[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-peace-decree":3,"chapter-the-peace-decree-the-peace-decree-chapter-95":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},2328270,4553,"Chapter 95: Your Name!","the-peace-decree-chapter-95",95,"\u003Cp>Using the Qilin Array Diagram as an example to teach the contents of the Huangji Jingshi Book, Zu Wenyuan’s suggestion gave Li Guanyi no reason to refuse; he immediately said, “I willingly accept.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man stroked his beard, yet asked Li Guanyi to close the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi shut all doors and windows; outside, it was merely afternoon—the sun had tilted westward but had not yet set, yet the room plunged into darkness at once. The old man lit a candle and whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since this is a secret transmission, it must not reach the ears of a third party.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come, come, come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi sat beside the old man, who pointed to the intricate scrolls and said, “I suddenly recalled using the Qilin Pavilion’s array diagram to explain this to you—first, because you seem quite interested in arrays, and second, because of your cultivation foundation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi said, “My cultivation foundation? The Four Symbols united?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan nodded and pointed to the scroll: “The arrays within Qilin Pavilion follow the path of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases, crafted personally by the second of the Three Elders of the Yin-Yang School, [Si Wei]. He used Yin-Yang to move the Five Phases, the Five Phases to transform into the Four Symbols, and finally formed the array through the Four Symbols.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though I possess many computational texts, they are too dry for a beginner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Central Wu Earth Qilin can only be contained by the Four Symbols—and coincidentally, this perfectly matches your cultivation foundation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, using this as your entry point is the most fitting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi asked curiously, “Is Si Wei the same sect as Master Si Ming?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan sighed and said, “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their studies both fall under the Yin-Yang School, and both achieved feats beyond ordinary imagination—but in truth, they were mortal enemies. If they met, they would kill each other. Though Master Si Ming is peerless in qi observation and fate divination, in direct combat, he would likely perish in Si Wei’s hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not hard to understand. Since ancient times, haven’t soldiers killed soldiers, and Confucians destroyed Confucians?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same school, yet opposing doctrines and thoughts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To some, rival schools are less hateful than those within their own.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan’s voice carried complex emotions Li Guanyi had yet to comprehend. The old man pointed to the scroll and explained, one character at a time, the meaning of each text and how their combinations produced shifting meanings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi’s expression slowly tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Difficult!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Utterly, impossibly difficult!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The structure of the array reminded Li Guanyi of programming languages he had once studied; if Yin and Yang represented zero and one in code, their transformations generated the Five Phases, which then evolved into the Four Symbols, and within them, the Twenty-Eight Mansions and the Zodiac constellations operated as discrete program systems—thus, the Four Symbols Binding Array before him was equivalent to an unimaginably complex superprogram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dense, dense characters covered the scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scroll, unfurled, stretched over twenty meters, written in tiny regular script, its characters intricate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each character concealed information equivalent to several sentences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When colliding, they generated further shifts in meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan explained slowly; Li Guanyi could only memorize by rote. The old man said, “The way of arrays lies in endless transformation. Yin-Yang qi is the most fundamental source of change. As Yin-Yang flows, it becomes the Five Phases and Four Symbols. Si Wei’s array is alive—it constantly shifts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One misstep, and it collapses like an avalanche, triggering a backlash of Yin-Yang qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly brilliant—this array was completed when he was only thirty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only such an array could bind a divine beast like the Qilin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi exhaled, his forehead throbbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thirty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is he still maintaining this array now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan said, “He was arrogant and full of wrath. Had he been here, this diagram would never have come to me for repair. After completing the array over a decade ago, he left, declaring he would use mountains, rivers, and all things as components to forge a peerless great array, enveloping all of Central Plains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since then, no one has seen him. Master Si Ming’s visit here likely stems from seeking traces of Si Wei.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man smiled faintly and said, “Take your time. We have ample time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I possess only one scroll of the Huangji Jingshi Book. The complete set comprises sixty-four scrolls. I believe that once you fully comprehend this one scroll—the Four Symbols Great Array—you will have grasped the flow patterns of the Four Symbols, and your cultivation foundation problem will resolve itself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The second level of a martial cultivator also requires Hunyuan, correct?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi said, “You are right, Elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the Huangji Jingshi Book is truly tedious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man chuckled. “Tedious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it is a fine thing, a supreme art, it cannot be mastered easily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do not think the Four Symbols Binding Array is useless. If you learn it, you can activate it. With your Four Spirit Phases, as long as your qi is sufficient, one person can form the array and seal all things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One person forms the array?