Edict of Peace 15
Chapter 15: The Law Physique Appears!
The old man glanced at Li Guanyi, then lowered his head and chatted and laughed with his granddaughter, his smile gentle.
Li Guanyi breathed a sigh of relief, thoughtful.
The descendant of the Divine General who secured the border with three arrows?
Why then did the Xue family not enter the court, not allowing their descendants to become officials?
There must be various reasons and hardships behind this, likely another story of love, hate, and grievances.
Over there, Xue Shuangtao was tugging at the old man’s arm, and then looked at Li Guanyi, saying many nice things, claiming she had never seen such a talented young man in the arts of calculation. The old man, his wrinkled hands gently patting his granddaughter’s back, showed a look of amazement, and said with a smile, “Is that so?”
“Amazing, truly amazing.”
The old man’s gaze fell on Li Guanyi. Seeing his simple clothing but bright eyes, he smiled and said:
“Young man, come closer for a look.”
The driver was astonished, then a trace of apprehension suddenly appeared in his heart—they always listened to their young miss, but never really thought about this matter. This wasn’t like the fourteen-year-old Xue family’s young miss; after going out for a trip, she actually brought a boy of about the same age back home?
Hiss——!!!
The old man had always doted on his granddaughter.
But he would certainly not ignore the matter of his fourteen-year-old granddaughter bringing a thirteen-year-old boy home.
Years ago, the old man’s second daughter, when young and reckless, brought a dissolute dandy from the capital. He rode a purebred Akhal-Teke horse and galloped wildly down Guan Yi City’s main street, knocking over several stalls before riding into the Xue family and stopping his horse right at the entrance of the old man’s tea house.
In the end, the dandy nearly had his legs broken by the old man.
At the time, the old man simply said with a smile, “Young man, come closer.”
To others, it seemed like the old man was giving a gentle greeting, but the old Xue family retainers were terrified in their hearts.
However, the scene Li Guanyi saw was different.
He saw the ferocious tiger suddenly enlarge, its fur flying wildly as it took a step, its huge head approaching. The white tiger’s pupils slowly narrowed, locking onto the plainly dressed boy. Li Guanyi’s body stiffened, his heart racing, an inexplicable fear rising from the bottom of his heart.
Intimidation?
Then, through sheer willpower, he pulled himself out of this inexplicable fear and regained his composure.
As Li Guanyi calmed down.
The bronze tripod faintly whistled.
The crimson dragon imprint seemed to begin to glow slowly as it condensed along with Li Guanyi’s will.
The old man, originally intending to test if the boy was a fraud, whether he was guiltless, and observe his temperament, had exerted a slight amount of pressure.
Seeing that he hadn’t shown any fear, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded.
Good temperament.
The White Tiger wields weapons and expels evil.
Small-time crooks cannot stand before the White Tiger Law Physique.
He was about to withdraw the pressure.
The huge white tiger circled Li Guanyi, about to leave.
But at that moment, Li Guanyi’s bronze tripod suddenly let out a loud whistle. The crimson dragon, which was merely an imprint, finally lit up, seemingly provoked and struggling constantly. Then, its dragon head actually partially detached from the tripod.
It writhed on the bronze tripod.
Scales rose, claws extended.
It seemed about to manifest from the tripod, swirling around Li Guanyi like the crimson dragon behind Yu Qianfeng, protecting its host. A trace of pure aura spread out.
But its foundation was insufficient, remaining ultimately blurry.
Unable to break free, it could only angrily raise its head and let out a long roar.
Only the crimson dragon’s long roar exploded in Li Guanyi’s mind.
Like rolling spring thunder.
The young man regained his clarity.
The slight pressure exerted on him by the White Tiger was shattered in an instant.
Li Guanyi looked at the old man in front of him, bravely facing the ferocious tiger, took a step forward, his figure as sharp as a blade, piercing through the invisible white tiger. As the Qingtong Ding Cultivation Technique accelerated within him, he bowed, straightened his back, and calmly said:
“Li Guanyi, greets Elder Xue.”
The old man was somewhat surprised.
He looked at the young man before him, then patted his granddaughter’s hand which was clinging to his arm, and said with a smile, “Look, Guan Yi City actually has such a talented young scholar, proficient in both literature and martial arts.”
“And such a talented young scholar was actually found by my granddaughter.”
Xue Shuangtao didn’t know what her grandfather had just done, but because the scholar she approved of seemed to have also received her grandfather’s approval, a smile appeared on her face. Her smile wasn’t the gentle, soft one she usually displayed; her eyes were curved, her expression vibrant.
