Chapter 215: The Sword Mad

Bu Jun held the letter in his hand, almost ready to open it.

Then he paused, rose again, saw in the bronze mirror that he was now dressed in brocade, reeking of perfume, so he set the letter down, went to bathe, burned incense, washed his hands clean, and put on the plain cloth robes he had worn when they first met.

He lit a stick of sandalwood incense in front and played a qin melody.

Only then did he reopen the letter.

【Bu Jun, I hope this letter finds you well.】

Bu Jun's solemn expression barely cracked; his lips twitched slightly, then he suppressed it.

It twitched again, suppressed again; he clenched his fist, pressed it against his lips, and coughed once.

"I am Bu Jun, the most brilliant strategist of the Bu Jun lineage in eight hundred years."

"No, no, not like this."

Bu Jun exhaled deeply, then read carefully.

【... Yet even in hardship, I think of you constantly.】

The brilliant strategist Bu Jun's lips curved upward.

He forced it down.

【If you were by my side, all these troubles would resolve themselves effortlessly.】

Bu Jun's lip curve grew increasingly exaggerated.

【I can only lament and grieve.】

Suppress, suppress it—

He couldn't suppress it at all!

Bu Jun shut all doors and windows, then exhaled sharply, clutched the letter, and burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, Yao Guang, Yao Guang—you stay by the Lord's side, yet the Lord still writes me letters! Hahahaha, look at you, how pitiful!"

"I, I am certain to win!"

"Hahahahaha!"

When Bu Jun saw the words that followed.

【I hope you are well. With this letter, I send you dried nuts we gathered—these were stir-fried personally by Guanyi; I hope you do not disdain them.】

He rushed out and shouted to the gatekeeper: "Bring me the items that came with the letter!" He counted the large sack of pine nuts—six hundred and seventy-three, each plump and full.

"This is the Lord's first gift to me."

"I must treasure it, take it back, and show it to those old bastards."

Huh?

How did you know the Lord stir-fried these pine nuts for me and had them specially delivered?!

Bu Jun happily wrote letters to his lineage's teachers and ancestral masters.

He ended with: "You old fools, you're all too dull. I simply cannot fathom how our Ancestor lost to the First Yao Guang—and got so angry he swore never to serve alongside the Yao Guang lineage again."

"Watch me."

"Let me prove that the strongest strategist under the White Tiger, who shatters this chaotic age, is me—no, now he must be called the Fire Qilin, the Qilin of chaos…" Bu Jun's lips curved, his expression calm and gentle:

"When I fulfill my grand vow of universal harmony, I will return."

"So, tend the family fields well, do not let them lie fallow; care for the houses too. You are not even as wise as I am—I know that after our lineage's sharp edge, we must return."

"Bu Jun shall tear apart the world with supreme strategy, but when the world reunites and peace returns, there will be no place for men like us who stir up storms. Then, I wish to sit by a river, fish, listen to the wind, watch sunsets and clouds rise, and end my days thus—that is my true desire."

The young strategist paused.

He added finally: "Oh, by the way, have you read the Divine General Rankings?"

"Look up the latest edition."

"The first in twenty years to complete a total annihilation campaign."

"The youngest Divine General to appear on the Rankings in three hundred years—rank eighty-three, the Qilin of chaos."

"Did you see?"

"Look closely!"

"Huh? How did you know this one is my Lord?"

Bu Jun finished the letter in one breath.

Thinking of the expressions on the faces of his lineage's old bastards when they read this, the young strategist wore an extremely pleased look, then wrote another letter—to Li Guanyi—using coded script, for Yao Guang could decipher it:

"Lord, I have received your letter. Thank you for your concern."

"I will keep these nuts as a family heirloom."

"Here, all proceeds as planned. The Seven Kings have arrived; he is mighty and martial. The Emperor of Ying's eldest daughter and seven other daughters are all willing to marry him. Also, I have noticed the rift between Jiang Gao and Jiang Yuan."

"But Ying's situation is complex—more troublesome than Chen's. Court factions are tangled and intertwined, held together only by the Emperor of Ying and the Grand Tutor's iron grip."

