The Jade Liquid in the bronze tripod was the most crucial thing for Li Guanyi to establish his life and strength.
The last time he had gathered Jade Liquid, it had poured into his Dantian, allowing Li Guanyi to cultivate to the twelfth layer of the premier "Breaking Formation Song" of the Military School, and he had mastered a set of saber techniques. Now, the Jade Liquid had finally accumulated for the second time.
Li Guanyi's gaze fell upon the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow.
Reflecting on the events that had just occurred, he was pensive.
It seemed that not only the Dharma Forms of high-ranking masters could complete the final step of accumulating Jade Liquid, but Divine Weapons could also achieve this step.
However, he did not know what changes would occur once the Jade Liquid poured out this time.
Perhaps because he had just picked up the bow, which was overly taxing on the spirit, Li Guanyi felt a fatigue rising from the depths of his heart, his mind awash with a barrage of thoughts that had not calmed for a long time. He could only suppress them with the bitterness of the tea.
Xue Daoyong did not bring up the bow again but spoke instead of some past events of the Xue Family, his words humorous and witty, and also peppered with some rather thrilling experiences. Finally, he presented a table of light food—each person had a bowl of yellow rice porridge, a grilled fish, some fresh vegetables, a bit of seasoning powder, and a piece of fruit.
Li Guanyi said, "Senior, your life is quite simple."
The Xue Family, a wealthy and prominent household.
Just now, an estate and deed worth at least five hundred strings of cash had been handed over without the old man even blinking an eye, but when it came to food, it seemed no different from what ordinary folks ate, perhaps even less than what the three martial masters at Huichun Hall had.
At that moment, he noticed Xue Shuangtao gave him a glance, trying to keep from laughing.
Perhaps the mental fatigue had affected his perception, and only now did Li Guanyi notice the difference.
He sniffed the small dish of seasoning powder and said, "This is…"
"Ginseng, Atractylodes, Poria."
Transformed by longtime illness into a physician, Li Guanyi had suffered from severe poisoning for ten years, often dealing with medicinal herbs and having spent a considerable time in a pharmacy. With his exceptional talent, he identified the main ingredients by smell and tasted the yellow rice porridge.
It contained corresponding medicinal ingredients but had removed the bitterness, tasting pleasantly sweet.
The Qi and blood in his body, along with the Inner Strength from "Breaking Formation Song", became invigorated.
Even the considerable exhaustion from handling the Divine Weapon had somewhat eased.
Xue Daoyong asked with a smile, "How is it?"
Li Guanyi thought for a moment and replied,
"Reprocessed rehmannia nourishes the essence and marrow, ginseng bolsters the spleen and enriches Qi, and together they nourish the blood as sovereign drugs."
"Atractylodes and Poria support ginseng in enriching Qi; Angelica and white peony nourish the blood and balance, aiding in nourishing the heart. These are minister drugs."
"Szechwan lovage acts as an adjuvant drug by invigorating blood and moving Qi; licorice is the envoy drug, enriching Qi and harmonizing the middle, blending all other herbs."
"Elder, this meal indeed offers a great nourishment for both Qi and blood."
The old man was momentarily surprised, then laughed and said to the young girl beside him, "You see, casting charms before the blind is a waste of beauty, having good things requires a guest who can articulate why they are good, only then can host and guest both be pleased, unlike your brother and your younger brother who only know to say it's tasty.
"Or ask for another bowl."
"A bull chewing on peonies, quite the eyesore."
As he spoke, he looked up to see the young man had quickly finished the yellow rice porridge, which was as potent as a large elixir yet very gentle on the body; seeing the old man stunned, he too began to laugh and deliberately said, "Then, elder, allow me to be an eyesore this once."
"Another bowl," he said.
The elder burst into loud laughter.
He grew even more fond of the young man.
Then, without hesitation, he refused, "A hundred-year-old ginseng, Tianchi fish, both are beneficial for martial artists, even I rarely bring them out to entertain guests, how could there be so many prepared for you?"
