Chapter 287: Gift, Jiangnan, Grand Strategy, Jianghu Master Jiankuang Drinks Together

This place is among the most central regions of Zhongzhou; anyone wandering here could hardly be ordinary. Not to mention, today was Zheng's eldest daughter's embroidered ball toss—those present weren't just family youths seeking amusement, but also members of other noble houses.

And the scholars already drawn in by that old fox of a Zheng patriarch—all of whom had passed his discerning eye—were all upright, pure-hearted men.

Either they met friends for wine and reminiscence, or their route was blocked by traffic, forcing them to detour down this path—Zheng's family effortlessly guided the young men they favored here.

Thus, the Zheng patriarch scoffed at the romantic coincidences in storybooks: the notion of a young lady climbing over a wall? Pure invention by penniless scholars. If a noble house meant to confine someone, the wall would be over a zhang tall, guarded by retainers with clubs.

How could a frail woman and a destitute scholar possibly scale such a wall?

Even so-called fated coincidences were all arranged behind the scenes by noble patriarchs.

The young men merely believed they had encountered their true destiny.

They knew nothing of the power and wealth behind it.

Just as the Zheng patriarch was enjoying the spectacle, he saw his granddaughter fling the embroidered ball—only for a young girl to snatch it, then directly hurl it into Qin Wu Hou's arms. The patriarch's eyes nearly bulged out; he burst into violent coughing.

Huh????

Huh?!?!

Is this really the Qin Wu Hou—the man who swallowed clouds and galloped across plains, who, before the imperial road, used Chixiao Sword to beat the highest-ranked royal relative into a bloody mess, teeth scattered on the ground?

When the Zheng patriarch saw the girl, he suddenly realized:

"The Princess of Yunmeng, from Chen State."

"The Empress's niece."

"Officially enfeoffed by Zhongzhou as the eldest daughter of the Duke of Xue; junior manager of the Xue family's merchant guild—the richest in the land. No wonder Qin Wu Hou showed no reaction…"

The Zheng patriarch, convinced he had seen through everything, sipped his tea calmly: "All under heaven bustle for gain; all under heaven hustle for profit."

"You, Qin Wu Hou, claim to be a hero unmatched by Chen Wu—but you're no different."

He noticed the commotion around him: everyone recognized Li Guanyi, and no noble youth failed to know this daughter of the Duke of Xue—they all rushed forward. Li Guanyi held the embroidered ball, then reached out as usual to grasp Xue Shuangtao's wrist.

He dragged her into a sprint, dodging the crowd, heading for a secluded spot. Only then did he exhale deeply: "These people are truly…" Someone had already tried to grab his sleeve.

Faintly, he heard someone shouting: "You caught my embroidered ball!"

"You're my husband now, husband."

"Hurry up—choose a date for the wedding!"

Is Zheng's eldest daughter really this brazen?

Xue Shuangtao couldn't help laughing: "After all, he's Qin Wu Hou."

Li Guanyi placed the embroidered ball atop the girl's head and said:

"You went to the Western Regions?"

The girl lifted her hand, took the embroidered ball, tossed it idly, then flung it away: "To decide one's future by catching an embroidered ball? Too childish and dull."

She flung it away, flicked her fingers—a surge of qi struck the embroidered ball.

Like an arrow shot, it flew far into the distance.

It lured the crowd away, while also displaying her own accomplishments.

Xue Shuangtao said: "Yes, I trained under Master Chen Qingyan, studying the Kunlun lineage's heart scripture. I was heading to a special secret chamber atop Kunlun Mountain, and en route, I took care of Changfeng Lady's arrangements."

"But I didn't expect the Western Regions to be so strange—customs and everything else utterly unlike the Central Plains. With no martial experience, I fell into a trap. I had no idea how deeply the Mo Sect had infiltrated there."

"Had the Mo Sect not been severely crippled over a decade ago…"

"And had Dan Tai Xianming and Yuwen Lie not crushed Tuyuhun, perhaps today the Western Regions would be ruled by the Mo Sect."

"I heard the Mo Sect originated from an extremist Buddhist sect, exterminated three hundred years ago by the tyrant Tuyuhun, hence their lotus emblem. Though that tyrant was brutal and dominated his age, the remnants slowly revived after his death."