"Yet the Emperor of Ying is old. The suppressed Ying is like a roaring volcano; once he falls, it will erupt with devastating force. Ying's only hope lies in unifying the realm."

"Conquering Chen, and beyond—Xiyu, beyond the passes, the grasslands."

"Vast lands, ample population—the Jiangnan, Xiyu once controlled by Chen—all represent resources. These can feed Ying's civil and military officials and court clans. As long as all benefit, Ying can remain united."

"I met Pang Shuiyun. That old man…"

Bu Jun paused.

He crossed out that term.

"Pang Lao said your strategy—he has publicly spread your name, yet deliberately downplayed your reputation, so that Ying and Chen see you as a target that brings no gain, only the risk of biting off your own teeth and suffering a loss of face."

"You may proceed in peace. When you reach the Eighteen Provinces of Jiangnan, you will be the dragon returning to Wang Yang."

"The tiger walks among mountains and rivers."

"But one thing, remember well."

"Upon reaching the Eighteen Provinces of Jiangnan, you must immediately go into hiding. Absolutely do not proclaim yourself a feudal lord. Conceal your sharp edge. In the world's reputation, you must suppress yourself—but on the battlefield of Jiangnan, you must advance with Zi Yi."

"When the world has not yet changed and your wings are not yet strong, to raise your head and cry out is an omen of ill fortune."

"Now, I have discerned a turning point in the great transformation of the world: 【The Emperor of Ying grows old and dies】. Only then will the time come for heroes to rise."

"As for my own safety, I can trust Yao Guang—her strategy differs from mine."

"Astrology, benevolence, and rest and recuperation—listen to these."

"My words are few, but I grieve that I am not by my lord's side; I only wish my lord would raise his weapons, press forward bravely, and sweep clean the four corners."

Po Jun picked up his brush, thought for a moment, then deliberately took tea and dripped a few drops onto the letter paper.

It looked as if he had wept uncontrollably while writing the letter.

His nature was proud and self-regarding, his standards extremely high; it was harder to make him weep than to make him die—but faking it here was possible. Ah, just imagining my lord seeing my reply with tear stains on it—he would surely be moved by my Heart's Realm.

Po Jun nodded in satisfaction.

He slightly lifted his chin.

Hmph, Yao Guang, Yao Guang—what do you have to compete with me?

………………

Above the sect of Yin-Yang Wheel Turn, the divine weapon 【Yin-Yang Wheel Turn Ruler】 hovered in the air, emitting a soft, rhythmic hum. Inside Li Guanyi, the bronze tripod roared incessantly. He slowly extended his hand and touched the divine weapon.

The divine weapon emitted a flow of yin-yang energy.

But the bronze tripod's roar suddenly intensified.

Like the king of the Central Lands, rising in fierce wrath, so that even the most arrogant generals and soldiers could not but submit.

The 【Yin-Yang Wheel Turn Ruler】 instantly calmed down.

This divine weapon was forcibly suppressed, seized in the hands of Li Guanyi—the enemy who had eradicated the sect's lineage—and Li Guanyi carefully observed it, pouring his internal qi into it, understanding its nature.

It was a divine weapon combining offense and defense.

Yin-Yang rotation could be used for killing or for protection, possessing countless mysteries—even enabling the art of rapid transformation, allowing plants to grow swiftly and wounds to heal rapidly; as a weapon of slaughter, it could cause blood to flow ceaselessly from wounds and poison water.

Li Guanyi sighed: "This thing—if used well, could save countless lives; if used poorly, could kill countless lives."

Unfortunately, Li Guanyi tried it, and this divine weapon did not resonate with his Law Form.

The Crimson Dragon seemed firmly attached to Chi Xiao Sword.

The Bai Hu Law Form preferred the Tiger Roar Sky Spear and the Break-Cloud Thunder Bow.

The other Law Forms—the Green Phoenix and the Black Tortoise—had some compatibility, but not perfect.

The Fire Qilin was even lazily unresponsive.

