Chapter 83

Yue Qianfeng sat on the corner of the wall, smiling as he sized up Li Guanyi. "Good."

He leapt down nimbly, his clothes still plain, yet his gaze carried the aura of an azure dragon; he reached out and slapped Li Guanyi's shoulder, sending a surge of internal qi flowing through Li Guanyi's body — for the first time since he had taught Li Guanyi his cultivation method, Yue Qianfeng met him face to face.

Even though he had seen Li Guanyi ride out on horseback and guessed his Wu Gong had reached minor mastery,

today, sensing the vigorous vitality within him and the forged physique, he couldn't help but feel astonished, sighing: "Truly, absurd."

"He's actually entered the realm — and forged his body."

"If I hadn't personally taught you the Break the Formation Melody and the Eight Blades of Breaking the Army, I wouldn't believe you could reach this level in such a short time."

Li Guanyi said: "I had a stroke of fortune."

Yue Qianfeng, seeing his expression, laughed heartily and waved his hand, speaking with unreserved frankness:

"Hahahaha, you don't need to explain anything to me."

"How many people in this world don't have secrets and strokes of luck?"

"I associate with you, not because of your fortune."

"You're that kid from the mountain shrine; I drank with you. Now you're the guest minister of the Xue family; I still drink with you. Even if one day you become a hero of the world, I'll still see you as that little apothecary I knew in Yicheng — and I'll still come drink with you."

"Because of that day you charged out without regard for your life, I've already claimed you as my brother."

Yue Qianfeng grinned. "But honestly, it's like something's cursed."

"This city's become a nightmare to enter — for some reason, these city guards act like they knew I was coming today."

Yue Qianfeng tossed back his drink. "Yicheng has suddenly upgraded its defenses several levels."

"I thought something was off."

"Lu Youxian, that wooden-headed fool, can only hunker down like a turtle and can't hold off anyone — there's nothing major going on. How could he possibly track me down? That old turtle's strength is even less than mine — truly absurd."

"And they even claimed they caught my accomplice."

"I originally didn't plan to come see you. But when I heard them speak so convincingly — saying you'd been beaten, your legs broken, dragged back — I had to believe them, so I came to check. And here you are, perfectly intact."

"Those soldier scoundrels can't guard the city properly, but spread rumors worse than village grandmothers!"

"If I find out who spread that lie, I'll beat the shit out of him!"

Li Guanyi kept his eyes on his nose, his nose on his heart.

He said nothing.

He only said: "Brother Yue, are you going to..."

Yue Qianfeng waved his hand, cheerfully: "Call me Brother Yue — no need for 'Senior Yue'!"

Yue Qianfeng said: "I suspect the Xue family's tiger already knows I'm here. I just came to check if you're safe. Now that I've seen you, I should leave." He brushed his sleeves, rose to go — but Li Guanyi's bronze cauldron jade broth remained utterly still; he knew the final reservoir of the bronze cauldron required a special motion.

Such as transmitting a method. Or a divine weapon.

So he said: "Brother Yue, wait a moment."

Yue Qianfeng looked at him.

Li Guanyi said: "Brother Yue has been traveling and fighting for a long time. No one dares to disturb or search the Xue family. Why not rest here first? At least have a meal and a drink before leaving." Yue Qianfeng had originally planned to refuse, but after days of travel and battle, he truly hadn't eaten anything good.

Li Guanyi's suggestion stirred his appetite.

So Li Guanyi led Yue Qianfeng to the kitchen — he had originally intended to host him in the guest quarters, but Yue Qianfeng's hunger drove him straight to the courtyard's kitchen. Li Guanyi then went to the martialists' common dining hall and brought back large basins of braised meat and strong liquor.

Yue Qianfeng didn't use chopsticks — he grabbed several chunks with his hands, tossed them into his mouth, bit down, and swallowed them whole.

After wolfing down seven or eight fist-sized braised pork hocks, he finally relaxed.

Yue Qianfeng ate and drank with abandon; Li Guanyi kept bringing him more dishes.

