Edict of Peace 39

Chapter 39: Pact of a Turbulent Era

Behind Xue Daoyong, the seemingly simple Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow rested quietly on a black ebony stand. The old man strolled to the war bow, his palm gently caressing its body before smiling slightly at Li Guanyi.

“You weren’t able to lift it before, weren’t you? It’s a rare opportunity for you to come again today.”
“Come, try it.”

Li Guanyi was still pondering the matter of wearing armor.

His eyes lifted slightly, gazing at the war bow. Li Guanyi considered the bow’s legacy, but his first thought was what the old man intended to do, whether he had discovered Li Guanyi’s ability to wield this five-hundred-year-old divine weapon, and what that meant for him.

The young man had no reason to refuse, at least not outwardly.

He walked to the Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow.

He reached out, his five fingers spread, and grasped the war bow. The bow’s texture was exquisitely smooth and perfectly fitted his palm. The intense spiritual aura reappeared, but this time it didn’t trigger the legacy, nor did it cause any changes or ripples in the Bronze Tripod’s jade liquid.

Entering the realm…

Only by entering the realm could the Bronze Tripod accumulate jade liquid again.

Only then could he trigger the divine weapon’s legacy again.

Only then could he truly walk through this turbulent world.

A longing for that realm surged within his heart.

Li Guanyi intended to release the bow, indicating that he still couldn’t wield the divine weapon. He looked at the old man and said, “Elder Xue, unfortunately, I…”

BOOM!!!

The old man smiled, and a burst of energy suddenly erupted from beneath his feet.

Visible ripples spread out.

The entire Listening Wind Pavilion seemed to shake.

The ancient writing desk, inlaid with gold thread and worth a fortune, suddenly collapsed, turning into dust. The Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow in Li Guanyi’s hand naturally fell, but it was not a conscious decision; it was purely instinct. He subconsciously gripped the war bow.

Even though he instantly realized he should have released the Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow.

But Li Guanyi knew that this instinctive grip, however brief, caused a momentary delay in the bow’s descent. With the old man’s sharp eyes, this was enough to reveal the truth. Li Guanyi’s body tensed, then slowly relaxed.

He did not release the divine weapon.

The golden nanmu wood, three thousand years in the making, turned into fine golden dust, carrying a woody fragrance in the wind.

The old man looked at the young man before him.

Surrounded by golden dust, his sleeves billowed as he straightened his back. The Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow was held firmly in his hand, seemingly resolute. The bowstring hummed faintly, and a gleam lit up the old man’s eyes as he smiled repeatedly, “Good, good, good!!!”

Li Guanyi said, “A priceless gold-threaded nanmu desk, just like that, shattered.”

Old man, not playing fair!

The old man didn’t mind, laughing in response:

“To see someone wield the divine weapon again, it’s worth more than just a fortune!”

He paused, then looked at Li Guanyi, his eyes seemingly reflecting his youthful dreams, saying, “Your ability to wield this bow means…”

Li Guanyi closed his eyes.

The Bronze Tripod hummed, and a low tiger roar echoed in the void. The divine weapon in the young man’s hand buzzed, and golden light shone on the bow. The patterns on it seemed to come alive, as if the souls of those who had perished by this bow were awakened, screaming in terror.

“[Aruen Uurkha Rizhwabodesadawa].” (This is likely a fictional incantation in a Mongolian-sounding language; it refers to an arrow that pierced a sacred mountain).

The golden light spread along the bow, reaching the young man’s hand.

A set of gauntlets appeared on Li Guanyi’s left hand.

And the golden light settled on his right-hand fingers, transforming into a golden ring.

The bowstring was made from the soul of a ferocious tiger, capable of severing the throat of a northern giant. Ordinary mortals couldn’t touch it with their mortal bodies. Only now, awakened, did the divine weapon reveal its fangs, its eyes opening to reassess the world.

Xue Daoyong watched this scene and burst into laughter.

Xue Daoyong asked, “Can you draw it?”

Li Guanyi himself was curious. His hand grasped the bow, his right-hand fingers on the bowstring. The bowstring hummed, and the White Tiger Law Physique settled upon the bowstring, causing the divine weapon to emit a faint golden light. But despite his best efforts, the bowstring wouldn’t budge an inch.