"The kid has a big appetite," said Li Guanyi regretfully.
He had wanted to bring some back for his Aunt as well.
Seeing the previously composed young man greedily eating, the girl finally chuckled and felt that he wasn't so hard to understand. After thinking a bit, she pushed her bowl forward and said, "I haven't touched mine yet, you can take it if you don't mind."
She immediately emphasized, "Of course, not the fish."
Li Guanyi tried the fish and indeed found it exceptionally fresh and tender. The old man warned that the fish was fed with medicinal herbs, beneficial for martial artists but too potent and harmful for those with frail bodies. After finishing the fish, Li Guanyi exclaimed, "It's really delicious."
"If I could eat such meals every day, I would be completely satisfied."
Xue Daoyong laughed heartily, "Hahaha, are you planning to eat this old man out of house and home?"
"Excellent!"
"If you can breakthrough within three years and come here, I'll provide a meal for you every day," he declared.
"If you breakthrough within a year, you can eat every meal here."
"I'd sell pots and pans to feed you."
The meal ended with both host and guest thoroughly pleased. Xue Shuangtao took Li Guanyi away from the Wind Listening Pavilion. The girl glanced at Li Guanyi's clothes and said, "You are now a Guest Elder. Food, clothing, and necessities will all be provided as for the direct descendants of my family. It's already late today; come with me to get a set of clothes, weapons, and elixir pills."
She paused, seemingly a bit embarrassed but trying to maintain an air of nonchalance, and said:
"You'll need to come earlier tomorrow."
"I need to teach you stepping skills and archery."
Li Guanyi nodded in agreement.
First, they went to collect weapons. Nowadays, with frequent conflicts among kingdoms and laxer court regulations on certain weapons like knives, swords, wooden shields, and bows, which require lengthy training to wield. However, they strictly controlled armor, crossbows, and long spears over twelve feet used in formation.
The former are used for personal safety in the world.
The latter were a different matter.
Xue Shuangtao took Li Guanyi to the Xue Family's weapon store within their estate's storeroom.
Pointing inside, he said, "Here are three types of blades: the fastest light blade, the narrow and long thrusting blade that can stab and slice, and the heavy blade, all forged from refined iron and and nearly as famous as the master weapons of the Martial World, only differing in materials."
According to the characteristics of Breaking Army Eight Sabers, Li Guanyi chose a dark, heavy blade.
With a thick blade and well-balanced center of gravity, it was suited for chopping.
The scabbard was made of dark Zhe Wood inlaid with copper, featuring tiger roaring patterns.
The blacksmith glanced at it and said, "One Refined Heavy Blade, not much less than the weapon-level blades of the Martial World, priced at ninety-seven strands. The scabbard is high-quality dark-patterned Zhe Wood, treated to prevent rot and rust, inlaid with brass, and with a hollow at the end for storing elixir pills."
"The scabbard is priced at four thousand and three hundred, with a total price of one hundred and one guans. As a Guest Elder, you only need to pay seventy guans,"
Guest Elders can obtain excellent weapons, but they must still cover the basic costs of materials and labor.
This channel, which ordinary martial artists in the Martial World can hardly access, forces many to make do with swords hammered out by the local blacksmith and a scabbard fashioned from two planks of wood as they venture into the Martial World.
Even Li Guanyi had to admire the great deal.
But now, Mr. Li only had three taels of silver on him.
After a moment of silence, clutching the saber in his arms, he looked towards the young girl.
Xue Shuangtao casually said, "Just put it under my name."
The blacksmith was surprised, glanced at the handsome young Li Guanyi, and then at the young lady, full of suspicion, but nodded, "Okay, since that's the case, I'll put it under your name, Miss."
Xue Shuangtao nodded and then took Li Guanyi to pick up a bow.
The bow required a strength that Li Guanyi could just manage to fully draw, though it was somewhat strenuous, and its size also suited the young man's height. The young lady efficiently tested several bows and finally chose three suitable for Li Guanyi.
Bow making required dry wood, horns, sinews, glue, silk, and lacquer, collectively called the six materials.