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan said, “Yes. Around the second level, when your qi can extend several feet beyond your body, you can begin to activate it. From beginner to mastery, this array progresses through Yin-Yang, Three Talents, Four Symbols. Qilin Pavilion only used [Binding], but with Si Wei’s wrath, how could this array have only [Binding]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After [Binding] comes [Killing].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though martial cultivators always claim that armor and weapons make them invincible in close combat, if you possess this one-person array technique, the Four Spirits locking your essence will let you fight even higher-level opponents without defeat—and even triumph.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must study it well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a clamor erupted outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan lifted his gaze slightly: “Again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi recalled the young Daoist’s words and raised an eyebrow. “Monks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if the Emperor forbids common yamen runners and constables from acting against monks and Daoists, do they dare come here and cause a ruckus?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man showed no anger, only said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There is reason. This place was originally a temple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over a decade ago, when Prince Puyang’s elder brother—the Regent’s older brother—reigned as Emperor, he revered the Buddhist faith. There were four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Court. Later, Prince Puyang’s iron cavalry broke through and burned it all to ashes. The monks who weren’t conscripted fled everywhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gradually, wandering Daoists gathered here and built this Daoist temple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over time, incense offerings grew, and the place gained some renown. Then the monks came, claiming the land was theirs, demanding the Daoists leave and pay back ten years of rent in one lump sum—ten thousand taels of silver.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi stared in disbelief. “They actually dare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The temple was burned to the ground. They ran away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan said, “That’s what they claim.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the Daoists aren’t meek. Fights between them have happened more than once or twice. Recently, during the Grand Sacrifice, the Emperor reveres both Buddhism and Daoism and forbids common officials from interfering. Word has it that a living Buddha from the Western Regions has come here as a guest to the sacrifice—so these monks have grown bolder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi exclaimed, “A living Buddha from the Western Regions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t there a Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions? Doesn’t the living Buddha rule vast lands?” This was Xue Shen’s knowledge. Zu Wenyuan was startled and pointed at Li Guanyi, laughing: “You, you—what ancient history is this? Your knowledge is older than mine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five hundred years ago, a divine general of the Central Plains invaded the Buddhist kingdom, shattered the living Buddha’s golden body with three strokes of his halberd, leaving him bleeding and collapsed, destroying the kingdom’s prestige—though it barely clung to life. Later, they brutally oppressed their slaves. Then one slave escaped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That slave traveled through the Central Plains for over a decade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He befriended many, forged the Alliance of the Fire of Chaos, then returned to the Western Regions and wiped out everything—that was Tuyuhun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Buddhist kingdom you speak of was crushed under Tuyuhun’s iron cavalry long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say that as a boy, he had a sister who sang to him—her voice clear as the wind across the grasslands. Later, she vanished without a trace. Tuyuhun fled in madness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When that conqueror subdued the Western Regions, the living Buddha flattered him, playing a song of submission on the finest instruments—flutes made from the leg bones of beautiful maidens, ritual objects carved from skulls, their tones clear as the wind across the grasslands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under moonlight like frost, the Western conqueror sat alone in the Buddhist palace, holding his blade, for the entire night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then he bound the living Buddha in a sack and had his heavy cavalry trample him for three full hours on the grasslands, turning a golden-body Buddha into pulp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He raised his blade under the sun, burned the Buddha’s palace, and the serfs inside seized their swords.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, he forged his first invincible Western army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nowadays, the living Buddha is merely a martial sect, nothing like its ancient glory. Yet now it dares leave the Western Regions, come to the Central Plains, and brazenly join Chen Guo’s Grand Sacrifice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s only because Tuyuhun’s dynasty has fallen. They hope to cling to Chen Guo’s power, as the Tanguts once did, and rise again in the West.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man told Li Guanyi to take out his royal seal. He held the small seal in his palm and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The generations of Buddhist kingdom’s golden relics have all been melted into it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guanyi, according to Buddhist law, your current rank surpasses that living Buddha’s—you could sit upon the lotus throne yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi grimaced, ignoring the old man’s teasing, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Emperor’s intent is surely not merely to support Buddhism?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zu Wenyuan smiled. “Indeed. But because the aristocratic officials and Daoist sects are too close.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Emperor feels uneasy, so he supports Buddhism to suppress Daoism.