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    Edict of Peace 88

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    Chapter 88: Divine General Xue, Victorious in Battle!

    Beside the Second Young Master of the State Duke’s Mansion, Changsun Wu’chou’s sister also wore hunting attire. Unlike the youthful spirit of a girl, Changsun Wu’gou felt slightly worried, softly saying, “But, bypassing the Duke’s team, coming here alone, is it really alright?”

    Li Zhaowen casually flicked his riding whip, replying:
    “What does it matter?”

    “Having a Second Young Master in the carriage is enough. Besides, Father wouldn’t want to see me right now.” Mentioning this, the girl showed slight displeasure. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. She had brought back numerous treasures and geographical maps from the Tubo Khan’s tent and submitted them to her father.

    At that moment, she simply hoped the Duke’s Mansion could stand firmer, considering her father and brother. She was clearly happy, fully believing her father and brother would approve, but she was reprimanded instead. Her father seemed extremely unhappy; she even saw a hint of panic on his face before he severely scolded her.

    Even her elder brother subtly implied she was too reckless and caused trouble for the Duke’s Mansion.

    Several discussions ended unpleasantly, so she simply left on her own.

    Now, holding her riding whip and pointing at the forest ahead, she seemed to be commanding troops:
    “Today, the world is divided among various powerful figures. Even a hegemonic country like Tubo can perish in an instant. When Tubo was at its peak, thirty-six tribes submitted to it, and Ying Country and Chen Kingdom interacted with them with equal courtesy. Now that Tubo is destroyed, the Dangxiang people are rising, becoming a laughingstock for the world.”

    “Tubo is like that, our family is just a State Duke’s Mansion in Ying Country.”

    “We guard the border. In this world of conflict, we either advance or retreat. If we only seek to preserve our family’s assets, we might not even be able to keep them. Why is Father so cautious?”

    Changsun Wu’gou said, “The Duke manages the rise and fall of the family; naturally, he needs to be cautious.”

    “Don’t tell this to outsiders, Second Brother.”

    The girl with a dragon-and-phoenix-like appearance smiled, “Rest assured, I’ll only tell you.”

    “This time, we’re out alone, avoiding your brother. I want to see for myself, to get to know Li Guanyi personally. Only then will he know what I’m like, and I’ll know what he’s like, without being influenced by our social statuses. I want to see their true character.”

    “Let’s go!”

    ……………………

    Li Guanyi’s gaze was slightly lowered. Changsun Wu’chou had returned several days ago to greet the Duke’s Mansion’s party in Jiangzhou City. Li Guanyi himself quite liked the Second Young Master.

    Anyone who gives such a great gift.

    Li Guanyi would be very fond of them.

    If they give even better gifts in the future.

    Then Li Guanyi feels his favorability will skyrocket.

    He just didn’t know what he looked like, whether he was handsome or a tall and strong martial arts scion.

    Li Guanyi looked down, seeing the letter from the young lady. It said she had been to many interesting places in Jiangzhou City and would take him around when he arrived. It mentioned that her aunt had heard of Li Guanyi’s poetic talent and hoped to receive a poem. At the end, Li Guanyi saw Xue Shuangtao write, ‘I heard your birthday is coming soon, I can’t leave the palace, I originally planned to celebrate for you, I don’t know when this letter will arrive.’

    ‘Picking a spring flower as a gift, a small token of my esteem.’

    Li Guanyi then understood the meaning of the flower in the letter.

    He looked at the well-preserved petals, clearly a carefully preserved flower, and smiled slightly, saying, “For something so artistic, young lady, you might as well give me some silver. It’d be more practical.” Though he said that, he carefully kept the flower.

    He took out the silver from his rhinoceros horn satchel and threw it on the table.

    He replaced it with the flower and carried it with him.

    It was a gift after all.

    But, his birthday…

    He had experienced so much recently that Li Guanyi almost forgot. His birthday was in a few days; he was fourteen years old, having lived in this world for fourteen years and been a fugitive for eleven.

