Chapter 255

The fisherman seemed quite forthright, and Li Guanyi sensed no malice whatsoever.

He bowed with a gesture of respect and laughed freely:

"If the elder invites me, then I shall not be so formal."

The Fire Qilin sat down calmly beside him.

Li Guanyi took a fishing rod and sat beside the fisherman, who grinned slightly, thinking to himself, You really dare sit down, kid.

Li Guanyi cast his line and said, "Elder, do you live here? The Gongsun Clan and the Xue Family Merchant Guild have been guiding nearby civilians to evacuate—have they not yet reached you with the notice?"

The fisherman replied, "The ends of the earth know no bounds; I am but a traveler. Heaven and earth are my home—what is there to come or go?"

"By the way, why suddenly evacuate everyone nearby? Has something happened?"

Li Guanyi said, "A dangerous criminal is coming. When he goes mad, he may drag innocent civilians into harm's way, so we hope they'll temporarily leave this area and seek refuge elsewhere, returning in a couple of days."

"The Xue Family Merchant Guild and the Gongsun Clan have offered them compensation."

He gazed at the ripples on the water, but no fish bit the hook.

The fisherman's origins had always despised so-called noble clans and aristocrats; Li Guanyi's actions—driving away innocent civilians—had actually stirred a faint approval in his heart. Seeing a letter tucked in Li Guanyi's satchel, he flicked his wrist, and the hook flew out to snag the letter.

His movement was light and fluid; neither Li Guanyi nor the Fire Qilin noticed a thing.

"Still, young friend, you've dropped something here."

The fisherman held the letter and said, "Don't forget it." He propped his rod aside, feigning intent to return it, but as he handed it to the boy, he unleashed a deep, heavy internal force that shattered and scattered the letter's outer seal.

The letter's contents were revealed, falling to the ground. Li Guanyi glanced sideways at the elder's martial skill and praised, "Elder, your skill is impressive!"

He then picked up the letter and handed it over, freely saying, "But this letter isn't something secret—you may read it if you wish. No need to go through such trouble."

"Your internal energy is profound—truly formidable!"

The young man's candor and ease left the fisherman slightly off-balance; he merely gave a casual laugh and said, "Hah! Young friend, don't take offense—I've developed a strange affliction: an irresistible urge to read letters. Seeing one makes my fingers itch."

He casually picked up the letter—it was from the Changfeng Lady's intelligence network, describing overall changes across Jiangnan, drawn from the evaluations of commoners in the Eighteen Prefectures of Jiangnan. It contained many insults toward the Fire Qilin Army, all originating from noble clans.

The fisherman saw text written on it: "The Fire Qilin Army has enacted benevolent governance."

"It has summoned orphans, widows, the disabled, the abandoned, the sick, and the destitute who cannot sustain themselves, and lent them aid."

"It has built dwellings to shelter those displaced by war—orphans, widows, and young children."

"It assists military households in farming, paying them wages for their labor."

"Those willing to cultivate wasteland may borrow land, seeds, and rations in advance, repaying them next year."

"The Fire Qilin Army has waived land taxes for one year."

"Noble clans offered a thousand taels of gold and beautiful women to build a palace for Qin Wu Hou; Master Yan Daiqing accepted them, then used the thousand taels to buy rations and distributed them to soldiers and civilians in every city."

This was Master Yan Daiqing's style of governance.

He was the kind of man even his father deemed stubbornly upright—he had spent an entire hour berating Pan Shuiyun, Yuan Zhi, and their subordinates, rejecting the original policy of "sheltering civilians and distributing rations."

Instead, he helped them cultivate land or engage in handicrafts.

He taught them to fish.

Unlike the usual benevolent acts of local officials, who simply opened granaries to distribute disaster relief.

At first, it drew heavy criticism; some lazy people preferred lying idle waiting for aid rather than cultivating their own fields, even boiling the seeds and breeding pigs issued by the Fire Qilin Army into porridge, or trading half a pig for wine.

Under such circumstances, it was no longer Master Yan Daiqing's responsibility.

It fell to another young scholar from the Imperial Academy.

When Li Guanyi reviewed this Juan Sect document at the Xue Family Merchant Guild, he couldn't help muttering to himself:

Ding, you consumed the Fire Qilin Army's issued seeds and breeding pigs.

