Chapter 23: A Thousand Taels, a Noble Title

For Li Guanyi, the only fugitive he knew required Tiqi to post wanted posters was Yue Qianfeng; now encountering something similar, he naturally thought of him, his heart stirring slightly as he quietly moved closer.

There were many people watching, and Li Guanyi stood out among them no more than any other.

Chen Guo was economically prosperous and fond of culture, granting considerable freedom of speech, making it the cultural heart of the realm.

It had just passed noon; the people had eaten and drunk their fill, had not yet returned to work, and were sluggish and drowsy, 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 bamboo pole with a sack draped over it, a round, pancake-like face sprinkled with sesame seeds.

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

The Tiqi shouted loudly: “This man’s name is Qian Zheng. He was once a squad leader in the border troops, became a deserter, led a group of over ten men roving about committing crimes—cruel and ruthless, his hands stained with blood, having killed over ten lives and raped many women. Recently, civilians entering or leaving towns and villages must not travel alone.”

“Those who provide accurate and actionable information 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 Yue Qianfeng’s words, must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

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

Chen Guo bordered only two regions: Tuyuhun to the west-north, and Ying Guo; this area was closer to Ying Guo, so Qian Zheng was likely a deserter from Ying Guo’s border garrison, fled here.

“Accurate and actionable information” meant the Tiqi must actually capture the fugitive using the tip, after which they would pay you ten taels of silver.

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

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the Tiqi 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 carried an aura of terrifying authority, like a demon-god among mortals, utterly incomparable to the previous Qian Zheng.

Li Guanyi froze in his steps.

That man was Yue Qianfeng.

The Tiqi ’s expression turned grave as he said:

“The fugitive: Yue Qianfeng.”

“Those who provide accurate and actionable information…”

The Tiqi paused, then drew a deep breath and said:

“A thousand taels of gold, and a noble title!”

Li Guanyi’s gaze locked in place.

A thousand taels of gold? A noble title?!!

The boy stared at the clearly larger, sharper wanted poster, his expression momentarily stunned, unconsciously whispering to himself—

Holy shit?!!

Just provide accurate information.

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 poster, his lips twitching—no need to mention the thousand taels, but a noble title was a matter of utmost gravity in any nation, handled with extreme caution; yet the reward on Yue Qianfeng’s poster was so high, absurdly so, violating Chen Guo’s laws.

It could only prove one thing.

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

He suspected Yue Qianfeng had done something so catastrophic it had terrified Chen Guo’s top brass into panic.

Li Guanyi blended into the crowd of astonished civilians, utterly unremarkable; as he watched the Tiqi depart, he noticed they held a scroll—apparently containing Chen Guo’s entire record of wanted fugitives.

An instinctive thought rose in Li Guanyi’s mind—

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

If we were both listed—

Where would we be ranked? Li Guanyi lowered his gaze; the thought faded like ripples on water, quickly vanishing—this morning’s events were merely a diversion to him now.

Yet as he headed toward the Xue household, Li Guanyi suddenly wondered: if Yue Qianfeng was out there, why post notices here in Guan Yicheng?

Was Yue Qianfeng planning to return?

And if he did, where would he appear?

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

If that’s the case…

He raised his hand and lightly touched his chest, where the Crimson Dragon’s form emerged—only a head and one claw visible.

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 brother arithmetic, so 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 others lifting stone weights, swinging heavy blades, hardening their bodies.

Or sparring in pairs, 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 White Tiger manifestation again. The jade liquid within the bronze tripod had now accumulated to one-third; yesterday’s brief contact had already matched ten days’ prior effect, yet he was clearly within the Xue household and had no chance to approach the old patriarch—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, recognized her as one of the tailoring workshop’s overseers, and smiled warmly and shyly as he rose to greet her: “Miss Qu.”

“Today’s my first day teaching—I figured it’s better to arrive early.”

“Hehehe, young master is diligent.”

Miss Qu’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at the handsome boy; she forgot her work, sat on another stone bench, and smiled: “Young master was staring at these martial artists—do you want to try your hand too?”

Li Guanyi blushed: “No, I was just thinking how powerful these martial masters already are.”

“How strong would a guest cultivator be?”

