Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 80

Ma Sui exclaimed in astonishment, "There must be no eunuchs in his army..."

Li Ji sneered: "Although there isn't one today, it doesn't mean there won't be one tomorrow. In the defeat at Xiangzhou the other day, weren't Guo Situ, Li Sikong, and Zhang Dafu famous generals? Could they not be inferior to Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and Lai Zhen? Why did they fail? Although Yu Chaoen has returned to the court, it's not certain that the Emperor won't appoint him as a military supervisor again. Besides... Li Fuguo still holds the title of Marshal's Chief Military Advisor!"

Ma Sui said indignantly, "We were originally discussing military competition. If we're talking about matters outside of military competition, how can you and I fabricate such things?"

Li Ji replied, "What I mean is... there are no eunuchs supervising the army in Longyou."

“That’s because there’s a Prince of Qi in Longyou…” Ma Sui said, then suddenly realized, “Changwei means that Henan should also appoint a prince as marshal?” Li Ji nodded with a somber expression: “I’m afraid that Minister Guo’s position as marshal won’t last long…”

However, as Ma Sui said, these two officials were of low rank and could not possibly foresee what would happen next. They could not predict what other foolish moves Li Heng would make. They could only judge the outcome based on the current deployment on the eastern front and make it a topic of conversation. As for Guo Ziyi and Zhang Xun guarding Luoyang, and Lai Zhen guarding Shaanxi and Hua, holding their ground and repelling the enemy should not be a big problem.

However—"The soldiers may be available, but I don't know if the food and supplies will be sufficient..." When it came to the financial issues, Li Ji casually mentioned his distrust of Fifth Qi to Ma Sui.

Ma Sui pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Currently, the granaries in the capital region and the capital area are empty, and military supplies have to be transported from afar. There are two main sources: one is Sichuan, and the other is the Jianghuai region. However, Sichuan still needs to be guarded against the barbarians... The transport commissioner of Jianghuai is currently the Yuan Zhongcheng. I wonder what kind of person he is..."

The "Yuan Zhongcheng" he referred to was Yuan Zai, the Imperial Censor. Li Ji had heard Li Qiyun mention this man before; he was said to have passed the imperial examinations by relying on Daoist doctrines. Of course, one shouldn't discriminate against Daoists; wasn't Li Mi also a Daoist? Li Qiyun held this man's abilities in high regard, but scoffed at his scholarship—after all, he had never passed the regular imperial examinations—and knew little about his character.

Li Ji could only sigh and say, "I do not know him either, but I hope he is a minister of the state."

Taking the opportunity, Ma Sui changed the subject: "I fear that this autumn, not only will the Shi bandits invade Henan, but the barbarian bandits will also invade Longyou again. Changwei is very familiar with the situation in Longyou. Can he still hold it?"

Li Ji shook his head: "I don't know either... but I hope that Hun Shizhi can assist the King of Qi and devise a strategy..." Then the two of them began a "keyboard politics" discussion about the situation in Longyou.

Li Ji was quite pleased. Since Li Mi's departure, he finally had someone he could talk to again. Of course, Li Mi was the only one he was willing to have a heart-to-heart talk with, discussing matters of the world. With Li Shi, he could only say seven parts and swallow three. As for Ma Sui, the banquet he hosted for the Shence generals the other day had slightly improved their relationship, but they only had some common ground in military affairs. In any case, at least it was a good opportunity to pass the time and lift his spirits, wasn't it?

Li Ji was indeed quite bored in the capital. Every day, without fail, he went to the government office to handle some trivial official business, and afterwards practiced his mace skills with Qin Huan and the others—while avoiding the days when Wang Jiahe came to inspect—his life was regular and easy, but empty. He had originally been wary of Li Fuguo trying to trip him up, but Li Fuguo expressed his willingness to turn enemies into friends… He then became wary of Yu Chaoen settling personal scores, but Yu Chaoen had just returned to the capital and was busy dealing with Shence Army affairs, and seemed to have temporarily forgotten about Li Ji.

