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    Edict of Peace 10

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    Chapter 10: Mark of the Red Dragon!

    He clenched his fist, feeling the surge of heat within him—a sensation vastly different from before, so much so that Li Guanyi felt a little dazed.

    If the previous feeling was like a tiny sesame seed of energy,

    now it was at least the size of an egg, solid and compact.

    He made a fist, adopted a horse stance, and punched forward. The force was substantial, brimming with inexhaustible power.

    Stepping back, he drew the short sword his aunt had given him. He moved backward, wielding the sword in a series of horizontal sweeps, vertical cleaves, and diagonal slashes.

    Lifting clouds, cleaving mountains, sweeping clouds, cutting waves.

    Pushing mountains, resisting ridges, piercing kings, slaying emperors.

    The moves, vastly different from the renowned Po Jun Eight Cuts in terms of both name and internal energy, flowed out in a continuous stream.

    As muscle memory surfaced, his movements quickly transitioned from clumsy to refined.

    Po Jun Eight Cuts, Entry!

    Po Jun Eight Cuts, Proficiency!

    Po Jun Eight Cuts, Mastery!

    Po Jun Eight Cuts—

    A killing intent, sharp yet controlled, arose even in this confined space, stirring a layer of ghastly white sword light. Finally, the sword light paused. Li Guanyi stepped back half a pace, exhaled slightly, and brought the short sword down with a heavy chop, like a crescent moon.

    The killing move, Severing the Sky Wolf!

    A buzzing sound emanated from within, the sound of his entire musculature tensing and then exploding.

    The final move was completed.

    Li Guanyi held the short sword, breathing slowly, feeling the tremor in his muscles. A strange familiarity washed over him, as if he had practiced this sword technique for years, but his muscles lacked the corresponding memory.

    Muscle exertion brought on soreness and a slight tremble, which the warm current gently soothed.

    Po Jun Eight Cuts, Great Accomplishment!

    Li Guanyi reviewed the events that had just transpired, thoughtfully: “This is…”

    “The Bronze Tripod absorbed some kind of power from Yu Qianfeng, then transformed it into that dragon, which seemed to contain some of Yu Qianfeng’s martial arts memories, aiding my cultivation…”

    Li Guanyi’s thoughts suddenly stopped.

    An immense hunger gripped his stomach. As he continued to think, his brain demanded energy, his stomach acid churned violently, threatening to erupt. This abruptly interrupted his thoughts. Li Guanyi rubbed his stomach fiercely; reason crumbled under the assault of appetite.

    It was like the feeling after finally winning a game after an all-nighter.

    Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!

    He swallowed, tiptoed out of the room.

    He grabbed a carrot, washed it, and stuffed it into his mouth, crunching and swallowing it. Starting a fire to cook was too troublesome and time-consuming, so Li Guanyi pulled out a large flatbread from a wooden cabinet, moved a stone that was pressing down on a black jar, and took a pair of clean chopsticks to pick out pickled shredded vegetables and garlic.

    Squatting behind the cabinet, he ate a piece of flatbread with some pickled vegetables, quickly devouring the entire flatbread, barely calming the tempest in his stomach.

    Then he licked his lips, pulled out another flatbread, tore it, and put it in his mouth. Finally, he could resume thinking about what had happened.

    “It’s like the body needs a massive amount of nutrients, causing this hunger. Conservation of matter; martial arts training transforms the body, requiring nutrients. However, the nutrients needed to achieve such a rapid mastery of the *Po Zhen Qu* (Breaking Formation Tune) couldn’t possibly be met with a few flatbreads. It seems the jade liquid in the tripod is the key; it can at least act as… uh… a source of vital energy.”

    Li Guanyi turned his chopsticks over, unconsciously scratching them on the ground.

    Their rented courtyard didn’t have the money for flooring. The ground inside the house was just earth, which was convenient for Li Guanyi to write things. He casually used the end of his chopsticks to kill an ant, scratched his chin, and continued scratching idly, organizing his thoughts.

    “The tripod can collect vital energy, or perhaps essence, from strong individuals.”

    “Once it’s full, it can transform into… well… a red dragon or something, and use this essence and vital energy to assist cultivation…”

    Li Guanyi had grasped the general use, but new questions arose.

    He stroked his chin, muttering to himself: “So now, what are the requirements for the tripod’s source of power? Must it be a martial artist of a certain level, or are there specific requirements?”

    “Secondly, how powerful is the tripod’s feedback? What’s the upper limit?”

    “Can it only assist in cultivating techniques already possessed by the individual?”

    Li Guanyi found his questions about the tripod multiplying. He suddenly heard faint footsteps. He quickly finished his flatbread, crouched, turned, and saw his aunt, her body tense. She saw him too, and both of them seemed startled, taking a step back.

    Then Murong Qiushui relaxed, extended a slender finger to the boy’s forehead, poked it, and scolded:

    “I heard a commotion outside, and thought we were being robbed.”

    “Never expected it was you, my gluttonous kitten.”

    The boy scratched his head, shedding his serious demeanor, and simply smiled shyly: “I was hungry.”

