[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-peace-decree":3,"chapter-the-peace-decree-the-peace-decree-chapter-94":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},2328269,4553,"Chapter 94","the-peace-decree-chapter-94",94,"\u003Cp>The blind old Daoist fortune-teller, unaware that there were now two people before him, chuckled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young master, your destiny is excellent—most auspicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youthful boy, radiant and born to wealth, laughed: “But, Master Daoist, there are two people sitting before your table now—how do I know which of us your reading applies to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist flustered: “Huh? Two people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blind elder was at a loss: “This, this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy laughed: “Still, your judgment is intriguing. Divination is merely for good fortune—after all, is our fate truly preordained?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only those who believe such prophecies are truly ruled by the omen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a silver coin from her sleeve and placed it on the table. The old Daoist felt it, overjoyed, and bowed repeatedly, offering blessings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy turned gracefully and looked toward Li Guanyi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His features were clear and sharp, a crimson vertical mark on his brow, his face as white as jade, yet effortlessly elegant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended his hand with a smile: “Brother, do you have leisure? The spring light is fine—why not enjoy the scenery together here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi saw his peerless, ethereal beauty, and the blue phoenix seemed to sing in harmony with the phoenix.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, he replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I shall not refuse your kind invitation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy with phoenix eyes laughed heartily: “Good. Please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Li Guanyi went to a pavilion within the temple, elevated enough to overlook its spring scenery; many Daoists and herbalists inside were brewing medicine. Li Guanyi had asked the Daoists why—they said the Emperor planned to build a pleasure market in the eastern quarter and a summer palace to the east.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty thousand laborers were conscripted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many were injured and could not afford medicine, so the Daoists gathered herbs to treat them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao smiled: “I am from Chen Guo, second son in my family. Brother, just call me Er Lang. May I ask your surname?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi said: “I am of the Li family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy did not press for his full name—after all, they were strangers meeting by chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The graceful girl accompanying him had brought tea and snacks; a small clay stove beside the stone table was heating water for tea. Her expression was gentle and composed. As Li Guanyi drank, he paused slightly, his gaze on the boy shifting—he felt a faint hum from the bronze tripod in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jade fluid was beginning to accumulate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s realm surpassed his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the rate of jade fluid accumulation was slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likely inferior to contemporary heroes like Yue Qianfeng or Xue Daoyong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his age matched Li Guanyi’s—how could he possess such cultivation? Thinking of the Tielei youth he had just seen, Li Guanyi could not help but sigh: How many heroes the world holds!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, what enhancement would jade fluid accumulation bring?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it could propel him to the Second Tower,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would be best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before breaking into the Second Tower, he ought to perfect the Four Symbols’ transformation—fully achieve [Primordial Wuji]. Li Guanyi suddenly realized: if this gathering drew heroes from across the land, wouldn’t he encounter many with Manifest Phantoms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the bronze tripod was now so picky,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among so many with Manifest Phantoms, surely a few could yield jade fluid and imprint their phantoms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi suddenly felt the Chen Guo Grand Sacrifice, once a swirling vortex, now glowed like an open treasure chest—every warlord, every hero, radiated a golden, dazzling light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danger and opportunity coexist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi and the boy, who called himself Er Lang of Zhou Commandery in Chen Guo, found themselves in perfect accord, speaking with great ease. At first they discussed the Grand Sacrifice and spring scenery, but after only a short while, the boy shifted tone, holding his folding fan and gazing outside with a solemn sigh:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Tuyuhun are gone. Chen Guo’s Grand Sacrifice draws heroes and nobles from across the land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ying Guo and Chen Guo, even the Turks, will vie and negotiate to carve up the world. Though I am from the Jiangnan region, I had never come to Jiangzhou City—today, I see Chen Guo’s splendor, the true renown of Jiangnan’s prosperity, its scholars unmatched under heaven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly a great empire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crouching by the Jiangdong, gazing upon the world!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changsun Wugou, hearing the girl’s idle chatter delivered with solemnity, could not help but smile faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao spoke from the heart, then smiled and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, what do you think of Chen Guo’s future?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ying Guo is crude, the Turks uncouth. Chen Guo holds Jiangnan’s scholarly vigor and has expanded three hundred miles. The Emperor calls himself Sage Son of Heaven—a wise ruler.