Chapter 72

The quiet spring in the stream parted beneath the power of starlight; Li Guanyi's clothes remained dry as he moved smoothly into the Mystical Realm, where Yao Guang, using the power of the Eastern Land Astrology School, awakened the realm's true form—starlight flowed like fish, shifting and swirling within the cavern.

It finally coalesced into a figure standing with hands behind his back, turning slightly.

It was Xue Shenjiang.

Yao Guang went elsewhere, to study the legacy left by the Yao Guang of five hundred years ago.

He lifted his gaze to Li Guanyi and said calmly, "You've entered. With Yao Guang of the Eastern Land Astrology School present, it seems you came here to receive the true power of my Mystical Realm. Such power was prepared for chaotic times—is the world growing turbulent again?"

Li Guanyi shook his head. "I don't know."

Xue Shenjiang smiled faintly. "There is starlight upon you—that aura only escapes during large-scale wars. Likely, a nation's fate is beginning to decline because of you."

Li Guanyi said, "Not me."

"Others carry the power of the White Tiger Seven Mansions."

Xue Shenjiang laughed and said:

"I understand the White Tiger Seven Mansions better than you. The stars in the sky are like water—they do not interfere with human affairs; rather, human affairs reflect upon the water. Since starlight has fallen upon you, it means you played a decisive role in this war."

"How old are you?"

Li Guanyi answered: "Nearly fourteen."

Xue Shenjiang raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Fourteen years old, and already influencing the fate of the world. No matter how small your role, even if only a fraction, you have reason to be proud. When I first led three thousand iron cavalry and shattered the Land of Earth, I was only three years older than you."

Li Guanyi's eyelid twitched.

He had merely written a letter; the true power lay with the executor.

But Xue Shenjiang had truly mounted his horse, spear in hand, done similar things himself.

The ancient divine general spoke softly: "When the fortune of the White Tiger manifests and a disciple of the Eastern Land Astrology School appears among mortals, it is surely a sign of chaos. In my time, I left you some gifts—but back then, I was uncertain: what would be most useful to leave?"

"Leaving vast wealth may not endure long."

"Leaving peerless martial arts or divine weapons might instead cause a family's downfall."

"Time is too long—from golden age to chaos, anything can happen. Whether vast wealth or peerless weapons, they only fulfill their purpose in the hands of the right person."

"For such a person, what matters most?"

"I thought long, and finally found the answer."

Xue Shenjiang looked at Li Guanyi and asked with a smile:

"What do you think is most important to quell chaos?"

Li Guanyi thought a moment, then answered: "Money?"

Xue Shenjiang stared at Li Guanyi and burst out laughing. "I thought the successor might be a martial fanatic."

"Turns out he's a money-grubber."

"Has the Xue family fallen?"

Li Guanyi said: "I already said—I'm not of the Xue family."

Xue Shenjiang smiled. "What did you say?"

"My apologies—I've been dead for several hundred years. My hearing isn't so good. Hard to hear clearly."

Li Guanyi fell silent.

He thought a moment, then smiled sincerely and praised:

"Old thing!"

Xue Shenjiang raised his hand.

A battle halberd appeared in the air; he gripped it backward and slammed it down with a clang onto Li Guanyi's head—it was formed of starlight, loud in sound but lacking great force; the starlight scattered, and the youth clutched his forehead, grimacing:

"Can you hear me now?"

Xue Shenjiang said calmly: "Somehow, my hearing suddenly improved."

"You may be a money-grubber, but you're right—even a divine general clad in divine armor, wielding a divine weapon, charging forth with overwhelming might—war demands vast wealth and national strength. The food for men and horses goes without saying."

"Armor, weapons, soldiers' pay."

"Iron ore, various herbs."

"Weapon wear and tear, compensation for the dead and wounded—all require enormous sums. No matter how great the hero, no matter how vast the ambition, without this support, he is but a fire that must eventually burn out, leaving only pale ash behind."

"I don't know how many years have passed since your time, but three hundred years before mine, the world was equally in chaos. Then, the Emperor bearing the Crimson Dragon Manifestation rose from obscurity—he slew the White Snake and rose in rebellion, gaining the support of the Qiuqiu Clan and marrying a daughter of a noble house."

"He wielded Chi Xiao, the weapon most attuned to the Crimson Dragon Manifestation, leading a band of commoners."

"Then he set out to conquer the world."

"At the time, he merely didn't want to send his men to the imperial court. After much thought, he drank wine, got drunk, and simply rebelled—leading a band of outlaws across the land, living day to day, eating meat, drinking, never knowing if tomorrow would come."

"No one believed he could win—not even he himself."

"His opponent was the White Tiger Da Zong of that era."

Li Guanyi froze. Xue Shenjiang said: "The Azure Dragon and White Tiger belong to the East and West respectively."

