Boom!!!
After a few moments of reaction, Xue Daoyong suddenly flicked his sleeve, and an immense internal qi surged forth, transforming into a roaring tiger. The tiger circled around, creating a barrier that isolated the area from the outside world, preventing any eavesdropping. The elder rose, gazing at the young man sitting calmly before him.
A few months ago, when Li Guanyi killed the fugitive.
The sound of the Breaking Cloud Sky Bow echoed endlessly.
When the young man was slaughtering, the Seven Mansions of the White Tiger ascended to the zenith. At that time, Xue Daoyong suspected that the young man before him possessed the same White Tiger Great Sect fate as his ancestors. However, he never proactively shared this suspicion with Li Guanyi.
He still claimed that Yuwen Lie might be the White Tiger Great Sect.
Therefore, when Li Guanyi declared himself as the White Tiger Great Sect, Xue Daoyong's heart was stirred with immense waves because it signified the fulfillment of the events recorded in the scrolls. The world was about to descend into chaos, and the Eastern Land Star-Gazing Sect among the three sects outside the world was emerging.
Their disciples had already found the young man before him, like a white tiger finding its claws, sharpening its edge, overlooking the chaotic world.
It signified that the true chaos was about to begin.
Xue Daoyong looked at the young man before him and softly murmured, "White Tiger Great Sect..."
"A hero wielding weapons in a chaotic world."
"Who found you, was it Po Jun or Yao Guang?"
After asking such a question, Xue Daoyong closed his eyes and suddenly raised his palm, stopping Li Guanyi's actions. He softly said, "Don't say it, I don't want to know these things..."
"I am a gambler."
"A hopeless gambler who should have been hanged long ago."
"But even a gambler like me has lived to this age and has multiplied the Xue family's business several times. The key lies in knowing when to stop, understanding myself."
"A gambler's nature is endless."
"No gambler can stop; seeing the brilliance of a chaotic world, all big bets will rush into the flames like moths to a flame, even knowing that the fire will turn them to ashes, they still do it, just hoping that their burning can truly make that flame shine brightly."
"Heroes and failed rebels throughout history have been like this."
"There has never been an exception."
The tiger of the chaotic world looked at the young man sitting quietly before him, a broad smile on his face:
"When I know more, I can't help but pile more chips on the gambling table of the chaotic world. In that case, I would definitely gamble the entire Xue family into it. I should stop here. No matter how turbulent the chaotic world becomes, I only need to know one thing."
"You are the qilin child of my Xue family."
The elder closed his eyes and softly said, "You grew up with Shuangtao since childhood. My daughter held you when you were young, and even the emperor has seen you as a child."
"After today, the Xue family will do everything in its power to make your history real."
"Even Yuwen Lie should not think of making a move against you in the capital of the Chen Kingdom. The famous general of the Ying Kingdom, clad in armor and wielding divine weapons, if backed by thousands of troops, I, an old man, am just a mere commoner to him. But this is Jiangzhou City."
"This is the place my Xue family has managed for generations."
"My Xue family still has five hundred years of connections, still has enough gold and silver to buy ten cities. I, an old man of one hundred and thirty, can still wield one of the top ten mystic weapons in the world, a war bow, and can still hunt exotic beasts fifty miles away, piercing mountains with a single arrow."
"The military strategy advocates temple calculations, exchanging small for large. If he wants to kill you, he must pay the greatest price."
Li Guanyi was surprised and asked, "Elder Xue, can you defeat Yuwen Lie?"
The elder replied, "I am certainly not his match."
Then, looking at Li Guanyi, he smiled and said, "But I can, before he kills me, shoot the Crown Prince Jiang Gao and the Second Prince Jiang Yuan of the Ying Kingdom in his Yuwen General's Mansion."
"A generation of famous generals always has the grand wish of unifying the world."
"If he dares to touch you."
"I will ruin his reputation, reignite disputes in the world."
"I will raise the fire, burn this false peace, let his grand wish accompany you to the Yellow Springs, let him be nailed to the pillar of shame in history forever."
"How about it?"
The elder's face showed a smile, extending his hand with a calm and heroic demeanor: "Heroes of the world are all gamblers and scoundrels, qilin child, will you accompany this old man, accompany this world, to gamble once?!"
"If we lose, the fifth divine general of the world will be ruined, and disputes will reignite."
"If we win."
"Then go pursue the world in your eyes!"
The elder before him, usually just a grandfather playing with his grandchildren, would reveal his sharp fangs and show the demeanor of a hero in a chaotic world whenever Li Guanyi needed support and backing, always instantly calming Li Guanyi's heart.
Li Guanyi smiled and extended his hand.
He clenched his fist and bumped it against the elder's fist.
Suddenly, his life felt a sense of stability. He didn't know why, but even though the elder's strength was not as great as that of the fifth divine general of the world, when he said he could protect Li Guanyi's life, Li Guanyi had a strong feeling that the elder before him could definitely do it.
