Li Guanyi regulated his breathing, changed it, and then, bracing himself, he went to the creek. He crouched down and saw his own face reflected in the moonlit water, looking a shade paler. His eyes, however, appeared even darker. The White Tiger Dharma Form perched on his shoulder, playing with his hair.
The white tiger's hooked claw caught a strand of hair and couldn't pull it out; its paw shook with effort.
But to the naked eye, it seemed as if a breeze had simply brushed the tips of the youth's hair.
Li Guanyi chuckled at the playful gesture.
He then sat back on a creekside stone and drew his black heavy saber. The blade bore some nicks and bloodstains. Li Guanyi took a cloth from the pouch at his waist and, under the moonlight, wiped the blade clean to prevent rust and odor.
After that, he used a small sharpening stone to grind away the small nicks, maintaining the sharpness of the edge.
Finally, he treated the blade with grease.
Throughout this process, his mind gradually calmed down. When the blade slid back into its sheath, it made a delicate sound that gave Li Guanyi a sense of security.
In a time of chaos, swords and sabers could bring peace of mind.
He searched the bodies of the other people he had killed and found a bunch of identity tags. They were new recruits from the border.
Plus about fifteen taels of silver and a pile of letters, which he also took with him.
His inner strength from the Breaking Formation Song had already recovered. The soreness from his first solo battle, where he had instinctively overexerted himself, quickly vanished. Li Guanyi collected all of the vegetables, placing them in the crate left by the old man, which was sturdily crafted from bamboo and thick hemp rope.
There were about thirty to fifty pounds of vegetables still good to eat, not spoiled at all.
Indeed, they were fine vegetables, and one could tell that the person who planted them had done so diligently.
Li Guanyi flexed his arms and lifted the crate, taking a few steps before suddenly remembering something. He turned around and saw the copper coin he had tossed in the air earlier, showing tails.
On it were four characters written by the current Emperor Chen.
The handwriting was elegant and rich.
It read—Taiping Tongbao.
The youth grinned, flipping the coin to heads, and then remarked with approval,
"Indeed, it's heads!"
He picked up the coin, dusted off the dirt, and put it in his chest.
He had originally planned to return, but thinking of the Stargazing School's Shaking Light of East Continent, and the presence of a villain like Qian Zheng, it was clear that outside the city wasn't safe. Shaking Light had taken care of him when he was poisoned. After reflecting on this, Li Guanyi decided it was better to go back and report in.
His inner strength channeled into his arms wasn't as enhanced as the inner strength passed down through the Xue Family lineage. Nonetheless, the flexibility of the Breaking Formation Song meant that Li Guanyi's arm strength was not weak. Standing firmly, he was even more solid than the Xue family.
He hurried back all the way. The light of the campfire faintly illuminated the rock walls, twinkling softly.
Li Guanyi slowed his pace as Shaking Light, wearing a hood, seemed to have sensed his approach. She turned and looked towards Li Guanyi with a voice as tranquil as undisturbed water, "You've returned."
Li Guanyi said, "There are fugitives outside. This place where you are might not be very safe."
Shaking Light replied calmly, "Please rest assured, the disciples of the Stargazing School of East Continent are not defenseless. I am not like you, who can charge on battlefields, but I can protect myself. And thank you for your concern."
Li Guanyi nodded and turned crisply away.
Just as he was about to leave, he caught sight of a stick with a roasted bun skewered on it.
There, Shaking Light sat quietly reading with her hood on. The bun bore fine bite marks, showing it had been bitten with force. The hard, overcooked bun had cracked open. Li Guanyi paused mid-step, then turned back and asked, "Is this what you're eating?"
Shaking Light looked at him and said, "Some rice flour, some clean water, that's enough."
Li Guan smiled wryly, pointed at the vegetables, and said,
"I can't take these with me, so I'll just leave them here."
"You can..."
He saw the hardened steamed buns, retracted the words 'you can cook'.
He asked, "Do you have a pot?"
Shaking Light slowly nodded, stood up, and crouched in front of a large backpack.
She rummaged, rummaged.
Clang, clang.
