Chapter 212

When Li Guanyi returned, he saw his usually calm aunt with slightly red eyes, as if she had just been crying; he immediately suspected something, and when he saw the elderly man in blue robes who claimed he knew only a little swordplay, his aunt pulled Li Guanyi over and said, "Liniu."

"Come, this is your great-grandfather."

Li Guanyi silently regarded the man in blue robes—the teenager who had just moments ago severed the head of the former Commander of Beicheng—now stood frozen; the elderly man in blue robes reached out, placed his hand on the boy's head, and gently rubbed it.

Li Guanyi heard himself say, "Great-grandfather."

The man in blue robes wept uncontrollably.

Outside the door, Master Siming sat there, chewing on a blade of grass, gazing at the sky; his eyes held a vast, tranquil stillness as he reached out and patted the tortoise's head, saying, "Truly good—this old man has finally found his own scabbard again."

"Truly good—to see one's own descendant at a time like this."

He said "truly good," eyes closed, then said:

"But what of us?"

With his eyes shut, he seemed still to see his old friends, to see their backs—their promises of life and death together, their mutual trust in each other's lives, their eventual betrayal, swords drawn, tearing apart the world, never meeting again.

Master Siming gave a self-deprecating smile, raised his cup, and toasted heaven and earth.

Thwack—

Old Master Siming looked up and saw the silver-haired girl extend her hand; her face held no expression, but in her palm lay a grass wreath adorned with purple morning glories, which she gently placed atop his head—whereupon the old man burst into loud laughter.

Yao Guang sat beside Master Siming, chin propped on both hands.

Master Siming said, "Aren't you going in to see him?"

"If I go, that old man might slash me with his sword—but if you go, he won't do anything to you."

The silver-haired girl shook her head, her voice calm: "No."

Master Siming smiled and said, "What a good child."

After Master Jiankuang Murong Longtu and Li Guanyi recognized Murong Qiushui, they composed themselves and were deeply pleased with the boy; the elder tested Li Guanyi's Wu Gong, yet found himself exasperated by the boy's sword technique.

It wasn't swordplay at all.

To Master Jiankuang's eyes, Li Guanyi's movements were like wielding a spear or halberd—with his arm as the shaft and the sword as the blade—vast, sweeping, brutally powerful, wildly crude; the elder was helpless, yet the once arrogant swordsman now merely clapped his hands and cheerfully praised:

"My child—excellent sword technique."

"Truly imposing."

Master Siming's eye twitched violently beside him.

Is this the Master Jiankuang?

Is this the Master Jiankuang I know?!

Shouldn't he have said, "You don't deserve to wield a sword—drop your blade and leave"?

Where are your principles? Your integrity? Your sincerity toward the Dao of the sword?

He suspected that even if Li Guanyi used his sword like a butcher's knife, this Master Jiankuang would still say, "No wonder he's my child—this sword cuts pork with such precision!"

Utterly without principle!

Yet seeing Master Jiankuang's relaxed expression, as an old friend, Master Siming smiled too; that day, Master Jiankuang corrected Li Guanyi's grip and motion with the sword, then said, "You've already led this army out—you must have strategists and generals under you."

"Then, leave these few thousand men to them, and come with me into the Jianghu—let's wander, let's walk, how about it?"

"I will pass on all I've learned to you; the Murong family's ninety-six mystery weapons must now have new masters."

The elder's expression was gentle and hopeful.

Li Guanyi felt Murong Longtu's expectation and regard; he did not answer immediately, but said he needed time to consider, then pulled open the flap of the simple tent and stepped out—outside, everything was bustling with energy.

People's faces carried a fervor—the fervor of escape from Zhenbei Pass—and a trace of bewilderment, yet each had something to do, bustling with activity: the seven Physicians had gathered a group to forage for herbs in the forest.

This region lay in the buffer zone between two nations.

Normally, no one dared gather herbs here, so to Shi Dalin and his physicians, the herbs grew wildly, everywhere abundant; Shi Dalin, the impoverished physician, nearly wept with joy.

Damn, this herb is everywhere!

