The Swordsman Carrying a Head

"You carry the load, I lead the horse, we greet the sunrise, and see off the sunset..."

"Smooth out the bumpy road, fight through the dangers, and set off again..."

"Let's set off again!"

The weather was fine and sunny, with birds singing and flowers blooming.

The nearby jungle, seemingly chaotic yet orderly, is a testament to the ingenious forces of natural competition, which, in its cruelty, creates a unique landscape where no other large trees can grow around the giant tree, only some low shrubs and vines.

Between the trees, there are gaps that allow light to reach the sky.

Chu Tianshu strolled through the forest, humming a lullaby, and found a path.

He stood on the path, looking in both directions. One end of the path stretched into the lush green mountains, with no end in sight.

Looking out from the other side, it seems that there are also green mountains stretching across the landscape, with clouds floating halfway up the mountains.

However, at the foot of those mountains, there seems to be the outline of a city.

It looks like an ancient city, lacking the features of a modern metropolis.

However, this alone is not enough to determine what era this world is similar to.

After all, even in my hometown, in this vast world, there are still some places that retain the appearance of an ancient city.

Nine days after the Nie Longding incident, Chu Tianshu finally flew back to the mainland and had a big feast in his hometown.

Savoring those familiar flavors, I went back to take a shower and rest, changed my clothes, and sent a message to my second grandfather and the others saying that I was going on a trip before starting the time travel.

He now looked refreshed, wearing a blue shirt with a black casual coat over it, along with trousers and sneakers, appearing relaxed.

The Sanqi Divine Sword, as flexible as a measuring tape, was wrapped around his left wrist like a spiral-patterned wrist guard.

The wood grain, antique in style, was mostly hidden by the sleeves.

Since he could tell that there was an ancient city in that direction, Chu Tianshu followed the path there.

The journey was long, and he walked leisurely, as if he were on a picnic, humming the tune of "Where is the Road Ahead?" again.

Actually, he didn't quite remember the full lyrics of the song.

It's just a few familiar lines, sung over and over again, but it doesn't get boring.

However, as he walked, he noticed that the sky was getting a bit overcast, and the damp, cool smell in the wind became stronger.

"It's going to rain."

Chu Tianshu looked around, quickened his pace, ran to a banana tree by the roadside, and plucked down a large leaf.

He covered his head with a banana leaf, and soon a light drizzle began to fall on the forest path.

There is an earthen temple a few miles away.

Chu Tianshu pointed his left hand like a sword, silently recited the word "Lin," and quickened his pace.

Most of the rain falling from above was blocked by the banana leaves, and the rain streaks coming towards us were deflected invisibly by the Lin Character Technique.

With just a small application, he didn't have to get his favorite coat wet.

However, when he got closer to the earthen temple, he found that there seemed to be people already inside.

The ancient temple has no door, with bamboo-reinforced earthen walls and a thatched roof. Inside the temple is what appears to be a standing Buddhist statue.

There were two groups of people in the temple, all dressed in ancient attire.

A man was hiding in a corner, resting with his eyes closed. His hair was tied up in a bun with hemp rope. He had a stubble beard and was unkempt. His gray clothes were stained with a lot of dirt, but he gave off a feeling that he was not to be trifled with.

Because he had thin ropes binding his sleeves, a leather belt around his waist, and a knife in his arms.

The other group consisted of three peddlers who appeared to be acquainted.

The two large bamboo baskets were filled with a variety of heavy goods, including tiger-head shoes, small jewelry, and rattles.

On one of the bamboo baskets was a large bundle, leaning against a bamboo pole covered with candied hawthorns and a stack of straw.

The three people consisted of one older person and two younger ones. The two younger ones looked to be under twenty years old, and their appearances and clothing were somewhat similar, so they were probably relatives.

The old man was praying with his hands clasped in front of the Buddha statue.

"Bodhisattva Guanyin bless us, and may our business trip go smoothly."

Chu Tianshu couldn't help but look at the clay Buddha statue again.

Unlike the typical gentle and demure female Guanyin.

The Guanyin in this temple looks like an ascetic monk in its clothing, but its head resembles that of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Chu Tianshu hadn't initially expected that this was a Guanyin temple.

Two young peddlers squatted beside a bamboo basket, munching on flatbreads, and curiously eyeing Chu Tianshu.

After Chu Tianshu entered, he threw the banana leaf outside the temple and smiled at them.

"Young man, your clothes look quite unusual."

The younger one, sensing Chu Tianshu's friendliness, couldn't help but say, "Where is this style from? It looks really energetic."

Their accents were a bit subtle, but we were lucky to be able to understand them.

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "I made it myself."

"Make it yourself?"

The peddler said enviously, "Young master, you have such skillful hands. I also want to alter clothes myself, but I'm too afraid to use the scissors."

Hearing their conversation, the old peddler quickly turned around and glared at the young peddler.

"It's already good enough that you can make candied hawthorns properly. You've rested for almost half an hour, why are you still squatting? Stand up and walk around. Once the rain stops, we'll continue on our way."

Although his back looked old and his voice was hoarse, judging from his appearance, he was only in his forties or fifties.

"This lad is rude, please don't take offense, sir."

The old peddler came up and bowed.

Looking at his expression, Chu Tianshu suddenly realized that this seemed to be a custom from the Tang Dynasty, so he imitated it and returned the gesture.

"It's nothing, it's just fate that we're sheltering from the rain together, we were just chatting."

The old peddler chuckled, "Judging from your accent, young man, have you just arrived in Nanzhao?"

Chu Tianshu nodded. "I studied medicine and came here to travel and broaden my horizons after leaving my master's school. I haven't been here long."

The old peddler was filled with respect. "So you're a doctor."

