Li Guanyi steadied his breath and shifted slightly, then forced himself upright and walked to the creek. Squatting down, he saw his pale face reflected under the moonlit stream, his eyes appearing even darker. The White Tiger Manifestation lay on his shoulder, playfully tugging at his hair.
Its hooked claw caught a strand, unable to pull it free, paw twitching with effort.
To the naked eye, it merely looked like the wind brushing past the boy's hair.
Li Guanyi chuckled.
He sat on a rock by the creek and drew his heavy black saber. There were some nicks on the blade and streaks of blood. From the pouch on his waist, he took a cloth and, under the moonlight, wiped the blood clean to prevent rust and odor.
Then, using a small whetstone, he smoothed out the minor chips to maintain the blade's sharpness.
Lastly, he applied a layer of oil to preserve the weapon.
During the process, his mood gradually calmed. When the saber slid back into its sheath with a soft, crisp sound, it gave Li Guanyi a sense of reassurance.
In troubled times, blades brought peace of mind.
He also searched the bodies of the others he'd killed, finding many military tags—recruits from the frontier.
There were another dozen taels of silver, and a pile of letters, all taken with him.
His Breaking Formation Song's inner force had already recovered. The aching from overexertion in his first solo battle vanished quickly. Li Guanyi gathered the vegetables into the basket the old man had left—woven from bamboo and coarse hemp rope, sturdy and reliable.
There were 30–50 jin of fresh vegetables, still good.
They were grown with care.
Li Guanyi braced his arms, lifted the basket, walked a few steps, and then suddenly remembered something. He turned and saw the copper coin he'd tossed—it had landed tails up.
On the back were four characters written by the current Chen Emperor.
The calligraphy is elegant and regal:
"Taiping Tongbao" – "Treasure of Great Peace"
Grinning, Li Guanyi flipped the coin to the front side and praised:
"Just as expected, the front side!"
He picked it up, wiped off the dirt, and tucked it into his chest.
He had intended to head back but recalled the Eastern Lands stargazer, Yaoguang. With people like Qian Zheng lurking outside the city, it wasn't entirely safe. Yaoguang had cared for him during his poisoning. After thinking it over, the boy decided to check in on her.
Though his inner force didn't specialize in strengthening the arms like the Xue family's, Breaking Formation Song had balance. His arm strength was decent, and his footing was better.
He rushed back. The firelight flickered against the cave walls.
Li Guanyi slowed his pace. The hooded Yaoguang seemed to sense him, turning her head slightly. Her voice was calm and serene: "You've returned."
Li Guanyi said, "There was a fugitive outside. This place may not be safe."
Yaoguang remained composed. "Please don't worry. Stargazers from the Eastern Lands are not helpless. I'm not a battlefield hero like you, but I can protect myself. Still, thank you for the concern."
Li Guanyi nodded and turned to leave.
Then he noticed the roasted bun skewered on a stick.
Yaoguang sat reading quietly under her hood. The bun bore faint teeth marks—she had bitten hard. The dry, tough bread had cracked open slightly. Li Guanyi paused and turned around.
"You're eating just that?"
Yaoguang looked at him. "Some rice and water. It's enough."
Li Guanyi tugged a smile and gestured to the vegetables.
"These—I can't carry them with me. I'll leave them here."
"You can…"
He glanced at the hardened bun, and swallowed the words "You can cook?"
Instead, he asked, "Do you have a pot?"
Yaoguang nodded and knelt before her large pack.
She rummaged around.
Clang clang…
She raised her head and turned—holding up a small iron pot with her fair hand. She tilted her wrist, displaying it to Li Guanyi.
Then answered:
"Yes."
Li Guanyi built a wooden stand, set the pot on top, poured in clean water, and, using Yaoguang's dagger, chopped the cleaned vegetables into small bits. He put them into the pot to boil. Then he tore the dry bun into fingertip-sized pieces and added them in.
He sprinkled in a handful of salt.
"This'll have to do. No meat, no fat—make do."
He sat beside the pot, watching the soup bubble and boil.
Yaoguang gazed through the rising steam, her eyes steady. Her voice tranquil: "Your heart is not calm. Something troubles you—was it a difficult choice?"
Li Guanyi's movements paused.
He had killed fifteen or sixteen men today—not his first kill.
But back when he killed the two Night Cavalry riders, Master Yue Qianfeng had taken care of the aftermath.
Now, the post-battle weariness had crept in.
He realized he didn't fear killing—but he disliked the responsibility it brought. Even if they were fugitives, Chen's bureaucracy was never simple. He didn't want the inevitable political entanglements.
Frontier soldiers turning traitors—there must be a deeper cause.
Not something solved just by turning in military tags for reward.
The wind carried the scent of leaves.
Yaoguang walked to his side, knelt, and extended her hand:
"Please give me your hand."
"Is this some sort of ritual?"
Li Guanyi laughed.
But he still placed his hand in hers. Her fair, smooth palm cupped his hand. Yaoguang lowered her gaze. "No. It's just… people of this land fear loneliness. I think companionship can help calm your heart."
