Chapter 479: Returning to Jiangnan, One Shall Obtain Treasures

The river surged fiercely, the winter wind brimming with a chilling, deadly aura.

Ships laden with armor and weapons sailed downstream, while a hundred horsemen galloped hard, hooves thundering like rolling drums; days passed in swift succession, and they were now very near the lands of Jiangnan.

At this point, they could finally consider themselves truly safe.

No need to fear any further mishaps.

Niu Wei and the others relaxed, letting their horses wander at will, their spirits unburdened and exultant—

This journey had not only succeeded in rescuing Marshal Yue, but also granted them an audience with the Qin Wang, escorted him to Zhongzhou, and allowed them to drink the king's fine wine there.

It was truly exhilarating.

Yet amid the joy of the hundred riders, two men bore heavy expressions, faintly tinged with complexity.

Dou De and Shan Xiong, having witnessed the Qin Wang's bearing, had grown increasingly somber along the way; as Jiangnan's eighteen states drew near, Dou De suddenly, during a rest stop, sought out Li Guanyi to resign.

When he asked to leave, he suddenly said:

"I wonder if I might have the honor to spar with His Royal Highness, the Qin Wang."

Yue Pengwu slightly lifted his gaze toward Dou De.

Shan Xiong, who had been laughing and chatting moments before, fell silent at once.

The atmosphere shifted; all eyes turned toward them, yet Dou De remained calm and open, saying: "I was fortunate enough to receive the legacy of the Divine Martial Wang, yet I have always harbored doubt over how the Divine Martial Wang fell to the Qin Wang."

"Now, having escorted Brother Yue this far, and with Jiangnan ahead—already safe—we have pledged to return with our brothers and cannot proceed further. Before we depart, I wish to test the Qin Wang's skill."

Shan Xiong stepped forward to urge: "Brother, how can you be so reckless!?"

"What status does His Royal Highness hold? How could he possibly spar casually with us?"

"Please retract those words at once."

Though Shan Xiong spoke thus, his gaze never left Li Guanyi; Li Guanyi said: "Since Brother Dou intends to leave, I must see him off properly. Marshal Yue, please lead the others forward."

"I will escort these two myself."

Yue Pengwu gave a slight nod; Dou De stood firm, straight as a mountain, eyes forward.

Shan Xiong assumed the Qin Wang lacked full confidence to swiftly defeat Dou De—failing to crush him quickly would tarnish the Third Divine General's reputation, and at the very least, the Qin Wang would not wish to lose face before others; his tense heart eased slightly, and he smiled, nodding:

"I came here with Brother Dou, and of course I leave with him too."

He looked at Dou De, his heart filled with worry.

Dou De had been famed across the land since youth, possessing martial skill and bold courage, then received the Divine Martial Wang's legacy, and had swept all before him.

Now, at the peak of a warrior's prime, his martial cultivation stood at the Eighth Heavy Heaven Realm—yet even a Ninth Heavy Heaven Realm cultivator could not easily defeat him.

He was the one who had received the Divine Martial Wang's legacy.

In days past, his confidence and poise radiated naturally, every movement exuding the unforced majesty of a true overlord.

But in this time, having witnessed the Qin Wang's might firsthand, Dou De had fallen into profound self-doubt; he still wished to test himself, to see how great the gap between him and the Qin Wang truly was.

During this time, Shan Xiong had watched his bold, upright brother grow silent, hoping this duel would help him break free.

He trusted his brother.

Within a thousand li, no one was braver or more martial than Dou De.

If he could fight the Qin Wang in a fierce, unrestrained battle—even if he lost—he believed Dou De could emerge from that shadow, reclaim his ambition and heroic spirit.

Defeating Dou De before all would have been a way to display strength and win hearts.

The Qin Wang ordered everyone to depart.

Did that not also mean the Qin Wang, though mighty, lacked full confidence to crush Dou De swiftly?

Then all was secure.

Shan Xiong felt three-tenths of certainty; soon, all others had left.

Li Guanyi raised his hand, gripping the Tiger Roar Heaven Halberd, pointing it at Dou De ahead, and said seriously: "The two of you have escorted Marshal Yue thousands of li with righteous loyalty; since you now seek to spar with me, I cannot refuse."

"Let this technique be my farewell to you!"

Dou De lifted his weapon, unleashing his formidable martial energy; his spiritual form rose, and this mighty hero of central lands—unrivaled for a thousand li, commander of thousands of wandering knights—said solemnly: "Please."