Sacrificed Master Yan Daiqing.

Replaced the "demon" with a new figure.

Your current opponent is—Unforgiving·Confucian Gentleman·Gongyang Line·Xiao Zhi, arriving with a little notebook.

Overall, the policies were now being implemented smoothly; as for those truly homeless, dormitory-like shelters had been built to house them, providing basic meals. Li Guanyi stared at the river, unaware that the fisherman beside him had paused slightly.

The boy suddenly laughed, "Eh!"

He flicked his wrist, the fishing line tightened and straightened, then with a single pull, a fish was reeled up. Li Guanyi grinned, "The fish has bitten."

The fisherman remained silent, speaking indifferently:

"The Fire Qilin Army is truly strange."

"They go so far as to care for beggars on the streets—feed them, house them, force them to bathe every five days, even compel them to cultivate land and become self-sufficient."

"What benefit does that bring him?"

Li Guanyi pulled the fish up.

The fish struggled fiercely underwater, thrashing its tail and splashing large waves of water. The fisherman couldn't help saying, "Fishing requires skill. If you pull hard and it pulls hard, the line will snap—then…"

Crack!

Li Guanyi drew his divine weapon, Lingyun Wood, and swung it horizontally.

The large fish flipped belly-up, and Li Guanyi hauled it ashore.

"What did you say, Elder?"

The fisherman: "…………"

He shook his head and said, "Nothing. Your fishing style is… quite peculiar."

Li Guanyi laughed freely, "I'm just not skilled in martial arts—I lack mastery over Lei Ting techniques. Otherwise, I'd just explode the fish and haul up dozens at once. As for what you mentioned earlier…"

The boy placed the fish in the wooden bucket and said naturally, "Because it saves money."

The fisherman said, "Saves money?"

"Giving rations and land to beggars, lending them farming tools—is that saving money?" He nearly laughed, speaking coolly, "Where is there such a way to save money as you describe?"

Li Guanyi cast his second line and said, "It's simple: once they have land, they need our help this year—but next year, they'll have surplus grain; then they can trade grain for money and build their own homes."

"Look, if you do it this way, they can live well enough."

"If you don't do it this way, you have to pay money every year—how could the Fire Qilin Army possibly bear it?"

The young general added:

"I heard Li Guanyi is poor—he definitely can't hold out."

The fisherman lowered his gaze and said coolly, "In chaotic times, beggars die—why not just drag them to fill the river?"

Li Guanyi replied, "Beggars aren't born beggars."

He frowned:

"Senior, you're too extreme."

The fisherman, who had risen from beggary, was left speechless.

A wild man, he sneered a few times and said, "I'm extreme? Good boy, you speak well—didn't all those noble families say the same? How many beggar children have been beaten to death, trampled under hooves? When the powerful break the law, they make beggars take the blame."

"When noble families violate the law, they behead beggars, cover their faces, and pretend justice has been served."

Li Guanyi launched into a furious rant: "Those families deserve a good beating."

The Whale Fisher was silenced again.

He eyed the boy suspiciously, wondering if the boy had guessed his identity—but upon closer inspection, the boy showed no sign of awareness, his heart unmoved, even slightly excited.

This boy seemed to have an instinct.

When around people, he liked to talk about policy?

Li Guanyi said, "Rich men's gates reek of wine and meat, while on the road lie frozen corpses. This broken world—if peace reigned, I'd never have walked this path; perhaps I'd have retired long ago."

"But if the world were at peace, I might never have met Yao Guang."

The Whale Fisher's temple twitched.

The young man took off his waist flask, tilted his head, and drank, murmuring:

"If the world were at peace, she wouldn't have to risk her life with me."

"I'd rather we'd never met."

"Let her live the life she loves."

That way, Yao Guang wouldn't have to follow him through endless dangers—this past year, the Demon Qilin Hunt, a journey of twenty thousand li, the pacification of Jiangnan, facing legendary martial masters—through it all, the silver-haired girl had stayed by his side, facing danger countless times.

The Whale Fisher's expression softened slightly. "That remark has some spirit. What kind of liquor are you drinking?"

Li Guanyi shook his flask. "Monkey wine from a friend."

