The footsteps of the maids in the inner courtyard were hurried but soft and silent as they carried sheets of white paper to the martial training ground dedicated to archery. They bent down, unrolling a large sheet of paper a meter long and wide beside Li Guanyi, then brought over the finest writing tools.
Li Guanyi picked up a brush and gently moistened the tip of the inkstone.
Then, with steady strokes, he wrote down formulas, neatly lining up various data on one side of the paper.
For symbols and variables, he used Chinese characters such as "Heaven," "Earth," and "Man" instead of abstract notations.
His calligraphy, taught by his aunt, was practiced during his impoverished youth by writing with wet fingers on stone tables or with branches in damp sand. The characters were neat and graceful. As his writing appeared, the idle chatting nearby gradually subsided.
Eh? It seemed this young man did have some real skill.
More and more people gathered around Li Guanyi.
Some curious members of the Xue family even ran out to call their friends to come and watch.
Teaching martial arts through arithmetic—no one had ever seen such a thing before. Whether they were here to witness something new or just for entertainment, either way, it wasn't a bad thing.
Xue Shuangtao watched Li Guanyi, her eyes blinking softly, unable to suppress her curiosity about how exactly he intended to pull this off.
Only Xue Changqing was still eagerly practicing with his bow. Though his shots were missed repeatedly, the eight-year-old still found joy in shooting. Despite having cultivated the Xue family's internal arts from a young age, his strength was still lacking, and without enough power or refined technique, he couldn't yet learn the family's divine archery techniques. His arrows were scattered all around the target.
Everyone present practicing archery was a member of the Xue family.
Naturally, they all knew the little young master's situation. Now that this newly arrived tutor was making such bold claims, they were curious yet also skeptical. Deep down, there was a strong sense of disbelief, perhaps even contempt, buried within them.
This skepticism stemmed from their long experience.
The older they were, the more resistant they were to such outlandish ideas.
Archery was an incredibly profound martial art!
To land a hit required thousands, even tens of thousands, of repetitions.
They had all been through that grueling process.
How could mere paper and brush replace such hard-earned skill?
Whispers and murmurs rose around them. Even soft conversations became a noisy hum when enough people were gathered.
Li Guanyi raised his brush and glanced around at the curious and doubtful faces, unshaken by their scrutiny. He calmly set the brush aside and smiled, "Alright. It's about ready."
Xue Changqing, who had been shooting repeatedly without hitting anything, looked frustrated. He muttered, "If you can win, I'll obediently go back and study arithmetic with you."
He straightened his back proudly, "And… I'll even give you an extra string of coins every day!"
"I'll pay more!"
"But what if you lose?"
Li Guanyi smiled, "If I lose, I won't force you to study. How about that?"
Xue Changqing's eyes lit up, "Deal!"
But after a moment of excitement, he hesitated. Originally, he had been thrilled at the prospect of not having to learn arithmetic, but suddenly he realized—if Li Guanyi won, didn't that mean he could use arithmetic to help him shoot better? That… wouldn't be a bad thing either.
He didn't even know whether he should hope for Li Guanyi to win or lose.
Caught in these conflicting emotions, Xue Changqing obediently nocked an arrow, while Li Guanyi remained seated, calmly adjusting the angle. After estimating the trajectory, Li Guanyi said, "Raise the tip three fingers higher… good, just a bit lower now. Perfect."
"Draw fully. Release."
So simple?!
Was he messing with me?!
Instinctively, Xue Changqing let go of the string.
The others stood around, ready to enjoy the show. Teaching archery required standing next to the archer, helping them steady their posture—success relied entirely on feeling. How could someone just sit on the ground and direct it?
Unreliable. Even the young lady has been fooled by him.
Just some snot-nosed…
Thunk. A muffled sound cut off their thoughts.
All the murmurs and whispers ceased abruptly.
The sudden silence was overwhelming.
One could even hear the faint trembling of the arrow's fletching embedded in the target.
Xue Shuangtao's eyes widened in astonishment. She looked at the arrow in the target, then turned to the calm youth beside her, her gaze shimmering with intrigue. Xue Changqing stared in disbelief, mumbling, "I… I hit it?!"
"I hit it!"
"Big Sister! I hit the target!!!"
The other young members of the Xue family exchanged looks—some surprised, some unconvinced, some attributing it to luck.
Li Guanyi was just about to stand when a faint warmth flowed through his chest.
The Bronze Cauldron hummed softly, the Jade Liquid beginning to accumulate steadily and silently. This meant… Li Guanyi slightly raised his head but didn't yet see the old man; instead, he faintly heard the low, guttural growl of a tiger.
A massive tiger's paw, as large as a stone lion's head at a gate, pressed down beside him.
Somehow, from that simple movement, Li Guanyi could discern both elegance and laziness in its bearing.
Clad in a blue robe, the young man sat cross-legged, his gaze as calm as still water.
