Behind Xue Daoyong, the seemingly plain Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow rested quietly on a stand made of ebony wood. The elder strolled over to the side of the war bow, his palm slowly caressing its body, and looking towards Li Guanyi, he smiled and said,
"Didn't you resent not being able to lift it before? Today happens to be another chance."
"Come, give it a try."
Li Guanyi was still contemplating the matter of donning armor.
His gaze lifted slightly, looking at the war bow, Li Guanyi thought of the bow's heritage, but his first reaction was to wonder what the elder was planning, and whether he had discovered that Guanyi could hold this divine weapon from five hundred years ago, and what that would mean for himself.
The young man had no reason to refuse, at least none that appeared on the surface.
He walked up to the side of the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow.
Extending his hand, he spread his fingers and grasped the bow. The texture of the bow was delicate and perfect, fitting his palm snugly. Once again, that intense divine charm emerged, but this time, it did not trigger any inheritance, nor did it cause any changes or ripples in the Jade Liquid of the bronze tripod.
Entering realm, ah...
Only by entering the realm could one make the bronze tripod accumulate Jade Liquid again.
Only then could one trigger the inheritance of the divine weapon.
Only then could one truly navigate this chaotic world.
Desire for that realm welled up in his heart.
Li Guanyi planned to release his grip, indicating that he still could not hold the divine weapon. He looked at the elder and said, "Elder Xue, it's unfortunate, but I..."
Boom!!!
The elder smiled, and suddenly a surge of Qi exploded from underneath his steps.
Ripples visible to the naked eye.
The entire Wind Listening Pavilion seemed to shake once.
The ancient desk inlaid with gold threads, worth a fortune, suddenly collapsed into dust. The divine Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow in Li Guanyi's hand naturally fell downwards. Unrelated to any inner judgment or schemes, purely a bodily instinct, he had subconsciously grasped the war bow.
Even as he instantly realized that he should let go of the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow.
Yet Li Guanyi knew that it was his instinctive grasp, the hesitation in the bow's fall that caught the keen eye of the elder, who could now surely discern something. His body tensed, and then slowly relaxed.
He did not let go of the divine weapon.
The golden nanmu wood that took three thousand years to grow turned into golden dust, carrying a woody fragrance in the wind.
The elder looked at the young man before him.
Surrounded by golden dust, his sleeves unfurling, he straightened his back. The Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow was held in his hand as if he had made a decision. The bowstring hummed faintly, the elder's eyes lit up with flowing light, and with a smile on his lips, he exclaimed, "Good, good, good!!!"
Li Guanyi said, "The desk made of golden nanmu wood, worth a fortune, is now just dust."
Old Man, you lack martial virtue!
The elder laughed it off, responding,
"To see someone grip the divine weapon again, what is that fortune compared to this?"
He paused, then looked at Li Guanyi as if he was seeing the dreams of his younger days, saying, "If you can hold this bow, it means..."
Li Guanyi closed his eyes.
The bronze tripod hummed, and in the void, there seemed to be a deep tiger's roar. The Divine Weapon in the youth's palm buzzed, as golden luminescence lit up along the bow, its markings coming to life as if the souls that had perished under this bow were awakening, screaming in terror here.
"Arueen Wuerha Jirwabodewosadava."
Arrows of the Central Plains Bodhisattva that pierced the Holy Mountain.
The golden light spread along the bow, reaching the palm of the youth's hand.
A set of gauntlets appeared on the left hand of Li Guanyi as he grasped the bow.
And the luminescence fell onto his right fingertips, turning into golden rings.
This was a bowstring made from the soul of a fierce tiger, capable of slitting the throats of giants from the Northern Domain; mortals could not touch it with their mere flesh until this moment. Now the awakened Divine Weapon revealed its claws and opened its eyes, ready to reassess the world.
Xue Daoyong watched this scene and burst into laughter.
Xue Daoyong asked, "Can you draw it?"
Li Guanyi was also very curious. His palm held the bow, with his right fingers on the string, which whistled in the air. The White Tiger Dharma Form touched the bowstring, causing the Divine Weapon to emanate a faint golden light, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the bowstring tremble not even a bit.
Not enough.
