“Quick, quick!”
“Faster!”
The pitch-black warhorse galloped through the lightless night, shattering the curtain of rain ahead. Li Guanyi hazily awakened, as if from a great dream, the blurred glow of a computer screen still lingering in his vision. Then he felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, trembling from the agony.
He immediately realized that his body had shrunk, almost like that of an infant.
A woman was riding a swift horse, carrying him as they rushed forward. The dark clouds in the sky parted, and he strained to lift his head. Through the fabric covering him, he caught a glimpse of the distance under the moonlight, and then instinctively shivered—
In the distance, a squad of cavalry clad in ancient armor stood silently, reins in hand.
The towering warhorses stood nearly two meters tall, their breath causing the leaves to tremble. The cavalrymen on horseback wore full iron armor, their faces obscured by helmets. On the right side of their armor, arrow sleeves hung down, adorned with intricate white cloud patterns.
Majestic and silent, the dark clouds gradually enveloped them again, leaving only a few twinkling stars. The rain poured down, splashing against their armor and creating fine droplets, as if a faint glow surrounded them under the starlight.
Equipped cavalry.
“Chen Kingdom Night Rider Cavalry.”
Li Guanyi heard a voice beside him, but it was soon torn apart by a sharp sound slicing through the air. Before his eyes, a figure resembling a white tiger appeared. Li Guanyi felt his body suddenly thrown into the air, and in the next moment, the hooves of the galloping warhorse were severed by a flash of light.
Amidst the chilling screams, the woman rolled off the fierce horse while cradling him.
She rolled onto the ground, positioning her back toward the heavily armored cavalrymen who had drawn their bows.
“Li Nu'er…”
Thousands of arrows pierced through the air.
They fell.
Clang!
“Little Apothecary, snap out of it!”
In the tenth year of the Tianqi era, within the largest apothecary shop in Guan Yi City of the Chen Kingdom.
An old man tapped his fingers on the table, as if striking down the thousands of arrows. Li Guanyi returned to his senses from his memories, slowly lifting his head. Sunlight fell on his face, and a nearby old woman was about to take a few herbs. Li Guanyi smiled apologetically and responded.
After receiving the prescription, he turned to open the medicine cabinet.
Seeing that the Little Apothecary had finally started to gather herbs, the old woman stopped urging him, instead examining the young boy before her with the unique gaze of an elder. At thirteen years old, he was taller than the average boy. Although his face was slightly sallow, his brows were clear, and his eyes were spirited.
Moreover, she had heard that his skills were quite impressive, and he understood medicine. Hmm, indeed.
He was a good child.
It was a pity that there was no young man in his family, only a seriously ill aunt.
What a shame…
But he could still be a good young man to “sell” to other young girls.
What was his name again… Li Yi?
Or was it Li Da?
The old woman pondered.
Unbeknownst to her, Li Guanyi had already skillfully gathered the herbs and calculated the price, handing it over with a warm smile typical of youth.
This smile was truly charming, causing the old woman to elevate his rank on her internal list of “recommendable young men” several places, and she recalled the boy's name.
Similar to Zhang San, Li Si, Zheng Er, and Wang Wu.
Li Yi.
Yet she did not know that he had suddenly stood out from these common names.
Li Guanyi.
Yes, it was Li Guanyi, a good child.
The old woman took the herbs, smiling as she inquired about any betrothal matters, receiving the information she desired, then turned contentedly to leave. The elderly woman pushed open the intricately carved wooden door, and sunlight poured in, spreading across the bluestone-paved ground, with pedestrians coming and going.
The wheels of horse-drawn carriages swiftly rolled along the street, the curtains fluttering in the wind, revealing either scholarly Confucians seated upright or beautiful women in thin gauzy dresses, holding delicate fans to their lips.
According to the calculations of the great emperor of the Central Plains, it should be the tenth year of the Tianqi era.
But now, no one paid him any mind.
The world had been divided for a long time, for three hundred years.