Miss Qu sighed longingly: “A guest cultivator… they get their own villa…”

“Their benefits far surpass those of us overseers in the outer court.”

“Too bad—becoming a guest cultivator requires at least Foundation Establishment, and even the strongest martial artist here might not withstand a few of their strikes. Some guest cultivators even received a few words of guidance from the Ancestor, their martial arts surging forward—ordinary warriors can’t possibly match them.”

The Ancestor…

Li Guanyi seized this keyword.

With a face full of innocent curiosity, he asked: “Guidance from the Ancestor?”

“Miss Qu, how does one earn the chance to be guided by the Ancestor?”

Miss Qu smiled: “Young master wants the Ancestor’s guidance? It’s hard, yet not hard.”

“Hard because to become a guest cultivator, you need martial prowess worthy of the Ancestor’s notice.”

“But also—it’s about your arithmetic.”

Miss Qu found the boy sweet and naive, clearly sheltered, good-looking, and enjoyed chatting with him; she spoke at length until another woman came to call her, reluctantly ending the conversation—with a final laugh: “Little Master Li, if you have any questions, big or small, about the Xue household, you can always ask me.”

The boy smiled warmly: “I’ll surely trouble you.”

Miss Qu departed with a graceful, plump sway, drawing the attention of several men on the training ground, who now glared at the boy with ill will; meanwhile, a servant had already led Li Guanyi into the inner court and told him to wait in a pavilion before leaving.

Li Guanyi fell into thought.

To earn guidance from the Ancestor, who bore the White Tiger manifestation, one either had to be among the clan’s direct descendants and excel in the Six Arts during the monthly examination, earning the Ancestor’s personal tea invitation and extra reward—

Hmm, teaching mathematics…

Li Guanyi thought of Xue Shuangtao’s younger brother, rose, and paced; suddenly, a distant shout rang out: “I don’t want to learn arithmetic!!!”

“I! DO! NOT!”

Li Guanyi looked up and saw a child, about seven or eight, exquisitely delicate, sprinting headlong and crashing straight into him; Li Guanyi’s internal Qi from the “Breaking Formation Melody” flowed, forcing the child back half a step. He said: “Are you alright…?”

But the nearly-fallen child hurriedly waved his hand, grabbing Li Guanyi’s sleeve: “No, I don’t care—I need somewhere safe! The she-tiger’s still chasing me!!”

“She’s forcing me to meet a new arithmetic teacher!”

Li Guanyi stared at the child, thoughtful.

This must be Miss Xue’s younger brother.

So he was skipping class and ran straight into his substitute teacher’s arms.

The boy’s lips curled slightly, a warm smile appearing: “Alright, come on—we’ll hide together.”

He followed the child behind a thick cluster of flowers, dense enough to conceal them; the child crouched, peering out nervously, while Li Guanyi sat behind him, curious—who was this “she-tiger”? Surely not gentle Xue Shuangtao.

The child suddenly tensed: “She’s coming! She’s here!”

Li Guanyi looked up, slightly stunned.

It was about five in the afternoon; the sunlight had softened.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves as a girl in martial attire walked toward them.

Around her waist was a leather belt like a general’s, her right hand clad in gauntlets, her left holding a simple, ancient longbow; her naturally smooth black hair was tied into a high black ponytail with a golden band, her gaze sharp—unlike the gentle, soft young lady she had been before.

“Come out. I won’t make you study anymore—I’ve prepared snacks for you.”

The child shouted: “I don’t want them! You’re just tricking me into going back to study arithmetic!”

Li Guanyi’s eyes held pity.

Aren’t you still being tricked? Xue Shuangtao’s eyes brightened; she hurried forward: “Come out quickly, stop being naughty!”

“I won’t! She-tiger! She-tiger!”

The girl’s brows lifted slightly; she snapped: “Xue Changqing, come out!”

Upon hearing his full name, the boy stiffened visibly.

At the same time, Xue Shuangtao spun and kicked out, intending to scare her younger brother; her leg aimed at the upper part of his body, unaware that someone stood behind him—the supple grass and plants were kicked aside, and Li Guanyi, watching the scene, felt the kick nearly strike his forehead.

He had no choice but to raise his hand to block, then Shunshi press down and seize.

He now held the girl’s ankle in his grip.

(End of Chapter)