In an ox cart, fourteen-year-old Ah’man clutched her bundle, sitting among several young women. These women were going to see their husbands, while she was going to see her brother.

Ever since her brother joined the army, he has rarely returned to Chang’an. She missed him terribly, so she traveled the long distance to Qingzhou with several people from her hometown.

Inside the cart, the women chattered excitedly about seeing their husbands soon. Amid the laughter and conversation, Madam Zhang asked Ah’man, “Ah’man, you’re not engaged yet, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“The Tianwei Army has no shortage of men. While you’re visiting your brother, have him pick a good one from the army for you to get engaged to.”

Ah’man’s cheeks flushed red: “I’m only going to see my brother. I don’t want anything else.”

“But you’re already fourteen, the right age for engagement. If you don’t let your brother decide for you, would you rather let those uncles in your Sheng family decide?” Madam Zhang said with a dismissive wave: “A bunch of wealth-worshipping things.”

Ah’man pressed her lips together and said: “These years, if not for the help of you sisters-in-law, I would have been sold by them.”

“Don’t say that. Your brother and our husbands are comrades. His sister is our sister, so of course we must help you.”

Ah’man smiled and nodded: “Yes!”

Looking after each other, after nearly two months of arduous travel by boat and cart, the group finally reached Qingzhou. Ah’man’s brother, Sheng Yunting, personally brought people to welcome them. Ah’man held onto Sheng Yunting’s arm as she jumped down from the cart. She patted the dust off her clothes and sighed: “Finally here.”

Qingzhou was truly far away.

Sheng Yunting held her shoulders, constantly looking her up and down, his eyes reddened: “Ah’man has grown up, becoming as beautiful as Mother.”

Ah’man shyly lowered her head. At this moment, Madam Zhang, who had just reunited with her husband, spoke forthrightly: “Brother Yunting, on our way here, we told Ah’man to have you find a handsome young man in the army for her to get engaged to. She was too shy! You must take this matter seriously!”

Ah’man blushed crimson and quickly interrupted Madam Zhang: “Sister Zhang, please stop…”

Sheng Yunting, however, burst into laughter: “Find a young man in the army? That’s easy! Leave it to me!”

Ah’man covered her face: “Brother, if you keep talking like this, I’ll go back to Chang’an!”

Sheng Yunting laughed heartily: “Alright! Ah’man is embarrassed. I won’t mention it anymore.”

As the group was enjoying their joyful reunion, Ah’man suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats. She turned around with the other women and saw a young man in golden armor riding a white horse toward the military camp.

How should one describe that young man? Ah’man hadn’t read many books. She racked her brains but couldn’t think of the right words to describe him. She only felt that the young man was more handsome than any other man she had ever seen. Especially his expression, which was extremely proud, as if his status was higher than that of an imperial prince. Ah’man heard Sister Xie murmur: “I never knew there could be such a beautiful young man in the world, looking like an immortal.”

Yes, he should be described as beautiful. Unlike the typical men of the Tianwei Army, who generally had dark skin, strong builds, and rough hands, he was tall and slender, with skin as cold and white as jade. His riding posture was also extremely elegant. Those hands holding the reins had fingers more beautiful than a girl’s, clearly hands that had never done labor. His nails were clean and neatly trimmed. He looked like a proud and noble young master from a prestigious family, not a member of the commoner-born Tianwei Army.

The young man glanced in their direction, and Ah’man felt that those were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen in her life. The outer corners of his eyes tilted slightly upward, glistening with moisture, shaped like peach blossoms in full bloom in spring. Perhaps due to his recent galloping ride, a faint blush appeared at the corners of his eyes, making them look even more like peach blossoms. Ah’man stared blankly at his eyes, completely stunned, not even hearing Sheng Yunting speaking to her.

The young man slightly nodded to Sheng Yunting and the others, then pressed his horse’s sides and headed into the camp. After he left, the women came back to their senses. Madam Zhao asked her husband in a daze: “Who was that?”

“His name is Cui Xun, courtesy name Wangshu. Only fifteen years old.”

“I didn’t know your Tianwei Army had such a noble figure,” said Madam Zhao. “He looks like a young master from a prestigious family.”

Brother Zhao laughed: “He is indeed from a prestigious family. He’s a legitimate son of the Boling Cui clan.”

The Boling Cui clan?

All the women gasped. Could it be that the Boling Cui clan, the foremost among the great families, and the crown of the gentry? How did a young master of the Boling Cui clan end up in the Tianwei Army?