Shan Xiong gripped the hilt of his waist sword, his spirit taut as a drawn bowstring.

Let this battle restore your ambition, Brother!

A true man, a hero—how could such boundless valor be crushed…

…by this man?

BOOM!!!

A terrifying aura erupted violently.

Shan Xiong's silent plea shattered instantly.

Above, clouds piled layer upon layer, then radiated outward from Li Guanyi's position, spreading in concentric waves; Li Guanyi held his weapon pointed at Dou De, his surging inner energy compressing inward, layer upon layer.

Finally, it coalesced into a swirling black-red hue of iron and flame.

The Qin Wang gripped the Tiger Roar Heaven Halberd with both hands.

A sovereign's aura, unmatched and absolute, slowly revealed itself.

"Since it is so."

"Then I too must give my all."

Shan Xiong's expression froze, bit by bit.

Dou De had intended to carefully test his opponent's skill, but this overwhelming, crushing aura that surged toward him felt like needles piercing his skin—as if he would be slain in the next instant.

Dou De knew he could not wait.

To wait longer was certain defeat.

His expression solemn, he gripped his weapon and launched his attack; the ground beneath his feet collapsed and shattered, surging like a furious dragon, his heroic spirit, resolve, and defiance rising as he swung his spear toward Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi did not move.

The black-red aura on his body grew even more turbulent.

Only at the instant Dou De drew near.

Strike!

The Tiger Roar Heaven Spear nearly became an invisible afterimage and torrent.

In an instant, it slammed into Dou De's body.

Slash!!!

In that instant, the flow and tearing of Qi reached an unimaginable level; roars and bellowing erupted through the air, the dragon's cry and tiger's roar exploding outward, echoing far away.

The exchange left no room for doubt.

Nor any hint of surprise.

Amid the violent shockwave, Dou De's full-power eighth-layer Heaven technique shattered instantly; his body was flung upward by immense force, then crashed down, finally landing heavily on the ground as he staggered backward.

Gasping for breath, his hands trembled.

He lifted his head and saw that the spot where he had finally retreated was precisely where he had launched his attack—his feet planted exactly within the collapsed footprints he had made moments before.

The aura surged violently, stirring up dust.

The spear swept horizontally, splitting the hundred-zhang dust cloud down the middle, which then settled slowly.

Qin Wang retracted the spear and planted the Tiger Roar Heaven Spear into the ground.

The long spear spun in midair, then landed steadily, planted before Dou De.

Amid a low dragon's roar, the black-red aura, like iron and fire, slowly receded.

The place returned to stillness.

Yet without the dragon's cry and tiger's roar, the silence became oppressive.

Dan Xiong's thoughts froze.

One strike—and defeated?!

Just one strike?!

He was defeated?!

This battle far exceeded Dan Xiong's expectations; under such circumstances, not only could he not reclaim the self-doubt and bold spirit shattered by the shock, he might even lose the bold ambition he once held.

Dou De looked at his split Hukou, then at the weapon planted before him, still trembling from the fierce clash—and suddenly laughed.

The silent giant burst into loud laughter, and for the first time, a third of relief showed on his face.

Finally, he reached out, gripped the trembling weapon, drew the spear from the ground, and said: "As expected—no wonder you're Prince Qin. Such valor—truly peerless in this age, unmatched and unchallenged."

"I thought I might at least withstand a few of your strikes."

"I never imagined I couldn't even block one."

"Brilliant technique!"

Qin Wang said: "This technique, Slash the Snake, is my own creation. Later, I infused it with the martial essence of a hegemon—it is currently my strongest offensive technique."

Dou De asked: "Slash the Snake—what snake?"

Qin Wang said: "The white emperor of the Western Regions' Tangut Kingdom."

Dou De stared, dumbfounded, then clapped his hands and sighed long: "Brilliant technique!"

Qin Wang said: "Want to learn it?"

Dou De froze. He looked up at Qin Wang's calm, composed face—and suddenly burst into a rare, unrestrained laugh, laughing heartily: "Hahahaha! Good! Good! Good!"

"What a man, Prince Qin!"

"What a man, Qin Wu!"

"Of course I want to learn such a supreme art—but not now. Today's battle has resolved my doubts; my wish is fulfilled. My brothers back at the mountain stronghold are waiting for me. If we meet again someday, I'll bring the finest wine from the mountains."

"I'll drink with you, Prince Qin, for a day and a night—and then, I'll dare ask you to teach me this technique!"

He gripped the spear, swung onto his horse, and bowed: "Farewell!"

Laughing loudly, he galloped away.

