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    Edict of Peace 50

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    Chapter 50: A Gathering of Literati and Martial Artists, Dragon and Tiger Knock on the Gate!

    The smiles vanished from the faces of the scholars who had come to watch the fun.

    Those smiles shifted to the face of the Xue family patriarch, becoming increasingly unrestrained.

    The smile on Xue Daoyong’s face was practically blossoming, almost uncontrollable; the corners of his mouth seemed even harder to pull down than the trigger of a powerful crossbow.

    But the other scholars and members of prominent families fully understood the old man’s smile. If it were them, they would be even more elated, unrestrained, and joyful—

    To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a life for the people, to continue the learning of the past sages, and to bring peace to all generations.

    Just these four sentences.

    Literary and martial achievements.

    Sufficient.

    What shocked them most was the intense emotion contained in that last sentence.

    Having seen the world, having seen countless faces, they could discern the spirit within it; this was the most precious aspect. It was like brushing away dust to reveal jade. The literary expression was merely an external decoration; the state of mind that resonated with this sentence was the true gem!

    This was the fourth most devoted disciple of Master Wang Tong, and the fourth senior brother of those numerous family scions.

    He was about to debut today.

    But then they saw Master Wang Tong gaze intently at the young man, without disturbing him. He turned and walked back to his original place, his back seeming straighter, his steps calmer and more powerful.

    The wind blew through the leaves.

    In the ballads of a thousand years hence, people would rank this relatively young man—the first to advocate for the synthesis of three religions (Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism)—among the most outstanding figures below the Two Sages of Confucianism, his name sung throughout the land.

    [“Five Sons: Xun Yang, Wen Zhongzi, and Lao Zhuang.”]

    But under the sunlight of a thousand years ago.

    No one knew what he was thinking.

    Wei Xuancheng quietly watched the young man, sighing softly. Du Keming said, “What’s wrong? Are you troubled by the thought of two more trials ahead?”

    Wei Xuancheng said, “No, I’m just thinking that I need to strengthen my wrists.”

    The young man’s tone was calm:

    “I might be pouring tea a lot in the future.”

    “Forewarned is forearmed.”

    ………………

    Xue Shuangtao also vaguely understood the weight of that last sentence. She held the gold-inlaid jade bracelet in her palm. The young man placed his hand over hers, but didn’t take it. Raising his hand, an unfading winter plum blossom landed in the girl’s palm—a keepsake from Si Ming’s earlier demonstration of the Grand Dao of Yin and Yang Circulation.

    Li Guanyi smiled, “It’s a gift for you.”

    Xue Shuangtao said, “Don’t you want this jade bracelet?”

    Li Guanyi said, “Am I that greedy?”

    The girl looked him up and down, smiling slightly:

    “No, just a little bit.”

    Li Guanyi sighed, “I know you believe I’ve read books, but I really haven’t read much of the classics and histories. And, thank you for speaking up for me in front of those family scions.”

    Xue Shuangtao looked up at him.

    Suddenly, she clasped her fists in a martial arts salute, smiling, her eyes bright and charmingly girlish:

    “My apologies, honored guest.”

    When Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao returned, everything was as before.

    Only the Xue Daoyong’s laughter became even more hearty and unrestrained.

    More fruit platters, cold meat appetizers, and hot tea to accompany the meat were brought out.

    Women with graceful waists danced gracefully.

    Li Guanyi lowered his eyes, but inexplicably thought of Qian Zheng’s younger sister.

    Changsun Wuchou sat beside Li Guanyi. Compared to when he was introducing the family scions to Li Guanyi, the smile on his face seemed warmer and more genial. He used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pork, eating it with Dragon Well tea, and exclaimed, “The taste is indeed excellent.”

    “The ingredients are good, and the tableware is even better.”

    Xue Shuangtao asked, “Doesn’t the Western Regions have such tableware?”

    Changsun Wuchou smiled, “Of course, different places have different cuisines.”

    “In the Western Regions and the grasslands, there are no tables and chairs. Sometimes we bury a whole sheep in wood ash to cook it, the flavor is very rich and juicy. Everyone uses small curved knives and daggers to cut the meat, and strong women hold hands, singing and dancing to express their feelings directly and enthusiastically.”

    “It’s been a long time since I’ve attended a banquet in Jiangnan. Haha, it’s all thanks to you, little brother Li Guanyi, that I can sit here. Compared to the strong winds of the Western Regions, Jiangnan is truly a good place.”

    Li Guanyi said, “What is the Western Regions like?”

    Is it the same as the Western Regions of his previous life?

