Header Background Image

    Edict of Peace 74

    Read Advanced Chapters on Patreon: patreon.com/fantasystories797

    Chapter 74: Agreement

    The old man stared blankly, lost in thought. He gazed at the Wang Yin (royal seal) of Tu Gu Hun, once one of the four great powers of the land. For a moment, he didn’t even answer Li Guanyi’s question. Instead, he began to doubt his Yin and Yang Divination Technique. Had he truly seen correctly? A young man with the merit of destroying a nation… could he not match the flowing light of the White Tiger Seven Mansions? Was it the truly powerful who were favored by the White Tiger Seven Mansions, or was it those who, with domineering might, plundered the starlight of the Four Symbols to gather it within themselves who were the true masters of the constellations? Such thoughts arose in the old man’s mind, clashing with each other. Stargazing and divination, these two branches of the art, observed the world’s feedback; only true sages could glimpse a corner of the future from the myriad changes observed.

    Li Guanyi said, “Isn’t this royal seal enough?”

    The old man returned to the present. He grinned, clutching his chest, his back leaning against the Xue family’s wall, slowly sliding down to sit on the ground. He suddenly took a deep breath, raised his head, not addressing anyone in particular, but simply letting out a good, hearty scolding before calming down. Finally, he reached out, grabbed the seal, and the Yin and Yang energy circulated. The imperial aura was sealed, and the old man breathed a sigh of relief, saying,

    “Nonsense, of course it is!”

    “With this thing’s assistance, you’ll be able to refine something special.”

    “The royal seal of the Western Regions’ overlord! You… you… ah…”

    Li Guanyi could tell that the old man’s description had progressed from “able to share a portion” to “refine something special,” a clear qualitative improvement. He asked, “What can be refined?”

    The old man held up the royal seal, saying, “You know about the martial artists’ body forging upon entering the realm, right?”

    “After entering the realm, body forging, Qi condensation, and meridian opening.”

    “Essentially, it’s the martial artist forging themselves. Body forging allows them to carry enough strong Qi; Qi condensation makes their Qi sufficiently refined, like forging iron ore into weapons; meridian opening makes Qi circulation smoother, allowing them to strike from any direction.”

    The old man cursed, “Crude martial artists! The three major hurdles after entering the realm are all for better killing.”

    Li Guanyi could roughly guess that other schools and sects definitely didn’t follow these three hurdles.

    The old man said, “Having passed all three is the second level.”

    “After the second level, martial artists are essentially cultivating the changes in their Qi. Through corresponding cultivation, they can condense Qi into weapons at the third level. But does condensing Qi into weapons necessarily make a martial artist stronger than one who has refined their body at the second level?”

    Li Guanyi replied, “Not necessarily.”

    The old man nodded.

    “It only means that the ability to condense Qi into weapons can increase a martial artist’s lethality faster.”

    “At this point, the body forging, Qi condensation, and meridian opening, compared to cultivating the changes in Qi, will yield very low returns. Even ten years of hard training, making the body more resilient and Qi several times more refined, yet the opponent has already reached the third level.”

    “Condensing Qi into weapons is more agile than your techniques; condensing Qi into armor is more resilient than flesh and blood. You’re still not their opponent.”

    Li Guanyi nodded in understanding.

    The old man stared at the royal seal, softly saying, “Martial artists find that tempering the flesh is inefficient for killing.”

    “But Buddhism and Taoism have many practitioners who don’t pursue killing. They focus on tempering their own bodies, and in this arduous cultivation, in every punch and kick, they find inner peace.”

    “They only refine their bodies, and persist in this throughout their lives.”

    “About seventeen hundred years ago, when a king broke through the Taoist gates, the Daoist sword immortals who cultivated Qi were no match. However, a Daoist who swept the grounds before the gates remained unharmed, even as arrows rained down like a storm; he did not die. The world then learned of such a path of cultivation.”

    “Body refinement became a trend at that time.”

    “Those who followed this path, in later stages, were incredibly strong, with their inner Qi and bodies impervious to weapons; they didn’t have the methods of high-level martial artists who could conjure Qi like a sea or condense it into a dragon, but those methods were as fragile as mud sculptures before them.”

    “Then, talented individuals from various sects successively abandoned martial arts.”

    “In the second realm, third level, and fourth heaven, as described by martial artists, there were those who actively stopped at different levels, focusing on a specific cultivation direction, either refining their bodies or strengthening their Qi.”

    “Cultivating only one thought and refining this realm to the extreme, not seeking other cultivation paths; they chose to broaden, not lengthen. At the second realm, Buddhism calls it Dragon Elephant, Taoism calls it Heavenly Armor, taking the immense strength of the Dragon Elephant Prajna and the six Ding six Jia, to protect the Dharma and eliminate demons.”

    “This realm boasts powerful physiques. Cultivated to the extreme, fists and feet can cleave mountains and seas.”

