In the royal villa's literary gathering, Xue Daoyong slightly narrowed his gaze, shifting it away from his granddaughter. The aged tiger's eyes swept over all the distinguished guests present, causing their hearts to tremble slightly. Among them, Qiu Shiheng, a renowned scholar who had once served as a Grand Scholar in the court, pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Xue Lao, please accept my condolences.”
Xue Daoyong replied, “It’s not a matter of condolences at this point.”
Yue Qianfeng had gone to the branch of the Mo Family assassins, suspecting that Li Guanyi was not present because he had been taken captive. Before leaving, he had asked Xue Daoyong to search for him in Guan Yi City. The old man had already sent most of the guest officials outside; he returned himself to find more people. His gaze swept over the crowd of young scholars as he walked, speaking softly.
“Disciples of the renowned, the miscellaneous, and the novelists are skilled in sensing qi.”
“I would appreciate it if you could help find my child.”
“Alive, we want to see him; dead…”
“We want to see the corpse.”
“Regardless, my Xue family owes you all a favor.”
With the old man's status, he performed a respectful bow at this moment.
The expressions of the distinguished guests from various sects changed, all feeling a stir in their hearts. However, Qiu Shiheng resolutely refused, saying, “There’s no need for such formalities, Xue Lao. Li Guanyi is a prodigy; he will not die here. My disciples from the renowned sect will do their utmost; there’s no need for any favors.”
“A scholar does not act for profit, but for righteousness!”
The other sects echoed similar sentiments.
Qiu Shiheng glanced at the dazed Xue Shuangtao, recalling his own past when he was young, before he had achieved fame, and the woman who had taken her own life due to forced marriage. Even now, as a Grand Scholar renowned across the land, the memory still stung. He said, “Why does Xue Lao not say that there may still be hope?”
Xue Daoyong replied, “...The warhorses are down, weapons broken, yet the person is missing.”
“Life and death are fifty-fifty.”
“Rather than telling Shuangtao that he is still alive but has not returned, it’s better to let her lower her expectations. If Guanyi returns, it will be a great joy; even in the worst case, it will spare her from suffering a second time.”
Qiu Shiheng sighed.
“You truly dote on this granddaughter…”
Zhangsun Wuchou looked up at the sky, still somewhat dazed. Could that spirited young man really be dead? As a merchant, he knew that merchants would never give up hope for profit until the very end. He turned to the back hall, picked up a brush, and wrote a few lines, describing the events of the day.
In the end, he wrote, “Li Guanyi is suspected to be dead.”
He applied to use some means and hidden personnel from the Duke’s residence here.
This application naturally needed to be exaggerated by three parts.
He tied the letter to the leg of a golden-feathered eagle.
After reporting, he immediately took out a command letter, turned, and walked out, saying, “I will help as well.”
The young merchant said, “I have a good rapport with Li Xiaoyou; to lend a bit of my meager strength is the best.”
With the promise of a favor from the old man, the originally aloof scholars became eager.
Those disciples, each with different cultivation methods and sect abilities, left the city.
After Yue Qianfeng had departed, the general's guards also arrived. This was an old man with graying hair, a pillar of the Chen Kingdom, who had guarded the borders, fought against the cavalry of the Western Regions, and had once clashed with the tiger cavalry of the Ying Kingdom. He was a renowned general skilled in defending cities.
When he arrived, he was still dressed in dark armor.
The oppressive atmosphere dispersed the chaos around. When Lu Youxian entered, he was met with the cold gaze of Xue Daoyong. The old man coldly said, “General Lu, you remain as unmoving as a mountain.”
Lu Youxian remained silent, saying, “Yue Qianfeng’s target may be Jiangzhou.”
“Guan Yi City must not fall; my primary duty is to defend the city.”
“A guard cannot leave his post.”
“Do not let the tiger leave the mountain.”
Xue Daoyong looked at this stubborn stone, knowing that Lu Youxian was already aware of the previous events.
Xue Daoyong pointed at the bow and said, “Are you suggesting that I go into battle and then sit back and watch me die?”
“If it were not for this child leaving the city, I would have nearly been ambushed by assassins, yet he fought the assassins alone, battling until his spear broke, his bow shattered, and his warhorse dead, while the soldiers defending the city did not step out even an inch?”
Lu Youxian felt guilty, but defending the city was an order from the court.
He was a solemn general, a renowned defender of cities, and his style was often extremely steady and cautious.
After everything ended, scouts had already gone out.
Because some wanted criminals had fled, it was necessary to deal with those few who had entered the city.
A scout had also seen the place where Li Guanyi fought fiercely. The defending soldiers of Guan Yi City, deep within, had rarely seen such a brutal battlefield. The traces left by the galloping warhorses, the standard long spears of the defending army had been broken.
The spear tips were stained with blood, the red tassels soaked in blood had solidified into black.
Four named assassins lay dead on the ground, their weapons also stained with blood.
The scouts were best at gathering intelligence.
Any experienced soldier could see what kind of brutal battle had taken place here. Reports had already come back, and even Lu Youxian felt a twinge of regret at the death of such a valiant young military officer.
