The pursuers shouldn't be traveling in the middle of the night, but we must be wary of wild animals. Call me when the moon is high in the sky, and I will keep watch for the second half of the night."

He then returned to the other side of the campfire and lay down fully clothed.

Li Ji really couldn't sleep. Although his body was exhausted, his mind told him: It's only eight o'clock, right? The nightlife hasn't even started yet... But in this world, in this era, there is probably no nightlife. Commoners work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and even nobles often regard long nights of gathering as extravagant and immoral.

How did I end up in this time-traveling world so inexplicably? Which is more terrifying, more tragic: death or being transported to a completely unfamiliar ancient world? Why couldn't they put me in an era I've researched and have some understanding of?!

If I were to travel to the end of the Qin Dynasty, I would join Emperor Gaozu of Han; if I were to travel to the end of the Han Dynasty, I would try to establish my own hegemony before Cao Cao unified the north; if I were to travel to the end of the Jin Dynasty, I would join Emperor Taizu of Hua; if I were to travel to… But what is this Tang Dynasty all about? Is the Tang Dynasty doomed? Will it perish? Does that barbarian An Lushan have any ambition to rule the world? I am completely in the dark!

If the Tang dynasty is about to end, and the Yan dynasty is not going to last long either, how can I, a country boy, survive in this chaotic world and even try to contend for supremacy? On the other hand, if the Tang dynasty does not end, attempting to contend for supremacy will not succeed, and may instead bring heavy disasters to the common people. "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos." Unless the common people are driven to desperation, no one would be willing to change dynasties through turmoil and war.

If that's really the case, how am I supposed to survive in this ancient era?