    His father and mother died and were cremated in Jiangzhou eleven years ago.

    Seeing the young lady’s request in the letter, Li Guanyi naturally had to fulfill it. Moreover, Xue Lao had been kind to him. A poem was nothing. Though Li Guanyi was a martial artist, poetry wasn’t his forte, but he had plenty in his mind.

    Thanks to rote memorization assignments.

    Li Guanyi thought for a moment, picked up his brush, and wrote a poem, explaining that he only heard about it on the road.

    He wrote the original author’s name as a story for the young lady.

    Finally, he added his blessings, saying he would soon arrive in Jiangzhou City and would look for her. Of course, the young lady would most likely have to find him, as he couldn’t enter the palace. He folded the letter and gave it to Xue Lao, asking him to send it back.

    He had three days left.

    In three days, he would go to Jiangzhou City, three hundred and more li from Guan Yi City.

    Considering the difficult journey, winding mountain roads, and more time consuming.

    Even on horseback, it would take a day or two.

    There would be no way to quickly travel back and forth. Before that, Li Guanyi had to defeat Divine General Xue.

    To obtain Divine General Xue’s secret realm.

    Then go to Jiangzhou City, seek out Zu Wenyuan’s notes on the Imperial Extreme Experience Scripture, and seek Si Ming to obtain his aunt’s Law Physique cultivation method.

    ……………………

    Beneath the stream in Guan Yi City, within Xue’s secret realm.

    Divine General Xue held his weapon, looking at Li Guanyi, and smiled slightly, “You’re persistent, coming to find me again so soon. It seems you’ve encountered some matters and are anxious to leave Guan Yi City, so you plan to defeat me?”

    Li Guanyi said, “Who wins and who loses is yet to be seen!”

    Divine General Xue shook his head, “No, you’ve won.”

    Li Guanyi was stunned.

    Divine General Xue slightly curled his lips, “Such confidence, I’m truly amazed. In terms of thick-skinnedness and blind self-confidence, you surpass me by far.”

    Li Guanyi grinned.

    He knew this man would never say anything nice.

    With a flick of his wrist, his halberd fiercely thrust out.

    Divine General Xue stood there, holding the halberd with one hand, easily parrying it. He pressed down, raised his eyebrows, and said, “Not bad, more skilled than before. This time, how about we raise the stakes? If you can make me attack first.”

    “Then you’ll have won.”

    “Don’t regret it.”

    Li Guanyi suddenly stepped forward, his weapon in his palm letting out a violent roar.

    A power surpassing his past efforts by several times erupted violently.

    Martial artists, even ordinary people, don’t use their full strength; their bodies can’t withstand the theoretical limit of muscle power, they would injure themselves. But with Golden Muscles Jade Bones, their body’s endurance limit was directly increased, allowing martial artists to reach the theoretical limit of unrestrained power bursts.

    Divine General Xue’s pupils contracted.

    Suppressing his realm, with his strength in the entry state, even with one hand, he couldn’t suppress it!

    Li Guanyi grinned.

    His skills couldn’t compare to this divine general who had fought countless battles, so he had to change his approach.

    This is the beauty of numbers!

    Old man!

    Divine General Xue took a half step back.

    He clamped the haft with his elbow, only then stopping this terrifying outburst of power.

    The relaxed expression on Divine General Xue’s face disappeared. He saw the young man suddenly leap up, his body seeming to glow with gold and jade, his biceps bulging, his grip tightening on the halberd. He paused, then fiercely smashed it down.

    The outburst of power was too overwhelming.

    Even the haft of the halberd bent.

    Divine General Xue blocked it with his halberd.

    He wasn’t incapable of using skill to deflect this move, but even if he did, he’d have to take the brunt of it. This move sacrificed many skills but purely pursued maximum power output. At this level of power, even when Divine General Xue was in his entry state, he couldn’t help but grunt.

    He looked up at the energy around Li Guanyi’s body.

    Remembering opponents he had faced, he recognized the physique.

