Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

But after he had his fill of the feast for the eyes, he forcefully kicked the courtesan from the Cui household out, saying that he was exhausted from working for days and wanted to sleep immediately, and did not want to be served by anyone. Firstly, he was indeed not used to the customs of this era, going to someone else's house to have his way with others... Secondly, he needed to secretly sort out and carefully consider the two things Cui Guangyuan had just mentioned.

Undoubtedly, Cui Guangyuan's advice to the officials to support Li Chu as Crown Prince must not go through the Emperor Emeritus, and that it would be best to strip Li Chu of his political and financial power as the military governor of two garrisons. This was by no means advice for himself, hoping to win Li Chu's favor. Cui Guangyuan clearly wanted to use himself to convey a message to Li Chu, expressing his intention to surrender.

But why would he do that?

Li Ji had rendered meritorious service to Li Chu by protecting him, and had shown kindness to Li Shi by saving his mother. Others might not be aware of this, but Cui Guangyuan, who was fond of keeping eccentrics and had many informants, could not possibly have been unaware of it. Moreover, Li Ji had only just arrived in Chang'an when he went to pay his respects at the residence of the Sixteen Princes. Although he had first visited the Qi residence, Li Chu had sent his eldest son, Li Shi, to personally invite him…

Most importantly, Li Ji's lowly status meant that using him to curry favor with Li Chu would be less likely to leak out.

Li Ji was brought over from Zhongqu in the dead of night without anyone noticing. He hardly encountered anyone along the way—people in these days are used to going to bed early, and there aren't many people willing to wander the streets after dark. Moreover, Cui Qi deliberately avoided the patrolling soldiers—it's believed that even Li Fuguo might not have been able to detect Li Ji's whereabouts.

The "Investigation Hall" is quite powerful, but it has only been established for a short time. It is probably still too inexperienced to investigate Cui, who is used to raising strange people and doing secret things.

But why would Cui Guangyuan, instead of clinging to Li Fuguo, want to cling to Li Chu instead?

Logically speaking, as the Minister of Rites, he was only one step away from becoming prime minister. Perhaps Li Fuguo, on a whim, would appoint him to the Council of State Affairs. With such a position, there was no need for him to fawn over the crown prince; as long as he didn't deliberately target him and create enmity, it would be fine. So, is it possible that Li Fuguo actually wanted to curry favor with Li Chu, and therefore instructed Cui Guangyuan to act in his stead?

Ultimately, although Li Fuguo seems to be on the same side as Empress Zhang at present, it is more advantageous for him to make Li Chu the crown prince than to make Empress Zhang's second son the crown prince.

Upon further reflection, that didn't make sense either. Cui Guangyuan's words not only didn't reveal Li Fuguo's intentions, but he also deliberately distanced himself from them. Besides, Li Fuguo had many ways to curry favor with Li Chu; there was no need to make things so complicated. Moreover, that old eunuch had a grudge against him, and Cui Guangyuan must know about it. Wasn't he afraid of angering Li Fuguo by having him deliver a message to Li Chu?

I racked my brains but couldn't figure it out.

Then, Cui Guangyuan's second point provided Li Ji with important information, which made him feel somewhat lost and uncertain about his future.

Originally, he had a well-thought-out plan: to transfer to a civil service position through Li Chu and be employed by the military governor's office in Longyou or Hexi to participate in the war against the barbarians, accumulating merits on the one hand and truly defending the borders for the country and protecting the common people on the other, thus making his time-traveling journey worthwhile. But now, following this path, he would be forced to serve under Li Tan.

Compared to Li Chu, he still favored Li Tan more. However, given the unclear situation, as Li Bi pointed out, rashly becoming Li Tan's henchman, or even just being perceived as one, might not be beneficial to his own development. If Li Tan truly seized power in the two military districts, with his abilities and Li Heng's assistance, he could very well achieve great merit, thus threatening Li Chu's position as crown prince—Li Heng's decision to send this son away was clearly intended to restrain the future crown prince, Li Chu.