Every day after get off work, when he returned home, Qingluan would have prepared a variety of delicious foods for him. However, there was a curfew in Chang'an every night, and he wasn't used to staying out overnight, so he couldn't enjoy going out for drinks with friends—and actually, he didn't have many friends anyway—so his evening entertainment mostly consisted of bedroom activities or reviewing Du Fu's poems…

During his time off, Li Ji did visit Li Qiyun twice to inquire about matters of the court. However, Li Qiyun was, after all, an elder—at least according to age—so Li Ji could not be presumptuous in front of him and was naturally not happy. As for Li Guayan, although they shared the same name, they were actually completely different types of people and had basically nothing to say to each other.

—This reminded Li Ji of a couplet he had heard of in his previous life, which only had a second line: "Lin Xiangru and Sima Xiangru, named Xiangru, but not in reality."

Moreover, Li Qiyun, claiming to be an elder, actually pressured Changyuan to marry! He said that since Changyuan was devoted to Taoism and had no intention of marrying or having children, Changwei, you must take responsibility and ensure the continuation of the Liaodong branch. Li Ji thought to himself, "The Liaodong branch of the Zhao County Li clan isn't just ours anymore—although I don't know where the other branches are located, they're probably all farming in the countryside—how did this heavy burden fall on my shoulders?" Forced to flee in a sorry state, he dared not visit Li Qiyun again.

Therefore, when Qingluan suggested going to the temple to offer incense, Li Ji, although not particularly fond of Buddhism, still agreed—just to go out for a walk to clear his mind.

Looking back on his previous life, his research work was quite mundane, with only occasional moments spent watching movies and playing games. But since transmigrating here and experiencing so many ups and downs, his life has been incredibly rich and varied. Going back to a nine-to-five job—or seven-to-three in this life—would be truly unbearable.

However, when Qingluan suggested going to Miaosheng Temple in Liquanfang to worship Buddha, Li Ji was puzzled and immediately asked her, "There is a temple nearby, why go all the way to Chang'an County?"

Chang'an City is divided by the central Zhuque Avenue, with the eastern part belonging to Wannian County and the western part belonging to Chang'an County. Although Li Ji has been living in Chang'an for more than two months, his activities are limited to the northeastern corner. He doesn't go west beyond the Imperial City, nor south beyond the East Market and Pingkang Ward. However, he still knows the general situation of the surrounding wards and what religious sites are there.

The Tang Dynasty nominally revered Taoism and even claimed Laozi, the founder of Taoism, as its ancestor. However, starting with Emperor Taizong, from the imperial family and officials down to wealthy merchants, they often bestowed or donated separate courtyards as Buddhist temples. As a result, more than 70% of the wards in the city had temples, and some wards even had as many as three or four, far exceeding the number of Taoist temples.

However, there were no Buddhist temples in Guanghua Ward, where Li Ji lived—nor were there any Taoist temples either—nor were there any in Yongjia Ward to the east. If the residents of these two wards wanted to burn incense and worship Buddha, they would mostly go north to Wangji Temple in Daning Ward, or west to He'en Temple in Yongxing Ward, or they could go south, as there were three temples in Shengye Ward: Shengye, Hongji, and Ganlu.

Qingluan's reply was: "This humble servant wishes to visit a nunnery..."

Li Ji said, "Isn't Ganlu Temple in Shengye Ward a nunnery?"

Qingluan shook her head and said, "Chang'an fell and was recovered, and many temples are in ruins—Ganlu Temple probably doesn't have many nuns left. I've always heard that Miaosheng Temple is large and has many nuns, so I wish to go and pay my respects there."

Clutching at Li Ji's collar, she half-pleaded and half-whined, "Chang'an is such a vast city, yet you and I always linger in this northeast corner. Why not venture a little further afield? Besides, the West Market is just south of Liquan Ward. I've been to the East Market, but I've never visited the West Market. I've heard there are many foreign merchants there, and lots of exotic treasures. So after the prayers, we can visit the West Market... My lord, are you unwilling to go to the West Market?"

Li Ji smiled slightly: "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed..."