She lifted her head, turned around, her fair palm holding a small iron pot, and raised it towards Li Guan, lifting it to show the tiny pot with a twist of her wrist.
Then she answered,
"Yes."
Li Guan made a rack out of wood, placed the pot on top, filled it with clean water, then used Shaking Light's dagger to chop the washed vegetables into small dices, added them to the pot to simmer and tore the hard steamed buns into pieces the size of little fingers to cook in the pot.
He sprinkled in a handful of salt.
"Let's just do it this way, there's no meat, no grease, make do with it."
Li Guan sat beside the iron pot, watching the food bubble inside.
Through the mist rising from the food, Shaking Light's eyes looked at Li Guan and she spoke with a tranquil voice that caused no ripples, "Your mental state is not calm, there are many ripples. Have you encountered a choice to make?"
Li Guan paused for a moment.
This time, he had killed fifteen or sixteen people, but this wasn't the first time he had killed.
Previously, when he had killed those two Night Rider Cavalry, Yue Qianfeng took care of the aftermath.
At the moment, there was restlessness in his heart.
Li Guan realized that he didn't fear the killing; he just disliked the annoyance of having to deal with the aftermath, the troubles that came with it. He was self-aware that he was unwilling to take responsibility for the killings, even if they were for criminals. But Li Guan's understanding of Chen Country made him conscious that the troubles following wouldn't be few.
The reason behind the border guards and the squad leader turning into bandits must be significant, possibly quite complicated.
It wasn't as simple as just taking the waist card to claim the reward.
The wind brought the scent of leaves.
Shaking Light stood up and walked beside Li Guan, kneeling on one side, she extended her palm and said quietly,
"Please give me your hand."
"Is this also some kind of ritual?"
Li Guan chuckled.
But after thinking it over, he still extended his hand, which was lifted by Shaking Light's fair, delicate palm. Shaking Light lowered her gaze and said, "No, it's just that people on this vast land fear loneliness, and I think, companionship can quiet your mind a lot."
Shaking Light closed her eyes, clasping Li Guan's hand in hers, bowed her head, and recited the maxims of the East Continent Stargazing School, her silver hair falling down, her expression serene, like a quiet stream flowing under the moonlight.
And indeed, Li Guan's mental state settled down.
Previously, the agitation inside him gradually revealed itself, and he made a choice.
Shaking Light opened his eyes and released the palm of the young man:
"You carry the aura of murder, yet there is no resentment within you, no doubt about the path you've chosen. This means you have not killed the innocent indiscriminately, and the choices you've made have not betrayed your heart. Therefore, please do not doubt yourself, and do not fear."
Shaking Light's palm pushed forward, and her brown eyes looked at the young man before her.
"No matter which path you choose, as long as you do not become a tyrant who brings chaos to the world."
"I will be by your side."
Li Guanyi couldn't help but laugh, "Even if I am a fugitive who has committed serious crimes?"
Shaking Light held her left wrist with her right hand, positioning them in front of herself. After pondering seriously, she quietly answered:
"Then, do you need an accomplice who can guide you in the right direction?"
"I am willing to accompany you, to live through the greatest escape of worldly life."
"This is the destiny agreed upon."
Li Guanyi could not respond.
His gaze turned to Shui Jian, having fought Qian Zheng, he had finally understood the battle with the Third Prince of Tie Le. Now, he was confident he could defeat the Third Prince with his swordsmanship, although it took 'dying' dozens of times to find a way to beat him, and that was nothing to boast about.
After killing men today, his strength was spent; he would recover and return later.
Suddenly, Li Guanyi shouted, venting all the frustration in his heart.
Shaking Light quietly watched him.
Li Guanyi stretched out his hand to pat his cheeks and stood up, saying, "Thank you. I've come to understand some things."
"I will return after tomorrow."
"I shall take my leave for today."
Li Guanyi quickly walked out, while Shaking Light quietly sat back by the campfire, examining the simple meal and quietly savoring it with simple utensils.
Li Guanyi returned to the city alone. When he arrived at the city gate, many people from the surrounding villages were already queuing up in a long line, ready to wait for the gates to open to enter. Li Guanyi encountered some difficulties, as the city guards sometimes took things, mistaking him for a vegetable farmer.
