Chapter 233: Beneath the Sound of Iron Hooves, Farewell to Po Jun

When Li Guanyi and Yao Guang found her.

Xu Huilan was washing clothes downstream, using a wooden board with raised and recessed patterns, soaking the garments before placing them atop and rubbing them, placing inside plants that could remove stains, then striking them with a wooden stick.

Finally, she crushed the small fruit that removed stains, then rubbed them hard with her hands.

In Yuan Zhi's words, this gentle and beautiful woman now had rougher hands, her palms perpetually immersed in water, unnaturally red; when she saw Li Guanyi and Yao Guang, she was momentarily confused.

The boy bowed with a smile: "I am surnamed Li, a Confucian disciple under Master Wang Tong, and close friends with Yuan Zhi; he knew I was coming here, so he asked me to bring you something."

Xu Huilan froze, letting the items slip into the water without caring, rising up at once, stepping forward a few paces, then halting, wiping her palms on her clothes, eyes slightly red, saying:

"That child Yuan Zhi, why did it take so long to send word?"

Li Guanyi looked at Xu Huilan and said: "Yuan Zhi has been writing to you all along."

"He copies books at the academy and earns some money, sending some back to you—haven't you received any?"

Xu Huilan froze, then seemed to understand, gritting her teeth: "It's that Zhao Da Guanren… the messengers all know him! He, he intercepted all of Zhi'er's letters."

She raised her hand to wipe tears from her eyes, yet smiled softly: "But it's alright. I thought Yuan Zhi had forgotten his mother—thank goodness, thank goodness…"

She lifted her head; she was about forty, yet looked older and more weary, her hair tied up, strands of silver threading through it, smiling:

"Come, you've come all this way—come sit in our home!"

"I want to ask how Yuan Zhi has been these past ten years."

Li Guanyi took the heavy wooden tub and clothes from Xu Huilan; inside, a man with one leg missing sat there, thick fingers weaving bamboo baskets, his hair withered and white, face etched with hardship, yet his movements swift.

He was Yuan Zhi's uncle, Xu Yunxia.

He had a fiery temperament, knew a few sword techniques, and taught Yuan Zhi his first Wu Gong.

Learning that Yuan Zhi had not vanished, that he had written letters all these years, and deducing that Zhao Da Guanren was behind it, Li Guanyi recorded everything carefully in his small notebook.

With a warm smile, she went to prepare food—Xu Huilan and Xu Yunxia were poor.

But Li Guanyi and Yao Guang had brought many things; the man told his wife and sister to cook, then, on one leg, leaning on a wooden cane, went to gather wild greens from the yard—wild mallow—and peeled the seeds to make a broth.

"This was blown here by the wind, we don't know where from—but it's still hospitality…"

Xu Yunxia hesitated, then said: "How has Yuan Zhi been lately? He hasn't returned all these years—probably because the letters we sent were also blocked by Zhao Da Guanren."

"That boy is straightforward—he probably thinks we're ashamed of him, that's why he won't come back…"

Xu Yunxia fell silent, then said: "What parent in this world doesn't wish their child safe? Look at my sister…" He turned, gazing at the woman cooking, whispering:

"I haven't seen her smile in a long time."

"Since the child left and I became like this, she's had nothing left but to care for me and wait for Yuan Zhi's return—that's all that keeps her alive. Ten years without word, everyone thought Yuan Zhi dead, but she refused to believe it."

"A shaman once said Yuan Zhi was gone, become a wandering ghost, and told her to buy a spirit tablet to summon him—my sister beat her out. But when she came back, she wept until she couldn't breathe…"

Xu Yunxia said: "What mother in this world doesn't love her child?"

Li Guanyi agreed, pressing his palm to his chest, thinking of that gentle woman; beside him, Yao Guang said nothing—both had extremely shallow ties to their parents.

Xu Yunxia didn't know this; he only said: "Just hearing news from him made her this happy—why doesn't he come back himself?"