    “Golden Muscles Jade Bones, Dragon Sinews Tiger Marrow?”

    “What a… monster.”

    Divine General Xue moved, diverting Li Guanyi’s halberd to another direction. His moves combined agility and power. This move was as graceful as a mountain breeze, purely using skill to negate the inertia of his own attack, turning it into a forward thrust, stabbing towards the front.

    Li Guanyi landed, using his whole body’s strength, twisting abruptly.

    Relying entirely on his physique, he forcefully reversed the inertia of the move.

    His halberd swept out horizontally.

    When Divine General Xue’s halberd stabbed out, the sound of breaking air was faint, like an evening breeze.

    Li Guanyi’s horizontal sweep, however, was incredibly loud, like a tiger’s roar.

    The two halberds clashed fiercely, emitting a series of roars. Divine General Xue’s moves became increasingly complex, even on the defensive, his true skills were slowly revealed. Li Guanyi, relying on the power of his Golden Muscles Jade Bones, made up for the gap in his skill.

    Only then did he realize.

    Without this physique, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Divine General Xue for a year. Each time, Divine General Xue gave him leeway, making Li Guanyi feel that he was close, just a little more effort, and he could catch up.

    But the reality was.

    Even though Li Guanyi’s skills had undergone a drastic change from the beginning.

    Coupled with his physique’s enhancement.

    He was barely able to match Divine General Xue.

    The difference in their skill levels was vast.

    The relaxed smile on Divine General Xue’s face had disappeared sometime ago.

    His eyes shone like blades, intensely sharp.

    Giving Li Guanyi a terrifying sense of oppression.

    This was the number one warrior in his entry state? Even without the powerful physique of Golden Muscles Jade Bones, relying solely on skill, he still possessed such strength. Li Guanyi exhaled, the energy of his Azure Luan Bird Law Physique flowing, soothing the fatigue and injuries in his body.

    It’s time.

    Li Guanyi changed his Law Physique.

    The Imperial Extreme Experience Scripture circulated.

    His internal energy naturally flowed to his White Tiger Law Physique.

    Internal energy flowed along the spear, becoming increasingly violent, taking on the form of a raging tiger. When his internal energy reached its peak, Li Guanyi had a feeling that if he could take it a step further, this move would allow the tiger to leap out from the spear and attack.

    But this time, it was enough.

    Internal energy dispersed, White Tiger’s Raging Waves!

    Energy surged like roaring waves, with a spiral force.

    Divine General Xue gripped his halberd with both hands, forcefully blocking this attack.

    He stepped back half a step.

    Jade Arm Divine Bow Technique, divine power surged again.

    The power increased, Li Guanyi stepped forward, closing the distance.

    His halberd, like a spear, lacked the spiral force, but simply thrust forward.

    Imperial Extreme Experience Scripture switched, the White Tiger transforming into a Vermillion Dragon.

    The tiger’s roar hadn’t yet subsided when it transformed into a dragon’s cry. Cold, wave-like energy suddenly ignited, like a tidal wave of fire. With a single forward push, Vermillion Dragon Destroys the Mountain!

    A smile appeared on Divine General Xue’s face.

    “To show ability as inability, and strength as weakness.”

    “This is what you said when we first chatted casually.”

    Li Guanyi’s pupils constricted. Divine General Xue said calmly, “A general cannot be rash. You made a mistake.” At the same time, he slightly leaned to the side, transferring his right-hand halberd to his left, raising it slightly, the blade pointed towards Li Guanyi’s armpit.

    This was a spot difficult to cover with the Mountain-Destroying energy.

    He didn’t exert any strength; if Li Guanyi lunged forward, he would injure himself.

    Divine General Xue calmly made his move, smiling slightly:

    “Attack where the enemy must save, as you said.”

    The terror of the number one divine general lay in his continuous growth and improvement.

    Li Guanyi stepped half a step forward, gritting his teeth, suddenly retracting his energy.

    Internal energy reversed!

    An action capable of causing internal injuries and madness in any entry-level martial artist.