    “The only problem is that it requires painstaking effort; it might take ten years, or twenty, to enter the realm, to transform, to significantly improve strength. Before that, improvement is minimal, so it has gradually declined.”

    “After all, with that time, one could refine Qi, question their state of mind, transform into a Law Physique, and their strength would not be weaker than theirs. So, these are two different cultivation paths, but now it’s different. You have this thing in your hand, you have the opportunity to develop both body and Qi.”

    The old man looked solemn, stroking the seal, and sighed,

    “The meaning of a war of national destruction to a military strategist is vastly different from its meaning to other sects.”

    “For a military strategist, destroying a nation, purely in terms of cultivation, is comparable to sixty years of silent meditation in Buddhism or sixty years of traveling the world in Taoism. And most importantly, how old are you, kid? Ah?”

    “At your age, I was stealing sweet potatoes from people’s homes, then running for my life with that brat Achai! In the end, I had to go work to earn money to redeem that stinky brat Achai!”

    “This thing is enough to push you forward in body forging, enough to help you cultivate something similar to Buddhism’s Dragon Elephant Prajna or Taoism’s Heavenly Armor, making you invincible in body in the same realm.”

    “Then wear heavy armor, ride strange beasts, wield divine weapons, and roam freely.”

    “Immensely strong, arrows and crossbows, even those that pierce armor or break Qi, can hardly cause serious injury. You pull out the arrow, and before you can stop the bleeding, your wound begins to heal. That’s the physique of a true general.”

    “Can you imagine a nine-foot-tall man, wearing full black heavy armor, riding a beast whose head is a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) tall, man and beast fully armored, weighing tens of thousands of catties, charging forward with a speed even faster than a bursting river, raising a spear as thick as a wrist, charging towards you?”

    Li Guanyi imagined this scene, his breath becoming shallow.

    The old man said, “Ordinary soldiers seeing this scene would have their morale collapse and flee. Once 10% of the soldiers’ morale collapses, it will spread rapidly, turning into a routed army.”

    “So such an existence is enough to crush the morale of an entire army.”

    Li Guanyi said, “This is… a general with such a physique?”

    The old man shook his head, “No, this is the Iron Floating Pagoda.”

    “One thousand Iron Floating Pagoda soldiers can disperse an army of thirty thousand, and if their losses exceed one hundred, it means the commander of the Iron Floating Pagoda is an utter fool. A true general can ride strange beasts, charge back, and break the Iron Floating Pagoda, breaking their fighting strength.”

    Li Guanyi was slightly lost in thought, then sat upright, his spine straight, and asked,

    “Can this be achieved directly?”

    The old man impatiently retorted,

    “Is your Qi strong enough to refine your body to the supreme realm?”

    Si Ming said, “This thing just means you don’t need to be distracted by body refinement, but it’s enough to let you initially achieve this physique. Afterwards, you must refine your body with the murderous Qi of war every time you reach a new realm. This is a path that only heroes who pacify the world in times of chaos can take.”

    “For so many years, even this royal seal has lost its past sharpness, constantly fading. The descendants of that overlord ultimately lacked the might of their ancestors. However, even the lingering aura of the previous overlord is enough to allow you to achieve that physique. It’s like finding a jade; it’s up to you to refine it.”

    “It will create golden muscles and jade bones, dragon tendons and tiger marrow.”

    “Kid, will you cultivate this?”

    Li Guanyi recalled Yu Wen Lie’s might, recalled the true White Tiger Grand Sect, and said,

    “Please, sir, teach me.”

    Si Ming’s expression was solemn, but his words lacked confidence. He said,

    “Then, wait.”

    “I’ll go find some people.”

    Li Guanyi froze.

    The previous solemnity and the old man’s words were too contrasting.

    The old man squatted in front of him, his posture and words conveying boldness, saying, “You say a little bit, who knows what ‘a little bit’ means? I can easily dissipate ordinary good fortune, but such a great opportunity, enough to transform your physique, I can’t do it alone!”

    “Wait until I find reliable people to complete this forging for you.”

    “Don’t worry, the old man still has a few reliable guys.”

    Li Guanyi said, “Can it be completed before the Chen Kingdom’s grand festival?”

    The old man looked at him.

    The Chen Kingdom’s grand festival would inevitably become the first vortex in the world, and Li Guanyi could not avoid it. The old man knew this. But he was also looking forward to seeing how far this young man would go at the gathering of heroes.

    He nodded, calculated the time, and said,

    “Definitely no problem!”

    Li Guanyi breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Then I should write a letter to my friend.”

    He looked at the letter, which ended by saying that the second son of the Ying Country State Duke’s Mansion would also come to Jiangzhou City in Chen Kingdom to participate in the grand festival, wondering if they would have the chance to meet. Li Guanyi thought for a moment, then picked up his pen to reply.

    The pen fell, writing eight characters.

    The Emperor of Chen Kingdom also picked up his pen.