Mine! Mine—all mine!

This grass stops diarrhea—collect it! This flower clears heat? Collect it!

They gathered in huge baskets, basket after basket.

Nothing else—they were used to poverty.

When Li Guanyi approached, Shi Dalin was sorting herbs; he held up a bundle, his wrinkles smoothing into a smile, saying, "General, look at these fine herbs—rarely seen in the past, yet so abundant beyond the border."

"If we collect these, we won't need to use ancient precious herbs when problems arise."

The old physician hurriedly added, "I'm not saying to waste them."

"Just—use fine steel where it matters; reserve those medicinal herbs for cultivation pills; for ordinary nourishment, these will do."

Li Guanyi nodded and said, "Where are Lei Laomeng and the others?"

Shi Dalin smiled and said, "Ah, Lei Laomeng? After setting up camp, he took some men up the mountain to hunt for meat—you know him, he wouldn't abandon the ballistae, so he tied them onto bears—only the Divine Beast Manor could pull off something like this."

The old physician asked seriously, "But where do we go next?"

Li Guanyi looked at him; the elderly physician grinned naturally and said, "General, we've escaped—but we have no home now. Where will we go from here?"

Someone nearby laughed, "Why ask that? The General must already have a plan!"

"Haha, exactly!"

Li Guanyi froze, looking around at the faces—these so-called Fire Qilin soldiers bore none of the heroic vigor rumored; each face was worn, many brothers suffering heatstroke from the heavy armor and forced marches.

Then one of the seven "Qi Laogui" would pry open their mouths and pour in a bowl of herbal broth.

Lift them up, lay them in the shade.

They were ragged, yet their faces held smiles and curiosity as they watched Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi stared at these faces, silent for a long while, then smiled and replied, "Don't worry—I'm thinking about it." That day, Lei Laomeng and the others returned with abundant game; everyone feasted on meat and rice, each pair of eyes gleaming.

Li Guanyi ate with them, then returned to the tent to find Pang Shuiyun holding a newly drawn map, discussing strategy with Generals Ling Pingyang and Sun Wenchou; the elder said, "This place lies beyond Zhenbei Pass, facing the Xiong Kingdom's stronghold; between the two nations lies a vast buffer zone—Dahe and Dajiang."

"Neither nation pays much attention to these areas—only a few fortresses guard them; bypass these, find a suitable spot among the mountains, set up camp, and then I and General Ling Pingyang will remain here to train these men."

"Lurking within the forests, neither the Qin State nor the Chen State will expend great effort to seek us out. This place is harsh, yet it can temper a martialist's will. When great changes come to the world, these men will be a surprise force."

"As for the young master, let him depart with Elder Murong."

"Leave this place to us."

Li Guanyi listened to their conversation. The boy remained silent for a long while, drinking the cooling brew prepared by Shi Dalin—the bitter taste mingling with the dandelion infusion as it slid down his throat. He thought of those faces, and said nothing.

Ling Pingyang seemed to notice the boy's silence, and smiled.

"General Li, what are your thoughts?"

Ling Pingyang, Murong Longtu, Pang Shuiyun, and Changsun Wuchou all turned toward the silent young general. He lifted his gaze, drained the wooden cup of cooling brew in one gulp, then strode forward, studying the map and extending a finger.

He pressed down firmly on one spot.

The Eighteen States of Jiangnan!

The boy exhaled sharply: "I'm going here!"

Pang Shuiyun's expression shifted slightly. "The Eighteen States of Jiangnan lie at the heart of Jiangnan, while we are in the northern reaches of the Chen State. Beyond Zhenbei Pass lies a mountain range. To proceed, we must march slowly along rivers and ridges—over ten thousand li."

"Even with martialist strength, it would take more than half a year."

"Moreover, the Chen and Qin States along the way may not hesitate to intercept us!"

Ling Pingyang also spoke gravely: "Such a march demands extraordinary morale. No ordinary army could accomplish this."

Li Guanyi looked at Pang Shuiyun, then pulled a seal from his robe and tossed it over.

