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    Edict of Peace 21

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    Chapter 21: Xue Family’s Unparalleled Archery

    Soft, delicate petals drifted down.

    The girl wore white silk socks, her ankles covered, but Li Guanyi still felt a cool, jade-like touch. He released her foot instantly, as Xue Shuangtao retreated like lightning. Her right foot, which had been caught, hit the ground as if she’d been electrocuted, causing her to stumble backward several steps. She swayed to the side, barely managing to stay upright by supporting herself with her war bow.

    Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with surprise and panic; a faint blush colored her cheeks.

    Seeing her younger brother and the handsome, embarrassed young man, Xue Shuangtao took a deep breath, feigning composure.

    “….Mr. Li?”

    “You’ve arrived.”

    The sudden kick had been too fast. Li Guanyi, a spectator who hadn’t studied any martial arts moves, could only block and restrain; now, he felt awkward. “Just playing around with the young master,” he explained.

    At that moment, Xue Changqing, who had just been subdued by his older sister, froze, then reacted. He realized he’d walked right into a trap.

    He bounced up as if he had springs in his bottom, shouting:

    “Y-y-you, you’re that…that teacher?!”

    “You’re not that much older than me!”

    The younger boy behind him had already put his hands on his shoulders.

    As expected, the corners of Li Guanyi’s lips curled up slightly. With a gentle smile on his face, despite the child’s terrified expression, he said: “That’s right, I’m the one you’ve been trying to avoid—the new mathematics tutor.”

    “Come, let’s begin the lesson.”

    Watching Li Guanyi half-carry Xue Changqing towards the pavilion, Xue Shuangtao took several quick, shallow breaths to regain her composure. Ignoring her younger brother’s terrified expression – a look that clearly said, ‘Who are you? You’re not my sister!’ – she invited Li Guanyi to sit down in the pavilion.

    “This is Listening-to-the-Wind Pavilion.”

    “The Xue family children sometimes come here to enjoy the scenery. My brother, my brother, and I would come here during the Mid-Autumn Festival, bringing osmanthus cakes to watch the moon. Now that no one is disturbing us, please teach Changqing some basics first. Changqing, greet the teacher.”

    “I don’t want to!”

    The gentle expression on Xue Shuangtao’s face vanished.

    Xue Changqing politely bowed. “Changqing greets the teacher.”

    Having grown up together, the older sister held considerable authority over her younger brother.

    Xue Shuangtao’s voice was calm and gentle. “Please wait a moment, Mr. Li. I’ll change my clothes. This military uniform isn’t suitable for studying mathematics.”

    Nodding, Xue Shuangtao turned and left, her steps calm and quiet. But after passing a bush, she suddenly quickened her pace, finally running into her own courtyard.

    She tossed her war bow onto the bed, removed her boots, and pulled off her right sock, revealing a jade-like foot. With a shudder, she threw the sock onto the floor like a ball of snow.

    Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

    Could she have found a lecher?

    He might have some skill, but he was still a lecher!

    Yet, she had been the one to sweep her foot at him. Judging by the tutor’s movements, he hadn’t learned any martial arts; he’d been sitting cross-legged, with nowhere to dodge. Xue Shuangtao felt ashamed and didn’t know what to do.

    She called out, “Ru Yun, Xue Mei.”

    Two twenty-year-old maidservants responded.

    The young woman said, “I want a bath!”

    Having had her ankle touched, she felt three parts ashamed. But she couldn’t beat up the tutor, nor could she harm herself. After a moment’s hesitation, she angrily declared, “Burn… burn that sock!”

    The two beautiful maidservants exchanged glances. Though unsure of the reason, they smiled and agreed.

    They quickly prepared bathing supplies. As the most favored daughter of the Xue family, Xue Shuangtao’s bathing vessel was a seven-foot-long, three-foot-wide, and one-foot-three-inch-high [Jian] (a type of bathtub), adorned with tiger-shaped decorations and large rings. The maidservants poured in water at the perfect temperature, infused with herbs to soothe her muscles.

    Sitting in the Jian, Xue Shuangtao thought about the day’s events.

    Besides this incident, she’d also shown her informal demeanor to her younger brother in front of the newly hired mathematics tutor, ruining the composed and graceful image she usually presented. She felt inexplicably embarrassed, but she couldn’t think of a solution.

    Unable to find an answer, Xue Shuangtao gave up, wrapping her arms around her knees and submerging herself.

    Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

    The maid Xue Mei chuckled, “Miss is brooding again.”

    “The last time was when your pet sparrow flew away because you didn’t trim its tail feathers.”

    The other maid, Ru Yun, smiled. “It’s alright. A bath will soothe your mind.”

    ………………

    Li Guanyi and Xue Changqing stared at each other.

    A maid had brought some refreshments: six types of dried fruits, six types of fresh fruits, and six types of pastries, along with a pot of freshly brewed tea. Li Guanyi took a sip and asked, “Why don’t you like mathematics?”

    Xue Changqing replied, “Because it’s useless!”

    Glancing around, seeing that his sister hadn’t returned, he said in a childish and blunt tone: “I’m telling you, I don’t need mathematics. You don’t have to teach me! We can just chat and eat snacks for an hour, and that’s it!”

    Goldbricking?

    If he didn’t need the Bronze Tripod, he might have accepted.

    But Li Guanyi needed to teach the child mathematics to meet the old gentleman and complete the accumulation of the Qingtong Ding Cultivation Technique. He calmly refused, “No.”

    The seven or eight-year-old child looked at Li Guanyi and said:

    “Are you complaining about the low pay?”

    “I’ll pay more!”