Yet even so, it was a powerful artifact. Li Guanyi put it away and continued fulfilling his duties, when General Yuwen Tianxian came again to speak with him. His expression was calm, without ripples, and he simply said:

"There are too few people."

Li Guanyi froze: "Huh?"

"Are these not enough people?"

General Yuwen Tianxian said gravely: "I mean capable people."

This famed general said: "A general must have confidants, eyes and ears, and claws and fangs."

"Without confidants, one walks at night, helpless and lost; without eyes and ears, one dwells in darkness, unaware of movement; without claws and fangs, one eats poison like a starving man—there is no survival."

"Thus, a skilled general must have learned and wise men as confidants, cautious and secretive men as eyes and ears, brave and fierce warriors as claws and fangs. Your subordinates now—few meet these standards. Ling Pingyang and Changsun Wuchou are such talents, but only they are not enough."

"If you were to command ten thousand troops, do you know how the deployment would look?"

General Yuwen Tianxian extended his finger, picked up a pair of chopsticks from the table, and placed them down: "First, as commander, you lead the central army of four thousand, of which two thousand eight hundred are frontline soldiers, organized as your Qilin Army—fifty men per squad, fifty-six squads total."

"Then, left and right Yu Hou each command one army, each of two thousand eight hundred men."

"Each contains one thousand nine hundred frontline soldiers, totaling seventy-eight squads."

"Then, left and right Xiang each command two armies, each of two thousand six hundred men, each with one thousand eight hundred and fifty frontline soldiers, one hundred and forty-eight squads."

"Even then, you only have fourteen thousand men, two hundred and eighty-two squads ready for battle; the remaining six thousand guard supplies. Do you know how many junior officers, quartermasters, logistics personnel, squad leaders, squad heads, and flag-bearers are needed within this?"

"With fifty men per frontline squad, for a force of fourteen thousand including logistics, you must command two hundred and eighty-two combat units on the battlefield, executing battle formations. Can you do it?"

Li Guanyi's scalp prickled.

Directly struck by this living legend's blunt words, he finally understood the difficulty of commanding troops.

But he had already walked this path.

The boy said: "Isn't there still the General here?"

General Yuwen Tianxian was caught off guard. He frowned and replied:

"I am but a defeated general."

Li Guanyi rose, stepped forward, and General Yuwen Tianxian saw light almost blazing in the boy's eyes. Then Li Guanyi seized his hand and said earnestly:

"I, Guanyi, am dull—please, General, teach me!"

General Yuwen Tianxian looked at Li Guanyi. He felt as if his fist had clenched tightly, yet could not strike—helpless. Finally, he only said: "... You treat human malice so lightly; one day, you will pay for it."

Li Guanyi said: "I treat you with sincerity—you are not such a person."

General Yuwen Tianxian fell silent, sighed:

"I cannot teach you much. And if you aspire to the world, you must surpass me."

"My command ability can only lead an army of twenty thousand, participating in battles of a hundred thousand."

Li Guanyi's forehead twitched.

At that moment, Li Guanyi suddenly realized: General Yuwen Tianxian's true strength was not in skirmishes of a few thousand, but in coordinating tens of thousands in large-scale combined operations—with diverse troop types. His strength seemed to grow the larger his force and the more varied its composition.

General Yuwen Tianxian probably never imagined he'd be caught in a trap.

Like a mighty tiger captured by a juvenile wildcat.

A twenty-thousand-man army!

Li Guanyi, whose command ability barely stretched to a few thousand, stood stunned.

I'm so weak.

Yuwen Tianxian fell silent, then said: "But if your goal is something farther, you must surpass me—you need command over a hundred thousand troops to step into this world's chaos, and if—"

He looked at Li Guanyi; after traveling together for over sixty days, Yuwen Tianxian still uttered a remark clearly overstepping his bounds: "The realm is not yet settled, yet the warlords still live!"

"The Chen state is like a giant; before it dies, it will unleash a furious counterstrike."

"I believe the battle that decides the realm's fate and direction will be a massive confrontation where both sides command armies of a million troops. In such a battlefield, my command ability can only play a supporting role."