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He seized the throne through intense struggles, so he trusts only balance; he fears any side becoming too powerful. Once you understand this, you’ll realize he’s always been afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court forbade the use of sword qi within the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, those who could release sword qi were at least Captains—among monks, they were prominent figures who wouldn’t appear here. Yet the old man merely pulled him and smiled gently: “No rush, no rush. Let’s look at the array diagram again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man continued explaining the array’s transformations, unhurried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi focused his spirit, relying on the memory techniques from his past life’s all-night cramming and specialized training, forcing himself to memorize the array’s contents. Finally, through the combined power of two lifetimes’ spiritual essence and ten years of qin-playing strengthening his soul, he succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head spun, his forehead veins throbbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clamor outside drew nearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man smiled at the boy before him. “Memorized it all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi said, “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man nodded, flicked his wrist, and rolled the scroll shut. The candle flame flickered out. He smiled: “Then come tomorrow. I’ll teach you the first transformation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deliver this diagram to the Vermilion Bird Gate of the Imperial Palace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi took the scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps I can approach the Qilin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monks had reached the door. Li Guanyi rose. As they pushed it open, he raised his right foot and delivered a direct chest kick. The frustration built from ten hours of math problems exploded in a cathartic rush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside stood a monk nine feet tall, waist like a water barrel. The boy’s kick sent him flying three feet into the air, tumbling down with cries of “Oof! Oof!” Li Guanyi retracted his leg, exhaled, rolled the scroll, and slung it behind his back. Outside, chaos erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking out from the room, fat, bulky monks surged forward into the Daoist temple. The Daoists were slender—these were not martial sects, no match for the monks. Even the herbalists who brewed medicine for the people were shoved down, stoves overturned, the air thick with medicinal scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monk cried out: “Another little Daoist!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knock him down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi exhaled, reached out, seized a green bamboo pole beside him used for hanging clothes, shook it sharply—and the bamboo shot forward like a spear. With a flick of his wrist, the bamboo trembled, sending several monks flying backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monks erupted in chaos, charging toward Li Guanyi. The other pilgrims, bound by imperial regulations, could not interfere. Li Zhaowen had been about to leave, but seeing Li Guanyi step forward, he gripped his staff and frowned slightly—this one boy, facing dozens of fat, burly monks, unable to kill them, would surely suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gripped her weapon, then froze in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy strode out, wielding only the long staff in his hand—sweeping, thrusting, slashing—and not one of the dozens of monks could match him. A dozen rushed forward, tackling him, grabbing hold of his green bamboo staff. Li Zhaowen had already stepped forward—when the boy suddenly roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a slender, fourteen-year-old boy; the other, a dozen round-headed, big-eared monks, specially chosen for their bulk—a grotesque contrast. Yet the boy lifted all twelve of them with nothing but his green bamboo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changsun Wugou was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What strength! And the second young lady who saw this…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned—and indeed saw the girl gripping her sword, watching the scene, her phoenix eyes sparkling with excitement. Changsun Wugou sighed helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lifting the dozen monks, Li Guanyi roared again, gripping the bamboo staff with both hands like a mighty general shaking a twelve-foot spear. One shake, one tremor—the force radiated outward, and all twelve monks were flung off their feet, losing their grip on the bamboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They crashed to the ground, groaning in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Li Guanyi merely breathed a few times—and the muscles that had exploded with maximum power began to recover swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Dragon-tendon, Tiger-bone body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi used the bamboo to flip the remaining monks onto the ground. The monk, bruised and swollen, shouted like a street thug: “We’ve been bested today! Hey, you little Daoist—dare you give us your name?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi was headed for the Vermilion Gate and had no interest in answering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Giving one’s name isn’t the way of wandering heroes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He merely raised his bamboo staff, pointing it at the monk—sending the man pale with fear. Then he twisted his wrist; the bamboo spun like a dragon, pointing behind him toward the temple, before sheathing his weapon and striding away. The monks were baffled: “Temple? You’re not calling yourself ‘Temple,’ are you?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, brother, maybe he meant we should ask the Daoist?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What Daoist could he mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changsun Wugou blinked gently. “Temple… is his name Li Dao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or Li Guan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind, sharp and refined, whispered to herself: a Daoist temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yi Guan—or perhaps…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Guanyi?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changsun Wugou seemed to understand. Li Zhaowen, hand on his sword, smiled: “Li Guan? Li Dao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of name is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought a moment, then smiled: “Perhaps it’s like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking ahead, the boy walked steadily in his brocade robe, bamboo staff in hand. Though merely a youth, in brocade and bamboo, the crowd around him knelt low—in that moment, he seemed like a warrior clad in armor, spear in hand, radiating undeniable might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhaowen said: “There’s a physician inside—so his name must be—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl with the bearing of a dragon and phoenix watched the boy, bamboo staff held like a spear, walking calmly, and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Call him Li the Physician.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2600,"2026-06-20T19:20:33.127Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","016346dc549295efa4d8c8ade1f8c451645c74340bcd6e48b701d3351b2b2f47","the-peace-decree-chapter-96","the-peace-decree-chapter-94",593,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-peace-decree-cover.jpg"]