    He was looking at the recently completed Thousand-Mile River and Mountain map with his ministers. All the ministers praised the artistry, but only the Chancellor, Dantai Xianming, smiled and said:

    “Your Majesty’s painting is not good.”

    “You’ve painted it wrong.”

    The smiles of the hundred officials disappeared as if slapped in the face. They stared blankly at the chancellor.

    How could he…?

    Was he drunk?

    The Emperor raised his eyes and smiled, “Where is it not good?”

    The hundred officials dared not speak.

    The refined old man bowed slightly, calmly saying amidst the officials’ shock, “Our Chen Kingdom has gained three hundred more li of territory. This painting is too small. The grand festival a month from now will be seen by heroes from all over the world. We mustn’t lose face.”

    “Your Majesty will have to repaint it.”

    The Emperor of Chen Kingdom was stunned, then burst into laughter, extremely happy. He pointed at the refined chancellor and said, “Good, good, Dantai Xianming, hahaha. Then tell me, how should this Thousand-Mile River and Mountain map be painted?” Dantai Xianming smiled and said, “Please, Your Majesty, bestow it upon me.”

    “When I die, I’ll look at the territory of our Chen Kingdom.”

    “Lest we forget how the sage started, building up his achievements.”

    The Emperor of Chen Kingdom laughed even harder, raised his hand, and the scroll fell into Chancellor Dantai Xianming’s arms, while the chancellor smiled and bowed. The general he had promoted, who had conquered three hundred li of Tu Gu Hun land, bowed beside him. His name was Liu Mannu, but the Emperor of Chen Kingdom had given him a new name, Zhong, meaning loyal.

    His title was Liu Zhong, a third-rank general.

    Newly promoted Divine General List, sixty-seventh!

    Achievement—First battle, defeated Tu Gu Hun, expanded borders by three hundred li.

    The Emperor’s laughter merged with the music praising his achievements.

    On the northern grasslands, the Seven Kings were preparing for their envoys’ departure. Po Jun scattered prepared poison into the river, looking eastward. The river shone like gold under the sun, its ripples rushing towards the distant lands.

    The hooves of horses crushed the river!

    Yu Wen Lie held his spear, his expression solemn and cold.

    Under the sunlight…

    The Dangxiang people established their kingdom. The Tiele tribes of the Western Regions saw the Xue family’s young master and his iron weapons. The last remnants of Tu Gu Hun retreated to their ancestral lands. Yu Wen Lie placed his spear on the ground, drawing a line, declaring that after five hundred years, the Central Plains would once again possess the right to this land.

    This would become Ying Country’s Protectorate General’s Office, overseeing the northwest.

    Ahead were the heads of the Tu Gu Hun nobles of the Western Regions.

    The fierce wind blew as the fifth-ranked Divine General’s warhorse stepped across the river.

    Dantai Xianming controlled the situation in Chen Kingdom.

    Po Jun lifted the rough felt cloth; armor with a starry pattern was solemn, emitting a bloody smell. The Seven Kings responded to the orders and envoys of the Turkic Khan;

    Ying Country’s Phoenix wiped the wounds on its body.

    Waiting for a letter from a distant land.

    The Dangxiang king revelled, embracing the Chen princess’s waist, sending his son to Chen Kingdom, yet his eyes were cold.

    They ran across the land, carrying their great aspirations, stepping across rivers.

    The world was a blank sheet of paper; heroes came and went. Rivers and mountains crisscrossed, becoming strokes of ink. Li Guanyi picked up his pen, wrote his reply, then remembered something, took the seal from the old man, breathed on it, and pressed it onto the letter.

    The seal of the overlord from three hundred years ago fell, crimson as the day it was forged, imprinted on the eight characters—

    [Jiangzhou City Below]
    [Awaiting Your Arrival].

    ………………

    The old man left with the seal, and Li Guanyi heard a banging sound.

    The sound of an iron pot hitting the wall.

    He turned around and saw his aunt beckoning him. The young man flinched, but still went over. Murong Qiu Shui looked at the young man and raised an eyebrow, saying, “Little rascal, planning to go to Jiangzhou?”

    Li Guanyi said, “…Yes.”

    He told his aunt everything. Murong Qiu Shui propped her chin on one hand and said,

    “But haven’t you already known that the Emperor knows your origins? It will be a bit troublesome.”

    Li Guanyi thought for a moment and said, “If Aunt doesn’t let me go, I won’t go.”

    Murong Qiu Shui sighed, placed a finger on the young man’s forehead, and said reproachfully, “Little rascal, you’re getting mischievous, using words to tease your aunt. When did I ever say you can’t go?”

    “It’s just that we need to slightly adjust your appearance and fortune.”

    “And your destiny and temperament.”

    Li Guanyi froze, “Ah?”

    Murong Qiu Shui smiled faintly and said leisurely,

    “Though your aunt doesn’t understand martial arts,”

    “She has something she can teach you.”
    (End of Chapter)

    Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period. But if you submit an email address and toggle the bell icon, you will be sent replies until you cancel.
    Note