Chapter 1: The Young Master of the Ancestral Home

  Early autumn in northern Liaoning, the chill is hidden and cold. The dusk yellow luxuriant forest and the rolling hills crisscross each other, the cool breeze blows gently, the trees sway and the shadows flicker, looking out at a glance like layered waves. The sky is azure and boundless, a few lazy clouds change freely, clean and refreshing, making people feel carefree and relaxed.

  In the hills outside the northern suburbs of Xu Wuxian, a cavalry team of over 20 people galloped from west to east. The riders were all dressed in simple and sturdy attire, some holding long bows, others carrying lassos, and occasionally someone would shout to drive away a group of panicked and fleeing goats in front of the team. The leader was a boy of about 15 or 16 years old, who differed from the people behind him in that he wore an additional soft leather cuirass on his upper body, and on the horseback below him was also equipped with a strange and unknown seat device.

  It was with the help of this strange seat that the young man could keep his body balanced with his feet alone, freeing up both hands to bend the bow and set arrows, even when speeding along at high speed.

  All the way chasing, the people behind him had long been amazed by the boy's agile movements. Among them were not a few experienced riders, but none of them could achieve both rapid progress and opening bows and arrows at the same time, while also ensuring excellent accuracy.

  Only heard the young man shouting loudly: "Dong."

  The string moves, the bow is startled, and the arrow whizzes by.

  An arrow with a cold light split through the air and shot into the abdomen of an adult gazelle with a "whoosh".

  As the antelope let out a mournful cry, the flock abandoned its injured member and scattered in all directions. The wounded antelope stumbled and staggered on for a distance before finally collapsing to the ground in despair.

  "Look, the young master has hit the target again."

  "The Grandmaster is truly divine archery!"

  "In just half a day's time, nine out of thirteen arrows hit their mark. It can be said that the Marquis of Jinghuan is still in this world."

  "Stop dawdling and hurry up to gather the sheep."

  Under the cheers of the entourage, the young man slowed down his horse and approached where the antelope had fallen. However, at this time, there was no triumphant or joyful expression on his face, but instead, he furrowed his brow, looking thoughtful, occasionally lowering his head to examine the strange saddle under him. After dismounting, others rushed forward to collect the prey, while the young man merely glanced briefly at the antelope still gasping for breath, and then turned around to adjust the saddle on his horse's back.

  "Ah, young master," said a middle-aged man who led his horse up from behind and greeted the youth with respect. "I saw you loading these things onto your horse's back early this morning. I don't know what they are, but won't carrying them on the horse's back cause some inconvenience..." His tone became slightly heavier as he spoke.

  The young man called the big prince smiled and patted the saddle, saying: "Uncle Hong, how could I not know that you are most careful about these horses. You can rest assured, this saddle is made of horseback, and the stirrup below is called a horse stirrup. These two things not only allow the rider to sit more comfortably, but also reduce the wear and tear on the horse's spine, truly a win-win situation."

  Hong Shu looked slightly embarrassed, but still asked: "Is what you said true, young master?"

  The young man laughed and said: "When did my ancestor Zhao deceive Uncle Hong?"

  Hong Shu knew that the young master had been knowledgeable and reasonable since childhood, and in recent years he had become even more mature and courteous to everyone on the estate. His words were naturally beyond doubt. Immediately, he hastily nodded in response: "That's right, that's right, I was just talking nonsense."

  The young man continued to examine the saddle, gesturing with his hand around the stirrup ring and shaking his head slightly, saying: "The size is not right, it still needs improvement."

  Hong Shu asked strangely: "Dà Gōng Zǐ, this saddle and stirrup seem to be not from the Hu people, nor have they been seen in Youzhou. Could it be a new trick from the Central Plains?"

  The young man smiled as if he was and wasn't, and then said: "This is what I have been thinking about for the past few days. Unfortunately, it still has some flaws, but after careful improvement, I will definitely make sure that everyone in the village is fully equipped."

  Upon hearing this, Hong Shu's face showed doubt, but he couldn't bring himself to question the young master's words, after all, the other was the young master of Zu Jia Zhuang.

  Seeing Hong Shu's obvious look of concern, the young man smiled again. He didn't have any intention of blaming him. As the manager of the horse farm in Zujiashan Village, he would put his heart and soul into anything related to horses. This kind of dedication was truly commendable. However, it wasn't convenient for him to say too much now, after all, he had invented the saddle and stirrup ahead of time, and the appearance of new things would inevitably be met with doubts.

  "Today, I can gallop and shoot well, all thanks to the effect of this saddle and stirrup. No need to say more, Uncle Hong will know its pros and cons when you try it yourself tomorrow."

  Hong Shu was flustered and dryly laughed twice, just about to speak up when someone from the attendants who were handling the hunting spoils nearby excitedly shouted: "Quick, look! This is a pair of Tianyanjiao!"

  Soon, someone turned around and rushed this way, shouting: "Congratulations, young master, you've obtained a pair of Celestial Eyes!"