Clearly, while her grandfather was praising Li Guanyi, she also felt a small sense of pride and joy for her own good judgment in recognizing talent. She shook her grandfather’s arm and said, “Grandpa also thinks the scholar is amazing?”
“Then, Grandpa, aren’t you going to give him a little gift?”
The White Tiger Law Physique was quietly lying behind the old man, yawning. The old man looked at Li Guanyi and asked with a smile, “Child, have you studied martial arts?”
Li Guanyi, regretting that the Qingtong Ding’s accumulation of essence had returned to normal, replied:
“I practiced swordsmanship with an older gentleman for a few years.”
The old man nodded, quite approvingly. “Mm, it seems like the Broken Army Eight Swords style.”
“Thirteen years old, and in five years you’ve practiced the Broken Army Eight Swords to the point where its essence resides within you, like a blade. You’re diligent and hardworking.”
“Your inner strength cultivation is also not bad, but your body is weak. You must have endured hardships and haven’t had enough meat and rice.”
The old man said kindly, “Since you were hired by Shuangtao as a tutor, young scholar, why don’t you come to the manor every day and have three meals with the manor’s martial artists?”
“Just now, I tested you, but I was only concerned about my granddaughter. It’s only natural.”
Xue Shuangtao said, “Grandpa?”
The old man sighed, “Oh well, take this Body-Nourishing Pill, young scholar.”
The old man rather admired the young man’s temperament, and when his most cherished granddaughter said that, he simply took out a small porcelain bottle and tossed it towards Li Guanyi, smiling, “We’ll rely on the young scholar for the calculations of my granddaughter and grandson.”
“Let’s go, Shuangtao.”
Li Guanyi caught the bottle; even through the porcelain, a strong medicinal fragrance permeated.
Xue Shuangtao turned around and gave Li Guanyi a slight nod, her eyes curved like crescent moons, then left with her grandfather. The White Tiger Law Physique lowered its gaze and also walked away. The speed at which the essence accumulated in Li Guanyi’s bronze tripod slowed, eventually coming to a standstill.
In a short time, the bronze tripod had accumulated to one-fifth full.
Indeed, it was necessary to be within a certain range of the old head of the family to absorb the aura emanating from the White Tiger.
Li Guanyi touched the bottle.
Mm, …it’s jade.
Again, it’s worth three or four taels of silver.
The young man looked at the old man and the young woman, feeling that they radiated a golden light in his eyes.
Miss Xue Shuangtao is truly captivating!
The driver wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “Whew, I was overthinking. The old head of the family is a stern man, and everyone is somewhat afraid of him, but since the old head of the family has approved of you, young scholar, you won’t have any problems in the Xue family.”
“Come, I’ll take you to your accommodations.”
The driver parked the carriage on a road with high walls on both sides.
Then he led Li Guanyi through the Xue family’s mansion, introducing the layout of the mansion, pointing out places he could go and places he absolutely couldn’t, “The inner mansion is where the Xue family and the women live; we cannot go there under normal circumstances.”
“This area is where the various retainers live.”
The driver pointed a finger towards a group of small courtyards in the distance, his tone full of envy.
“The treatment of the retainers is completely different from ours.”
“Each retainer has their own independent courtyard, and they also receive some pills and herbs from the family each month. In addition, they can exchange for some martial arts techniques, and occasionally, the old head of the family will even come to watch the Xue family children and retainers practice and offer some guidance.”
Retainer?
Independent courtyard?
Li Guanyi thought that if he could become a retainer, he might be able to see the old man often, and the bronze tripod could also finish accumulating essence. His aunt could also be brought to the Xue family, which would be much safer than renting a courtyard outside. He said:
“May I ask, elder brother, how can one become a retainer?”
The driver smiled knowingly, “Young scholar, you also want to become a retainer?”
“In today’s world, it’s the martial arts that prevail, so to become a Xue family retainer, one must at least reach the Entry Realm.”
“Entry Realm…”
The driver comforted Li Guanyi, “Young scholar, you’re very young, and you already have martial arts skills.”
“The Entry Realm is difficult, but it should be achievable in about ten years.”
Li Guanyi nodded.
He raised his hand and pressed it to his chest.
Li Guanyi, thirteen years old, the “Breaking Formation Tune” perfected.
Entry Realm.
A step away.
Li Guanyi’s movements froze slightly.
He touched something unusual—
Slowly lowering his gaze, a small crimson dragon head emerged from his chest, lifelike, raising its head and meeting Li Guanyi’s gaze.
Li Guanyi: “???”
(End of Chapter)
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