    Changsun Wuchou looked at Li Guanyi and smiled, “The Western Regions have many fine horses, beautiful women, Hu Xuan dances, abundant fruits, but also many deserts, vast and boundless, with magnificent scenery. Jiangnan has its own gentle beauty, but in the vast desert, the stars fill the sky, stretching as far as the eye can see. Riding horses freely is truly a heroic spirit!”

    “If little brother Li is interested in traveling to the Western Regions, old brother will gladly host you.”

    Changsun Wuchou poured tea for Li Guanyi, naturally continuing the conversation, “I can give you a fine horse, one that even the wind cannot catch, and a gemstone-adorned curved knife. Wherever you want to go, old brother will take you. The desert is vast and different from the landscape of Jiangnan.”

    Changsun Wuchou’s invitation was natural and not at all unwelcome.

    He raised the young man’s status in his mind.

    He sighed inwardly.

    “It seems that after today, I need to write another secret letter about this Li Guanyi.”

    “To send to the second miss.”

    He traveled the world, recording the heroes and talents of the land.

    The phoenix of the Longxi State Duke’s Mansion personally requested him to do these things, and her older and younger brothers did not care about it. Even the current Duke thought his daughter’s actions were meaningless, simply smiling and saying:

    “I dote on this daughter of mine; she likes to dress as a man, so let her be.”

    But things like Fang Ziqiao and Du Keming were known to Changsun Wuchou.

    He had never seen a young man require him to send two messages consecutively via the Golden-feathered Eagle.

    To wield a three-foot sword to pacify the world, to establish unparalleled merit.

    The second miss would probably like this sentence—

    No, perhaps this one.

    To bring peace to all generations!

    Changsun Wuchou raised his cup to drink, the conflicts, strong winds, and life-or-death crises of the past few years seeming to appear before his eyes, a hint of intoxication washing over him.

    Let’s drink a toast!

    Today’s literary gathering had many scholars and gentlemen, exchanging cups and chatting, listening to music.

    Xue Shuangtao loved music. At this moment, she listened gently, feeling that it truly lived up to the reputation of such a grand gathering. The musicians were all masters, their skill far surpassing hers. Beside her, Li Guanyi chatted softly with Changsun Wuchou.

    Suddenly, the young man paused, looking back at the woman playing the qin, naturally saying:

    “You played it wrong…”

    Xue Shuangtao was stunned, seeing the young man again casually discussing the scenery of the desert with Changsun Wuchou. Li Guanyi was curious about places outside of Chen Kingdom, and the scholars could also chat casually. The Xue family patriarch sat there happily, unaware of what his peers had witnessed earlier.

    Unaware of why their elders had suddenly become listless.

    In their eyes, the young man with the sword was just a crude martial artist!

    Today, this disciple of Master Wen Zhongzi must be himself.

    Du Keming was the second to stand up. He glanced at Li Guanyi, thinking about the earlier incident, and without hesitation crumpled the original document, directly stating the topic succinctly:

    “Today we discuss benevolence and righteousness.”

    “And write a poem.”

    A young man in a green robe was surprised, “Strange, isn’t today about choosing Master Wang Tong’s last disciple? It should be an extremely serious matter. Why is the second trial so rough? It seems perfunctory.”

    Benevolence and righteousness are the foundation of Confucianism.

    Many scions of prominent families, prepared in advance, stood up one after another, expounding on their own understandings, citing various sources, their prose eloquent and ornate, earning the praise of others. Li Guanyi listened drowsily. The Bronze Tripod, since entering the gathering, continuously emanated waves of heat, making Li Guanyi’s body tense.

    He examined his internal energy, but the Bronze Tripod showed no change.

    It only gave him the feeling that it was waiting for something. At this moment, Du Keming saw the young man sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. After hearing those two sentences, the others didn’t catch his eye. He directly and simply said, “Li Guanyi, what do you think?”

    Li Guanyi opened his eyes.

    Seeing the sharp-eyed young man.

    He felt the gazes of those around him. He felt that he had already submitted a blank paper, clearly unable to be ranked, unable to obtain the great literary fame more useful than a pass certificate, so he didn’t know why Du Keming asked him.

    Having already lost, he might as well not care.

    Perhaps it was the torment of General Xue.

    Li Guanyi’s heart was like still water.

    Even now, as these people, obviously of high rank and wealthy background, looked at him, his mind was undisturbed. He calmly raised his eyes and said, “Benevolence?”

    Li Guanyi sat there. He could have answered with the answers he had heard before.

    But at this moment, he had his own understanding of this word, saying:

    “Martial arts, is benevolence!”

    An uproar erupted, even the sound of the qin stopped.

