Li Guanyi hadn't slept all of last night and said he needed to rest in the afternoon. Xue Daoyong had arranged for him a guest room in this front courtyard's separate quarters. He slept deeply for more than an hour before he finally regained his strength. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he gazed at the setting sun outside, feeling somewhat lethargic.
Thinking about the things he needed to do next.
He picked up a piece of silver and placed it on the bed.
"Crossing the border."
He then placed an arrow in front of the silver.
"But it would be best to enter the realm… It would be nice to pick up a set of inner armor when crossing the border."
"Also need to deal with the poison in my body."
"Need the strongest foundation for entering the realm."
"And…"
"Money, enough money."
Li Guanyi looked at the uneven pieces of silver on the bed and sighed. These silvers were the earnings from killing Qian Zheng and his remnant group last night—thirty-three taels of silver, over a hundred copper coins, part of it recent Peace Coins and some Da'an money from the former emperor, all wrapped in a cloth.
It was enough for his previous needs, but for crossing the border to Ying Country and the expenses of cultivation, it clearly was not sufficient.
Mr. Xue hadn't mentioned giving him more money.
Li Guanyi thought that he needed to find a way to make some money on his own.
He couldn't just turn around and cry for help from the miss whenever something happened.
As Li Guanyi thought about this, he sorted through his spoils of war—aside from the silver, there was also some hemostatic powder, already turning somewhat black and extremely pungent, a type of medicine with excellent effects but erratic and irritating properties.
Besides these, there were some letters, some of which had already yellowed. Li Guanyi opened them to read; they were all family letters. The yellowed one was the earliest, expressing some complaints.
"Big brother, the winter clothes are being made a bit slowly. You wrote asking to send money if it's not working, but the taxes are too burdensome this year, and there is not much left, only half. Big brother, you have a military salary, you shouldn't have spent all of it."
"Just endure the cold a few days."
It seemed that Qian Zheng was at the border then and had asked his parents to send winter clothes.
The border of Chen Country and Ying Country was neither in the very north nor south.
Winter there was as cold as the north but as humid as the south; when the west wind blew, even cotton clothes would get damp, clinging to the body like a layer of icy thorns, piercing the skin deep into the bones. By their fifties or sixties, many border troops had poor bone health, excruciatingly so.
Yet, was Chen Country, being so prosperous, really out of money even for its border troops?
Li Guanyi recalled Xue Daoyong's words and looked at the next letter.
"Big brother, do not rush us with letters. You said the military lacks silver, Aunt has already tried borrowing for you. Grandfather is tilling the fields in winter, isn't your regiment supposed to merge with Daddy's regiment? Daddy's getting old, you should be looking after Daddy."
The third letter.
"It's said that your troops have followed General Yue's command and won several battles."
"The reward silver you sent home made Grandfather very happy; he even drank a bit."
"We have also arranged a good match for me, the second son of old Liu's family at the town entrance; you used to play with him when you were young. I wonder if you still remember him."
"Big brother, you should also find a wife for me."
The next few letters were full of family trivialities, and one word that couldn't be evaded was 'tax'.
Five years' tax, three years' tax.
And Qian Zheng recklessly going to fight enemies to earn reward silver.
Li Guanyi paused slightly when he saw one letter.
"The royal family has collected the spring tax again."
"After collecting the three years' tax before the New Year, Big brother, your reward silver has been taken, there is none at home, neither can we borrow any, Grandfather's leg was broken, he has been bedridden, first it ulcerated, then the ulcer festers, he couldn't stand up, and then he passed away..."
"Grandfather didn't want us to spend money on his treatment, he stopped eating, and then he breathed his last."
"Big brother, I heard General Yue has been transferred, Daddy got into trouble with his superior and was punished. Is his injury severe?"
"Attached herein are some copper coins, make sure Daddy's injury is well treated."
The fourth letter.
"Daddy has passed away, Mom cried herself blind, old Liu's family doesn't want me anymore."
