After writing this sentence, Changsun Wuchou's pen paused for a moment.
Previously, in order to mobilize some hidden forces from the Duke's residence, he had written a letter describing the general situation. However, he did not expect that Li Guanyi would return so quickly, and not only was he alive, but he had also made quite a stir.
He had no choice but to write another letter at night to explain the situation.
He picked up his pen and described in detail how the young man had killed seven bandits and returned on horseback.
In the end, he paused again.
He wrote down a concise and unadorned poem, yet it was filled with youthful vigor.
He summoned the Golden Feather Flying Eagle to deliver the letter.
………………
When Li Guanyi put down his battle bow, his face was somewhat pale. That move, Rolling Waves, had exhausted all his strength. It was only by condensing everything within himself and having the heart to stir up a storm that he could unleash a technique powerful enough to subdue opponents of the same realm.
Xue Shenzhang's Rolling Waves, Duke Chen's Mountain Crushing.
In terms of pure technique, they shared the same style and had reached perfection.
The magnitude of their power depended on the user.
Having learned both techniques, Li Guanyi felt as if his spirit had been drained, causing a slight ache. Whenever he reached his limit, he would hear the sound of a zither, and the divine within his essence would recover to about thirty percent of a safe line at an incredible speed.
Xue Daoyong looked at Li Guanyi and asked, "What did you see just now?"
"I actually caught a glimpse of the murderous aura from the battlefield on you."
Yao Guang was still in the secret realm, and Li Guanyi concealed the secret realm. Regarding today's inheritance, he directly replied, "It is the battle spear techniques of Xue Shenzhang from five hundred years ago. If Xue Lao needs it, I can write down the techniques of the battle spear and give them to you."
After pondering for a moment, the old man replied, "No."
Xue Daoyong said, "If you write down the techniques of the battle spear, I will surely be unable to resist and will let the disciples of the Xue family learn it. The Xue family's influence is vast, and there are bound to be those with ulterior motives. If the news of the family heirloom spear techniques spreads, it would be a great disaster."
"With either archery or battle spear, one can already become a powerful figure in chaotic times."
"If one possesses both, then that is a force to contend for supremacy over the world."
"My good brother sent assassins to kill me. Does the current Emperor have any intention behind this? At this time, my Xue family should not reveal our sharpness, nor should we display the spear techniques, lest we hand over a handle for others to grasp."
"This is a source of trouble; old man, do not do it. But after all, it is the martial arts of our ancestors."
The old man smiled, looking at Li Guanyi, then casually said, "The spear techniques, Guanyi, you can pass them on to Shuangtao."
"It takes years to even get started with the spear techniques."
"Her martial arts in these years will be taught to her by you, step by step."
"Oh, and that kid Changqing, just give him some pointers when you have the time."
Li Guanyi agreed. Seeing his pale complexion, the old man made him drink a bowl of ginseng tonic to recover his energy before allowing him to leave. As Li Guanyi stood up to depart, the old man reminded him, "You have just entered the realm; your internal cultivation method is still focused on body refinement before entering the realm, which is clearly insufficient for attacking enemies and recovering energy."
"Your martial arts path should follow the lineage of my Xue family's ancestors. The techniques are domineering and consume a lot of energy; the internal cultivation before entering the realm cannot support many uses. The internal cultivation methods after entering the realm require divine intent to inherit, and I cannot provide them to you now. Wait a few days until you have recovered."
"Come with Shuangtao."
"I will take you both to the ancestral land of the Xue family to select an internal cultivation method suitable for entering the realm."
Seeing the glimmer of 'just one method' in Li Guanyi's eyes, the old man couldn't help but lightly kick the young man, laughing and scolding, "Ha, don't look at me like that. You can't be greedy; first, get your internal cultivation right. As for the other body refinement, fist techniques, weapons, and footwork, with my Xue family's vast estate, how can we lack your contribution?"
"Learning one method and burning one method is enough for you."
Before today, although Xue Daoyong had treated Li Guanyi well, he was still a senior who had experienced storms, valuing the younger generation he favored. Today, seeing him charge forward without regard for life or death, his attitude changed.
Previously, the old man would see Li Guanyi to the door.
Today, he merely waved his hand, indicating for him to leave on his own.
"You know the way, so don't trouble me."
"Old man, I want to sleep."
Li Guanyi grinned.
The old man held a grudge; he was clearly a hero who saw the world as a chessboard.
His ambition was great, but his heart was small.
As he walked out, the usually aloof steward surprisingly smiled and bowed, saying with a grin, "Young master, take care."
Li Guanyi was not used to such a title.
He did not return directly to the courtyard but went to the Xue family's library to borrow many books. In the past, as a guest elder, he could freely browse the books but could not take them or copy them. This time, he borrowed so many books and took them directly with him.