Although he had never been to the West Market, he had heard his colleagues mention it. Originally, the West Market was mostly inhabited by foreigners; it was estimated that one out of every three shops was run by them. It offered many exotic treasures and taverns where foreign women performed dances. However, after An Lushan's rebellion, the Tang people grew to dislike foreigners, especially since it was said that An Lushan had also received much help from foreign merchants. As a result, many foreign shops in the West Market either closed down voluntarily or were raided by the government, leaving less than 30% standing. In recent years, with soaring prices and a decline in commerce, the West Market is no longer what it used to be.

But then again, what has Qingluan, a country girl, ever seen? Even if the West Market is less prosperous than it used to be, it's still much more bustling than the markets of the cities in Longyou. Since she wants to go to the West Market, then let her go. I don't have much money in my pocket to buy Qingluan gold jewelry, brocade clothes, but am I not willing to go shopping with her?

Even if you don't buy anything, shopping is always a great pleasure in a woman's life; although it is mostly a hardship for the men who accompany them, how can a woman not be willing to endure such a little hardship?

The reason why Qingluan refused to burn incense and worship Buddha nearby, but instead insisted on going to Miaosheng Temple in Liquanfang, was probably just an excuse; her main purpose was still in the West Market...

However, Li Ji was wrong.

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Chapter 8, Guanyin Who Grants Children

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Qingluan had been with Li Ji for over half a year. Before, when they were in Longyou, it was fine, but now that they were back in Chang'an, Li Ji's work was leisurely, he had few friends, and even fewer entertainment activities, so he had plenty of energy to devote to the bedroom. Basically, apart from meeting Li Shi at night, the two of them would sleep together four out of five days... Moreover, Li Ji was young and strong, and it was common for them to have sex two or three times a night.

Qingluan longed to bear Li Ji a son or daughter so that her position in the Li family could be secure—after all, she was a concubine. Even a principal wife would be divorced if she had no children, let alone a concubine. Getting rid of a concubine was much simpler than divorcing a wife. No clear reason was needed, and there was no need to go through the government. The man could terminate the contract at any time.

Of course, according to the law, compensation will definitely be given. But Qingluan has no relatives to rely on, and even if she is given a thousand or ten thousand coins, her later life will still be completely unsecured—unless Li Ji has tens of millions in assets and is willing to spend a hundred thousand or a million to send Qingluan away.

The women in the neighborhood often gathered to gossip, saying that Li Erlang was of marriageable age. Although Qingluan had tried to probe Li Ji a few times, the young master didn't seem to be in a hurry, but who knows when a matchmaker might come knocking.

—In fact, the matchmakers had come before, but mostly when Li Ji was in office, Qingluan always refused to see them…

Qingluan had been a courtesan and knew well how officials formed cliques. They could often decide on marriages with just a few words—mostly not out of mutual affection, but out of mutual benefit. Moreover, Li Ji had mentioned that his cousin from the Western branch (Li Qijun) had also seemed to have intended to act as matchmaker.

Once the principal wife enters the family, even if she is not from one of the five noble families or seven prominent clans, she must be the daughter of an official with powerful backing. If Zou Qingluan does not have any children to protect her, how could she possibly gain a place in the Li family?

Furthermore, even setting aside his legal wife, there's no guarantee that Li Lang won't take another concubine... Although he didn't stay overnight when he went to Pingkangfang for drinks last time, it means that a little fox has already set her sights on him—maybe it's that woman dressed as a man! She herself was a courtesan who had been redeemed, so who knows if Li Lang won't redeem another private prostitute? Although she has never seen the prostitutes in Chang'an, she can imagine that they must be more beautiful, charming, and good at pleasing men than the prostitutes in Longyou... Besides, even in Longyou, she was only a mid-level courtesan, nothing special.

Therefore, deep down, Qingluan harbored a considerable sense of crisis. To avert the danger that might suddenly descend upon her at any moment and to face the possibility of another woman suddenly entering her life, the only solution was for her to have a child as soon as possible.

However, I'm afraid my own stomach won't cooperate...