"No choice, a eunuch from the city said the palace still needed people. I thought about it, and the conditions were really good, so I went to the palace first. I give part of the money to you and leave the rest with Mom. You said entering the realm would make things much better. I'm waiting for you, don't worry."
"It's nice here, no one hits me, no one bullies me."
The last letter, with its delicate touch, followed.
"Today, maid Qian Qian died. By law, compensation of fifty strings of cash."
"Due to no one managing, five strings for her burial, five strings affecting the palace duties, thirty strings to pay off debts, five strings delivered to the post station, and three strings seven hundred copper for various expenses, leaving one hundred thirty-five wen, transferred to her brother Qian Zheng, to vindicate the imperial grace."
Li Guanyi was quiet for a long time.
He noticed the mottled bloodstains and watermarks on this letter.
He saw those one hundred and more copper coins wrapped in cloth, worn smooth and shiny.
He saw the mad Qian Zheng.
Li Guanyi set the letters down.
Then, he put those one hundred thirty-five copper coins back into the cloth wrap and tied it up.
He looked outside, seemingly thinking about something.
Finally, he subdued all those chaotic emotions and thoughts bubbling up in his mind, exhaling slowly, whispering to himself: the border's corruption, the lack of reward silver, and the families of the soldiers bearing heavy taxes—Qian Zheng's situation was not common but neither was it unique.
Under such conditions, even generals are wronged.
"It's over."
No need for further deduction.
Li Guanyi's historical awareness turned into intuition, almost physically striking him.
A powerful urgency emerged, pressing him to rapidly elevate his realm. If Qian Zheng could have achieved the breakthrough earlier, perhaps the story would change. No matter how much Li Guanyi saw, at this moment, stepping into the realm had become his top priority.
This broken world, without power, one couldn't even protect oneself or one's aunt.
Knowing only how to attack, he must quickly defeat the Third Prince of Tie Le and lay his hands on the "Gray Wolf Guardian."
By the time Li Guanyi had stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Xue Shuangtao still practicing her archery. As he picked up the bow and arrows, he suddenly called out to Xue Shuangtao, who looked at him puzzled. Li Guanyi said, "I just mentioned that the creatures I killed were crows that fed on human flesh and carrion. I misspoke."
"Originally, they were fierce birds of prey in the sky."
"It was this very sky that drove them mad, ultimately leading them to consume decay."
Xue Shuangtao looked at him.
She took a half step back.
Then, with the bow in her hand, she tapped the young man's forehead and said, "Although I don't know what you're implying, Li Guanyi."
She paused and then added, "First, come practice archery!"
The young girl raised her eyebrows and pointed towards the arrows, saying, "Playing the zither can settle the mind, and practicing archery can also calm it. Regardless of the situation, once the body becomes weary, you'll begin to understand many things."
"Rest assured, I will accompany you in your practice until you clear your thoughts."
While practicing archery, Xue Shuangtao asked curiously,
"So, did you regret shooting that vulture?"
Li Guanyi looked at the miss with clear eyes, unsure if she understood something or if she simply thought he was mourning the bird he had shot. Thus, he replied, "It had already become a foul scavenger."
So there were no regrets.
In this life, he was still a spirited young man, so naturally, thoughts would occasionally cross his mind.
Could I, too, one day change in these troubled times?
He unexpectedly thought of Shaking Light's words.
"As long as you don't turn into a tyrant who brings chaos, I will always be by your side."
Arrows fell like rain; what Li Guanyi was learning now were the various methods of shooting, not just precision. Xue Shuangtao, having been trained by Xue Daoyong from a young age, had a solid and outstanding foundation in archery, which was precisely what Li Guanyi lacked.
As the sun began to set, he put down his bow and arrows.
Xue Changqing had long since collapsed on the stone table. Li Guanyi leisurely took out a book of Taoist skills and began to teach for another hour, draining Xue Changqing so much that her face turned pale as she said, "Otherwise, why don't you tell me some other stories instead of Taoist skills?"
