Li Guanyi did not expect that it was not Xue Shuangtao playing the zither. Seeing Xue Shuangtao's proud demeanor, he was momentarily speechless. After a moment of thought, he lightly applauded and calmly said, "Very beautiful."
Xue Shuangtao had originally intended to 'surprise' Li Guanyi, but his straightforward response made her feel a bit embarrassed. She raised her fingers to twirl her dark hair at her temples and retorted, "Really, you sure know how to flatter."
"But is that all a great talent can say?"
Li Guanyi thought for a moment and replied, "Those verses are ones I heard during my travels; they are not poems I composed myself."
"Moreover, poetry often has embellishments and techniques."
"In comparison, I still feel that these two words better express my feelings."
Xue Shuangtao's face turned slightly red.
Having not seen him for some time, she felt a mix of shyness and annoyance, especially with her aunt's amused gaze making her feel somewhat uneasy. She quickly walked back to her seat. After a few rounds of drinks, Xue Guifei raised her tea and smiled, "I am pregnant, so I won't be drinking, but I have heard that my Xue family's Qilin child has not lost his talent since childhood."
"You recognized characters at three, drew a bow at five, and now, ten years have passed."
"Your father and brothers have been strict with you. Since I entered the palace, we have rarely met. Today is a rare occasion; you must write me a poem."
Xue Guifei spoke with a smile about Li Guanyi's past.
The young man realized that among the palace maids, there were likely other concubines from the harem, even the emperor's eyes watching. This was to use their eyes to further confirm Li Guanyi's identity. Thus, he raised his cup with a smile and said, "Since it is my aunt's request, then Guanyi naturally must write a poem."
Xue Guifei was pleased with the young man's intelligence and wit, smiling as she said, "Good."
"Today is still spring, so Guanyi shall use 'Spring' as the theme. You can write either a poem or a lyric, whichever you prefer."
"If you write well, I will have a gift for you."
Xue Guifei's smile was full of warmth.
Li Guanyi thought for a moment. Previously, he had used the Immortal of Exile and Liu Sanbian, but this time he could not continue with such levels. He recalled a poem and, holding the tea cup, stepped outside, pacing a few times before reciting:
"The water is like the horizontal waves of the eyes, the mountains gather like the peaks of the brows."
"Where do you ask the traveler to go?"
"To the place where the brows and eyes are full."
This lyric transformed the landscapes of Jiangnan into a beauty, the brushwork light and lively. However, the most exquisite part was in the second half, where 'thousands' and 'spring' resided. Li Guanyi pondered how to revise the inappropriate parts, and as he hesitated, he heard a melodious laugh.
The pleasant laughter left Li Guanyi momentarily stunned, causing him to doubt himself, wondering if there was something wrong with the lyric. But he saw Xue Guifei's beaming smile, and Xue Shuangtao said, "Aunt, Li..."
She paused, recalling her aunt's words and arrangements, hesitatingly saying, "Is there something wrong with what my cousin said?"
Although the girl knew it was to protect Li Guanyi, the saying 'a tree that stands out will be blown down by the wind' meant using the Xue family to protect him.
However, saying 'cousin' brought an inexplicable feeling, making her skin crawl, her face slightly flushed, not from shyness but from a strange sense of embarrassment, as if she were dying in front of friends. Xue Guifei, however, was especially amused.
She reached out her hand for the girl to come over, admiring her exquisite beauty in red attire.
Pointing with her finger, she smiled and said, "The water is like the misty waves."
Her finger brushed over the girl's dark brows: "The mountains gather like the peaks of the brows."
Then she embraced Xue Shuangtao, extending her finger towards the young man over there, smiling brightly, "If you ask where the traveler is going."
Her finger traced an arc, finally pointing at Xue Shuangtao's eyes, smiling, "To the place where the brows and eyes are full."
"What a good lyric, a good lyric indeed."
!!!!!!
Xue Shuangtao's face turned bright red, and she suddenly stood up, breaking free from her aunt's arm, staring wide-eyed at Li Guanyi. After a moment of silence, she stomped her foot and returned to her seat, provoking a burst of laughter from Xue Guifei. Li Guanyi was dumbfounded; he realized that this lyric could be interpreted in such a way?
It could be said like this?
The young man immediately realized something.
Xue Guifei was a flirting expert?
The once fiery and rebellious girl?
He turned his head and saw the old man Xue Daoyong's lips twitching, the once imposing demeanor of a fierce tiger now replaced with a look of family misfortune, almost raising his hand to cover his face.
Xue Guifei seemed to be enjoying herself, clapping her hands, "Alright, just this half-verse of lyrics is already a world-class masterpiece. Aunt will definitely give you a good gift. Good child, go back and sit."
Li Guanyi obediently sat there.
Xue Changqing expressed utmost respect towards this suddenly transformed 'cousin who once held you as a child and knew you wet the bed, but later went into seclusion' teacher.
The banquet was delightful, and Li Guanyi thought it was a pity he couldn't take any away.
