Far from the Chen Kingdom's royal family.
After Murong Qiushui spoke these words, she refused to reveal anything further.
These six words carried immense weight, echoing in Li Guanyi's ears as he lay on that broken stone bed. The name "Chen Kingdom's royal family" naturally bore a certain gravity, and coupled with what his aunt had said, he needed to leave the boundaries of the Chen Kingdom to inform Li Guanyi about the past.
This caused various speculations to rise in Li Guanyi's heart.
Could it be that the one who poisoned me was the Chen Kingdom's royal family?
Or perhaps, my long-lost parents and uncle were harmed by the Chen Kingdom's royal family?
Or maybe...
Thoughts swirled in Li Guanyi's mind.
But no matter which thought it was, it was not a good sign.
Staying within the borders of the Chen Kingdom posed a significant risk and danger to both himself and his aunt. This place was unsafe; he needed to leave quickly. However, no matter how he looked at it, the Chen Kingdom was a great power, with a well-established system, and for an individual, it was like a colossal entity, unshakeable.
Li Guanyi turned over.
Lying flat, on his side, he still could not fall asleep.
His mind was filled with thoughts, bubbling up like boiling water.
Ten years.
They had fled for a full ten years. During this decade, his aunt had raised Li Guanyi from a three-year-old child to a thirteen-year-old youth, and in these ten years of hardship, they were actually not far from the borders of the Chen Kingdom.
But in reality, many things were still needed.
He needed the household registration of a large city.
To leave the borders, he also needed a pass.
In times of war, to obtain a pass for leaving the country, one needed the approval of the Ministry of War's vermilion seal to cross the border. Outside the border, there were iron cavalry patrolling with hard bows, ready to execute any smuggler they encountered.
He also needed martial skills and enough gold to secure a living after leaving the Chen Kingdom.
One matter after another, each was a source of worry.
Li Guanyi tossed and turned, unable to sleep, as if his body was at odds with his mind. He simply sat up, tracing patterns on the thin fabric covering the bed, and arranged some porcelain vases and ornaments. Ordinary people were oblivious to the state of the world.
Having fled for ten years, Li Guanyi had seen all kinds of people. The fragmented information pieced together gave him a vague understanding of this world.
The Jiangnan region and parts of the Central Plains belonged to the Chen Kingdom.
It occupied the rivers and had natural defenses, with a flourishing culture, and it was a place where silver coins flowed freely.
To the north was the Ying Kingdom, which occupied the Central Plains and parts of Jiangnan, asserting dominance over the region.
Majestic and grand, it claimed the Central Plains while looking out over the world, holding a large bowl.
Further north, crossing the passes, lay the vast grasslands, said to be even broader than the Chen Kingdom, home to the Turkic Khans, known as the kings of heavy cavalry.
To the west of the Ying Kingdom, beyond the borders, was the formidable Tuyuhun, also vast.
It seemed that between Tuyuhun and the powerful Turkic tribes, there was a large area mixed with many different ethnic groups. In the northeastern corner where the Ying Kingdom and Turkic tribes intersected, there was another vast area belonging to the Khitan, Rouran, and Wuluo tribes, among others.
As spring night fell, the stars shone brightly.
The young man sat cross-legged on the stone bed, the evening breeze bringing faint insect chirps. His dark eyes reflected the ornaments before him; it was the first time he opened his eyes to see the world in its entirety.
There was a chipped ceramic bowl, a white jade pill bottle, and a silver coin.
Scattered items were arranged in different ways.
Chaotic and disordered.
But looking out, it was the world.
All came into my embrace.
As Li Guanyi looked at the bowls and chopsticks spread across his bed, his forehead twitched.
The world had been in chaos for three hundred years.
The entire world had long since turned into a pot of congee.
The nominal ruler of the world, the Great Emperor, merely lingered in the Central Plains, already a mere mascot.
Different ethnic groups fought among themselves; the Ying Kingdom was simultaneously clashing with the surrounding Turkic, Tuyuhun, and Rouran tribes while fiercely kicking the Chen Kingdom. Twelve years ago, they seized the eighteenth state of Jiangnan, while the Chen Kingdom faced the Ying Kingdom to the north, which occupied rich lands, yet remained relatively peaceful.
Aside from the massive powers, there were certainly many small tribes and warlords in the buffer zones between the major powers. Not to mention, there would definitely be deserters turning into bandits, and with the families of the Jianghu, it was no wonder that the trend of wandering knights was rampant in this chaotic era.
Li Guanyi sat cross-legged, gazing at the 'world situation map' he had arranged with bowls and chopsticks.
His brows knitted tightly, he cursed, "What a broken world."
But thinking of Yue Qianfeng, who, despite being heavily injured, could still shatter a mountain with a single punch, it was not hard to understand why this world had not been unified in three hundred years.
Li Guanyi determined his course of action.
In any case, he needed to first increase his strength, then make money.
Only then could he leave the Chen Kingdom.
He needed to enter a new territory with at least a hundred taels, no, three hundred taels of silver!
That would be considered safe.
Li Guanyi set a grand goal for himself. With clarity in his thoughts, drowsiness began to creep in.
With a thud.
The young man lay back, limbs outstretched, his eyes gazing at the weeds sprouting from the roof.
Drowsiness washed over him.
He stretched his body.
Yawned.