Li Guanyi placed his hand on Xue Shuangtao's wrist, sensing her pulse. The Zetian hexagram of the Huangji Jing Shi Shu rotated, revealing her qi was still weak—wounded this year.

Li Guanyi fell silent, then said:

"... Leave Changfeng Lady's affairs to others."

He was no longer the young herbalist. He had seen Yuwen Lie's Tiger Man cavalry. Jiangnan was one thing—but if Changfeng Lady continued, she would inevitably clash with Chen and Ying states' intelligence networks.

The Western Regions are already this brutal. How much worse would Dan Tai Xianming's cold, meticulous former chancellor, and Jiang Su—the first divine general who wields both Dao and hegemonic power, Yin and Yang, strategy and deception with ease—have made their intelligence network?

Jiangnan is merely the first step. The higher you climb, the fiercer the slaughter.

Intelligence work is inherently dangerous. He didn't want Xue Shuangtao to sink deeper.

The promise made at Yicheng still lingered in his heart.

Xue Shuangtao risked her life to protect Li Guanyi's escape from the first encirclement, ordering him to flee. It was she who pulled the impoverished Li herbalist up to a higher realm. Without her, without Princess Xue, Li Guanyi might never have become a Jinwu Guard.

Without becoming a Jinwu Guard, he'd have no path into the imperial palace. Even if he wished to risk his life, he'd be powerless. Where would his grand passion find expression?

Xue Shuangtao shook her head: "I won't."

She raised her eyebrows: "I know you care for me. But if I told you to abandon your Fire Qilin army, to abandon the eighteen strategic states of Jiangnan, and return to Jiangzhou and Yicheng in Chen State to stay with me…"

"... Like that day—spring outing, picking flowers, playing the zither and eating jujubes—would you agree?"

She fixed her gaze on Li Guanyi, then smiled:

"You wouldn't."

"Funny—I wouldn't either."

"I only meant to help you. But while managing Changfeng Lady, I saw things a noblewoman would never normally see—the darker truths."

"Girls driven mad after being bought and abused six or seven times; boys blinded, kneecaps removed, forced to beg; entire cities slaughtered after defeat; civilians barely clinging to life."

"We two—back then—we picked flowers, climbed trees… but…"

"Outside, central Chen State suffers years of crushing taxes—people can't even survive."

"They sell their daughters for porridge."

"Save every scrap, raise sons, send them off for corvée labor."

"Then they die on the road hauling grain to the front."

"Knowing all this—I can't go back."

Xue Shuangtao smiled lightly.

She looked at Li Guanyi and said seriously:

"I'm beginning to understand your thoughts."

"So, if you wish to oppose these forces, I am willing to walk beside you—this world is vast. I will not go with you to Jiangnan, nor follow you to the Western Regions. I am a descendant of the wild tigers of this world."

"Accompanying you to Jiangnan, to the whole world, would be wonderful."

"But I do not like it."

"Even a plum tree kept only in a courtyard is still a plum tree."

"I originally had a gift for you—come!"

Xue Shuangtao smiled faintly, reached out, and took Li Guanyi's wrist, leading him outside. They went together to the Changfeng Tower, where the former Changfeng Lady—a delicate woman of about thirty—saw them arrive and bowed repeatedly, smiling bitterly:

"Your Lordship, please forgive us."

"The Young Lady insisted on this."

Li Guanyi naturally said it was no problem. Xue Shuangtao pulled him to the back, where the Xue family's carts were parked—row upon row of large vehicles, most of which remained at the Zhongzhou Xue Family Guild, but one stood here alone.

Zhao Da Bing sat there, looking bored. When he saw Li Guanyi arrive, his face lit up with joy; it was as if two springs had been installed beneath his buttocks—he leapt up with a bounce, his face wreathed in wild laughter, and he stepped forward swiftly.

But then he remembered his current status—he was merely a "non-initiate" Xue family coachman, while this young man was Qin Wu Hou, entitled to wear sword and boots in court, enter the palace without hastening, and maintain a residence equal to that of a Grand Secretary.

