Chapter 42: A Promise in a Chaotic Age

Behind Xue Daoyong, the seemingly plain Cloud-Shattering Heaven-Shaking Bow rested quietly on a black sandalwood rack. The old man paced over to the war bow's side, his palm slowly brushing across the bow's body, and looked toward Li Guanyi with a smile:

"Weren't you indignant before that you couldn't lift it? Today you happen to have come by again."

"Come, give it a try."

Li Guanyi was still thinking about the matter of the armor.

His eyes lifted slightly, looking at the war bow. Li Guanyi was thinking about this bow's inheritance, but his first reaction in his mind was what the old man intended to do, whether he had discovered that he could grip this divine weapon from five hundred years ago, and what that meant for him.

The young man had no reason to refuse, at least not openly.

He walked to the side of the Cloud-Shattering Heaven-Shaking Bow.

He reached out, spread his five fingers, and gripped this war bow. The bow's body felt delicate and perfect, fitting his palm. That intense sense of divine resonance appeared once more, but this time it did not trigger the inheritance, did not cause the bronze cauldron's jade liquid to change or ripple.

Entering the realm, ah…

Only by entering the realm can one once again cause the bronze cauldron to accumulate jade liquid.

Only then can one trigger the divine weapon's inheritance once more.

Only then can one truly walk through this chaotic age.

A longing for that realm rose in his heart.

Li Guanyi planned to let go, to show that he still could not grip the divine weapon. He looked toward the old man and said: "Xue Lao, it's a pity, I…"

Boom!!! The old man smiled, and beneath his feet a sudden burst of qi erupted.

A ripple visible to the naked eye.

The entire Listening Wind Pavilion seemed to shake once.

That ancient writing desk, woven with gold threads and worth ten thousand gold, suddenly collapsed into fine powder. The divine weapon Cloud-Shattering Heaven-Shaking Bow in Li Guanyi's hand naturally began to fall. This had nothing to do with inner judgment, nothing to do with scheming and calculation; it was purely bodily instinct—he had subconsciously gripped the war bow.

Even though he realized in an instant that he should let go of the Cloud-Shattering Heaven-Shaking Bow.

But Li Guanyi knew that this momentary instinctive grip, the bow's body pausing when it should have fallen, was already enough for that old man's sharp eyes to see something. His body tensed, then slowly relaxed.

He did not let go of the divine weapon.

The golden-thread nanmu wood, which took three thousand years to grow, turned into golden fine powder, carrying the scent of wood in the wind.

The old man looked at the young man before him.

Golden dust swirled around him, his sleeves rolled back, his spine straightened. That Cloud-Shattering Heaven-Shaking Bow was held in his hand, as if with some resolve. The bowstring hummed softly. Light flowed in the old man's eyes, the corners of his mouth curved in a smile, and he said repeatedly: "Good, good, good!!!"

Li Guanyi said: "A ten-thousand-gold golden-thread nanmu desk, just like that, shattered."

Old scoundrel, no martial virtue! The old man paid it no mind and laughed in response:

"To see someone once again grip the divine weapon—what is that worth compared to ten thousand gold?"

He paused, then looked at Li Guanyi, his eyes seeming to gaze upon his own youthful dreams, and said: "If you can grip this bow, it also means…"

Li Guanyi closed his eyes.

The bronze cauldron hummed, and in the void there seemed to be a low tiger's roar. The divine weapon in the youth's palm hummed, golden flowing light lit up along the bow's body, the patterns upon it seeming to come alive, as if the souls that had once died beneath this bow all awakened, crying out in panic.

【Ah Ru En Wu Er Ha Ri Wa Bo De Sa Da Wa】.

The Central Plains Bodhisattva's arrow that pierced the sacred mountain.

The golden flowing light spread along the bow's body, all the way to the youth's palm.

A set of gauntlets appeared on Li Guanyi's left hand that gripped the bow.

And the flowing light fell upon the fingers of his right hand, transforming into a golden ring.

It is a bowstring formed from the soul of a fierce tiger, sharp enough to slit the throat of a Northern Domain giant. Mortals find it hard to touch with mere flesh and blood. Only at this moment has the divine weapon truly awakened—the fierce tiger bares its claws and fangs, opens its eyes, and gazes upon the world anew.

Xue Daoyong looked upon this scene and laughed heartily.

