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    Edict of Peace 19

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    Chapter 19: Just Kick This World Over

    Far from the Chen Kingdom royal family.

    After Murong Qiushui said this, she refused to divulge any more information.

    Those six words weighed heavily. Even as Li Guanyi lay on his dilapidated stone bed, they echoed in his ears. “Chen Kingdom royal family”—the name itself carried immense weight. Coupled with his aunt’s words—that he needed to leave Chen Kingdom’s territory before she could tell him about the past—it sparked countless speculations in Li Guanyi’s mind.

    Could it be that the Chen Kingdom royal family poisoned me?

    Or were my unseen father, mother, and uncle killed by the Chen Kingdom royal family?

    Or perhaps…

    One thought after another raced through Li Guanyi’s head.

    Each possibility was ominous.

    Staying within Chen Kingdom posed a significant threat to both his and his aunt’s safety. This place was unsafe; he needed to leave quickly. However, Chen Kingdom was a powerful nation with a well-established system. To an individual, it was a behemoth, unshakeable.

    Li Guanyi turned over.

    Lying flat, lying on his side—he couldn’t sleep.

    Thoughts bubbled up in his mind like foam in boiling water.

    Ten years.

    They had been on the run for ten years. In those ten years, his aunt had raised him, from a three-year-old child to a thirteen-year-old boy. In their ten years of wandering, they were now not far from Chen Kingdom’s border region.

    But they still needed a lot.

    They needed to register in a major city.

    To leave the country, they needed a travel permit.

    In times of war, a travel permit to leave the country required official approval stamped with cinnabar—a crucial step before crossing the border. Outside the pass, heavily armed cavalry patrolled, instantly killing anyone found attempting to cross illegally without the proper permit.

    He also needed martial arts skills and enough gold to survive after leaving Chen Kingdom.

    One problem after another—a constant source of worry.

    Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Li Guanyi felt his body and mind at odds. He sat up, tracing patterns on the thin cloth covering his bed, arranging porcelain bottles and ornaments. Ordinary people were unaware of the nation’s situation.

    Having spent ten years as a refugee, Li Guanyi had encountered all kinds of people. Patching together fragmented information, he had a hazy understanding of the world.

    The Jiangnan region and parts of the Central Plains belonged to Chen Kingdom. Controlling the river and possessing natural barriers, it boasted the most flourishing culture. (He placed a silver coin on the makeshift map.)

    Northward lay Ying Country, occupying the Central Plains and the north, encroaching on parts of Jiangnan. Majestic and expansive, it controlled the Central Plains and looked out upon the world. (He placed a large bowl on the map.)

    Further north, beyond the passes, lay the vast grasslands, supposedly larger than Chen Kingdom, and the Turkic Khanate, renowned for its heavy cavalry.

    West of Ying Country, beyond the border region, was the powerful Tuohun, also a vast power, diligently training its soldiers.

    Between Tuohun and the powerful Turkic tribes, there seemed to be a large area, a mixed population of various ethnic groups. In the northeast, where Ying Country and the Turkic tribes intersected, lay another large area belonging to a number of other ethnic groups: Khitan, Rouran, Wulu Hou, and more.

    As night fell on a spring day, the stars shone brightly.

    The young boy sat cross-legged on his stone bed. The evening breeze carried faint insect chirps. In his dark eyes, the objects before him were reflected—a miniature representation of the world he had first seen when he opened his eyes as a child.

    A broken earthenware bowl, a jade pill bottle, a silver coin.

    Bits and pieces were arranged in different patterns.

    Chaotic.

    Yet, at a glance, it was the world.

    All within his grasp.

    Li Guanyi looked at the bowls and chopsticks arranged on his bed, twitching his forehead.

    Three hundred years of chaos.

    The entire world had become a chaotic mess.

    The nominal emperor, the Great Emperor, remained in the Central States, reduced to a mere figurehead.

    Ethnic groups fought among themselves; Ying Country in the north clashed with the Turks, Tuohun, and Rouran, while also launching surprise attacks on Chen Kingdom. Twelve years ago, they seized the eighteenth prefecture of Jiangnan, but Chen Kingdom, facing Ying Country to the north, despite the loss of rich lands, remained relatively peaceful.

    Beyond the major powers, there were countless smaller tribes and warlords in the buffer zones. Not to mention the numerous deserters who turned to banditry, and the influential families of the Jianghu (the martial arts world). No wonder the spirit of chivalry was so strong in this era—it was simply that chaotic.

    Li Guanyi sat cross-legged, looking at the “world situation map” laid out with bowls and chopsticks.

    His eyebrows furrowed. He cursed, “What a rotten world.”

    However, considering that someone like Yu Qianfeng, even with grievous injuries, could shatter a mountain with a single punch, the fact that the world hadn’t been unified in three hundred years wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

    Li Guanyi determined his course of action.

    First, improve his strength, then make money.

    Only then could he leave Chen Kingdom.

    Upon entering the new region, he needed to have one hundred, no, three hundred taels of silver!

    That would be considered safe.

    Li Guanyi set a large goal for himself. With his plan clear, sleepiness washed over him.

    Thump.