The old man caught it. The seal was ancient and plain, shaped like a tiger, with two characters beneath: 【Qin Wu】. Pang Shuiyun had once studied in the Imperial Academy and was one of the Five Strategists of his generation. In an instant, he recognized it: "Is this the imperial decree-granted title from Zhongzhou?!"

Pang Shuiyun's eyes blazed. He bowed deeply. "The world is still unsettled. With Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua in play, and now this Zhongzhou seal, I guarantee this small force can traverse both states without provoking assassination."

He smiled. "With Zhongzhou's name, we are Qin Wu's army. If the Qin or Chen States attack us, they commit unprovoked aggression. Though Zhongzhou has long lost its true power, this 【name】 still holds great weight in this world."

Pang Shuiyun tucked the seal away. His finger traced the map, pointing to the region of the Eighteen States of Jiangnan. His voice carried a faint tremor of excitement as he spoke slowly:

"And with this 【name】..."

"If we can lead the army to reach the 【Eighteen States of Jiangnan】, then the young master will have a city, land, troops, and generals. Even if his strength is still weak—nowhere near enough to contend with the warlords—he will already carry a different weight."

An ancient title surfaced in the hearts of all within the commander's tent.

Their spirits tightened slightly.

Lord!

Ling Pingyang gripped his weapon, clenched and released his grip, exhaled slowly, and stared at the map. Changsun Wuchou too felt a ripple of stirring within his chest at this ancient, solemn title.

If a new Lord emerged in this world, perhaps this was truly the first step toward claiming the realm.

Young Lady, your vision this time—was it perhaps too sharp?

Compared to Pang Shuiyun's strategy, this one was fiercer, more domineering.

Yet the young general said nothing of lords, revealed nothing of his true goal or purpose. Before these classical strategists and generals, the boy remained silent.

When they began refining this plan, Li Guanyi gained solitude. He sat alone, motionless, staring at the map, eyes unblinking—as if pondering something.

The promise of Master Jiankuang Murong Longtu—the freedom and exhilaration of wandering the martial world.

And those earnest smiles, endlessly flashing through his mind.

Two hands gently pressed upon the boy's head.

The touch was soft, delicate.

Silver hair fell down. Li Guanyi stared at the map, not turning.

Yao Guang watched him. She knew Li Guanyi was making a monumental choice. The girl reached out, took his head, thought for a moment, then followed the record in the 【First Generation Yao Guang Manual】, applying gentle force to pull him toward herself.

The young general wrapped his arms around Yao Guang's waist and buried his face in her chest.

The girl's palm rested lightly atop Li Guanyi's head.

The silver-haired girl's expression was serene. Her voice flowed like water: "It doesn't matter."

She said:

"Whatever you choose to do, I will accompany you."

That day, Li Guanyi visited the prisoners, especially Yuwen Tianxian. To Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua's surprise, Li Guanyi did not mistreat or abuse them. Rations were sufficient, though meat portions were smaller than those given to his own men.

Yet even this surpassed Yuwen Tianxian's expectations.

When the prisoners realized their food matched that of Li Guanyi's men, Yuwen Tianxian clearly sensed the rebellion within them crumbling. No weapons. No armor. No abuse. Enough to eat.

Only a fool would rebel now.

Yuwen Tianxian held a bowl of braised stew—prepared personally by Lei Laomeng, with help from the entire group's cooks. Lei Laomeng had roared in fury, using his Foundation Establishment-level martial power to wield a giant shovel and stir furiously until the stew achieved perfect flavor.

Each enormous pot contained one entire wild boar.

Under the leadership of this disciple of the Divine Beast Manor, the beasts of these mountains suffered.

Edible ones were eaten. Excess was turned into jerky.

Nothing else!

We're poor!

These past days, Lei Laomeng watched supplies vanish at terrifying speed. His scalp went numb. As newly appointed quartermaster, chef, and beast herd leader, Lei Laomeng's five-man team frantically pulled out their sect's scriptures and studied through the night.

Back in the sect, they'd only half-listened. Now they wanted to tear every last bit of knowledge from their minds.