Xu Yunxia lowered his voice, hesitating: "Did he run into trouble? Or hasn't he made his mark? So what? It doesn't matter." He leaned forward: "A true man's temporary hardship means nothing."

"If all else fails, come home."

"What parent or elder would despise their own child for not succeeding? If he comes back, the whole family can eat wild mallow broth—it's enough. What's the point of being alone out there?"

Li Guanyi smiled and replied: "Yuan Zhi is well—he's now pursuing his ambitions, so he's too busy to return, which is why he sent me to help. He also hopes to reunite with you."

"I, too, am willing to help him."

Xu Yunxia exhaled in relief, whispering:

"Is that so? Then that's good, that's good…"

Xu Huilan brought out many bowls and plates, but their home had so few utensils—the food was simple; Li Guanyi's cured meat had been sliced and steamed, placed in bowls; Xu Yunxia went over and called his grandson closer.

He gave him a piece of meat; Xu Yunxia's son had died long ago, and after his leg was broken, his daughter-in-law fled, leaving only this grandson. Xu Yunxia placed the meat in the boy's mouth; the child swallowed it in a few bites, then licked his lips, still hungry.

Xu Yunxia whispered: "You've eaten meat, right?"

The boy nodded vigorously.

Xu Yunxia said: "Then when you sit at the table, you can't eat meat anymore, understood?"

Though he still wanted meat, the boy nodded: "Yes, Grandpa." Then Xu Yunxia hobbled out with his cane; the table held simple fare: boiled root vegetables, steamed rice, broth made of wild greens and mallow, vegetables blanched and dipped in vinegar sauce, and in the center, the cured meat.

For laboring common folk of this era, this was already quite lavish.

There were two staples: besides rice, there was a porridge of coarse rice, millet, and radish; Li Guanyi's fine rice was handed to him and Yao Guang; Li Guanyi lowered his eyes as Xu Huilan said:

"We're poor, we have nothing else to offer you two."

Li Guanyi replied softly: "It's already more than enough."

He used his chopsticks to cover his rice with meat, one layer, then passed the rice to the small boy; after several refusals, the child finally accepted.

Li Guanyi said: "Yuan Zhi and I are Mo Ni—Auntie, you needn't be so formal."

Xu Huilan's eyes held gratitude; she immediately asked about Yuan Zhi's condition; Li Guanyi answered exactly as he had to Xu Yunxia; Xu Huilan sat there, nodding earnestly to every word he spoke, forgetting to eat.

As if trying to make up for all these years of absence, her face wore a quiet smile; finally, she wiped her tears and said: "I always knew Yuan Zhi was talented—he's busy now, so it's natural he can't return."

Xu Huilan said: "Please tell him, everything at home is fine—he should stay out there, take care of himself, don't come back."

This woman, over forty, her hair half-white, holding chopsticks and bowl, said:

"Tell him I'm old, useless, can't help him anymore."

"Tell him we're all fine…"

Suddenly, outside came a clamor—horses neighing, iron clanging against walls, a voice laughing loudly: "Oh? I heard Yuan Zhi's friend has returned?!"

"Ha! He dared touch my sworn brother before—now that he's back, shouldn't he come apologize?!"

Li Guanyi rose; Xu Yunxia gripped Li Guanyi's hand tightly: "I'll go…"

His smile was forced: "This man is a local bully—this matter runs deep. I heard he's connected to the magistrate's secretary in the county town—he's also the deputy official in charge of law here, a government man."

"You came to deliver Yuan Zhi's letter—don't get dragged into trouble."

The young man said softly:

"All of Yuan Zhi's letters have been seized by them—they probably didn't even read them."

Li Guanyi stood up: "Yuan Zhi has long been a core disciple of the Academy. If they had read the letters, and had even a shred of sense, they wouldn't dare trouble you. Too bad the Academy has remained secluded—they don't understand his weight."

"Today I've come to take all of you away. Yuan Zhi hopes his whole family can be reunited…"

Li Guanyi rose and comforted Xu Huilan and the Xu Yunxia couple.

