Chapter 342: The Qilin Approaches Xicheng, Storms Converge—One More Joins

Li Guanyi helped Wang Shunchen to his feet and welcomed him back.

Wang Shunchen was inherently Emotionally Weighted, but due to events from that year, his inner state became hollow, causing him to regress; now that he had resolved his old psychological wound and restored his inner completeness, he finally returned to the Seventh Heaven realm.

With a casual gesture, he wielded the Divine Manifestation's ultimate art; commanding troops and summoning the war spirit of the army became effortless; Li Guanyi detailed all matters of Anxi City, then dispatched Khan Qibili and others to gather the corpses and salvage usable armor and weapons.

The desert was dry, but it was still summer, and so many corpses risked sparking plague; Khan Qibili ordered soldiers to retrieve their medicinal pouches and use Hou Zhongyu's Corpse-Dissolving Powder to turn all the corpses into bloodwater, then swept them clean.

After a brief idle chat, Li Guanyi and Wang Shunchen turned to matters of the Great Flag Camp.

Li Guanyi personally visited to thank them, introducing himself as a "Central Plains itinerant merchant."

The veteran camp chief, having roamed the martial world for decades, saw the youth clad in scaled armor and battle robe, smiling warmly; as a man of the Jianghu who had once traveled the Central Plains, he knew such attire could only belong to a seasoned general or warlord—never an itinerant merchant.

Yet he laughed boldly and slyly: "Ah, I see. Old man has long dwelled beyond the frontier and never knew such itinerant merchants existed."

As he spoke, he noticed the cavalry on the other side dumping a powder in a showering flurry.

Bubbles rose on the corpses, pus and blood oozed out, turning them into bloodwater.

The veteran chief Yu Wutai's eyelid twitched.

At first, he kept his expression unchanged.

But after a while, he saw the corpses dissolve entirely into bloodwater.

The veteran chief felt his skull go numb.

This technique—this, this…

Whose powder was this, so brutal?

The veteran chief barely managed to keep his face expressionless.

Though the Great Flag Camp lacked food and meat, they still hosted Li Guanyi and his party; during casual talk, Li Guanyi invited the entire camp to reside in his territory, and the veteran chief agreed without hesitation.

He knew well—

One of the Qiang's Three Great Generals, along with five thousand elite Qixie soldiers, had died here.

The Qiang would not let this go.

The Qiang were a major tribe of the desert, numerous and fierce warriors; after the chaos in the Western Regions, they were the first to proclaim themselves king, ruling over cities, populations, and slaves, with a hundred thousand elite troops.

That hundred thousand was a true army, unlike the force Li Guanyi commanded.

They also had two generals stronger than Cheleji.

Among them, the Qiang's greatest general had reached the Patriarch realm, but due to shifting tides, other commanders were occupied with rising storms, and with Wang Shunchen's inner collapse and regression, they had sent Cheleji with five thousand fierce cavalry.

They never imagined Li Guanyi would suddenly appear.

Otherwise, Wang Shunchen would have died beneath Cheleji's military might.

Now that the general and cavalry were dead here, the Qiang would never let this pass; once they recovered, they would come searching, and the Great Flag Camp would surely be targeted—then escape would be impossible.

The Qiang of the Western Regions had cruel punishments: they would dig a pit in the desert, bury a person alive, pack the sand tight, then slice a wide gash into the forehead just above the scalp with an exquisitely sharp, swift blade, and smear honey on it.

Huge, ferocious desert ants would crawl in to feast on the honey and flesh.

Death by itching, death by agony, death by sheer terror.

Run if you can!

Falling into the hands of those barbarians was worse than death.

The Great Flag Camp had many belongings and gear; the veteran chief instantly decided to abandon it all, keeping only silver, weapons, and clothing, locked the camp gate, then poured alcohol and grease throughout the compound.

Finally, he set fire, reducing the decades-old stronghold to ashes.

Li Guanyi saw the veteran chief's face, complex and sorrowful.

Wang Shunchen too felt dazed, but soon that dreamlike haze lifted from him; his old psychological wound was resolved, and he reclaimed his former battle bow.

Only now, with the Great Flag Camp—symbol of his fallen, desolate years—burned to ash,

did Wang Shunchen truly let go.

The road ahead was wide and open, and the past was gone.

The Divine Archer General had finally returned.

Li Guanyi stroked the cat curled on his shoulder; precisely because of this, he had not used his famed Chi Long or Bai Hu Manifestations, nor had he brought the Fire Qilin to battle.

Li Guanyi's name echoed across the land.

The Fire Qilin was deeply tied to him.