"And such a great battle will surely become the most magnificent in all history, celebrated by countless generations to come; the generals and heroes within it will be etched into the annals."

"Li Guanyi, if you wish to step into such a battlefield."

"You must learn with all your might."

Li Guanyi was overjoyed.

He spread his arms wide and hugged the expressionless general tightly, laughing: "Hahahaha! So the general is agreeing to teach me!!"

Yuwen Tianxian reached out and pressed his hand against Li Guanyi's face.

He shoved the fellow away with force, saying: "I'm merely a defeated general doing what I must to survive—don't get too close. One day, you and I will meet on the battlefield."

"What I intend to do…"

He looked at the young face before him and said:

"I'm just curious."

"Curious how far your philosophy can take you."

With a subtle force, he flipped Li Guanyi onto his back, then turned and walked away. When he reached the entrance of the humble tent, he turned back, gazing at the young general sitting there, delighted, and said: "I want you to promise me one thing."

Li Guanyi immediately said: "Tell me."

Yuwen Tianxian said: "When you and I meet on the battlefield one day…"

The famed general lowered his gaze and whispered:

"Don't hold back."

He pulled back the curtain and strode out.

The news that Li Guanyi and his men had crushed the Yin-Yang Wheel Sect had not yet spread fully, but under Pang Shuiyun's maneuvering, the young man was beginning to be known as a new general, his reputation rising across the realm.

Though it was but the faintest tremor at the tip of a green duckweed.

Yet it had finally begun.

And at this moment, within the Central State Academy, a great Confucian scholar of the current generation had returned—rarely seen—and was personally received by Gongyang Su Wang: none other than Wang Tong, the master Li Guanyi had met in Guan Yicheng and from whom he learned the Ten Thousand Enemies Art.

Master Wang Tong hurried through the academy, accompanied by only three disciples.

Fang Ziqiao of the Qinghe Fang clan.

Du Keming of the Jingzhao Du clan.

Wei Xuancheng of Quyang.

He told his three disciples to visit friends within the academy, while he and Gongyang Su Wang entered together.

Gongyang Su Wang was a stern old man; he looked at the young but frail Confucian scholar before him and sighed. Wang Tong spoke with him of the Chen state's grand sacrifice, and the old man occasionally burst into hearty laughter: "Oh? There's a Fire Qilin too?"

After Wang Tong described the Fire Qilin's combat power, a distant, vast voice echoed:

"Hmm? Such combat power?"

"How old is it?"

Master Wang Tong turned to see a massive beast lying there, its dark-gold scales heavy and thick, its fur streaked with white, its left horn broken, the fracture sharp—the academy's ancient Fire Qilin.

Gongyang Su Wang offered it a fruit.

The old Qilin refused, pointing instead to the sweets over there.

Gongyang Su Wang chuckled, then shoved the entire jar of newly arrived Central State honey sugar pills into the Qilin's mouth. Wang Tong replied: "According to records, it was hatched by Chen Baxian in his old age—roughly five hundred years old."

The old Qilin said: "Five hundred years, yet it has never revealed the true form of Fire Qilin flame."

"Has this Qilin spent all five hundred years lying idle?"

Its face clearly showed anger as it spoke to Gongyang Su Wang: "The Master said: Jade uncarved cannot become an instrument; also: those born knowing are supreme; those who learn through study are next; those who learn only when troubled are lower still; those who remain troubled yet refuse to learn are the lowest of all."

"This one, regarding Li Wanli's affair over a decade ago, surely knew his strength was insufficient."

"Ten years of humiliation, tempering his heart; ten years of escape, I thought he would be awakened."

"He should have then striven, honing his own power."

"Yet he remains as sluggish as a worn-out nag! Beaten, yet still refuses to gallop forward—wasting all his strength. How weak he is!"

Gongyang Su Wang said: "One who conquers oneself is strong; indeed, he is weak."

"But I have already calculated it—you two will meet within half a year to a year."

The old Qilin said: "After arriving here, give me that Qilin."

