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    Edict of Peace 90

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    Chapter 90: The Qilin Awakens!

    “A Qilin (Chinese Unicorn)?”

    Li Guanyi’s ink-laden brush tip almost touched General Xue’s face, but paused at those two words. This wasn’t just because of the mythical beast itself, but because in Yu Qianfeng’s story, after the Taiping Duke conquered the southwest, he arrived in Jiangnan riding a Qilin, carrying the bead of the barbarian leader.

    Such a divine beast… in all of Chen Kingdom, there couldn’t possibly be two.

    General Xue smiled slightly: “Yes, a Qilin.”

    “If you’ve heard the story of Chen Xingyuan, you should know that he once killed a tiger with wings, causing the giants of the Northern Regions to flee in disgrace. This made Chen Xingyuan famous. Have you considered why that winged tiger suddenly left its home and came to the Central Plains?”

    Before Li Guanyi could answer, General Xue explained.

    “In ancient times, tigers with wings were called Qiongqi. In the southwest, there’s a great exorcism ritual, involving twelve divine beasts, and the Qiongqi is one of them. Its body is as large as a city gate; city walls couldn’t stop it. A single pounce could send it crashing into towns, devouring people like ants.”

    “Its roar was like thunder. Chen Xingyuan fought it for three hours, killing the Qiongqi with a final, mountain-shattering strike that pierced its skull. This also elevated his weapon to a divine weapon. The reason the Qiongqi came here was because of the young divine beast it carried.”

    Li Guanyi said: “A Qilin.”

    General Xue said: “Correct, a Qilin, the king revered by all beasts.”

    “Like a tiger, but with the characteristics of a dragon—scales and fur coexisting.”

    “The reason Chen Xingyuan chose Jiangzhou, a place far from the Central Plains, as his base was to avoid the imperial court and protect this secret. Almost everyone who knew about it was killed by him.”

    “Except me.”

    General Xue smiled faintly: “Because he couldn’t beat me.”

    “When he found out I’d moved the Xue family’s ancestral land to his doorstep, you should have seen his face. It was more expressive than any opera singer; a truly delightful sight.”

    Ignoring the smug General Xue, Li Guanyi said: “A young Qilin?”

    General Xue gestured with his hand: “Yes, back then, it could fit inside a battle robe, like a large dog. It was less a divine beast and more a large, spotted cat.”

    “It was a fire Qilin, like an orange tabby cat with a ‘golden robe and silver bed’.”

    “Judging by its size…”

    “I suspect it was barely born when Chen Xingyuan captured it. Good and evil, like yin and yang, coexist. The Qiongqi was evil, the Qilin auspicious. That Qiongqi was there to devour the Qilin upon its birth, transforming itself into a more purely evil god.”

    “Chen Xingyuan, in killing the Qiongqi, found the Qilin.”

    “He was initially thrilled. Divine generals have always loved divine weapons, armor, and strange beasts. The Qilin has always ranked among the top ten strange beasts. While a fire Qilin is a five-element Qilin, not the original, truest auspicious beast…”

    “For a divine general, though, a four-legged fire-breathing creature capable of flight, whose roar commands all beasts—a fire Qilin is the perfect mount for battle, far better than a phoenix. Even a formidable iron-clad cavalry formation would melt into liquid iron under its breath.”

    General Xue said:

    “I suspect that old boy even prepared his imperial robes.”

    “He just needed to put them on.”

    “Unfortunately, he discovered that such beasts take at least five hundred years to reach maturity.”

    “Another five hundred years to reach adulthood.”

    “Their lifespan is at least eight thousand years.”

    “Chen Xingguo, though a renowned general who commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, lacked the constitution for such a long life. With his numerous battle wounds, he couldn’t outlive the Qilin. So he hid the fire Qilin in Jiangzhou City, hoping that a future generation would produce an unparalleled general who could gain the Qilin’s recognition.”