Ah’man perked up her ears, listening to Brother Zhao talk about Cui Xun. It turned out that he had been recommended to the Tianwei Army by his uncle, the Minister Cui, known as the “Civilian Minister in White.” He had a rather cold personality. When he first came to the Tianwei Army, he didn’t like to talk much. It was General Guo who had Sheng Yunting and Cao Wulang eat and live with him every day, gradually opening his heart.

After hearing this, Madam Zhao sympathetically said to Sheng Yunting: “Such a noble young master, with such a cold temperament, must be difficult to get along with.”

Sheng Yunting smiled: “Not really. Seventeen may seem cold, but he’s not hard to get along with. He simply doesn’t easily give his true heart, but once he does, he will even give his life for you. Once you get to know him, you’ll see that sometimes, he’s quite adorable.”

However, in the subsequent days at the military camp, Ah’man didn’t experience the adorableness her brother had mentioned, because Cui Xun, from beginning to end, remained so cold that he never spoke a single word to her.

Not just to her, but to all the other women as well. He seemed to maintain extreme vigilance toward all unfamiliar people, never initiating conversation. It seemed he found it very difficult to trust others. Ah’man couldn’t imagine how her brother and the others had managed to open his heart. From her perspective, it seemed an impossible task.

Although she was curious about Cui Xun, she had come to visit her brother, not to investigate Cui Xun. So she forcibly suppressed her curiosity and focused all her attention on her brother. After all, it was hard to make this journey, and she cherished this brief time together.

Life in the military camp was very monotonous. At the fifth watch, just as dawn was breaking, everyone had to report for roll call, followed by a full day of training, ending only at dusk. They only had one day of rest every seven days. Ah’man paid attention to the young master called Cui Xun. He was never late for roll call and was particularly diligent in training. His archery seemed exceptional; when her brother competed with him, every one of his arrows hit the bullseye, something her brother couldn’t match.

Ah’man thought that at this rate, with his family background and skills, he would surely become an even more formidable commander than General Guo in the future.

While Ah’man was curious about Cui Xun, Sheng Yunting was actively looking for a husband for her in the army. According to Sheng Yunting, every man in the Tianwei Army was a trustworthy fellow, and she could marry any of them. Sheng Yunting introduced several to her, but Ah’man vaguely brushed them all off. Soon it was time for her to return home, and she still hadn’t chosen a husband. Although Sheng Yunting was somewhat disappointed, he chose to respect her decision.

The day before her departure happened to be a rest day. Cao Wulang invited Ah’man to visit the market. Cao Wulang was a year older than Ah’man, with a round face and a very warm personality. He was also from Chang’an. Sheng Yunting had intended to match him with Ah’man, but Cao Wulang’s mind was filled only with weapons and warfare, without any thoughts of romance, like a wooden blockhead. Sheng Yunting had no choice but to seek other young men.

The market had various shops selling camels, horses, spices, fabrics, and was very lively. Ah’man wanted to see how the Qingzhou market differed from Chang’an’s East and West Markets, so she readily agreed.

Just as the group was about to set off, Cao Wulang, being close friends with Cui Xun, invited him to join as well. Cui Xun had little interest in visiting the market and immediately refused. Cao Wulang was rebuffed but still enthusiastically said to Cui Xun, “Seventeen, come with us. Maybe we’ll find some good bowstring wax for your iron-framed bow.”

The bowstring of the iron-framed bow was somewhat worn and needed maintenance with bowstring wax. Cui Xun immediately became interested. He pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Seeing this, Ah’man finally understood why Cui Xun was willing to open his heart to Cao Wulang and the others. Only Cao Wu could remain so enthusiastic after being rebuffed like that.

Cao Wulang was overjoyed when Cui Xun agreed. He grabbed Cui Xun’s arm, and the group headed to the market in Qingzhou city.

The market was very lively. Everything except silk and metals was sold there. Unlike Chang’an’s East and West Markets, Qingzhou’s market had noticeably more foreigners. Besides foreign merchants, there were also tribespeople from the border regions leading horses and driving sheep for barter. The market was filled with various languages. Ah’man curiously looked around, while Cui Xun was single-mindedly searching for his bowstring wax, with Cao Wu accompanying him.

Before they found the bowstring wax, Ah’man suddenly spotted a wooden hairpin carved in the shape of a lotus flower. The petals and pistil were carved so vividly. Ah’man secretly glanced at Cui Xun, who was searching for bowstring wax. According to her brother, he had a nickname called “Lotus Lad,” but he didn’t like this nickname much. After all, what man would want to be named after a lotus flower?