    The scholars chatted softly, someone muttering about a crude martial artist. Finally, the scions of prominent families, accustomed to acting without restraint, burst into laughter, unable to contain themselves. Someone jokingly scolded, “Benevolent people love others, courteous people respect others.”

    “Self-cultivation is the foundation of wisdom; benevolence is the beginning of loving and giving. Loving others and being generous is benevolence.”

    “Killing with martial arts, what kind of benevolence is that? He is ultimately a crude martial artist!”

    “Hahaha, yes, Old Xue, were you deceived?”

    The young man remained calm and composed, sitting peacefully.

    A crisp sound!

    Silenced the laughter.

    Xue Shuangtao’s jade bracelet smashed against the large tripod. The sound of shattering silenced the surroundings. After the deathly silence came embarrassment. The girl stood there, her eyes slightly raised, her almond-shaped eyes sweeping over the surroundings. She smiled slightly, bowing softly, saying:

    “Excuse me, I accidentally dropped my bracelet.”

    “I apologize for the disturbance. Shuangtao will play the qin to atone.”

    As she walked over with her qin, her black hair falling, she winked at the young man from behind the instrument, softly saying, “A gift for you.”

    A gift to help you rise to fame.

    The surroundings fell silent again.

    Du Keming looked at Li Guanyi, “How would you explain?”

    The young man, with his sword resting on his knees, replied:

    “Self-restraint, generosity—these merely satisfy one’s self-righteous pursuit of ‘benevolence’… But, the gentlemen who receive satisfaction from giving charity and then boasting about their benevolence, yet the suffering of the people increases; why is this?”

    Slowly, no one could say anything.

    The young man pressed down on his sword.

    His brows rose sharply. He felt like he was just acting, but at this moment, he calmly expressed his thoughts:

    “Pacify the world, unify the four seas.”

    “So the people will not suffer from war.”

    “That is true benevolence!”

    Du Keming fell silent. Wei Xuancheng said, “What is righteousness?”

    “Righteousness?”

    Li Guanyi said, “Your words must be trustworthy, your actions must be resolute.”

    “Repay kindness with kindness, repay hatred with hatred, repay virtue with virtue, and repay resentment with justice.”

    “Even a nine-generation feud can be avenged; that is righteousness.”

    The benevolent pacify the world; the righteous avenge all blood feuds.

    Wei Xuancheng, sharp-eyed, his lips slightly parted, said to his two senior brothers:

    “It’s over. He has great bearing, but a small heart.”

    “This kid holds grudges.”

    The crowd was silent, feeling that his words were absurd, but they possessed a chilling bearing. The girl’s qin playing was clear and resonant. Li Guanyi sat down, bowing slightly towards Old Xue, saying, “It’s just my own opinion; I apologize for any offense.”

    The atmosphere finally calmed down. Wang Tong looked at the young man, gently saying:

    “Then, write a poem.”

    Li Guanyi said, “What is the subject?”

    Wang Tong smiled.

    “Whatever you like.”

    Even if you write a doggerel here, it’s fine.

    Li Guanyi slightly raised his eyebrows. For some reason, Wang Tong had no Law Physique, yet a just and solemn bearing surrounded him. Li Guanyi sensed the temperature of the Bronze Tripod in his chest rising, the red dragon and white tiger entwining around it.

    The red dragon seemed to be absorbing literary energy.

    This literary energy, after Master Wang Tong said ‘whatever you like,’ reached its peak.

    Gathering like a sea of clouds, the red dragon circling within.

    Li Guanyi picked up his brush.

    As the gazes of numerous scholars fell upon him at this greatest literary gathering in thirty years, the literary energy transformed into a celestial dragon, dancing with the Law Physique. Li Guanyi vaguely sensed an indescribable aura appearing. As he wrote, the energy within him seemed to be able to break through a certain barrier, but for some reason, he felt—

    One step short.

    One level short.

    Just then, a series of booming sounds came from the sky.

    The distant mountains trembled, the sky filled with crimson clouds!

    Like the circulation of Yin and Yang Qi.

    When the literary energy was pushed to its limit.

    The energy of martial arts arrived magnificently.

    Vast and majestic, it soared into the sky, crashing into Li Guanyi’s Bronze Tripod. The energy of weaponry transformed into a second roaring white tiger. Thus, the dragon and tiger Law Physique rose, the energy of literature and martial arts colliding within, transforming into a dragon and tiger that merged into wind and clouds, circling and swirling. Li Guanyi’s movements froze, and a booming laugh echoed from afar—

    Like rolling thunder.

    “Yue Shuai’s vanguard, Yu Qianfeng!!!”

    “I have come to challenge!!!”

    Reaching Li Guanyi’s ears—

    It was.

    Dragon’s roar, tiger’s howl.

    Heaven changed.

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