Li Guanyi said, "I can, of course, but I came here to teach you Taoist skills."
Upon hearing this, Xue Changqing said, "I'll add more money!"
He pulled out a small piece of silver and placed it on the table, his eyes fierce as he said, "Sir, please stop talking about Taoist skills! Just tell me another hour's worth of stories based on your salary today."
Li Guanyi appeared thoughtful and then said, "Then, let's talk about the Third Prince of Tie Le from five hundred years ago."
Xue Changqing frustratedly covered his head and cried out, "I don't want to hear 'history' either!"
The young man laughed, "My story is different."
His storytelling, unlike the dry history books, resembled that of a ranger. Li Guanyi, inspired by martial tales he had heard in the past, portrayed the Third Prince of Tie Le as a formidable foe, drawing even Xue Shuangtao's curiosity, "Where did you hear these stories?"
The young man showed a shy smile, "It was on the road while I was fleeing; I encountered two men drinking, one surnamed Jin, and the other Gu. They were competing in drinking while telling stories, and I just happened to listen."
Xue Shuangtao said discontentedly, "You're starting to make up stories again."
Then, crossing her arms, she also leaned on the stone table, curious about the story.
Xue Changqing said, "Wasn't the Third Prince of Tie Le described as being three zhang tall, with a waist as wide, and having a fierce, green face with fangs? That's not how you described him."
Li Guanyi replied, "Good description."
Feeling smug, Xue Changqing:
"You haven't seen him either, so he might be just as I described, right?"
Li Guanyi replied, "Based on your description, I'll pose you a mathematical problem: how much volume does a wooden block that's three zhang tall and three zhang wide have, and how many wooden chairs can it make? If split into logs three feet long and two fingers wide, how many would there be?"
Xue Changqing's face turned pale.
Xue Shuangtao lightly tossed a fruit towards Li Guanyi and said:
"Don't scare him, continue the story."
Li Guanyi smiled slightly and, in a martial style, resumed the historical tale he had researched about the Third Prince of Tie Le, saying, "The Third Prince of Tie Le, skilled with a curved sword, light with his blade technique, had a large beard but a handsome face, and he was said in the histories to be a reincarnation of the celestial Gray Wolf."
His tone was smooth, making the story captivating.
In the story, the one dueling with the Third Prince of Tie Le was a Swordsman, wielding a heavy sword. Facing each other, the moment their blades clashed, the prince's sword danced on the swordsman's blade like a butterfly, and then he chopped down in a beautiful posture.
Beneath the setting sun, the story-telling young man's black hair fluttered slightly in the wind, his eyes warm, carrying an aura of scholarly charm.
The reflection of the setting sun shone in his eyes.
The cold light mirrored in Li Guanyi's eyes.
Li Guanyi turned around, raising the heavy sword in his hand to block, colliding with the sword of the Third Prince of Tie Le.
The clash between swordsmen.
It was a mix of ancient legends and modern-day figures, and as night fell, he had arrived in this secret realm, challenging the Third Prince of Tie Le again, with General Xue smiling at the scene. The young man pulled back, avoiding the beautiful sword dance, facing his foe who he didn't know how many times had been slain.
"Third Prince of Tie Le."
"Today, I will definitely defeat you."
General Xue raised his eyebrows and said with a smile:
"Good, you're courageous. Shall we raise the stakes? If you can defeat him this time without dying,"
"beyond the 'Gray Wolf Guardian,' I'll give you one more technique, my inheritance, and a gift."
"It's something even the Great Emperor himself once coveted."
"If you lose, I'll inscribe this character 'righteous' upon you."
At this moment, the Third Prince of Tie Le had let out a long howl; the Gray Wolf Dharma Form transformed and emerged, arms crossed, the Gray Wolf guardian charging forward!
Li Guanyi turned to General Xue and said, "Then get ready!"
The bronze tripod resonated with a shrill cry.
He grasped the bow.
Then the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl echoed.
With his body in between, the Dragon and Tiger followed.