"The Azure Dragon's heart mansion is Shang, while the White Tiger's fifth mansion is Shen."

"These two stars are the brightest in the entire sky—one in the West, one in the East."

"The starry sky rotates like a circle."

"One rises as the other falls—Shang and Shen never meet; kings never meet. Yet in that chaotic age, both White Tiger and Azure Dragon appeared simultaneously in this absurd world. The Hu Xuanwu Da Zong reincarnated as the strongest commander, wielding the greatest military strategy and tactics."

"Every generation of Bai Hu Da Zong is the same—youthful, capable of breaking an army alone."

"The Tiger Roar Heaven, the Tiger Roars Heaven Halberd in my hand, was forged by that generation's Da Zong."

"At the time, the Bai Hu Da Zong held that halberd and swept the entire age; no one stood against him. No one could be his friend. Those who could withstand a single strike of his halberd without dying were the world's greatest generals—perhaps even stronger than I."

"His hooves trampled the land, igniting flames, flanked by piles of white bones."

"He seized the world through sheer dominance, flaunting his sharpness—yet in the end, the Bai Hu Da Zong fell, and the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions rose. From then on, crimson fire and the dragon became the true authority of the world, and the Tian Shu Star, who aided the Azure Dragon Da Zong, departed."

The Bai Hu Da Zong of five hundred years ago, Xue Shenjiang, quietly recounted the past, whispering:

"In the end, Bai Hu Da Zong still had the strength to fight, even though Hu Xuanwu had already stood beneath Cang Long's banner, even though three of the Sixiangda Sect were enemies—Bai Hu still possessed the courage to tear apart this world and the final roar of fury."

"But before that, two things happened."

"The disciples who had risen with him were all dead—those were his clan, his brothers and brothers-in-blood, sharing the same blood; his heroic spirit had vanished entirely; and before that day, Yao Guang had died."

"The Mozi assassins, that generation's Mo Juzi, exhausted every effort to accomplish this great feat."

Xue Shen smiled and said:

"Bai Hu Da Zong still had the courage to fight."

"He sat alone all night, then laughed loudly, abandoning any chance of a comeback, because those who had once shared his dream were gone, because Yao Guang—who had appeared before him in his lowly days and declared him the Son of Heaven—had died in his arms; seizing the empire had lost all meaning."

"A hegemon should die as a hegemon—fleeing in disgrace to regroup is the fate of a lonely emperor; the strongest divine general of the world should die on a battlefield unmatched in the past thousand years and the next thousand years, like a blazing fire."

"This was not a monarch's choice, but a hegemon's awakening—he chose to complete his life by fighting alone against every hero and warrior under heaven; when his steed fell, he wielded his battle halberd; when the halberd was knocked from his hand, he fought with his sword."

"In the end, he ended his own life."

"Yet he became a nightmare Emperor Chi could not forget for over a hundred years."

"But he was not without choice—he chose to face it head-on."

"He still had the resources to make a comeback; his subordinates had prepared armor, weapons, and enough gold and silver to ignite a chaotic age—all quietly stored in a Mystical Realm, protected by the starlight convergence of the Eastern Land's Star Observation School."

"Even after a thousand or two thousand years, he could still fight on."

"That was the power left behind by past hegemon—power enough to ignite a chaotic age."

"And the key to unlocking it is your and my Bai Hu destiny, and that halberd—once invincible in that era. I have already found the location of the Mystical Realm, and this is what I can give you: something capable of changing the chaotic age."

What Xue Shenjiang spoke of was what the hegemon—who had terrified Emperor Chi, founder of the eight-hundred-year imperial dynasty—left behind: weapons of war, sharp blades and sturdy armor, and enough gold and silver to raise an entire army.

In today's world, secretly hoarding armor is a capital crime.

To hoard armor on the scale of an entire army is to be a warlord.

These items, if found at the right moment, could instantly raise a fully armored army; if led by a Bai Hu Da Zong wielding that halberd, they would be a force capable of shaking the world in any age.

Xue Shenjiang said: "This can end the chaotic age—or ignite it."

"Those without the capacity or vision who obtain the contents of this Mystical Realm will die—so I must prove to me that you have the qualification to end this chaos: your Wu Gong and strategy must surpass mine, before I tell you where the Mystical Realm lies."

He smiled faintly, his face filled with amusement. Li Guanyi thought for a moment and said: "I see."

"Then I don't want it."

I thought it was some divine weapon legacy or something.

Xue Shenjiang's smile froze slightly.

"Hm?"

Then he understood.

This kid…

For Li Guanyi at this moment, the world and the chaotic age were still too distant. No hero who marched toward chaos ever saw his own end from the start; every ruler who stood atop the world, looking back, had already drifted far from his youthful self.

Emperor Chi had once merely wanted to eat meat and drink wine daily with his brothers, and have a beautiful wife at home.

