Edict of Peace 144
Chapter 144: As Expected, Unforgivable!
Invited by the Ying Country Crown Prince?
Li Guanyi lowered his eyes. This time, the other party had formally delivered a calling card. This situation, conversely, was safe. Li Guanyi informed Old Xue, changed into a different outfit, fastened the sword gifted by Yan Daiqing to his waist, and then boarded the luxurious carriage.
The skill of the carriage driver was even better than Zhao Dabing’s.
The carriage brought Li Guanyi to the temporary palace where the Ying Country Crown Prince was residing.
The aura of a White Tiger circled in the sky, representing Yu Wen Lie, the renowned general of the land. He was currently staying on one side of the palace. Li Guanyi remained silent, got off the carriage, and then, under the guidance of an attendant, proceeded to the palace’s front hall.
“I’ve long heard of the gentleman’s reputation, yet only today am I able to meet you,” said the Crown Prince.
“It is truly a great regret,” he added.
Li Guanyi had only waited a short time before the Ying Country Crown Prince came out to greet him. This Crown Prince, known for his wisdom among the various nations, wore a smile. He was around thirty years old, with handsome features, slightly downcast eyes, and a warm, gentle smile.
Li Guanyi stood up and returned the greeting with a slight bow.
Jiang Gao gently grasped Li Guanyi’s forearm, pulling him in with a laugh. “Sir, why such formality? Please, please…”
Thus, at this moment, only the two of them remained.
After three rounds of drinking and pleasant conversation, Jiang Gao dismissed his attendants, saying, “I hear that great talents in the world are like phoenixes, seeking phoenix trees to roost. With nations vying for power and the people suffering, I, Gao, have the ambition to pacify the land, and I only hope that you, sir, will come to assist me.”
Li Guanyi asked, “What is Your Highness saying?”
Jiang Gao smiled. “Ordinary people say, ‘Don’t speak deeply when acquaintance is shallow,’ yet discussing grand ambitions and seeking like-minded companions is no ordinary matter. One doesn’t need to meet and immediately lay bare one’s heart. I treat you with sincerity, offering my heart to you.”
“Success or failure is our fate, but sincerity is essential.”
Li Guanyi saw the sincerity and composure in Jiang Gao’s expression, the bearing of a virtuous gentleman.
Li Guanyi was silent, stood up, bowed, and replied, “My nature is inherently unruly. I’ve already caused trouble in Jiangzhou, even having my official robe and jade belt stripped from me. A person like me, how could I possibly have such great ambitions?”
“I only hope for a peaceful era, for the people to live in peace and prosperity, for lively streets filled with music and joyous nights bathed in soft moonlight. With a few acres of land, toiling the earth, my wishes would be fulfilled.”
Jiang Gao was stunned. After a moment of thought, he said earnestly, “Then, please accompany me in creating this great era for the world.”
Li Guanyi looked at Jiang Gao before him and grinned.
He felt this young man had a vibe similar to someone obsessively pulling on a gacha (lottery system for virtual items) hoping for a rare card.
He refused again, “There are many heroes in the world. I’m just an unremarkable wanderer, with a big temper and small abilities. Your Highness thinks too highly of me.”
Jiang Gao looked deeply at Li Guanyi, then smiled, ceasing to press the matter. He said self-deprecatingly, “It seems I do not have that kind of fate.”
“Come, let’s drink!”
“Since I can’t persuade you today, I shall simply intoxicate you! Hahaha, please!”
He raised his wine cup, and Li Guanyi drank with him. Li Guanyi was fifteen years old, outwardly, and could drink, but others wouldn’t force him to drink too much. After drinking, Jiang Gao saw him off, saying, “Our conversation today, you mentioned that there are many heroes in the world.”
“But I feel that after meeting you today, I may never encounter anyone like you again. I don’t know why, perhaps it’s because you hold the common people in high regard.”
Jiang Gao smiled warmly. “But you just now mentioned a peaceful era, the people living in peace and prosperity, lively streets, and nights bathed in soft moonlight… ah… I also hope to see that.”
The Ying Country Crown Prince smiled warmly and made a sincere promise, “Therefore, I will do my utmost to achieve all of this. Then… I mean, if there truly is such a day, I will seek you out for a drink, under that soft moonlight. Would you be willing to offer me a cup of wine you personally brewed?”