    Golden Muscles Jade Bones forcefully endured, and the power of the Azure Luan Bird Law Physique repaired the damage to his meridians, allowing Li Guanyi to regain strength. The Four Symbols rotated, changing from the Vermillion Dragon. Li Guanyi gripped the middle of his halberd, spun around, and struck down with the style of the Po Jun Eight Cuts.

    Connecting to the third attack.

    Jade Arm Divine Bow Technique had reached its limit; its limit was three consecutive bursts.

    [Slay the Heaven Wolf!]

    The Azure Luan’s cry was clear, reflected in Divine General Xue’s eyes.

    Divine General Xue’s expression also changed.

    The power of the Po Jun Eight Cuts wasn’t comparable to Raging Waves and Destroy the Mountain.

    Azure Luan Bird had no matching skill, nor had it formed a physical body and had no energy.

    But the pure power of the Azure Luan Bird was sufficient. The energy of the Vermillion Dragon Destroys the Mountain hadn’t dissipated, and the Azure Luan Bird flew into it. In an instant, a sudden change occurred, exceeding Li Guanyi’s expectations. The energy that was about to extinguish suddenly flared up, far exceeding its previous intensity, fiery light rising, the Azure Luan Bird flapping its wings and soaring.

    Its wings wrapped in flames, a Vermillion Dragon coiling beside it, dragon and phoenix appearing together.

    Dragon’s cry and phoenix’s song, fiery flames filled the sky.

    Divine General Xue sighed, “A third Law Physique, using Law Physique combination attacks like this alone… this world is becoming increasingly strange.” Dragon and phoenix attacked, Divine General Xue held his halberd, sighed, and shook it suddenly.

    [Raging Waves]!

    The flames on the dragon scales and phoenix tail disappeared.

    At the same entry-level realm, his energy had annihilated the dragon and phoenix, leaving only a vast expanse of blue waves.

    The golden flames vanished. Divine General Xue placed his halberd on the ground. The young man barely managed to stand, raising his halberd, its tip pointing at Divine General Xue. He gasped for breath, his eyes bright, straightening his body, saying:

    “…You, have lost.”

    ……………………

    In the palace of Chen Kingdom.

    Xue Shuangtao received Li Guanyi’s letter the next day. She breathed a sigh of relief, thanking Li Guanyi, seeing his message and the poem, she smiled, and hurried towards her aunt’s residence.

    Li Guanyi’s reputation in the court was not good lately. She was annoyed, but also worried about him.

    The young lady wondered if she could help improve the young man’s image in front of her aunt.

    And have her aunt protect him.

    She didn’t have such power, but she believed that with the young man’s talent, her aunt would definitely like his poem.

    As Xue Shuangtao hurried into the palace, she heard laughter. Slowing her pace, she recognized the Emperor’s laughter. An eunuch smiled, “It’s Miss Xue, the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine are inside and have invited you in.”

    Xue Shuangtao wanted to leave, but thinking of the young man, she bit her lip and entered.

    The Emperor liked Xue Shuangtao’s aunt, even during the preparations for the Great Ceremony, they would secretly meet. Now he was happily inviting her over. Xue Shuangtao encouraged herself, “I’ve brought a poem for my aunt.”

    The Emperor smiled, “Oh? Haha, Shuangtao has such skills, even your uncle should hear this.”

    Xue Shuangtao said, “It’s not mine, it was made by my…”

    “Guest scholar, Li Guanyi.”

    Hearing the name that had been constantly buzzing in his ears, the Emperor still smiled, patted Imperial Concubine Xue’s hand, lightly saying, “I’ve heard of this person. A young hero, but with too much aggression. He can actually write poetry, let’s hear it.”

    The phrase “too much aggression” was said lightly, yet extremely threatening.

    Xue Shuangtao took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and softly recited.

    Just the first two lines made the Emperor’s casual demeanor disappear.

    “Clouds imagine clothes, flowers imagine faces.”
    “Spring breezes brush the threshold, dew is thick.”
    (End of Chapter)

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