Elder, we're sorry—we shouldn't have slept during lessons.

Teach us again!

But the elders were thousands of li away. Lei Laomeng wept bitterly and studied through the night.

Then practiced the next day.

Eventually, Lei Laomeng realized his ancestor's writings weren't always right—he kept improving: "This device only catches five at once. But if you disperse and dilute the 【Beast-Attracting Incense】, you can lure fifteen at once—just not fully stunned. A pit trap solves that."

"Damn it, what kind of crap did our ancestor write?!"

Thus, under the pressure of thousands of hungry mouths—

He had no choice but to activate the Trapcraft skill tree.

Several days later, Lei Laomeng began skillfully using his tamed beasts to hunt wild animals.

There was no way—no meat to eat if he didn't.

He gradually wondered if life was all forced out of people—people do things for two reasons: 【starved too badly】 and 【ate too well】.

Riding on the bear's back, he drove the wild beasts into the traps, then pulled over a hundred hunters from the infantry to join Lei Laomeng's ranks; Lei Laomeng stared blankly at the group behind him—men who couldn't even read.

Lei Laomeng let out a long, roaring sigh, gritting his teeth: "Weren't we supposed to retire from the martial world?"

His brothers claimed innocence.

Lei Laomeng had no choice but to begin breaking down and teaching the Divine Beast Manor's techniques and methods; seeing those slow-witted fools, he often flew into a rage, suddenly understanding why his former outer-disciple elder had aged ten years in just five.

This ragtag army marched stubbornly through the borderlands between the two nations.

Yuwen Tianxian watched silently as his own troops slowly drew closer to this band—after all, they could help slaughter pigs and cook stews; this army's methods violated every classical military doctrine he had learned, yet possessed a wild, adaptive resilience.

Li Guanyi's voice came: "General Yuwen, how are you faring?"

Yuwen Tianxian turned to look at him and said: "Li Guanyi."

This famed general's internal Qi had been entangled by Pang Shuiyun's Stratagem of the Strategist School; his Dharma Form was suppressed by Master Siming, who, after resolving Murong Qiushui's Dharma Form crisis, had casually cast a weakened version of the seal upon Yuwen Tianxian.

Yuwen Tianxian remained silent: "It's a strong army, but your force cannot remain here indefinitely—it is a 【lonely army】. You must change course, or this army will surely perish."

Li Guanyi said: "I know. So I've already made my decision."

Yuwen Tianxian looked at him and suddenly asked: "Are you going to kill us?"

Li Guanyi looked at Yuwen Tianxian and Yuwen Hua, then answered: "I certainly can't kill you. Right now, we're too weak—if I kill you, the Yuwen Clan and Ying State will erupt in fury. Even a ten-percent chance of them launching an army? I dare not risk it."

"But in exchange, I want you to teach me the military formations of the Military School."

Xue Shen had only taught Li Guanyi strategy; Ling Pingyang was a cavalry commander; Yuwen Tianxian was the kind of general who understood everything, and mastered each to a decent level—his knowledge and ability in military doctrine were exceptionally solid. Li Guanyi hoped to learn something from him.

Learning from an enemy is also acceptable.

Yuwen Tianxian frowned, neither accepting nor refusing, but said gravely:

"We've seen everything you've done in training your troops."

"Your military methods are now known to us. When we return, won't we be able to train our own troops the same way—and surpass you?"

He stared hard at Li Guanyi, but saw the young general smiling. Li Guanyi looked at this noble-born famed general and said calmly:

"You won't learn it. Your generals are skilled at performance—but it's only performance. They can't do what I do. They've lost the most important thing. And if you truly learn my real methods—"

He looked at Yuwen Tianxian and grinned:

"Then you won't be my enemy anymore!"

Yuwen Tianxian froze slightly, staring at Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi sat cross-legged. The boy seemed weary. He said: "I came to this era, saw all this—I had to do something. But I've realized now, from Pang Shuiyun, from Ling Pingyang—they've shown me I cannot defy the laws of this age."

