The Hu merchant dared not make a sound. In fact, he was also worried that this man might not survive. There were still two hundred li left to travel, and if he died, wouldn’t all the food he’d spent on him be wasted? He felt a wave of regret in his heart—if only he’d known, he would have stripped off that fine short jacket from him first.

The bearded officer grinned and pulled open the door of the decorated carriage. “Beauties, come on out!”

“Coming!”

With a coquettish cry, two dark, short, and plump Hu women emerged from inside. They flirtatiously winked at the Tang soldiers and said shyly, “Let’s be clear first, it’s one hundred coins per time.”

Women of their sort would fetch at most five coins per time in Bahuan City, but here at this frontier fortress, where not even a single female bird could be seen, there was no choice—scarcity makes things precious.

Although the two women were far from attractive, the bearded officer still cheerfully put his arms around them and laughed, “Good! Good! Come to the tent, I want both of you to serve me together.”

……

Inside the fortress, the young man lay quietly on a pile of dry straw. A warhorse would occasionally nuzzle his face affectionately with its mouth. This warm, slightly sour smell gradually brought the young man back to consciousness.

He was Andrew Thompson, who had gone missing in a snowstorm in the Tianshan Mountains in 2007. After he walked out of the blizzard and was rescued by several merchants, he discovered that he had actually traveled through time and returned to the Great Tang.

The fifth year of Tianbao. Andrew Thompson let out a gentle sigh—time had flowed backward more than thirteen hundred years!

At this moment, an old soldier came over carrying a bowl of porridge. He sat down beside Andrew Thompson and smiled, “Brother, you look famished. Have some porridge to restore your strength.”

The porridge was thick and filled the air with a rich wheat aroma. Andrew Thompson was indeed starving. He struggled to sit up. “Thank you, big brother!”

As the old soldier carefully fed him porridge, he smiled and asked, “What’s your name, and how did you end up at Lingshan?”

The hot porridge warmed his insides, and Andrew Thompson felt a bit more energetic. He had already prepared a story and replied in a low voice, “My name is Andrew Thompson, childhood name Qilang. My parents died early, and I had nothing to do. Half a year ago, I was hired by Hu merchants to escort them to Suiye. Unexpectedly, we were attacked by bandits at Lingshan, lost all our belongings, and I barely escaped with my life.”

The old soldier sighed and nodded. “It probably wasn’t bandits, but the Turgesh. You’re lucky to have survived. But your accent doesn’t sound like you’re from Luoyang—more like someone from Xiangzhou.” (Xiangzhou is present-day Anyang.) Andrew Thompson didn’t know this, so he replied vaguely, “My grandfather was from Xiangzhou. I grew up with him.”

“That makes sense. My wife’s family is also from Yexian in Xiangzhou, and your accent is just like hers. My surname is Sun, I’m the stableman here at the fortress. Just call me Matthew Harris!”

“Big Matthew.” Andrew Thompson panted with effort and said, “Could I stay here? I don’t want to be sold as a slave.”

“Don’t worry! Since our Edward Sutton brought you in, you won’t be sold. Besides, I need a helper here. I’ll talk to him and let you stay to tend the horses.”

“Thank you, Big Matthew!”

After finishing the porridge, Andrew Thompson was overcome by an irresistible drowsiness. His vision went black, and he fell into a deep, dark sleep.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he was awakened by a loud voice. “How is he? Can he work?”

“Fortress master, he’s fine. He was just starving. After two good meals and a good sleep, he’ll be all right.”

Andrew Thompson opened his eyes and saw the bearded officer standing in front of him. He hurriedly sat up.

The fortress master’s full name was William Sutton, a Hu man who had joined the army at the beginning of the Tianbao era and risen through the ranks to become the fortress master. After a night of pleasure with two prostitutes, he was in an especially good mood. Seeing Andrew Thompson awake, he laughed, “Not bad! This morning you looked like a corpse, and now you can sit up.”

He squatted down to size up Andrew Thompson, reached out to feel the white short jacket he was wearing, and asked curiously, “What kind of Hu clothing is this? Feels pretty nice!”

Andrew Thompson was wearing a white down jacket. He took it off and handed it to William Sutton, saying, “This is a Persian garment given to me by the Hu merchant. I’d like to present it to the fortress master.”

William Sutton accepted it without hesitation, put it on, and found it very light and warm. He couldn’t help but grin, “Good! This coat is mine now.”

He patted Andrew Thompson on the shoulder and nodded, “Brother, if you were a Hu, I’d have taken you for a Turgesh spy and chopped you down. But since you’re Han, you can stay! Be Matthew Harris’s assistant. Starting tomorrow, work to earn your food and support yourself.”

……

Chapter Two: Hard to Hide the Golden Light

On the boundless Gobi Desert, dozens of fine horses galloped freely. On one of the chestnut warhorses, Andrew Thompson held the reins and rode at full speed. In the distance were snow-capped mountains, and the wind howled past his ears. His spirits soared to the utmost, and he couldn’t help but throw his head back and shout, “Great Tang! Here I come.”

When he was still ten li from the fortress, he gradually slowed his pace. He had already stayed at the fortress for a month, fully recovered his strength, and had come to love the work of tending horses. His daily job was to lead the horses galloping across the Gobi, training both their endurance and his own strength and stamina.