From start to finish, only Wang Shunchen and the five thousand Qixie soldiers knew he was Li Guanyi.

The ten thousand archer cavalry had been left behind.

The Great Flag Camp folk were far away.

The five thousand Qixie soldiers who knew were annihilated; if the Fire Qilin had appeared, and the Great Flag Camp folk had seen its form, it would have been an unmanageable problem.

Since the day he rescued people from the Ghost Market in Jiangzhou, with Xue Lao cleaning up afterward,

Li Guanyi had gradually matured; now, every action he took considered consequences.

He was no longer the reckless youth, driven only by blood and courage.

Yet the Divine Archer General Wang Shunchen still felt a pang of regret; seeing the Fire Qilin, slightly more mature than in days past, he asked if it still liked good fruit—and the Fire Qilin immediately bristled, leaving Wang Shunchen, long unseen, utterly baffled.

He confided privately to Li Guanyi: "What a pity, what a pity—I never saw you wearing golden armor, riding the Fire Qilin. If I had seen that scene, I'd gladly have drunk myself to death on the spot."

Li Guanyi replied: "General, your valor is unmatched—but dying drunk on the battlefield is no auspicious wish."

"Besides, such a sight will surely come again."

Li Guanyi paused, then smiled and added: "Though I've thought about it—I suppose I'd only ride the Fire Qilin and wear the golden mask at one moment…"

Li Guanyi stroked the Fire Qilin's head, eyes lowered in stillness; Wang Shunchen suddenly felt an aura of calm serenity.

Li Guanyi answered him:

"When the Western Regions are pacified, the southwest absorbed, and the southeast connected."

"At that battle, Li Guanyi will don the Mingguang Heavenly King Armor, ride the Flame-Treading Fire Qilin, wear the golden mask, wield the Chi Xiao Divine Sword, and with solemn dignity, make a grand display of power across this world."

Wang Shunchen froze: "Huh??"

"Jiangnan?"

"Chixiao Sword?"

Li Guanyi, surprised, patted the Fire Qilin's head and smiled: "Yes, just a minor matter—I didn't tell you, General. By chance, these things can wait until later."

Wang Shunchen, ready to leave the mountains and display his divine might: "…………"

"???"

So this general, who had spent over a decade drowned in wine barrels and ignored the world, pulled Khan Qibili aside and asked; Khan Qibili revered Li Guanyi as a deity and recounted everything in detail—the Divine Archer General sat stunned for a long time.

Qin Wu Hou??

Master of the Chixiao Sword?

Led troops to pacify the entire Jiangnan region, a first-class founding marquis.

Tiance Supreme General, not required to bow upon entering court, allowed to wear sword and boots in the palace, commander of all imperial armies?

The Divine Archer General burst into loud, utterly joyful laughter.

Yet just earlier, he had sworn before the blazing flames of his past that he would never drink again.

But today, alone, he took up a wine barrel and drank heavily toward the direction where the Taiping Army once marched, drunk for days—not in dull stupor, but in pure joy, wild elation; how could such coarse wine drown a Grand Master?

He simply wished to drown in joy.

Drunk, he lay on his side, muttering to himself.

He only said—

Comrades, comrades!

Our Taiping Army's banner will never fall; the dream of peace in this world still has successors. As if in his drunken haze, he saw again his fallen brothers-in-arms—but now, Wang Shunchen no longer carried the despairing will to join them in that world.

Dazed, he lifted the wine barrel and raised it in a distant toast.

Comrades, know this.

Joyful, joyful!

Li Guanyi brought this group of warriors and Wang Shunchen back to Anxi City; the warriors of Daflag Village and the old village chief were stunned by the city's grandeur, while Li Guanyi brought Wang Shunchen back and informed Mr. Pojun, Fan Qing, and others about this top-tier general.

Thus, Li Guanyi's faction finally had a true top-tier war general.

The top-tier war general within the entire Tiance Prefecture and Fire Qilin Army.

Also, the top-tier war general among the former Taiping Army.

He ordered Lei Laomeng to appraise all the captured spoils—these Qiang robes and iron armor could not be used as-is; wearing them directly would be like dancing the Hu Xuanwu right in the Qiang King's eyes.

Dancing the Hu Xuanwu while saying, "Your beloved general? I killed him."

Go ahead, try to fight me.

No one could bear it.

Li Guanyi's forces consisted of three thousand Golden Crescent Cavalry and twenty thousand archer cavalry.

The archer cavalry were usable only for their mounted archery skills; their individual quality equaled only the peak of central plains' third-line reserve troops, weaker than the average second-line troops who possessed inner Qi—the border armies of various nations.