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guo never punished speech—no one had ever been punished for words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi studied the boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This habit of steering conversation to grand strategy after mere words felt strangely familiar. He thought, then replied: “Cannot say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao said: “It’s just you and me now—idle talk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi thought again, drank a gulp of tea, then answered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you came to Jiangzhou City, did you see the waystations? The common folk along the road? The Buddhist and Daoist singers? Five hundred li of counties forced to send food, twenty thousand laborers conscripted to build the summer palace—such a ruler is too distant from his people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recited a passage from Mencius: “If a ruler treats his ministers as hands and feet, they treat him as heart and entrails; if he treats them as dogs and horses, they treat him as a stranger; if he treats them as dirt and weeds, they treat him as an enemy. Now the ruler treats his people as dogs and horses—how will Chen Guo’s people see him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Lang murmured the line, his back straightening instinctively, then said solemnly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If a ruler treats his ministers as dogs and horses, they treat him as a stranger. Good. Very good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, that one line merits three cups of wine—too bad we have only tea here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what should be done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi internally scoffed—he understood no such ruler-minister doctrine himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rummaged through his mental store of knowledge and found the most universally applicable answer:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The people are water; the ruler is the boat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Water can carry the boat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And capsize it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao’s eyes lit up; she clapped and laughed: “Good! Good!” She felt an uncanny connection with this youth—her own half-formed thoughts had been voiced outright. Delighted, she drew Li Guanyi into deeper conversation, growing ever more fond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt he sometimes seemed unlearned in classics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet more often, his insight was sharp, his thoughts like a deer’s antlers hanging on a tree—untraceable yet undeniably sound. She clapped in admiration; they spoke for over an hour, still not done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until a young Daoist hurried over, found Li Guanyi, and said Zu Wenyuan was now free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He invited Li Guanyi to sit briefly within the temple. Li Zhao rose to see him off. Seeing Li Guanyi’s simple attire, she suddenly smiled, reached out, and grasped the boy’s hand. Li Guanyi halted, feeling her palm—smooth, delicate. The boy smiled, pulled him closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With her other hand, she swiftly tugged off the jade pendant at her waist and placed it in Li Guanyi’s palm, closing his fingers around it. Li Zhao smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A gentleman is like jade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you are a rare talent of the world, yet you wear no jade. I feel an instant kinship with you—this jade is modest, but I gift it to you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi saw the jade was clear and flawless, clearly priceless. He declined: “This is too precious.” Li Zhao only said: “Since ancient times, heroes bear swords, gentlemen wear jade. To meet a gentleman—how could one not rejoice? This jade is fortunate to be given to you. No more words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She held Li Guanyi’s hand, placed the jade firmly in his grip, and squeezed his palm tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Radiant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We shall meet again, someday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we shall talk through the night—until we are drunk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Zhao withdrew her hand, Li Guanyi felt a strange illusion:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s palm was smoother, warmer—even more refined than the jade in his hand. Compared to that palm, the jade seemed like rough stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi stared at the boy—face white as jade, black hair slightly stirred, phoenix eyes gleaming—and felt a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked the absurd thought out of his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calmly, he replied: “Then, until we meet again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao hesitated, then, being young, wished to reveal her status: “Brother, won’t you ask my name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi guessed the boy’s noble origins—but deliberately ignored the hint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he tossed the jade pendant lightly and smiled:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are both wanderers of the world—why must we know each other’s names?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Er Lang, you’re clinging to form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao froze, her admiration for the youth deepening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She burst into laughter:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, you are a marvel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good! Next time we meet, you must tell me your true name!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned away with grace, waving her hand, laughing aloud:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today I gift you jade pendants, twin pearls!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someday, your noble name shall reach my ears!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her boldness and bearing charmed Li Guanyi. He bowed respectfully and followed the young Daoist away. The boy glanced at the jade pendant in Li Guanyi’s hand and murmured: “Such jade—even among our temple’s wealthiest patrons, few can wear it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi smiled: “Looks like my tongue’s worth something after all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daoist looked at him, thought a moment, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master said: scholars’ tongues, warriors’ blades—they are the fire of chaotic times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, you possess both.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Li Guanyi departed, Changsun Wugou said: “That jade pendant—the Emperor of Zhongzhou himself gave it to you when you were three. Er Lang, you just gave it away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao feigned ignorance: “Huh? That one? I forgot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Changsun Wugou glare at her, she laughed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Changsun Wugou glaring at him in anger, he laughed and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is jade worth? It’s just an inanimate object!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I could gain such a genius, I’d give him an entire wall of white jade—I truly have never seen such a once-in-a-millennium talent!” The girl turned, drained several cups of tea, calmed herself, then raised her cup with eager excitement: “Such a genius—I must send someone to investigate him when we return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he’s from a respectable family, I’ll spend a thousand gold pieces.