He solemnly said, "Such a great favor, Elder Xue, I will definitely repay it someday."
Xue Daoyong shook his head and said cheerfully, "Don't mind these empty titles, nor do I need any repayment from you."
"The Xue family has wealth, fame, and martial strength."
"You little miser, everything you eat, drink, and wear comes from my Xue family. Does the old man expect to squeeze some oil from you?"
"Besides, with the Xue family's wealth, even if the descendants squander it, it won't be spent in three hundred years."
"Such wealth is not a good thing. As long as the old man is alive, I can suppress it. If I die, the Xue family will probably decline to a third of its original state."
"The old man only has one hope, just hoping you will always remember the days in the Xue family, no matter how high the sky or how far the earth, how the mountains and rivers change, in chaotic times, I hope you remember, the Xue family..."
The elder extended his hand and softly said:
"Is your first ally."
He represented the Xue family's five hundred years of heritage, wealth, and connections, extending his hand. Li Guanyi wiped his hand and solemnly made a vow with the elder, then the young hero raised his hand and softly said:
"Li Guanyi swears here, no matter how the world changes."
"The Xue family is my first and will be my last ally."
"This vow will last until the day my bloodline and descendants are severed."
He paused and uttered those words:
"When the mountains are flat, and the earth and sky unite."
"When winter thunder rumbles, and summer snow falls."
"Only then will I dare to part from you."
These words, originally used to express emotions, felt even heavier here.
The two of them made a vow.
This was a pact that could be recorded in history, akin to when the Red Emperor raised his sword and won the noble lady of a family. A wandering young man, with just a vow, gained the full support of one of the top three wealthy families in the world.
Some say that the aging tiger saw his potential and thus gave his all.
Others say Xue Daoyong was just a gambler filled with gambling nature, believing not in the young man but in his own judgment, convinced he would not lose. And in the days leading up to the grand ceremony of the Chen Kingdom, Li Guanyi finally relaxed, no longer oppressed by Yuwen Lie's intense pressure.
Li Guanyi picked up a pen and wrote a letter to his aunt in Guan Yi City.
He described his recent experiences and told her, 'Everything is fine, no one bears ill will towards me, and I even met Master Zhu Wenyuan and Elder Xue, who treats me well. In about a month, I will return to see you.'
'Aunt, take care of yourself, there are good snacks and tea in the capital.'
'I'll send some to you, so you can try them.'
He wrote about trivial matters.
Yet, strangely, just like that, Li Guanyi wrote several pages. Finally, he wrote that when spring and summer meet, the goose meat will be tender, and he will return to eat roast goose with his aunt, and this time, there will be no need to buy just half.
Li Guanyi folded the letter and sent it back with a carrier pigeon.
Originally, he was to prepare for the selection of the Jinwu Guard the next day. He planned to practice more, but Elder Xue dragged him out, tossing him a set of clothes, and said with a headache, "Change into these clothes, Guanyi."
Li Guanyi saw that this set of brocade robes was better than what he was wearing.
A set of blue robes with dark patterns, feeling extremely good to the touch, obviously very valuable. He almost blurted out if it could be converted into silver, but the elder seemed to know what this kid was about to say, glared at him, and laughed, "Shut up, don't even think about it!"
"Quickly put it on, my second daughter wants to see you."
Li Guanyi was stunned, "Ah?"
Xue Daoyong said:
"Didn't Shuangtao write you a letter asking you to write her a poem? She quite liked it. A few days ago, the emperor was entertaining various forces, and now that he's free, she's holding a family banquet in her palace, just you, me, Changqing, and a few ladies from the Xue family."
"Alright, no more words."
"Be quick, change into the clothes, and enter the palace for the family banquet. It's not an opportunity for ordinary people."
The palace?!
Wouldn't that be closer to the qilin?
A glimmer of light flashed in Li Guanyi's eyes. He changed into the elaborate clothes, tied his hair with a jade hairpin, and even removed his saber, bow, and halberd.
He looked like a gentle and refined young master, but when he clenched his fist, it could still break a stone tablet.
Li Guanyi saw that Xue Changqing was also dressed in this elegant manner, and they couldn't help but mock each other.
They rode a carriage to the side gate of the palace, then got off. Someone was already waiting outside to lead the way. What surprised Li Guanyi was that today's guide was the same ceremonial eunuch.
"Little Captain, have you rested well these days?"
Li Guanyi was surprised. Previously, this eunuch had blocked his way, and Li Guanyi had a good impression of him, saying:
"Thank you for your concern, sir. I've been eating well and sleeping soundly."
The ceremonial eunuch smiled and said, "That's good. I was worried that Little Captain might be upset after being frightened by Yuwen Lie." He held a delicate lantern and led the way. Li Guanyi casually said, "I didn't expect to be able to enter the palace."
