Xue Daoyong spoke with such boldness, seemingly unconcerned, merely gesturing towards the chessboard. His tone was noticeably different from usual as he smiled and said, “Come, come, Guanyi, let’s finish this game of chess, and then you can go practice archery with Shuangtao.”
Li Guanyi nodded, a gentle expression on the young face:
“Mm, I’ll listen to the old man.”
The old and young smiled at each other.
There was no need to mention the earlier agreement; these two titles were enough for them to understand each other.
Thus, they rearranged the chess pieces, each taking black and white. The old man, claiming to have defeated all opponents in Guan Yi City for thirty years, played with calm composure, discussing various matters while playing. He said, “As for the matter of military officials, it’s not difficult. A Ninth Rank Martial Scatter Official can only don armor when executing orders.”
“But your position’s orders are to patrol various places in search of wanted criminals.”
“The timing is relatively flexible, so it’s fine to wear armor at will. It’s just a pity that armor is strictly graded; at your level, you can only wear light armor made of tanned leather, with vital areas reinforced with metal. However, armor is still armor.”
“With your martial skills, wearing armor and wielding a heavy blade…”
“You can charge into a group of unarmored enemies, looking down upon them with no fear.”
“Even if there are martial men from the border, with their inner qi just breaking through, it would be difficult for them to deliver a fatal blow through your armor. As for ordinary people, a dozen of them attacking you would be futile, unless you exhaust your strength or get entangled, falling to the ground and having a dagger pierce your throat.”
“As for higher-grade armor… that’s different.”
The old man sighed, “The national armor of Ying Kingdom can deflect all attacks, even a heavy hammer falling cannot harm the one protected by it. Meanwhile, the armor of the Chen royal family can withstand attacks from divine weapons.”
“It is said that the Duke of Chen once sparred with my ancestor and was struck by the Cloud-Shocking Bow yet survived.”
“Inferior to the Emperor’s treasured armor is the armor of the Guardian General, which can manifest above the Dharma form. During attacks, the Dharma form dons armor and wields divine weapons, looking down upon all; then there are the various levels of general’s armor, where inner qi can flow as if circulating within the body, circulating upon the armor.”
“Both offensive and defensive, each has its own wonders; some are as light as paper yet indestructible; some can harness the power of storms, while others naturally absorb the essence of heaven and earth, ensuring the continuous flow of inner qi, never-ending.”
“There are many mysteries, worthy of being treasured artifacts; as for the armor of border troops, it differs from this individual combat armor; their inner qi can flow out of the armor, connecting the armor, making the border troops united in spirit, as hard as iron.”
“If Qian Zheng were to don armor, you might not win unscathed.”
Li Guanyi listened attentively.
Then he casually made his move on the chessboard.
The old man observed his play, his expression growing serious.
Just moments ago, the old man had been sitting casually, but now he straightened up.
He focused on the chessboard and said, “It’s a pity that military officials can only be useful within one nation. Do you know what is universally recognized in this world?”
Li Guanyi thought for a moment: “Martial power?”
The old man replied, “Martial skills are one aspect; in fact, there are three.”
“There are martial skills, literary fame, and gold; those with martial skills are heroes and warriors; those with literary fame are masters and great scholars; wealth belongs to wealthy merchants; and those who are renowned throughout the world, possessing martial skills and disdainful of riches, are the timeless scholars.”
“If it were a prosperous era, the value of scholars wouldn’t be so great, but now, in this chaotic world, nations frequently wage wars, from the highest rulers to the families, all vying for scholars and recruiting great talents.”
“Thus, official positions can only be useful in one place, while literary fame allows you to traverse the world without obstruction, even crossing borders without anyone stopping you.”
“If you commit a great crime in Chen Kingdom but have a great reputation in the world, Ying Kingdom, Tuyuhun, and Turkic tribes would offer greater incentives to keep you, akin to the ‘transactions’ and ‘suppression’ between great nations, one of the ten strategies to attract talents from across the world.”
“I can use wanted criminals from enemy nations, offering such generous treatment; how much more for a talented individual with a clean background?”
Li Guanyi said, “Buying bones with a thousand gold.”