At last, the dust of his journey was washed away — he felt utterly comfortable, yet slightly embarrassed by the indulgence. After thinking a moment, he smiled:

"By the way, I once said that if you ever entered the realm, you should come find me with the token — I'd teach you the method to enter. I never imagined the old man of the Xue family beat me to it and had already spotted you."

"Hahahaha, the martial art you're practicing now is from the Xue family, right?"

Li Guanyi nodded and told Yue Qianfeng the name of his cultivation method.

Yue Qianfeng, slightly drunk, remarked: "Ningqi? Hmph. The Jade Arm Divine Bow Decree — strong in explosive power, its body-forging techniques are naturally top-tier. But for ningqi, their martial path relies on bows and archery; their qi condensation and penetration are merely adequate — not supreme."

Li Guanyi seized the opportunity to ask: "I'd appreciate your guidance, Brother Yue."

Yue Qianfeng pointed at him and laughed heartily: "You've got thick skin!"

"Good. That kind of attitude won't get you hurt out there."

Since Li Guanyi had fought his way out of death, Yue Qianfeng already regarded him as family, and he smiled:

"Since you asked me, I won't withhold it."

"I do have a few methods for condensing qi. The one that produces the most destructive qi was dug up by me when I was still a bandit — from a tomb. It seems to be a method from a qi cultivator a thousand years ago: drawing in earth yin qi to condense my true gang."

"It allows you to condense qi within your body and unleash it in an instant."

"Like carrying a hidden weapon on your person."

"But unfortunately, it's too ruthless and brutal — unlike today's orthodox paths."

"The rest — I've developed one myself over years of cultivation and battle: the Crimson Dragon Ningqi Decree. The qi it condenses naturally carries scorching heat, excelling at fire damage, burning the lungs and organs, accumulating fire poison to weaken opponents and secure total victory."

"Besides these, there's only one method that aligns with the Break the Formation Melody."

The Qi Cultivator's Ningqi Technique, the Crimson Dragon Ningqi Decree

One is brutal, with a unique self-defense method.

The other naturally carries scorching heat — Li Guanyi was already intrigued.

Hearing of the third method, he asked curiously:

"Was this also created by that General Zhou?"

Yue Qianfeng replied: "It's a military school's ultimate technique — but not created by General Zhou."

"Its ningqi effect is weaker than the brutal power I gained from my own stroke of fortune; it's also not as naturally fiery as my Crimson Dragon Ningqi Decree, which burns opponents' sinews and bones. But it's balanced and harmonious — like it can contain all rivers of the martial world."

"Anyone, regardless of their cultivation foundation, can practice it."

Li Guanyi seemed lost in thought.

General Yue Qianfeng laughed and explained: "I learned it from Marshal Yue. He said that if you want to go far enough, you need to seek stability at the foundation—upright and even, like rivers and seas. And Marshal Yue himself was taught by the general who once led him across the battlefield."

"It was Tai Ping Gong."

"This lineage's martial art was created by Tai Ping Gong himself, called the 'Scripture of Great Peace.'"

Li Guanyi recalled the records in the unofficial histories, and what his aunt had mentioned—his father also wore a mask when he rode to war. He unconsciously straightened his back. At this moment, the other two martial arts seemed to lose their meaning to Li Guanyi. He asked Yue Qianfeng:

"Tai Ping Gong's martial art."

Yue Qianfeng said: "Yes, Tai Ping Gong."

"Also, the Emperor burned the Juan Sect records, stripping his story from history."

"Someone your age wouldn't know him anymore, would you?"

This rough and fierce general had a trace of regret on his face. He tilted his head back and took a swig of wine, saying: "After all, he had no great clan behind him—just a farmer's son. In the end, when the Emperor wanted to enfeoff him as Wang Hou, offering the title of Pacifying-the-North Duke, Tai Ping Gong said, when the realm has no peace, what talk is there of pacifying south or north?"

"He took up blade and sword, gave up his fields, hoping only for peace under heaven."

"When that time came, he would return to his own fields."