"Fruit wine, naturally fermented, rich with layered fruit aromas. There wasn't much left—he went up a mountain, captured dozens of monkeys, trained them as scouts, and ended up brewing this wine. He sent me some."

The Whale Fisher sneered, "Hmph. I thought it was something special—just monkey brew. All fruit scent. Only women and brats like you would like it."

"I've got something better."

He took off his waist flask and boasted, "Beyond the seas, there's a heavenly Jianmu tree; beneath the waters dwell the Jiao people. You know? I got this from there—this is what real men drink!"

The Whale Fisher tilted his head back and drank deeply, exclaiming, "Ah, glorious!"

Li Guanyi said, "If it's this good, can I have some?"

The Whale Fisher shot him a sidelong glance, shook his hand—and, because of Li Guanyi's earlier words, tossed him the flask. "Drink!"

Li Guanyi tilted his head back and swallowed a large gulp. Cold, crisp, refreshing—he said:

"Good liquor!"

The Whale Fisher's face lit with pride. "You know liquor?"

Li Guanyi praised:

"Clear color, fragrant taste, a single thread of fire down the throat, lingering aftertaste—it's excellent."

The Whale Fisher reached out, yanked the flask back into his hand, and said, "Enough. With your drinking capacity, how much could you possibly handle? By the way, what's the point of building that house?"

Li Guanyi felt slightly drunk, yet his mind was clear. He answered, "Beggars aren't born beggars, and they won't always be beggars, nor will their sons be beggars too. I'm building a house—for them to live in, to read, to learn characters, to train in martial arts."

The Whale Fisher laughed bitterly.

"You're a madman!"

"That statement is treason in this world."

"Watch out—they'll beat you to death for saying it."

Li Guanyi said, "Madman? Fine, I'm a madman!"

The alcohol was rising to his head.

Li Guanyi had no idea what kind of liquor was in this man's precious flask—he was already dizzy, burped, and said, "Ha! I came into this world for this."

"Otherwise, they'll kill me!"

"Or else, I'll overturn this world!"

The Whale Fisher roared with laughter. "Good! Good! A great toast!"

"Come on, drink together, drink!"

He glanced sideways, planning to get the boy drunk, make him look foolish in front of his daughter, knock him out with alcohol, and carry him off with Yao Guang—otherwise, with this boy's stubborn nature, he'd never leave.

That Longsheng guest? Hard to kill, and a pain to deal with.

He wasn't a Sword Madman—he excelled in arraying formations.

As for others?

The Whale Fisher didn't care.

So he poured all his effort into urging drink—but the boy's words struck every raw nerve of his youth, so he began drinking himself. A wild man by nature, he drank and cursed aloud.

Li Guanyi should have passed out long ago—but his physique was immense.

Dragon sinews, tiger marrow, adamantine body—still couldn't hold up.

But Ji Chengfeng's cultivation foundation had completely purged all toxins from the liquor—so Li Guanyi didn't collapse. The fisherman refused to believe it; his nature would never yield. They drank on.

This wine gourd seemed to contain infinite space—at least it was a Mystic Weapon.

The two drank for a long while without finishing it; Li Guanyi was already drunk, and the fisherman was slightly tipsy. Li Guanyi burped, then sensed something odd—a feeling as if his body was drinking while his soul chased after it, and said:

"This, this elder, what is the name of your wine?"

"It's strong."

The Whale Fisher replied: "It's called Thousand-Day Drunk."

The fisherman, pleasantly tipsy and delighted, swayed slightly and said proudly: "Long ago, a man named Liu Xuanshi drank it and remained drunk for a thousand days. When he woke, he spat out wine vapor, and others who tasted it stayed drunk for over three months."

"Heh, when I sailed out to sea, I met people from Penglai Island and killed over a hundred tiger sharks and tiger whales. I took half of their five-hundred-year-old wine cellar and stored it all in this Mystic Weapon gourd. You kid, you drank it and didn't get drunk?"

Li Guanyi was dazed, didn't catch it clearly, only vaguely knew the effect was powerful, so he said:

"Can you give me some?"

The fisherman lazily replied: "No one ever asks a beggar for things."

"You've broken a taboo, kid."

"But interesting—you want this for what?"

Li Guanyi burped and said: "I want to invite a Mr."