"In the past, doctors in the Great Tang all worshipped the Medicine King and the old immortal, and basically dressed as Daoist priests."

The old peddler sighed, "I never imagined that there would still be doctors as young as you who could master their skills so quickly. And your attire is different now too."

"To be honest, sir, I came to Nanzhao with my parents when I was young. Although I long for the Great Tang, I haven't been back for many years. I've heard that the Great Tang is doing well again. Could you tell us about it?"

Chu Tianshu chuckled.

If you don't know what to say, just chuckle first.

He originally wanted to get some information from the indigenous people, but now, the indigenous people are asking him for information instead.

"The Great Tang, it was nothing special."

Chu Tianshu quickly changed the subject, "How peaceful is Nanzhao in recent years?"

The old peddler chuckled, "In the past, the Tubo built castles all over this place, plundered good things for their own enjoyment, and conscripted laborers. Meanwhile, the king would send a large army to attack Shu Prefecture. It was truly a chaotic situation."

"But since the king was defeated by the Tang emperor's army ten years ago, Nanzhao seems to have fallen out with Tubo and expelled many Tubo."

"Haha, the people of Nanzhao have been living much better lives these past few years than before."

Chu Tianshu listened with a strange expression.

The old peddler's tone seemed to show respect for the Kingdom of Nanzhao, but he also seemed rather pleased that the Kingdom of Nanzhao had been beaten by the Tang Emperor.

They identified themselves as people of the Nanzhao, and also as Tang People?

Hmm.

Chu Tianshu asked cautiously, "Since you are a citizen of Nanzhao, don't you feel indignant that the Nanzhao army was defeated by the Tang army?"

"What's there to be angry about?"

The old peddler was a little puzzled. "Nanzhao has defeated the imperial army before; they've always fought like this."

"Just like before, when the two great generals of An Lushan led a large group of generals in a rebellion, they initially attacked the emperor, but were later attacked by the emperor themselves. That's all quite normal."

The old peddler chuckled, "Anyway, things are pretty good here in Nanzhao right now."

Chu Tianshu suddenly realized and understood the old peddler's logic.

In the old peddler's mind, the Kingdom of Nanzhao was not a foreign country at all, and the Kingdom of Nanzhao was just like a powerful regional governor.

Therefore, he could naturally conclude that he was both Nanzhao person and Tang People.

Just like people from Lingnan, they might feel that they are both people from Lingnan and Tang People.

In fact, the Nanzhao originally consisted of dozens of large and small ethnic groups, with six kingdoms coexisting.

The predecessor of Nanzhao was Mengshe Zhao. Its first ruler paid homage to Emperor Gaozong and was appointed as the Wei Prefecture.

Later, among the six Zhao states, five of them frequently allied themselves with the Tubo and harassed the Tang People.

Only Mengshe Zhao remained loyal to the Great Tang. Thus, during the Kaiyuan era, with the support of the Tang court, officials were dispatched to assist them in annexing the other five Zhao and establishing the Kingdom of Nanzhao.

The ruler of Kingdom of Nanzhao, who unified the six kingdoms, was further enfeoffed as the Duke of Yue. At that time, many Tang People had already migrated to Nanzhao.

During the Tianbao era, the Kingdom of Nanzhao Geluofeng was extorted for a huge bribe by a Great Tang dynasty prefect, which sparked a war. He repeatedly defeated the Tang army, formed an alliance with the Tubo) and addressed them as brothers. He also took advantage of the An Lushan Rebellion to expand Nanzhao's territory.

During this process, a large number of artisans and common people were taken back to Nanzhao to populate the population.

After Geluofeng's death, his son died young, and his grandson "Yimouxun" succeeded him, who is now the Kingdom of Nanzhao.

Yimouxun and the Tubo launched a joint attack on the Great Tang, but were repeatedly defeated by the Tang army and suffered heavy losses.

The Eastern Barbarians, who were also allied with Tubo, were suppressed and subdued by the Tang generals and all surrendered to the Great Tang.

Tubo became suspicious, wondering if Nanzhao would also surrender to the Great Tang.

Yimouxun the opportunity, broke with Tubo, and tried to curry favor with the Great Tang.

All of this was all too familiar to the Tang People living in the Nanzhao Kingdom after the An Lushan Rebellion.

Yimouxun's actions were typical of a military governor. Even the people under his rule were no different from those under other Great Tang rulers; they still spoke their native dialect and used their native characters.

As for Yimouxun himself being a Bai ethnic minority, there's not much more to say about that.

The military governors of the Great Tang Dynasty were originally from all sorts of ethnic groups.

Even though some people often led their troops to wander around, trying to expand their territory and steal people from each other, and occasionally some even tried to storm Chang'an and capture the Great Tang emperor, they still considered themselves Tang People, and this was not contradictory.

"In short, things are quite peaceful within the Nanzhao Kingdom right now?"

Chu Tianshu smiled and said, "That's good. Although we doctors are dedicated to saving lives, we don't like seeing too many dead or injured people."

"Moreover, practicing medicine in peaceful places ensures greater personal safety."

He heard footsteps approaching on the path outside the temple, so he turned his head to look.

The old peddler also looked in that direction, and suddenly his face turned pale, and he screamed.

The two peddlers rushed forward and helped the old man up. "What's wrong?"

They looked in that direction, and their faces turned deathly pale.

Chu Tianshu frowned and stared at the figure.

The man walked step by step down the road, holding a knife in his right hand and a human head in his left.

Despite holding these two items, the man's expression was not ferocious.

Because he had no face, the area above his neck was empty, with only bloodstains still staining his wet clothes.

The sky was overcast, and a light rain was falling.

A headless man walks.

(End of this chapter)