The Mo Family patriarch was not skilled in sensing qi. He opened his eyes and said, “When the soldiers of Guan Yi City were closing the gates to lock the commoners outside, it was he who went out alone to open the gates.”
“It was the Ninth-Rank Martial Scatter Officer, Li Guanyi.”
Lu Youxian remained silent, while the other scholars, due to Xue Daoyong, began to scold him one by one. These scholars often did not name names when they spoke, but their sarcastic tones were even more infuriating. Lu Youxian knew he was in the wrong, and since these scholars often had influence in the court, he said:
“This matter is military law; I am powerless. However, Martial Scatter Officer Li Guanyi is brave and has achieved merit in killing enemies; he died valiantly…”
“Died valiantly” in official terms basically represented a tragic death.
Xue Daoyong looked at Xue Shuangtao.
He saw the girl’s body tremble slightly.
Returning to gather people, Xue Daoyong, who originally planned to continue searching for others, let out a cold laugh, his anger finally unable to be contained.
The old man casually picked up a table.
With a wave of his hand, he smashed it directly onto Lu Youxian's head.
The heavy redwood table shattered into pieces, and the old man pointed his finger at the general's nose, cursing:
“Old bastard!!!”
“Invading your mother’s hole, you came out of this broken mouth!”
“If you can’t speak, then don’t say anything!”
The surrounding scholars trembled slightly, while Lu Youxian remained unmoved, his gaze cold.
After a soldier dies in battle, martial officers would be promoted one rank for compensation and titles.
After all, they were already dead.
This could both showcase the empire's mercy and soothe the military's morale.
However, today’s matter carried great weight, and Lu Youxian had failed in his duty. He said, “Ninth-Rank Martial Scatter Officer Li Guanyi should be promoted to the Eighth-Rank…”
Xue Daoyong looked at Lu Youxian.
Lu Youxian continued, “To the proper Eighth-Rank.”
The old man sneered, his palm pressing against another table.
Lu Youxian fell silent for a moment and said, “Seventh-Rank Martial Officer, Zhenwei Xiaowei.”
“Wearing the Zhenwei Armor, in light blue official robes.”
“This is the utmost I can offer.”
This did not conform to the regulations of the Chen Kingdom, but those scholars did not say anything, as the situation was special; the deceased were of utmost importance, and what was offered was merely an ordinary title and treatment. Although special, it was not without precedent.
When Wang Tong arrived with Master Zhu Wenyuan, he took him to a safer place. They also mobilized their disciples, leaving Fang Ziqiao, Du Keming, and Wei Xuancheng here. Du Keming praised, “What a brave man.”
Fang Ziqiao smiled but said nothing. However, the brothers all understood his meaning; this senior brother might not appreciate such reckless behavior. Wei Xuancheng looked at the sky and said, “We have yet to see the corpse. Is he a brave and wise top-tier officer, or merely brave without wisdom? We have yet to determine.”
………………
When Li Guanyi emerged, he heard the clamor of weapons. For some reason, a crowd was searching for someone. This commotion was far greater than the reward of a hundred taels of silver from Qian Zheng. Li Guanyi raised the corner of his eye.
He turned back, intending to retrieve his bow.
Seeing that his bow was gone, he felt a pang of heartache.
Damn it, which filthy hand took it?
They took my bow?!
One thousand five hundred and thirty guan of money!
Damn it, the wages from Huichun Hall for thirteen hundred and fifty months.
The young master was sure that the young lady would not reimburse him.
The boy was uncertain about the reason behind this mountain-like search. There were too many people, and he did not see anyone from the Xue family. Instead, there were many city defense scouts. After learning that there were court officials targeting Xue Lao, Li Guanyi became even more cautious.
Uncertain of the real situation, he did not rashly reveal himself but instead lightened his steps, taking a wide arc to return, planning to find Xue Lao first.
However, this search was too large, and there were not many routes to choose from.
Li Guanyi directly collided with two fleeing criminals.
They were two martial men who had entered the city. Upon seeing the blood-stained blue robe and the battered ink knife in Li Guanyi's hand, they were first stunned. Then, upon noticing the martial officer's badge at Li Guanyi's waist, they realized this was the young martial officer who had shouted to open the gates. Without hesitation, they lunged at Li Guanyi.
The inner qi of the entering realm erupted.
They had already cultivated the techniques after entering the realm.
Their speed, strength, techniques, and the current desperation in their hearts were incomparable to martial men before entering the realm. Their killing intent was no less than that of Qian Zheng, and Li Guanyi had relied on his bow and arrows to kill Qian Zheng before. Now, without his bow and arrows, the two surrounded him, and Li Guanyi grasped the battered ink knife.
Suddenly, he charged forward.
The aura of the entering realm radiated.
The two criminals felt a tightening in their hearts, then relaxed.
This aura was pure yet dispersed, clearly indicating that he had not fully cultivated the techniques of the entering realm. He should have just entered the realm. The two men slashed from left and right, and Li Guanyi gripped the knife, spinning around and sweeping horizontally.
One against two, a military taboo.