There are various secret medicines used in the prostitution trade, which can be taken before or after intercourse to prevent pregnancy. Although Qingluan has stopped taking such medicines since leaving the trade, no one can guarantee that what she took before won't affect her fertility. In particular, she had heard rumors in the trade that although women who were redeemed as maids or concubines could have children, the rate was much lower than that of women from respectable families.

That's why she wanted to go to a Buddhist temple to offer incense and pray, begging the gods and bodhisattvas to recognize her sincerity and grant her a son or daughter. She inquired among the local women and they all said that there was a Miaosheng Temple north of the Sandong Temple in Liquanfang, and the Guanyin Bodhisattva in the temple was the most efficacious for granting children. That's why Qingluan begged Li Ji to let her go to Miaosheng Temple.

Li Ji thought that Qingluan's main purpose was to stroll through the West Market, and that offering incense and praying to Buddha was only a secondary purpose. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

On ordinary days, he would get up at the crack of dawn, quickly wash up, eat breakfast, and then ride off to the Daming Palace to take his duty. Therefore, during his days off, he rarely got to sleep in and usually didn't get up until late morning. However, on this day, in order to go to Miaosheng Temple to offer incense, Li Ji was forced to give up his nap and left with Qingluan at the crack of dawn.

Qingluan and her servants naturally got up even earlier than him. The male servant, Aqi, rented a donkey cart from a shop in the neighborhood to settle Qingluan, while Li Ji rode ahead on horseback. After leaving the south gate of Guanghua Ward, they made three turns and entered Chunming Avenue. They then headed west, passing the south side of the imperial city. After about an hour, they finally entered Liquan Ward, and Miaosheng Temple was not far away.

Li Ji glanced up and saw that the nunnery was indeed quite popular, with a constant stream of carriages and worshippers coming and going, many of whom were women from scholar families. He left the carriages and horses in front of the temple and asked A Qi to look after them. After helping Qing Luan out of the carriage, the two walked side by side into the temple.

Today, Li Ji wore a casual hat and a long robe, and he didn't carry his double maces—for some reason, news of his newly made pair of iron maces had spread throughout Chang'an, and carrying them in the street would be too conspicuous—instead, he carried a long sword, pretending to be a scholar. Before he went out, Qingluan had specially trimmed his beard and waxed it; his mustache was slightly upturned, and his thick beard covered his cheeks. Although he still didn't show any scholarly air, it did somewhat conceal his fierce appearance.

Li Ji thought to himself, "If I were in a later era, I would wear glasses and look more like a cultured person."

Qingluan wore a veiled hat, with the veil hanging down to her neck, half-covering her face.

The predecessor of the veiled hat was the veil, which was a long gauze veil that extended past the knees and almost covered the entire body. Its purpose was to prevent the women of officials from being spied on for their faces and figures. After the Tang Dynasty, with the stabilization of social order and the gradual opening of social customs, the gauze veil became shorter and shorter, only covering the face. The veil thus evolved into the veiled hat, and the gauze veil on the veiled hat even parted at both shoulders, only covering the ears and not the face.

The Tang court issued two edicts prohibiting such "deeply impolite" and immoral attire, but to no avail. Towards the end of the Kaiyuan era, however, it completely reversed course, requiring women to "wear hats that fully expose their faces, without any covering"—whether this reflected Emperor Li Longji's personal aesthetic tastes is unknown.

Before the chaos that engulfed the land, the young Li Ji, though never having set foot in the two capitals, had spent time in medium-sized cities like Ji County. He often saw men and women on the streets not only without veils, but often without hats at all, or dressed in men's clothing. Logically, the capital should have been even more open, yet upon returning to Chang'an, he found more veils on the streets, and the draped curtains were gradually becoming longer…

In the past, it was common to see women with very low necklines, directly revealing a glimpse of their fair skin and brocade bodices—for example, the head chef Pang in the Imperial Palace of Luoyang—but now such women are almost extinct in Chang'an.

Li Ji understood that this was because the turmoil in the court and the economic downturn had led to a more introverted and conservative social atmosphere. At the same time, the rampant banditry in Chang'an in recent years had made most scholars and women no longer dare to easily show their faces.

