Time-Traveling Love

“My lord, I wish to follow you in establishing an eternal legacy, but I must temporarily leave the military for a significant matter. Thus, I have failed to meet your expectations and could not contribute to your great cause, which fills me with deep regret,” Liu Buqun sincerely said. “Are you Guo Wei, the founding emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty?” Xu Caitong asked, looking at Guo Wei. “How dare you, a mere woman, address the emperor by name?” A guard with a large knife approached, reprimanding Xu Caitong. “Who are you?” Guo Wei wanted to further question Liu Buqun, but the beautiful woman before him showed no regard for formalities, directly calling out his name. He waved his hand, dismissing the guard in confusion. “So you are indeed the founding emperor Guo Wei?” Xu Caitong asked nonchalantly. “Yes,” Guo Wei nodded, looking at Caitong. “Your Majesty, there’s no need for you to head to Jinzhou now; return to Bianjing and wait for good news,” Xu Caitong said with a faint smile. “Who are you exactly? How do you know the purpose of my journey?” Guo Wei asked with a cold, authoritative tone. “My lord, please forgive Miss Caitong’s ignorance; she did not mean to offend,” Liu Buqun was taken aback, not knowing how Caitong knew of Guo Wei’s purpose. “Do you believe her, or do you feel threatened because she knows your plan?” Xu Caitong fearlessly continued. “Speak! What else do you know?” Guo Wei, now enraged, sat back on his throne and commanded, signaling to his guards who then encircled Liu Buqun and Xu Caitong. “Your Majesty, you are personally leading the troops because the Northern Han and Khitan armies are stationed in Jinzhou, threatening the safety of the Later Zhou. You plan to attack Jinzhou, but the city’s defenses are strong, making it difficult to conquer. If you try to cross the Xishui River, Murong Yanchao might take the opportunity to attack Bianjing, which would be disastrous,” Xu Caitong, surrounded by guards, remained calm. The Murong Yanchao she mentioned was Guo Wei’s internal threat, outwardly loyal but truly a traitor. Xu Caitong, well-versed in this part of history, spoke confidently. “You seem very well-informed,” Guo Wei, hearing Xu Caitong’s analysis, squinted his eyes and reassessed her, deep in thought. At that moment, an emissary from General Wang Jun arrived with a message advising Guo Wei against rash actions. General Wang Jun, sent by Guo Wei to attack the Northern Han and Khitan in Jinzhou, had the same analysis as Xu Caitong. Xu Caitong, familiar with this historical scenario, advised Guo Wei to reconsider his plans. “I nearly made a grave mistake…” Guo Wei suddenly realized, immediately dismissing the guards and inviting them to sit. Liu Buqun thanked Guo Wei and took his leave. “My lord, in twenty days, heavy snow will fall, and Jinzhou will fall without a fight; there’s no need to rush,” Xu Caitong said before leaving. “How do you know this?” Guo Wei urgently asked. Xu Caitong merely smiled, not answering. She pulled Liu Buqun, who then lifted her onto a black horse, and they galloped away. A small village appeared before them as the sun rose. The kind villagers, seeing the pair suddenly in their village, thought they were divine lovers descended from heaven and welcomed them despite their dirt and exhaustion. They stayed at a three-generation household surnamed Sun, where Caitong, after washing off days of grime, joined the young wives to wash clothes by the stream. The women asked where she and her companion came from, noting their travel-worn appearance. “You two seem like newlyweds,” a woman in her thirties asked. Xu Caitong smiled but didn’t know how to respond. Liu Buqun, worried about Caitong, followed her to the stream. The woman who had spoken to Caitong laughed, “Here comes the husband looking for his wife.” The women turned around, giggling at Caitong. Turning back, Xu Caitong saw Liu Buqun standing behind her with his hand on his sword, a warm feeling rising in her heart. “Your wife is very beautiful, sir,” said the same woman. Liu Buqun, silent, locked eyes with Caitong, both reading the deep affection in each other’s gaze. They stayed at the Sun family, who, despite having many rooms, treated them as newlyweds, which neither Liu Buqun nor Xu Caitong corrected. Liu Buqun planned to stay one night and leave the next day. He borrowed writing materials from the host to send a letter to the Xu family, informing them that their daughter was safe with him and not to worry. Upon returning to the room, Xu Caitong was asleep, leaning against the bed, apparently waiting for him but succumbing to sleep. After days of night attacks, this was the only time for rest. Liu Buqun gently covered her with a blanket and sat beside her. “Help, help!” Xu Caitong suddenly screamed. Liu Buqun jumped up; she was having a nightmare. “Caitong, Caitong,” Liu Buqun called out, his face filled with concern. “Save me,” Xu Caitong mumbled in her sleep, her hands growing cold, her face pale, still calling for help. Liu Buqun’s heart sank; was this just a nightmare? Why couldn’t he wake her? He shook her vigorously, calling her name, but she remained unresponsive. “Is it an evil spirit?” Liu Buqun thought in alarm, quickly lying next to her, forcing himself to sleep to enter her dream. What was happening in her dream? Could he save her from it? Liu Buqun found himself in a dark, desolate world, with silence and death everywhere, sand flowing, riverbeds dry, the sky and earth indistinguishable, like an ancient, barren land. “Save me, General, save me,” Caitong’s voice came from ahead. Liu Buqun leaped forward, kicking a demon. Several demons attacked, but he fought them off with his martial skills. He pulled up the fallen Xu Caitong as a demon swung a weapon at them. “Ah!” Xu Caitong screamed as the weapon was about to hit her, but Liu Buqun pushed her away, taking the blow on his left arm. He quickly locked the demon’s neck and snapped it. “Run, run!” Liu Buqun urged, pulling Xu Caitong to flee. The earth cracked, and thousands of streams of crimson fluid