If Li Heng were to formally change the heir apparent one day, ensuring a smooth transfer of the throne, that would be fine. However, if this led to infighting among brothers and chaos within the royal family, as Li Mi said, it would be detrimental to the country and the common people. What role should he play in this situation? Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

If, as Cui Guangyuan suggests, Li Tan can only wield military power and become a crippled military governor, his threat to the throne will certainly be greatly reduced. However, once Li Chu ascends the throne, he will inevitably recall Li Tan to the capital and confine him to the Sixteen Princes' Residence. In that case, my path to advancement as Li Tan's subordinate will likely be cut short…

Li Ji tossed and turned until late into the night before finally falling into a deep sleep. Not long after, he was woken up. It was still dark, and the curfew hadn't been lifted. Led by a servant from the Cui household—not Cui Qi—he returned to Lü Miaozhen's house to meet Jia Huai. Jia Huai, looking smug with satisfaction, had no idea that Li Ji had spent the night elsewhere. He eagerly asked, "What does Miss Susu look like? Brother Li, did you enjoy yourself last night?"

Li Ji gave a perfunctory reply and rode away from Pingkang Ward with him, but instead of returning to Daning Ward, they headed straight for the Sixteen Princes' Residence—just in time for Jia Huai to go on duty.

After entering the mansion, Li Shi came out to greet him shortly. Upon meeting him, he pointed at Li Ji and asked with a smile, "What are the sights like in Pingkang Ward? Did you have a good time last night?"

Li Ji's face darkened: "Does Your Highness mean to send someone to secretly monitor me?"

Li Shi quickly apologized and explained, "Jia Huai told everyone he met that he went to Pingkang Zhongqu with you last night and even gave me a silver ingot as a gift..."

Li Ji secretly resented this gossip—he's ruined my reputation!

He gestured to Li Shi with his eyes, signaling him to dismiss the others, and then lowered his voice to recount the events of the previous night—mainly the two matters Cui Guangyuan had instructed him to attend to. Li Shi listened, pondered silently, and after a long while said, "Cui Guangyuan is about to step down as Minister of Rites and be appointed Military Governor of Weizhou..."

Li Ji understood.

It seems Cui Guangyuan wasn't a staunch supporter of Li Fuguo, though perhaps he once was, but his habit of acting alone eventually aroused Li Fuguo's suspicion. The Minister of Rites was an important position, with the potential to become prime minister, and Cui Guangyuan, having joined Li Fuguo early, enjoyed Li Heng's trust. Now, however, he was to be banished from the capital to become the military governor of Weizhou…

As military governors, their power was immense. In chaotic times, even if they didn't reach the level of a prime minister, they were still on par with the ministers of various departments. Cui Guangyuan's transfer from minister to military governor didn't seem like a demotion on the surface. The problem was that he only commanded Weizhou—meaning he wasn't a commander of a major military region, but merely a commander of a military sub-region—and Weizhou was currently under rebel control. So, the implications of a demotion were quite obvious.

Is Li Fuguo giving up on Cui Guangyuan, or is he planning to give him a serious warning?

Therefore, Cui Guangyuan did not actively want to sever ties with Li Fuguo, but rather, having already lost the favor of the eunuchs, he planned to find another powerful patron to rely on...

Chapter 51, The Mistress's House Slave

Since Li Ji knew that he was being watched by eyes from all sides at all times, he naturally became more cautious. From then on, he stopped wandering around the streets and instead went to Prince Cheng's mansion with Jia Huai every morning. He would either chat and play with Li Shi or borrow books and poems from Li Shi to read, often staying there for the entire day.

Time flies, and it passes by in a flash.

Within days of his arrival in Chang'an, officials successively submitted memorials requesting that Prince Cheng, Li Chu, be made crown prince. It is said that Li Heng consulted with Li Kui, the Director of the Bureau of Personnel Evaluation and the Imperial Edict Drafter, before finally making his decision. On the day of Gengyin in May, he officially appointed Li Chu as crown prince and changed his name to Li Yu.

Li Ji felt deeply indignant about this.

This kind of creative naming practice was first invented by the artistic Emperor Li Longji. Originally, there was no fixed rule for naming his many sons. Later, for some unknown reason, he changed all of them to have the water radical (氵), for example, his eldest son Li Tan, second son Li Hong, third son Li Jun, fourth son Li Qia… Then, a few years later, he uniformly changed them to have the jade radical (玉), so Li Tan became Li Cong, Li Hong became Li Ying, Li Jun became Li Yu, and Li Qia became Li Yan…

Li Ji had met Prince Ying, Li Jiao, who had previously used the name Li Yun; Prince Xin, Li Huang, who had previously used the name Li Mian; and Prince Yi, Li Ci, who had previously used the name Li Cui. He also met Prince Yong, Li Lin, who had previously used the name Li Ze; and Prince Shou, Li Mao, the former husband of Yang Guifei, who had previously used the name Li Qing.