“Even if by then, we are both old.”
Li Guanyi paused. He felt the young man’s composure and frankness. He remained silent for a moment, then replied, “If there is such a day, we will drink until we are drunk.”
Jiang Gao smiled warmly. He softly said, “Also, someone told me that you are a brilliant military strategist. This is an age of Divine Generals, and brilliant military strategists are rare. They told me to recruit you with all my might.”
“And if I fail, to kill you.”
“Be careful after you leave.”
Li Guanyi paused, asking, “Why are you telling me this?”
Jiang Gao smiled faintly. “I invited you here. At least here, I regard you as a rare friend. A person with your heroic bearing, a young member of the Jinwu Guards, will certainly become a general one day.”
“If you lead Chen Kingdom’s Night-Charging Cavalry, we will meet on the battlefield. We will be enemies then.”
“Enemies show no mercy; we will fight with all our strength.”
“But right now, we are still friends. With friends, one should be honest.”
“They told me to crush my enemies at the beginning, but if one only views the people of the world in this way, then all heroes are enemies. Isn’t such a path too lonely?”
Jiang Gao smiled. “Treat all heroes with sincerity.”
“Whether friend or foe, one will not regret this encounter.”
He extended his hand, smiling, gesturing for Li Guanyi to leave. Li Guanyi nodded and left the palace. Jiang Gao only turned around after watching him go, seeming extremely regretful and sighing. Just as Li Guanyi had left the hall and hadn’t gone far, a laugh was heard.
“Mr. Li, please wait!”
Li Guanyi paused slightly. An object flew through the air. Li Guanyi reached out and caught it; it was a gold coin. He turned his head and saw a spirited young man, around twenty years old, with unrestrained eyebrows and eyes, a bearing like a flying tiger or dragon, laughing heartily.
“Sir, what excellent reflexes!”
The young man leaned against a tree, jumped down gracefully, bowed, and said, “I am Jiang Yuan, the Ying Country’s second prince. I saw my elder brother invite you, and it seemed that…”
“The talks broke down?”
He bluntly spoke in this ruffian manner. Li Guanyi replied in an unyielding tone, “The Crown Prince has broad ambitions, but I do not share such grand visions and cannot accompany him. There was no breakdown or anything like that.”
“Oh? Is that so…”
Jiang Yuan looked at Li Guanyi, smiled, casually plucked at a bowstring, and said nonchalantly, “My elder brother is terribly serious. Talking with him, it’s always about the world or the common people—very boring. Come, come, let’s do something interesting.”
“Since you’re here, don’t leave so easily.”
Jiang Yuan casually threw his bow to an attendant.
He strode over, placing a hand on Li Guanyi’s shoulder, pulling him along. “Come, come, I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time! Everyone talks about how powerful Ge Shu Yin and Xu Huiyang are, but my eyes are discerning, and you are the most outstanding among those few.”
“To be evenly matched with everyone and win by a single move, that is far more difficult than the other few. Come, come, let’s drink and enjoy music!”
Li Guanyi’s heart stirred. He was also interested in meeting the young heroes of various countries, so he went with him. Jiang Yuan took Li Guanyi to a banquet that was worlds apart from the Crown Prince’s feast – extremely luxurious, using exquisitely beautiful tableware and drinking vessels.
Jiang Yuan and Li Guanyi discussed hunting and horse riding, displaying extravagant demeanor but occasionally revealing an extraordinary boldness. Dressed in hunting attire, he sat cross-legged on the top seat; a beautiful woman played the qin (a type of Chinese zither). Jiang Yuan said, “I hear that you, sir, are exceptionally talented. Jiangnan is known for its refined culture. How do you find the music of my musician?”
Li Guanyi said, “Very good.”
This was not flattery.
He had grown up with his aunt, listening to her play the qin, and had diligently studied it himself; he had his own understanding of music theory. This musician’s qin music was refined and elegant, clearly the result of great dedication. Li Guanyi thought the musician’s skill was even better than his own.
Of course, not as good as his aunt’s, he silently added.
Jiang Yuan laughed, clapping. “Come out.” The qin music stopped, and a beautiful woman, seventeen or eighteen years old, with refined features, came out and respectfully bowed. Jiang Yuan boasted, “This is my musician. Eighteen this year, fifteen years playing the qin.”
“Not a single day of slacking, and that’s how she has achieved this skill. What do you think?”