    His gaze fell upon his aunt’s loose, brown-and-white-trimmed undergarment, her cascading black hair, star-like eyes, and slender hands. Then, without further ado, he casually tossed aside the dented iron pot, which clanged against the ground.

    The boy twitched the corner of his mouth.

    If it had been a thief, they would likely have been dispatched by his aunt by now.

    A dented iron pot, swung round and round, carried considerable force. Thirty-seven small-time thieves had fallen victim to his aunt’s proficiency. A woman traveling the world with a child, however discreet, would always attract trouble.

    If he’d been a moment slower turning, he might have been on the receiving end of his aunt’s pot.

    Murong Qiushui took a step forward, her eyes scanning Li Guanyi from head to toe. She suddenly smiled, saying: “Little rascal, did you practice martial arts today?”

    Li Guanyi froze, saying: “Aunt, how did you know?”

    Murong Qiushui laughed: “Aunt, though I don’t understand martial arts, I do know that after a martial artist cultivates internal energy, their appetite increases dramatically. Besides, my little rascal has extraordinary talent. That Red Dragon guest would be blind not to pass down his skills to you.”

    She lightly adjusted her skirt, and hopped lightly to the other side of the cabinet, where Li Guanyi was. Li Guanyi only then noticed that his aunt was barefoot, her feet as white as jade. She’d likely rushed out upon hearing the noise without putting on her shoes. Stepping on the black soil, she went to the side of the cabinet, smoothed the wrinkles in her clothes, and sat down.

    Li Guanyi sat beside her.

    Murong Qiushui frowned, saying: “I mean, get me a flatbread too.”

    The boy froze, teasingly saying: “Aunt, aren’t you supposed to stop eating after nightfall?”

    Murong Qiushui coughed lightly, saying: “I’m hungry after all that!”

    Li Guanyi almost burst out laughing, but shook his head. Concerned about waking his aunt, he’d originally intended to just eat the hard flatbread. But since his aunt also wanted to eat, he decided to make a meal. He boiled two bowls of noodles and fried two poached eggs.

    It was to encourage the Bronze Tripod to interact favorably with Yu Qianfeng. Before, when he went there every few days with meat and wine, they themselves lived very simply. After all, Li Guanyi was a fugitive, and even if he had valuables, he couldn’t be too conspicuous. They didn’t have any meat at home right now.

    He brought over two bowls of plain noodles, placed a stone beside the cabinet, one bowl per person, and put a small dish of shredded pickled vegetables in the middle. Li Guanyi said: “We don’t have any meat at home, so we’ll have to make do.”

    Murong Qiushui suddenly laughed, raising an eyebrow, and said:

    “However, I do have a chicken leg. Want some?”

    Li Guanyi raised his eyebrows.

    Murong Qiushui picked up her noodles with her chopsticks, and then twirled them, creating a large mass of noodles, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, looking remarkably like a chicken leg. Li Guanyi chuckled, but seeing his aunt’s smug expression, he pointed to a large piece of pickled vegetable and said:

    “If that’s a chicken leg, then this is a large piece of braised pork.”

    “Hey, then mine is roast goose.”

    Murong Qiushui and Li Guanyi sat beneath the wooden cabinet, in their somewhat dilapidated courtyard.

    After his aunt fell ill, she pawned her jewelry to make ends meet.

    This courtyard was purchased with his aunt’s jade pendant, which even Li Guanyi could tell was extraordinarily fine. Oily as fat, smooth as butter, sounding like gold, thin as silk, white as fat, soft as paste; it had a Thousand-Armed Guanyin carved on it—a token of affection given to his aunt by her uncle. The pawnbroker, seeing that it was a weak woman and a young child, offered only ten taels of silver.

    Li Guanyi wanted to take his aunt away, but his aunt calmly agreed to pawn it.

    Even Li Guanyi was furious, but his aunt merely stroked his hair, smiling and saying that the token was less important than their well-being, then took out half of the silver to rent this courtyard, storing the rest for daily expenses.

    Even so, the courtyard was dilapidated. Except for the living quarters, the other rooms had various leaks. During heavy summer rain, they had to use basins to collect water. Sitting in front of the cabinet, looking up, through the somewhat broken roof, one could see the inky sky and a few stars.

    The bowls and chopsticks were placed beside them. Li Guanyi turned his head and saw his aunt, her head bowed, already asleep.

    The twelve-year-old boy clenched the sword at his waist.

    The feel of the blade was cold, yet so reliable. Li Guanyi softly said:

    “One day, I will make the dishes we just talked about a reality.”

    Li Guanyi picked up his sleeping aunt and carefully carried her back to her room. His aunt wasn’t tall, but she was very light, like a dandelion, as if a gust of wind would blow her away. Getting close, he could smell a faint floral scent. He put his aunt down in her room.

    The bed was simply built from mud and grass, covered with a layer of hay and then bedding. Rainy seasons and winters were harsh.

    Li Guanyi covered his aunt with a quilt and slowly returned to his own room.

    He exhaled, lowered his head, and pulled open his shirt, wanting to check the Bronze Tripod in his chest.

    He froze slightly.

    The red jade liquid in the tripod was gone, but there were changes.

    On the wall of the Bronze Tripod, a crimson dragon mark.

    Clearly visible!

    (End of Chapter)

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