After Li Yu was officially named Crown Prince, the old emperor began to ponder: "Since this child is the heir apparent, he will inherit my throne and become emperor. There is a distinction between him and his brothers, who are subjects of the emperor. How can we use the same radical?" So, with a stroke of his pen, he changed Li Yu's name to Li Shao. However, after changing his name and intending to record it in the imperial genealogy, he suddenly discovered that he shared the same name as his nephew… and thus changed it to his current name, Li Heng.

Li Longji not only changed his sons' names, but also followed this example by giving his grandsons names with the same radical, resulting in names like Li Chu, Li Xi, Li Tan, Li Bi, Li Jin, Li Zhao, Li Tong, and so on. This tradition even extended to his great-grandsons, leading to the brothers Li Shi, Li Miao, Li Xia, and Li Shu.

So, naturally, following the example of Li Yu changing his name to Li Heng, the new crown prince Li Chu should also be renamed.

Li Ji thought the name Li Chu was quite good, its goodness lying in its rarity. The Tang people were particular about avoiding taboo names, especially those of the emperor. For example, to avoid using the name of Emperor Taizong, they changed "民" (min) to "为人" (ren), and to avoid using the name of Emperor Gaozong, they changed "治" (zhi) to "理" (li)—so "治民" (zhimin) became "理人" (liren)...

When Li Ji first joined the army, he couldn't call himself a "commoner" and had to call himself a "grassman"—grassman? I can borrow arrows but not him?

There's also the taboo against using the name of Li Longji, so "Long" was changed to "Sheng," and "Ji" was changed to "Gen" or "Ben." Well... if "stirring up a relationship" is like "stirring up a root," that's quite apt.

Then, to avoid using the taboo name of Li Heng, Heng was changed to Tong. Therefore, the opening of the Book of Changes after Zhide should be "Yuan Tong Li Zhen".

Comparatively speaking, the character "亨" (heng) is less commonly used and causes the least trouble for officials and the people. If Li Chu were to succeed to the throne in the future, avoiding the character "俶" (chu) would undoubtedly be more welcome than "亨" (heng). But instead, it was changed to "李豫" (Li Yu)... "豫" (yu) is a commonly used character. So how am I supposed to say "犹豫" (you he) or "逸豫" (yi yu) in the future? What will happen to Yuzhou? What will happen to Yuzhang?

It was probably that old, immortal bastard in Xingqing Palace who did it. He's so damn annoying!

Although an imperial edict had been issued establishing Li Chu and Li Yu as Crown Prince, the formal investiture ceremony had not yet been held. Therefore, Li Heng made no mention of moving the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace, leaving Li Yu to stay at the residence of the Sixteenth Prince, merely changing the plaque of the "Cheng Prince's Residence." This was undoubtedly a good thing for Li Ji; otherwise, given the depths of the palace, he, without a title or status, would likely never have been able to enter.

Then, at the end of the month, another imperial edict was issued, officially appointing Prince Qi, Li Tan, as the military governor of both Longyou and Hexi. However, he only held the position of military governor of the two regions, without any other titles—not even the Changxing Transport Commissioner, a position that the Hexi military governor was required to hold. The Changxing Transport Commissioner was in charge of managing the taxes and output of the seven prefectures in Hexi, which were deposited into the national treasury in peacetime and supplied to the army locally in times of war. Without this position, Li Tan would have to rely on others for the allocation and use of military funds in Hexi.

Undoubtedly, this was Cui Guangyuan's plan, which was relayed to Li Shi through Li Ji. Li Shi then reported it to Li Chu, who found it reasonable and used it to trip up his brother. Qi's staff were all indignant and pleaded to submit a memorial to the emperor, but Li Tan dissuaded them. Li Tan said, "The emperor has already bestowed upon me the title of military governor of two regions, which is an extraordinary favor. How can I be greedy for more? Besides, the barbarian bandits are currently heading towards Longyou, and there is no immediate danger in Hexi. There is no need for long-distance transport."

