Xue Daoyong, having just uttered such a grand promise, didn't dwell on it further. He simply pointed to the chessboard and said with a notably different tone than usual, smiling:
"Come, Guan Yi, let's finish this game of chess, and then you can go train in archery with Shuangtao."
Li Guanyi nodded, his expression softening:
"Alright, I'll listen to the old master."
The old man and the youth exchanged a smile.
There was no need to mention the promise they'd just made again—those few words and their mutual understanding were more than enough.
So they reset the board, each picking up black and white pieces respectively. The old man, famed for thirty years of undefeated chess mastery in Guan Yi City, played with unhurried ease. As he moved his pieces, he spoke casually of other matters:
"The matter of the military post isn't difficult. As a Rank-Nine Unassigned Military Officer, you're only permitted to wear armor while on official duty."
"And your assigned duty is to patrol various regions and pursue fugitives."
"The schedule is rather flexible, so wearing armor freely isn't an issue. Unfortunately, armor follows a strict hierarchy. At your current level, you're limited to light armor—tanned leather with metal plates protecting vital areas. Still, armor is armor."
"With your martial prowess, wearing armor and wielding a heavy blade, you can charge into a group of unarmored enemies and be unstoppable."
"Even if you faced a martial artist who just entered the Internal Energy stage, it would be difficult for them to penetrate your armor and deal a fatal blow. As for ordinary men, even a dozen attacking together wouldn't be enough—unless they exhausted your stamina, pinned your legs, and stabbed your throat with a dagger."
"But higher-tier armor... is another matter altogether."
The old man sighed:
"Ying Kingdom's national armor can neutralize all forceful attacks—even a heavy hammer wouldn't harm its wearer. And our Chen Kingdom's royal armor can directly withstand divine weapons."
"It's said that the Prince of Chen once sparred with my ancestor and took a hit from the Po Yun Zhen Tian Bow without dying."
"One step below the royal armor is the God-General's armor, which can manifest over one's dharmic aspect. When attacking, the dharmic form wears the armor and wields divine weapons—invincible. Below that are various levels of general's armor. In those, inner energy can circulate through the armor as if it were flowing within the body."
"These are both offensive and defensive, each possessing unique wonders. Some are light as paper yet indestructible; others harness storm winds; still others draw in the world's natural energies to ensure unending internal flow."
"Each has its marvels and qualifies as a treasured artifact. As for the border army's armor, it's built for coordinated battle—inner energy flows through connected armor, uniting the troops into a steel phalanx."
"If Qian Zheng wears armor, you may not be able to defeat him unscathed."
Li Guanyi listened carefully, then casually placed his next piece.
The old man studied the move with growing seriousness.
Just moments ago, he had been reclining lazily. Now he sat upright, focused on the board.
He asked,
"But do you know what truly holds power across the entire realm?"
Li Guanyi thought for a moment:
"Martial strength?"
The old man replied,
"Martial strength is one—but in truth, there are three."
"Martial prowess, literary reputation, and wealth. Those with martial strength are knights or heroes. Those with literary renown are sages or masters. Those with wealth are magnates. And those with both renown and martial skill, who scoff at gold—those are the legendary scholar-heroes."
"In a golden age, scholars hold less sway. But now, in an era of chaos, every kingdom, every noble house, is scrambling to attract famous talents and great minds."
"Official titles are only useful within a single country. But literary renown allows you to travel freely across borders. Even leaving the kingdom won't get you stopped."
"If you had committed grave crimes in Chen, but held a grand reputation, kingdoms like Ying, Tuyuhun, and the Turks would offer even greater rewards to keep you. It's no different from the power plays between great nations—one of the Ten Strategies to capture talent."
"Even enemies will make use of a wanted man if he's useful. So why not treat a clean, talented youth even better?"
Li Guanyi said,
"A thousand gold for a steed's bones."
(An allusion meaning people are willing to pay a high price to acquire something valuable, even just its remains.)
The old man was surprised, then praised him:
"Well said."
He stroked his beard and smiled:
"Don't worry. Since I've bet on you, I'll find you a teacher to raise your renown, to break the chains binding this young dragon, and let you soar into the skies."
Li Guanyi nodded in thanks, then dropped a piece and withdrew his hand:
"You've lost."
The old man slowly looked down at the board, and the smile on his face gradually froze.
"Hm?"
...
That day, Xue Shuangtao was waiting for the young guest instructor at the martial grounds. She had already shot through two quivers of training arrows, sweat glistening on her forehead. Even Xue Changqing was up practicing. Yet Li Guanyi still hadn't arrived.
Frowning, she asked a maid and learned he had arrived early—and was in the Listening Wind Pavilion.
She wiped her sweat, set her bow on the rack, and strode toward the pavilion. From afar, she could hear the soft clack of chess pieces. Her brow furrowed—she knew her grandfather was a fierce chess player. Though most national champions started young, her grandfather's steady, seasoned style had kept him undefeated in Guan Yi for thirty years.
It was because of this she had come to dislike chess, preferring number arts instead.
She figured Li Guanyi had been roped into a game too. But when she pushed open the door, she saw the young man turning to rise—and her grandfather reaching out, grabbing his sleeve and shouting:
"No! One more game, just one more!"
Xue Shuangtao hurried in, grabbing her grandfather's wrist with one hand and Li Guanyi's sleeve with the other. She gently pulled the old man's hand away and stepped between them, her apricot eyes wide as she chided:
"Grandfather! How could you? Always bullying the younger generation and refusing to let them go when you win!"