Li Guanyi said, “Miss, your qin music is excellent.”
The girl nodded softly, gentle and refined. She extended her hand, her palm white and slender, but with some rough patches, indicating that she was not from a wealthy background. The calluses on her fingertips revealed her daily practice. Seeing this, Jiang Yuan took a sip of wine and laughed, “If my brother likes her, I’ll give her to you!”
Li Guanyi naturally could not accept.
However, he felt an almost imperceptible dislike towards the actions of this extravagant second prince and simply said,
“No need. A musician like her, who works so hard, you can see it from her hands. She’s not from a wealthy background; her hands have calluses, yet she plays so well. This shows her dedication to playing the qin and seizing this opportunity.”
“For more than ten years she has not slacked a single day. Let her stay with Your Highness. A wanderer like me can’t provide her with the conditions to practice every day.”
Jiang Yuan did not mention it again, and they continued drinking until nearly nightfall.
The Jiangnan summer rainy season, the humidity in the air increased. Li Guanyi felt that it was about to rain, and he had a martial arts competition tomorrow, so he took his leave. Jiang Yuan saw him out, smiling slightly. “Meeting you today, sir, felt like meeting an old friend. I am delighted. I have a small gift for you.”
Someone handed over a box, elaborately carved and extremely luxurious.
Jiang Yuan handed it over, saying, “Please have a look, sir.”
Li Guanyi was about to refuse, but he suddenly detected a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood. His pupils constricted violently. He abruptly opened the box. On the red silk lay two hands.
The hands were slender and long; the fingertips and palms bore the marks of years of daily qin practice.
They were still slightly moving.
Just unable to play the qin anymore.
They were the musician’s hands.
Li Guanyi’s mind went blank.
Almost instinctively, he put his hand on his sword, but instantly a killing intent locked onto the young man. Veins bulged on his forehead; he looked angrily at Jiang Yuan. Li Guanyi was standing at the foot of the steps, while Jiang Yuan stood on the steps.
Jiang Yuan wore fine clothes, a scarlet robe with embroidered dragons. The blood-red sunset and the dim yellow light of the lanterns fell on the young man, making him seem like some ferocious dragon beast. Jiang Yuan narrowed his eyes. “Sir, you don’t like it?”
“This is my favorite musician. You liked her music, but you didn’t want to keep her, so I had to give you her hands. From now on, I won’t listen to her music either.”
His voice remained bold and composed, but a murderous intent raged within Li Guanyi.
He understood why he disliked Jiang Yuan.
He understood the difference between himself and the imperial family.
He and the nobility of this world had a fundamental difference. These people truly treated people as commodities, as tools to make connections with heroes and display their own power. It was genuine, a deep-seated indifference and distinction.
Li Guanyi’s hands trembled slightly; the murderous intent in his heart was almost uncontrollable.
Li Guanyi didn’t know how he managed to restrain himself from attacking. Perhaps it was Yu Wen Lie’s presence, perhaps his reason. He took the box, turned and left, then his steps quickened, faster and faster, running wildly.
Jiang Yuan looked at the young man. Lightning cracked in the sky, a flash of bright white.
“Not one of us.”
When Jiang Yuan returned, he saw Yu Wen Lie under the tree. The renowned general looked at him impassively. “Cutting off his musician’s hands? Why?”
Jiang Yuan said, “It was just to test Li Guanyi.”
Yu Wen Lie said, “Oh?”
Jiang Yuan said disdainfully, “My imperial brother and the others are too naive. They think they can live peacefully with the common people. They are wrong. We and these common people are not the same. If the world is a forest, then we are like lions and tigers, meant to eat meat!”
“The silks and satins on my imperial brother, the delicacies he eats, which one doesn’t come from the sweat and blood of the people? Humph, when he talks about living in harmony with the people, the paper on which he writes is worth more than a month’s rations for the people.”
“He says he wants to live in harmony with the people, ha, he fools the common people, and even fools himself?!”
“We are the superior beings, born to be nourished by the people. I should tread on their heads, otherwise, what if I soil my shoes?”
“And Li Guanyi, in his eyes just now, he dared to show killing intent… he stands with the commoners, doesn’t my brother know that such people are fundamentally opposed to us?”
Jiang Yuan touched his neck and smiled faintly. “He is fundamentally our enemy.”