All around him lay sheets of white paper covered in sharp, steady calligraphy. A majestic, enormous white tiger paced around him, its tail slightly raised like a whip, its piercing blue eyes fixed on Li Guanyi.
The patriarch of the Xue family—had arrived.
Li Guanyi abandoned his original plan to stop after proving his point.
Since the fish had taken the bait, it was time to go for the big catch.
He picked up his brush again, double-checking his work. Suddenly, he called out, "Ready the bow."
The previously murmuring Xue disciples looked around in confusion.
Didn't he already hit the target? What more could he want?
Only Xue Changqing obediently complied, excitedly raising his bow again. Li Guanyi observed, adjusted the angle again, and gave a calm order. Xue Changqing released the arrow.
This time—the arrow struck the tail of the previous one, splitting the fletching in two.
One of the older Xue disciples murmured in disbelief, "... Pierced Arrows?"
Piercing one arrow with another tested precision, not strength.
One could shatter stones with brute force, but to split arrows required perfect accuracy. And yet here it was—performed by a child who couldn't even hit the target thirty minutes ago.
Li Guanyi said again, "Ready the bow."
Two more arrows followed, both hitting the remains of the previous arrows.
Four arrows in a row, all perfectly connected.
It was just physics—once the parameters were right, the results were predictable. Li Guanyi couldn't help but marvel—martial artists truly had remarkable bodily control, able to maintain this precision shot after shot.
The rest of the Xue family stood dumbfounded.
Xue Shuangtao's voice rang clear, "Three-in-Succession."
One arrow ahead, three behind—arrows following like pearls on a string. This was a technique from the Six Noble Arts, not about power but about control.
The previous skepticism and disbelief were utterly swept away.
Li Guanyi dipped his brush in ink again, unbothered, and said evenly, "Draw."
The Xue disciples instinctively tensed up.
Again?!
Three more arrows were loosed.
This time, their trajectories formed a cross intersecting at four points.
Xue Shuangtao's eyes brightened. She murmured, "Well Pattern."
Four arrows converging like the pattern of a well—a classical form in advanced archery.
Only the sound of arrows breaking through the air remained.
Bullseye.
Pierced Arrows.
Three-in-Succession.
Well, Pattern.
The martial field of the Xue family was deathly silent, except for Xue Changqing's slightly labored breathing. Li Guanyi said calmly:
"Ready the bow."
The Xue disciples felt a strange pressure emanating from the youth sitting cross-legged on the floor. His calm voice, his consistent tone, carried an invisible weight, making it hard to breathe.
Only Xue Changqing was still brimming with excitement, quickly preparing another shot. Li Guanyi checked the angle, lowered his gaze, seemingly making one last calculation, and said:
"Release."
The arrow spun through the air, piercing the already tattered target dead center, the force carrying it through the back of the brittle material.
For a long while, no one spoke.
Li Guanyi quietly put down his brush.
The disciples of the Xue family collectively turned pale.
The young man calmly placed his brush on the stand.
Xue Changqing called out, "Sir, aren't we going to practice more?"
Practice what? Your hands are shaking already.
Li Guanyi shook his head, "No more ink."
Only then did everyone notice—the inkstone before him had long since dried up.
Just then—the great gates swung open.
Beyond, a vast stretch of blue sky.
An elderly figure, hair, and beard completely white, stepped through, the spring breeze stirring the ink-covered sheets of paper scattered around the seated youth. The youth sat straight, serene, not a single drop of ink on his robes or hands.
"Ha ha ha ha! What a splendid arithmetic tutor! Truly a talent touching the heavens."
All the Xue disciples straightened, showing respectful expressions.
"Patriarch!"
Xue Changqing dashed forward with his bow, crying, "Grandpa! Grandpa! I hit it! I made it! You have to teach me the Thirteen Divine Bow Forms now!"
The old man chuckled heartily, ruffling his grandson's hair fondly. "Good, good! My grandson is a genius. It seems… that dusty bow that's been locked away for 130 years might finally have an heir."
The Thirteen Divine Bow Forms.
The Cloud-Piercing Thunder Bow?
Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow, standing to offer his respects.
The Jade Liquid within the Bronze Cauldron had accumulated to nearly seventy percent.
A pity the boy had reached his limit, or Li Guanyi could've prolonged it for greater gain. Still, seventy percent was enough—he'd achieve completion within the month.
The old man looked at him with admiration.
"Young Master Li, what a marvelous skill you've shown today."
Li Guanyi replied humbly, "It's just arithmetic."
The old man laughed. "Just arithmetic? I've never heard of arithmetic like this before. Now I'm truly curious."
He paused, then added, "Might you take a walk and chat with this old man?"
Li Guanyi glanced at the elder—and the massive white tiger at his side.
The old man's expression was calm, but from the tiger's curious gaze, Li Guanyi could tell that manifestations didn't have the same ability to conceal emotion as their masters. Composing himself, he smiled politely and said:
"Of course."
At that moment, the Jade Liquid within the Bronze Cauldron had reached seventy percent.
(End of Chapter)