As soon as he entered the temple gate, a nun came to greet him, putting her palms together in a gesture of respect and pointing out the location of the main hall. Actually, there was no need for guidance at all; he could have just followed the crowd. However, the nuns of this temple, who often entertained officials' families, had very sharp eyes. They noticed that although Li Ji was dressed plainly and was not a wealthy or noble person, the horse he rode outside the gate was quite fine. So, they quickly came up to greet him first, laying the groundwork for asking for donations later.

After queuing to enter the main hall, Li Ji spent ten coins to buy a bundle of incense at the entrance, gave it to Qingluan, and lit it while she kowtowed. He himself did not bow, but simply stood with his hands behind his back, looking up and down at the hall's layout and the rather well-sculpted Buddha statues. The nun was not surprised—she guessed that this man was a believer, perhaps even practicing Buddhism at home, so it was understandable that he didn't worship Buddha; as long as there was someone in your family who believed in Buddhism, that was fine.

So he came over with a beaming smile, holding the scroll of donation paper, and eagerly offered a brush dipped in ink. Li Ji glanced at it casually and saw that there were already more than ten rows ahead, with donations ranging from over a thousand coins to less than a hundred. He truly didn't know the value of money when he wasn't in charge of the household, so he immediately took a middle value, picked up his brush, and wrote: "Li Ji of Jingzhao and the devout woman Zou, donate three hundred coins..."

Qingluan happened to stand up, glanced at him sideways, and quickly came over to tug at Li Ji's collar, whispering, "Three hundred coins is too much..."

Li Ji frowned slightly: "It's all written down, how can it be changed?"

The nun holding the scroll hurriedly said, "Three hundred coins is not much, really not much. Only through generous donation will the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless you two." Then she turned her head to look Qingluan up and down, smiled and said, "Madam, since you have come to this temple, would you like to go to the Guanyin Temple to pray to the Guanyin who grants children?"

Qingluan blushed as her thoughts were exposed, and stammered, "Since we're here... we can also go and offer our prayers..."

Li Ji couldn't help but smile, thinking to himself, "So that's how it is."

Actually, he wasn't in a hurry to have children, after all, he was still young.

In ancient times, early marriage and childbearing were common practices, but this was not a universal rule across all social classes. Generally speaking, this was true for both the beginning and the end of society—the end being the common people, who already found it difficult to marry, so when the opportunity arose, they would naturally rush to marry and have children as early as possible; the beginning being imperial relatives like Li Yu and Li Shi, who were confined to the Sixteen Princes' Residence or the Hundred Grandsons' Courtyard, essentially raising pigs, so what else could they do besides quickly marry a wife for exercise?

However, for the upper echelons of society, especially scholars and officials, marriage was not merely a necessity for continuing the family line; it was often a stepping stone to officialdom or a ladder to rapid advancement. Therefore, they were extremely cautious. Many scholars, like Li Ji, would first take one or two concubines to satisfy their physical needs, and then wait until they passed the imperial examinations or entered officialdom before considering marrying their principal wife—only when their own future was relatively bright could they possibly marry a wife of higher birth and receive support from her family.

Then, either they would stay in their studies to pass the imperial examinations or travel around to seek official positions, which often meant that they could only calm down and work hard to sow seeds for a harvest around the age of thirty.

As for Li Ji, with war raging and the capital in turmoil, although he is temporarily idle, he is always ready to cause a scene in the palace or be sent out to fight again. At this critical moment, how can he have the energy to take care of a pregnant woman and a child? In fact, throughout history, ambitious young men have the same idea: pursue their careers first, and then consider their families after achieving success.

However, in those days there were no suitable methods of contraception. Whether or not one had children, and when one would have children, was entirely up to fate, and not something Li Ji could stop at will. Besides, he didn't have the kind of resolute character to simply reduce or even stop their sexual activity. So if Qingluan wanted a child, then so be it—especially since Li Ji didn't believe there was really a Guanyin Bodhisattva who specialized in this matter and could be so effective, granting every request.

The nun said, “If we worship Guanyin who grants children, does that mean we shouldn’t make offerings? Why not give more here? I’ll tell my fellow disciples that we don’t need to give offerings at Guanyin Temple. What do you two think?”

