[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-peace-decree":3,"chapter-the-peace-decree-the-peace-decree-chapter-82":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Peace Decree",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2328257,4553,"Chapter 82: Establishing Authority, Gaining Fame—Returning Across a Thousand Peaks!","the-peace-decree-chapter-82",82,"\u003Cp>The warhorse Li Guanyi rode, though inferior to the steeds of the Western Regions or the Tujue Ironclad Cavalry, had been meticulously selected by the Xue family; each hoofstrike landed with terrifying force—more fearsome than a cultivated martial artist’s full-powered punch—and if it came down, this noble youth’s legs would be shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that very moment, a blur of motion surged violently beneath the hooves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hand yanked the stunned noble youth clear; the other gripped a long blade and slashed sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warhorse reared with a startled neigh, retreating several steps, hooves stomping wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a man in his mid-thirties, with a full beard and a mask covering half his face; he growled, “So young, and yet so cruel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rescued noble youth, still trembling from the brink of death, screamed in furious rage: “Kill him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want him dead—I want his entire family dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want every male in his household reduced to beggars, every female sold into the lowest brothels!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Raped by a thousand crippled beggars!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s eyes remained calm, harboring a terrifying storm within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke too easily—even words spoken in rage proved he had done this before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, he had witnessed others do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man drew his blade without hesitation and swung it down; Li Guanyi pulled the reins, and the horse reared sharply upward, then came crashing down—simultaneously, his waist-slung heavy blade flashed free, its slash amplified by the horse’s momentum, a signature technique of the Tielei Golden Curved Blade Cavalry, now executed flawlessly by him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade’s aura was overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the man’s blade paused, then unleashed three feet of qi aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary longswords or sabers rarely exceeded three feet in blade length; yet this three-foot aura made his warblade appear as if it were six or seven feet long, sweeping through the air—Li Guanyi yanked the reins, and the horse leapt upward to evade, the aura slicing past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trees around them trembled, branches falling chaotically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second-story martial artist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qi condensation complete, meridians fully opened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi recognized the realm—this was a rank at least equivalent to an eighth-grade Captain in the border garrison; a thirty-something eighth-grade Captain, with accumulated battlefield merit and enemy heads, could rise to seventh-grade officer status—a formidable figure in any ordinary city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brutality marked him as a border soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now he served as a lackey to these noble youths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though these noble youths had not yet entered cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary men risk their lives defending the frontier, enduring blood and death, and with decent talent and bone structure, they might enter cultivation by twenty, then forge their body, condense qi, open meridians—by thirty, reach the second story—and their final fate? To become beasts of prey for the nobility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi had no thoughts in his heart; his blade slashed down again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man leapt upward, parried Li Guanyi’s weapon with his blade, and slammed his shoulder into the boy’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A visible surge of force erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qi unleashed by that shoulder strike could shatter a boulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was experienced—he held Li Guanyi’s blade with one hand while using his shoulder to deliver the blow, maximizing the impact—but instantly he felt the force neutralized by something, the two forces locked in stalemate; Li Guanyi’s clothes tore open, revealing a soft armor beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imperial decree-gifted soft armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even something casually bestowed was already top-grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This layer of armor could deflect qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for this armor’s ability to dissipate a portion of a martial artist’s qi,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That blow alone could have killed a tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Guanyi’s forged body could not withstand it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was ruthless, swift—he retracted his blade and swung it straight at Li Guanyi’s face; Li Guanyi appeared frozen in terror, raising his bare hand to block the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, just a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s expression was cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade descended—but the aura sensed a strange resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if striking steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked in surprise, seeing the boy’s eyes—cold, merciless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Li Guanyi, Bai Hu pressed its paw; in that fleeting moment, the boy’s eyes seemed tinged with a faint golden hue of Bai Hu—the Bai Hu’s spiritual manifestation roared, leaping onto Li Guanyi’s body, his arms shimmering with interwoven gold and jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After forging his body, the sole enhancement to his combat power lay in this: only now could his flesh bear the spiritual manifestation’s power—though only a thread, it was terrifying enough. Bai Hu, the Guardian of the West, enveloped his arms in golden qi, like steel divine weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi swept his arms violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands became superior weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man felt his grip loosen—his blade, forged to channel martial qi, shattered; his momentum carried him forward, and Li Guanyi surged into the collision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His right fist clenched, middle finger curled and protruding like a phoenix-eye fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bai Hu Grand Technique he had mastered during his entry into cultivation finally revealed its edge—a spiral of golden qi, like a drill, erupted with his punch, striking the man’s chest; the border captain’s ears seemed to hear a tiger’s roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The defensive qi around his heart shattered instantly—then came searing pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The protective qi of a second-story martial artist had been shattered by a punch from a boy who had just entered cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression twisted—he reeled backward in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi stepped forward half a pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his internal qi had just exploded, heat surged again through his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jade Arm Divine Bow Art—the unparalleled explosive technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could store strength and unleash moves beyond limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xue family’s internal qi burst, seamlessly transitioning into the Xue family’s Shattered Jade Fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another punch slammed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Internal qi plunged into the heart, then detonated—Bai Hu’s spiritual power mingled within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!!!