Xue Daoyong also felt some regret, "Indeed, to pick up the bow one needs the qualification of the White Tiger Dharma Form, but to draw the string requires an extremely high realm." Li Guanyi then placed the bow back onto another table. As his palms left the bow, together with the loosening of his grip,
The luminescence surging on the Divine Weapon dispersed, the last bits of light creeping from the edges towards the center of the bowstring, finally converging at the central point and vanishing. At that moment, Li Guanyi suddenly found that the White Tiger Dharma Form still drew a sliver of strength from the awakened Divine Weapon.
The White Tiger Dharma Form seemed to have grown a bit larger.
But just then, this surging power was forcibly absorbed by the Red Dragon Dharma Form.
The White Tiger Dharma Form, which seemed ready to expand and glow, once again dwindled to its original kitten size.
In its place, the Red Dragon Dharma Form finally revealed part of its body,
Coiling around Li Guanyi's arm.
Like a dragon around a pillar, it curiously observed the surrounding world.
The Red Dragon Dharma Form emerged.
Ripples formed in the depths of Li Guanyi's eyes. He wanted to see what special powers this Dharma Form possessed; whether the piercing light arrow of the Xue Family could be manifested through the Red Dragon Dharma Form. The revealed White Tiger Dharma Form possessed penetrating qualities, but what about the Red Dragon?
He was curious and expectant.
The elder had Li Guanyi sit down again and then made tea, saying with a gentle smile,
"You are not yet able to wield this bow."
"But you do have the qualification to lift it. This is a treasured relic passed down in my Xue Family. The old man cannot give it to you yet. I will first assist you in securing the position of a Ninth-Rank Military Officer, rest assured, granting you a clear official status is only right."
"My Xue Family is aware of your escape route, and the archive is with the Night Rider Cavalry. Even I cannot deduce it. However, after ten long years, considering my settlement with Chen Country, no matter the seriousness of the past events, the manhunt file against you has been pushed to the lowest priority."
Li Guanyi breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that the elder before him was experienced and ruthless, yet might not have truly uncovered his identity.
He only understood the trajectory of his wanderings from the Xue Family's mercantile association.
Although Li Guanyi himself did not know his real origin.
He was even more dubious about whether the old man before him was deceiving him.
Consequently, he calmly asked, "How does Elder Xue know?"
The elder stroked his beard with a hint of mockery and said, "Because this is Chen Country."
"Although General Yue has an extremely high reputation, it doesn't mean that as soon as he returns to the Capital, the border will immediately fall into disrepair."
"It is simply because another Divine General capable of stabilizing the country is also in Jiangzhou in the Capital City."
"Currently in Jiangzhou, guarded by Chen Country's first Divine General, Xiao Wuliang, whose caliber differs from that of a Great General like General Yue, should be classified as a Fierce General. I have once witnessed his imposing presence. When the Regent King caused chaos, at thirteen, he was able to enter the battlefield alone."
"At eighteen, he led seven Cavalry to charge through the enemy ranks, slicing down generals and capturing their flags."
"Ranked fifteenth on the Divine General List, he frightened the enemy forces so much that they honored him with the title 'Maha Wuliang.'"
"If such a Fierce General could join forces with General Yue to defeat various countries and restore Chen Country to its former glory during Emperor Wu's era, it would not be impossible. Yet, the powers that be have instead stationed him in the Capital."
The elder could not help but sigh deeply, "Great generals of the world, clad in Treasure Armor, riding Exotic Beasts and fine horses, wielding Divine Weapons with Dharma Forms, one man able to stand against ten thousand, such powerhouses, if they were to forsake all, regardless of life and the grand situation of the world, seeking to breach the enemy lines and wreak havoc within, would have the strength to shake the royal family."
"Therefore, they had Xiao Wuliang stationed in the Capital."
"They call it: If the lord survives, the country survives; if the lord perishes, the country falls. Thus, the lord is crucial, the linchpin of Society and the wellbeing of all the people, to be valued exceedingly."
"In the end, they merely wish to exploit the might of this Divine General to secure their own peaceful lives."
