Edict of Peace 27
Chapter 27: A Beauty’s Gift of the Rainbow
The Bronze Tripod Cultivation Technique was Li Guanyi’s most vital means of survival.
The last time he had accumulated the jade liquid, pouring it into his dantian had allowed him to cultivate the twelve levels of *Po Zhan Qu*, a top-tier military inner cultivation method, and even develop exceptional swordsmanship. Now, the jade liquid had finally accumulated a second time.
Li Guanyi’s gaze fell on the *Po Yun Zhen Tian* bow.
He reflected on the events that had just transpired, lost in thought.
It seemed that not only could Law Physique-level experts using Law Physique martial arts complete the final step of jade liquid accumulation, but divine weapons could also achieve this.
He wondered what changes this time’s outpouring of jade liquid would bring.
Perhaps wielding the bow had been too draining, for Li Guanyi felt an overwhelming fatigue rising from his very core. Thoughts swirled in his mind, refusing to settle, and he could only suppress them with the bitterness of the tea.
Xue Daoyong didn’t mention the bow again, instead recounting anecdotes from the Xue family’s history. His words were humorous and witty, interspersed with thrilling experiences. Finally, a simple meal was served: a bowl of yellow rice porridge for each person, a grilled fish, some fresh vegetables, a small dish of seasoning powder, and a single fruit.
Li Guanyi remarked, “Senior’s lifestyle is rather simple.”
The Xue family was a prominent and wealthy household.
Just moments ago, the elder had given away a courtyard and deed worth at least five hundred guan without batting an eye, yet his meal seemed no different from that of ordinary people—even less elaborate than that of the three martial artists at the Huichun Hall.
At this moment, he noticed Xue Shuangtao glancing at him, trying to suppress a smile.
Perhaps the fatigue affected his senses, but Li Guanyi noticed something different.
He sniffed the small dish of seasoning powder, saying, “This is…”
“Ginseng, atractylodes, and poria cocos.”
A long-term illness made one a doctor. For ten years, Li Guanyi had suffered from a violent poison, often dealing with medicinal herbs and spending considerable time at the pharmacy. His two lifetimes and extraordinary talent allowed him to identify several main ingredients from just a smell. He then tasted the yellow rice porridge.
It also contained corresponding herbs, but their bitterness had been transformed into a pleasant sweetness.
The qi and blood in his body and the *Po Zhan Qu* internal energy surged.
Even the immense energy consumption from handling the divine weapon was alleviated.
Xue Daoyong smiled, “What do you think?”
Li Guanyi considered his answer carefully:
“Rehmannia glutinosa nourishes the essence and fills the marrow, ginseng supplements the spleen and invigorates qi, tonifying qi and blood, these are the primary medicines.”
“Atractylodes and poria cocos assist ginseng in invigorating qi; angelica and peony nourish blood and harmonize the body, aiding in nourishing the heart; these are the secondary medicines.”
“Sichuan lovage is the assistant medicine, activating blood circulation; licorice is the agent medicine, invigorating qi and harmonizing the middle, balancing all the medicines.”
“Senior’s meal is indeed an excellent tonic for both qi and blood.”
The elder was surprised, then laughed, turning to the young girl beside him, “See? Casting your glances on a blind man is a waste of effort. Good things must be appreciated by those who can discern their value. It’s not like your brother and younger brother, who only know to say ‘delicious’, or ‘another bowl!'”
“That’s like a cow chewing on a peony—a real eyesore,”
As he spoke, he looked up to see that the young man had already quickly devoured the yellow rice porridge, a meal as nourishing as a large medicinal pill but extremely gentle on the body. Noticing the elder’s astonishment, the young man smiled and playfully said, “So, Senior, I’ll also be an eyesore.”
“Another bowl.”
The elder burst into laughter.
His admiration for the young man grew.
Then he resolutely refused, “Hundred-year-old ginseng, fish from Heavenly Pond—they are all beneficial to martial artists, even for me, they are rare treats, I don’t have many to give you.”