Xue Daoyong said: "Can you draw it?"

Li Guanyi himself was curious. His palm gripped the bow, his right hand's fingers rested on the bowstring. The bowstring hummed, the Bai Hu Dharma Aspect descended upon the bowstring, causing the divine weapon to glow with a faint golden light, but despite his every effort, the bowstring would not budge even a hair's breadth.

Not enough.

Xue Daoyong was also somewhat regretful: "Indeed, to lift the bow requires the qualification of the Bai Hu Dharma Aspect, but to draw the bowstring requires an extremely High Realm." Li Guanyi placed the bow back on another table; his palm left the bow, and as his hand released—

The flowing light that had risen upon the divine weapon also dispersed. The last trace of flowing light spread from both sides of the bowstring toward the center, finally converging at the very center point and vanishing. And at this moment, Li Guanyi suddenly discovered that the Bai Hu Dharma Aspect had still drawn a wisp of power from the awakened divine weapon.

The Bai Hu Dharma Aspect seemed to have grown just a little.

But just then, this surge of power was forcibly siphoned away by the Taigu Chilong Dharma Aspect.

The Bai Hu Dharma Aspect, which had just lit up and seemed about to expand, instantly shrank back into its original little-kitten form.

In its place, the Taigu Chilong Dharma Aspect finally revealed part of its body.

It could coil around Li Guanyi's arm.

Like a dragon coiling around a pillar, curiously surveying the world around it.

The Taigu Chilong Dharma Aspect had appeared.

Ripples stirred in Li Guanyi's eyes. He wanted to try what kind of characteristic power this Dharma Aspect might possess, wanted to test whether the Xue family's arrow that chilled all in a flash could be unleashed through the Taigu Chilong Dharma Aspect. The Bai Hu Dharma Aspect had displayed an extremely penetrating characteristic—what about the Taigu Chilong? He felt curiosity, anticipation.

The old man had Li Guanyi sit down again, then brewed tea, and said with a gentle smile: "You cannot yet use this bow."

"But you do have the qualification to lift it. This is the treasured heirloom of my Xue family, and this old man cannot yet hand it over to you. I will first help you obtain that official position of a ninth-rank Wu Sanguan. You may rest assured—granting you a clean official identity is only proper."

"My Xue family knows your route of escape, and the dossier is with the Night-Rider cavalry. Even I cannot deduce where it is. However, fully ten years—based on my understanding of Chen State, no matter how serious the matter was back then, by now the wanted dossier on you has been suppressed to the lowest level."

Li Guanyi breathed a quiet sigh of relief in his heart.

It seemed the old man before him, though sharp-witted and experienced, had not necessarily truly uncovered his identity.

He had only pieced together his wandering trail from the Xue family's merchant guild.

Although Li Guanyi himself did not know his true origins.

Nor did he know whether the old man before him was merely bluffing him. So he only asked calmly: "How does Xue Lao know?"

The old man stroked his beard, a hint of mockery in his tone, and said: "Because this is Chen State."

"Although Marshal Yue's prestige is extremely high, it should not be the case that the moment Marshal Yue returns to the capital, the border immediately falls into ruin."

"It's simply because another national-defending divine general is also in Jingcheng, Jiangzhou."

"Jiangzhou is currently guarded by Chen's top divine general, Xiao Wuliang—he's not like Marshal Yue, who's merely a great general; he should be classified as a fierce general. I've seen his might myself: when the Regent caused chaos, he was only thirteen and rode out alone into battle."

"At eighteen, he led seven riders to charge through ten thousand enemy troops, slaying their commander and seizing their banner."

"Ranked fifteenth on the List of Divine Generals, his enemies trembled in fear and bestowed upon him the honorific title, Maha Wuliang."

"If such a fierce general could join forces with Marshal Yue, crushing all nations and restoring Chen's former borders from the Wu Di era would not be impossible—but the nobles have kept him stationed in the capital."

The old man could not help sighing bitterly: "Among the world's famed generals, those clad in precious armor, riding strange beasts or noble steeds, wielding divine weapons and bearing divine manifestations, are each capable of standing against ten thousand. If such a mighty one abandons all, disregards life and the fate of the realm, and charges recklessly into enemy territory to act without restraint, he can shake the imperial house."

