The Eternal Glory of the Tang Dynasty

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“Ah, so this is the famous Gaolan Mountain from before,” Li Wenyuan said as he stepped off the car and stretched lazily.

“Yes, in the language of the Xiongnu, Gaolan Mountain means ‘the great mountain by the river.’ It’s said that this name dates back to the time when the First Emperor of Qin unified the six kingdoms,” replied his companion with a smile, unloading their gear from the car.

“Alright, we rarely get a chance to get away from our advisor and relax—so stop with the lectures already,” Li Wenyuan said, grabbing the equipment from his friend, slinging it carelessly over his shoulder, and striding toward the nearby tents.

He was here to take part in a hunting event organized by the Archery Enthusiasts’ Association. Though they called it a “hunt,” the organizers had simply placed various targets in the woods ahead of time. Participants, working in pairs, would enter the mountains in turn, shoot the targets, leave an arrow marked with their name beside each one, and retrieve a token from the target. The pair who collected the most tokens would be declared the winners.

The next day, at the break of dawn, Li Wenyuan and his friend had breakfast and began preparing their gear for the mountain. Hearing the occasional metallic clinks from Li Wenyuan’s side, his friend turned and asked, “You brought iron arrows? This event is going to be pretty physically demanding. Are you sure you’re up for it?”

Li Wenyuan slung his quiver and bow over his back and, after ensuring nothing impeded his movement, checked each arrow before pla