A servant carried a shoulder pole to deliver the books back to him.
His aunt had already fallen asleep.
Li Guanyi tiptoed back to his room and opened the scrolls.
These books contained miscellaneous records, casual discussions, essays, and the annals recorded by scholars. The official histories compiled by the government were not meant for the common people to see; the writings of literati from hundreds of years later became what is known as unofficial histories.
"Regent..."
Such a resplendent and domineering title, Li Guanyi had never heard of before.
The assassin said it was the Regent; did the Regent kill his parents, or did his parents die because of the Regent's affairs, or was the Regent actually his kin? At this moment, Li Guanyi even regretted asking too many questions to force the assassin into a corner, leaving him no room to lie.
Li Guanyi recalled that Xue Daoyong had mentioned Xiao Wuliang, saying he had fought at the age of thirteen during the Regent's turmoil. Li Guanyi found the record of Xiao Wuliang and began to search for descriptions of him.
【In the third year of Taiqing, the King of Puyang did not respect the Emperor, and did not attend the national sacrifice. The Emperor was furious and attacked. The King of Puyang raised troops to resist the Emperor. At the age of thirteen, Wuliang rode out alone to battle, and none in the army could match him.】
"The King of Puyang?"
Li Guanyi found the key name and quickly searched for it. The cause of this incident was that during the grand sacrifice of the Chen Kingdom, the King of Puyang did not come to the capital to pay respects to the Emperor and instead indulged in drinking and merriment privately. Thus, the Emperor was enraged and, fearing his martial prowess, dispatched troops to bring him back.
Essentially, it was a conflict between the local feudal king and the Emperor in the capital.
This also represented the Emperor's insufficient authority.
Xiao Wuliang was a general under the King of Puyang, imposing and formidable.
Li Guanyi found the record of the King of Puyang.
This prince abolished market taxes and land rents in his controlled area, as well as the head tax at the city gates, bringing joy to the common people. He also arranged marriages between the children of the common people and the military generals and soldiers, allowing commoners to live near the military camps.
He also demanded money from the court. At that time, the Emperor, having previously failed in his campaign and with the Ying Kingdom at his side, could not mobilize a large army and had to tacitly approve of such actions. Perhaps he thought the King of Puyang was greedy and lustful, making him easier to control, thus sending rewards and gold to the King of Puyang.
This was later described in unofficial histories with the phrase 【Messengers Awaiting Each Other】.
Li Guanyi grinned; having been taught by Xue Shenzhang, he roughly understood what would happen next.
Sure enough, five years after the grand sacrifice, the King of Puyang claimed to be out hunting.
In reality, he led troops to directly attack near Jiangzhou City.
He commanded an army that abandoned the strongest armored troops of the era, with eight thousand light cavalry of the Night Rider Cavalry, declaring an attack on the left side of Jiangnan, but instead charging straight for the capital. The record described the King of Puyang as a noble well-versed in martial arts, who, despite being high above, possessed first-rate strategy and horsemanship.
The Chen Kingdom boasted over a hundred thousand armored soldiers, with the Night Rider Cavalry renowned throughout the land.
Yet the King of Puyang seized the perfect opportunity, under the pretext of purging the court, and the eight thousand light cavalry penetrated into the capital. In that day's siege, nearly all eight thousand light cavalry perished, but Jiangzhou City was also shattered. In the end, the eighteen-year-old Xiao Wuliang broke through the city's defenses with his heavy spear.
The officials of the Chen Kingdom's capital were literate and strong, capable of resisting enemies and weakening their fortunes.
However, faced with such a sudden attack, they ultimately could not match these crude armored warriors. The eighteen-year-old Xiao Wuliang, through this 【War of Annihilation】, ascended to the ranks of renowned generals, while Jiangzhou City burned in fierce flames.
The King of Puyang rode into the capital, and the officials kneeling on both sides shouted long live.
At that time, the Emperor of the Southern Dynasty was a devout believer in Buddhism, and the temples in Jiangnan were numerous, claiming to have four hundred and eighty temples.
The King of Puyang confined the Emperor in the palace, allowing this brother who believed in Buddhism to starve to death.
When the door was finally opened, the Emperor was emaciated, his eyes wide with rage as he pounded on the door, his fingers like white bones clawing at the ground, his nails cracking. The red lacquered pillars bore bite marks, revealing white wood shavings. The Emperor died, with a pool of indigestible matter in his abdomen.
He had eaten candles and cloth, ultimately dying from extreme hunger and the agony in his belly.
"Your faith in Buddha ultimately did not save you."