Not enough.

Xue Daoyong also looked regretful: “As expected, wielding the bow requires the qualification of a White Tiger Law Physique, but drawing the bowstring demands an extremely high level of cultivation.” Li Guanyi placed the bow back on another table. As his palm left the bow, the glowing light dispersed. The final bit of light flowed from both sides of the bowstring toward the center, finally converging and dissipating at the center point. At that moment, Li Guanyi suddenly discovered that the White Tiger Law Physique had gained a little strength from the awakened divine weapon.

The White Tiger Law Physique seemed to have grown slightly larger.

But at that moment, this energy was forcibly absorbed by the Red Dragon Law Physique.

The White Tiger Law Physique, which had been glowing and seemed about to expand, instantly reverted to its original kitten size.

Instead, a portion of the Red Dragon Law Physique finally emerged.

It coiled around Li Guanyi’s arm.

Like a dragon winding around a pillar, it curiously observed the world around it.

The Red Dragon Law Physique appeared.

Li Guanyi’s eyes rippled. He wanted to test the characteristics and power of this Law Physique, to see if he could use the Xue family’s “One Arrow, Cold Light” with the Red Dragon Law Physique. The White Tiger Law Physique exhibited extremely high penetration capabilities; what about the Red Dragon?

He felt curiosity and anticipation.

The old man had Li Guanyi sit down again, then brewed tea, and said with a gentle smile:

“You can’t yet use this bow.”

“But you have the qualifications to lift it. This is a treasured heirloom of the Xue family, and I can’t give it to you yet. I will first help you obtain the rank of a ninth-grade martial arts scattered official. Rest assured, I will secure a clean official position for you; it is only right.”

“My Xue family knows your escape route, and the case file is with the Night-Charging Cavalry. Even I can’t fully deduce it, but after ten years, based on my understanding of Chen Kingdom, regardless of the severity of the matter back then, the pursuit warrant against you has been downgraded to the lowest level.”

Li Guanyi breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed the old man, despite his ruthless methods and experience, hadn’t truly discovered his identity.

He had only learned of Li Guanyi’s wandering trajectory from the Xue family’s merchant guild.

Though Li Guanyi himself didn’t know his true origins.

He also didn’t know if the old man was bluffing him.

So he calmly asked, “How did Elder Xue know?”

The old man stroked his beard, a hint of mockery in his voice, saying, “Because this is Chen Kingdom.”

“Although Marshal Yue enjoys immense prestige, his recall to the capital shouldn’t have immediately caused the border regions to fall into disarray.”

“That’s because another Divine General capable of stabilizing the country is in the capital, Jiangzhou.”

“Jiangzhou is currently guarded by Chen Kingdom’s number one Divine General, Xiao Wuliang. Unlike a general like Marshal Yue, he is a fierce general. I have witnessed his prowess. When the Regent King rebelled, he was thirteen years old and could single-handedly charge into battle.”

“At eighteen, he led seven cavalry into a ten-thousand-strong army, slaying generals, capturing flags.”

“Ranked fifteenth on the Divine Generals’ list, his enemies were terrified, and he received the honorary title, ‘Maha Wuliang’ (limitless/immeasurable).”

“Such a fierce general, if he were to join forces with Marshal Yue, could defeat other countries and restore Chen Kingdom’s territory to that of the Martial Emperor era. Yet, the nobles have kept him stationed in the capital.”

The old man sighed involuntarily: “The country’s generals, clad in armor, riding exotic beasts and steeds, wielding divine weapons and possessing Law Physiques—capable of being a match for ten thousand men. Such powerful figures, if they abandon everything, disregard their lives and the fate of the nation, and forcefully break through enemy lines to act wantonly in the enemy country, could easily challenge the imperial family.”

“That’s why they let Xiao Wuliang guard the capital.”

“The saying goes: ‘The ruler is in, the country is in; the ruler is gone, the country is gone.’ Therefore, the ruler is paramount, the key to the state, the lifeblood of the people, should never be underestimated.”

“In short, they merely want to use the Divine General’s might to protect their own peace.”

