The old man gave Li Guanyi a glance, then lowered his head and continued chatting with his granddaughter, his smile gentle and warm.
Li Guanyi quietly exhaled a breath of relief, his mind filled with speculation.
A descendant of the great general who secured the borders with three arrows?
Then why hadn't the Xue family ever entered officialdom, nor permitted their descendants to hold positions in the court?
There must be hidden reasons, perhaps a long story filled with past grudges and entanglements.
On the other side, Xue Shuangtao was holding her grandfather's arm, swaying it slightly, then glancing over at Li Guanyi, speaking all kinds of flattering words—saying that she had never seen someone so gifted in the art of divination at such a young age. The old man gently patted his granddaughter's hand, a look of surprise flickering across his face as he smiled and said, "Is that so?"
"Remarkable. Truly remarkable."
Then, his gaze shifted toward Li Guanyi, seeing the youth's plain clothes yet bright, steady eyes, and he smiled.
"Young man, come forward and let me take a look."
The coachman was startled, and a sliver of apprehension rose in his heart—
They had always obeyed the young miss's instructions, but now that he thought about it more carefully, something felt off. It wasn't like the Xue family's young lady to go out for a short trip and bring back a boy about her age!
Hiss—!!
The old master always doted on the young lady, that was true…
But when it came to his fourteen-year-old granddaughter bringing home a thirteen-year-old boy—he absolutely wouldn't just let that slide.
Back then, the old master's second daughter had done something wild in her youth—bringing home a frivolous noble from the capital, riding a Ferghana horse through the main avenue of Guan Yi City, overturning stalls along the way, and finally riding right through the Xue family gates, stopping the horse in front of the old master's teahouse.
That noble nearly got his legs broken in three places by the old man.
And at that time, the old master's tone had been just like this: gentle, inviting, smiling as he said—
"Young man, come forward."
Outsiders saw only the warmth in that tone.
But the old servants of the Xue family knew better—and they were terrified.
But the scene Li Guanyi saw was entirely different.
He saw that enormous tiger suddenly grow larger, its whiskers flaring, striding forward, its massive tiger head lowering toward him. The white tiger's pupils contracted slightly, locking onto this dressed boy. Li Guanyi's body tensed, his heartbeat quickened, and a nameless fear welled up from deep within his heart.
Oppression?
But relying on sheer will, Li Guanyi forcibly dragged himself out of that inexplicable fear, steadying his breathing and regaining his composure.
As his mind calmed—
The bronze cauldron within his chest let out a faint hum.
The imprint of the red dragon on the cauldron seemed to respond to his will, slowly starting to glow.
Over on the other side, the old master had originally only meant to test whether this boy was a fraud or not, to see if he had a clear conscience and steady temperament, so he applied just a hint of spiritual pressure.
Seeing that Li Guanyi didn't falter, the old man's eyes showed approval, and he nodded slightly.
Decent temperament.
The White Tiger wards off evil and repels villains.
Any petty scoundrel would collapse under the pressure of the White Tiger Dharma Image.
He was just about to withdraw that power when—
Suddenly, the bronze cauldron inside Li Guanyi let out a sharp cry, the imprint of the red dragon finally flaring to life. As if provoked, it began to thrash violently. Then, before the old man's astonished spiritual sight, the dragon's head partially detached from the surface of the cauldron.
It reared up, claws unsheathed, scales rising.
It looked ready to burst out from the cauldron entirely, like the red dragon that once coiled behind Yue Qianfeng to protect its master. A faintly pure aura radiated outward.
But—its foundation was still too weak, ultimately blurry and indistinct.
No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free.
All it could do was raise its head and let out an angry, defiant roar.
A dragon's roar echoed deep within Li Guanyi's mind.
Like thunder rolling through the spring sky.
His thoughts cleared.
That sliver of pressure from the White Tiger shattered in an instant.
Li Guanyi stood firm, facing the old master head-on. Step by step, he advanced, sharp and steady like a drawn blade, passing directly through the invisible White Tiger pressure. At the same time, the bronze cauldron's jade liquid inside him began accumulating at a faster pace. He cupped his hands and bowed, standing straight, his voice calm and steady:
"Li Guanyi greets Senior Xue."
The old man looked slightly surprised.
He gave the youth another assessing glance, then gently patted his granddaughter's hand, smiling:
"Look at that, even here in Guan Yi City, we have such talented young men—both learned and martial."
"And such a gifted young man was found by my granddaughter."
Xue Shuangtao had no idea what her grandfather had just done. She only felt that her grandfather had now approved of the teacher she approved of, so her smile blossomed. This time, it wasn't that graceful, gentle smile like before, but the bright-eyed, unrestrained smile of a fourteen-year-old girl, radiant and lively.