The Chen Kingdom occupied the eastern land of Jiangnan, a place of beautiful waters and grass, with fine culture, beautiful people, and stunning scenery.
Though it had lost to the Xuan Kingdom over a decade ago.
Yet there were still renowned generals like Xiao Wuliang, who charged into battle with seven steeds, shaking the world.
Guan Yi City was very close to the capital of the Chen Kingdom, Jiangzhou, reachable by swift horse in a day, naturally bustling and prosperous. Li Guanyi's gaze returned from the scenery outside, rubbing his brow. Perhaps it was the autumn afternoon; the warm sunlight made one feel languid.
He recalled the events of ten years ago.
When it was time to change shifts, Li Guanyi slowly walked into the back room of the apothecary, removing the thick blue long robe from his body. Seeing that no one was around, he opened the collar of his inner garment to look inside. On his chest, there was a small tripod-like mark that only he could see, covered in azure iron patterns of the Kui dragon, with fish and bird designs. Inside the tripod, a crimson light flowed.
Around his heart, black patterns converged, resembling twisted, ferocious poisonous snakes dancing around a bonfire, creating a stark contrast with his snow-white skin, shocking to behold, reminiscent of ancient blood sacrifices from a distant, wild land.
Ancient, crude.
Savage and bloody.
This was poison, deadly poison, or perhaps something akin to witchcraft.
This thing was a remnant of the events from ten years ago, and it was this deadly poison that had activated the bronze tripod, allowing him to break free from the confusion of the womb, awakening the consciousness of an adult from that of a two-year-old infant. The bronze tripod had also suppressed this deadly poison, though it occasionally flared up, causing him to sweat profusely in pain, wishing to die by crashing his head against something. Yet he was still alive.
However, recently, the frequency of the poison's outbreak had been increasing.
In the past ten years, his aunt had visited various doctors, but none had a way to detoxify him. It seemed that before he reached adulthood, he would be painfully killed by it.
Li Guanyi's expression darkened.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.
Li Guanyi glanced at the roughly eight-tenths full jade liquid inside the tripod.
Even knowing that no matter how much he looked at it, it wouldn’t suddenly surge, he still couldn’t help but want to take another look.
For now, he could only hope that the bronze tripod, which had suppressed the poison for ten years, would change once the jade liquid inside accumulated fully, ideally able to completely eliminate this deadly poison. As for how the jade liquid accumulated within the tripod, Li Guanyi had finally gained some insight into it a month and a half ago.
The noise outside grew louder, and Li Guanyi frowned, wondering if a guest had arrived at this time. He changed his clothes, fastening the blue pouch around his waist, which also held a water gourd, then stepped outside, lifting the curtain of the door, saying, “Chen Bo, how…”
His voice abruptly stopped.
Boom!!!
The muffled sound felt like it had seized everyone's throat.
The three martial men employed by the apothecary were thrown like broken sacks, crashing heavily against the wall beside Li Guanyi, falling hard and spitting out blood, their faces pale and eyes filled with terror.
“!!!”
The door of the apothecary was kicked open, the fallen carved door crashing directly against the wall.
A man with a hero's scarf tied around his head, dressed in a parrot-green long robe with a slanted collar, a belt of iron around his waist, and a waist knife hanging at his side stepped forward, exuding an imposing aura. He grabbed the collar of the young Li Guanyi, who had just crouched beside the injured, lifting him into the air. With fierce eyes sweeping the surroundings, he bellowed:
“Bold! Harboring a criminal wanted by the court!!!”
“Are you not afraid of death?!”
Li Guanyi was lifted up, struggling to breathe, his face turning red. He looked into the distance and saw a young scholar on a fine steed outside the door. This young man wore a sword at his waist, his gaze calm as he watched the boy being choked, struggling to breathe. His right sleeve was dark, hanging down, covered with intricate cloud patterns.
Just like that rain-soaked night ten years ago.
(End of chapter)