    The young man lay back, limbs spread out, his eyes fixed on the weeds sprouting through the roof.

    Sleepiness came.

    He stretched.

    He yawned.

    Fist to overthrow Chen Kingdom, feet to trample the Turks.

    He rolled over and slept.

    And with one kick, he overturned this ‘world’.

    The bed lay empty.
    ……………………

    After Li Guanyi woke up, despite his worries the previous night, his superior internal cultivation left him feeling refreshed. He bought some inexpensive snacks, said goodbye to his neighbors, giving them gifts as he moved. Then, he rented an ox-cart and transported his belongings to his new residence.

    The courtyard wasn’t large, but it was clean, with a well neatly surrounded by clean blue bricks.

    The main house had two bedrooms. To the left was a guest room, and to the right, the kitchen and a storeroom. A small cellar was located near the well. The tables and chairs were sturdy wooden furniture, painted to prevent insect damage. The house faced the street, conveniently located near various shops.

    In Guan Yi City, it was a suitable place to live, neither excessively luxurious nor lacking in respectability. Worth mentioning was that Zhao Dabing, the cart driver, made a special trip, driving a Xue family carriage with the family’s distinctive decorations.

    Li Guanyi noticed that the neighbors, who had previously eyed him and his aunt Murong Qiushui with apprehension, were now significantly friendlier.

    Li Guanyi and his aunt had their first meal in their new home.

    They had a clear-simmered fish, two vegetable dishes, and plain white rice.

    In the afternoon, Li Guanyi changed into new clothes: a blue shirt, leather belt, and a jade pendant hanging from his waist; his eyebrows were clear and handsome.

    He set off for the Xue family home.

    Guan Yi City was not small, but two kinds of news spread quickly: news about oneself, and news about the Xue family.

    Therefore, the recently dismissed Li Guanyi had quickly found a new job at the Xue family and the news of his move quickly spread throughout the Huichuntang (Return Spring Hall). Some of the employees regretted not having built a better relationship with Li Guanyi and planned to visit him and mend bridges.

    The old shopkeeper, however, remained unmoved, browsing medical books, his face like a withered old tree.

    Old Doctor Chen, with goji berries floating in his teacup, basked in the sun, leisurely saying, “Let me tell you a strange thing today.”

    “Tell me,” said the old shopkeeper.

    Old Doctor Chen said, “I heard that the young master was beaten by the old master last night. His leather belt was broken in two places, and he cried all night.”

    “What’s so strange about that?”

    Old Doctor Chen laughed, “In the end, his mother cried and pleaded for his release, and a doctor was called.”

    “Hey, guess what? Only flesh wounds.”

    Old Doctor Chen slapped his thigh and laughed, “He was beaten for a whole night, nearly to death, yet he didn’t suffer any bone fractures. The old master’s medical skills are impressive; his way of dealing with people is also…”

    Old Doctor Chen gave a thumbs-up, “It’s a pity he has such a useless son.”

    The old shopkeeper didn’t care.

    Old Doctor Chen said, “Li Guanyi is promising; all the employees in our Huichuntang are trying to get closer to him. You helped him; why don’t you go see him?”

    The old shopkeeper said, “I won’t go.”

    Old Doctor Chen laughed, “You’re such a strange person. You try to get close to those others avoid, even if it means spending your own money. But when others try to get close to him, you ignore it. You’re so inconsistent.”

    The old shopkeeper’s eyes were small and dark. His grey robe was old and stained. He said:

    “The child has had a hard life. Any help is good. That’s my personal rule; my rule is for myself, not to wait for his success to get closer. The more others want to get close, the more I want to avoid him, afraid he’ll come to thank me.”

    Old Doctor Chen laughed, scolding him, “You stubborn old man.”

    The old shopkeeper didn’t respond. When work ended in the afternoon, he went to a restaurant, ordering a one-cent cup of wine. But the fat shopkeeper brought a better one. The old shopkeeper frowned: “You got it wrong.”

    “Wrong? No, no.”

    The fat shopkeeper laughed, “It’s from that boy you helped earlier, and this too.”

    He brought over a jar of good wine, saying, “He was here earlier, left this for you.”

    The old shopkeeper was stunned. The shop owner said:

    “You two are interesting. You wrote him a recommendation letter and gave him a month’s salary without showing him any favoritism or making him feel indebted; he gave you a jar of old wine without thanks, no unnecessary apologies or promises; not a single tael of silver exchanged hands. It was all clean and honest.

    “That’s how the chivalrous spirit between us working-class folks is. This simple yet heartfelt exchange”.

    The old shopkeeper joined the shop owner’s laughter.

    He picked up the ten-cent cup of wine and drank it down in one gulp, a slight smile on his lips.

    It was good wine.

    With a bold, heady taste.

    Intoxicating.
    ………………

    Li Guanyi was walking when he saw a crowd gathered ahead.

    He saw finely dressed officers posting a wanted notice, shouting, “Wanted: one fugitive from outside the city. Anyone who sees him will receive a reward!”

    Fugitive?!!

    Li Guanyi stopped.

    Could it be that Yu Qianfeng had returned?

    (End of Chapter)

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