The boy turned, pulled open the door, and outside stood a dozen hoodlums and ruffians. Their leader wore a merchant's robe and rode a horse, glancing sideways at Li Guanyi. Seeing a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy, tall but unarmed, he smirked at his companions and said:

"Hahahaha! Yuan Zhi, Yuan Zhi—you've sunk lower and lower! Ten years passed, and you're still hanging around with kids half your age?"

"You're Yuan Zhi's friend?"

"You don't know he offended Brother Zhao—my own blood brother, though not from the same father or mother! I had him stabbed dead right there. If I do nothing, won't the brothers of the Jianghu look down on me? Hahahaha!"

"Today, since you're not Yuan Zhi, I'll give you face—kneel down and bang your head seventeen or eighteen times. Then I'll spare your life. Get out of here!"

"Otherwise, hmph, I'll tie you up and throw you out of this town!"

Li Guanyi hadn't spoken yet.

Yao Guang, sitting on the bench, reached out and pressed both hands against the chair.

One press.

The girl landed on the ground, dashed forward with quick steps to the door, then reached out, gripped the door, and pulled hard.

Bang!

She slammed the door shut.

Xu Yunxia stared, alarmed: "Oh no, little girl, what are you doing! Why did you lock Xiao Li outside?!" The silver-haired girl remembered when she first met him—how she dragged Li Guanyi and the assassin he'd captured back into the cave where she lived then.

The blood had splattered everywhere!

She scrubbed and scrubbed, but couldn't clean it all.

Finally, the girl decisively gave up.

And now—

The Observing Stars Sect never makes the same mistake twice!

The girl slightly lifted her chin, expressionless.

Blood must not splash inside.

Outside, the hoodlums and ruffians froze, staring at each other: "Did you just see—the door shut?!"

"Did the wind blow it?"

"That can't be—it's not windy at all!"

"Eh—could this be a ghost?!"

Li Guanyi sighed with a wry smile. With Yao Guang's extraordinary skill, for these people to even see her was the real ghost. The Zhao official, clearly displeased, growled: "You dare laugh? Left and right—beat him!!"

Outside, a thunderous clamor erupted.

Inside the courtyard, Xu Yunxia grabbed his shoulder pole and hopped toward the door, frantic. The silver-haired girl counted to three, then stepped aside. Xu Yunxia burst through the door—and froze. Outside, a whole crowd lay sprawled on the ground. The hoodlums and ruffians, whom villagers normally fled from, were all knocked out.

The boy in the blue-gray robe rubbed his fists.

The silver-haired girl lifted her foot and lightly kicked beneath Li Guanyi's right leg.

Li Guanyi smiled: "Don't worry—I've got control."

The Zhao official's face was as if he'd seen a ghost. One blink ago, all his men had flown through the air. With Li Guanyi's Wu Gong—even without armor, even without going all out—these men were no match.

The Zhao official's face was swollen badly, yet still radiated the arrogance of a local bully: "You—you!"

"Do you know who I am?!"

"No."

The Zhao official roared: "I'm an official appointed by the imperial court! Deputy magistrate in charge of law and order here! The county magistrate, the county commandant—they all know me! All the gangs, big and small, are on good terms with me! Everyone within eighty li bows and greets me!"

"You dare strike me? You dare lay hands on an official appointed by the imperial court?!"

"You—you—you wait! I'll call my big brother! Get my big brother!"

Li Guanyi said: "An official appointed by the imperial court has more swagger than the Emperor himself."

The Zhao official cursed: "In these eighty li, my word counts more than the Crown Prince or the Emperor! Send for men!" Li Guanyi signaled Xu Yunxia not to worry—Xu Yunxia had seen his share of storms.

A family that raised Yuan Zhi—a boy so young yet willing to kill for justice—must have had a streak of boldness in their blood. So Xu Yunxia simply ignored them, brought out meat, and began sharing it. Soon, twenty or so Yamen Runners arrived, wielding fire-and-water staves. Their leader, clad in cloth armor, bellowed:

"Who? Who dared provoke my brothers?!"

