For Li Guanyi, among the criminals he knew who required the Tiqi to personally post a wanted notice, there was only one—Yue Qianfeng. Now, encountering a similar event, it was natural for his mind to drift toward that name. His heart stirred slightly as he inconspicuously moved closer.
There were many spectators gathered, and Li Guanyi blending in with the crowd didn't seem out of place.
The Chen Kingdom was wealthy and prosperous, fond of culture, and relatively liberal in speech, making it the core of the literary world.
It was just after noon; the common folk, having eaten their fill, were already feeling sluggish and idle with no work to do. At times like this, they were more than happy to gather around for some excitement. Li Guanyi swept his gaze across the crowd and secretly let out a breath of relief—the wanted poster depicted a tall, skinny man.
Extremely tall, with an unusually large face.
It looked as though someone had stuck a burlap sack onto a bamboo pole, with a pancake-like face sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
His eyes slanted upward at the corners, filled with murderous intent.
One of the Tiqi shouted: "This man's name is Qian Zheng. He was once a corporal in the border army. After the army collapsed, he led over a dozen men in roaming banditry, vicious and ruthless, with blood on his hands. He has killed over ten people and raped numerous women. Recently, people traveling in and out of towns and villages, beware of traveling alone."
"Anyone who can provide accurate and verifiable information will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."
"Anyone who can deliver his head will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver."
A corporal in the army—according to Yue Qianfeng's earlier explanation—would have to be a martial artist at the 'Entry Realm.'
And since he was from the border army, he would be someone well-versed in combat, a brutal and dangerous figure.
The Chen Kingdom mainly bordered two areas—one was Tuyuhun to the northwest, on the western edge of the Ying Kingdom; the other was the Ying Kingdom itself, and this place was closer to the latter. Qian Zheng was most likely from the border forces of the Ying Kingdom who had fled into this region.
"Providing accurate and effective information" meant that the Tiqi needed to capture the fugitive based on your tip; only then would you receive the ten taels of silver.
Li Guanyi mused on this, then relaxed. He had thought it might be Yue Qianfeng again.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that the Tiqi seemed not yet finished. They took out another, much larger wanted poster and hung it up.
The person depicted had slightly opened tiger-like eyes, disheveled hair, and a beard, yet exuded an oppressive aura—like a ghost or god from the mortal world, far beyond what Qian Zheng could compare to.
Li Guanyi's steps came to a halt.
That man—was Yue Qianfeng.
The Tiqi's expression was grave as he proclaimed:
"Criminal Yue Qianfeng."
"For those who can provide accurate intelligence..."
His voice paused. He then took a deep breath before declaring:
"A reward of one thousand gold coins, with ennoblement!"
Li Guanyi's gaze froze.
A thousand gold?
Ennoblement?!!
The young man stared at that larger, clearer wanted poster, his expression slightly stiff, subconsciously muttering in his heart—
What—the—hell?!
Just to provide accurate information—
A thousand gold, and ennoblement?
Old Yue, what the hell have you been doing these past few days? Did you pull off some huge job?
Or maybe—not just one?
Li Guanyi's gaze twitched slightly as he stared at the word 'accomplices' written on the wanted notice. The thousand gold was already astonishing, but the ennoblement—regardless of which nation, granting nobility was a matter of utmost importance, something undertaken with extreme caution. Yet now, they were offering such an outrageously high reward on Yue Qianfeng's wanted poster—so high that it defied common sense, even outright violating the Chen Kingdom's laws and customs.
It could only mean one thing.
The higher-ups who issued this wanted notice—were panicking.
He suspected that Yue Qianfeng must have done something so severe that it could scare those in power in the Chen Kingdom to death.
Blending in with the crowd of astonished onlookers, Li Guanyi did not stand out in the slightest. As he watched the Tiqi leave, he noticed that one of them was holding a scroll in his hand—it seemed to be a record of all fugitives currently wanted in the Chen Kingdom.
A thought surfaced in Li Guanyi's heart—
Could it be that his name and his aunt's name were also on that list?
And if they were, where would they rank?
Li Guanyi quickly withdrew his gaze. Such thoughts were like ripples on water, soon calming and fading away. What had happened this morning was, to him at this moment, nothing more than a passing episode.
But as he made his way to the Xue family, Li Guanyi suddenly thought of something—if Yue Qianfeng was outside the city, why bother posting wanted notices here in Guan Yi City?
Could it be that Yue Qianfeng planned to return?
And if he was coming back, where would he appear?
Li Guanyi paused slightly, lifted his head, and looked toward the direction of the ruined Mountain God Temple.
If that's the case…
He raised his hand and gently stroked the bronze cauldron at his chest, where only a dragon's head and a single claw had yet emerged.
Perhaps—the opportunity for this Red Dragon Dharma Aspect to fully manifest from the bronze cauldron was approaching.
…
Li Guanyi arrived at the Xue household.
It was not yet time to teach Xue Shuangtao and her younger brother their studies, so for the moment, he was free. Using the excuse of familiarizing himself with the Xue residence, he wandered through the vast estate for almost an hour, eventually sitting down on a stone bench beside the martial practice grounds.
He watched as people in the training yard either lifted stone weights or practiced with heavy sabers, tempering their bodies.
Others were engaged in sparring, trading blows with one another.
Li Guanyi lowered his gaze.
No sign of it. No matter how he searched.
He had wandered the estate for nearly an hour but still hadn't glimpsed that White Tiger Dharma Aspect.
Inside the bronze cauldron, the Jade Liquid had now accumulated to about a third full. Just yesterday's brief contact had matched the effectiveness of his past ten days of effort, yet despite clearly being in the Xue household, he couldn't get anywhere near that old man, and the Jade Liquid in the cauldron was now completely stalled, unmoving.