As spring drew to a close, the temperature gradually rose. Even if transported by swift horses, by the time they reached Guan Yi City, the taste would surely have changed. Otherwise, he truly wished to let his aunt taste it too.
Suddenly, he felt someone kick him.
Li Guanyi slightly turned, seeing the girl sitting next to him extending a leg.
Annoyed, she lightly kicked him.
Her face was flushed, her almond eyes glaring at him.
Li Guanyi grinned but ignored her. It was only because the young lady's movements grew more pronounced that he moved his wrist to hold her ankle, saying, "I didn't mean it like that."
Who knew the young lady would be even angrier.
"Then before, when the raging waves rolled in with frost and snow, was that also a coincidence?"
"How come you've seen so many great talents?"
"And those great talents all know me?"
Li Guanyi felt that even jumping into a river wouldn't clarify things. Xue Guifei, no longer dignified as when they first met, was like an ordinary banquet of a wealthy family. After the feast, she smiled and said, "I haven't seen my father for a long time, and it's been ages since we played chess. Today, we must have a few games."
Xue Daoyong shook his head helplessly and followed his daughter to play chess. Xue Shuangtao had originally planned to chat with Li Guanyi, but now felt both shy and annoyed, so she ran off to watch the chess game. Li Guanyi simply strolled into the palace courtyard, looking up at the sky.
The White Tiger Seven Stars had risen.
He focused his mind, silently deducing the Qilin Array Diagram. The Huangji Jingshi Book was extremely difficult and hard to grasp. At this moment, Li Guanyi was in the palace, looking up to discern the star patterns, barely finding some clues.
The White Tiger was in the sky, located in the Western Garden.
The Vermilion Bird was to the south, the palace to the north, the four symbols circulating, with the Qilin positioned in the center.
Li Guanyi's palm hung beneath his sleeve, quickly calculating. His forehead gradually turned pale. This entirely relied on his understanding of formations. He vaguely sensed the location of the Qilin Palace, but as Master Zhu had said, this formation was alive and constantly changing.
He could only remain in this palace, unable to change his form. The array point he had pinpointed would shift the next moment. It was like trying to hold water with a bamboo hat; no matter how much he had, it would slip away. Li Guanyi looked at the courtyard of the palace; stepping out from there was the main road, the palace.
At this moment, no one was watching him.
But after a long silence, Li Guanyi still gave up. Although entering the palace would allow him to deduce the formation and surely find the Qilin, there were many experts within the palace, as well as the Imperial Guards and Jinwu Guards. Once discovered, he would be fine, but it would implicate Xue Lao.
Just as he turned to return to the chess game, he suddenly heard footsteps rushing by from the side.
"Hahaha, have those two been waiting too long? I was too absorbed in the scenery of the palace."
"It is truly because my hometown is poor, being in the frontier and the Western Regions, I have never seen such splendor in the Central Plains." With a heavy accent of the Tiele people, Li Guanyi was slightly surprised, but he saw eunuchs and guards surrounding a person walking along the path outside the palace, torches raised high, illuminating the area like daylight.
The young man being surrounded had bronze skin and a tall stature.
It was the young man he had seen at the city gate, carrying a donkey. Li Guanyi stood at the door, and the young man's sharp gaze immediately spotted him. He stopped, revealing a look of surprise and joy, laughing, "Haha, it's you!"
The eunuchs stopped in astonishment, and the young man did not enter the courtyard of Xue Guifei.
He simply waved at Li Guanyi, smiling, "Friend, you are also here!"
"Did the Holy Emperor invite you for a night tour here?"
Li Guanyi replied, "I am from the Xue family; my aunt is the Guifei, so I came here for a family banquet." The eunuchs recognized the young man before them; the leader was the godson of the Chief Eunuch, surprised.
The Tiele youth did not know the etiquette of the Central Plains.
In the palace, he encountered someone he had met before and felt quite congenial.
He was very happy and warmly invited, "Since you are here too, would you like to join me for a night tour of the palace? The Holy Emperor has specially decreed that we may enjoy the scenery. They say in the Central Plains, one should admire flowers under the moon and scenery under the lanterns; it has a unique flavor."
"Meeting again today, we are quite fated. Would you like to join?"
Li Guanyi's heart stirred.
He looked at the eunuchs and guards and said, "Within the palace, the prohibitions are strict; I fear I cannot accompany you."
The Tiele youth's face showed regret as he asked the eunuch, "Is it really not allowed?"
The eunuch hesitated.
Respecting the Emperor's decree, although this youth was young, his status was different. His request, within certain limits, could be fully accommodated. Even if he had his eyes on a certain palace maid, he could grant her to him as a show of favor. Moreover, this young man was a member of the Xue family.
He was originally invited to the palace for the banquet.
Most importantly, his godfather valued this young man highly.
Thus, the eunuch only hesitated for a moment before holding a bright yellow scroll and smiling, "The Emperor has decreed that the Khan's request should be accommodated as much as possible. This young man is our nation's youthful hero, with both literary and martial talents surpassing his peers, and is also a royal relative, so it is naturally no problem."