Under these conditions, clashing with the Qiang would likely result in heavy Qiang losses but catastrophic casualties for Li Guanyi's forces, leading to annihilation. During a Tiance Prefecture internal meeting, Pojun flipped through the Juan Sect records, furrowed his brow, and said: "Lord, there's another matter…"

Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow: "Huh? What is it?"

The strategist replied: "Though we now have a general capable of commanding ten thousand troops, our troops' current quality cannot unleash the Divine Archer General's full potential—in other words, we have the general, but the troops can't keep up."

"Also, we need better equipment."

"Especially armor and powerful bows and arrows capable of bearing martial techniques."

"I've heard the elite troops of various nations are equipped with weapons and armor of Masterwork grade."

The strategist stared intently at Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi stared at his nose, his nose at his heart.

Nangong Wumeng sensed what was coming and slipped away early.

Li Guanyi recalled the grand sacrifice in Chen State—he had won the top prize after the martial contest: a top-tier Masterwork Han Shuang Ji, valued at a thousand taels of gold; even an ordinary Masterwork weapon cost several hundred taels of silver on the martial world market.

Equipping an entire elite force with Masterwork-grade gear.

And arrows—premium arrows, one tael of silver per arrow.

Mounted archer cavalry…

Li Guanyi finally realized something.

Pojun's lips curled as he spoke slowly: "Lord, didn't you forget from the start? Armies are inherently money-burning endeavors."

"Cavalry burns money. Archers burn money. A full-scale armored mounted archer army? It's the most money-burning force of all, second only to top-tier armored cavalry."

"Though you absorbed five thousand Qiang Qixie troops."

"But unfortunately."

"Our treasury deficit has grown larger."

To raise a full elite mounted archer army led by the number twenty-seven top commander on the General's List, from the perspective of internal administration and logistics, meant only one word—

Expensive!

Yet if you fail to provide sufficient rations, food, pills, premium arrows, bows, armor, it's like giving a thousand-li steed nothing but dry hay—you'll ruin the steed entirely, a sheer waste of heaven's gift.

Li Guanyi, possessing strategic vision, tightened his belt.

He assembled twenty thousand archer cavalry and over thirty thousand young, fierce warriors from various tribes, posted notices, and ordered a grand military competition: archery, horsemanship, spear techniques, swordplay, mounted archery, and Qi foundation.

Participants: twenty thousand archer cavalry, over thirty thousand young, strong warriors from various tribes.

In the end, barely three thousand were selected.

They would enjoy the best rations, armor, and pay—no worries.

Though Li Guanyi was poor, his soldiers and officers all received full pay.

Back then, the young lord tightened his belt and chased Nangong Wumeng across the desert, hunting sand bandits just to distribute the soldiers' pay.

Wang Shunchen rebuilt the former elite mounted archer corps, the "Shock and Hold Hundred-Proof Camp."

An elite force for siege warfare, storming camps, and ambushes.

The remaining twenty thousand mounted archers formed the standing army.

These twenty thousand standing troops were hunters from various tribes; they could fight well in small-scale skirmishes or when their commander had a clear advantage, but if tasked with sieges, defeating enemies, or confronting peers or even stronger foes, they would be crushed.

Their overall discipline, battlefield formation proficiency, and skill level were far too uneven.

Li Guanyi understood this clearly.

Twenty thousand men under his and Wang Shunchen's command could annihilate Che Li Ji's five thousand Qie Xie troops.

But if Yuwen Lie personally led five thousand Tiger Barbarian cavalry?

The outcome would reverse.

These twenty thousand would be wiped out.

Even a great general needs a strong army.

Only elite soldiers and outstanding commanders are the true choice of this world.

Chen's night-riding cavalry, the Yu Langwang's Grey Wolf Cavalry, the steppe's Iron Futu, Yan's Tiger Barbarian cavalry, General Jiang Su's Northern Garrison Army, and the halberd troops favored by General Yue Qianfeng and Gong Zhenyong—all were like this.

This was the military style that emerged under the constraint of a commander's leadership limit.

Within the bounds of leadership capacity, cultivate elite units with exceptional discipline and specialized skills.

Li Guanyi unhesitatingly waved his hand and made his decision.

The "Anxi City" poured in all of Tian Ge Er's wealth to build up the "Shock and Hold Hundred-Proof Camp" and the "Golden Curved Blade Cavalry"—each soldier clad in top-grade armor, wielding three-hundred-fold forged weapons, superior bows and crossbows, wolf-toothed barbed arrows, and hundred-fold snowflake spears.

