Chapter 1 The Desert and the Monk

The wind was scorching on both sides, and even breathing felt like a prickling pain in his throat, but the young man named Chen Yuan had to try his best to keep up with the monk in front of him, watching him shoulder an eight-hundred-jin water-milled Buddhist staff and run like a rabbit. His eyes twitched.

Why hadn't he noticed back then that this guy could run so well?

"Chen Yi, hey, take a break."

"Chen Yi, Xuanzang, Xuanzang!"

"Can't you run anymore?"

After shouting several times, the monk finally turned his head, grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"But we have to hurry."

"There are very few people in the desert, and even if there are, they are sand bandits who come and go like the wind."

"It's just dawned. We have to travel as much as possible before the temperature rises, and find a rock to hide from the hottest part of noon. Otherwise, this little bit of water won't be enough to drink."

The monk's tone was light, and he looked at the man with the sword on his back, saying:

"Chen Yuan, if you can't run, I'll help you."

"But, we can't turn back now."

The monk smiled triumphantly, with a hint of schadenfreude.

Chen Yuan really wanted to punch him in his bald head.

The young monk, whose Dharma name was Xuanzang, swayed, lifted the Buddhist staff with his left arm, and picked up Chen Yuan with his right hand. He lifted him up, and his speed increased again, breaking through the wind and sand in front of him. He was tall and mighty, like a god, and handfuls of sand slapped him in the face, filling Chen Yuan's mouth.

His face was full of frustration.

Who am I?

Where am I?

Why am I wandering around with this guy?

………………

The reason for this goes back to half a year ago.

Chen Yuan.

From Luoyang.

His great-grandfather was a prefect of the Northern Wei Dynasty, a first-class regional official.

He and Chen Xuanzang were considered to be from the same clan, but they were distant relatives. Not to mention his own family, Chen Yi, Chen Xuanzang, this lineage was much better than his family. The latter's grandfather was a Doctor of the State Academy of the Sui Dynasty, and his father was also a county magistrate, but later his parents passed away when he was five and ten years old.

Chen Xuanzang and his brother were both monks.

As for Chen Yuan, he weaved straw sandals when he was young, and later became a cook.

Finally, one day he angrily overturned the pot.

Eat if you want, or get out.

Relying on some martial arts passed down from his ancestors, he made a name for himself and became a wandering swordsman.

That is, an unemployed vagrant who was violent and uncooperative under the rule of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.

He would spar with those Bad Boys every day when he had nothing to do.

What's more, he was greatly annoyed by his childhood friend, who happened to pass the imperial examination. During the Sui Dynasty, all kinds of recommendations were required, but in the Tang Dynasty, one could ‘take the exam with a certificate.’ He could sign up for the exam himself, and he actually passed.

After discussing it, his childhood sweetheart went to Chang'an City.

He also heard that his distant relative, Xuanzang, who was known as the Buddhist prodigy, had also arrived in Chang'an.

So, this wandering swordsman beat up a street of Bad Boys from beginning to end, and then, amidst a burst of ‘farewell,’ carried his luggage and came to Chang'an City, relying on his own strength.

However, he never expected that the monk could fight even better than him.

However, after entering Chang'an, he had some happy days. Although the Tang Dynasty had just been established, Chang'an City had its own atmosphere. Although wandering swordsmen did not encourage martial arts, it was still pleasant to come and go in this city.

………………

First year of Zhenguan, Spring——

Chang'an.

In a certain luxurious mansion.

In the backyard, on a large tree, a wandering swordsman was hanging upside down, carrying a Tang sword of the Tang Dynasty on his back, his high ponytail hanging down, swaying there. Two koi carps swam back and forth in the pond in the yard.

There was still some chill in the spring, and a chubby little guy was there watching the fish.

The wandering swordsman, who came to stroll around and avoid a certain monk, was bored.

"What's so good about fish?"

"Or should I cook you a fish?"

The little guy first widened his eyes and said, "No!"

After a long while, he pursed his lips and said:

"Is it delicious?"

"Is it delicious?"

The wandering swordsman was amused, turned over and sat on the tree, swaying and stretching out a finger, patted the bag on his back, and said proudly: "In our Chen Family Town in Luoyang, no one dares to say that my cooking is not delicious!"