The White Tiger roared, and a glimmer of light radiated from the knife's edge.
The crisp sound was unlike that of weapons clashing.
The ink knife easily sliced through, and the weapons of the two entering realm criminals were severed.
Their expressions froze.
The blade flew out, failing to injure Li Guanyi, while Li Guanyi, following the momentum of the sweep, executed a leg technique, the Red Dragon coiling, his right foot heavily stomping on the face of the left criminal. The aura of the White Tiger transformed into crimson flames, visibly flashing.
The criminal let out a scream, his face charred, clutching his face as he staggered back, large blisters appearing on his face. Although it did not threaten his life, it temporarily robbed him of his combat ability. Li Guanyi threw the ink knife, piercing directly through his heart.
The other criminal attempted to flee, but Li Guanyi pounced, his knees crashing into the back of the latter.
The criminal was suppressed, and Li Guanyi's hands gripped the criminal's neck.
A flash of golden aura flickered across his fingers.
The skin of the entering realm martial man, like leather armor, was instantly cut through, blood bursting forth.
Li Guanyi let out a sigh of relief.
In a flash, after finishing off Qian Zheng, he needed to catch his breath for a long time, but now, in just a few breaths, two entering realm martial men had died under Li Guanyi's techniques. The young man released his grip, realizing that the inner qi consumed in the Breaking Formation technique had depleted a full seventy percent.
The Dharma form was indeed useful.
It just consumed too much qi.
Possessing a Dharma form, he was fundamentally stronger than martial men of the same rank.
It was akin to hiding great power in plain sight.
Anyone whose face was burned by fierce fire would become flustered and erratic, while the White Tiger's aura severing weapons was a means of seizing the initiative, extremely effective.
Li Guanyi searched the corpses and found two badges, both belonging to the border army.
He smirked, suspecting that Yue Qianfeng prioritized capturing those from military backgrounds when hunting down criminals. Grabbing the badges, he headed into the city. On the way, he eventually encountered Zhao Dabing. Upon seeing a familiar face, the young man felt relieved and spoke.
However, this burly man turned pale, stepping back suddenly, his hair standing on end.
As if he had seen a ghost.
Then he quickly reacted, joyfully exclaiming, “Brother, you’re still alive?!!”
Li Guanyi replied, “I was never dead.”
Zhao Dabing was overjoyed and hurriedly told him everything.
Li Guanyi borrowed his horse, swiftly mounting and riding towards Guan Yi City. At this moment, the situation had just concluded, and the gates of Guan Yi City were closed. The soldiers guarding the city, sharp-eyed, saw the blood-stained young man approaching and were momentarily stunned, first on guard, then overjoyed, shouting:
“Open the gates, open the gates!”
“Huh? The lord said not to open the gates!”
“Shut your mouth! This is the Ninth-Rank Martial Scatter Officer Li Da Ren who just returned from battle! Open the gates!”
“Huh?!”
Seeing the young man's valor, they admired him. Upon seeing him return alive, they were all delighted. The armored soldiers at the city gate clasped their hands in greeting and opened the gates. The citizens in the city finally relaxed, and as the gates opened, just as they were tensed, a red horse leaped out, and the young man holding a knife rode forth.
His robes stained with blood, a knife at his waist, and black hair flying.
Truly.
Freshly clothed and on a spirited horse, the young man exuded heroism.
The citizens he saved cheered, and this sound spread, causing curiosity among others. Thus, people began to discuss the bravery of this young man, and some smiled with relief at his return.
Li Guanyi galloped to the literary gathering. When he arrived, many young scholars were continuously praising Li Guanyi—though they were competitors, he was a deceased competitor, and there was no need to suppress him. Praising the young man as much as possible could better showcase their own magnanimity.
“The brave are righteous; Brother Li’s heroic demeanor is truly that of a dragon among men.”
“We are not as good as him.”
“Indeed, we are far inferior.”
Only an old man in the corner kicked a peanut, watching this scene with barely contained laughter, while the nearby Xuan Gui also shook his head and sighed. A young nobleman lamented, “What a pity, what a pity! If only Brother Li had not encountered danger, otherwise…”
“What are you saying? Brother Li is favored by the heavens; he will surely turn misfortune into fortune.”
“Yes, yes! When Brother Li returns, I wish to honor him as the foremost among the scholars of Guan Yi City. Such talent and valor, who can match him?”
The scholars all agreed.
Si Ming held his belly, nearly laughing himself to death.
Suddenly, outside, a sound of galloping hooves was heard, accompanied by the laughter of citizens. The young scholars were stunned, followed by the startled cries of attendants. The gates opened, and the neighing of warhorses sounded like dragon roars. A chestnut horse leaped forward, rearing up, with a heroic young man seated atop, blood-stained blue robes and a knife at his waist.
He had wooden plaques in hand, leaping off the horse.
“Gentlemen.”
The young man stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across, responding:
“Li Guanyi,来也。”
Thus, the voices of the scholars at the literary gathering fell silent.
The gathering was enveloped in dead silence.
Only Si Ming fell backward, sitting on the ground, and burst into hearty laughter.
(End of Chapter)