Edict of Peace 18
Chapter 18: The Sound of the Qin Moves the Weapons
Seeing Li Guanyi’s dazed expression, Murong Qiushui chuckled, her jade-like fingers tapping the young man’s forehead. She chided playfully, “Little kitten, daring to challenge your aunt? You are…”
“Rather, adorably clumsy.”
She withdrew her finger, flicking it lightly, accompanied by a soft laugh.
Handing the vegetables she had bought to Li Guanyi, Murong Qiushui briskly entered the house. When she went out, she would deliberately disguise herself, making her eyes appear smaller and her complexion dark and sallow, like a poor, sickly person.
But when her eyes shone brightly before Li Guanyi, and her lips curved into a smile, the disguise seemed to have no effect. Almost instinctively, anyone would sense that she was a peerless beauty, a pearl hidden in the dust, still outstanding.
Li Guanyi lowered his head, looking at the vegetables: cabbage, radishes, and some mustard greens.
These vegetables had been brought early by the villagers and townspeople near Guan Yi City. By late afternoon, the vegetables’ appearance would deteriorate, and after being picked over all day, they would be somewhat damaged. Some shrewd old women would tear off the less appealing leaves and discard them, while farmers, eager to return home, would sell vegetables at lower prices at this time.
They might not look good, but chopped up for porridge or stir-fried, there was no difference.
His aunt always went at this time.
Li Guanyi carried the vegetables inside. Seeing his aunt’s brisk steps, his amber eyes noticeably brightened as they swept over an upside-down bowl. She turned to the young man returning with the vegetables, saying, “So, what happened today?”
Li Guanyi briefly recounted the day’s events.
Murong Qiushui laughed, “They dismissed you? The owner of that Huichuntang has no eye for talent. Little Miss Xue has much better judgment. My little raccoon is naturally the best among all the young men in Guan Yi City.”
“Though, I didn’t expect my little raccoon to remember that I wanted to eat roast goose and actually bought one on your first day out.”
Her tone was teasing and playful. A mischievous glint shone in Murong Qiushui’s eyes.
Li Guanyi’s temples twitched; he knew his aunt was in the mood to “tease the child.” He averted his gaze and insisted,
“No, I didn’t buy it specifically for you.”
“I just passed a braised meat stall, and only roast goose was left. I reluctantly bought it.”
“Oh? Really?”
Murong Qiushui approached with her hands behind her back, smiling sweetly, “Shy?”
“Aaaaaah, do you want to eat it or not?”
“Haha, of course I do.”
The roast goose was still quite warm, the braised pork had been simmered for a long time, and the vegetables, after blanching, were tossed with oil, salt, and vinegar – a refreshing dish. Li Guanyi sat opposite Murong Qiushui at a small stone table.
The roast goose was delicious.
But he felt that his aunt’s smile after eating the roast goose made him happier than the goose itself.
Murong Qiushui’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she softly said,
“Today’s vegetables are tastier than usual.”
Li Guanyi grumbled, “You’re teasing me again.”
Murong Qiushui looked at the young man, her gaze gentle, but she smiled wryly,
“My little raccoon has discovered me.”
After dinner, Li Guanyi cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks, but his aunt had already brought out her zither (焦尾琴 – a type of zither), a prized possession. Her delicate hands lightly plucked the strings. Li Guanyi practiced the zither daily; his aunt had taught him the four arts – zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting – but the zither was the only one he was required to play daily.
His aunt, who always treated Li Guanyi exceedingly well, would never compromise on this.
But today, his aunt adjusted the zither strings and began to play herself.
Li Guanyi was cleaning up the remnants of dinner, expecting the usual gentle and serene music, but suddenly heard a sound like shattering gold and stone. For a moment, Li Guanyi’s spine instinctively tightened, the muscles in his body tense, giving him the illusion of cavalry charging and weapons clashing.
It took several breaths before he realized that the sound came from the zither.
The young man slowly approached, seeing his aunt sitting calmly, the zither resting on the table. Her fingers were as white and delicate as jade, yet the zither’s sound was intense, filled with the aura of countless weapons. Li Guanyi momentarily saw thousands of troops and horses gathering behind his aunt.
Somehow, the internal energy of the Po Zhan Qu (破阵曲) seemed more active than usual.
When the piece ended, Li Guanyi’s internal energy had already circulated once.
Unlike when he actively circulated it himself, this time it felt smoother, more natural.
Li Guanyi calmed his internal energy.
His aunt, dressed in simple blue clothes, smiled at him, her slender hands moving like flowing clouds across the zither.
“Little raccoon, how was it? Was your aunt amazing?”
Li Guanyi looked at the incredibly beautiful face, full of anticipation, a “quickly praise me” expression, and sighed. Sometimes his aunt was mature, sometimes childish. He helplessly said, “Amazing, amazing. Aunt, you are the most amazing in the world.”
“Can the zither help with cultivation?”
The woman plucked a string, saying, “The zither is the sound of the heart; the mind controls the energy, so of course it’s useful.”