The old man was surprised, then immediately praised, “That makes sense.”
He stroked his beard and laughed:
“Rest assured, since I’m placing a bet for you, I will find you a teacher to elevate your literary fame, breaking the chains binding this dragon, allowing you to soar into the sky.”
Li Guanyi thanked him with a nod, saying, “Thank you, Old Xue.”
Then he made a move and withdrew his finger.
“You lost.”
The old man slowly lowered his head, looking at the chessboard, a smile gradually freezing on his face.
“Hmm?”
………………
Today, Xue Shuangtao was waiting at the training ground for that young guest official. She arrived early every day and had already shot through two pots of practice arrows, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Even Xue Changqing had gotten up to practice archery, yet Li Guanyi was still not seen.
Frowning slightly, she asked a maid and learned that Li Guanyi had come early and gone to Tingfeng Pavilion.
She wiped her sweat with a handkerchief, placed her bow on the rack, and hurried towards Tingfeng Pavilion. From a distance, she heard the sound of chess pieces falling onto the board. Her brows furrowed slightly; she knew her grandfather was skilled at chess. Although he was a national master of Go, renowned for his early fame, her grandfather was old and serious, with a steady style of play.
He was said to have been undefeated in Guan Yi City for thirty years.
The reason she liked techniques but not chess was that she had been bullied by her grandfather in chess.
At this moment, it seemed Li Guanyi had also been pulled into a game. She pushed the door open and saw the young man turn to look at her, about to rise, but the old man across from him had already reached out, grabbing the young guest official’s sleeve, exclaiming, “No, let’s play another game, another game!”
Xue Shuangtao approached, grabbing Xue Daoyong’s wrist with one hand and Li Guanyi’s sleeve with the other, then gently pulling her grandfather’s hand away, standing in front of Li Guanyi. She widened her almond eyes and glared at the old man, playfully scolding:
“Grandpa, how can you do this? Always bullying the young, winning at chess yet not letting anyone leave!”
The old man felt a bit aggrieved, unable to speak.
I’m bullying him?
I’m bullying him?! It’s this kid who’s bullying this old man.
But he couldn’t say that he had lost eighteen games in a row, each time in a different manner.
The young man blinked silently, messing up the chessboard, saying, “It’s the old man’s chess skills that are impressive; I lost many times… The old man got so into the game that he mistakenly thought there was still plenty of time, which is why he wouldn’t let me leave.”
Xue Daoyong was momentarily stunned, then returned to normal, saying, “Heh… Haha, Guanyi, your chess skills are not bad! Mm, mm, a child worth teaching, a child worth teaching.”
Li Guanyi stood up in response, saying, “Then, old man, I’ll take my leave first.”
“I’ll come back to play chess next time.”
“Hahaha, good, good, good! Your chess skills are quite good; come often, come often.”
Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao exited Tingfeng Pavilion. Xue Shuangtao curiously asked, “When did your relationship with Grandpa get so good?”
Li Guanyi replied, “We played chess.”
The girl was puzzled: “Playing chess? What kind of chess can be so useful?”
Li Guanyi smiled but did not answer her question. They went to the training ground to shoot arrows. During their break, Li Guanyi recalled the twenty arrows he had shot through and said while stringing his bow, “Miss, the arrows are used up; can we exchange for more?”
Xue Shuangtao shot through a target and raised an eyebrow at his words, “Used up?”
“Did you go hunting?”
Li Guanyi replied, “Mm.”
The girl said, “Let me see.”
Li Guanyi picked up his quiver and handed it over. Xue Shuangtao took the arrows, placing them on her fingertip, noticing that the arrows were difficult to balance as before, and the feathers at the tail were damaged and twisted. She exclaimed, “It looks like you hit quite a few targets. Did you catch anything?”
Li Guanyi quietly said, “I only shot crows that eat human flesh and rotten meat.”
“They look hideous, so I can’t bring them back for you to see, Miss.”
Xue Shuangtao’s face showed regret.
Xue Daoyong doted on his granddaughter, but because of that, he wouldn’t let her go hunting alone.
Only during outings would he allow her to leave the city, and even then, it was only for poetry and song.
No hunting.