They surrounded Li Guanyi and his group, raising their staves, swaggering. Li Guanyi said to Yao Guang: "So it's true—the struggle between civil and military power in the State of Ying, the rampant corruption among local officials."

The official, furious, swung his staff at Li Guanyi, roaring:

"F**k, I'm talking to you!"

But before he could get close, his wrist and Hukou both exploded in pain—the staff flew from his grip. He staggered backward. Then came a muffled thunder. Xu Huilan looked up, confused and tense: "Is it raining?"

"I—I haven't even collected my laundry yet…"

"Not rain. Wind."

Li Guanyi answered, reaching out to support the mother: "It's the wind rising because of your son—across this world. I must thank you…"

Xu Huilan didn't understand. The boy in front of her grinned.

"Your son is truly amazing!"

Many years, many years ago, a gentle woman had held her child's hand, smiling as she pointed to the world beyond, telling him of its vastness: "Mother has no talent, so my child must study, learn to read, and train in martial arts."

Don't follow your mother's path.

Mother has no talent—that's why she hopes you won't walk her road.

Back then, the woman had reached out, stroking young Yuan Zhi's hair, laughing joyfully: "My child will be the most talented."

"The most precious treasure in this world."

Ke Yuan Zhi didn't know.

He didn't need to become such a prodigy, a talent whose literary qi reached the heavens.

He was the most outstanding, most outstanding person in that woman's eyes, and so the memories of the past seemed to blend into the wind, shattered by the thunderous roar—the booming sound drew near, like a storm; Zhao Da Guanren turned around and saw boundless thunder roaring, a wave of ink appearing.

Dressed in heavy ink-colored armor, an eight-foot-tall warhorse exhaled like a dragon.

Five hundred heavy cavalry.

Five hundred light cavalry.

All held their steel war spears aloft.

One thousand elite iron cavalry charged forward; when four thousand hooves crashed down, the earth itself trembled—no one could still their wildly pounding hearts; this iron army, forged by trials of this chaotic age, surged forward like a great tide, pouring its final breath into this place.

Yet at the peak of it all, it suddenly stopped dead!

Orders given, obeyed without delay.

Only the furious rush had stirred up rolling waves—battle robes and banners flew wildly, a chilling, deadly aura surged skyward, every heart pounded frantically; Zhao Da Guanren and the local town's commandant turned pale.

Because they saw—the young boy stood right there.

Li Guanyi reached out and grabbed Xu Huilan's hand, steadying her.

The world's famed general, Generals Ling Pingyang, dismounted.

Thus, the one thousand elite iron cavalry, in perfect unison, placed their lances on the hooks of their horse armor, then, in perfect unison, dismounted.

They stepped forward together; even in full armor, they knelt halfway to the ground.

They extended their palms and struck their chests hard.

Thunderous, deadly solemnity.

No words needed—this alone proved their identity; Zhao Jiao's face turned white, whiter than a corpse dead three days, nearly unable to sit upright.

No, you—you came here to play?

The young boy who had worn plain clothes moments ago now stood like a blunt, heavy sword, his aura overwhelming; a warhorse had been brought, and Li Guanyi advanced before the gaze of a thousand elite cavalry, reaching out to grasp the reins.

He did not mount the horse; instead, he walked over, looked at the mother, and spoke in a gentle, calm voice: "I am Li Guanyi. I have some claim to this place."

"Yuan Zhi is our chief strategist."

"He sent me to bring you to him."

Li Guanyi looked at the disbelieving Xu Huilan and said softly: "Let Li Guanyi hold your stirrup and lead your horse." Before a thousand soldiers, the world's famed general helped Xu Huilan onto her horse, then personally led the reins.

Xu Yunxia and his wife, along with the child, were also taken by the soldiers of the Fire Qilin Army.

Li Guanyi personally held the reins and walked forward; the warriors of the Fire Qilin Army bowed their heads, offering sufficient reverence to their strategist's mother, while Zhao Jiao cursed inwardly: Where did these bandits and rogue troops come from?! Are they warlords? Or some general?!

How could they possibly come here!