The gap in status was too great. Zhao Da Bing raised his hand, only to awkwardly scratch his head. But Li Guanyi reached out directly, draping his arm over the coachman's shoulder, and said: "Old Brother Zhao, do you still have salt-roasted peanuts?"

Zhao Da Bing froze slightly, then his lips curled upward—the smile could not be contained.

Grand Secretary with equal authority to the Three Excellencies, Qin Wu Hou!

Once we return, won't that fellow be green with envy?

Zhao Da Bing patted his chest and said: "Of course—when you're out in the sun and rain eating dry rations, you need something salty to keep your strength up, or else you'll have no energy for anything."

He pulled out a pile of salt-roasted peanuts and shoved them into Li Guanyi's hands.

Xue Shuangtao dismissed Zhao Da Bing and the man in charge of the Zhongzhou Changfeng Tower, then reached out and slowly pressed her palm against the carriage's wooden box. "Inside this," she said, "is the gift I prepared for you."

She struggled slightly to open it. Even with Chen Qingyan, a martial arts master, as her instructor, her training had been brief—her Current Realm was only at the Second Heaven level, which, for her age, was extraordinary talent.

But in the turbulent world now, it was not enough.

In this chaotic age, everything tumbled together, top to bottom.

There was no logic where a Second Heaven opponent faced only another Second Heaven—or even a First Heaven.

Take Ye Bu Yi and others—young generals around twenty, their Wu Gong already formidable, their family lineages deep, their futures promising—but their opponents might be Xiao Wuliang, or Yuwen Lie, or even Jiang Su. That is the matching mechanism of this chaotic age.

Strike the vital point with brutal force.

Force raw newcomers to face the First Divine General.

Li Guanyi saw what lay inside the carriage: row upon row of large chests, their weight sinking the wheels visibly. Xue Shuangtao smiled at Li Guanyi: "We transported many fine porcelain pieces from Chen State."

"They can be sold at excellent prices here."

"Those are gifts for the noble clans and royal families. But these here… are for you." She opened a wooden box, revealing sheet after sheet of paper—each bearing handwriting and fingerprints. Li Guanyi glanced at them, and his expression slowly froze.

Xue Shuangtao whispered:

"These are the indenture contracts of the common folk from the prefectures surrounding the Eighteen Prefectures of Jiangnan."

"The Xue family obtained them easily—but the noble clans refuse to release the people. This is their usual tactic: take the benefits but never give up the bones. Local tyrants bully the newcomers. Money is paid, indentures are signed—even land deeds are handed over."

"All procedures follow the law and statutes—but they still refuse to release the people, refuse to give the land, and collude with the government."

"And they still boast they've gotten the better end."

Xue Shuangtao suddenly grinned triumphantly:

"They never imagined Qin Wu Hou."

"These indentures—I think they will be of great help to you."

Li Guanyi knew what these meant.

They were the people—they were the tide. If given to Wen Lingjun, the foremost young strategist of the realm, they would bring all seventeen prefectures under Li Guanyi's command. Li Guanyi looked at Xue Shuangtao, opened his mouth, then felt the warmth of her lips.

The girl's three fingers pressed gently over his lips. Her almond eyes fixed on him as she smiled:

"No need to thank me."

"These mean nothing in the hands of merchants like the Xue family."

"But in the hands of the Heavenly Strategy General, who commands the realm's armies—they are of immense use."

"I went to great lengths to get these. Those bastards had appetites like insatiable Taotie—promising one day, reneging the next. I was so furious I nearly drew my bow and shot them full of arrows like hedgehogs!"

As Xue Shuangtao spoke, she clenched her teeth, briefly showing the old ferocity—the very demeanor Xue Changqing called "she-tiger." Then she remembered propriety and smoothed it away, retracting her fingers. "But at least I got them back."

"Though a little late—happy birthday."

Xue Shuangtao smiled:

"It's not very proper to say this, but I hope you like my gift."

"I won't abandon the Changfeng Tower."

"I have my own goals too—but I suspect our paths may align. When the Changfeng Tower is no longer needed, I will let go of all this."

"But for now…"

The girl beamed brightly: "Do you like this gift?"