Li Ji smiled and said, "Alright." He simply added two more strokes to "three hundred" to make it "five hundred," and then added the character for "money."

The nun put away the scroll, clasped her hands in thanks, and then said, "This humble nun will personally lead you to the Guanyin Temple." Li Ji wanted to follow, but the nun stopped him, saying, "The Guanyin Temple is mostly frequented by women who pray for children. It is not very convenient for you to go there, sir. Please stroll around the front courtyard and rest for a while. I will escort your wife out shortly."

Li Ji frowned: "Is it always like this?"

The nun smiled and pointed outside the hall: "Young master, please look, it's all the same."

Li Ji thought to himself, "No wonder. I was wondering why there were so many lonely men sitting or standing idly in the courtyard outside the hall. I was wondering if all the men who came to this nunnery alone were lecherous scoundrels. But not all of them looked like that..." So he nodded and said, "I will wait in the courtyard."

The nun led Qingluan to the backyard. Li Ji had just stepped out of the main hall when another nun came up to him: "Thank you, benefactor, for donating five hundred coins to our temple." She then handed him a scroll of paper: "I offer you this sutra. Reciting it often can dispel doubts and falsehoods, and protect you from all evil."

Li Ji understood her meaning, so he casually took the scroll and put it in his pocket. Then he led the nun to the front of the temple, found the male servant A Qi, and gave him five hundred coins.

The nun happily took the money and left. Li Ji then strolled back into the temple, casually took out the scroll of scripture from his pocket, and saw that the title was the Heart Sutra. Moreover, the characters were stiff and rigid, so it was probably a printed copy. He thought to himself, "You guys are really frugal. Don't you know how to copy a Diamond Sutra or a Surangama Sutra to give away?"

Oh, five hundred coins for a copy of the Diamond Sutra? This temple will probably go bankrupt.

Since he had nothing better to do, he unfolded the scroll to look at it. It was marked as "translated by the Tripitaka Master Xuanzang"—"When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita, he perceived that the five aggregates are all empty, and thus transcended all suffering and distress. Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this..." It seemed to have some slight differences from the translation he had seen in his previous life.

He didn't notice that behind a large tree not far away, two men were watching his back and whispering to each other—one of them frowned and asked, "Is that Li Erlang? I thought he would be a strong man who was eight feet tall and had a big physique, but he looks quite ordinary."

Another person laughed and said, "Is there anyone in this world who is eight feet tall? Even my Kunlun slave is only six feet five inches tall. The common saying that Guan Yu was seven feet tall and Zhuge Liang was eight feet tall is not credible..."

—In fact, this would be considered a lack of learning and skill. The Records of the Three Kingdoms clearly states that Zhuge Liang was "eight feet tall." Of course, that's a Han Dynasty foot, less than four-fifths of a Tang Dynasty foot.

The man who had spoken earlier nodded: "Alright, go ahead. Let me see if Li Erlang is indeed as rumored, capable of fighting ten thousand men!"

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Chapter Nine, The Difference Between Tang and Hu

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Li Ji held the scripture scroll in his hands, reciting it silently while comparing it with the version he remembered from his previous life. Suddenly, he heard a loud shout behind him: "Where do you think you're going?!"

He had barely paused when he felt someone rushing towards him from behind—not quite at the level of "seeing in all directions and hearing in all directions," but purely the intuition of a martial artist—he immediately twisted his waist and turned around, then took a slight step back.

—You have to figure out who is trying to provoke you first, and whether they are armed or not, before you can decide whether to kick them directly or avoid the attack and draw your sword to defend yourself.

A scholar in a blue robe rushed over, only to be kicked from behind, falling to his knees. The scholar then grabbed Li Ji's collar and pleaded, "Help! Help me!"

Li Ji's vigilance immediately rose, and he glanced around—there were still quite a few people nearby, why did you specifically come to me? Was it just a coincidence, or was there some other scheme?