The boy reached out his hand: "Productive forces. The limitations of this era—they determine how far I can go."

"I won't live to see that future. But I came to this era, and there must be something I can do. I'll reach my limit, and wait for those who come after to surpass me—and laugh at me as an old fool."

"I also hope you learn something real from me. If, in the end, the one who inherits that wish and the force that carries it wins—then whether it's me or not… doesn't matter…"

Yuwen Tianxian's heart surged with turmoil.

Li Guanyi paused, then scratched his head and smiled sheepishly:

"Though I wanted to say that, I clearly don't have that kind of spirit or vision. They say: 'The merciful cannot command troops.' But these men—I pulled them in myself, watched them step by step reach this point. They're my troops."

The boy spoke softly.

He stood, turned his back on Yuwen Tianxian, and walked away, raising his hand.

"I can't let them die."

"I must walk this world to its end."

On this day, Fan Qing and the others were gathered by Li Guanyi—but it wasn't solemn; they were still eating. Pang Shuiyun thought this lacked dignity, but Li Guanyi didn't care.

Li Guanyi took a deep breath, looked at Pang Shuiyun, Ling Pingyang, and the Sword Mad Murong Longtu, then spoke—and all fell silent. Li Guanyi raised his hand, pointing far away, and declared loudly:

"Gentlemen, we've traveled seven full days. Do you still not know where we're going? I'll tell you now: our destination is the 【Eighteen Provinces of Jiangnan】. We're still in the mountains and forests now, and must cross these sweltering wilds."

"It's over eighteen thousand li—even cultivators will take half a year to walk it."

"We'll cross the entire north-south axis."

Ling Pingyang watched them. He saw the confusion on their faces. Eighteen thousand li was a terrifying distance—it could crush all courage. Li Guanyi clenched his fist and said: "I said I'd bring you home. But home… is gone."

"What is home? Fields and houses. Family."

He took a deep breath: "Go there—I'll give you land!"

Pang Shuiyun's pupils shrank violently. The old man leapt up to grab the young master—but Ling Pingyang held him back. Ling Pingyang had been ordered by Li Guanyi: no matter what happened, stop Pang Shuiyun. The moment those words left his mouth, everyone froze.

Fan Qing's smile went slack. The men still eating let their bowls and chopsticks fall.

Those who had seemed so cheerful, so carefree, stared fixedly at the boy.

What the chaotic age had stolen from them—part of their home—Li Guanyi reached out his arm. No lords. No empire. His reason for going there was simple: not the grand ambition Pang Shuiyun imagined.

He had said: I'll bring you home.

How could he leave them here in this sweltering wasteland and run off alone, gallivanting with his great-grandfather as some young hero or great hero of the martial world?

Li Guanyi said: "I will walk this road with you!"

"I will not leave you."

The boy pointed to the distant horizon, took a deep breath, and looked at their dark, weary faces. The wind blew. The name plaques of the dead on the war chariots swayed slightly—each one pierced him.

Li Guanyi poured out every ounce of strength.

With all the boldness and burning blood of youth, he shouted:

"I will walk this road with you—seven months, eight months, a year. There, there will be fields, houses to build. Then, you can all go home. No more swords in hand."

"Then, you won't need to stand beside me. But now—"

He shouted: "Come with me!"

"I'll take you home!"

Pang Shuiyun stopped struggling.

Those soldiers did not shout "Yes!" as they usually did; their lips trembled, and those who had just been laughing cheerfully suddenly burst into loud, unrestrained sobs, weeping so fiercely that the burly men lay trembling on the ground like leaves in the wind.

After that day, this battered battalion, once dismissed as merely at the tail end of second-tier forces, suddenly reversed its course; they did not stay, did not set up camp in these woods, but raised their banners and set out on a grueling journey of expedition.

………………

Sword Mad found Li Guanyi; the old man did not grow angry at Li Guanyi's refusal, but said, "If you won't enter the Jianghu now, there's a place—would you lead your troops past it on the way?"

The old man smiled: "I've just delivered my invitation."

He pointed at the map.

Yin Yang Lunzhuan Sect!