The Bai Hu Da Zong, who once challenged all heroes of the world alone, had once been merely an overlooked youth of a noble family, training alone when Yao Guang fell over the wall.

The chaotic age always works this way—it sweeps up every person's fate and drives them toward mutual slaughter. Xue Shenjiang understood this. He smiled and whispered: "Very well. Do you wish to gain the strength to protect yourself?"

"You don't have to ignite the chaos—but at least you must ensure your own safety in this age, right?"

"You don't think your current Foundation Establishment stage is enough to protect yourself and your family, do you?"

"You've only been in Foundation Establishment for ten days—you need at least Body Casting to even begin…"

Li Guanyi slammed his fists together; qi surged upward.

"I've achieved Body Casting."

Xue Shenjiang: "…………"

"Then at least you have a divine art—like my Xue family's Jade Arm Divine Bow Art—you…"

Li Guanyi's arms surged with qi, emitting a jade-like luster.

"I've mastered it."

Xue Shenjiang fell silent for a long while, then raised an eyebrow and said: "Kid, did you dismantle the incense burner in front of my tablet?"

Li Guanyi coughed and replied: "Excellent."

Xue Shenjiang laughed heartily: "Good! Since you don't want that, I have a complete set of martial cultivation techniques—enough to ensure no one dares to bully you. Want it?"

Li Guanyi nodded. A shadow flickered before his eyes—Xue Shenjiang's halberd came crashing down as he roared with laughter:

"Then let's fight!"

………………

Li Guanyi lay sprawled before the stone, sunlight falling on his face.

He had been brutally beaten by Xue Shenjiang; Yao Guang brought him back and looked at the boy: "Are you alright?"

Li Guanyi murmured: "Not very well…"

The sky brightened. Li Guanyi rolled over and sat up: "I must return. If I don't go back tonight, something will happen." He mounted his horse and rode off. Yao Guang watched him disappear, then turned—on the stone lay a cold, hardened steamed bun.

It was the one Li Guanyi had pulled from her mouth yesterday.

Overnight, the hardened bun had been dampened by dew, soft and soggy.

The girl picked it up.

"Still edible."

She couldn't bear to discard the honey on it.

She didn't throw away the dirt-stained bun.

She reached out and brushed the dust from beneath it.

She lit a small fire, reheated it, sat alone before the flames, expression calm, then cupped it in both hands and took small bites.

The sound of hooves came again.

The youth had gone and returned, dropping down in front of the bonfire, and reaching out to grab the mantou.

Tug.

It took two tugs before it came off.

Yaoguang's face still showed no fluctuation of emotion, only her brows lifting slightly, her eyes widening as she looked at Li Guanyi; when the mantou was pulled off, her tone was calm, yet she finally changed the form of address she had always used, saying:

"You!"

Then the youth raised his hand and stuffed something into her mouth.

Soft, sweet, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus.

The girl's slightly raised brows settled back down; the youth in the dark-blue round-collared robe with a rhinoceros-horn belt grinned proudly. He pulled a paper bag from his chest, spread it on the ground, and when he opened it, inside were all sorts of pastries. With an expression of smug, credit-seeking pride, he said:

"Which one do you like?"

He had ridden hard to the nearest town and bought them back.

Yaoguang looked at the pastries, then shifted her gaze away.

Her expression calm, she said: "You need not be so kind."

"The Star-Gazing School has always lived simply in food and clothing."

Li Guanyi laughed: "Is it good?"

Yaoguang placed her hands before her, sitting quietly on her knees, and said:

"The Star-Gazing School has always been able to live simply in food and clothing."

Li Guanyi paid no heed to her words, sitting cross-legged there, pointing at the pastries with great interest as he introduced to Yaoguang what each one was. The silver-haired girl sat quietly here—mountain stream, somewhat damp and chilly rocks and cliff walls, a young hero and a beauty.

Much later, Li Guanyi thought about why he had suddenly become close to Yaoguang.

It wasn't because of anything else.

It was only because of what she said that day.

Li Guanyi would sometimes suddenly think—

that he was, after all, from another world; that from the moment his memories and innate wisdom awakened within Li Nu'er, even toward his aunt he had kept such concealments.

Ten years on the run, bearing hidden secrets.

And in this world torn by war and chaos—

there was one person, who on this day told him that even if there were other Bai Hu Da Zong, other choices, she would not choose to leave. In that instant, Li Guanyi suddenly realized that among all the stars in the sky and everything in this mortal world, there was finally one existence who would forever choose him, who would forever belong to him.

This was something special.

Li Guanyi left the mountain stream, and when he returned to the Xue family, he arrived at his own courtyard.

His movements suddenly paused slightly, and he sighed.

He wondered whether his wall corner was prone to growing people out of it.

He turned his head and saw, atop the wall, another white-haired head poking out once more.

"Master Siming."