    From behind the flowers, Xue Shuangtao, changed into different clothes, slightly raised her eyes. Her eyesight and hearing were excellent. She slowed her pace, slightly frowning. Many tutors had been dismissed by Xue Changqing in this manner before. As children of a wealthy family, they had seen too much. Though young, they were unexpectedly mature in some aspects.

    Those tutors who had previously sought small advantages had all been expelled by the Xue family.

    The young Xue Changqing waved his small hand confidently, “My sister will pay you. I’ll pay you double!”

    Li Guanyi smiled, “I’m afraid you can’t afford it.”

    Xue Changqing boldly said, “How much?”

    Li Guanyi calmly replied, “Priceless.”

    Xue Changqing was speechless. Li Guanyi continued, “Miss Xue redeemed an ancestral item for me; I’m grateful. Little guy, don’t waste your time; you absolutely must learn mathematics.”

    Xue Shuangtao, who had heard everything, felt a little embarrassed.

    Such unwavering commitment.

    She had secretly called him a lecher; she had wronged him.

    Her inner energy flowed, and she walked towards them at a normal pace. Li Guanyi heard her footsteps and slightly turned his head. He saw that Xue Shuangtao had changed into a light yellow long gown. A blue sash cinched her waist, a jade pendant hung down. Since she wasn’t going out, her hair ornaments were minimal; her appearance was charming and elegant.

    Seeing her sister, Xue Changqing, who had just been disrespectful to the new mathematics tutor, immediately behaved himself.

    Li Guanyi asked, “Then what do you like if you don’t like mathematics?”

    Xue Changqing declared, “Archery, horsemanship, martial arts, and amazing skills!”

    Xue Shuangtao felt a headache coming on.

    She felt helpless. Getting angry and arguing would be useless; she would have to comfort him later. She explained to Li Guanyi, “Excuse me, sir. Our family’s archery is unparalleled. Changqing has seen his elders’ skills since he was young, and he’s wanted to learn archery. But he’s only eight years old; he can’t achieve anything in archery yet, so we hope he’ll study the other aspects of the Six Arts of a Gentleman first.”

    Xue Changqing sat there with his arms crossed, sulking.

    Li Guanyi pondered for a moment, his voice gentle, “But what if mathematics could improve your martial arts?”

    Xue Changqing said, “I don’t believe it!”

    Li Guanyi smiled, “If you don’t believe it, let’s go to the martial arts field and see?”

    Xue Changqing was doubtful, then looked forward to practicing at the martial arts field:

    “Really?”

    “Of course.”

    Li Guanyi looked at Xue Shuangtao. “Miss Xue, is that alright?”

    Though Xue Shuangtao had doubts, she simply nodded. “Everything is up to the teacher.”

    The place where the Xue family children practiced archery wasn’t in a typical martial arts field, but indoors. First, it was to avoid disciples injuring others with insufficient skill. Second, beginners found it easier to master archery in a windless environment; they could practice elsewhere later.

    Many Xue family children were honing their archery skills there.

    Seeing Xue Changqing and Xue Shuangtao arrive, they were curious. When Xue Changqing put on his archery clothes and picked up a bow, their curiosity increased, and they gathered around.

    Li Guanyi smiled. “Try shooting a few arrows and let me see your skills.”

    Xue Changqing proudly took an arrow, nocked it, and shot it flat. He had the bearing of a family member well-versed in archery. However, due to his youth and lack of strength, his technique was poor, and he missed the target. The Xue family had various archery techniques but wouldn’t teach them to a child of that age.

    Some Xue family disciples watched with amusement.

    Li Guanyi silently counted the time it took for the arrow to land.

    Someone shouted the distance the arrow landed.

    Li Guanyi asked about the bow’s strength, the arrow’s weight, Xue Changqing’s height, and a series of other questions. He then had Xue Changqing shoot several more times, silently calculating the data he needed. After verifying twice, he gradually felt confident.

    It was just a simple oblique trajectory estimation, a high school physics problem.

    Only, the addition of air resistance made it impossible to calculate as accurately as in a physics problem.

    But calculating a general range to hit the target was possible. By teaching according to the child’s abilities, he could pique his interest in mathematics. In this way, he could smoothly instruct him and have the opportunity to meet the old gentleman next month to check on his studies, and complete the Qingtong Ding Cultivation Technique.

    Xue Changqing was annoyed at his repeated misses, while Xue Shuangtao looked at Li Guanyi with confusion, wondering how he would use mathematics to improve martial arts. Those around them had also heard about the agreement between Li Guanyi and Xue Changqing and were extremely curious, quickly gathering in a large crowd to watch.

    Li Guanyi sat down calmly, “Please get me paper and a pen.”

    “Then I can tell you how to do it.”

    ………………

    At the heart of the Xue family residence, there was a pavilion in front of a pond. A White Tiger Law Physique lay quietly by the pond, watching the spring breeze ripple the lotus flowers. A tall, white-haired old man sat by the pond, holding a handful of fish food; carp swam and leaped in the pond.

    A steward hurried over.

    The old man, watching the carp, smiled and asked, “The mathematics tutor Miss Shuangtao found has arrived. How is it? Can he teach this young master Changqing?”

    The steward replied, “I just heard.”

    “The young master went to the martial arts field.”

    The old man frowned slightly. “To study mathematics, why the martial arts field?”

    The steward replied, “I heard that the tutor said he can use mathematics to improve the young master’s archery.”

    The old man paused slightly, curiously asking, “Mathematics to assist martial arts?”

    “Interesting.”

    After a moment of contemplation, he scattered the remaining fish food into the pond, saying lightly, “I have never heard of such a thing. Let’s go.”

    “I’ll go and see as well.”

    The old man stood up. The White Tiger Law Physique beside him yawned lazily, stood up, and followed the old man to the martial arts field.
    (End of Chapter)

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