The first bow, crafted from a type of purple bamboo known for its excellent flexibility, had buffalo horn on the inner side and buffalo sinew on the outer side of the bow arms, both of which enhanced the bow's elasticity and increased the arrow's speed.
Priced at thirty guans.
Li Guanyi asked what glue was used for the materials in this bow.
The middle-aged man smiled, "It's sourced from Shu Rats."
"Made by boiling the muscles and hide of rats from Shu, it has commendable adhesiveness."
"The main point being, it's cheap. Of course, if you prefer, we have other options."
The second bow had arms made of Yimu wood, with tips of buffalo horn, horse sinew, blended with fish glue.
Its Jin Qi was exceedingly solid; it took two years to craft and was priced at one hundred and ten guans.
This bow was more expensive than the saber currently at Li Guanyi's waist.
Li Guanyi was about to inquire about the cheapest bow when he saw the young girl raise her hand to point at a bow placed at the highest point and said, "That one, bring it down for a look."
Li Guanyi saw that the wood material of that bow seemed intertwined with threads of gold.
Inside the bow, the horns were two and a half feet long and showcased three colors: base white, middle green, and tip dark.
The three colors retained their distinct identities.
Li Guanyi might not understand bows, but he could recognize quality.
This thing was expensive!
The middle-aged overseer praised, "Miss has a good eye!"
"This bow took fifteen years to complete. In winter, the wood was dried, in spring the horns were prepared, in summer the sinews, all materials were assembled during the day, and in the cold of winter, the bow was placed in a mold to set its shape, using Zhe wood. Of every ten Zhe trees, nine are hollow, nine bend, and at the core is a gold-colored thread as flexible as gold."
"Crafted from rhinoceros horn, crocodile dragon tendon, and combined with South Sea shark glue."
"However, the bow requires enormous strength to fully draw."
"Priced at one thousand five hundred and thirty guans."
Li Guanyi's eyes twitched.
How much?!
He carefully chose his words, saying, "I think that's too expensive."
Xue Shuangtao shook her head and said, "Grandfather once said that both bows and swords bear one's life, and sometimes having stronger flexibility in a bow means you can shoot more arrows without it snapping. If its elasticity is sufficient, the arrows will fly faster. This slight improvement might be the difference between life and death."
"One can afford ambiguity in all things, but in matters of life and death, there can be no compromise."
"Take this bow down."
The middle-aged overseer said, "Yes, Miss."
Xue Shuangtao grabbed the bow, casually set an arrow, and even without fully drawing it, she stepped forward, her Qi sharp, and shot an arrow that pierced through a thick tree. A few strands of hair by her temples fluttered, revealing her fair jaw and a pair of almond-shaped eyes, she nodded in satisfaction and said:
"Hmm, just put it under my name."
"I remember when I was ten, Grandfather gifted me a shop. The profits from these past few years should be enough."
"Here, sir, your bow."
She saw Li Guanyi pause.
She reached out, lifted the sleeve of the young man's wrist, and raised his hand, then gently placed the Su Ni Bow in Li Guanyi's hand and said, "Since ancient times, beautiful women have presented swords to heroes. Although I am no great beauty, I also believe in my grandfather's words, that you, sir, will be a hero in the future."
"I give you this Su Ni Bow."
Li Guanyi: "..."
"Thank you."
He looked at the saber on his waist, holding onto a bow.
Seeing the young girl in front with her hands clasped behind her, smiling slightly.
Li Guanyi thought.
The allure of the Miss, truly unmatched in the world.
At this time, an elderly man with white hair had already arrived in Guan Yi City.
He easily shook off the officials and his junior disciples who were trying to follow him, saying:
"Zu hasn't arrived yet, let's take a walk."
"Let's see if there's anything interesting happening. Don't you think so, old friend?"
He smiled, looking downward, and next to him in a space invisible to the naked eye, a giant Mystic Turtle nodded.
Siming, the eldest of the Yin Yang Family in this generation, invited for this occasion.