Later, the King of Puyang sat in front of his brother, whom he had played with in their youth, pressing his armored hand over his brother's unseeing eyes, speaking coldly, "This is a chaotic world; iron and fire are everything, big brother."
In the unofficial histories of the past, the King of Puyang threw down his sword, looking at his brother, feeling disinterested.
At that time, the young general Xiao Wuliang stood beside him, watching this back.
He did not become the Emperor.
Instead, he supported the Crown Prince as Emperor, pacifying the civil and military officials and the great families, becoming the Grand Tutor, Minister of War, and Minister of State, sweeping away all the temples. The monks were incorporated into the front lines of the army, given wooden sticks and cloth garments, and sent to confront the Turkic iron cavalry head-on.
The lands returned to him, and in the following three years, the Chen Kingdom changed two Emperors.
The King of Puyang claimed the regency, entering the court without bowing.
Each time he supported a new Emperor, he granted a general amnesty, while at the same time, the King of Puyang led troops to conquer the remaining regions of Jiangnan.
His military tactics were harsh, and during the conquest of Jiangnan, he allowed the slaughter of the common people. After the city fell, he unleashed his troops for three days. That year, the Emperor's empress gave birth to a child, and afterward, the Emperor abdicated, with the Regent ascending the throne, while the previous Emperor died in the palace.
It was also in that year.
The renowned Taiping Gong, having crossed the Western Regions, returned with eight hundred iron cavalry, just as the King of Puyang had breached the city gates. This famous general of the Chen Kingdom broke through the city gates, wielding a spear and wearing a dark golden mask, killing the Regent before the Taihe Hall.
That tyrant who had starved his brother, the Emperor, ultimately died beneath the red lacquered pillar marked by his brother's fingers.
Once ambitious, he had slain the Emperor and trampled the entire empire, reducing the Emperor, who represented the pinnacle of power, to a plaything in his palm. In the end, he could not escape having his head pierced by a long spear, becoming a stepping stone for another renowned general to make his name known throughout the world.
Under Taiping Gong, the captain Yue Pengwu, aged twenty, took the lead, slaying generals and seizing flags.
Afterward, the unofficial histories suddenly became concise.
It seemed that a part had been torn away.
"The Regent died in the Taihe Hall."
"Prince Jing, known for his virtue, ascended the throne as Emperor, granting a general amnesty, and Taiping Gong was granted the title of King."
Then it ended, and the following records were all about the contemporary Emperor, as if that renowned general who had traversed the Western Regions had never existed. Li Guanyi read for a long time and finally saw the conclusion of Taiping Gong.
【In the third year of Taihe, Taiping Gong was murdered.】
Aside from that, there were no further records of Taiping Gong.
Even the Regent, who had committed numerous atrocities, was clearly recorded by these literati, showcasing both his great talent and cold madness. However, regarding Taiping Gong, why he was called Taiping Gong, how he rose to power, and how he became a renowned general of the world, there were no records.
It only stated that that year, Taiping Gong returned from the Western Regions, wielding a spear, and pierced through the shadow that loomed over the Chen Kingdom.
As if everyone held a deep taboo against this renowned general.
Li Guanyi exhaled. The recorded past of the tyrant, even in unofficial histories, was shocking to read. The cold, domineering, and mad Regent, the quiet and ruthless Xiao Wuliang, the shooting star-like Taiping Gong, and the emerging Yue Pengwu in this chaotic world and amidst the white bones.
But the Regent...
Li Guanyi frowned. If it was the Regent who issued the orders, the timeline did not match.
When he fled, the Regent was already dead.
Unless... it was related to the Regent?
Li Guanyi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He pulled out the records from these scrolls and laid out a timeline, calculating one by one—
In the third year of Taiqing, the Regent first caused chaos, and Xiao Wuliang became famous at the age of thirteen.
In the eighth year of Taiqing, the Regent killed the Emperor, and Xiao Wuliang was eighteen.
In the following two to three years, the Regent changed two Emperors, forcing the Emperor to abdicate to him. Xiao Wuliang was twenty, Taiping Gong rushed from the Western Regions, and Yue Pengwu became famous at twenty, while Prince Jing ascended the throne, and the Chen Kingdom was renamed Taihe.
In the third year of Taihe, Taiping Gong was murdered.
Now, according to the calculations of the Emperor of Zhongzhou, it was the tenth year of Tianqi.
The Chen Kingdom was in the thirteenth year of Taihe.
Li Guanyi put down his pen. The timeline was laid out before him.
The son of the last Emperor, who abdicated to the Regent, was born thirteen years ago.
When Taiping Gong came from the Western Regions and killed the Regent, it was also thirteen years ago.
Taiping Gong was murdered in—
Li Guanyi paused.
【Ten years ago】.
(End of this chapter)