He probably considered it an insult.

But Ah’man thought that being named after a lotus flower was quite fitting. First, his appearance was even more beautiful than a lotus flower. Second, the lotus rises from the mud without being stained, symbolizing purity. He was so handsome, yet never relied on his looks to act frivolously. Instead, he maintained the same coldness toward all young women, keeping himself pure—wasn’t that just like a lotus?

Of course, Ah’man only dared to think this and not say it in front of Cui Xun. She stood before the lotus hairpin, unable to move away. Cao Wulang came over: “Oh, this wooden hairpin is quite pretty. What flower is it carved as? A peach blossom?”

Ah’man held the lotus hairpin: “…Uh, yes, a peach blossom.”

Cao Wu saw that Ah’man hesitated to buy it and thought she was concerned about the cost. He immediately took out some silver, ready to buy it for her. Ah’man quickly declined. Although she wasn’t wealthy, her brother had given her all his military pay, and she could afford this lotus hairpin.

She glanced secretly at Cui Xun, who was looking at bowstring wax in the shop across the street and hadn’t noticed her. Ah’man asked the shopkeeper for the price, bought the lotus hairpin, and then, casually, carefully, hid it in her sleeve.

As the group prepared to return, they heard a commotion. Cao Wu, who loved excitement, dragged Cui Xun toward the noise. They saw a group of Tibetan merchants who had set up a challenge platform, inviting people from the Great Zhou to compete.

The lead Tibetan merchant said that he had heard that in the Great Zhou, there were literary competitions and martial competitions. Since he was skilled in both, if anyone could defeat him in both a literary and martial contest, he would hand over five hundred taels of gold.

Five hundred taels of gold was an astronomical sum. A man who looked like a wandering knight at the foot of the platform was quite tempted, so he jumped onto the platform to challenge the Tibetan merchant.

Cao Wu watched with great interest, but Cui Xun showed little enthusiasm. He said to Cao Wu, “It’s getting dark. Let’s leave quickly to avoid being late for tomorrow morning’s roll call.”

“Wait, let’s watch a bit more.”

Cao Wu refused to leave, and Cui Xun sighed: “If you won’t leave, I’m going.”

Cao Wu was stretching his neck to see how the literary competition would proceed and had no intention of leaving: “Then you go. This foreigner is so arrogant. I want to see him cough up those five hundred taels of gold!”

As Cui Xun and Cao Wu were talking, Ah’man was listening intently. She thought that with Cui Xun’s cold temperament, he would abandon them and leave. But the other Tianwei Army soldiers around her seemed accustomed to this and showed no signs of anxiety. Ah’man quietly asked a nearby soldier: “Aren’t you going to persuade them?”

The soldier glanced in the direction of Cao Wu and Cui Xun: “There’s nothing to persuade about. Seventeen won’t leave.”

“Why not?”

Cao Wu is impulsive. He’s worried about Cao Wu. He won’t leave.”

Worried about Cao Wu? Ah’man was curious. Cui Xun didn’t seem like someone who would care about others or consider others’ feelings. During this time, she had only seen Cao Wu treating Cui Xun warmly, not Cui Xun treating Cao Wu warmly. Would he not leave?

But as the soldier had predicted, Cui Xun didn’t leave. Instead, he heaved a long sigh, then, as if resigned to his fate, stayed beside the excited Cao Wu without moving a step.

So, perhaps he wasn’t as cold as he appeared?

On the platform, the Zhou wandering knight asked: “How do we compete in the literary contest? How do we compete in the martial arts contest?”

“For the literary contest, naturally, we compare writing,” the Tibetan merchant pointed to a wooden board standing upright in front and said in not-so-fluent Han language: “Using swords as brushes, whoever can write a complete character first will be considered the winner.”

The Zhou wandering knight thought this was surprisingly simple and immediately agreed: “Good! Don’t back out on the five hundred taels of gold!”

The Tibetan merchant smiled confidently and tossed a sword to the wandering knight. The knight caught the sword and was about to walk to the wooden board when the Tibetan merchant blocked his way with a sword. The knight was shocked: “What do you mean by this?”

“Writing a character would be too easy, and there would be no point,” the Tibetan merchant’s sword danced impressively. “Whoever can complete writing a character under the other’s sword, that’s real skill!”