“Now, Marshal Yue is being brought back to the capital, Xiao Wuliang is absent, Ying Country’s generals are numerous, Tu Gu Hun is sharpening its weapons, and imperial relatives and noble children are going to the border for so-called training, enjoying wine and women without restraint, while the soldiers live austerely, only getting meat every three days.”

“Under such immense pressure, how could the border defenses not fall into disarray? Seeing the small reveals the large; if the great affairs of state are like this, what more can be said about pursuing criminals?”

The old man’s tone was mocking.

Li Guanyi understood this was Xue Daoyong expressing his trust.

Li Guanyi stated his purpose, saying:

“But I still need to leave the Xue family, leave Guan Yi City.”

The old man burst into laughter: “Hahaha, it’s fine; this old man doesn’t intend to tie you to the Xue family. And I won’t use any emotional appeals; this is a deal, an agreement between two grown men.”

The old man casually sipped his tea, smiling, “Besides, the Xue family’s merchant guilds are everywhere in the world.”

“Ying Country is no exception.”

Li Guanyi: “…………”

The old man laughed.

His old heart, which had been jolted several times, finally felt at ease, saying:

“I know you want to leave, but having an official position will make obtaining travel documents easier.”

“Don’t look at me like that. According to common sense, the court would worry about martial officials leaving Chen Kingdom, so they would restrict them tightly. If you think like that, you don’t understand Chen Kingdom. Chen Kingdom was once part of the Jiangnan Dao, granted by the Great Emperor of Central Plains three hundred years ago.”

“Three hundred years ago, the world underwent great changes, the Liang Duke carved out territory and became king, and the Chen Duke assisted him.”

“Two hundred years ago, Chen Kingdom’s ancestors destroyed Liang Kingdom and established Chen Kingdom.”

“To stabilize the situation as much as possible, they adopted a conciliatory policy towards the existing bureaucratic families, resulting in two or even three bureaucratic systems initially, which have now merged. This has led to excessive officials. For instance, this martial arts official, the ninth-grade ranking, is a scattered official but has no title.”

“Only an assignment.”

“The official rank is one level, the type is another, the position it’s attached to is another, and the specific responsibilities are another. They are intertwined, creating extreme complexity.”

“But even scattered officials are exempt from taxes and have various benefits.”

“Every official has a designated position. The officials who handle travel documents are eager for you to leave so they can fill the vacancy and quickly insert their nephews, especially ninth-grade martial scattered officials.”

The old man spoke with mockery, yet his words also conveyed intimacy.

An outsider commenting on court politics.

This was deliberately said after he exposed Li Guanyi’s fugitive status – it was his own weakness, a handle that the old man gave to Li Guanyi.

This was an equal agreement.

Li Guanyi fell silent for a moment, looking at the old man, and said:

“So, why does Elder Xue value me so highly?”

The old man looked at him intently, smiling, “Naturally, it’s for the sake of the Xue family.”

“I’m just gambling. If the world is pacified, you will become a great general on the border, or a high-ranking official in the court, enjoying immense wealth and status. But if a turbulent era comes, Guanyi, you, as you are now, will draw your sword to slay those who oppress the people. In a turbulent world, you won’t remain hidden.”

“My eyes have never been wrong.”

“Now, the upper echelons are concealing the deterioration of the border, the nobles are moving the Divine General away from the front lines for their own safety.”

“The imperial court is enjoying itself, while lower-ranking officials are eager to send away other officials to create positions for their own people. The whole system is corrupt. It looks prosperous, but it’s actually a house of cards. What do you think of Chen Kingdom? What do you think of this world?”

He reached out and touched the Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow beside him, as if making a decision.

He muttered to himself: “Broken Cloud Heaven-Shaking Bow.”

“Is the Xue family’s achievements due to this bow?”

“Absolutely not. It’s because of our ancestors. If my ancestors didn’t have this bow, would they not have been the greatest Divine General in the world? In the Xue family, this bow is merely a worshipped relic; its true purpose is to accompany you in battle.”

“What made the Xue family prosperous is people, not clinging to relics of the past.”

He suddenly laughed, magnanimous and open-minded.

He said:

“Li Guanyi!”

“When the turbulent era arrives, come here!”

“Take this bow away!”

“Ride your horse, and rush into this world!”

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