Li Guanyi seized the documents, stepped forward, and pulled the girl into his arms, embracing her tightly: "It's… exactly what I needed!!!" His eyes shone clear: "Shuangtao, I have matters to attend to—I'll come find you soon."

He turned and strode away—he must find Wen Lingjun, Wen He.

He must find Feng Xiao, Mo Juzi.

As soon as he saw these documents, a flood of tasks surged forth: how to rescue these people, how to save more, how to secure silver, logistics, and armies to protect them.

These tasks were too vast, too heavy—like a roaring flame.

They seized Li Guanyi's full attention.

Before him lay the world, and to save these people, he was only one step away—this thought burned through his mind like fire; after bidding farewell to the girl, Li Guanyi even ran off in a frenzy.

Xue Shuangtao's cheeks flushed slightly as she watched Li Guanyi stride far away, then said:

"Indeed."

"Just as Grandfather said—right now, his eyes see only family, country, and the world above all else… When he saw those indenture contracts, his mind must have been entirely consumed by how to rescue these people."

"How disappointing! I worked so hard to gather these things and personally transported them to Zhongzhou City—yet you don't even thank me, Miss? Or say me some sweet words?"

"But if you truly…"

Xue Shuangtao lifted her head, gazing at the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, and whispered:

"If you truly saw nothing but me in your eyes—no common people, no indenture contracts—then I would be truly disappointed…"

She hesitated, noticed no one was around, then carefully raised her fingers—the same three that had once pressed against the boy's lips.

For a mere child, this might have caused endless hesitation—but at this moment, Xue Shuangtao suddenly smiled, her demeanor carefree, tinged with a touch of heroic spirit; she raised her three fingers and lightly pressed them against her own lips.

Leaning against the door, she looked down, cheeks faintly flushed.

This look—this quiet, feminine delight and secret thought.

But no one could see it.

…………………………

Li Guanyi went to gather his three strategists and told them of these matters; the four of them talked nearly nonstop all night, revising their previous plans once more.

Wen Lingjun's gaze nearly sparkled.

Li Guanyi asked: "What do you think, Lingjun? How certain are you?!"

"Ninety-six percent? Or one hundred?"

Wen Lingjun shook his head and said:

"One hundred? No—now that we have these, why gamble at all?"

The refined gentleman paused, then smiled gently:

"But the opportunity is rare, Lord—would you care to make a grand move?"

A greater one?

Wen Lingjun, master of momentum, was the kind who, once gaining advantage, would roll forward like a cascading boulder, swelling the tide of momentum until it became overwhelming.

Until finally, it coalesced into a vast, unstoppable force.

Li Guanyi asked Wen Lingjun: if he wanted to make an even grander move, how certain was he?

Wen Lingjun spoke calmly: "If the Lord entrusts me with these indenture contracts and allocates three million taels of silver, I am nine-tenths certain."

Li Guanyi said: "Still nine-tenths?"

Wen Lingjun spoke calmly: "To say eight-tenths would underestimate you and me; to say ten-tenths would underestimate the world. A gentleman must be practical—and humble. Hence, nine-tenths."

Li Guanyi laughed, pointing at him: "Arrogant!"

Then he rose, clasped his hands: "I entrust it all to you, Mr."

Wen Lingjun froze. He had assumed that with so many indenture contracts, Wen He must be present—but he never expected Li Guanyi to trust him so utterly. His expression grew calm; he rose, clasped his hands, and said softly: "I shall not fail your trust, General."

Calling him "General," not "Lord," was a quiet but deliberate gesture.

Wen He asked: "So, Lord—where did you get these things?"

Li Guanyi recounted the day's events. Wen He clicked his tongue, then feigned exaggerated reverence, bowing repeatedly: "Lord, Lord! Qingyu failed to see your true nature and spoke rashly to you—what a sin, what a sin!"

Li Guanyi was bewildered: "What's wrong, Mr.?"

On Wen He's plain face shone a cheerful teasing light: "I once said you lacked the skill to steal the Lady and Young Lady's jewelry box—but now I see, I was too narrow-minded."

"The soft meal you're eating—I can't even dream of it!"

"Admired, admired!"