The wandering knight was annoyed. Since he knew a move or two, why would he fear the Tibetan merchant? So the two began to fight, with the wandering knight’s sword technique being graceful and the Tibetan merchant’s being forceful. Both moved toward the wooden board while fighting, but the wandering knight’s swordsmanship was ultimately inferior to the Tibetan merchant’s, and he was soon at a disadvantage.

Below the platform, Cui Xun’s brows slightly furrowed. With such skill, was this Tibetan merchant just a merchant?

While he was pondering, the wandering knight had already been defeated by the Tibetan merchant. Not only was he kicked in the chest and fell off the platform, but the Tibetan merchant also flamboyantly carved three large characters on the wooden board: “Two-legged sheep.”

The Han people below the platform immediately erupted in outcry. “Two-legged sheep” referred to the time during the Five Barbarians’ invasion when many Han people became food on the foreigners’ plates. The Tibetan merchant was provoking the Zhou people. Cao Wulang was so angry his hair seemed to stand on end. Without thinking, he prepared to jump onto the platform but was stopped by Cui Xun. Cao Wulang angrily said, “Don’t stop me!”

Cui Xun shouted: “Can you write characters?”

Cao Wulang was stunned. He had originally been illiterate. It was only after joining the Tianwei Army that he began learning to read because General Guo Qinwei said that Tianwei Army soldiers couldn’t be illiterate. But even now, he could only recognize characters, not write them. He said, “So we just watch him being arrogant?”

Cui Xun said firmly: “I’ll go!”

He picked up the sword dropped by the wandering knight and jumped onto the platform. Seeing that he was a fair and handsome young man, the Tibetan merchant couldn’t help but look down on him: “Has the Great Zhou run out of men? Sending a youth who hasn’t even come of age?”

Cui Xun retorted: “Nonsense! The Great Zhou is full of talented people. Even a youth who hasn’t come of age can easily defeat you.”

The merchant snorted: “Don’t talk big. Don’t cry and run back to your mother after you lose.”

Cui Xun’s expression changed. The merchant had touched a sore spot. His demeanor became even colder: “Why so many words? Are we competing or not?”

“We are,” the merchant looked him up and down. “What if you lose?”

Cui Xun acted as if he had heard the funniest joke and laughed scornfully: “Lose? You think you can beat me?”

His laughter was full of disdain and contempt. The Tibetan merchant felt enraged. He wanted to teach this presumptuous youth a lesson, so he fiercely lunged at Cui Xun with his sword. Cui Xun quickly stepped aside, easily avoiding the attack. Then he gripped his sword tightly and forcefully slashed toward the merchant’s face. The merchant raised his sword to block, and the impact made his hand go numb, forcing him to step back. The merchant was shocked, not expecting the youth to be so strong. He no longer dared to underestimate him and began to fight with full effort.

On the platform, the youth’s sword moved like a swimming dragon. Cui Xun’s every move was fierce, forcing the merchant to continuously retreat. The merchant barely managed to defend himself, but Cui Xun’s sword techniques were like a sudden storm, too fast for him to parry. The sword left several bloody cuts on the merchant’s body. Holding his sword, the merchant became so flustered that his technique lost all form. Cui Xun seized the opportunity, the tip of his sword touching the ground and then rebounding. The blade, like silver lightning, struck the merchant’s wrist with a sharp sound. The merchant’s wrist was in severe pain, causing him to instantly drop his sword.

With the sword dropped, there was no more defense. Cui Xun’s long sword chopped down toward the merchant’s head. The merchant’s eyes widened, and his knees weakened. Just as he was about to kneel and beg for mercy in terror, one of his attendants suddenly shouted something in Tibetan and threw a large machete at him. The merchant caught the machete and raised it to block, but Cui Xun’s sword, carrying the full force of his body, struck the middle of the machete and split it in two.

The merchant staggered back several steps and fell awkwardly to the ground. The Han people below the platform, having vented their frustration, cheered loudly. Some pointed at the wooden board, mocking the merchant. Following their gaze, the merchant saw that the board had been inscribed with two characters in a free and graceful cursive style: “Barbarian dog!”

Even the calligraphy was more beautiful than his.

The merchant was so angry he spat out a mouthful of blood. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and glared at Cui Xun. The fifteen-year-old youth was laughing loudly, looking down at him. That expression, both proud and contemptuous, made the merchant feel like nothing more than a worthless insect.

The merchant angrily wiped the blood from his mouth: “Fine! You won the literary contest! But there’s still the martial arts contest!”