Chapter 43: Wen Cheng Wu Jiu!

Xue Daoyong spoke of that bold matter as if it meant nothing, merely pointing at the chessboard, his tone distinctly different from usual: "Come, come, Guanyi, let's finish this game, then you'll go train archery with Shuangtao."

Li Guanyi nodded, his young face softening.

"Yes, I'll follow the old master's words."

The old man and the boy smiled at each other.

No further words were needed about their earlier agreement—these two terms alone were enough to make their mutual understanding clear.

They reset the board, each taking black and white; the elder, famed for thirty years of invincibility across Guan and Yi, played with calm composure, discussing other matters as he moved: "The matter of military ranks isn't difficult—ninth-rank Wu Sanguan may don armor only when carrying out a 【Chaqian】."

"But your post's Chaqian is patrolling everywhere to hunt down fugitives."

"The schedule is loose, so you may don armor freely—but alas, armor is strictly hierarchical; at your rank, you may wear only light armor, made of tanned leather with gold plating over vital areas. Still, armor is armor."

"With your Wu Gong, clad in armor and wielding a heavy blade—"

"You can charge into a crowd of unarmored enemies and cut through without restraint."

"Even if an Jingwu cultivator is present, with their newly formed inner Qi, they'll struggle to pierce your armor and land a fatal strike on your vital points; ordinary men, even ten or twenty surrounding you, are useless—unless you exhaust your strength or have your legs entangled and pulled down, then a dagger to the throat."

"As for higher-grade armor… it's entirely different."

The old man sighed: "The imperial body armor of the Ying State can dissipate all force—no matter how heavy the hammer, it cannot harm its wearer. My Chen State's royal armor can withstand direct strikes from divine weapons."

"Legend says the Duke of Chen once sparred with my ancestor and survived being struck by my ancestor's Yun Zhen Tian Gong."

"Slightly inferior to the Emperor's armor are the protective armors of the Guardian Generals, which manifest upon their Dharma Forms—when attacking, the Dharma Form wears armor and wields divine weapons, unstoppable. Then come the armors of various generals, whose inner Qi flows over the armor as if through their own bodies."

"Each has its own marvels: some light as paper yet indestructible; some harness the force of storms; some naturally draw in heavenly and earthly Qi, ensuring endless, unceasing inner Qi circulation."

"The intricacies are countless, worthy of being called Treasures. As for the armor of border troops, it differs from single-combat armors—their Qi flows out of the armor, linking all suits together, so the border army moves as one, hard as iron."

"If Qian Zheng wore armor, you might not defeat him unscathed."

Li Guanyi listened intently.

Then he played casually.

The old man stared at his move, his expression solemn.

Just moments ago he had lounged lazily, now he sat up straight.

He studied the board and said: "Unfortunately, military ranks are useful only within one state. Do you know what is universally recognized across this world?"

Li Guanyi thought: "Martial power?"

The old man said: "Wu Gong is one of three."

"There is Wu Gong, literary fame, and gold. Those with Wu Gong are heroes and warriors; those with literary fame are masters and sages; wealth makes one a merchant magnate; but one who commands renown across the land, possesses Wu Gong, yet scorns a thousand gold pieces—that is the immortal scholar."

"In times of peace, the value of scholars isn't great—but now, in chaos, every state, from the highest courts down to noble clans, competes to attract scholars and recruit great talent."

"Thus, official posts serve only one region or state, but literary fame lets you travel the world without hindrance—even beyond the borders, no one will stop you."

"If you committed a grave crime in Chen State but held great renown across the land, Ying State, Tuyuhun, and Turkic tribes would offer even greater incentives to keep you—this is like 'trade' and 'suppression' between great powers, one of the Ten Strategies to win over the world's talent."

"I can even use an enemy's fugitive with such generous treatment—how much more so a man of spotless pedigree and great talent?"

Li Guanyi said: "A thousand gold for a dead horse's bones."

The old man was startled, then praised: "Precisely."

He stroked his beard and smiled:

"Rest assured—I've bet on you, so I'll find you a teacher to elevate your literary fame, snap the chains binding this dragon of yours, and let you soar into the heavens."