It was only when they saw the knife and bow on Li Guanyi's waist that they were startled and dared not say anything more.
Li Guanyi looked at the bustling Guan Yi City, with the dawn's light appearing in the sky. Shops were opening up along the main road, large iron pots were brewing steaming-hot soup, well-cooked flatbreads exuded the aroma of wheat. Buildings with red lanterns hanging on their windows had extravagant decorations, their doors were opening, and flashy women were helping confucian scholars onto horses.
A whiff of fragrant aroma.
The scholars had flowers pinned to their temples, drunk and riding horses, slowly walking through the smoke of the cooking fires in the eatery.
Passing by a corner eatery, he snapped his fingers and dropped a "Peace Treasure Coin" onto the countertop, ordering a bowl of soup that's sour and sobering.
He tapped the clapper rhythmically, with zither music accompanying the bamboo flute.
He exclaimed—
Oh, what peace!
Li Guanyi, looking at this peaceful scene that had also calmed him in days past, thought of the old man's cries, of the long queues of vegetable farmers at the city gate, of Zhao Dabing's tales of traders dealing in human lives. The entirety of Chen Country and the world unveiled a corner before his eyes, where prosperity and absurdity flowed together like intertwining rivers.
So it was, for some, chaotic times were not chaotic at all, but peaceful.
In times of chaos, it is the common folk who suffer.
The young man carried the back of his sword and bow, with his clothes stained with blood.
The scholars with flowers in their hair rode on their horses backward, their bodies fragrant with powder.
They passed by each other.
For some reason, the scholar was startled suddenly and sobered up. Looking around, he discovered nothing.
Whereas Li Guanyi first went home to reassure his aunt.
Afterward, he chose to go to the Xue Family.
After killing fifteen or sixteen people, although there were wanted criminals among them, the matters involved were not so simple. The bureaucratic system of Chen Country was notoriously complex, and it was very possible that he might end up entangled in trouble without receiving any reward money. The only person Li Guanyi knew who could handle this matter perfectly was one.
He was a guest elder, and upon entering the inner courtyard, he thought for a moment and headed towards Wind Listening Pavilion.
The old master who had lost sleep over the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow was drinking rice porridge, unable to understand.
Last night at 1 a.m., why did the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow stir again?
Li Guanyi hadn't even touched it, could it be that someone else had triggered the bow?
The old man was startled awake by the sound of the bow in the middle of the night, pondered for a long while, and since old age brings less sleep, he ended up staying awake all night.
As he pondered, hearing Li Guanyi's arrival, he ordered another bowl to be added with more rice and ginseng, thinking that a young man would have the largest appetite. The Xue Family wasn't afraid of being eaten out of house and home, and then he had Li Guanyi come in.
As Li Guanyi entered, his robe sleeves fluttered.
Xue Daoyong raised his eyebrows a fraction.
The scent of blood.
Li Guanyi quietly sat down at the table and removed his War Bow, saying:
"I have killed."
The old master frowned slightly, but soon thought that if Li Guanyi had killed the innocent, he would not have come to find him.
He did not ask anything else and simply asked:
"Who?"
Li Guanyi placed the waist card on the table.
"A traitor squad leader of the border defense, Qian Zheng."
The old master looked at the waist card of the Entering Realm martial artist, his pupils slightly constricting.
That was an elite of the border defense against Ying Country, a squad leader who had survived at least three major battles and reached the Entering Realm in martial arts, having seen blood and at least seven heads under his military tent. However, with the Divine Bow of the Xue Family, maintaining distance, albeit difficult and dangerous, such an opponent could be dealt with.
One-on-one, transcending realms, even if leveraging a weapon's advantage, it was still considered a display of both wisdom and bravery.
The old master nodded in approval and said, "It is not bad..."
But then, he saw the young man reach into his chest, pull out a blackened, blood-soaked wooden tag, loosen his grip, and it dropped onto the table—a border defense military tag. The expression on the old master's face gradually froze as the young man's robe sleeves remained unstained by blood, only his lapel showing a trace of it.
He lay down his sword beside him and quietly said:
"And their accomplices, in total sixteen people."
"All slain by my hand."