This year is the first year of Yanzai in the Tang Dynasty and the fourth year of the Holy Emperor Wu Zetian's reign as emperor. It is mid-spring, which is also the most intoxicating season of the year in Dunhuang.

The mandarin fish in the sweet spring water is fat, the river water is red and the willows are green, and the wheat fields are sprouting green new buds, and the air is filled with a fragrant breath.

Perhaps because of his youth, although Li Zhen did not sleep in the middle of the night, he was still energetic and had no intention of being sleepy.

After a moment, he took Kang Sisi to the schoolyard not far from his home. It turned out to be a military camp of the Doulu Army. Later, all the Doulu Army moved outside the city, and this schoolyard became a place for civilians to rest and gather nearby.

Li Zhen is indeed a little late today. There are many young people living nearby practicing archery in the schoolyard. Tomorrow is the day for the martial arts examination. Although they have already passed the weightlifting and shooting skills before, the key lies in the arrow exam tomorrow.

The arrow test is divided into step shooting and riding shooting. The difficulty of the two is incomparable. Thousands of young men in Dunhuang practice martial arts, but only a few dozen people can ride and shoot, and Li Zhen is one of the best.

Therefore, dozens of teenagers in the small school are practicing footwork, and no one is training to ride and shoot.

When Li Zhen walked into the schoolyard, more than 20 teenagers surrounded him. These teenagers were neighbors. When they were naughty boys, they were Li Zhen's subordinates, but now everyone has grown up and has become his admirers.

"Sanlang is here!"

Li Zhen smiled and clasped his fists at everyone, "Brothers have practiced almost all, how about giving me a few arrows to shoot?"

"It's okay! Saburo shoots a few more arrows to show us."

Everyone was talking and laughing and cheering, "Why did Sanlang bring Sisi too? So that's it. I understand. Does Sanlang think we are in the way here?"

Just then, Sisi's scream of fear came from beside her, "Ah——"

Everyone turned around and saw Sisi covering her mouth with her hands, looking at the iron cage in front of her in horror. The cloth of the cage had been lifted open by her, and there were more than a dozen black and fat mice inside.

Everyone laughed, "Si Si, you carried all the way, don't you know that there is a black-faced young man inside?"

Sisi was so angry that she stamped her feet, "I don't know! If I know, I won't take it!"

Seeing her interesting, everyone couldn't help laughing again. Li Zhen walked up and smiled and said, "These are the living targets for me to practice arrows. I wanted to ask you for help. If you are afraid, I will ask others to help you. You can go back first!"

"I...I was actually just startled, I was afraid of them."

"Okay, you can carry the cage to the tree and put them out one by one." Li Zhen pointed to a red willow tree a hundred steps away and said.

Sisi hesitated for a long time before slowly picking up the iron cage and walking towards the big tree in the distance step by step. Everyone was cheering and shouting: "Sisi, how about we catch a few more?"

"You bad guys, I'll see your jokes again when you take the exam tomorrow!"

Everyone was talking and laughing, and their attention was focused on Li Zhen. Li Zhen had already turned over the horse. He rode his horse, and the horse's hooves were thunderous. The snow-white horse was running in the schoolyard, and rolling yellow dust aroused behind him.

"Brother Sanlang, the first one is coming out!" Sisi's shout came from behind the tree in the distance.

Li Zhen held a long bow in his hand, leaned slightly, his legs tightly clamped the war horse, and his eyes stared at the grass hundreds of steps away like lightning.

He quickly pulled out an arrow, pulled the bowstring with his long arm, and opened his bow like a full moon. A wolf-toothed arrow shot out like lightning. With a squeaking 80 steps away, a black-haired fat rat was firmly nailed to the ground by a long arrow.

"Good arrow technique!" The boys exclaimed in unison, and there was applause.

"Brother Sanlang, is the second one now?"

"Let's go!"

Li Zhen ran away on his horse and drew an arrow from the quiver on his back again.

.........

Before the age of seven, Li Zhen, like the young man around him, was just a naughty boy near the north gate of Dunhuang City. At that time, he had not yet opened his memories of his previous life, but his extraordinary talent was gradually revealed.

Not only did he have a natural leader temperament and became the leader of a group of children, but he also had an amazing memory, never forgetting his reading, and was even more talented in martial arts practice.

He and a group of children ran to the martial arts hall to peek at the adults practicing martial arts. Other children could not remember it after watching it ten or eight times, but he understood the essence of it after just reading it once.

Li Zhen's grandfather was a doctor of Shazhou Prefecture, a dear Buddhist, and a lay Buddhist at Dayun Temple in Dunhuang.

On Li Zhen’s eighth birthday, his grandfather took him to Dayun Temple to attend the Buddhist ceremony. By chance, an old monk from Dayun Temple discovered his unique talent.

This old monk was his master, Master Wangchen. At that time, he had just come to Dunhuang from Central Plains to become a monk, but he was over 60 years old.

Master Wangchen's origin is extremely mysterious. No one knows his secular name or what he has done before. However, Li Zhen's grandfather admired his literary achievements and gave his grandson to him without hesitation.

However, Master Wangchen did not teach Li Zhen much, but instead focused on teaching him martial arts and teaching him the art of Guigu's lingering and transcendent.

Li Zhen not only has extraordinary talent, but also has put in ten times more sweat and hard work than ordinary people. The sharpness of the sword is sharpened, and it is his hard work that enables him to practice today's martial arts.