After expressing his gratitude to the Emperor, Li Tan began to assemble his own staff. Of course, most positions had to be reserved for the veterans who had served as military governors in Longyou and Hexi—the Emperor had promoted Gao Sheng, the military governor of Longyou, to deputy military governor of Longyou, and Zhou Ben, the military governor of Hexi, to deputy military governor of Hexi, and they each had their own subordinates—so the newly formed staff could only include four or five more trusted confidants.

Li Ji then received a letter of appointment from Li Tan, who sent someone to his door, offering him a monthly salary of five strings of cash to serve as the military governor of two towns, and promising to help him obtain a court official position as a stipend.

Li Ji accepted it respectfully and then went to the Qi residence to express his gratitude.

He finally determined his direction, mainly because Li Shi privately revealed that Li Yu had sent his old essay, "Strategy for Defending Against the Barbarians," to Li Tan that very day, and Li Tan was said to be deeply impressed. Li Ji thus understood that his entry into the staff of the two military commanderies and becoming a guest of Li Tan was not only Li Tan's wish but also Li Yu's arrangement—Li Yu had personally placed Li Ji in the staff, paving the way for him.

Li Ji had worried that if the brothers Li Yu and Li Tan were to clash in the future, he would be in a difficult position; and if Li Yu were to successfully ascend the throne, Li Tan would be sidelined or even imprisoned, which would also affect his future. But since it was Li Yu's wish, his position in the conflict would be easier to manage, and he wouldn't be cut off from his path to promotion because of Li Tan.

More importantly, through Li Shi's hints, Li Ji vaguely learned of the secret agreement between the brothers Li Yu and Li Tan—he estimated that at least before Li Yu ascended the throne, or before he completely brought down Empress Zhang and her son, the two of them would not have any serious conflict.

The road ahead is fraught with difficulties and thorns, but it is not without a way out. Unless Li Ji seeks only the safest option and intends to abandon his westward journey and instead go east to assist Guo Ziyi in suppressing the rebellion—but he truly has no interest in the already decided civil war—he will inevitably have to join Li Tan's staff.

Li Tan quickly secured a position as the assistant magistrate of Shimen County in Lizhou for Li Ji. Shimen was a mid-level county, and the assistant magistrate was a low-ranking eighth-grade official—a transition from military to civil service, and obtaining an eighth-grade rank was already quite good.

In mid-June, a thousand soldiers from the Shence Army, originally stationed in Shanxian County, arrived in the capital to serve as the personal guards of the two military governors, protecting Li Tan on his westward journey to his new post. Li Ji, through Li Tan, specifically named Chen Fu and Yi Tiechui, and the old friends were overjoyed to see each other again. In particular, the Shence Army, ostensibly guarding Guanzhong, had little to do; Chen Fu and the others had long been scheming to return to their hometown of Taozhou to fight the Tubo and seek revenge. Li Ji had given them this opportunity, and they were naturally extremely grateful.

At the end of the month, Li Tan officially accepted the order to set off on the expedition, leaving Chang'an City with Li Ji, Jia Huai, and his trusted confidant Yang Yan, among others. His brothers all came to see him off, except for Crown Prince Li Yu, who claimed illness and did not attend.

This was to mislead Empress Zhang, making her believe that Li Tan's departure to govern was purely his personal desire to seize power and attempt to seize the throne. Li Yu would undoubtedly feel deeply resentful about this, and a rift between the brothers would be imminent. Of course, his dissatisfaction couldn't be shown too obviously, as that would raise suspicions that it was all an act. Therefore, Li Yu specially sent his eldest son, Li Shi, to respectfully see off his uncle.

Li Shi appeared innocent and carefree, seemingly oblivious to the discord between his father and uncles. He was already close to Li Tan, so he squeezed to the front of the group of uncles to offer a grand salute, reciting prayers and showering them with compliments. Li Tan, holding Li Shi's hand, seemed reluctant to part, and nag, asking, "Shi'er, when are you going to have your coming-of-age ceremony? Has His Highness the Crown Prince chosen a future wife for you?"

Li Ji followed behind, observing coldly, thinking to himself, "I hope that even if this facade of kindness and filial piety isn't entirely genuine, it's mostly real. I especially hope that five or ten years from now, you can still be holding hands and chatting like this, laughing and talking happily..."