Dan Xiong remained silent for a long while, then smiled bitterly.

He knew that if Qin Wang had merely struck once and defeated Dou De, it would only make this Central Plains hero marvel—yes, the world truly had higher heavens and greater men—but to willingly pass on such a supreme technique in this manner…

He truly began to be humbled by that proud, bold hero.

This man was so young.

His aura and bearing could reach such heights.

Truly, he was like a demon or a monster…

Dan Xiong bowed and said: "Then I, too, take my leave. May I have the honor to meet Prince Qin again someday." He immediately spurred his steed and galloped off, chasing after Dou De.

Li Guanyi watched the two retreating figures and praised:

"One righteous, one strange—both true heroes."

He then gripped the Tiger Roar Heaven Spear and returned to where Yue Shuai and the others waited, continuing downstream along the river. After several more days, they reached the capital cities of the Eighteen Southern Provinces, where Li Guanyi took Niu Wei and the others into the city, and arrangements were made for their reception.

All these hundred or so martial heroes were willing to join the Fire Qilin Army.

Through personal interviews by Fan Qing, each was assigned a military post according to their background and temperament—some as Captains, some as scouts, some as shock troops, others to guard logistics.

Yue Qianfeng, Yang Xingshi, Han Zaizhong, Ling Pingyang, and the other former officers of the Yue Army went to pay their respects to Yue Shuai, reuniting and catching up. Especially Han Zaizhong, a towering warrior who had faced death on the battlefield, wept uncontrollably.

Yue Pengwu tried to comfort them, but thinking of the old days of the Yue Army and the Taiping Army, he too shed a few silent tears of a hero. The Yue Army's assault units remained beyond the northern frontier, but this group of defenders had now returned under Yue Shuai's command.

Li Guanyi took the weapons and armor to Elder Murong for inspection.

Although Elder Murong was famed across the land for his sword art, he was also born into the Murong Clan—the greatest weaponsmiths in the world—and his eye for arms and armor surpassed nearly all others.

For the weapons and armor in the Hegemon's Armory, the old man's evaluation was only two words.

"Waste."

Murong Longtu tapped his fingers on the armor covered by oiled cloth, listening to the crisp sound, and clucked his tongue.

"Weapons are fine—spears and swords, they're much the same in any era."

"Sometimes a simple stick can kill a man."

"But the design of this armor is still far too archaic."

"With such fine materials, if forged into mountain-pattern armor or bright-light armor, it would far surpass the effectiveness of these."

"If you add Yin-Yang School and Mohist array patterns and mechanisms, you could reduce the weight by a third, increase defense by a third, and even integrate mechanical devices and linked crossbows."

Li Guanyi nodded repeatedly.

"If we recast it, roughly how long would it take, Great Grandfather?"

Murong Longtu stroked his beard and said, "These materials can be recast into the finest armor of this age, but it's no simple task—even if all your craftsmen were deployed, it might take ten months to a year."

Li Guanyi exhaled in relief and smiled lightly. "That timeline is still acceptable."

"The lands are recovering, arms are being repaired—there will surely be some time without war. Then, the casting of these weapons and armors falls to you, Great Grandfather."

He spoke with a smile, as if forgetting Murong Longtu had only half a year left to live. Murong Longtu gazed at Li Guanyi, smiled, and nodded. "Very well. I wouldn't trust this to anyone else."

"Leave it to this old man."

Li Guanyi smiled and nodded, spending days fishing with Murong Longtu and listening to Murong Qiushui play the qin, until Master Yan Daiqing finished auditing the generals' logistics—then Tiance Prefecture saw major changes—

With Yue Pengwu personally overseeing the rear, the previously scattered Yue Family Army instantly became a fully organized large force.

A general ranked among the top ten in the realm could stabilize any faction.

Yue Pengwu's presence meant Li Guanyi could now free his hands.

It meant Tiance Prefecture, under Qin Wang, was no longer a force centered solely on Li Guanyi—no longer, as before, helpless without him, stripped of offensive and defensive capability.

It had become a dual-core strategy: Qin Wang Li Guanyi and Yue Pengwu.

Many more strategic options now opened up.

When at a disadvantage, hold both flanks; in balanced conditions, one attacks while the other defends; in perfect state, both launch full-scale assaults.

Yet Yue's return also signaled the resumption of previously shelved strategies: one, the alliance between Li Guanyi and Xiyicheng; the other, deploying elite cavalry along the mountain paths once traversed by the Fire Qilin, to reach the Crimson Dragon Mystical Realm.