"So it's very delicious?"

Chen Yuan scratched his head and said, "...I guess."

He and this little guy met accidentally one day.

It was rare to see someone else who was so greedy.

And this mansion was quite deserted, and this little guy was quite lonely without anyone taking care of him.

After a while, they got to know each other.

He just didn't expect that at the age of three, he would be so precocious. When he was three years old, he was much more robust.

The little guy pointed to Chen Yuan's eyes and said, "But... you lost another fight?"

"Tsk, what do you mean 'again'?"

The wandering swordsman was not convinced, swayed and fell down, put a hand on the little guy's head, and said dissatisfied: "My martial arts are famous in our Luoyang. Who knew that the monk would be so fierce?"

He felt a chill down his spine at the thought of the freak who directly used the Buddhist bell to temper his strength.

One hand held the Buddhist bell, and the other hand held a pen to copy scriptures.

Goodness…

During the great war a few years ago, the flames of war even spread to Chang'an.

At that time, sixteen-year-old Chen Xuanzang walked alone for seven years in the chaos to learn Buddhism.

Nothing happened, but he traveled all over China.

It was outrageous.

The wandering swordsman, who was also a martial arts practitioner, was very confused.

He asked, when the world was in chaos and the princes were fighting everywhere, where did you get the food and travel expenses?

The monk just smiled and didn't answer.

That smile... Chen Yuan always felt a little hairy in his heart.

The little guy stretched out his chubby little hand and pressed his eye socket, sighing: "Brother Chen, what are you doing again... Don't be brave if you can't beat him. You're obviously not good at martial arts, but you still have to be so unreliable."

"Who said I'm not good at martial arts? It's just that this time is a bit special."

The wandering swordsman was being stubborn.

"If it's not that Master Xuanzang, who else are you fighting with?"

"…………"

After several urgings, he finally reluctantly replied, "It's my childhood friend."

"He's now an official. I haven't seen him for a long time, so we sparred a bit."

"Oh, did you fight with the Xuanjia Army?" (Black Armored Army)

"No..."

The wandering swordsman said a little aggrieved: "He is a new scholar, a civil official."

The little guy was stunned, then stuck out his tongue:

"You can't even beat a civil official, Brother Chen, you're embarrassing."

Chen Yuan was furious and was about to speak when he heard footsteps in the distance. This place was heavily guarded, but for some reason, the wandering swordsman, who had always grown up in his hometown, dared to come in and stroll around, so he put his finger against his lips, signaling silence, and with a sway, he leaped a few times and hid behind the old tree.

Almost the next moment, a group of Yingying Yanyan women walked in from outside.

The leading woman, although slightly older, was still beautiful. Beside her was a middle-aged man dressed as a Jianghu (martial world) fortune teller, wearing a long robe of black and white, a wooden hairpin tied his hair, and his overall attire was like a Confucian scholar but not a Confucian scholar, like a Taoist but not a Taoist. His temperament was as gentle as jade, and his eyes were peaceful.

He raised his eyes and glanced at the old tree with a smile that was not a smile.

The older woman said, "Please wait a moment, sir."

Then she asked people to summon two handsome young men, who came in and bowed respectfully.

The woman pointed to the two young men and asked, "What does sir think of these two?"

The refined man just glanced at them and said lightly:

"They can be officials up to the third rank, and they can protect their families, but they can't really achieve great success. They are not considered very wealthy."

The surrounding women exclaimed, a third-rank official, and he's not considered very wealthy?

But when you think about it, the head of this family used to run a timber business, a local tycoon, who once generously donated money, food, and clothing to support the Holy One's army, so he can have his current status. He is a new noble of the entire Tang Dynasty and has been named Duke Ying. A mere third rank is naturally extremely rare in ordinary families, but it seems to be common in this family.

The woman seemed quite displeased with this judgment, and then summoned a beautiful girl.

"This is my eldest daughter. What does sir think?"

The girl bowed to the fortune teller, who looked at her and shook his head, saying:

"This woman is noble but not beneficial to her husband."

The dignified lady was still not satisfied.

Looking at faces is sometimes similar to gambling, always wanting to draw the best one.