"Now, with General Yue detained upon his return to the border and Xiao Wuliang absent, Ying Country's Fierce Generals are numerous, Tuyuhun is readying its troops and horses, and the royal family's descendants go to the frontiers under the guise of gaining experience. They never lack for wine or women, while the common soldiers live simply, receiving meat only once every three days."
"Under such heavy pressure, is it any wonder that the border defenses are deteriorating? From the subtle signs one can infer the greater problems; if even the affairs of the state are in such disarray, what else about chasing down fugitives?"
The elder's tone carried a mocking edge.
Li Guanyi knew, this was Xue Daoyong expressing his trust in him.
Li Guanyi shared his intention, saying:
"Nevertheless, I must still leave the Xue Family, leave Guan Yi City."
The elder roared with laughter: "Ha ha ha, no problem, this old man isn't planning to tie you to the Xue Family. I won't play the sentiment card either; this is a transaction, an agreement between two grown men, you and I."
The elder casually sipped his tea, chuckling:
"Besides, Xue Family's mercantile associations are everywhere in the world."
"Ying Country is no exception."
Li Guanyi: "......"
The elder laughed heartily.
The anxious heart that had been jolted several times finally calmed, and he said:
"You wish to leave the region, I know, but having an official status would make passing through checkpoints somewhat easier."
"Don't look at me like that. Yes, typically the Court is concerned about martial officials leaving Chen Country, so the checks are very strict, but if that's what you think, then you don't understand Chen Country. Chen Country was once a region of Jiangnan, ordained by the Emperor of Central State."
"More than three hundred years ago, when the world underwent great changes, Duke Liang declared himself king, supported by Duke Chen."
"Over two hundred years ago, the Chen ancestors exterminated Liang Country and established Chen Country."
"And to stabilize the situation as much as possible, they adopted a conciliatory approach to the original bureaucratic, aristocratic families, which led to the coexistence of two or even three bureaucratic systems at the beginning, mingling to the present, with an excessive number of officials. For instance, there are Military Officers of Ninth Grade, who are loose officials with no official titles."
"Only a dispatch."
"Grade is one layer, type is another, the affiliated position is a third, and specific duties of the dispatch are yet another layer. They intercross, resulting in a tangle."
"Yet even as loose officials, they have various privileges such as being exempt from taxes."
"One man to a post, officials in charge of handling passage documents can't wait for you to leave sooner, so that a position frees up, allowing them to place their relatives early, especially for Ninth Grade Martial loose officials."
With a mocking tone, the elder spoke intimately.
Commenting on Court politics as a member of the royal family by marriage.
This was his own vulnerability that he deliberately exposed after revealing Li Guanyi's identity as a fugitive, giving Li Guanyi his leverage.
It was an equal agreement.
Li Guanyi fell silent for a while, then looked at the elder before him and said:
"So, why does Elder Xue hold me in such high regard?"
The elder's gaze was piercing as he looked at him and laughed, "Of course, for the Xue Family."
"I am just gambling. If there comes a time of peace, you may become a Great General at the border, or a noble of high rank in the Court, with a bountiful stipend. But what if the era of chaos arrives? Guanyi, you wouldn't remain hidden when oppressed civilians need you to draw your sword against their oppressors. In times of turmoil, you would not lie low."
"My eyes have never been mistaken."
"And now, with the upper echelons covering up the rot at the borders and the aristocrats pulling the Divine Generals from the frontline for their safety."
"The royal family indulges in peace and pleasure, while the grassroots officials are so eager to appoint their own that they'd wish all other officials away. As above, so below; despite its apparent brilliance, the state is like oil on fire. What do you think of this Chen Country, of this world?"
He stretched his hand to touch the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow beside him, seemingly making a decision.
He mused to himself, "Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow."
"The accomplishments of the Xue Family, could they really be due to this bow?"
"Certainly not. Even without this bow, would my ancestors cease to be the world's foremost Divine Generals? In the Xue Family, this bow is merely a relic offered in tribute, yet accompanying you onto the battlefield fulfills its destiny."
"It was people, not the clutching on to relics of the past, that made the Xue Family flourish."
He suddenly began to laugh, free-spirited and magnanimous.
He said:
"Li Guanyi!"
"When the chaotic times come, come here!"
"Take this bow away!"
"Ride your horse and gallop into this world!"