Sarah Cooper let out a scream—standing before her was a man with most of his body exposed, startling her so much that she hurriedly covered her eyes.

Brian Thompson hadn’t expected her to arrive at such a moment either. He was shocked, instinctively using his hands to cover himself below, then turned and ran toward the main hall. “Sister, you’re going to be the death of me!”

“Is that... Brother Sanlang?”

Sarah Cooper’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched the flustered Brian Thompson flee. She covered her mouth and giggled.

At that moment, Edward Thompson came over, carrying an empty basin with a triumphant look. “If I didn’t use this method, that boy would never get out of bed!”

Edward Thompson was about twenty years old, with delicate features, not very tall, and a bit slender. However, she was bold, sharp, and capable, managing the household in perfect order.

Edward Thompson had been married for years; her husband was their grandfather’s favorite student and currently worked as a minor clerk at the county office.

Seeing Sarah Cooper, she smiled and said, “Sisi, you’re here so early?”

“Mm! I made plans with Brother Sanlang to go practice archery with him this morning.”

“That boy still wants to eat breakfast before leaving. Why don’t you join us for a bite?”

“No need, I have to tidy up too. After archery with Brother Sanlang, I still have to go to the dance studio to practice.”

Sarah Cooper ran out of the courtyard, then poked her head back in and said, “Brother Sanlang, remember to call me when you leave!”

“Hurry up! I won’t forget.”

Edward Thompson walked to the gate, watching her cheerful figure disappear, and couldn’t help but shake her head. This little girl was experiencing her first crush and made no effort to hide her feelings—everyone knew she liked her younger brother.

In the dining hall, Brian Thompson was already dressed, sitting cross-legged at the table drinking porridge. At that moment, Edward Thompson came in carrying a plate of freshly fried pancakes.

“Lately, I’ve noticed you’re getting lazier and lazier. You used to get up before dawn to practice archery, but now I have to come wake you up. Have you forgotten what day it is tomorrow?”

Brian Thompson reached out, grabbed a pancake, and took a big bite, mumbling, “I know!”

“If you know, why aren’t you working harder? There are only three spots to go to the capital. If someone else takes them, you’ll be crying!”

Brian Thompson took a sip of hot soup and grinned. “Don’t you know how good your little brother is at riding and archery? What are you worried about?”

Edward Thompson thought about it and agreed. Her brother was quite famous in Dunhuang City, known as a master of both archery and polo. First, his archery skills were unmatched among the youth of Dunhuang, and even the army had few who could rival him.

Second, he was excellent at polo. In last year’s Dunhuang individual polo competition, he stunned the crowd with a miraculous shot from fifty paces, winning first prize: a white dragon steed.

With her brother’s riding and archery skills, securing a spot to go to the capital was no problem. Her greatest wish in life was for her brother to go to the capital, earn honors, and become a successful man. That way, she could give an account to their late parents and grandfather.

“Hurry up and eat! Sisi is still waiting for you.”

Brian Thompson quickly finished the pancakes and drained his bowl of porridge, wiped his mouth, and said, “Sister, I’m going to change clothes.”

Soon, Brian Thompson changed into a blue warrior’s robe, belted at the waist, wearing tall military boots, a long sword at his side, a bow and arrows on his back, and leading a white steed.

Brian Thompson was very tall, just over six chi (about 1.85 meters in modern terms), with slightly dark skin, broad shoulders, long arms, well-defined features, thick eyebrows, sharp eyes with slightly upturned corners, and an air of heroic masculinity.

Edward Thompson’s eyes lit up, and she secretly cheered. With such a dignified and impressive brother, no wonder that little Sisi was completely smitten. She stepped forward to straighten the headscarf on Brian Thompson’s head and smiled, “All set, hurry and go!”

Just as Brian Thompson was about to leave with his horse, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, “Sister, where’s the iron cage I brought back yesterday?”

Edward Thompson frowned and pointed to the corner. “Over there. Don’t bring back such disgusting things again.”

Brian Thompson picked up the iron cage from behind the big locust tree in the corner and saw that it was still covered with a cloth. He laughed and asked, “Why is there a cloth over it?”

Edward Thompson glared at him with her almond-shaped eyes. “What do you think? Do you want the whole family to lose their appetite?”

Brian Thompson pretended not to hear, quickly led his horse out, and called, “Sister, I’ll be back at noon!”

Sisi was already waiting at the entrance of the alley. When she saw him come out, she walked up with a smile to take the cage from him. “Brother Sanlang, let me carry it for you!”

“This... it’s a bit heavy, I’ll do it myself.”

“It’s fine, I can handle it.”

Sisi snatched the cage, noticed the cloth covering it, and asked with a smile, “What’s inside the cage?”

“Uh! Inside is a group of... um... little black-faced fellows.”

“What are little black-faced fellows?”

Curious, Sisi tried to lift the cloth, but Brian Thompson quickly stopped her. “Let’s wait until we get to the training ground. We need to hurry or we’ll lose our spot.”

“Okay!”

Sisi happily followed by his side, and the two of them quickly walked toward the small training ground about a li away.

……

Note 1: The imperial military examination of the Tang Dynasty was established in the second year of Chang’an. This story is set a few years earlier for plot purposes.

Note 2: Although Wu Zetian changed the country’s name to Zhou, for the reader’s convenience, this story will not use the Zhou title for now.

Note 3: Although Wu Zetian is a posthumous title, to avoid confusing readers, this story will continue to refer to her as Wu Zetian.

Chapter 002: The Two Chivalrous Heroes of Mosquito and Fly