Li Guanyi thought for a moment and remembered he had picked up a few stones by the stream. He took them out from his pocket; they were river stones, smoothed by the flowing water, each with a different hue, crystal clear. “These birds can’t be shown, but these stones will look beautiful in the water.”
“I’ll give them to you, Miss.”
He opened his hand, and the stones fell into the girl’s palm, crystal clear, resembling gems.
Xue Shuangtao blinked, saying, “Do you want me to help you replenish your arrows?”
Li Guanyi stiffened for a moment.
Xue Daoyong’s granddaughter was not foolish.
Since they were of the same age and had been practicing together for some time, their relationship had changed from the initially gentle and quiet Miss to that of friends. The girl tossed the stones in her hand, teasing, “Your price isn’t enough, you know.”
“My great guest official.”
“One arrow costs one tael of silver, which is worth more than your hard work at Huichun Hall for a month.”
Xue Changqing was indignant for his master, saying, “What’s wrong with that, you tigress!”
He waved his chubby little hand:
“I’ll add more money!”
Xue Shuangtao burst into laughter, bending down to pat her brother’s head, comforting him:
“Good, good, good! You’re the best, alright?”
Then she looked at Li Guanyi and said, “You’re already a guest official; arrows can be bought with your salary, and the price will be much cheaper. Have you spent all your money?”
Li Guanyi was short on funds, and since the old man had placed a heavy bet for him, he hadn’t mentioned money.
Xue Shuangtao said, “Alright, alright, since the guest official remembers to bring a little gift for the young lady, we can’t let the great master’s heart be hurt. Come on, come on…” She was originally teasing, but by the end, she couldn’t help but adopt that tone, laughing uncontrollably.
The great blacksmith in the manor looked strangely at the handsome young man being led by the young lady again.
Here to get arrows again.
And spending this money under the young lady’s name.
The blacksmith looked at the handsome youth with suspicion, saying, “Let me see the arrows; what did you do to break them like this?” Li Guanyi stood in front of Xue Shuangtao and handed over the arrows. The blacksmith, with a suspicious and strange gaze, suddenly sharpened his eyes upon seeing the arrows.
Killing arrows!
He suddenly raised his head to look at the thirteen-year-old boy.
The young man said softly, “I killed some wild dogs and wolves, and crows that eat carrion.”
“I just came out from Tingfeng Pavilion.”
The blacksmith’s expression grew serious, saying, “...Good.”
He turned to fetch a new quiver of arrows. Li Guanyi thanked him. Having killed before, he picked up the arrows like an experienced archer, but he was slightly taken aback, feeling the delicate blood grooves on the arrows and the barbs.
The blacksmith said, “You should use arrows like these now.”
Li Guanyi thanked him.
…………
Meanwhile, in Tingfeng Pavilion, the old man looked at the chess game but was brought some documents. Written on them were the names of great scholars who would soon be near the capital of Chen Kingdom. Ultimately, the old man saw among these scholars one who was not the most renowned but was the most unique.
“Wang Tong, styled Wenzhongzi.”
“Over a thousand disciples, most of them ordinary, with the three most outstanding having little fame.”
“Fang Zhiqiao from Qinghe.”
“Du Keming from Jingzhao.”
“Wei Xuancheng from Quyang.”
“However, these three are only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a bit of fame, but they cannot compare to the talents on those lists. Wang Tong is unique; in this era of a hundred schools contending, he was the first to propose the unity of the three teachings, possessing great insight.”
For some unknown reason, he suddenly wanted to come to Guan Yi City to recruit disciples… Such a great scholar, the Xue family naturally had an invitation. The invitation bore the names of Xue Shuangtao and Xue Changqing. He remained silent for a long time, crossing out his grandson Xue Changqing’s name, then wrote another name in its place.
Li Guanyi.
Xue Daoyong set down his brush.
“Literary fame and martial success, let this old bone of mine become the wind that sweeps through the skies. Li Guanyi, let me see how far you can soar.” After finishing the invitation, he closed his eyes. Although he could hear no ripples in the lotus pond outside Tingfeng Pavilion, he seemed to have already heard—
Heard the sound of the fierce wind.
(End of chapter)