Chapter 23

For Li Guanyi, the only wanted criminal he knew of who required the Imperial Guards to post wanted posters was General Yue Qianfeng; now encountering a similar situation, he naturally thought of him, his heart stirring slightly as he moved closer without showing it.

There were many people watching the spectacle, and Li Guanyi blended in perfectly.

The Chen state was economically prosperous and culturally inclined, with considerable freedom of speech, making it the cultural heart of the world.

It had just passed noon; the people had eaten and drunk their fill, had not yet returned to work, and were sluggish and weary, with nothing to do—so they were especially eager to gather for a spectacle. Li Guanyi took one look and exhaled in relief: the wanted poster depicted a thin man.

He was extremely tall, with a large face.

Like a sack hung on a bamboo pole, a round, pancake-like face sprinkled with sesame seeds.

His eyes were upturned at the brows, radiating deadly menace.

The Imperial Guard shouted loudly: "This man's name is Qian Zheng. He was once a squad leader in the border troops, became a deserter, led a dozen men in roaming and committing crimes—cruel and ruthless, his hands stained with blood, having killed over ten people and raped many women. Recently, civilians entering or leaving towns and villages must not travel alone."

"Those who provide accurate and actionable intelligence shall be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

"Those who bring back his head shall be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver."

A squad leader in the military, according to General Yue Qianfeng's words, must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

And he was border troops—someone skilled in killing, a ruthless character.

The Chen state borders two regions: one is Tuyuhun to the west-north of the Ying state, and the other is the Ying state itself; this area is closer to the Ying state, so Qian Zheng likely came from the Ying state's border troops and fled here.

"Accurate and actionable intelligence" means the information must enable the Imperial Guards to capture the fugitive, after which you will receive ten taels of silver.

Li Guanyi pondered, then relaxed—he had thought it was General Yue Qianfeng again.

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the Imperial Guards had not finished—they pulled out another, much larger wanted poster and hung it up. The man depicted had tiger-like eyes half-open, wild hair and beard, yet exuded an imposing aura, like a demon-god among mortals, utterly incomparable to the previous Qian Zheng.

Li Guanyi froze in place.

That man was General Yue Qianfeng.

The Imperial Guard's expression was solemn.

"The fugitive is General Yue Qianfeng."

"Those who provide accurate intelligence…"

The Imperial Guard paused, then drew a deep breath and said:

"A thousand taels of gold, and a noble title!"

Li Guanyi's gaze locked.

A thousand taels of gold? A noble title?!

The youth stared at the clearly larger and sharper wanted poster, his expression slightly stunned, unconsciously murmuring to himself—

Holy—shit?!

Just provide accurate intelligence.

A thousand taels of gold? A noble title?

What the hell did Old Yue do these past few days? Did he pull off another big job?! Or more than one?!

Li Guanyi stared blankly at the word "accomplice" on the wanted poster. The thousand taels were one thing, but a noble title—no matter the country, this was an utmost matter, handled with extreme caution. Yet the reward on General Yue Qianfeng's poster was so high, absurdly so, violating Chen state law.

It could only prove one thing.

The high-ranking officials who issued this poster were desperate.

He suspected General Yue Qianfeng had done something so catastrophic it had terrified the Chen state's top leadership into panic.

Li Guanyi blended into the crowd of astonished civilians, utterly unremarkable. He watched the Imperial Guards leave, noticing they held a scroll—apparently containing records of all wanted criminals in the Chen state.

An idea surfaced unconsciously in Li Guanyi's mind—

I wonder if my name and my aunt's are in there.

If my name and my aunt's were also listed—

Where would we be ranked? Li Guanyi lowered his gaze; the thought faded like ripples on water, quickly disappearing. The morning's events were now just a footnote to him.

Yet as he headed toward the Xue household, Li Guanyi suddenly wondered: if General Yue Qianfeng was out there, why was Duke Jingwu posting notices here?

Did Yue Qianfeng plan to return?

And if he did return, where would he appear?

Li Guanyi paused slightly, raised his head, and looked toward the former location of the Mountain God Temple.

Then perhaps—

He raised his hand and lightly touched his chest, where the Crimson Dragon's manifestation showed only a head and one claw emerging.

Perhaps the moment when the Crimson Dragon's manifestation fully ignites from the bronze tripod's surface is drawing near.

………………

Li Guanyi arrived at the Xue household.

It was not yet time to teach Xue Shuangtao and her younger brother arithmetic; he had leisure. Using his familiarity with the Xue household as an excuse, he wandered its vast grounds for nearly an hour, finally sitting on a stone bench beside the training ground.

He watched the people there lifting stone weights, swinging heavy blades, hardening their bodies.

Or sparring with each other, exchanging blows.

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze.

Couldn't find it. Couldn't find it at all.

He had wandered for an hour and still hadn't seen the Bai Hu manifestation again. The jade liquid within the bronze tripod had now accumulated to one-third. A brief encounter yesterday had already equaled ten days' prior effect—but despite being inside the Xue household, he had no chance to approach the old master. The jade liquid remained stubbornly stuck.

"Oh? Isn't this Master Li? You're here early today."

A clear, laughing voice— a beautiful, plump woman.

Li Guanyi looked up and recognized her as one of the tailoring workshop's overseers. He offered a warm, shy teenage smile, rising to greet her: "Miss Qu."