“Such a person cannot be recruited.”
“Such a person, the more talented he is, the sooner he should be killed!”
“You see, I used the hands of a mere musician to discern this, isn’t that worthwhile? Besides, I prepared another gift for him…”
Jiang Yuan smiled. “Also, my brother betrayed you.”
“General Yu Wen, he told Li Guanyi your suggestion.”
Silence, deathly quiet.
Lightning crackled in the air, illuminating the calm Yu Wen Lie and the slightly raised eyebrow of Jiang Yuan.
………………
Li Guanyi ran wildly in the rain, smelling the blood. In a place where people threw out their garbage, he saw the musician. Several guards were approaching with malicious smiles, the musician’s hands severed at the wrists.
She was still refined, but like a lifeless wooden doll sitting amidst the trash, her eyes dull and lifeless.
“Heh heh, with such beauty, even with severed hands, it’s not impossible…”
“Come, come, big brother will try first, then the rest of you brothers. It’s common for maids of great families to be thrown away. This is nothing. Life and death, the officials won’t care. We’re lucky today!”
They approached. The musician’s eyes were devoid of emotion.
But suddenly, a roar was heard, “Get lost!!!!!”
Those ruffians were sent flying, crashing against the wall, spitting blood. The musician suddenly felt someone standing before her. She looked up at the panting young man; rainwater fell on him, scattering a faint glimmer of light.
The musician instinctively smiled gently, her hands severed at the wrists.
She smiled softly. “Sir…”
Li Guanyi clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. He scooped up the young musician, immediately using acupuncture to stop the bleeding, and carried her, running swiftly. The musician was carried on Li Guanyi’s back; as he moved, she looked at the young man’s neck, a glimmer of light in her eyes, opening her lips.
On her tongue was a silver needle; the second prince’s orders were still fresh in her mind.
‘The Ghost Market, the things he does, are for fame. Hey, seeking fame and reputation, if you fall into that situation, he won’t leave you alone. Then, you can easily kill him.’
‘You are the most crucial piece; there can be no mistakes.’
The musician didn’t know how she agreed or why she was sitting there; she planned to kill Li Guanyi.
As an assassin should.
But she suddenly noticed that she was no longer getting wet.
The young man was using his inner energy to disperse the rain around them.
The musician froze. She saw the young man’s eyes widen, his body trembling slightly as he carried her, his hand pressing against her severed arm, warm energy continuously flowing into her body. Water drops fell on her arm; were they raindrops?
For some reason, the musician suddenly felt hesitant.
No, I am an assassin… a crucial piece.
All the heroes of the world are merciless; he is, and the prince is too.
But the next moment, the musician saw Li Guanyi rush into the Ghost Market.
The musician knew the Ghost Market’s attitude towards Li Guanyi, so she froze, then saw the experts of the Ghost Market appear, their weapons drawn, pointed at the young man. Someone gritted their teeth and shouted, “Li Guanyi, you dare to come here?!”
“We have no business to do!”
The young man stood straight, declaring, “The Nightless Marquis said those people have nothing to do with you.”
“And the Ghost Market does business, anything can be done, isn’t that right?”
“Welcoming guests from all directions is the right thing to do.”
The Ghost Market people were speechless.
“Oh? What do you want?” The Nightless Marquis’s voice echoed.
The only place Li Guanyi could think of to achieve what he wanted was here. Looking at the Ghost Market people with their swords pointed at him, he exhaled and said, “I need a pair of hands. The hands of the girl on my back are still here; the Ghost Market has the best doctors in the world. I believe they can be reattached!”
The Nightless Marquis replied, “Oh? That’s possible, but what is your relationship with her?”
“A chance encounter.”
“Oh? A chance encounter, and you dare to come here?”
Li Guanyi said, “…I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me.”
“She is also a person; I cannot stand by and watch her die.”
The heroic young man bowed deeply. “Please.”
The people of the Ghost Market looked at each other in silence, silently putting away their weapons.
The musician’s body trembled; the assassin’s killing intent dissipated.
She opened her mouth, facing the young man behind her, finally unable to kill him. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. The assassin, the pawn, was finally unable to act.
After a long while, the Ghost Market gates opened wide.
The Nightless Marquis said, “The heroes of the human world are also respected by the ghosts and gods.”
“Please.”
(End of Chapter)
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