To seek an opportunity to launch a campaign against Chen State.

The surging tide of the realm quietly shifted.

Yet whether strategy, grand momentum, calm advisors, or bold generals' passion—

All of it, in Master Yan Daiqing's eyes, boiled down to one word—

【MONEY】!!!

Master Yan Daiqing's stomach pains had returned frequently lately.

When Li Guanyi visited, this gentle gentleman wore dark circles under his eyes, his gaze dull, his pupils filled with longing for gold. Seeing Li Guanyi arrive, he offered only a hollow, forced smile:

"Isn't this my lord?"

"You've come here again to spend money?"

Li Guanyi kept his expression unchanged: "Hahaha, look at you, Daiqing—do you really think I only show up when I need to spend?"

Master Yan Daiqing gazed at Li Guanyi with a slow, weary stare. "You are."

"The greatest spender in the realm. What do you want?"

Li Guanyi coughed, sat down, sipped tea, then slowly reached into his robe, pulled out a letter, and slapped it onto the table. He leaned back, cradling the teacup, leisurely content.

Triumphant, composed—utterly confident!

Master Yan Daiqing said, "What is this..."

"Huh?!?!"

He saw the figures and exclaimed, "One million eight hundred thousand taels of silver?! My lord, has Chen Dingye's second payment arrived?!"

Li Guanyi said: "............ No."

Master Yan Daiqing frowned. "Oh? Did General Nangong Wumeng get lost again?"

Li Guanyi's forehead twitched. "No."

Master Yan Daiqing gasped. "Did Wen He crush another aristocratic clan?"

Qin Wang slammed the table, indignant. "Can't it just be something I collected? What do you think I am?! Can't I have good fortune?!"

Master Yan Daiqing scrutinized Li Guanyi from head to toe.

For the sake of the silver, he sincerely said: "I was out of line just now."

"My lord's financial fortune is peerless in the realm."

Though genuinely complimentary, Li Guanyi somehow sensed a tone of sarcasm.

Master Yan Daiqing counted the silver.

Refreshed and invigorated!

He asked casually: "But where did all this gold and silver come from?"

The wise and mighty Qin Wang thought of the little princess cooing and whimpering, and the tiny red fingerprint pressed firmly onto the Juan Sect scroll bearing the words: 【I voluntarily surrender my birthday gifts and New Year's money to my adoptive father for safekeeping.】

He kept his face calm: "The Prince has his own clever plan."

"You needn't worry, Daiqing."

Master Yan Daiqing counted the funds and couldn't help praising: "Truly a blessing! I never imagined your financial fortune could be so strong—but if only it happened a few more times, it would be even better."

A few more times?

That's not something you can ask for repeatedly.

Li Guanyi could only sip his tea alone, when he suddenly recalled the item he'd pulled from the ancient Crimson Emperor's secret cache during their drinking session—the so-called "cache" was really just a collection of paintings, calligraphy, and artifacts gifted over generations.

Valuable, yes.

But in this chaotic age, such antiques were less reliable than gleaming silver.

Still, this casket was battered and broken, no telling what use it had.

Probably not worth much either.

Li Guanyi caught sight of Nangong Wumeng over there; the latter pretended not to care and wandered over, coughed once, and said:

"You're back, huh? Earlier I saw that General Yue Qianfeng fellow over there so happy he wanted to drink — that's how I learned that famous Yue Pengwu was here too."

Li Guanyi smiled and said: "I've been back for several days already."

Nangong Wumeng, defeated.

She was at a loss for words for a moment, huffing and puffing for half a beat, not knowing what to say, and could only talk about anything but the matter at hand: "I-is that so? Maybe I was outside at that time and didn't hear you'd come back."

"Ahem, anyway, there are countless things in the world that need doing right now."

"I don't have that much time to care about whether you've come back or not."

Nangong Wumeng's voice grew lower and lower, until finally her face flushed red.

But she held firm, resisting the instinct to cover her face and run, and said with feigned composure: "Hm? What's this?"

"A casket? This casket sure is a casket!"

Li Guanyi said: "What else would it be?"

Nangong Wumeng, silenced a second time, was quiet for a moment, then stammered:

"Ha, haha, just looking at this casket, it's, it's not worth anything!"

"Open it."

"Open it!"

Her face flushed red, her mind had already ground to a halt, she only wanted to do something, to 'escape' from here, and pressed her finger on the casket.

Nangong Wumeng opens the casket with her own hand.

A pillar of treasure-light shot skyward!

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