They escorted him all the way to the pavilion ten miles west of the city. Li Tan earnestly urged his brothers to return, then mounted his horse and led his army on the road. But Li Shi suddenly darted out from the crowd and ran directly in front of Li Ji's horse.

Li Ji hurriedly tried to dismount, but Li Shi reached out to support him, saying, "Changwei, you are a great benefactor who saved my mother. Why do you always bow so formally?" Li Ji whispered, "Your Highness, constantly mentioning past favors doesn't necessarily reflect sincerity. Instead, it makes me feel ashamed..."

Li Shi said he understood and didn't mention it again. Then, holding the reins with one hand and clinging to Li Ji's thigh with the other, he leaned closer and looked up to ask, "Changwei, who knows when we'll see each other again—don't you have anything to say to me?"

Their eyes met, and Li Ji immediately realized—Li Shi definitely didn't want him to leave a message for him, but rather for him to leave a message for Li Yu, essentially a final pledge of loyalty to his former master before penetrating deep into enemy territory… Well, theoretically speaking, Li Tan's forces weren't in the enemy camp, but Li Yu also hoped to receive Li Ji's promise once again:

I paved the way for you—if I opposed it, you wouldn't even have a chance to join Li Tan's staff—you're actually one of my men, just temporarily lent to my brother's command, so don't forget your roots. Think about it, Mr. Changyuan has always spared no effort in protecting me; he's long since decided I'm the best candidate for the future emperor. How could you, Changwei, go against Mr. Changyuan's wishes?

Moreover, ever since writing "Strategies for Defending Against the Barbarians," Li Ji knew he could no longer pretend to be a reckless person—he could continue to pretend to be a roughneck, since his writing was indeed not very good—both Li Yu and Li Tan understood that he actually possessed some profound knowledge. So, if he were to say a few words that were neither profound nor insightful, Li Shi would not be satisfied, and if he relayed the words back to Li Yu, Li Yu would surely become suspicious.

The royal family is really having a tough time getting involved in this mess...

So he leaned slightly forward on his horse, got close to Li Shi's ear, and whispered:

"A message to the Crown Prince: If one cannot even manage one's own family, how can one bring peace to the world? It is easy to deal with the overbearing servants outside, but the arrogant and unruly servants inside are difficult to manage. However, if they do not win the favor of their mistress, would the servants still dare to act recklessly?"

He then straightened up, smiled, and patted Li Shi's arm.

Li Shi replied, "I've got it." Only then did he release the reins and loosen his grip, letting Li Ji leave.

Not far along, Yang Yan approached and asked, "Changwei, what were you talking about with the Prince of Guangping just now?" Li Ji shook his head: "Nothing much. In the past, when I went to Chengfu, I would play games with the Prince of Guangping for amusement. I taught him some tricks."

Yang Yan's face clearly showed his disbelief, but he didn't press the matter. He could only snort coldly and urge his horse away.

However, when they stayed overnight that evening, Li Ji made a special trip to see Li Tan, asking him to dismiss everyone, and then recounted without any concealment what he had said to Li Shi during the day.

"Since you seem to be on Li Yu's side, I can't hide these things from you. Yang Yan, relying on his intelligence and favor, actually came to ask me about it. Of course, I can't tell him; I'm sure he'll turn around and complain to you about my treachery. Even if Yang Yan doesn't say anything, you couldn't possibly not know that I was whispering with Li Shi in the ranks, even though you were in the front. If I don't tell you the truth, you'll definitely feel resentful."

Moreover, I believe that Li Yu, after hearing Li Shi's retelling, will surely understand the meaning of my words. So, Li Tan, do you understand or not?

Upon hearing Li Ji's words, Li Tan immediately smiled and said, "Changwei, tell me the truth, was this a teaching from Mr. Changyuan, or was it part of your own plan?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Good, you understand now," and replied, "It's just some shallow knowledge from a country bumpkin. My elder brother is in Jiangnan, how could he possibly know?"

The "outer servants," "inner slaves," and "mistress" mentioned by Li Ji actually refer to Cui Yuan, Li Fuguo, and Empress Zhang. Li Bi was aware of the three's collusion; however, after returning to the capital, they stirred up such a storm that Li Changyuan, not being a prophet, certainly could not have foreseen it.

Li Ji was offering advice to Li Yu on how to break up this "iron triangle" that was harming the country and disrupting the government. The first step was to target Cui Yuan.