With a fist, he would overturn the Chen Kingdom, and with his feet, he would trample the Turkic tribes.
He rolled over and fell asleep.
And with one kick, he would overturn this 'world'.
No one was beside him.
……………………
When Li Guanyi woke up, although he had been lost in thought the night before, due to his superior internal strength, he still felt refreshed. He bought some inexpensive snacks, bid farewell to the neighbors while moving, and then rented an ox cart to transport his belongings to the new residence.
The yard was not large, but it was tidy, with a clean platform made of blue bricks around the well.
Upon entering, there was the main room, two bedrooms, a guest room on the left, and on the right were the kitchen and a storeroom. Not far from the well was a small cellar, and the tables and chairs were sturdy wooden furniture, coated with a layer of paint to prevent pests. It was close to the street, not far from various shops.
In Guan Yi City, it was a suitable place for living, neither overly luxurious nor lacking in decency, where some respectable families resided. Notably, the driver Zhao Dabing had made a special trip, using the Xue family's carriage, which bore the unique decorations of the Xue family.
Li Guanyi noticed that the neighbors, who had previously regarded him and his aunt Murong Qiushui with scrutiny upon their arrival, were now showing a remarkable softness and kindness in their expressions.
Li Guanyi and his aunt had their first meal in their new home.
They had stewed a fish, stir-fried two vegetable dishes, and served plain white rice.
In the afternoon, Li Guanyi changed into new clothes, wearing a blue shirt with a leather belt, a jade pendant hanging at his waist, and his brows were clear and bright.
He stepped towards the Xue family.
Although Guan Yi City was not small, there were two types of news that spread quickly: the news related to oneself and the news about the Xue family.
Thus, the news that Li Guanyi, who had just been dismissed, had found a new job at the Xue family and had moved to a new home quickly spread throughout the Huichun Hall. Some of the workers felt regret, hating themselves for not having built a good relationship with Li Guanyi earlier, and some planned to visit and strengthen their ties.
Only the Old Shopkeeper flipped through medical books, his face as withered as an old wooden chicken, remaining motionless.
Old Doctor Chen had goji berries swimming in his teacup, basking in the sun, leisurely saying, "Let me tell you a strange thing today."
The Old Shopkeeper replied, "Go on."
Old Doctor Chen said, "I heard that the young master returned home yesterday and was hung up and beaten by the old master. Two of the leather straps on his waist were broken, and he cried for his father and mother, howling for a whole night."
"What's so strange about that?"
Old Doctor Chen chuckled, "In the end, the young master’s mother cried and insisted on letting him down, and when a doctor came to take a look..."
"Hey, guess what? Just flesh wounds."
Old Doctor Chen slapped his thigh and laughed, "He was beaten for a whole night, suffering terribly, yet in the end, there were no broken bones. The old master's medical skills are still sharp; his ability to handle people is also quite something."
Old Doctor Chen gave a thumbs up, saying, "It's a pity he gave birth to such a useless son."
The Old Shopkeeper did not care about these matters.
Old Doctor Chen said, "If Li Guanyi becomes successful, the workers in our Huichun Hall will all want to get closer to him. You have helped him; won't you go see him?"
The Old Shopkeeper replied, "I won't."
Old Doctor Chen chuckled, "You are really strange. You want to get close to those who avoid you, and it doesn't matter if you spend your own money. But when others want to get close to you, you act as if you don't see them. What do you have to say for yourself?"
The Old Shopkeeper's eyes were small and dark, his gray robe worn for a long time, now covered in white dust. He said:
"The child’s life is hard; helping him is a matter of principle for me. My principle is for myself, not to get close to him once he becomes successful. The more others want to get close, the more I want to avoid him, fearing he will come to thank me."
Old Doctor Chen laughed and scolded, "What a stubborn old man."
The Old Shopkeeper remained noncommittal. When the afternoon shift ended, he still strolled into the tavern and ordered a cup of wine for one coin, but the fat tavern keeper brought him a better cup instead. The Old Shopkeeper frowned, "You made a mistake."
"What mistake? No mistake, no mistake."
The fat tavern keeper laughed, "It was that child you brought who gave it to me, and here’s this."
He brought over a jar of good wine, saying, "That child came today and stored this jar of wine with me, saying it was for you."
The Old Shopkeeper was taken aback. The tavern owner laughed, saying:
"You two are quite interesting. You wrote him a recommendation letter and supported him for a month’s salary, without being condescending or making him owe you a favor; he gives you a jar of aged good wine without saying thank you, without any flowery words of gratitude, and no stench of silver coins coming and going."
"No entanglements, no back and forth, yet it’s all so straightforward, with feelings and loyalty."
"This is the camaraderie of us common folk in the marketplace."
The Old Shopkeeper listened to the tavern owner’s hearty laughter.
He raised the cup of wine worth ten coins, tilted his head back, and drank it down, the corners of his mouth slightly curling up.
It was good wine.
With a bold spirit.
Intoxicating.
………………
As Li Guanyi walked down the road, he suddenly saw a crowd gathered ahead.
He caught a glimpse of elegantly dressed cavalry among the crowd, seeing them post a scroll and shout, "There is a fugitive who has come from outside; anyone who sees his trace will be rewarded with silver!"
A fugitive?!!
Li Guanyi paused.
Could it be that Yue Qianfeng has returned?
(End of Chapter)