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble youths had been preparing to watch Li Guanyi’s gruesome defeat; in their eyes, their retainer had merely lunged forward and pushed the boy back—but the next instant, a faint tiger’s roar echoed, and the entire forest erupted in violent wind, leaves swirling wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, the former border Captain screamed, collapsed backward, a gaping hole in his chest—dead. In the sudden silence, the boy stood there, one hand gripping his heavy blade, the other brushing dust from his blood-splattered hem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second-story martial artist. A fierce border soldier. A garrison Captain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In wartime, he could command three hundred men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ascend one more level, and he would be called a General—commanding a thousand-man detachment, with logistics and transport, totaling two to three thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, in a single strike, life and death were decided?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this the fourteen-year-old, rumored to be a lucky peasant boy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their faces turned pale—they realized they had stepped on iron. They screamed: “Someone! Someone come!” The empty road, moments ago, now erupted with footsteps—dozens surged out, shouting: “Who are you? Why are you wielding weapons and committing violence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Insolent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dare kill? Drop your weapon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men wore the robes of yamen runners, advancing with loud shouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They sought to force Li Guanyi back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, one of them would step forward—if they failed, a Captain-level officer would intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the yamen runners already stationed nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi now understood the tactics of these noble youths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yamen runners advanced, ferocious and monstrous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commoners or wandering martial artists, seeing this scene, would be terrified, retreat—even martial artists stronger than the Captain would choose to flee, unwilling to fight against the colossal power of Chen Guo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the power of position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi suddenly realized how invaluable all the things the old man had fought for him truly were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now did he see their worth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the yamen runners advanced, the boy reached up, tore off his shredded upper garment, revealing the soft armor beneath, then gripped his blade with one hand and pulled a badge from his sleeve with the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On it, a dark-gold tiger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the front, two characters: Zhenwei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He calmly fastened the badge to his rhinoceros-horn belt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble youths’ eyes flickered with relief—they smiled. Now that he invoked official status, they were no longer afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were too accustomed to this kind of bureaucratic maneuvering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy raised his gaze slightly, one hand resting on his blade, speaking calmly: “Today, I am carrying out His Majesty’s imperial orders, escorting the Xue Imperial Consort’s family to the capital, when suddenly—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gathering in force, wielding weapons, surrounding and attempting to kill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gathering in force, wielding weapons, attempting to kill an imperial official?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yamen runners froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Among them, a border Captain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Suspected member of the Qianfeng rebels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All hearts froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind in the air fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble youths who had been about to declare their family names turned deathly pale, unable to speak. The boy’s upper body, clad in soft armor, his hem stained with blood, his rhinoceros-horn belt, his dark blade in hand—he walked slowly forward. Dozens of yamen runners surrounded him, yet they paled and stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One sentence shattered the table. His cold gaze swept over them, and he spoke softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Zhenwei Captain. My duty is to hunt down fugitives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All others, stand aside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding yamen runners stood mute, watching Li Guanyi step slowly toward the noble youth who had spoken, and looked him in the eye, whispering: “What was it you just said you would do to my family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young warrior noble’s face turned pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi, who had grown up relying on his aunt, smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression turned ferocious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung his hand, slamming the heavy saber, scabbard and all, down hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a crisp cracking sound, the young warrior noble screamed as both his knees shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s killing intent surged; he gripped the hilt, drew the blade, and his eyes reflected a deadly aura—he longed to split the man in two with one stroke, yet held back, unwilling to bring more trouble upon Xue Lao. Xue Lao had ordered him to beat him to death, but he could not truly kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew: beating a warrior noble to within an inch of his life was different from cutting off his head with a single slash outside the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi slowly sheathed his blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He controlled his killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled slowly, then turned and walked toward another man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s voice trembled: “I didn’t say it—I never said it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why are you attacking me?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi replied: “Nothing more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just because I’m displeased.