The old man looked aggrieved, unable to speak.
Me? Bullying him?
He bullied me!
Eighteen straight losses! All different ways of dying! But he couldn't say that.
The boy blinked, said nothing, and casually messed up the chessboard:
"The old master's skill is exceptional. I lost many times... He was just enjoying the game so much, that he forgot the time and wouldn't let me leave."
Xue Daoyong paused, then laughed and regained composure:
"Hahaha, not bad, not bad, Guanyi! You're quite the player. Promising lad, promising lad."
Li Guanyi rose and said,
"Then, old master, I'll take my leave."
"I'll come to challenge you again sometime."
"Haha, good, good! You're quite the player—come often, come often."
As Li Guanyi left with Xue Shuangtao, she asked curiously,
"When did you and my grandfather get so close?"
Li Guanyi replied,
"We played chess."
She frowned:
"Chess? What kind of chess makes that happen?"
He simply smiled and didn't answer.
They returned to the martial grounds for more archery. During a break, Li Guanyi, remembering the twenty arrows he'd used, asked:
"Miss, I've run out of arrows. May I get more?"
Xue Shuangtao, after piercing a target, raised an eyebrow:
"Used them all?"
"Were you out hunting?"
Li Guanyi said,
"Mm."
She said,
"Let me see."
He handed her his quiver. She took an arrow and balanced it on her fingertip. It wobbled—unlike usual. The fletching was damaged and bent. Surprised, she said:
"Looks like you hit quite a few targets. Any spoils?"
Li Guanyi calmly said:
"Just some carrion-feeding crows—ugly and unfit to show a lady."
She looked slightly disappointed.
Her grandfather doted on her but never let her hunt. Only during formal outings did she leave the city—and even then, it was all poetry and tea, not archery.
Li Guanyi thought a moment, then took out a few stones from his robe. They were smooth river stones, polished by water, each of a different color and translucence.
"The birds weren't worth showing, but these stones will look beautiful in water."
"A gift for you."
He let go, and the stones fell into her palm—glimmering like gemstones.
Xue Shuangtao blinked:
"You're asking me to restock your arrows?"
Li Guanyi froze a bit.
The young lady raised by Xue Daoyong wasn't stupid.
Given that they were now training and studying together regularly, their relationship had shifted from polite guest and noble lady to something closer—like friends. She tossed the stones and teased:
"This isn't enough, dear Guest Master."
"Each arrow costs a tael of silver. That's more than you earn in a month at Huichun Hall."
Xue Changqing, unhappy on his teacher's behalf, cried:
"That's not fair! Fierce woman!"
He waved his pudgy fists:
"I'll pay extra!"
Shuangtao laughed and patted his head:
"Alright, alright—you're the best."
Then she looked at Li Guanyi:
"You're a guest instructor now. You can buy arrows at a discount on your salary. Have you already spent all your money?"
Li Guanyi was nearly broke. Though the old man had placed his bets on him, he hadn't given him money.
Shuangtao sighed:
"Fine, fine. You remembered to bring me a gift, after all. How could I hurt your feelings, dear Master?"
She was half teasing, but even she couldn't suppress a smile.
The mansion's master blacksmith watched curiously as the young, handsome man came again—once more for arrows, once more charging it to the young lady's account.
The blacksmith looked at him strangely:
"Let me see the arrows. How did they get this damaged?"
Li Guanyi stepped in front of Xue Shuangtao and handed them over. But when the blacksmith saw them, his eyes suddenly sharpened.
Killing arrows!
He looked up abruptly at the thirteen-year-old youth.
Li Guanyi said quietly:
"I killed a few wild dogs and carrion-eating crows."
"I just came from the Listening Wind Pavilion."
The blacksmith's expression grew solemn.
"…Alright."
He turned and brought out a new quiver.
Li Guanyi thanked him and, like a seasoned archer, tested the arrows—then paused slightly.
The new arrows had blood grooves and barbs.
The blacksmith said:
"You're ready for these now."
Li Guanyi gave his thanks.
...
Back at the Listening Wind Pavilion, the old man sat before the chessboard, studying it. He had a servant bring in several dossiers—each about great scholars recently arriving near the capital.
Eventually, one name caught his eye—not the most famous, but certainly the most unique.
"Wang Tong styled Wen Zhongzi."
"Over a thousand disciples, most quite ordinary. His most notable three students are barely known:"
"Fang Ziqiao of the Qinghe Fang Clan."
"Du Keming of the Jingzhao Du Clan."
"Wei Xuancheng of Quyang."
"But these three are only seventeen or eighteen, with just a little notoriety. Nowhere near the top talents on the charts. Yet Wang Tong is unique—in this era of contending schools, he's the first to advocate uniting the Three Teachings (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism). A man of insight."
"For reasons unknown, he's coming to Guan Yi City—seeking disciples."
Naturally, the Xue family had already sent an invitation. On the guest list were Xue Shuangtao and Xue Changqing.
After a long silence, the old man crossed out his grandson's name—and wrote a new one in its place.
Li Guanyi.
Setting down the brush, Xue Daoyong whispered:
"Master of both pen and sword… Let this old body become the wind beneath your wings. Li Guanyi, how far can you fly? Let me see with my own eyes."
Though there were no ripples in the pond outside, in the quiet of the Listening Wind Pavilion, it was as if he could already hear—
The roar of the rising wind.
(End of Chapter)