She closed her eyes, clasping his hand, and recited a mantra from the Stargazer School. Silver hair fell gently. Her expression was peaceful—like a quiet stream under moonlight.
Li Guanyi's heart truly did settle.
The unrest gradually surfaced and began to clear.
Yaoguang opened her eyes and released his hand.
"You carry the aura of killing, but not resentment. You have not doubted your path—this means you haven't killed innocents. Your decision did not betray your conscience. So—do not doubt yourself. Do not fear."
She let go. Her brown eyes looked calmly at the boy.
"No matter what path you choose, as long as you do not become a tyrant who plunges the world into chaos…"
"I will stay by your side."
Li Guanyi couldn't help but smile. "Even if I become a fugitive wanted for grave crimes?"
Yaoguang held her left wrist with her right hand before her chest. After a thoughtful silence, she softly replied:
"Then… would you need someone to share your crime—and guide your path?"
"I would accompany you, through the grandest flight from the secular world."
"This… is fate's covenant."
Li Guanyi couldn't answer.
He looked toward the stream. After the fierce fight with Qian Zheng, he finally understood the battle against the Tiele Third Prince. Now, he was confident he could defeat him with blade skills alone—but it had taken "dying" dozens of times to find the answer.
After today's slaughter, his energy was drained. He'd return when recovered.
Suddenly, he shouted, venting all his inner turmoil.
Yaoguang watched him in silence.
Li Guanyi slapped his face lightly and stood up:
"Thank you. I've come to understand something."
"I'll come back after tomorrow."
"But for now—I'll take my leave."
He strode off. Yaoguang quietly returned to the fire and tasted the humble meal with simple utensils.
Li Guanyi returned alone to the city. At the city gate, long lines of villagers were waiting for the gates to open. He met with some minor harassment—the guards mistook him for a vegetable peddler.
But when they saw his saber and bow, they stiffened in fear.
Li Guanyi looked at the bustling Guan Yi City. Dawn's light crept up the sky. Shops were opening. Large iron pots boiled steaming soup. Baked flatbreads smelled of wheat. Buildings with red lanterns hanging from their windows flaunted extravagant décor. Courtesans dressed in gaudy colors helped drunken scholars onto horses.
Wafts of fragrance in the air.
The scholar, hair pinned with flowers, swayed drunkenly on horseback, slowly passing through cooking smoke.
At a corner, he tapped a Taiping Coin on a restaurant table and ordered a sour soup to sober up.
Finger tapping the rhythm; music and strings played softly.
It said—
"How Peaceful This Is!"
Li Guanyi looked at the peaceful scene that once soothed him. But he remembered the old man's sobbing. The peasants queued outside the gate. What Zhao Dabing said about child traffickers. The empire of Chen and the whole world had unveiled a corner to him.
So this was it—chaos, for some, was not chaos at all. It was peace.
In troubled times, it is the common folk who suffer.
The boy pressed his hand to the blade and bow, bloodstained robe.
The scholar, adorned and perfumed, rode past.
They crossed paths.
The scholar, for reasons unknown, shuddered and sobered instantly. He looked around—and saw nothing.
Li Guanyi returned home and reassured his aunt he was safe.
Then, he went to the Xue household.
He had killed over fifteen men. Though some were fugitives, the matter wasn't so simple. The bureaucracy of Chen was notoriously convoluted. It was entirely possible he'd gain no reward but end up in trouble. The only person he knew who could handle this cleanly—was one man.
He was a guest official, living in the inner courtyard. Li Guanyi headed toward the Listening Wind Pavilion.
The sleepless old man, kept awake by the Breaking Cloud Thunderbow, was drinking millet porridge. He couldn't figure it out.
Why did the bow resonate again last night during the chou hour?
Li Guanyi hadn't touched it—so who did?
Unable to sleep, the old man pondered.
He heard Li Guanyi had arrived and ordered another bowl. With extra rice and ginseng—young men had large appetites. The Xue family wouldn't go poor from feeding him. He called him in.
Li Guanyi entered, robe sleeves fluttering.
Xue Daoyong raised his brows.
The smell of blood.
Li Guanyi sat quietly and unstrung his bow.
"I've killed someone."
The old man frowned slightly, then realized—if he'd killed innocents, he wouldn't have come here.
So he asked directly:
"Who?"
Li Guanyi placed a military token on the table.
"Frontier traitor squad leader—Qian Zheng."
The old man's eyes narrowed.
That was one of the border's elite fighters, veterans of at least three major battles. Someone who had survived and reached the Entering the Realm stage. Seven heads at least in his military record. Dangerous, but still manageable with a godbow at a distance.
But to defeat him in single combat, across a gap in cultivation level, even with a superior weapon—showed true wit and courage.
The old man nodded, praising:
"Well done…"
Then the boy pulled something else from his chest—a handful of blood-soaked tokens. He dropped them on the table.
All military IDs from the border army.
The old man's expression froze.
The boy's sleeves bore no blood—only a few stains on his lapel.
He placed the saber on the side and calmly said:
"Along with his band—sixteen men in total."
"All slain by my hand."
(End of Chapter)