erupted from the ground. Liu Bugun held Xu Caitong close, dodging the flying lava. A flash of white light swept towards them. Bugun pulled Caitong, but they slipped and fell into an unknown abyss. Xu Caitong groggily opened her eyes, her heart pounding. She thought she had died, but turning, she saw Liu Bugun lying beside her. She turned to look at him. “Are we dead?” Xu Caitong asked. “We were dreaming. Those ghosts tried to steal our souls through dreams. Humph, they won’t kill us that easily,” Liu Bugun said, sitting up and clutching his injured arm. “Are you hurt?” Xu Caitong sat up in alarm, seeing his blood-soaked arm, her heart ached with sorrow. “What happened? How can one get hurt in a dream? Weren’t those dream scenes just dreams? How could this happen?” Xu Caitong was utterly bewildered, unable to understand or believe what was happening in this world, this time. Bugun was seriously injured; he asked Caitong to take out the hemostatic medicine from his pocket. Caitong pulled out a sachet and then a small bottle. Bugun, seeing the sachet, quickly and nervously grabbed it with his blood-stained hand, tucking it back into his pocket. Caitong found this strange; who had given him this sachet that he was so protective of? Bugun’s face was unnaturally tense as he took the bottle from Caitong. “Let me do it,” Liu Bugun said. “Let me,” Caitong insisted, applying the powder to his wound. “Does it hurt a lot?” Liu Bugun shook his head. “Who gave you that sachet?” Xu Caitong asked softly while tearing a piece of cloth from her garment to bandage his arm, a pang of jealousy stirring within her. Liu Bugun looked at her, slowly pulling out the sachet stained with his blood. “It’s from my future wife to her future husband,” Liu Bugun explained. “It’s a gift exchanged during the betrothal ceremony.” “I’m sorry, can you forgive me?” Xu Caitong felt overwhelmed with emotions she couldn’t express, thinking of her escape from marriage, and the possibility that he might indeed be Liu Bugun, she had already hurt him. Xu Caitong felt a sour sensation in her heart; she genuinely apologized, willing to be both Xu Caihong and Xu Caitong. She didn’t believe what the flower fairy had said in the garden of the Xu family’s abandoned pavilion, but now she didn’t want to struggle anymore. What did it matter if she was who she was? Liu Bugun then unhooked a gold necklace from his neck, which held a brilliant pearl engraved with scriptures. “This pearl was given to me by an enlightened monk on the day of my full moon. He instructed my parents to give it to my wife when I come of age and marry. It has accompanied me through my growth, battles, and campaigns. I hope it blesses you as it has blessed me,” Liu Bugun said, placing the necklace around Caitong’s neck. “Thank you,” Xu Caitong said tearfully, “How can I accept something meant for your wife?” Liu Bugun didn’t reply but helped her put on the necklace. Xu Caitong, touching the pearl, felt even more guilty, knowing he was unwilling to admit who he was. At dawn the next day, Liu Bugun and Xu Caitong bid farewell to the villagers, under a sky filled with stars and dew, Liu Bugun rode forward. Suddenly, there was a “boom,” and flames shot up behind them; the entire village was engulfed in fire. Liu Bugun turned his horse around with a long neigh, seeing the village ablaze, he gasped. “Quick, we must save the villagers!” Caitong cried out. The fire lit up their faces as they dismounted, ready to rush into the inferno. Explosions echoed within the village, screams of villagers, and the crackling of burning houses pierced the dawn. The flames had turned the village into a blazing hell, leaving them helpless. “If only there were a fire truck, if only there were firefighters,” Xu Caitong shivered and murmured through tears. “What did you say?” Liu Bugun asked. “Why is this happening? What’s going on?” Xu Caitong collapsed into Liu Bugun’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The kind villagers who had sheltered them, the women of the village, Caitong’s heart was consumed by the fire. “We must get to Yuanming Mountain quickly,” Liu Bugun said, holding her tightly, his face stern, eyes burning with hatred. The demons had begun to wreak havoc on earth, and he was determined to protect the people, even if it was his last breath, to exterminate these evil spirits. He knew the path ahead was fraught with danger, and he was duty-bound to protect the woman in his arms. The world was in chaos, and life was in ruins. “It’s those demons, isn’t it?” Xu Caitong asked through her tears. “Yes,” Liu Bugun confirmed as they watched the village burn, the flames lighting up half the sky. They continued their journey north, camping out and never stopping. Along the way, they inquired about Yuanming Mountain, but no one seemed to know of it. That day, they arrived at Huangzhou, where outside the city, banners blocked out the sun, camps stretched for miles, all filled with Liao soldiers and officers, their flags bearing the name “Yelü.” Drums beat as the city gates opened, and troops marched out to meet the enemy. The city’s general, armed with an iron halberd, advanced to confront them. From the Liao camp, a tall, fierce general emerged, Yelü Haqi, wielding a pair of meteor hammers with godlike skill. The shouting outside Huangzhou was deafening. Within a few exchanges, the city’s general was clearly outmatched, nearly losing his life to Yelü Haqi’s hammers. After several more strikes, the general could no longer resist and was knocked off his horse by Yelü Haqi, causing chaos outside the city. Yelü Haqi led his troops into the city, which was in disarray, raising the drawbridge. The Liao invaders would surely bring destruction to the city’s inhabitants. Liu Bugun, brows furrowed, did not advance. “Stay here, don’t move,” he instructed as he dismounted, using his light footwork to rush into the enemy lines. Liu Bugun attacked from behind, taking down many enemies. The Liao soldiers, drunk with victory, hadn’t anticipated an attack from the rear. Their ranks were thrown into disarray, unable to coordinate.