“I don’t understand martial arts, but I know that playing the zither helps with breathing techniques. Just as practitioners choose to live in seclusion in mountains and wilderness to maintain their mental state for better breakthroughs, zither music can also affect one’s mental state, shaping a similar resonance.”
Remembering the moment, Li Guanyi had the strange feeling that the music matched his internal energy. He suddenly recalled what Yu Qianfeng had said about the origin of this internal energy. Looking at the smug Murong Qiushui, he asked, “What is this piece called? I didn’t know it before.”
Murong Qiushui propped her chin on her hand, saying, “This? This is a tune I composed myself when I was a child. An old man passed by and stayed for a long time. I asked him why he stayed, and he said he liked the score and asked if I could teach it to him. He even gave it a name: ‘Po Zhan Qu’.”
Li Guanyi fell silent for a moment.
He could almost confirm that his aunt was the girl mentioned by the old man who created the internal energy: “an eight-year-old playing the zither with the bearing of a master.” He grinned, saying, “It’s the same name as my current internal energy.”
He explained the origins of the Po Zhan Qu internal energy to his aunt.
Murong Qiushui glanced at him, nonchalantly saying,
“After all, there are too many musical pieces describing the breaking of formations in warfare.”
“Po Zhan Qu, entering-formation music – there are at least eighty, if not a hundred.”
“Besides, even if, as you said, it’s related to your internal energy, it’s only because that old man’s cultivation was sufficient. What does it have to do with my zither? Even if he had seen flowing water that day, he could have still comprehended this martial art.”
“Come.”
Murong Qiushui moved to the side, inviting Li Guanyi to sit beside her.
Then, as usual, she slowly taught Li Guanyi to play the zither.
While playing, his mind was clear. He subtly felt the internal energy circulating within him, naturally. The Po Zhan Qu internal energy prioritizes energy, cultivating internal energy before tempering it from the inside out, involving the essence and energy aspects of the three aspects of spirit, energy, and mind. When playing the zither, the mind moves with the music, activating the spirit aspect.
At this moment, as he played, the internal energy circulated, and the essence, energy, and spirit changed with the same rhyme.
It was miraculous.
While learning, Li Guanyi curiously asked, “So, that eight-year-old girl twenty-two years ago, was that really you, Aunt?”
“Of course not.”
Li Guanyi froze.
Murong Qiushui laughed, propping her chin on her hand, her black hair falling slightly, her smile mischievous,
“Because I was five that year.”
Li Guanyi was stunned, “Didn’t you say eight years old…”
Murong Qiushui looked at Li Guanyi questioningly, her expression seeming to say, “Why is my little cat so clumsy?”, and then said matter-of-factly, “Of course, I lied to him. If a white-bearded old man asks you your age, why would you tell him the truth?”
She “worriedly” said, “Little raccoon, don’t let pretty girls deceive you in the future.”
Li Guanyi twitched his mouth and changed the subject,
“Then what is this piece actually called?”
Murong Qiushui frowned, thinking for a long time, answering,
“Hmm, probably, perhaps…”
“Hmm, the third piece composed for daily practice on August 9th, Jiachen year?”
Li Guanyi: “…”
Murong Qiushui smiled gently, placing her hand on the top of Li Guanyi’s head and rubbing it softly, “Of course, whatever my little raccoon wants to call it, it’s up to you. Call it Po Zhan Qu, or whatever you like.”
“Whatever my little raccoon likes to call it, that’s what it is.”
“What kind of music it is, that’s what it is.”
“No one in the world can control it!”
Li Guanyi lowered his eyes, softly humming in agreement, and then decided to use his trump card. He said, “Aunt, I also prepared a gift for you.”
Murong Qiushui smiled sweetly, extending her hand, “Hmm? What is it?”
Li Guanyi held his aunt’s hand with one hand and placed the jade pendant in her palm with the other, slowly removing his hand. When Murong Qiushui saw the jade pendant, the calm smile on her face slowly faltered. Her eyes widened, and a hint of sadness flowed into them.
Li Guanyi softly said, “I redeemed it.”
Murong Qiushui remained silent for a long time, her eyes filled with intense emotions like accumulating clouds and rain. Li Guanyi didn’t understand. After a long while, Murong Qiushui smiled slightly and nodded, putting the jade pendant away. Li Guanyi, looking at the jade pendant, which was clearly not something an ordinary person could possess, said:
“May I ask you a question, Aunt?”
“Who are my parents and uncle? What happened to them?”
“And why are we being hunted?”
Murong Qiushui said:
“Didn’t I tell you? When we leave Chen Kingdom, I will naturally tell you everything.”
Looking at Li Guanyi, who had mastered superior martial arts and seemed to have recovered his health, and remembering his contact with the Xue family, her voice paused. For the first time, she revealed something new: “But remember one thing.”
She reached out, adjusting his clothes, and softly said,
“Stay away from the Chen royal family.”
(End of Chapter)
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