He shrank back, hoping to go unnoticed.

Li Guanyi indeed ignored him.

Because a second wave of iron cavalry's sound had already reached them.

Li Guanyi lifted his gaze and said: "Form ranks."

Generals Ling Pingyang carried out the order; the entire Fire Qilin Army remounted. Li Guanyi had Yao Guang's small donkey and Xu Huilan's horse ride side by side, then mounted his own warhorse—the steed's presence was calm, deadly, and faintly, one could hear the roar of a tiger.

Another thousand iron cavalry, but this time all were fully armored; the armor patterns resembled tiger tracks—this was one of the world's three greatest heavy cavalry units: the Tiger Man Cavalry of the Ying State!

The leader, though young, wore splendid robes and a golden-threaded crown.

Around him stood officials in court robes—all high-ranking officials from the entire province and prefecture; Zhao Jiao stared blankly, recognizing one among them—the very man who, just moments ago, had made him kneel and bow in reverence, his face pale with fear.

Yet now, this great figure stood at the very back, bowing low.

Where was the composure, the effortless control over all things he once displayed? If even such a man stood behind, then who… who stood at the front…?

Zhao Jiao's face turned deathly pale.

The Crown Prince Jiang Gao gazed at the calm familiar face across from him; after the Fire Qilin Army entered the Ying State, intelligence had continuously flowed to the royal court, and as Crown Prince, he had come personally to greet them—just now, he suddenly heard that Li Guanyi's Fire Qilin heavy cavalry had accelerated toward this location.

Thus, the world's top-tier heavy cavalry swiftly followed.

They arrived almost simultaneously; Li Guanyi saw, behind the officials, a familiar face—a man in brocade robes, his handsome features rivaling any woman's, yet radiating a bold, heroic aura, his eyes glowing purple with intense excitement.

Yet his expression remained calm.

Not just calm—he carried indifference, saying to those beside him: "Hm? This is the man? Seems utterly ordinary."

The man beside him gasped in shock: "That's the Fire Qilin! That's Qin Wu Hou…" and went on to describe his heroism, how he could never be underestimated.

The man's expression remained unruffled.

Truly—not a single smile.

Po Jun!

After a year, they met again.

Po Jun remained composed, appearing utterly serene.

Li Guanyi did not pretend familiarity with Po Jun; he merely paused his gaze slightly in greeting, then turned toward the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, known for his wisdom, fell silent, bowed slightly, lowered his eyes, and spoke gently:

"Jiang Gao, greets Qin Wu Hou."

One sentence—and the entire surroundings fell into deathly silence.

The Crown Prince… bowed first?!

The heroic young boy wore only ordinary clothes, yet every official in the prefecture, dressed in silk and brocade, dismounted to bow; Li Guanyi returned the bow and said:

"Brother Jiang Gao, it's been a long time."

This was a private greeting.

The Crown Prince of the Ying State smiled and nodded: "It has indeed been a year since I last saw Qin Wu Hou. I wonder why Qin Wu Hou, who avoids cities, has suddenly come here?"

Because it was Jiang Gao, Li Guanyi answered frankly:

"For my strategist's mother."

This is an acknowledgment and promise of status.

Then, as if remembering something, he added casually: "I've heard there's someone here who claims to find greater pleasure and comfort than the Emperor himself—he's a court official, so I won't say anything more."

Jiang Gao said: "Oh? There's such a person? I wonder what his name is."

Someone's body froze, but was surrounded by iron cavalry.

Li Guanyi held the reins.

For his own words, he was too lazy to do such things.

But this was for Yuan Zhi—for the ten-year silence between Yuan Zhi and his mother, his uncle and aunt—and for the leg his uncle, who taught him the heart of a knight-errant, had lost; Li Guanyi didn't care about so-called dignity—he still had three parts of the wild hero's spirit.

He held grudges, had a small heart, but great boldness.

To avenge Yuan Zhi, it was best to make it as satisfying as possible!

Li Guanyi pointed his whip at the man frozen in place and said calmly:

"His name is Zhao Jiao."