In that brief moment of hesitation, the pursuers closed in, raising their fists the size of bowls to strike the scholar on the back of the head. While remaining vigilant against the scholar in front of him, Li Ji swiftly reached out with his left hand and caught the man's forearm.

—Whether it's true or not, we should at least find out the facts first. Don't start a fight right in front of me. Besides, the two men are quite disproportionately large; what if that scholar really gets seriously injured by that punch…

Wow, this guy is really strong! I almost couldn't hold him up by the arm... I made the right decision to stop him, that punch could have really killed someone!

He immediately shouted, "Why are you fighting in this quiet place?!"

Only then did he get a clear look at the person opposite him; he was indeed a burly man, tall and broad-shouldered, with a head as big as a bucket.

In fact, Li Ji's physique was not very robust, and with the addition of the long robe, his muscles were even less visible. If he were to compete in a boxing match in his previous life, he wouldn't even be able to enter the light heavyweight (79 kg) class; but that big man was definitely above the light heavyweight (86 kg) class, and belonged to the same level as Di De.

This man was a commoner, wearing a cloth hat askew and a short shirt with the sleeves rolled up high, revealing his muscular arms. It seemed Li Ji suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist, surprising the burly man. He didn't answer the question, but instead exerted his strength three times in succession. He pressed down from above, while Li Ji lifted from below; the difficulty was vastly different. Li Ji was truly struggling and was forced to put down the scripture and extend his right hand to help.

The burly man simultaneously reached out with his left hand to grab Li Ji's right wrist. Li Ji thought to himself, "You might not be my match in a fight," and with a slight twist of his wrist, he seized the man's wrist and flipped it to the side.

The burly man cried out in pain and quickly reached out with his right hand to help. Li Ji changed his grip from supporting to grasping with his left hand and pressed down hard. Knowing he was no match for him, the burly man hurriedly retreated, and Li Ji released his grip, letting him go.

He then extended his right hand forward, fingers together, palm facing upward, making a "please" gesture, while his left hand naturally went behind his back—this was also a preparatory move before the fight, but Li Ji's real intention was to secretly loosen his slightly numb left hand...

The burly man took a half step back, frowned, and glared, asking, "Who are you? Why are you helping this barbarian boy?!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji was slightly taken aback. He then lowered his eyes and carefully examined the scholar kneeling before him. The man had his head raised, his face full of pleading, and there were several bruises on his face, which he couldn't tell if he had been beaten.

This guy, with his deep-set nose, high-eyed eyes, and curly hair and beard, is indeed a barbarian!

The term "Hu" was originally an alternative translation of "Xiongnu," and it's unclear when exactly, but the people of the Central Plains began to collectively refer to all the ethnic minorities of the north and northwest as "Hu." However, many northern ethnic groups, such as the Khitan, Xi, and Tongluo, do not actually differ much in appearance from the Han Chinese of the Central Plains. If they changed their clothing, it would be impossible to tell they were not of the same race. Only the northwestern ethnic groups, especially the "Nine Sogdian Clans" of Central Asia, and the more distant Persians and Arabs, exhibited noticeable physical differences.

However, the difference is not in skin color, hair color, or eye color, but in facial features. They generally have high brow ridges, deep-set eyes, large noses, and low cheekbones, and absolutely no inner canthal folds or shovel-shaped incisors.

The scholar before him clearly possessed Central Asian facial features, and although he wore a long robe, it was immediately obvious that he was not a Tang Dynasty person from the Central Plains. However, his figure was somewhat thin, quite different from the "Persian barbarians" that Li Ji had in mind.

He immediately shook his clothes and shouted, "Get up! Why did he hit you?"

Before the barbarian could answer, the burly man opposite him shouted, "A barbarian dares to wear scholar's clothes? He must be a spy sent by Shi Siming!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Brother, your logic is a bit muddled. There's no necessary connection between scholar's clothing and being a barbarian spy, is there?" He then heard the barbarian cry out, "I am not a scholar's spy, and my father is an official, so why can't I wear scholar's clothing?"

The burly man retorted, "Even your father is most likely a spy for that traitor Shi! Dare you swear that when the traitor An captured Chang'an, you didn't supply him with military funds?!"