"That is why his title was Tai Ping Gong."

Li Guanyi sat quietly there.

Seeing Li Guanyi's expression, Yue Qianfeng was willing to say more, and laughed:

"Do you know how Tai Ping Gong made his name? Back then, the southwestern region hadn't been pacified yet. Tai Ping Gong at that time was only about twenty years old, a martial artist at the Third Layer Realm. Having no connections, he led only two thousand greenhorn recruits, following the Prince of Puyang to attack the southwest."

"Then, he got separated from the main force."

"Tai Ping Gong thought it over. Going back with the routed troops would most likely mean military punishment. So he gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, and simply turned his blade inward, charging straight toward the deepest part."

"Over seven hundred battles, fighting across a thousand li, a full hundred days with no word of him. Everyone at the time thought he had died in the southwest. But Tai Ping Gong carved characters onto a bamboo slip, wrapped it in his battle robe, threw it into the water, and let the current carry the robe downstream, where it was found."

"On it was written a single line."

"It said: I'm not dead yet, don't burn paper money for me."

"At the time, everyone thought it was a tall tale."

"Later, when he went to campaign against the southern barbarians, Tai Ping Gong broke through more than thirty tribes, capturing over twenty thousand men and women to bring back. At first he was supposed to bring the chieftain of those barbarians along too, but every time the story reached this part, Marshal Yue would hem and haw. Only later did we discover that Tai Ping Gong…"

"Hahahaha—Tai Ping Gong accepted the barbarian chieftain's bribe: things like gold and jade, plus twenty-four night-luminous pearls the size of a fist—national treasures of the barbarians. Tai Ping Gong thought they looked pretty, so he took them, then let the chieftain go, and went back himself insisting he hadn't caught the bastard."

"In the end, the matter got exposed. When Tai Ping Gong was questioned, he stiffened his neck and absolutely refused to admit he'd embezzled the goods. He was nearly stripped of everything. The Prince of Puyang at the time had such a headache he nearly died, and finally had to sell everything he had to plug the hole himself."

"Then he grabbed an iron staff, stormed into the imperial presence, and nearly beat Tai Ping Gong to death with his bare fists."

"Tai Ping Gong fought back in fury, and the two of them ended up sitting together in front of the imperial study."

"Hahahaha—a famous general under heaven, how could he be such a money-grubber!"

Li Guanyi twitched his lips.

The heroes who slew each other in the history books seemed to come vividly alive.

Yue Qianfeng took a sip of wine and said softly: "Later on, we learned that Tai Ping Gong distributed the gold to the common folk along the way who had been affected by the army; he sold the jade, exchanged it for wine, meat, and military pay, and gave it to his brothers-in-arms. At that time, his reputation reached its peak."

"Because he spared the barbarian chieftain, the southwest was pacified without harming the common people, and without shortchanging his brothers-in-arms. And he himself, having pacified the southwest, took those night-luminous pearls, rode the Fire Qilin for three thousand li."

"It's said he rode all the way to Jiangnan, to propose to a Miss."

Yue Qianfeng sighed in admiration: "A general who campaigned across the realm, refusing the Princess's favor, trading a nation's treasures for the girl he loved in his youth."

"Legend has it that when Tai Ping Gong removed his face armor and rode the Fire Qilin into Jiangnan, countless women threw flower petals from the painted balconies on the second floor. The petals fell onto the bluestone slabs, into the streams, and spread endlessly downstream along the water."

"One truly cannot imagine what kind of bearing that young general in his prime possessed…"

"Still, the children of Jiangnan Dao are probably still playing with those round little stones."

Yue Qianfeng gestured—it was the stone beads that Li Guanyi and Xue Shuangtao had seen the boys treating as treasures when they went out. Yue Qianfeng smiled slightly:

"The boys especially love them."

"These things spread out from Tai Ping Gong's story."

"A general who changed an era—even if a Wang Hou wanted to erase every trace of his existence, it would be absolutely impossible."

Listening to this story, Li Guanyi said: "Did she agree?"