    “Is the Qilin an adult in your time? Even if not, it’s at least rideable. A Qilin between five hundred and two thousand years old can already breathe flames, bathe in fire, and inspire fear in all beasts.”

    Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow: “What good is knowing about the Qilin?”

    “I can’t take it away.”

    General Xue said: “That’s not necessarily true. Back then, Chen Xingguo couldn’t beat me. I played with the Qilin for a long time, and had Yao Guang leave a mark—a spell. Such beasts have excellent memories. They won’t forget those they acknowledge, even after thousands of years.”

    “With this mark, you can at least approach the fire Qilin.”

    “Tell it that an old friend has come. Whether you gain its recognition will be up to you.”

    General Xue smiled slightly: “What do you say?”

    Li Guanyi sighed, tossed his brush aside, and said: “Fine, I’ll do it.”

    “How?”

    General Xue extended his hand, manipulating his White Tiger Law Physique to emit a peculiar energy wave, as if inviting play, playfully pouncing, the movements lively and vivid. General Xue smiled slightly: “When the Qilin was young, I used the White Tiger transformation to have my Law Physique play with it for many years. After several hundred years, seeing its childhood companion again, it won’t be indifferent.”

    “I’ll teach you how to play with it.”

    Li Guanyi smirked suspiciously: “…That’s it?”

    General Xue burst into laughter: “Haha, we humans, even with the power to move mountains and fill seas, have lifespans that are negligible compared to such beasts. Several hundred years is nothing, but to a human, that’s a long, tiring life, even into old age. To see a childhood friend again…”

    “That kind of friendship wouldn’t leave even a fierce tiger unmoved.”

    “Much less an auspicious Qilin?”

    “Isn’t this bond far stronger than that of the people of Chen Kingdom?”

    “Besides, if Chen Xingyuan’s descendants possess their ancestor’s ambition, then it’s all fine. But if they’ve become ordinary nobles, who could resist the temptation of Qilin blood? Go and see. If the Qilin is suffering, you must take it away.”

    Li Guanyi was stunned.

    General Xue softly said: “Even back then, countless alchemists and sorcerers told Chen Xingyuan that Qilin blood could be used to create an elixir of immortality. Chen Xingyuan drove them all away.”

    “He was selfish, ambitious, loyal, lawless.”

    “He only trusted his spear.”

    “But his descendants may not be able to resist temptation.”

    Li Guanyi nodded.

    At this moment, several thoughts surged through his mind.

    【The Taiping Duke’s mount was a Qilin.】【The Chen royal family may desire Qilin blood for an immortality elixir.】

    Could these be related to his parents’ story?

    He suppressed these thoughts.

    That day, General Xue told Li Guanyi everything about interacting with the Qilin, what it liked to eat, and the music it preferred to hear. Then he waved his hand, saying, “Go ahead. When this secret realm closes, who knows when we’ll meet again?”

    The secret realm closed, the starlight all receding.

    The silver-haired girl extended her hand; endless starlight flowed and transformed, finally dissolving into countless rhomboid crystals.

    Yao Guang caught these solidified lights.

    Then put them in her bag.

    Li Guanyi said: “To Jiangzhou City, will you come along?”

    The silver-haired girl shook her head. She reached out and put on her hood.

    Only the silver hair at her temples and the smooth curve of her chin remained visible. Her voice was calm: “You don’t need to worry about me. Dismantling the secret realm takes time. I can finish it in five days. I will remember your aura, whether you are in Jiangzhou City or anywhere else in the world.”

    “I can find you.”

    “Our alliance isn’t over yet. You don’t need to worry about me leaving.”

    Li Guanyi looked at the girl and nodded. He turned and left. Yao Guang’s eyes were calm as she recorded the trajectory of the starlight’s movement within the secret realm. After a while, she heard the sound of hooves. Turning her head, she saw the young man returning.