The Khan was overjoyed, saying, "Good brother!"
"Come!"
Li Guanyi turned to the palace maid beside him and asked her to inform Xue Lao before turning to follow.
He had just deduced the formation for an hour in one place.
Although the Sihua Fengling Formation was incredibly profound, like a living being, constantly changing, Li Guanyi found it difficult to gain insights while deducing in this palace. However, as he stepped out, it was as if he had broken through a deadlock in chess; his aura changed in an instant.
Li Guanyi clearly sensed the existence of the Qilin formation.
It felt as if he had already perceived every part.
In that moment, he could even feel the ripples as if a stone had been thrown into the water. Within three breaths, Li Guanyi instantly grasped the location of the Qilin Palace. When he confirmed the position of the Qilin, the entire Sihua Fengling Formation unfolded before his eyes.
It was as if he had set the array eye. Li Guanyi's previous thoughts and reflections on what he had learned during this time suddenly became vivid.
At the same time, the young man had already grasped his arm, exploring together, saying, "I never expected you to be a royal relative."
Li Guanyi replied, "I also did not expect you to be the Khan of the Tiele tribe."
The young man laughed.
He habitually reached for his waist to pat his knife.
But upon entering the palace, all weapons had been confiscated.
Even if Yu Wenlie, no matter how fierce and unruly, looked down on the Emperor of the Chen Kingdom, he still had to put down his weapon to enter the palace. Holding weapons in the palace was like stepping onto the throne; over the years, only Wang Puyang had such a precedent.
He could only awkwardly scratch his waist and say, "What Khan are you talking about?"
"My surname is Qibi, and my name means strength."
"Our branch of the Tiele tribe has only a few thousand households left, not even as many as the population of a town in the Central Plains. Even in the Western Regions, we are a tribe too small to be smaller, so we couldn't help but come here seeking aid."
"When Tuyuhun was around, we suffered greatly, treated like slaves."
"Now the Dangxiang people are also rising, and we think we can no longer be slaves."
"So everyone pooled some money and said I was the Khan, sending me out."
Li Guanyi chatted with Qibi Li, looking at the palace in the night.
In his heart, the entire palace seemed to transform into a gigantic formation diagram. With every step he took, ripples arose. When the ripples encountered another formation node, they would bounce back, and thus the formation finally became clear in the young man's heart.
He stood at a node, sighing, "The scenery here is truly beautiful."
Qibi Li looked around in confusion. Although he did not find it particularly beautiful, he would not say much while his friend spoke, only laughing heartily, "It is beautiful!"
The eunuchs and guards stood still, watching the two of them chat and admire the scenery.
As these two paused, they were also happy to rest.
Li Guanyi and the Khan of the Tiele tribe chatted leisurely.
Finally, he stood on an active node.
Thus, his aura sharply slipped into the gaps of the Qilin Palace's top formation, coming into contact with that core existence. The blazing divine aura suddenly roared in fury, and then seemed to instantly recognize whose aura had appeared in the formation.
Thus, that rage transformed into astonishment.
"!!! Is it you?!"
The voice of the Qilin surged in Li Guanyi's heart. After the initial shock, it immediately asked, "What are you doing here?! Were you captured?!"
"I came to rescue you!"
"Don't be afraid!"
Li Guanyi lowered his gaze and softly said, "No, I just snuck in."
"Don't cause a commotion, or I will be exposed."
The Qilin's fierce aura quieted down.
It could sense that the enormous formation seemed unable to locate Li Guanyi. The young man's aura was very keen, and it calmed down, saying, "You came here..." When it first met Li Guanyi, it was incredibly excited, but now there was a hint of hesitation, even fear.
The closer one gets to home, the more timid one becomes; human emotions can also manifest in divine beasts.
Finally, it remained silent for a long time before saying, "What is your name..."
The Khan of the Tiele tribe also smiled and said, "I haven't asked what your brother's name is yet?"
Li Guanyi spoke, "My name is Li Guanyi."
The young man smiled, "The one in ten thousand."
The Tiele Khan simply praised, "What a good spirit!"
But the Qilin's aura began to fluctuate violently.
The child of an old friend had come.
It seemed to see that heroic young man again.
This voice was sorrowful, and after a long time, the Qilin's voice resolutely said, "Good child."
"Li Guanyi, do not come here again."
The Qilin's aura suddenly diminished a notch. Within the Sihua Fengling Grand Array, the Qilin's aura separated and flowed towards Li Guanyi. He felt a warm aura appear in his heart, as the Qilin's divine soul descended into his body.
This was a gift from itself.
A bestowal from the Qilin.
Such a gift would naturally dissipate some, but the bronze cauldron suddenly let out a cry.
All of this divine aura fell onto the cauldron.
Thus, on the bronze cauldron, at the center of the dragon, tiger, phoenix, and turtle, the fifth pattern slowly appeared!
The central Qilin!
Return to position!
(End of Chapter)