Preface

To the readers of "The Sun and Moon of the Flourishing Tang" -- Jiutu

Hello everyone,

Since many readers have already guessed, I won’t hide it anymore—I am Jiutu.

From leaving in May 2006 to returning in 2020, it’s been a full fourteen years. No need to go into the details; you can find it all on Baidu. Some true, some false.

What I want to say today is: thank you to all the readers for your enthusiastic support.

Thanks to Wandering Toad, Xuehong, Jie Yu 2, Banana, Maoni, Juantu, Talking Elbow, and all the other big names for their repeated recommendations.

To be honest, the reason I started this book under a pseudonym is because I was very anxious, afraid of flopping. After all, I’ve been away for so long, and I’m no longer familiar with the tastes of Qidian’s readers.

The new book’s performance so far is not too good, but not too bad either. It’s within the range I can accept.

Tonight, I printed out the contract with Yuewen and mailed it back to Shanghai. So, readers who have invested in this book, don’t worry about your investment falling through. As for going VIP, it shouldn’t be too soon—consider it a small return for your support. However, it will take some time, as I’m stuck abroad and mailing things isn’t very convenient.

Now, let me introduce the characters and their settings in the book so far.

Protagonist: Peter Bolton, without a doubt, he’s a total newbie. He knows nothing, hasn’t left campus, and hasn’t been battered by society—a grad school hopeful. So, don’t expect him to be decisive and ruthless. He needs time and space to grow. Becoming invincible overnight is just too hard.

Heroine: She’s about to appear. Since she’s a historical figure, I’ve been thinking these days about how to avoid the censorship gods. She’s not Grace Clark; Grace Clark is just one of them.

Grace Clark: The second female lead, I envision her as similar to Shuang’er from "The Deer and the Cauldron." But she doesn’t know martial arts, and because she was sold as a child, she has deep psychological scars, making her obsessed with counting money.

Female lead 3, 4, 5... etc. If you believe they exist, then they will.

Brian Brooks: Known in the jianghu as Little Owen Brooks, the protagonist’s first disciple, a xianxia fan. Kind-hearted, friendly to his younger siblings, but not welcomed by his stepmother. He’s a historical figure, a notable tycoon of the Tang Dynasty. After following the protagonist, his abilities will gradually be revealed, and he’ll become a strong right-hand man.

Henry Clark: Known in the jianghu as Edward Clark of Changan, stinks for miles downwind. His father is a major underworld figure, his uncle a local governor. His cousins are all surnamed Guo, with the given name Ziyi. This isn’t a spoiler, since Guo Ziyi hasn’t grown up yet. Henry Clark, due to his body odor, became self-destructive, but after meeting the protagonist, he strives to improve. He’s based on the famous historical figure Guo Wanquan, a top tycoon during Emperor Xuanzong’s reign.

John Adams: The wine immortal, a wise man who knows how to protect himself. He’s something of a mentor to the protagonist.

Benjamin Franklin: A drunkard, the protagonist’s friend across generations.

Samuel Harris: Li Longji’s house servant and confidant. A tough character. He has multiple conflicts with the protagonist, is defeated each time, and eventually becomes the protagonist’s admirer.

As for why the protagonist didn’t kill him in today’s story, it was made clear in the previous chapter. First, you have to look at the owner before beating the dog—the protagonist lacks a foundation and can’t afford to offend Samuel Harris’s master. Second, it’s not worth it. Sacrificing his own future for someone else’s servant is simply irrational. Third, his elder brother is a bridge for the protagonist to learn about the Tang military and horsemanship.

After rambling so much, it all comes down to one thing: please bookmark, recommend, and support in any way you can.

New book QQ group: 469673737. Welcome to discuss the new book—anything goes, including criticizing me.

Jiutu

Prologue: The Three Ultimate Philosophical Questions and the Only Answer

"Who am I, where do I come from, where am I going"—these three questions are said to have troubled Plato for his entire life.

However, these so-called ultimate questions of Western philosophy didn’t trouble the grad school hopeful Peter Bolton for even five minutes before he figured them out completely.

A blue-gray wild wolf, moving through knee-high weeds, quietly crept toward him!

Why would there be wild wolves near a university town in the twenty-first century? Peter Bolton couldn’t figure it out.

Just like three minutes ago, he couldn’t figure out how he got lost near the university town just by glancing at his phone while walking.

But the moment he saw the wolf’s eyes, he became instantly aware: if he kept squatting under the old tree pondering his identity and origins, he could be sure that his next destination would be the wolf’s stomach!

His body jolted as if struck by electricity, leaping into the air. His left arm instinctively reached for the tree trunk behind him, while his right hand swung desperately. "Go, go, go, get away, get away!" A string of trembling shouts burst from his throat, cold sweat streaming down his forehead and temples.

"Hit east, poke west, animals don’t necessarily need sharp teeth..." Xue Zhiqian’s "Animal World" fittingly played in the palm of his right hand.