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung the heavy saber and brought it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bone spurs were crushed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he paced to smash another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yamen runners could only watch as the boy shattered every knee, forced bone spurs to protrude, then bound them with their own iron chains, mounted his horse, lightly squeezed its flanks, and spurred it forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warrior nobles were dragged along, their screams unceasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood and flesh littered the ground; the yamen runners turned pale. Some ran back to inform the true aristocrats who had used these warrior nobles as pawns—subduing them required being even more ruthless, regardless of character, whether good or evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evil men are naturally ruthless, but good men must be ruthless too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is the age of chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the woods, inside the Xue family’s Listening Wind Pavilion, the old personal guard watched silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had followed behind all along—not just because these warrior nobles had protectors, but because the old man beside Xue Dao Yong had never left his side, just as elders had once done for him when he descended from the sects of Mount Dai Zong in his youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard reported the events to the old man inside the pavilion, who was writing with a brush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Dao Yong asked: “Shi Feng, you didn’t intervene?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard Liu Shifeng smiled: “Young Master Li’s Shattered Jade Fist has reached perfection—he killed a second-floor border officer. He didn’t need me to act.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Dao Yong burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shifeng added: “Young Master Li rode his horse for about ten li, dragging them, then ordered the yamen runners to take all the warrior nobles into Guan Yi City. As for Yue Qianfeng, he’s already locked up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Dao Yong picked up his brush and wrote: “Who was the ringleader?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aged guard answered: “The son of General Qi Junsong, a fourth-rank Xuanwu Commander.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Dao Yong said: “Qi Junsong… nearly a fourth-tier martial cultivator. He’s gathered many merits on the border—he’s one of the young generals. Skilled, and his saber technique is excellent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guanyi didn’t want to bring trouble to my family—hah, good boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He knows his limits. But I can’t let my own child go unprotected. I must return the favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man said nothing more, finished writing, and called Liu Shifeng over. Liu Shifeng saw a landscape scroll on the paper: a galloping steed, with an inscription beside it—“Swallowing Ten Thousand Li.” Liu Shifeng said: “Fine characters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xue Dao Yong said: “Of course they’re fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He admired it briefly, then tossed the brush aside: “Send this to Qi Junsong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man said calmly: “I recall he has more than one son, doesn’t he?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That quiet sentence carried an unspeakable chill and killing intent. Li Guanyi held back to spare him face—the old man appreciated such kindness. Merchants believe in reciprocity; now it was time to repay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man sighed to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still a child—he doesn’t understand: if you’re going to do something, either don’t do it at all, or do it completely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why would I need him to protect me? My hands are already drenched in blood—this one more won’t matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shi Feng, clean up the aftermath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Children aren’t mature yet. I heard he wandered Jiangnan’s alleys with Shuangtao, playing the zither for her, climbing trees, carrying her back on his back—still a boy, his eyes still see spring light and autumn moon, blind to the bloodshed of this chaotic age. We are old. Our era has passed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clearing the path for them to the world—that’s the last duty of our old bones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll teach him the truths of this age at the smallest cost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is precisely what a senior should do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, for him to truly understand, the price would be far too heavy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s eyes held complex emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shifeng smiled and nodded softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi dragged the lot into Guan Yi City’s prison, ignoring their curses and shouts, wrote up the official record, then returned to the Xue residence. During his medicinal bath, he removed his soft armor—beneath it lay a padded layer, yet his chest still bore a large bruise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi soaked in the medicinal bath, recalling today’s battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brief, yet perilous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had used every technique he possessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, it was the move he had awakened from observing the White Tiger Grand Master’s arrival under the starlight that broke the defense, followed seamlessly by the Shattered Jade Fist to crush the heart. Had Li Guanyi already formed Qi, he wouldn’t have needed the final punch—the self-awakened White Tiger Grand Master technique alone would have sufficed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forming Qi…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi sat cross-legged, breathing in and out, letting the medicinal power gather within him, then attempting to forge his internal Qi. But this was a grueling art—true cultivation required painstaking, step-by-step tempering. His mind was calm, and Qi formed swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet sadly, it could not be achieved overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his bath, he rose and practiced a set of meridian-stimulating fist and footwork, preparing to resume meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, his chest trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bronze tripod hummed; the Crimson Dragon’s divine form glowed, and jade fluid accumulated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This familiar sensation lit his eyes—he turned and strode out quickly. The sky was dusk; against the wall, a towering man sat cross-legged, holding a wine flask, a crimson divine dragon coiling behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man lifted his flask, smiling: “You’re doing well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fellow prisoner!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wanna have a drink together?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rank 34 on the Divine General List—the top foot soldier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue Qianfeng!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bronze tripod rang violently.\u003C\u002Fp>",2673,"2026-06-20T19:20:33.127Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","44a1dd495f88470a3985525fed6ed457b454924462b3759c535e306bd862f1d1","the-peace-decree-chapter-83","the-peace-decree-chapter-81",593,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-peace-decree-cover.jpg"]