  The young man handed the reins of his horse to Uncle Hong and walked towards the crowd surrounding the prey. A servant of similar age, holding a pair of sheep horns that had just been dug out from the goat's head, hastily handed them over. The roots of the horns and both hands were still stained with fresh blood. The young man didn't mind the bloodstains and took one of the horns, pointing it towards the sky. From the "goat seal" at the bloody root, you could vaguely see the marrow inside the horn and a very fine crack that went straight to the tip of the horn. Judging from its thick texture and length of nearly a foot, it was undoubtedly a rare pair of celestial horns.

  Saiga antler is a traditional Chinese medicine, and Tianyanjiao has better medicinal properties than ordinary saiga antlers. Although Tianyanjiao is not yet as rare as the world's most precious medicines, for hunters it is at least a good omen.

  "Alright, great!" The young man laughed loudly and returned the goat horn to his attendant's hand, saying brightly, "Today is a happy day. Except for this pair of mountain goat horns which I will take back and present to my grandfather, all the other spoils will be divided equally among everyone."

  Everyone present listened and cheered with excitement. Most of them were hunters by origin, although they didn't lack meat, the host's family rewarded them with their hunting spoils, which contained trust and recognition, so they naturally felt cherished and honored.

  Wrap the ibex horns separately and put them in a special bag, while the body of the gazelle is tied tightly with ropes and carried on horseback.

  Everything was ready, and the sun had just passed noon. From early morning till now, a group of people had been rushing continuously, leaving Xu without stopping for forty or fifty miles, and both men and horses showed signs of fatigue. As the oldest member of the team, Uncle Hong suggested taking a short rest here, drinking some water and eating some dry food before continuing on the road. The young man had no objection, so everyone found a suitable place to sit down and rest, letting the horses graze freely nearby.

  Zu Zhao sat down on a mountain peak, letting the clear and strong sunlight shine on his face. He narrowed his eyes to gaze at the distant horizon where the sky and earth met, and in his heart, he felt a few threads of sentimental emotions emerging.

  It's been seven years since he traveled through time to this era, and it has to be said that time flies like a white horse crossing a ravine. He not only fully adapted to the brand new environment in front of him but also made plans for his future survival. Although his luck was still pretty good, he became the eldest son of the patriarch of the Zu family from Xu Wu County, You Beiping Prefecture, Yan State, whose ancestors were all military officers guarding the border and had military merits for three generations. Moreover, he was also a clansman of that famous Eastern Jin general who would appear hundreds of years later, and his family was wealthy and powerful, truly a prominent and influential clan. Living a life of luxury as a young master was not a problem at all.

  Unfortunately, he came to the wrong era, Hanling Emperor Xi Ping 4 years, and seven years later today is Guanghe 6 years. The Yellow Turban Rebellion that collapsed the Great Han Dynasty is about to take the stage of history.

  In the past seven years, he has been preparing for the arrival of a chaotic world at all times. A few years ago, when he was still young, apart from being filial to his elders, treating others with courtesy, and studying Confucianism in a conventional way, showing off his cleverness and quick wit, there was little else he could do. Fortunately, the northern border region has a strong martial culture, and with the background of a military family, after learning literature, he also had opportunities to practice martial arts. By using modern training methods, he managed to develop some real skills.

  At the age of learning and ambition, he already has a certain ability to speak and act in ancient times. In the next half year or so, he will concentrate his energy on dealing with the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

  The road ahead is uncertain, with too many unknowns!

  At this time, a young attendant of similar age took out a round and bulging water bag, ran quickly to Zu Zhao's side. Zu Zhao withdrew his mind from the countless thoughts, took over the water bag, tilted his head and drank a big mouthful, wiped his mouth with his hand, and let out a sigh of relief.

  "Zu Qi, the twelfth month is your coming-of-age day, has your family asked an elder to give you a good name?" Zu Zhao casually asked as he handed back the water bag. The young attendant in front of him was actually from the same clan and family, but because he was from a side branch with humble origins, his family's status wasn't high within the clan, so usually he would be arranged to do chores at several elder's homes.

  In ancient times, the cultural level was generally not high, and giving children names was often perfunctory. It wasn't until they reached the age of putting up their hair that they would take a proper name if conditions permitted. "Season" means the youngest, and Zu Qi is just a casual title for family members, while a large clan like the Zu family with many people might have more than one or two young descendants called Zu Qi.

  "Thanks to the young master's concern, my father visited Third Uncle a few days ago, and Third Uncle mentioned a 'Ping' character." Zu Qi replied respectfully while putting away the water bag.

  "Flat and smooth is a good name. From now on you should be a flat and smooth person." Zu Zhao nodded in approval.

  Zu Ji smiled warmly for a while, unable to conceal his own fondness for the name "Zu Ping".

  "You're also a grown-up now, you should be more sensible from now on. Don't just spend your days playing around, read some books, understand?" After a brief pause, Zu Zhao continued in a lecturing tone. He had a relatively close relationship with this cousin of his, having practiced horse riding and martial arts together for many years. He knew that the other person was straightforward by nature, not book-smart, but willing to wield swords and guns, and was someone who could be trusted and gathered around him.

  "Yes, yes, Father has said it more than once, telling me to learn from the eldest young master." Zu Qi looked a bit embarrassed, scratched his head and spoke in a vague tone.

  Zu Zhao knew that some people were not born to be scholars, so he didn't nag Zu Ji much, just smiled understandingly.

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