Li Guanyi bowed in thanks: "Thank you, Xue Lao."

He placed a stone, then withdrew his finger.

"You've lost."

The old man slowly lowered his gaze to the board, his smile gradually freezing.

"Hm?"

………………

Xue Shuangtao waited for the young guest-attendant at the training ground today; she always arrived early, and today she had already exhausted two quivers of practice arrows, a light sheen of sweat on her brow—even Xue Changqing had risen to practice archery, yet Li Guanyi had not appeared.

Frowning slightly, she asked a maid and learned Li Guanyi had arrived early and gone to Tingfeng Pavilion.

She wiped her sweat with a silk cloth, placed her bow on the rack, and hurried toward Tingfeng Pavilion. From afar, she heard the sound of stones falling on the board; her brows furrowed—she knew her grandfather's chess was sharp, and though Go masters often rose to fame young, her grandfather, though aged, played with solemn, steady style.

Renowned for thirty years undefeated in Guan and Yi City.

She herself preferred numerology over chess precisely because she'd been outplayed by him too many times.

Now she realized Li Guanyi must have been dragged into a game. She pushed open the door and saw the boy turn to her, rising to his feet, while the old man reached out and seized the guest-attendant's sleeve, crying: "No! One more game! One more!"

Xue Shuangtao stepped forward, one hand gripping her grandfather's wrist, the other clutching Li Guanyi's sleeve, then pulled gently but firmly to free him, standing before Li Guanyi and glaring at the old man with wide eyes: "Grandfather, how can you do this? Always bullying the young—winning a game and still refusing to let him go!"

The old man was speechless, stung.

I bully him?

I bully him?! It's this boy bullying this old man!

But he couldn't say he'd lost eighteen games in a row, each time in a different, humiliating fashion.

The boy blinked, then casually scattered the stones on the board: "Grandfather's chess skill is formidable—I've lost many times… Grandfather got so caught up in the game, he mistook the time and wouldn't let me leave."

Xue Daoyong blinked, then resumed his usual tone: "Hah… ha! Guanyi, your chess isn't bad at all. Hmm, hmm—Ruzike Sect, Ruzike Sect."

Li Guanyi rose smoothly: "Then, Grandfather, I'll take my leave."

"I'll come again for another game."

"Hahaha, good, good, very good—your chess is excellent. Come often, come often."

Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao stepped out of Tingfeng Pavilion. Xue Shuangtao asked curiously: "When did you become so close with Grandfather?"

Li Guanyi said: "We played chess."

The girl frowned: "Chess? What about chess could make such a difference?"

Li Guanyi smiled but gave no answer. They went to the training ground to practice archery. During a break, Li Guanyi thought of the twenty arrows he'd shot, and as he nocked another, he asked: "Young Lady, when the arrows run out, can we get more?"

【61】 Xue Shuangtao pierced an arrow target, then raised an eyebrow: "Run out?"

"Did you go out hunting?"

Li Guanyi said, "Mm."

The young girl said, "Let me see."

Li Guanyi picked up his quiver and handed it over. Xue Shuangtao took out an arrow, set it on the pad of her index finger, and saw that the arrow could no longer balance as easily as before; the fletching at the tail was also damaged and warped. She said in surprise, "Looks like you hit quite a bit of game. Did you get anything good?"

Li Guanyi said quietly, "Just crows that fed on human flesh and rotting meat."

"Ugly things — couldn't bring them back for the Young Lady to see."

A trace of regret crossed Xue Shuangtao's face.

Xue Daoyong doted on his granddaughter, but precisely because of that he would never let her go out hunting alone.

Only during the ladies' spring outings would he let her leave the city — and even then it was only flowing-water feasts, poetry and verse.

She didn't hunt.

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, recalled that he had picked up a few stones by the stream, and fished them out from his robes — pebbles, rounded smooth by the current's washing, each of a different hue, crystalline and translucent. He said, "Those birds aren't much to look at, but these stones, when you put them in water, will look quite pretty."

"A gift for the Young Lady."

He opened his hand, and the pebbles fell into the girl's palm — crystalline, translucent, like gemstones.