“You have quite an appetite, young man.”
Li Guanyi felt regret.
He wanted to bring some home for his aunt.
Seeing the usually composed young scholar’s gluttonous behavior, the young woman finally burst into laughter, realizing that he wasn’t so difficult to understand. After a moment’s thought, she pushed her own bowl forward, saying, “I haven’t touched this bowl, if you don’t mind, you can take it.”
She quickly added, “Of course, the fish is off-limits.”
Li Guanyi tried the fish; it was indeed incredibly tender and delicious. The old man had warned him that the fish were raised on medicinal herbs and beneficial to martial artists, but to those with weak bodies, it would act like a harsh medicine. After finishing the fish, Li Guanyi said, “This is truly delicious.”
“If I could eat this every day, I would be content.”
Xue Daoyong laughed heartily, “Haha, are you planning to bankrupt the old man?”
“Good!”
“If you can break through in three years, come here and the old man will provide you a meal every day.”
“If you break through in one year, you can eat as much as you want.”
“I’ll sell everything I own to feed you!”
The meal ended with both host and guest happy. Xue Shuangtao led Li Guanyi away from the Tingfeng Pavilion. The young woman looked at Li Guanyi’s clothes, saying, “You’re a guest lecturer now, your food, clothing, and necessities will be provided as if you were a direct member of the family. It’s late, come with me to receive some clothes, weapons, and pills.”
She paused, seeming somewhat embarrassed, maintaining a pretense of nonchalance, “You must come early tomorrow.”
“I will teach you footwork and archery.”
Li Guanyi nodded.
First, the weapons. Nowadays, with the frequent wars and alliances between the various kingdoms, the court’s control over certain weapons, such as swords, knives, wooden shields, and bows (which require long-term cultivation to master), had become increasingly lax. But the control over armor, crossbows, and array spears longer than twelve feet remained extremely strict.
The former were for self-protection in the world.
The latter were different.
Xue Shuangtao took Li Guanyi to the Xue family’s armory located within their mansion.
Pointing to the weapons inside, she said, “We have three types of swords here: light swords that are the fastest, spear swords with narrow, long blades capable of both piercing and slicing, and heavy swords, all forged from hundreds of layers of refined steel, almost as good as renowned weapons on the market, the only difference being the materials.”
Based on the characteristics of the *Po Jun* Eight Swords, Li Guanyi chose a heavy sword with a dark, black body. The blade was thick and heavy, with a well-balanced center of gravity, suitable for cleaving. The scabbard was made of dark ironwood inlaid with copper, engraved with a tiger-roaring pattern.
The blacksmith glanced at it and said, “This is a three-hundred-layer refined heavy sword, almost comparable to top-tier weapons on the market. It’s priced at ninety-seven guan. The scabbard is made of high-grade dark patterned ironwood, treated to prevent insects and rust. It’s inlaid with brass, and the tail end is hollow to store pills.”
“The scabbard is four guan and three mu (a unit of weight), bringing the total price to one hundred and one guan. As a guest lecturer, you only need to pay seventy guan.”
Guest lecturers could obtain high-quality weapons, but the basic material cost and labor fees were still required. This type of access was something most martial artists could only dream of; many only used swords made from scraps of iron by village blacksmiths, using two pieces of wood as scabbards to venture out into the world.
Even Li Guanyi had to admit this was a great deal.
But currently, Li Guanyi only had three taels of silver on his person.
After a moment of silence, he held the sword, turning towards the girl.
Xue Shuangtao casually said, “Just put it under my name.”
The blacksmith was surprised. He glanced at the young, handsome Li Guanyi, then at the young lady, full of suspicion, but nodded, “Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll put it under Miss’s name.”
Xue Shuangtao nodded, then led Li Guanyi to select a bow. The draw weight needed to be one Li Guanyi could barely manage, but still presented a challenge. The bow’s size also needed to fit the young man’s height. The young woman efficiently picked up and tested several bows, finally selecting three suitable for Li Guanyi.
