Soul transmigrated to the mid-Tang dynasty, the age of empire, with a formidable empress.

Entering the ranks of monks, ten years of wealth and honor are not as good as a medicine seller in Luoyang.

The Di Gong case, shrouded in clouds and mists, who is pulling the strings behind the scenes?

The two Wu vie for the throne, the two Wei compete for the palace, and the two Li take turns in power.

At the Crane Control Bureau, young Zhang plays the flute, the lotus blooms brilliantly, but it’s still not as alluring as Wulang’s slender waist.

Imperial relatives, aristocratic families, countless power holders.

In the end, when life comes to its natural close, who can live even half as long?

A pawn crossing the river, with no way back, turns the hand to summon clouds, flips the hand to bring rain—watch my schemes and stratagems.

Brewing clear tea, waving a palm-leaf fan, delighting in painting the brows of a lovely wife, idly enjoying the gentle breeze and drifting clouds.

Volume One: Do Not Bully the Poor Youth

The flourishing age of the Great Tang, a storm brews in Dunhuang.

Chapter 001: A Fierce Elder Sister at Home

"An airplane was flying through the boundless sea of clouds. As it passed through a mountain of clouds, the once clear sky suddenly turned pitch black.

A massive black vortex appeared ahead of the plane, surrounded by lightning, like the gaping bloody maw of a demon.

The plane suddenly broke apart in midair, throwing everyone into the sky, except for one young man who was sucked into the vortex.

No! The young man cried out in despair as he was swallowed by endless darkness."

……

In the dim light, Brian Thompson's slender eyes slowly opened, a trace of profound pain flickering within them.

He could no longer remember how many times he had had this nightmare. Each time, the bottomless black hole in his dream made him endure the agony of his soul being torn apart.

When would this nightmare ever end?

Two years ago, on a stormy night, a bolt of lightning awakened the memories of his previous life, long buried deep in his mind. Only then did he realize that he did not fully belong to the Great Tang.

In his previous life, he was a young businessman who had struggled in the business world for nearly ten years, just stepping onto the path of success and preparing to enter the halls of marriage. But all his dreams were shattered during a flight.

In this life, he was just an ordinary youth in Shazhou, Dunhuang County, Great Tang. Time had turned, and he had returned to the Great Tang of thirteen hundred years ago.

He was seventeen this year. His parents in the Great Tang had died when he was very young, and he was raised by his grandfather along with his elder sister.

In the Great Tang, where family background was everything, Brian Thompson could be considered a member of the Li clan, one of the four great families of Dunhuang. However, starting from his grandfather, they were a collateral branch of the Li family, and in the eyes of outsiders, there was no longer any trace of noble lineage about him.

"A Zhen, get up!"

The shout of his elder sister in the courtyard interrupted Brian Thompson's thoughts, pulling him back from memories of his past life to reality. He yawned, a wave of intense drowsiness washing over him, and only then did he realize he hadn't slept at all through the night.

Brian Thompson's room was very small, with only a sleeping mat and a small desk. A bow and a long sword hung on the wall.

The room was dimly lit, but a faint glimmer of light seeped through the window cracks—it was already dawn. Just then, with a creak, the window was pulled open, and a beam of bright morning light shot into the room.

The light was dazzling, and Brian Thompson quickly pulled the quilt over his head.

"A Zhen, are you getting up or not?" His elder sister's fierce voice came from outside the window. "How many times do I have to call you?"

Brian Thompson's parents in the Great Tang had died early, leaving only him and his elder sister Edward Thompson to depend on each other. His elder sister was seven years older than him. As the saying goes, 'the eldest sister is like a mother.' Many times, Edward Thompson treated him like her own child and was extremely strict with him.

Overwhelmed by drowsiness, Brian Thompson groaned in pain and pleaded, "Sister, I didn't sleep well last night. Let me sleep a little longer!"

"No way!"

Edward Thompson's tone left no room for negotiation, exceptionally firm: "You're taking the martial arts county exam tomorrow. You must practice archery today. If you don't get up, I'll pour water on you."

"Sister, have some pity on your little brother!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a basin of icy well water was splashed in from outside the window. Although it was already mid-spring, the bone-chilling well water still made him shiver all over, startling him into jumping up. "Sister, you really did it!"

"I'll count to two. If you don't come out, the second basin is coming. One!"

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming!" Brian Thompson shouted helplessly. How did he end up with such a fierce elder sister?

Not even bothering to put on his shoes, Brian Thompson dashed barefoot into the courtyard, wearing nothing but a small pair of shorts.

Just as he reached the courtyard, a girl of about thirteen or fourteen came skipping in at the gate. "Brother Sanlang, are you ready?"

The girl was young but quite tall, with a delicate, petite nose, a pair of slender arched eyebrows, and bright, lively eyes beneath them.

She wore the most fashionable red pomegranate skirt, a small octagonal cap on her head, and her jet-black hair was braided into dozens of small plaits. She was very pretty, but her features were clearly not those of a Han girl, but of a Western Region Hu girl.

Her name was Sarah Cooper, the girl next door to Brian Thompson. Sarah Cooper's father was a Sogdian merchant who had rented half of Brian Thompson's house facing the main street for business for ten years.

Sarah Cooper had grown up with Brian Thompson since childhood. Although she was born and raised in Dunhuang and had never returned to her homeland, like other Sogdian girls, she yearned for Chang'an and Luoyang and did not want to live in a small place like Dunhuang.

"Ah!"