Yue Qianfeng said softly: "She did. Marshal Yue said that Miss was very happy to accept. Everyone around them offered their blessings. But in truth, he only needed the stones he used for skipping water as a boy to win her over. Those luminous pearls, at the grand wedding, were exchanged for gold and silver and given to his wounded brothers-in-arms."

"However, I did hear that there was a little girl, only eleven or twelve years old at the time, who was so angry her head ached, and secretly took a qin and fiercely struck Tai Ping Gong's battle robe with it."

"Saying: put it down, put it down!"

Li Guanyi lowered his eyes slightly. He might, perhaps, know who his parents were.

Listening to these stories, his heart held a trace of warmth.

Yue Qianfeng raised his eyes: "But at the story's end, she and Tai Ping Gong both died ten years ago. Marshal Yue was guarding the frontier at the time. When he heard the news and rushed to help, all he saw was a palace burning fiercely. Perhaps from that day on, Marshal Yue was no longer tolerated by the present Emperor."

"The 'Scripture of Great Peace' he created—I shall pass it on to you today."

"Let me demonstrate it once first. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll demonstrate it again for you."

Yue Qianfeng rose. The crimson dragon coiled, and he transmitted the method of condensing internal Qi to Li Guanyi.

The bronze cauldron quietly completed its final accumulation of jade liquid.

Yan Xuanji—

Pour out!

A blurred scene appeared before Li Guanyi's eyes. Within that scene was the wind of Jiangnan Dao, the back of a general. He rode the Fire Qilin into Jiangnan, and then the scene scattered. This time, the martial art seemed familiar to Li Guanyi. The method of condensing Qi, influenced by the bronze cauldron's aura, was completed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

'Scripture of Great Peace,' Entry-Level!

'Scripture of Great Peace,' Mastery!

'Scripture of Great Peace,' Great Completion!

But just at this moment, by Li Guanyi's ear came the cry of dragons and the roar of tigers. The crimson dragon's dharma aspect rose with a long cry, appearing alongside the Bai Hu's dharma aspect beside Li Guanyi. Within his body, the Bai Hu dharma aspect and the crimson dragon dharma aspect had reached comparable levels.

One represented the Fierce Tiger Body Forging.

One represented the Taigu Chilong's Qi Condensation.

At this moment, metal and fire surged upward, confronting each other; metal and fire clashed, and within Li Guanyi's body they began to run rampant. Li Guanyi's expression stiffened, a look of pain surfacing on his face. Yue Qianfeng was happily eating meat and drinking wine when he suddenly noticed the change in Li Guanyi's complexion, paused briefly, and then immediately reacted.

"What's going on!"

Yue Qianfeng appeared beside Li Guanyi in an instant.

A broad palm pressed down.

He forcibly restrained the rampaging qi currents within Li Guanyi's body. But in that single instant, the blazing fire and the grim, killing metal surged and erupted inside Li Guanyi's body; internal qi spiraled, dragon roars and tiger howls rang in his ears, the dragon and tiger energies collided, causing Li Guanyi's internal qi to rampage inward.

The Jade Liquid advanced unhurriedly.

With someone helping to protect the internal organs, the Dragon and Tiger Dharma Aspects seemed to begin a struggle within the youth's body. Metal and fire clashed like cold water splashed into a hot oil pan, internal qi ran rampant; yet suppressed by Yue Qianfeng so it could not harm the internal organs, like a river held back by dikes, there was naturally only one path it could take.

Internal qi surged madly toward the meridians.

Starlight flared, and before the sharp, grim power of the Bai Hu Dharma Aspect, the sluggishness of the meridians meant nothing.

The meridians, originally sluggish, under such circumstances—

Were directly blasted open!

From Li Guanyi's shoulder, a burst of qi erupted, knocking Yue Qianfeng's palm away.

"!!!"

"This is—"

Yue Qianfeng saw this scene, froze, his pupils contracted, and recognized Li Guanyi's current state.

This was not Qi Condensation.

This was—

Meridian Opening!

?? The power suddenly went out today, only just finished writing (peacefully)