Bows are made from six materials: wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer.
The first bow was made from a type of purple bamboo, highly resilient. Yellow ox horn was affixed to the inner side of the bow arms, and ox sinew to the outer side, increasing elasticity and arrow speed.
It was priced at thirty guan.
Li Guanyi inquired about the glue used to combine the materials.
The middle-aged man chuckled, “It’s Shu rat glue.”
“Made by simmering the muscles and skin of Shu region rats, it has good stickiness.”
“The main advantage is its cheapness. Of course, if you don’t want this, we have other options.”
The second bow used mulberry wood for the bow arms, with ox horn from Mo Feng, horse sinew, and a fish glue mixture.
The energy was extremely firm, taking two years to make, and priced at one hundred and ten guan.
This bow was even more expensive than the knife at the young man’s waist.
Li Guanyi looked at the cheapest bow, about to speak, when the young woman pointed to a bow at the highest point, saying, “Take that one down and have a look.”
Li Guanyi saw that the bow’s wood was of exceptional quality, the bow body resembling woven gold threads.
The horn on the inner side of the bow was two feet five inches long, and had three colors: white at the base, green in the middle, and yellow at the end.
The three colors were distinct and orderly.
Li Guanyi didn’t know much about bows, but he could recognize quality.
This was very expensive!
The middle-aged manager praised, “Miss has a keen eye!”
“This bow took fifteen years to complete. The bow wood was prepared in winter, the horn in spring, the sinew in summer, and the materials were combined in autumn, and the bow was placed in a jig in winter to fix its shape. It is made of Zelkova serrata wood, which is often hollow and curved. The tree heart has gold-colored threads, providing great resilience.”
“Made with rhinoceros horn, crocodile sinew, and South China Sea shark glue.”
“However, it requires great strength to draw the bowstring fully.”
“It’s priced at one thousand five hundred and thirty guan.”
Li Guanyi’s eye twitched.
How much?!
After careful consideration, he said, “I think it’s too expensive.”
Xue Shuangtao shook her head, “My grandfather said that bows, like swords and knives, are entrusted with one’s life. Sometimes, a slightly more resilient bow allows you to shoot more arrows without breaking, with sufficient elasticity, the arrows will fly faster. This slight improvement could be the difference between life and death.”
“Everything else can be ambiguous, but life and death cannot be compromised even by a single step.”
“Take this bow down.”
The middle-aged manager said, “Yes, Miss.”
Xue Shuangtao took the bow, casually nocked an arrow, the bowstring didn’t even fully draw. Taking a step forward, her energy sharp, she fired an arrow that pierced through a tree trunk as thick as a person’s embrace. The young woman’s hair fluttered, revealing her fair chin and almond-shaped eyes. She nodded in satisfaction, saying:
“Hmm, just put it under my name.”
“I remember my grandfather gave me a shop when I was ten. The profits over the years should be sufficient.”
“Here, sir, your bow.”
She saw Li Guanyi stunned.
Reaching out, she gently lifted his wrist and sleeve, then placed the bow gently in Li Guanyi’s hand, “Since ancient times, beauties have gifted swords to heroes. While I am not a beauty, I believe my grandfather’s words—you, sir, will be a hero in the future.”
“This Su Ni Bow is a gift for you, sir.”
Li Guanyi: “…………”
“Thank you.”
He looked at the knife at his waist, then held the bow.
He saw the young woman behind him, slightly smiling.
Li Guanyi thought.
The young lady’s charm is unparalleled.
At that moment, a white-haired elder arrived in Guan Yi City.
He easily evaded the imperial guards and younger disciples who had been following him, saying:
“Master Zu hasn’t arrived yet, let us take a stroll.”
“And see if anything interesting happens, wouldn’t you agree, old friend?”
He smiled, eyes downcast. In the space invisible to the naked eye beside him, a huge Xuanwu turtle lowered its head and nodded.
Si Ming, the longest-lived elder of the contemporary Yin-Yang School, had arrived as requested.
(End of Chapter)
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