"But this person is very cunning. I suspect Ma Fei San won't work."

The Whale Fisher scoffed arrogantly: "What's Ma Fei San? How dare it compare to my wine?"

"But I like you, kid. Using strong wine to invite someone—that suits my taste. Come, bring your wine gourd, I'll give you some!"

The Whale Fisher laughed loudly. Li Guanyi searched and picked up a wine gourd.

It was the same gourd Master Wen He had devised, given to Xu Tiange to drug the Nong Family Patriarch. He didn't care much—the Whale Fisher poured a great deal into it and said: "This one's too small, too small—I'll fix it!"

He casually added a formation to the ordinary wine gourd, forcing in three dou and three sheng of strong liquor, then slung an arm around Li Guanyi's shoulder and boasted: "Don't worry—my wine, poured into the sea, can knock out entire schools of tiger whales!"

"As long as your Mr. isn't some monster with a body forged into a Grandmaster, or some freak with sixty years of pure Yang internal energy, he'll definitely be knocked out by my wine."

"Definitely knocked out!"

"If you can't knock him out, I'll go personally and knock him out for you!"

Li Guanyi beamed: "Thank you, elder!"

He held the wine gourd, felt it was heavy—but now, drunk from the strongest wine in the world, with no danger present, his combat instincts remained inactive, and he didn't realize how unreasonable it was that something could feel this heavy to him.

How absurd.

Li Guanyi asked curiously: "But elder, you're alone here—where's your home?"

The Whale Fisher drank and laughed: "No father, no mother—the sky is my blanket, the earth my mat, I wander the Six Emptinesses as pillars, the myriad phenomena are my rafters!"

Li Guanyi, drunk, asked: "What about children?"

The Whale Fisher, seeing he was drunk, didn't mind, only said: "... My daughter, I sent her to be raised by another family."

Li Guanyi pointed at him and instinctively cursed: "Irresponsible!"

"What kind of father are you?!"

The Whale Fisher's face darkened with sorrow. He had been pouring wine, but now the memory stirred his own pain—he tilted his head and drank deeply: "What can I do?! What can I do?!"

"I didn't even know I had a daughter. That bastard from the Yin-Yang Sect came chasing after me. I didn't care—she was with her mother, surely nothing would happen, right?"

Li Guanyi said: "Of course!"

The Whale Fisher gripped his shoulder, eyes blazing: "But that woman—she wanted to use her own daughter as expendable material to forge a legendary combat power. When I found out, I rushed to her door that very night."

"My daughter had lost all five senses."

"She couldn't laugh, couldn't cry—her face never showed emotion. When she smiled, she had to press her fingers against her lips. I flew into rage, fought my way out with her, and her mother—pfft—that heartless monster doesn't deserve to be called her mother."

"She hid her!"

"I took her. A man doesn't know how to raise a little girl. She was born against my will, and her bloodline came from that venomous woman—I didn't like her."

"I hired a wet nurse to care for her, then kept traveling to fight. But the sect members still chased her, trying to take her back—even simple villagers handed her over for a few grains of rice."

The Whale Fisher tilted his head and drank deeply, swallowing unknown quantities, wiped his mouth, slightly drunk: "I thought and thought—I couldn't let this stand. My life must be the supreme freedom of Wu Gong. Why should I be saddled with a child I never wanted?"

"I couldn't feel anything for her, yet I couldn't abandon her—so I went to Zhongzhou and gave her to the Emperor's wet nurse, that woman—what was her title? —a Lady of Honor."

"I arranged for her to learn Wu Gong from the child's future offspring."

"Then I left to fight."

"Before I left, the child was over a year old—she held my hand and asked for something. I didn't like her, so I shoved a steamed bun into her hand and said: 'This is the most important thing in the world—it can save your life.'"

The Whale Fisher cursed: "But I didn't lie."

"I was a beggar, damn it! White flour buns—I dreamed of them until I was sixteen. At five, I was beaten half-dead for a single coarse corn cake."

"Then what happened to that corn cake?"

The Whale Fisher grinned: "I pried it apart—it was black. They didn't want it. I gave it to my brother—he ate it, and it saved his life."

"Later, that brother reported me to the authorities for stealing—I was hung up and beaten. The world is just like this."