Xue Shuangtao's eyes blinked, and she said, "You want me to replace your arrows for you?"

Li Guanyi's body stiffened for a moment.

The Young Lady, raised by Xue Daoyong, was no fool.

Because they were the same age to begin with, and had been practicing and studying together for some time, their relationship had shifted from the original gentle Young Lady and refined, quiet retainer Mr. — it now felt more like friends of the same age. The girl tossed the stones in her hand and teased, "That price of yours isn't nearly enough."

"My great retainer Mr."

"One arrow costs a tael of silver — more than a whole month of your hard work at the Hui Chun Tang."

Xue Changqing, indignant on behalf of his own Mr., said, "What's the big deal, she-tiger!"

He waved his plump little hands:

"I'll add money!"

Xue Shuangtao burst out laughing, bent down and patted her little brother's head, soothing him:

"Alright, alright, you're the most impressive, okay?"

Then she looked at Li Guanyi and said, "You're a retainer anyway, so you can buy arrows with your salary — the price will be much cheaper. Have you spent all your money?"

Li Guanyi's purse was light, and the old man had only added weight to his training, never mentioning giving him money.

Xue Shuangtao said, "Fine, fine — after all, the retainer Mr. still remembered to bring this little lady a gift; however could I break the great Mr.'s heart? Come on, come on…" She had meant it as a tease, but by the end she couldn't hold back that tone herself and burst out laughing.

The mansion's master blacksmith gave a strange look at that handsome youth being brought over by the Young Lady again.

Here to get arrows again.

And once more, the expense was charged to the Young Lady's account.

The master blacksmith looked oddly at the handsome youth and said, "Let me see those arrows — what on earth did you do to wreck them like this?" Li Guanyi stepped in front of Xue Shuangtao and handed over the arrows in his hand. The blacksmith, full of suspicion and strange looks, the instant he saw the arrows, his eyes went sharp.

Arrows for killing! He jerked his head up, looking at the thirteen-year-old youth.

The youth said softly, "Killed some wild dogs and jackals, crows that fed on carrion and attacked people."

"I just came out of the Listening Wind Pavilion."

The blacksmith's expression grew solemn, and he said, "…Good."

He turned and fetched a new quiver of arrows. Li Guanyi thanked him. Having killed a man before, he was already like a seasoned archer as he picked up an arrow to test the feel — but then he paused slightly, feeling the fine blood grooves on the arrow, sensing the barbs.

The blacksmith said, "It's arrows like these you should be using now."

Li Guanyi thanked him.

…………

Meanwhile, in the Listening Wind Pavilion, the old man looked at the chessboard and had someone bring him some Juan Sect records. Written on them were the great Confucian scholars who would soon be near the capital of Chen. In the end, the old man's eye fell on one among these great scholars — not the highest in reputation, but the most unusual.

"Wang Tong, styled Wenzhongzi."

"He has over a thousand disciples, but most are ordinary; even his three most outstanding pupils have no great fame."

"Fang Qiao of the Fang clan of Qinghe."

"Du Keming of the Du clan of Jingzhao."

"Wei Xuancheng of Quyang."

"But these three are only seventeen or eighteen, with a bit of a name at best — they can't compare to the geniuses on those lists. What makes Wang Tong special is that, in this age of a hundred schools contending, he was the first to propose the unity of the three teachings — quite a perceptive view."

For some reason, he had suddenly decided to come to Yicheng, saying he wished to take on disciples… For such a great Confucian scholar, the Xue family naturally had a visiting card. On the card were the names of Xue Shuangtao and Xue Changqing. After a long silence, he crossed out the name of his grandson Xue Changqing, and in that spot wrote another name.

Li Guanyi.

Xue Daoyong set down his brush.

"Civil and martial accomplishments both — let these old bones of mine become the wind that blows across the long sky. Li Guanyi, however far you can fly, let me wait and see." He finished writing the visiting card and closed his eyes. Though the lotus pond outside the Listening Wind Pavilion showed no ripple, he seemed already to hear—

The fierce whistle of the wind.

(End of chapter)