Each man possessed at least Nei Qi Realm proficiency, was fiercely brave, and had individually killed multiple enemies; together, they reached the strength of top-tier second-line troops on the Central Plains battlefield.

The commander of the "Shock and Hold Hundred-Proof Camp" was the Divine General ranked twenty-seventh on the Divine General List: Wang Shunchen.

The commander of the "Golden Curved Blade Cavalry" was the Great Khan of the Nine Tribes of Tiele: Khan Qibili.

Each had over ten thousand reserve troops.

They also established the custom of holding a grand military competition once a year.

Under these two commanders, these men, even on the Central Plains battlefield, could be called fierce warriors; only these two corps had the qualification to contend with the Yu Langwang's elite personal troops.

It had been months since they arrived.

After more than a dozen battles, large and small, the "Anxi Protectorate" finally possessed a core force capable of rivaling the Tiance Prefecture's "Fire Qilin Elite" and the "Yue Family Heavy Cavalry."

In fact, the original models of these two units were strong enough to rival, or even surpass, the heavy cavalry under General Ling Pingyang.

Only now did they possess the true confidence to stand firm in the chaos of the Western Regions.

But the cost was that Qin Wu Hou Li Guanyi was once again destitute.

Broke!

Not a single copper coin left in his pockets!

Even a mouse entering his money bag would leave with two tears in its eyes.

Elite troops are bred with gold.

Conveniently, that was precisely what Li the man lacked most.

"Mr. Pojun, tell me—what is the meaning of life?"

Pojun: "…………"

"We must go to Xiyicheng."

The young lord's face bore a weary smile, his eyes slightly hollow: "Ah, Mr. Pojun, if we went there and played the victim, could we trick, I mean, earn some military funds from the Duke?"

"I can cry."

"Because of my aunt, I think my crying skills are slightly better than my halberd technique."

Pojun comforted him: "My Lord, do not be troubled—there are other concerns now."

Li Guanyi: "Hmm?"

Pojun mused: "The Western Regions are in chaos, but it cannot last forever. In my view, change is imminent—chaos will turn to order, and that will be the moment opportunity arrives."

"The Qiang tribes are powerful; if we fight them now, the best outcome would be mutual ruin. Yet there are three other tribes in the Western Regions as formidable as the Qiang, and countless others that, though weaker, still mobilize every able-bodied man."

"We no longer lack generals—but we lack men!"

"We lack military supplies, iron mines, weapons."

"And we lack timing!"

Pojun placed several items on the table and said:

"From what I surmise, even if the eldest son, Li Jianwen, harbors resentment toward the second son, the Duke himself—though aged—is still sharp-witted; he would not resort to a marriage alliance over mere family matters."

"Something has changed in Xiyicheng."

"Or rather, the view of the Western Regions from Xiyicheng's height has begun to shift."

"My Lord, Generals Wang Shunchen and Khan Qibili must remain here to train troops and defend the city, lest the Qiang detect our weakness and launch an attack. You, My Lord, must be extremely cautious when going to Xiyicheng—but if an opportunity arises, you must step into the tide of fate."

"There are three silk pouches here."

"If matters proceed smoothly, do not open them. But if you encounter trouble, open one—perhaps it will help."

Li Guanyi tucked the pouches away and said:

"Then, I leave this place in your hands, Mr. Pojun."

Pojun smiled: "It is my utmost wish—I dare not even ask."

"My Lord, who do you plan to take with you this time?"

Li Guanyi: "Only Chang Sun and Yao Guang."

Pojun's smile slightly froze: "Why?"

Li Guanyi replied, "The rest must stay here and prepare for the shifting tides—they each have their own matters to handle. As for our journey to Xiyicheng, I have a feeling that storm clouds gather and wind fills the tower."

"There will be changes."

"Changsun has always been half a man of Xiyicheng—he cannot stay away."

"And if the situation shifts, if danger arises, fewer people make escape easier."

Pojun said, "Then Yao Guang..."

Li Guanyi replied, "I made a pact with her—even if hunted by all under heaven, wandering the four corners, I will never abandon her."

"Over these years, from Yicheng to Zhenbei City, from Zhenbei City crossing ten thousand li to Jiangnan, through the battles of Jiangnan, then to Zhongzhou."

"Finally, from Zhongzhou to the Western Regions—life-and-death dangers came more than once. She never left me, helped me often; many times, her strange arts resolved my troubles..."

Li Guanyi fell silent for a moment, then whispered:

"I owe too much."

Pojun remained silent for a long while, then simply replied:

"Yao Guang possesses strange arts. If the Lord travels with her, he will indeed be safer."