Hearing her grandfather praise Li Guanyi, she felt secretly proud of herself for recognizing talent and having good judgment. Swinging her grandfather's arm, she teased:
"Grandfather also thinks this teacher is impressive?"
"Then shouldn't you give a meeting gift?"
The White Tiger Dharma Image now lay quietly behind the old man, yawning lazily. The old master looked at Li Guanyi and smiled:
"Child, have you studied martial arts?"
Li Guanyi was a bit disappointed that the bronze cauldron's jade liquid had stopped accelerating again, but he answered honestly:
"I once trained for a few years under an old uncle in swordsmanship."
The old man nodded approvingly.
"Mn. Looks like you're following the path of the 'Eight Sabers of Breaking the Army.'"
"At thirteen, to be able to reach the stage where your saber technique carries spiritual essence—like the edge of a true blade—that's quite diligent."
"Your internal energy foundation is also good. Just—your body's weak, probably due to wandering hardships, and you haven't eaten enough meat and grain."
The old man's voice softened.
"Since you've been hired as Shuangtao's teacher, how about you come to the residence daily to dine with the martial instructors here? Three meals a day, no need to worry."
"Earlier, I tested you only because I care for my granddaughter. I meant no offense."
Xue Shuangtao blinked, curious: "Grandfather?"
The old master sighed in resignation. "Fine, fine—here, this Nourishing Body Pill is yours."
Seeing this boy's steady heart, paired with his most doted-upon granddaughter's insistence, the old master simply gave in, pulling out a small porcelain bottle and tossing it lightly to Li Guanyi. Laughing, he said:
"My grandchildren's future cultivation in the mystic arts will depend on you, Teacher."
"Let's go, Shuangtao."
Li Guanyi raised his hand and caught the porcelain bottle, even through its sealed walls, the rich medicinal aroma leaking out.
Xue Shuangtao turned and gave Li Guanyi a graceful nod, her eyes curving like crescent moons. Then she accompanied her grandfather away. The White Tiger Dharma Image lowered its gaze, yawned again, and followed behind them. Within Li Guanyi, the accumulation of jade liquid in the bronze cauldron slowed, then halted.
But in that short period, the bronze cauldron was already one-fifth full.
It was just as he suspected—being near that old master's aura could greatly accelerate his cultivation.
Li Guanyi touched the porcelain bottle in his hand.
Hm…
Porcelain—good quality. Probably worth three or four taels of silver by itself.
Looking at that pair of grandfather and granddaughter, Li Guanyi felt like they radiated golden light in his eyes.
Miss Xue… is too charming!
The coachman wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Whew—I was overthinking it. The old master is strict, and everyone's afraid of him, but now that he's approved of you, Teacher, you won't have any problems in the Xue household."
"Come, I'll show you around."
He parked the carriage on a street lined by high walls on both sides, then began leading Li Guanyi through the residence, introducing each part of the sprawling estate, explaining which places were open to him, and which were strictly forbidden.
"The inner residence is where the family members and womenfolk live. Normally, we can't go near that area."
"This section here, though, is where the various guest instructors reside."
He pointed to a cluster of small courtyards in the distance, his tone tinged with envy.
"The treatment for guest instructors is completely different from ours."
"Each one has its separate courtyard, receives monthly stipends of medicinal pills and herbs, and can exchange for martial arts manuals. Sometimes, the old master himself even gives guidance during martial training."
Guest instructors?
Private courtyards?
Li Guanyi thought, If I could become a guest instructor, I could be near the old master regularly, helping the bronze cauldron fill faster. I could bring Aunt here too—it would be far safer than living outside. He asked:
"Brother, how does one qualify to be a guest instructor?"
The coachman gave him a knowing smile.
"Teacher also wants to become a guest instructor?"
"These days, the world values martial strength. At the Xue household, you'll need at least to reach the Entry Stage of cultivation to qualify."
"Entry Stage…"
The coachman comforted him with a smile:
"Don't worry, Teacher—you're still young, and you already have martial skills."
"Even though the Entry Stage is tough, I'd wager in ten years or so you'll get there."
Li Guanyi nodded slightly.
His hand slowly rose to his chest.
Li Guanyi—thirteen years old. Mastered the Breaking Array Song.
Entry Stage…
Just one step away.
His expression froze slightly.
Because—his fingers touched something unusual.
Lowering his gaze—
A small, delicate red dragon's head… was poking out from his chest, vivid and lifelike, raising its little head to stare straight at him.
Li Guanyi: "…???"
(End of Chapter)