It swallowed the sugar pills, its eyes golden, refined and warm as if cleansed of all agitation, and said: "Within fifty days, I will make up for all five hundred years of training it has missed."

Gongyang Su Wang burst into loud laughter.

But at that moment, the ancient Su Wang suddenly rose, a fierce aura erupting from his body; he stared far into the distance, his eyes trembling with shock. The Qilin exclaimed: "What's wrong?"

The Su Wang spoke slowly: "... The aura of the Master Jiankuang."

"He has entered the Jianghu."

The old Qilin said: "Muran Longtu?"

Gongyang Su Wang, the invincible Confucian master of the ancient Dao, smiled faintly: "Yes."

He whispered: "Our destined moment is coming."

"Three draws, three ties—we are old, and it is time we meet the ending we deserve, for that would be satisfying. A gentleman rejoices in Heaven and knows his fate. This time, he comes to stir up storms, perhaps creating waves far greater than before?"

"This is his invitation."

Gongyang Su Wang extended his hand and smiled: "Few in the realm can sense this sword aura—but who, once sensing such a sword intent, can resist the urge to leave their mountain?"

The end of the Master Jiankuang, Murong Longtu.

What kind of exhilaration, what kind of grace, what kind of grandeur could possibly match it?

Only such a thing could befit the word "mad" that defined his two hundred years of unrivaled dominance—how could one not accept the invitation?!

Amidst the great desert—

A Daoist in a robe, silver hair trailing, paced through the raging sands, while beside him walked a middle-aged man in blue robes; the two strolled as if in a tranquil courtyard, utterly ignoring the shepherds' shouts as they entered the boundless sandstorm stretching from earth to sky.

Suddenly, the two seemed to sense something—their previously interwoven qi collided.

The earlier harmony vanished instantly.

The boundless sandstorm stretching from earth to sky was violently torn apart at that very moment!

Countless yellow sands crashed down with a roar!

The Blue Robe Longevity Guest said: "The Master Jiankuang…"

The Daoist sighed, his voice cold and clear: "Our rivalry must be paused."

He calmly retracted his arm; they looked up and saw, in the distant horizon, a sword intent surging into the heavens. Above, the stars Niuxu and Dousu blazed brightly, as if stirred by the sword qi—amidst daylight, they emitted brilliant starlight, magnificent and awe-inspiring.

Above the South Sea's Boundless Waters.

A whaling vessel advanced—this ship, converted from an ancient warship, carried soldiers to harvest raw materials for the Emperor's Eternal Lamp; the air carried a distant stench of blood, the sea turned crimson, and suddenly a fisherman turned pale, shouting: "The Dragon King is on patrol!"

The lead warlord cried: "What?!"

The fisherman trembled, saying this was a legend of over a decade—but the warlord disbelieved it—when suddenly the waves swelled violently, and far off, someone appeared seated upon the water, hurtling toward them at incredible speed.

The warlord's face turned ashen.

He saw what was coming!

A colossal blue Kunpeng, a whale, twenty zhang long.

Sixty to seventy meters.

Its flippers extended over two zhang, breaking through the waves—then with a thunderous roar, the whale spouted a geyser skyward; but what terrified the warlord most was seeing a man seated atop this immense blue whale.

He appeared to be in his thirties or forties, bearded and unkempt.

He harnessed it with nothing but internal qi as reins.

He rode this colossal beast, as large as a warship, hunting schools of tiger sharks across the South Sea; far off, he spotted vast tiger shark pods floating on the surface, blood scent rising like smoke, and the man on the whale said: "Finally, I've found someone!!"

"Hey, have you heard of the Master Jiankuang?"

The warlord stared at the man atop the monstrous beast.

Terrified into pallor, he could not speak, only replied stiffly:

"No… I haven't."

The man muttered to himself: "Not heard? Then this matter has not yet begun."

"The Master Jiankuang enters the Jianghu, sends out invitations—how could one be late?"

"It seems I'm not late after all."

The warlord looked at the man—unkempt beard, age impossible to judge.

One thing, however, stood out especially.

Silver hair.