Li Guanyi, drunk, asked: "Then what happened after?"

The Whale Fisher said proudly: "Of course I won—how many could match me? But when I returned, I found the Lady's entire family slaughtered—the killer was the child's own mother."

"Later, later I searched... finally found her."

The Whale Fisher tilted his head, remembering that day of heavy rain—he found the two-year-old girl—her silver hair hidden under a hood, her soul-spirit wounded, her emotion-stripped face showing a faint tremor. She widened her eyes, pulled out the dry, shriveled bun, and said:

"Father, you really came!"

"It's the most precious thing!"

Then the silver-haired child pressed her fingers against the corners of her lips and forced a smile. On that rainy day, the Whale Fisher wept uncontrollably—and even now, remembering it, his heart ached fiercely.

The Whale Fisher tilted his head and drank deeply, gulping down great mouthfuls.

Had it not been for this, with his wild nature, how could he have cared for a child born of conspiracy—especially one born of his enemy? His principles would have saved her, but never drawn him this close.

He knew his bloodline and legacy were watched—he sent the child to the Star One Line, sailed out to sea to find the Lan Zhi Jade Herb that could restore her emotions, and deliberately lured Mo Sect members overseas, shifting the battlefield to the South Sea.

He quietly returned just to see her.

Yet again accused of being 'without father or mother,' he flew into a rage, only to recall that day.

Yet he was helpless.

Originally meant to persuade Li Guanyi to drink, to get the fellow drunk and drag him away, now the Whale Fisher himself was heartbroken, drinking endlessly, getting drunk again and again; Li Guanyi comforted him, while the Whale Fisher kept drinking, and both cursed this world and the Jianghu.

Suddenly the youth staggered, tipped his head back to drink, then threw the wine flask to the Whale Fisher.

He rose, drew the ancient pine-patterned sword from his waist—he was truly utterly drunk.

But Qianri Zui, this kind of quantity, the number-one strongest liquor in the world capable of intoxicating even a giant whale, could not bring down Li Guanyi's Gongti; Ji Chengfeng's Gongti operated with every breath, perpetually open.

Not even Qianri Zui—even Fei Poison could be drunk like wine.

Destroying while consuming, eventually swallowing all the Fei Poison.

The youth held the sword in one hand, levelled it, the tip trembling, his steps unsteady, yet laughed wildly as he danced with the blade: "Drink up, don't stop the cup!"

"Let me sing you a song—please lend me your ear!"

"Behind vermilion gates, wine and meat rot; on the road, frozen bones lie bare—what does this world hold?"

"Above, emperors wear long life tassels; in the middle, jade maidens welcome with embroidered charms; below, common folk's white bones lie exposed in wild wastes, for a thousand li no one gathers them."

"Have you not seen, by Qinghai's shore, since ancient times, white bones lie uncollected?"

Li Guanyi was thoroughly drunk, muttering scattered, incoherent verses; finally he picked up his sword, pointed it forward, and said: "This world—Li Guanyi comes too."

The Whale Fisher, also drunk, sneered: "What can you do?!"

Li Guanyi said: "I will renew this world—if not—"

"If not what?!"

"Then burn the imperial treasury to ash of brocade, trample every noble's bones on Tianjie!"

"Let this world die!"

"Even if I fail, I will give this world the heart to draw its sword!"

The Whale Fisher, who prided himself as a madman, was now stunned, clapped his hands, and said:

"Good, good, good—fine spirit, hahaha!"

Li Guanyi, drunk, said: "I spoke rashly—forgive me, elder."

The drunken Whale Fisher grabbed him—he was wild and arrogant, never bound by so-called etiquette: "What elder? You're just calling me old—call me Big Brother!"

Li Guanyi said: "Big Brother!"

The Whale Fisher laughed: "Little Brother!"

"Hahaha, Little Brother!"

"Big Brother!"

Hooves clattered—two men of extremely high Wu Gong, drunk on liquor potent enough to knock out every student in the Academy for a month, staggered, nearly ready to cut a rooster's throat and swear brotherhood, when they turned and saw that horse's light, swift steps.

The silver-haired girl sat on horseback, pulled down her hood, and spoke in a calm voice:

"I thought you'd run into trouble."

"Turns out you're just drinking here."

"Who is this…?"

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