"Today's my first day teaching. I thought it best to arrive early."

"Hehehe, young master is diligent."

Overseer Qu's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the handsome youth, her work forgotten. She sat on another stone bench and smiled: "Young master was staring at these martial practitioners—do you want to try your hand too?"

Li Guanyi said shyly, "No, I was just thinking that even these martial instructors are already this powerful."

"How strong would a Guest Elder who has entered the realm be?"

Steward Qu also said longingly, "A Guest Elder… they get to have their own courtyard, you know…"

"The treatment is far better than that of us stewards in the Outer Court."

"Unfortunately, to become a Guest Elder, you need to at least be a martial practitioner who has entered the realm; even the strongest martial practitioners here may not last a few moves against them. Some Guest Elders have even received a few pointers from the Laozu Sect, their Wu Gong advancing by leaps and bounds, and are even more impossible for ordinary martial practitioners to deal with."

Laozu Sect…

Li Guanyi caught that key term.

With a curious, innocent look on his face, he asked, "Pointers from the Laozu Sect?"

"Sister Qu, how can one get the chance to have the Laozu Sect give pointers on Wu Gong?"

Steward Qu said with a smile, "Does the young Mr. also want pointers from the Laozu Sect? It's hard to say and yet not hard to say."

"The hard part is entering the realm to become a Guest Elder, and you also need excellent martial skill to earn the Laozu Sect's favor."

"The other way is in your role as a mathematics Mr. here."

Steward Qu found the boy naive and adorable — clearly an innocent who knew nothing of the world, and pleasant to look at — so she was happy to chat more, and spoke with Li Guanyi about many things. Only when another woman came to urge her did she reluctantly end the conversation, smiling as she left: "Young Mr. Li Xiao's little brother, if there's anything big or small you don't understand here in the Xue household, you can always come ask your sister."

The young man smiled warmly: "I'll certainly trouble you."

Steward Qu left with a smile, her figure lithe and voluptuous, drawing the attention of the men at the martial arts field. Yan Xuanji's gaze toward the young man turned somewhat unfriendly. By now a dedicated attendant had already led Li Guanyi into the Inner Court; the guide had Li Guanyi wait in a pavilion before withdrawing.

Li Guanyi, however, was already deep in thought.

To receive pointers and meet that Laozu Sect elder who bore the Bai Hu Dharma Aspect, one option was the monthly examination of the clan's direct-line juniors on the Six Arts. If a teaching Mr. produced outstanding results, the Xue family's Laozu Sect would personally share tea with them and grant additional rewards.

Hmm, teaching mathematics, then…

Li Guanyi thought of the younger brother Xue Shuangtao had mentioned, rose and paced about, when suddenly a shout came from afar: "I don't want to learn arithmetic!!!"

"I! Don't! Want to!"

Li Guanyi looked up and saw a child of about seven or eight, fair and delicate as carved jade, running headlong and crashing straight into Li Guanyi. The internal Qi of the "Breaking Formation Song" circulated within Li Guanyi's body, forcing the child back half a step. He said, "Are you all right…"

But the child, who had nearly taken a tumble, hurriedly waved a hand, grabbed his sleeve, and said, "Don't, I don't care, you, do you have any safe place? The tigress is still chasing me!!!"

"She's going to force me to meet the new arithmetic teacher!"

Li Guanyi looked at the child, thoughtful.

This must be Miss Xue's younger brother, right?

In other words, he wanted to skip class and ended up crashing right into the arms of the substitute teacher.

The young man's lips curved slightly, a warm smile spreading across his face: "Alright, come, let's hide together."

He followed the child and hid behind a thick cluster of flowers, lush enough to conceal a person. The child lay in the bushes peering out, nervous as could be. Li Guanyi sat behind him, curious about who the "tigress" the child kept mentioning was — it couldn't possibly be the gentle and soft Xue Shuangtao.

The child suddenly tensed up: "She's coming, she's here!"

Li Guanyi looked up, slightly startled.

It was about five o'clock by his past life's reckoning; the sunlight had grown soft.

Sunlight filtered down through the gaps in the leaves, and a girl in a fitted martial outfit walked through the light.

A general's-style leather waistband encircled her waist; a gauntlet covered her right hand; her left hand gripped an archaic longbow. Her normally soft black hair was bound with a golden ring into a black horsetail that hung down. Her gaze was sharp — utterly different from the gentle, soft Young Lady from before.

"Come out, you don't have to study anymore — I've prepared some snacks for you."

The child shouted, "I don't want them! You're just trying to trick me into coming out to study arithmetic!"

Pity flickered in Li Guanyi's eyes.

Haven't you already been tricked anyway? Xue Shuangtao's eyes lit up, she strode forward quickly and said, "Come out quickly, stop being naughty!"

"I won't! Tigress! Tigress!"

The girl's brow lifted slightly, and she called sharply, "Xue Changqing, come out!"

At the sound of his full name, the little boy visibly stiffened.

At the same moment, Xue Shuangtao spun and threw out a leg, intending to scare her younger brother. This kick was aimed at the spot just above her brother, but she hadn't noticed someone was behind him. The soft grass was kicked aside, and Li Guanyi, who had been watching the show, sensed a kick nearly aimed at his forehead.

He had no choice but to raise a hand to block it, then press down and seize in one motion.

He had the girl's ankle gripped in his hand.

(End of this chapter)