"Does this comply with the rules?"
The ceremonial eunuch replied with a smile, "Generally, it is absolutely not allowed; not to mention the concubines of the harem, even ordinary palace maids can only meet their families for a stick of incense's time at the Datong Palace on the fifteenth day of each month as a grace."
"And the brothers and fathers of the harem concubines can only enter the palace to meet when permitted by His Majesty."
"However, Little Captain, you are considered family to the Xue family, and Noble Consort Xue is greatly favored by His Majesty. Moreover, a few days ago, when Little Captain faced Yuwen Lie, you showed no fear, enhancing the prestige of our Chen Kingdom. The emperor was pleased and specially decreed to allow a family banquet in the palace."
"However, even with such special grace, you must not wander around."
"In the palace, there are Jinwu Guards and the Imperial Army guarding everywhere. If they find someone acting suspiciously, they can kill them immediately without informing the emperor. Little Captain, do not stray far, just follow me."
Li Guanyi nodded. The ceremonial eunuch introduced some palace scenery and rules to Li Guanyi.
Li Guanyi responded on the surface, but in his heart, he was silently deducing the Four Symbols Sealing Formation.
Trying to sense the location of the qilin.
This palace indeed occupied a large area.
Following the path from the side gate, it took nearly half an hour to reach Noble Consort Xue's palace.
And this path was silently recorded by Li Guanyi, then matched with the qilin formation map in his mind, trying to figure out which part of the formation he was in, to confirm the location of the qilin.
Elder Xue Daoyong had already hurried inside to see his daughter, and Xue Changqing and other direct descendants of the Xue family had also gone in. Li Guanyi saw a beautiful woman, although several months pregnant, her appearance was unaffected. Seeing Li Guanyi, her face was warmly smiling:
"So this is the young hero who wrote me that poem?"
"Come, let auntie have a look."
She smiled teasingly, beckoning Li Guanyi over.
Her demeanor was elegant and graceful, showing no sign of the reckless behavior of riding horses in the street in her youth, which had angered the old man half to death.
Li Guanyi knew his current identity.
He grinned and obediently stepped forward to present his gift, addressing her as auntie.
"Good, good child."
"Truly sensible, you see, Changqing never voluntarily calls me that."
Noble Consort Xue seemed very satisfied with him. After some small talk, the family banquet began. The number of people was small, besides Li Guanyi, Xue Changqing, and Xue Daoyong, there were only two direct female descendants. These two were quite reserved, while Li Guanyi and Xue Changqing were much more relaxed.
Xue Changqing looked around, curiously muttering, "Strange, why isn't the tigress here?"
Li Guanyi was also curious, not seeing the eldest lady. His gaze swept over and noticed some dancers, among them a red-clad, veiled girl holding a red brush, her temperament particularly outstanding. After all, this was the palace, so Li Guanyi paid attention to etiquette and didn't look much, just retracting his gaze.
The family banquet began, and suddenly someone played the zither, the music clear and melodious. Xue Changqing realized and said:
"The tigress... no, I mean."
"Sister is playing the zither."
Indeed, it was a royal banquet, with exquisite dishes and accompanied by music and dance.
Yet it was also a family banquet, with Miss Xue playing the zither, performing.
In ordinary times, this would be impossible.
Li Guanyi picked up some food, his mind deducing the qilin formation map, most of his attention focused on it. This entry into the palace was a rare opportunity not to be missed. The zither music was elegant, and a woman in palace attire danced gracefully to it. Suddenly, the zither music moved.
The dancing women scattered, their sleeves swirling like clouds.
The red-clad, veiled girl stepped out to the clear rhythm.
Amidst the stars, she was the moon.
Yet it especially highlighted her beauty.
Her dance steps were light and elegant, graceful and poised, surrounded by falling petals. Li Guanyi held his wine cup, seeing this scene, his mind paused, drawn in. The zither music reached a climax, and the red-clad girl spun, her drapery and sleeves swirling like flowing clouds.
In that moment, her beauty surpassed ordinary appearance.
Even the surrounding women were slightly entranced.
Then she stepped lightly, seemingly spinning too fast, taking a few steps forward, her skirt slightly lifted, standing before Li Guanyi.
The zither music, petals, candles, and swirling red sleeves surrounded her.
As if the myriad things of the world pushed her here, flooding into Li Guanyi's eyes, the young man was stunned.
The candlelight flickered, the red sleeves swirled and fell, then the red-clad, veiled girl rose.
As she rose, she lifted her hand, removing the veil.
Her eyebrows were beautiful, her apricot eyes lively and mischievous, looking at him playfully.
It was the eldest lady.
She stood there charmingly, with a smile, looking at the slightly dazed young man, with a girl's pride and playfulness:
"How is it?"