    Li Guanyi carried something and placed it beside Yao Guang.

    Opening it revealed various snacks.

    Yao Guang looked at them.

    Li Guanyi reached out.

    Under the girl’s watchful gaze, he picked up the straight, smooth stick used for roasting steamed buns.

    Li Guanyi said: “I’ll keep this for now. When I’m not around, don’t roast steamed buns yourself. No, try not to cook at all.” When this girl roasted steamed buns, she would always read and daydream. By the time she snapped back to reality, the buns could be used as projectiles.

    Yao Guang looked at him, her voice calm: “Okay.”

    Li Guanyi felt reassured. He left Yao Guang with plenty of food, snacks, and vegetables, giving her numerous instructions before finally feeling at ease and getting back on his horse to leave. The Xue family’s entourage was leaving the next day; he couldn’t return too late. Yao Guang watched the young man leave.

    She turned and returned to her original spot.

    She reached out.

    Rummaged in the large bag.

    Pulled out a prism.

    Carefully placed it aside.

    Pulled out a book.

    (This sentence is unreadable and likely contains errors in the original Chinese)

    Casually tossed it down.

    She rummaged again. When she pulled something out this time, it was a stick even straighter and smoother than the one she’d just used.

    The silver-haired girl held the stick aloft, examining it in the starlight.

    Her face was expressionless.

    But there was a strange sense of satisfaction.

    She gripped the stick, and plunged it into the ground. Perfectly inserting it into the earth, she placed a bun on top, built a fire, and opened her book.

    Reading.
    ……………

    On Li Guanyi’s birthday, he had dinner with his aunt. Murong Qiu Shui was as usual, only advising him to avoid trouble in the capital. That day she made Li Guanyi play the qin and go, and beat him three games of Go before finally letting him leave.

    On the day of departure, Murong Qiu Shui saw Li Guanyi off from the Xue family estate. She simply said that it was hot in the summer, not to wear too many clothes, but also not to drink too much ice, lest he damage his health. Li Guanyi readily agreed. When the Xue family’s entourage urged him several times, he mounted his horse, saying: “Aunt, you can go back now; you don’t have to see me off.”

    Murong Qiu Shui smiled slightly: “It’s alright. Your aunt will stay here and watch you go.”

    Li Guanyi couldn’t refuse her. As he rode forward with the procession, he could still see his aunt’s figure at the entrance of the Xue mansion. It wasn’t until he turned a corner that the figure disappeared from sight.

    Xue Daoyong said: “You and your aunt seem to have a very good relationship.”

    Li Guanyi nodded: “My aunt raised me. In this world, she is the closest person to me…”

    Murong Qiu Shui called herself Mu Lin to the outside world.

    In the past, Li Guanyi often bickered with his aunt. Now, leaving the city, the Great Sacrifice was more than a month away, and he would not see his aunt for more than a month, he felt a little nostalgic. There was nothing to see in the scenery on both sides of the road. The Xue family’s procession was long, carrying gifts for various dignitaries.

    Xue Daoyong rode ahead, talking to Li Guanyi. He told him not to cause trouble, but not to be afraid of trouble when entering the city. He told him about his upcoming post in the capital. Chen officials were numerous, involving ranks, honorary titles, and assignments. Li Guanyi was currently a seventh-rank Zhenwei Junior Officer without an assignment. A new one would be given upon arrival in the capital.

    Li Guanyi nodded, looking at the scenery along the way. Between Jiangzhou City and Guan Yi City, over three hundred miles, the Xue family’s procession would take a day to reach its destination. Li Guanyi discovered that there was a post station every few dozen miles, filled with carriages and people from various countries, drinking tea and eating.

    The meat on the tables was extremely plentiful, with lots left over.

    Foreigners didn’t have to pay.

    And they all praised the Central Plains, its abundance, vastness, and beauty. At first there was a post station every fifty miles, then thirty, and finally every twenty.