So, a servant picked up the chubby little guy who was wrapped up tightly and asked the face reader to take a closer look. Because he had not obtained the results he wanted for several times in a row, he deliberately concealed the child's true gender and said, "What about this child?"

The refined man glanced at him, his expression surprised, and then became more solemn. He said slowly:

"Dragon pupils and phoenix neck, an extremely noble omen."

Then he said regretfully:

"If it were a woman, her future would be limitless, and she would surely be the master of the world in the future!"

The dignified woman was quite happy when she heard the first sentence.

But the second sentence stopped her from saying that this little guy was a girl.

So, she had to awkwardly cover up the matter, but she felt a little disdain in her heart. So what if he said that his face-reading skills were unparalleled in the world? So what? How could a woman be an emperor? She immediately led the Fangshi (Taoist alchemist) to the front to be received. The little guy was still young, and after a while, he returned alone, dejected.

The wandering swordsman fell down. There were still fruits that had just been placed on the table. Without hesitation, he wiped the fruit with his lapel and stuffed it into his mouth.

Seeing the little guy who seemed to have been scolded by his mother a few words, he couldn't stuff the fruit anymore, so he pretended to comfort him:

"Don't listen to what those Jianghu (martial world) fortune tellers say. I'm telling you, I've seen a lot of these guys in my hometown."

"It's okay, you're just a little girl, what world leader?"

He squatted down slightly and rubbed the little guy's hair.

The little guy muttered, "My mother warned me that if I say this to others, I'll be beheaded."

"It's the first time I've seen my mother and brother so angry."

"Brother Chen, if I become the master of the world, will you still be nice to me?"

When the unpopular little guy asked this question, the wandering swordsman gave an unwavering answer, and painfully handed over the candies he had saved to the little guy, watching her childishly turn from cloudy to sunny, dangling her legs and gnawing on the fruit next to him, which was also pleasing, but he couldn't have imagined it.

When decades later, he stood under the magnificent Daming Palace, what fell on him was a gaze so cold that he could not recognize it, and the shadows of swords and axes behind the screen. The golden hall was full of pressure, the spring breeze was long in the outside world, he could walk through the deserted deserts and snow-capped mountains, but he could not walk out of the memories of old friends, and he could not walk out of his own heart. Whether the old swordsman at that time would also think that anyone can change.

And when familiar people have already changed their appearance, have the old friends in their own memories already died?

At this moment, the wandering swordsman just wanted to vent his anger for his 'comrade' in Chang'an.

So, when the Fangshi (Taoist alchemist) walked out of the Wu Mansion.

He made an appointment to stop him on the street, with a willow branch sprouting in the spring in his mouth, hugging his arms around his waist, and doing a business of intercepting the road.

The refined man, who was like a Confucian scholar but not a Confucian scholar, and like a Taoist but not a Taoist, smiled:

"You really came..."

The sentence "You really came" had not yet fallen.

The wandering swordsman spat out the willow leaf in his mouth.

Exhale and speak!

He suddenly jumped out, his spine lifted, and his right fist smashed out like a dragon!

In fact, like a dragon!

In this instant, the Bad Boys who were beaten into a pulp in Luoyang were with him!

At this moment, the anger of being bullied by the monk ignited!

In this life, the thing I hate the most is fortune tellers!

So, his right fist hit the refined man's right eye socket heavily.

The refined man staggered back.

A large patch of blue and purple appeared directly on that white face.

Like a panda.

The wandering swordsman blew on his fist and sneered: "Fortune teller?"

"Did you predict my punch?!"

The refined fortune teller twitched the corner of his mouth and rubbed his eyes.

In the end, the two were arrested by the Bad Boys of the Tang Dynasty for the crime of street fighting——

This was the first meeting between Yuan Tiangang and Chen Yuan in the Tang Dynasty.

ps: Today's first update... 3,600 words.

The Tang Dynasty chapter is still a relatively important node~

I have searched a lot of information to prepare (the hand holding the cigarette trembles slightly).

After all, I am not that kind of very powerful person, I can only try my best to write the story beautifully and interestingly, and it is also a rare important core point in ancient history after the Three Kingdoms and the Qin Dynasty~ I hope I can write it well.