"Brother Sanlang, are you ready?"

Sisi's crisp voice in the distance interrupted his thoughts, and he poured his attention into the longbow in his hand with all his heart.

"Si Si, there should be the last one!"

Li Zhen shouted, turned the horse's head, changed to holding the bow with his right hand, pulled out the last arrow with his left hand, and waited for the last black rat to appear.

At this moment, a rapid sound of horse hooves came from afar. Everyone turned around and saw more than a dozen young people riding horses rushing into the schoolyard quickly.

More than a dozen people were dressed in bright clothes and angry horses, with gorgeously decorated swords, and gold-painted thrush bows inserted in their bow bags. They were all wealthy families in Dunhuang, with the conditions to practice riding and shooting with horses. Among them were two more unique young people.

The two young men were about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a moon-white silk robe, a plain jade belt, black boots, lacquered saury crowns, and each wore a top-notch sword inlaid with gold and jade.

"It's the Sop brothers!"

Someone shouted softly, and Li Zhen also recognized the two young men. They were two cousins. The elder brother was called Su Wen and the younger brother was called Su Ying, who was a son of the famous Sok family in Shazhou.

Everyone in Dunhuang City knew the two brothers. They were quite skilled in martial arts, so they called themselves gossips and led a group of rich children to do whatever they wanted in Dunhuang City.

Perhaps because they are still young, their actions are not harmful to the world, but they are also causing trouble and disgusting. The people of Dunhuang call them the two heroes of mosquitoes and flies behind them.

More than a dozen rich children ran into the schoolyard and ran around the schoolyard. They drew their swords and cut off the grass targets that the teenagers practiced archery. One of them shouted: "We are going to practice riding and shooting here, and everyone will go out!"

When everyone saw that they were rude and rude, they were very angry, but they were afraid of the Suo family's forces and dared not speak out.

So Ying recognized Li Zhen and smiled at his brother Su Wen and said, "Did you see that brother? That person is there too."

Suo Wen had seen Li Zhen a long time ago, and he shouted, "Stop!"

The riders all tied the horses, and Suo Wen urged the horse to come forward and laughed dryly, "So it's Mr. Li, are you practicing arrows here too?"

"Brother, you've made a mistake!"

So Ying leaned forward, pointed at Sisi in the distance, and smiled in a sarcastic tone: "They are not practicing arrows like this. They are obviously going out for an outing and intimate. What a beautiful couple, they are a perfect match!"

Dunhuang was mixed with Hu and Han people, and the status of Han people was generally higher than that of Hu people. Hu people were mainly engaged in business. Most young Hu women were entertaining people in taverns and brothels, or married wealthy families as concubines. So Ying said that Li Zhen and Sisi were very compatible, which was obviously sarcastic.

The children of all the rich families burst into laughter, but Li Zhen was not angry, but said coldly: "If you come first and then come, you should wait a moment if you want to practice arrows, or discuss it kindly. If you make a big move and destroy people's targets, is this the Suo family tradition?"

Soying was furious and pointed at Li Zhen with a horse whip and shouted: "Damn it, do you dare to insult my family!"

Suo Wen waved his hand, stopped his brother's scolding, and smiled proudly at Li Zhen and said, "The Suo family is not bullying others by virtue of their power, but they believe that the strong are kings. If you have the ability, you should drive us out. If you don't have the ability, then invite you out. It's that simple!"

Suo Wen turned around and smiled at the children of the rich, saying, "Am I right?"

The children of the rich family laughed, "Young Master Wen is right, that's it!"

Li Zhen sneered and shouted loudly: "Si Si, put the last one."

He rode his horse and ran on the school field, and rushed to the edge of the school field one hundred and fifty steps away from the Hongluo. At this time, there was the last rat king squeaking in the iron cage. His black skin was shining, big and strong, and he grabbed and bit the iron cage irritated and made a sharp and sharp sound.

Sisi suppressed the fear in her heart and carefully lifted the small iron cage door. The black rat rushed out of the iron cage and ran into the depths of the grass.

"Brother Sanlang, let it go!"

"You all look forward to it!"

Li Zhen shouted loudly, and he pulled his bow like a full moon in his rush. An arrow shot out from one hundred and fifty steps away. The shadow of the arrow suddenly disappeared, with a strong force. The wolf-toothed arrow hit the head of the black rat, nailing it to death in the grass.

The school ground was silent and everyone was stunned. Li Zhen urged the horse to come back and said to Suo Wen and a wealthy family: "Since the strong are king, please send out the arrow! I'll wait and see."

Suo Wen's face turned red and white, and he was really angry and angry, but he had no choice but to do anything. His arrow skills were too far inferior, so it was embarrassing to take it out. He had to wave his hand, "Let's go to the East School!"

The children of the rich families were bored and had to turn their horses to leave. At this time, Suo Wen couldn't hold back his face. He said again: "I was careless when I missed the sword last time. Do you dare to compete with me again?"

Li Zhen said lightly: "If Mr. Wen is interested, I will accompany you at any time."

"Then it's a matter of determination, I will give you a sword letter!"

So Wen turned his horse's head and left. More than a dozen rich children urged the horses one after another, surrounded the Soh brothers and left the school ground. From a distance, Soh Ying shouted: "Li Zhen, don't dream, the Wu Ju quota for entering Beijing will not be your turn!"

Li Zhen was stunned. What did he mean?
Chapter completed!