Feng Xiao choked on his wine and burst into coughs.

Wen He laughed heartily.

Li Guanyi was torn between laughter and frustration. Wen Lingjun said:

"These things only gain true power in our hands. Without our strategies, without the great upheaval of the world, they could never be fully wielded—but the Yunmeng Princess's actions allow us to plan something far greater."

"It's like fish and water, Lord."

"We must thank her properly."

Li Guanyi's expression softened: "Mm."

"I know."

………………

At the Xue household, after Chen Qingyan returned, she learned of the day's events and said coolly: "You met Guanyi—yet didn't even keep him for a meal? Let him leave like that?"

"This place is awfully cold."

Grandfather Chen Chengbi was also here—but he had no time to return; these past days he'd been having the time of his life. Though he hadn't fought the Master Jiankuang, Zhongzhou City had grown crowded with martial artists, and every day he sought fights, drank, and ate meat—delighted beyond measure.

Chen Qingyan looked at her disciple and said coolly: "Guanyi must have asked you to abandon the Changfeng Lady's organization, hasn't he?"

Xue Shuangtao said: "You understand him well."

"But I refused."

Chen Qingyan said: "You're certain—he has women around him too."

Xue Shuangtao whispered: "Mm. But it's a pity—if I hadn't taken charge of the Changfeng Lady's organization, I'd have gone to him at once. If I hadn't seen those Juan Sect records, it would've been better."

"I wish I were just a naive, dim-witted noble daughter—seeing those records, I'd only shed a few tears, then drift into spring sorrow and autumn melancholy—that would be best!"

"But sadly, I'm not that simple."

She said earnestly:

"I have my own goals, Master. Even in the biting winter, plum blossoms in the Southern Kingdom bloom. As for me and him—Master, you once asked me about my relationship with him, and about Xiao Shi."

"I've figured it out."

The young woman took a deep breath, looking at Chen Qingyan: "I am not a girl with great talent—my Wu Gong, my wit, everything is merely ordinary—but I do have one difference: this heart of mine is unyielding."

"The emotions of all people under heaven rise and fall; I have thought long and hard. Those foolish men and women in this world all seek 'mutual affection,' yet are tangled and bound by love. Xue Shuangtao is not one of them. I seek more—and deeper—but I seek only four characters."

The eldest daughter of the Xue family replied:

"Shared purpose and aligned Dao."

"Xue Shuangtao hopes that Li Guanyi's story begins with me."

"When Li Guanyi's story ends, it will still be me!"

"That will be enough."

……………………

Li Guanyi returned and thought of the ancestral Xue family artifact given to him by Xue Lao's eldest daughter and her husband in Ying State. Today, faced with sudden matters, he had not brought it with him; next time, he must give it to the Young Lady.

Li Guanyi recalled his earlier conversation with Xue Shuangtao, when she mentioned wanting a wooden hairpin. He went to find a fine piece of wood, intending to refashion a hairpin with Chixiao Sword. But after finally retrieving the wood, he saw Elder Murong sitting alone.

Night had fallen; candlelight flickered. The old man, clad in a blue robe, drank alone—yet seemed utterly content.

On the table beside him lay a scroll. Seeing Li Guanyi return, Elder Murong smiled and beckoned him over to share a drink. The two chatted and laughed as they had every night these past days—just like any grandfather and grandson anywhere under heaven.

The old man took a sip of wine, savoring its flavor as the aroma slowly spread, then said in a tone as casual as any ordinary remark, gently:

"The time is nearly here."

"I must go to my appointment."

Li Guanyi's body froze slightly; his hand, carving the wooden hairpin, trembled.

He looked up at Elder Murong.

The longing of students to enter Jiangnan, the strategies of Wen Lingjun, Wen He, and Feng Xiao, the trust placed in him by Emperor Ji Zichang, the reunion with Xue Shuangtao, the Dao discussions with Master Wang Tong—all these events passed before him in turn, yet not a single moment could be slowed.

The sword invites the entire martial world!

Now, looking back.

Time moved neither hurried nor slow—yet like a white colt darting past a crevice.

In an instant.

The day had come for Sword Mad Elder Murong to face the martial world.