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If all else fails, I’ll kidnap him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll drag him all the way to Longxi!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whatever he wants, I’ll give him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changsun Wugou laughed, refilled her tea, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you going to meet that Li Guanyi of the Xue family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has Second Young Master changed his mind so quickly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhao raised an eyebrow and said: “I must meet that Li brother—and this Li brother too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even the Purple Micro Star in heaven has Zuo Fu and You Bi as its attendants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With so many talents across the land, why can’t they all serve under me?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of logic is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled again: “Besides, when I spoke of Jiangnan’s cultural splendor just now, I wasn’t exaggerating—one Li Guanyi of the Xue family in Jiangzhou, and now this brother—having these two alone raises Jiangnan’s literary aura to a full zhang high. Clearly, Chen Guo possesses heavenly fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a pity—such a man exists, yet we cannot know him, cannot use him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl studied the cup in her hand, then tossed it onto the table and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ruler of Chen Guo is no better than a rotting corpse in a tomb.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi was led through layers of pine and cypress, and within the temple he met Zu Wenyuan. The old man remained elegant, yet seemed burdened by weariness—clearly, calculating the Great Sacrifice’s array had weighed heavily upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he saw Li Guanyi arrive, Zu Wenyuan rallied his spirits and invited him to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He poured tea for him himself and smiled: “I heard the Xue family’s carriage arrived today, so I guessed you’d be coming soon. I thought today would be free, but someone from the palace came—no choice but to spend considerable time on it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve kept you waiting too long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi realized—the old man hadn’t been occupied by the Great Sacrifice array after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that reason couldn’t be told to the young Daoist, so the priest had told Li Guanyi it was the Great Sacrifice array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man chatted awhile—about the Xue family, the Great Sacrifice, the many visitors—then finally looked at Li Guanyi and smiled: “Since you’ve come here, I assume you’re willing to study the Calculus with me and cultivate the Book of Supreme Ultimate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi knew the moment had come. “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy had already decided before arriving. He set down his cup, rose, and bowed to become a disciple—but Zu Wenyuan reached out and stopped him, laughing in exasperation: “Child, why so hasty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to take you on—even before meeting you, I held great hopes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But now that I’ve seen you, I’ve changed my mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man gazed at the boy, sighed, then whispered softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are still entangled in mortal ties, burdened by the dust of the world—you’re unsuited for monastic life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But don’t look so crestfallen—I brought you here for a reason. I’ll still teach you the Book of Supreme Ultimate. It’s no martial sect’s secret art, but it can calculate countless transformations… If you master it, you’ll grasp any martial art in the world with ease.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Free from rigid forms, it can also resolve your cultivation flaw.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, mastering it will take considerable time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come here daily for one hour. I’ll teach you slowly. Today, I’ll begin with the basics…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man led Li Guanyi into the quiet chamber. Li Guanyi saw scrolls on the table—complex numbers, trajectories, densely packed, making his scalp tingle at a single glance. He asked involuntarily: “What is this…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan replied casually: “Ah, this? It’s why I couldn’t come to meet you when you arrived. The Qilin suddenly went berserk today—the palace sent for me. No choice but to redesign their array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s heart surged with emotion. He asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you design the Qilin Palace’s array?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan shook his head: “No, that’s the work of the Yin-Yang Five Phases school. But any array ultimately cannot escape calculation through the Calculus. They know I’m here—why wouldn’t they come clamoring?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had no choice but to revise their array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What you see is the Qilin Palace’s array diagram.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi froze, staring fixedly at the scroll—the diagram so close seemed to shimmer with flowing light—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qilin Palace’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Array diagram!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man noticed his expression and asked: “You’re interested in array diagrams?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi nodded. The old man smiled: “Good.” He casually unrolled the scroll—it unfurled outward, revealing an impossibly intricate array before Li Guanyi: at its center stood the Qilin, surrounded by countless dense characters like chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man sat cross-legged, pointed at the diagram, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since ancient times, those who merely know are inferior to those who love.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those who love are inferior to those who delight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you delight in this Qilin array diagram, today I shall use this Four Symbols array as an example to teach you the Book of Supreme Ultimate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you say?!”\u003C\u002Fp>",2551,"2026-06-20T19:20:33.127Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ba496ba3eda42f15f7629acce0b834e83ca9f63368cf720ad5cff2b6a808edc7","the-peace-decree-chapter-95","the-peace-decree-chapter-93",593,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-peace-decree-cover.jpg"]