Li Guanyi smiled carefree, clasped his hands in a slight bow, and said:

"Yes, then I entrust this city to you."

"My strategist."

Pojun paused slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips—then forcibly suppressed it.

Still, it tugged up again—uncontainable.

He straightened his back, left hand behind his back, fingers gripping his lower waist, right fist pressed against his lips, coughed once, and said with a calm face: "Hmm. Lord, rest assured."

"Leave this place to me!"

"I will not let you down!"

Li Guanyi burst into loud laughter.

Changsun Wuchou had waited long, his heart anxious; seeing Li Guanyi ready, he led them out. In Anxi City, the old Master Siming and the Whale Fisher had long departed, and the Staff Monk Thirteen had left two days prior.

"The monk says he must use these feet to measure the breadth of the world—how could he stand still here? All things arise from緣, all things dissolve in緣."

"Brother Li, the world is not so vast. If our paths are meant to cross, we may meet again."

Li Guanyi asked him where he was going.

The simple monk, wearing a wind-and-sand hat, carried a bamboo basket on his back filled with sutras, a teapot, and teacups, held a water-fire staff as thick as a bowl in his left hand, raised his right hand before his chest, and replied: "The mortal world is a sea of suffering—we are all travelers."

"From where we came, to where we go."

"The monk..."

"Has no departure, no return!"

He let out a loud laugh, turned, and walked into the boundless desert, chanting the Diamond Sutra.

He wished to measure the earth with his feet, to witness all things beneath heaven and above, to liberate all sentient beings from suffering.

"Brother, you and I, all sentient beings, the three thousand worlds."

"Take care, each of us."

"Amitabha."

All beings under heaven come and go like smoke and dust—familiar faces arrive, then depart; those lost in the past awaken, then return. Indeed, no feast lasts forever.

After leaving Anxi City, Li Guanyi sat atop a camel, listening to the clear, distant chime of the camel bells, feeling the desert's endless expanse.

This place was neither near nor far from Xiyicheng.

Along the way, he saw many cities, large and small, locked in constant warfare, different tribes slaughtering each other. Li Guanyi's mind remained calm; though he possessed the methods of a Master, he suppressed his aura entirely, appearing no different from an ordinary traveling merchant.

Along the journey, he frequently acted in justice, driving off desert bandits, witnessing the increasingly unstable situation in the Western Regions—until, in August, they neared Xiyicheng.

Because of the long journey, they stopped at a small town to rest.

Changsun Wuchou immediately wrote a letter to Li Zhaowen, informing her they were nearly arrived. The towns in this region were a mix of dragons and snakes—Westerners, Central Plains folk, Tuyuhun, and Tangut.

Li Guanyi could not sit still, and seeing Yao Guang seemed quite interested, he took some silver and went wandering with her through the town, buying things. The silver-haired girl particularly loved a certain baked naan here.

It could be stored long, but after consideration, she chose buns instead. Yet as they passed a marketplace, her steps paused slightly; her gaze turned to one direction, her clear eyes widening slightly.

Li Guanyi crouched before a stall, spotting a buffalo-horn comb, haggling with the old woman. The old woman used every trick—but could not hold her price, defeated by the boy's years of wandering experience.

Suddenly, Li Guanyi felt someone tug his sleeve.

He paused slightly, seeing the silver-haired girl beside him. Her wide sleeves revealed only a pale, delicate palm, pulling his sleeve. Having shared life and death, they understood each other without words. He smiled: "Alright."

He pulled out silver and paid the old woman the price she originally demanded.

Then he picked up the comb, took Yao Guang's hand, placed the finely crafted buffalo-horn comb into her palm, and followed her guidance through several alleys—then froze, seeing a familiar face.

He was a young man of decent birth, now disheveled, his face scarred, his body bearing marks of torture. His gaze was calm, like a crouching wolf, gripping a wooden staff against a group of large men, his back protecting a little girl.

Li Guanyi recognized him: "If not for Yao Guang, I would never have thought to meet him again." He deliberately made noise, letting the alley's occupants notice him.

The big men grew wary; the young man froze, eyes wide.

"It's you..."

Li Guanyi said: "Long time no see."

More than two years ago, in Jiangzhou of Chen State.

The Tangut prince, sent as a hostage to Jiangzhou City, and the then Jinwu Guard had exchanged a single glance. Now, they met again in this manner—he was the eldest son of the Tangut King.

The former hostage.

The Tangut Kingdom's lawful heir—

Li Guanyi said:

"Tangut Prince."

Barely managed to pull back before four. Goodnight, everyone.

? Hope to control my schedule within three days (peacefully)

? Please give me a monthly ticket~