"That's why they've stationed Xiao Wuliang in the capital."

"They call it: 'The ruler exists, the state exists; the ruler dies, the state dies. Thus, the ruler is paramount—the vital core of the nation, the lifeblood of the people—must not be neglected.'"

"In the end, it's merely about using this divine general's might to protect their own peace."

"Now Marshal Yue at the border has been arrested and brought back, Xiao Wuliang is absent, yet Ying's fierce generals abound; Tuyuhun has sharpened its weapons and readied its horses, while imperial relatives and noble sons go to the border under the guise of training—wine and beauties never lacking, while soldiers eat plain rations and get meat only once every three days."

"Under such heavy pressure, how could the border defenses not rot? Seeing the small reveals the great—if state affairs are this way, how much more so for chasing fugitives?"

The old man's tone carried mockery.

Li Guanyi knew this was Xue Daoyong revealing his trust in him.

Li Guanyi stated his purpose: "But I still intend to leave the Xue family, leave Guan Yicheng."

The old man burst into laughter: "Hahaha, no problem—I never intended to tie you to the Xue family. Nor will I play on emotions. This is a transaction—a pact between two men."

The old man idly sipped tea and smiled:

"Besides, the Xue family has merchant guilds everywhere."

"Ying is no exception."

Li Guanyi: "…………"

The old man laughed heartily.

His old heart, shaken several times earlier, finally steadied:

"You plan to leave the pass—I know. But if you hold an official title, your travel permit will be simpler."

"Don't look at me like that. Normally, the court would tightly restrict military officers from leaving Chen, but if you think that, you don't understand Chen. Chen was once the Jiangnan Circuit, granted by the Great Emperor of Zhongzhou."

"Over three hundred years ago, during the great upheaval, the Duke of Liang carved out his own kingdom, and the Duke of Chen aided him."

"Two hundred years ago, Chen's ancestors destroyed Liang and founded Chen."

"To stabilize the situation, they adopted a conciliatory policy toward the original bureaucratic clans, resulting in two—or even three—bureaucratic systems, now interwoven into a tangled mess: officials are redundant. For instance, this military rank: ninth grade, type is Wu Sanguan, yet it carries no official title."

"Only a temporary assignment."

"Rank is one layer, type is another, the nominal post is a third, and the actual duty—the assignment—is a fourth. They overlap endlessly, extremely convoluted."

"Yet even a Wu Sanguan enjoys tax exemptions and numerous privileges."

"One radish, one hole—the bureaucrats handling travel permits wish you'd leave as soon as possible, so they can free up a slot and install their own nephews or sons. This is especially true for a ninth-grade official like Wu Sanguan."

The old man spoke with mockery, yet his words were confidences.

A relative commenting on court politics.

This was what he deliberately said after revealing Li Guanyi's fugitive status—his own vulnerability. The old man handed this vulnerability to Li Guanyi.

This was an equal pact.

Li Guanyi fell silent, looked at the old man before him, and said:

"So why do you value me so highly?"

The old man stared at him intently and smiled: "Of course, for the Xue family."

"I'm merely betting. If the world stabilizes, you'll become a great general on the border or one of the Three Excellencies—entitled to ten thousand measures of grain. But if chaos comes? Guanyi, right now you draw your blade to kill bandits for oppressed commoners. In chaos, you won't lie low."

"My eyes have never been wrong."

"Now, the high-ups conceal the border's decay; nobles move the divine general away from the front to secure their own safety."

"The imperial court revels in song and dance, while low-level officials, desperate to install their own people, wish to expel every other official. Top-down, it seems a garden of flowers—but in truth, it's oil poured over fire. What do you think of Chen? What do you think of the world?"

He reached out and touched the Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow beside him, as if making a decision.

He murmured to himself: "Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow."

"Is the Xue family's glory due to this bow alone?"

"No—it's due to my ancestors. If my ancestors had no such bow, would they no longer have been the world's greatest divine general? This bow, in the Xue family, is merely a dead relic worshipped in reverence. Its true wish is to accompany you into battle."

"What makes the Xue family flourish is people—not clinging to dead relics of the past."

He suddenly laughed, bold and unbounded.

He said:

"Li Guanyi!"

"When chaos comes, come here!"

"Take this bow!"

"Ride your horse, ride forth into this world!"

(End of Chapter)