    Moreover, there were Buddhist and Taoist monks along the road, as if a debate conference was being held.

    The carriages were also beautifully decorated. Looking towards the river, there were flower boats stretching as far as the eye could see, nearly blocking the entire river of Jiangzhou City; it was a magnificent and imposing sight.

    Yet, within this massive procession, Li Guanyi saw many ordinary people.

    These people had weary faces as they rushed outward. An old man with two children was hurrying, and it seemed that the weather was getting hotter; they’d been walking under the sun for too long. The old man stumbled and fell forward.

    The fallen villager, the monks and Taoists, and people from other countries came and went freely, the contrast was striking.

    Li Guanyi frowned, dismounted, and went to help. But another young man with bronze-colored skin also reached out to help the old man. The two exchanged glances. Li Guanyi took the old man’s pulse and said, “You haven’t eaten for too long and the weather is too hot. Let’s find a shady place to rest.”

    The Xue family’s procession continued without stopping for Li Guanyi.

    Xue Daoyong tacitly allowed Li Guanyi’s actions. The young man helped the old man to the shade of a tree. The old man had brought water with him, and after drinking and eating some dry food, he recovered. Li Guanyi said: “Old man, where are you from? You need to take care of your health.”

    After catching his breath, the old man said: “Thank you for your concern. I’m a villager from the Jiangzhou area. I’m taking this opportunity to go to the southwest.”

    Li Guanyi was surprised: “Going to the southwest now?”

    The old man chuckled bitterly: “It’s because the Great Sacrifice…”

    The old man, seeing the silk Li Guanyi was wearing, changed his words, quickly saying: “It’s just my own reasons, young master. Your kindness is a great salvation! This old man is eternally grateful.” He bowed repeatedly, then, without further rest, left with his two children, his steps hasty.

    Li Guanyi was about to speak, when the young man with bronze-colored skin said in a low voice:

    “With clothes like yours, you’re a high-ranking official. He won’t talk to you.”

    Li Guanyi understood. He gripped his sword hilt.

    The young man patted the curved knife at his waist: “I’m from the west. I heard that the emperor of the Central Plains takes care of his people like a sage. I was curious, and I rode a camel out of the desert and a donkey to get here. But what I see is different.”

    Li Guanyi said: “You know why?”

    The young man replied: “I don’t know much. But I heard along the way that foreign envoys and merchants don’t need to spend money. There are post stations along their route. I heard an old man say that the surrounding counties, within a radius of five hundred miles, all contribute food.”

    “And five thousand artisan households from the surrounding counties are gathered to perform music in the capital.”

    “The money comes from the common people. It’s a celebration for the Great Sacrifice.”

    Li Guanyi frowned, looking at Jiangzhou City. The Great Sacrifice of Chen, a great affair for the whole country…

    Yet, it was still a burden on the people. The emperor of Chen…

    Li Guanyi did not express his opinion, but rejoined the Xue family’s carriage and entered Jiangzhou City with the old man. The Xue family’s procession was naturally unimpeded. The young man from the Western Regions followed Li Guanyi on his donkey.

    He was a Westerner, not subject to poll tax.

    Li Guanyi looked at the enormous city ahead.

    Majestic, solemn, vast.

    This was Jiangzhou City, the capital of Chen Kingdom, where his parents had once walked.

    More than ten years ago, did the Taiping Duke enter this gate riding a Qilin, surrounded by cheers? Li Guanyi wondered as he entered Jiangzhou City, suddenly pausing, sensing a familiar yet unfamiliar aura.

    At the same moment Li Guanyi entered Jiangzhou.

    The entire city fell silent. It was the kind of silence brought about by all the beasts and insects instantly ceasing their movements, even the wind ceasing. Li Guanyi sensed that aura also noticing him.

    The aura fluctuated violently, and then—

    A roar, like a tiger and a dragon, exploded!

    Qilin!

    (End of Chapter)

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