"Oh? Isn't this Mr. Li? You've come early today."
A crisp, clear voice sounded—it was a plump, charmingly attractive woman.
Li Guanyi looked up and recognized her—one of the managers of the tailoring workshop. He put on a warm, slightly shy smile, rising to greet her: "Ah, it's Sister Qu."
"It's my first-day teaching here, so I thought I should arrive early."
"Giggle… Little sir is certainly diligent."
Manager Qu's bright eyes sparkled as she looked at the handsome young man before her. The work she was supposed to do didn't seem urgent anymore; instead, she sat down on the adjacent stone bench, smiling: "Little sir was staring at these martial artists earlier—what, you want to try practicing too?"
Li Guanyi smiled shyly: "Not quite… I was just wondering—these martial artists are already this impressive…"
"How powerful must a Guest Official in the Entry Realm be?"
Manager Qu's eyes also glimmered with longing: "Guest Official, huh… They even get their private courtyards…"
"The treatment they get is far better than what we outer-court managers enjoy."
"Unfortunately, to become a Guest Official, you at least need to be a martial artist in the Entry Realm. The strongest martial artist here might not even last a few moves against them. Some Guest Officials have even received personal guidance from the Ancestor—their martial skills soar, and ordinary warriors are no match for them."
Ancestor…
Li Guanyi immediately caught that keyword.
Feigning a curious, innocent expression, he asked: "Guidance from the Ancestor?"
"Sister Qu, how does one get the chance to be guided by the Ancestor in martial arts?"
Manager Qu smiled: "Little sir wants the Ancestor's guidance too? Well, it's hard to say—it's both difficult and not."
"Difficult, because you must first reach the Entry Realm and become a Guest Official, then possess skills worthy of the Ancestor's notice."
"Not difficult, because it also depends on your talent for arithmetic."
Thinking the young man in front of her naive and innocent, Manager Qu found him pleasing to the eye and was happy to chat further. She told him all sorts of things, only reluctantly leaving when another woman came over to hurry her. Before leaving, she smiled: "Little Sir Li, if you ever encounter anything confusing here in the Xue household, big or small, feel free to ask your sister."
The young man returned her smile, warm as the sun: "I'll be sure to trouble you."
Manager Qu departed with a sway of her voluptuous figure, drawing the attention of several martial artists on the field. When they then looked at Li Guanyi, their gazes were tinged with hostility. Soon after, someone led Li Guanyi into the inner courtyard and left him to wait in a pavilion.
But Li Guanyi had already fallen into contemplation.
To receive the Ancestor's guidance, to meet the old man with the White Tiger Dharma Aspect—he needed to either become a Guest Official with martial skills impressive enough to stand out or perform exceptionally in the monthly exams of the six gentlemanly arts among the Xue family's direct descendants. If a teaching instructor produced outstanding students, the Ancestor would personally join them for tea and offer extra rewards.
Hmm… so it's about teaching math, huh…
Li Guanyi thought of the younger brother Xue Shuangtao had mentioned, stood up, and began to pace. Just then, a loud cry echoed from afar:
"I don't want to study arithmetic!!!"
"I! Don't! Want! To!!"
Li Guanyi looked up and saw a child, about seven or eight years old, chubby-cheeked and exquisitely cute, running headlong in panic—straight toward him.
With the flow of inner qi from the Broken Formation Melody circulating within his body, Li Guanyi instinctively shifted, causing the charging child to stagger back half a step. He reached out a hand: "Are you alright…"
But the child, nearly tripping over himself, quickly grabbed his sleeve and pleaded: "No, that's not important! Do you know somewhere safe? The tigress is still chasing me!!!"
"She wants to force me to meet the new arithmetic teacher!"
Li Guanyi looked at the child thoughtfully.
This must be Miss Xue's younger brother.
In other words, he was ditching class—only to run headlong into the replacement teacher.
The young man's lips curved slightly as a gentle smile spread across his face:
"All right, let's go hide together."
He followed the boy into a thick patch of flowers. The dense foliage concealed them well. The child lay prone, nervously peeking out, while Li Guanyi sat behind him, quietly curious—just who was this 'tigress'? Surely not the gentle Xue Shuangtao?
Suddenly, the child tensed: "She's here! She's here!"
Li Guanyi lifted his gaze—and froze for a moment.
It must've been around five in the afternoon in his previous life; the sunlight had softened.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves. A young girl in fitted combat attire walked toward them in the dappled light.
A leather belt encircled her waist like that of a warrior. Her right hand wore a fingerless glove, and her left hand held an ancient-looking longbow. Her previously soft black hair was now tied into a ponytail by a golden ring, hanging behind her. Her gaze was sharp and focused—a stark contrast from the gentle and kind young lady of earlier.
"Come out now. I won't force you to study anymore. I've even prepared some pastries for you."
The child shouted: "I don't believe you! You're trying to trick me into studying arithmetic!"
Li Guanyi's gaze was tinged with sympathy.
Kid, aren't you already tricked anyway?
Xue Shuangtao's eyes brightened as she strode over: "Come now, don't be naughty!"
"I won't! Tigress! Tigress!"
The girl's brows lifted slightly, and she barked softly: "Xue Changqing! Come out!"
As she uttered his full name, the child visibly stiffened.
At that moment, Xue Shuangtao suddenly spun and lashed out with a kick. She'd only intended to scare her little brother but hadn't noticed someone was hiding behind him. The brush parted, and Li Guanyi, quietly watching from behind, sensed the incoming kick about to strike his forehead.
Helpless, he lifted his hand to block, pressing downward and trapping her ankle in his grasp.