At that time, the Council of State Affairs was sparsely populated. Fang Guan, Pei Mian, Li Lin, Wei Jiansu, and others had all been dismissed from their posts as prime ministers, and Cui Huan and Zhang Hao had been banished from the capital. Only the old and still-living Chamberlain Miao Jinqing and the utterly unreputable Vice Minister of the Chancellery Wang Yu remained. How could they possibly contend with Cui Yuan? The Council of State Affairs thus became a one-man show, and Cui Yuan's pronouncements were essentially just reading from Li Fuguo's orders...

The Tang Dynasty had always had a system of multiple prime ministers, with the Council of State Affairs having a fixed number of six or seven people. This three-horse carriage system could not last long. In addition, Cui Yuan, as prime minister, lacked the virtues of a prime minister and even neglected the duties of a prime minister. All officials hated him to the bone. Therefore, as long as Li Yu took advantage of the situation, he could first help a few capable ministers to become prime ministers, and then try to remove Cui Yuan from power. It should not be difficult.

However, even if Cui Yuan falls from power, Li Fuguo's power may not be significantly weakened—after all, he can still draft edicts on behalf of the emperor—at most, he will just have to engage in a few more verbal battles with the outer court. To bring down Li Fuguo, it is necessary to sow discord between him and Empress Zhang, and the opportunity lies with Li Yu.

Having served Li Heng for a long time, Li Fuguo was well aware of Li Yu's abilities and personality. Moreover, at least on the surface, there seemed to be no discord between him and Li Yu. In other words, Li Fuguo was confident that even if Li Heng died and Li Yu ascended the throne, he could still manipulate the new emperor and remain extremely powerful.

However, if Empress Zhang's wishes were fulfilled, and Li Yu was overthrown and Li Zhao was made crown prince, Li Fuguo would likely be in a predicament. Firstly, Li Zhao was still young; who knew what his personality and abilities would be like as he grew up? Secondly, he would have to rebuild his relationship with Li Zhao, spending considerable time and effort to understand his intentions, and even then, success was not guaranteed. Thirdly, Empress Zhang was extremely power-hungry and might one day rule from behind the curtain, even emulating Empress Wu Zetian. Whether Li Fuguo would still have a place in the palace at that time was uncertain…

Therefore, conflicts were bound to arise between Li Fuguo and Empress Zhang over whether the succession would be changed. If this was handled well, there was an opportunity to get rid of Li Fuguo. Hence the saying, "If the mistress does not have the favor of her, would the eunuch dare to act recklessly?"

As for Empress Zhang... forget it. As long as Li Heng doesn't die, I doubt anyone can do anything about her.

Li Ji used these words to remind Li Yu through Li Shi. When he relayed the same words to Li Tan, Li Tan nodded repeatedly and said, "Changwei, I have read your 'Strategy for Defending Against the Barbarians,' and it is truly insightful. This time, on the western expedition, we will still have to rely on you for military matters!"

(End of Volume Two, "Autumn Grasses Cover the Steps Over Tianjin")

Chapter 1: The Crisis in Longyou

With a whoosh, the arrow pierced the air, and the last Tibetan scout was struck in the back by the arrow, rolling off his horse without a sound.

Then came the clatter of hooves as over a hundred Tang cavalrymen roared in. Two soldiers at the forefront dismounted; one stepped on the corpse of a Tibetan soldier and pulled an arrow from its back, while the other drew his sword and severed the head. The two then presented the bloodied arrow and the severed head to their superior for inspection.

Among this group of Tang cavalry, only three stood out with their distinctive attire. Their armor was exquisite, gleaming in the sun, and each helmet was adorned with a large red tassel, clearly indicating they were military commanders. The three riders approached side by side. The one on the left, who appeared more mature, glanced at the corpse and immediately gave a thumbs-up: "Excellent archery!"

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Changwei, you've now graduated."

The general in the center, with a round face and bushy beard, holding a horse bow, was none other than Li Ji, Li Changwei, the Assistant Magistrate of Shimen County in Lizhou and concurrently the Military Governor and Inspector of Longyou and Hexi Towns.

Li Ji bent down slightly, took the arrow from his companion, and seeing that the arrowhead was not badly damaged, wiped it clean on his companion's clothes on the right and put it into Hu Lu.

The companion seemed somewhat displeased: "Why are you wiping blood off me?"