Chapter 38: Increase the Bet!!!

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Sixteen military tokens of the border troops.

Among them, there was even one that had been soaked in tung oil, larger than the ordinary military tokens and with some patterns, denoting the rank of a squad leader. One side bore seven cuts, representing seven enemies killed in clashes with the Ying Country.

This was a fierce soldier who had experienced more than ten battles!

Yet he died at the hands of this youngster; the elder's gaze seemed fixed for a moment, then with seasoned experience, he directly asked, "Where is the body?"

Li Guanyi truthfully answered with the location, saying, "It has been somewhat taken care of."

"Good."

The elder tapped on the table.

An old servant, likewise with white hair and beard, and silent footsteps, appeared beside the elder and listened for instructions with his head bowed. Xue Daoyong spoke succinctly, "Go there immediately with some men, take care of the body properly, and be quick."

The old servant nodded and left.

Xue Daoyong looked at the wooden tokens, his wide sleeves brushing past them, sweeping the border troops' tokens aside onto the soft cushion next to him, without making much noise. The elder pointed at the food on the table and said evenly, "Eat first."

Li Guanyi and Xue Daoyong sat facing each other at the table, the elder and the younger.

The elder's face was calm and composed.

But on the face of the White Tiger Dharma Form, there were clearly visible fluctuations in expression: confusion, shock, curiosity, as it paced back and forth around the youth. It even lowered its head to sniff the top of Li Guanyi's head with its moist nose, and finally, stuck out its tongue to lick the cheek of the little white tiger on the boy's shoulder.

The little white tiger was licked to the ground, flailing its four paws in a powerless fury.

Li Guanyi could almost see such humanized expressions on the gigantic White Tiger Dharma Form.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!

What breed of kitten is this?

So small and yet so fierce?!!!

Lick and take a whiff.

One could also vaguely understand the emotions within the seemingly composed and serene elder.

For some reason, this time the bronze tripod stirred not even a ripple.

It seemed that within the same realm, a Dharma Form could only accumulate Jade Liquid once.

Like a progress bar, it was already full before entering the realm.

Today's yellow rice porridge had tranquilizing herbs added to it. Warm in nature, it was nourishing and stabilizing. Li Guanyi felt every part of his body being gently soothed, and his spirit relaxed as well. After finishing his meal, the elder had the table cleared and tea brewed.

"Every skirmish, every struggle, inevitably causes damage to the body."

"It consumes vital essence intensely, so those who have been through countless battles, if they don't know how to take care of themselves, often live short and ailment-filled lives. Drinking medicinal tea to replenish qi and soothe the mind is, however, the best method."

Li Guanyi had come with momentum, but the elder was unhurried.

He let Li Guanyi eat first and then drink tea, wearing down that momentum, and instead, he took the initiative, remaining unruffled. Li Guanyi was able to keep his composure, content to sip tea while the elder brewed. When it was time, the elder took out a Go board and asked with a smile, "Do you play?"

Thinking of his dismal matches with his aunt, Li Guanyi nodded, "A little."

"But I'm quite bad."

Xue Daoyong laughed heartily, "It's just a game of Go, a mere pastime. Don't worry about winning or losing."

"Come on, Shuangtao and Changqing don't like to play. This old man gets really bored usually, so I have to entertain myself."

He set up the board with great enthusiasm, picked up a white piece, and during the game, he finally asked:

"You came to see me as a Guest Elder, there must be something you need, right?"

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The old man placed a chess piece on the board and casually asked, "So, what is it that you don't want?"

He didn't ask what you wanted, but directly asked what you didn't want.

It was a show of his shrewdness.

Li Guanyi, holding a black piece, placed it on the board and said, "I don't want trouble."

The old man burst into laughter:

"Hahaha, trouble, indeed, big trouble. They say a defeated army turns to banditry, but a defeated army wouldn't carry military tokens. This is probably due to problems at the frontier causing a mutiny. After they deserted, they turned on the civilians, an unforgivable crime. Yet, those with insight can see the hidden dangers within the border troops."

"The higher-ups, they don't want this to be known."

Li Guanyi said, "Instead of resolving the hidden dangers, they're preventing them from being known?"

The old man indifferently said, "That way, in the emperor's eyes, all is peace and harmony again."

Li Guanyi picked up a chess piece and said, "Aren't you worried the problem will get worse?"

The old man indifferently said, "Get worse?"

"Even General Yue has been recalled from the frontier, what else should they worry about? There's no one in the borderlands capable of subduing those fierce soldiers, no one who can defeat generals of Ying Country. Chaos is a certainty. Ordinary people who kill these defeated soldiers are as good as knowing this news, and they will be silenced."

"It's just that I am not sure whether it will be with money or something else."

Li Guanyi quietly continued to play chess, "That's why I came to you."

The old man smiled, "Are you so sure I can help you?"

"You don't want trouble, so do you also not want the reward?"

"Actually, the Xue Family can ensure you receive the reward without worrying about consequences."

He intended to pressure the young man with his words.

Li Guanyi simply pointed to his Su Ni Bow and said, "The Su Ni Bow, with Zhe Wood as the bow's body, horns of rhinoceroses, tendons of crocodiles, mixed with South Sea shark glue to create, valued at one thousand five hundred and thirty guan, given by the young miss."

Then he pointed to the blade, "Refined Heavy Blade, sheathed in dark pattern wood inlaid with brass, one hundred guan."

He straightened his back slightly:

"Given by the young miss."

The implication was that he didn't care much about the hundred silver taels of reward money.

The old man couldn't help but laugh.

He cursed, "I've been caught by trivial matters of children."

The little granddaughter had played a trick on the old man!

Xue Daoyong shook his head and said with a smile, "Forget it, really..."

"I've got it. I'll block any traces and news of your killings for you, and as for those hundred silver taels, I'll pay you myself. To reject rewards and reputation that come knocking at your door may seem outrageous to ordinary people, but for you, it's quite normal."

The old man sat cross-legged, propping his chin with his left hand, his elbow resting on the knee of his raised leg.

His right hand held a white chess piece. With a "clack," he placed it on the board, slightly lifting his gaze and smiling at Li Guanyi:

"After all, after ten years of fleeing, you finally arrived here."

"Just a step away from leaving the realm, you certainly wouldn't want any unexpected incidents to happen, would you? If I were you, I'd make the same choice."

The wind blew over the lotus pond, causing ripples on its surface.

The greatest secret was spoken aloud!

Li Guanyi's heart skipped a vicious beat as he raised his head to look at the old man before him. The elder appeared to be smiling but not really smiling at him, and the White Tiger Dharma Form was crouched peacefully nearby, its eyes not betraying much malice. His chess moves and his words, both sharp and direct, seemed poised to pierce through the defenses of the heart.

Youth, be at peace.

With a straight spine and a black chess piece between his fingers, he played his move, his eyes on the old man:

"Worthy indeed is Old Mr. Xue, master of the chess world."

"Your intelligence system seems to be even more powerful than the Ti Qi of Chen Country."

The elder's smile slightly retracted.

The young man's move was just as sharp, much like his words.

But he didn't dislike it.

On the contrary, he felt an increasing admiration.

A person with only martial strength is nothing more than a brute. The world is not lacking heroes who can stir up chaos, but what it truly needs are real heroes. There are many with high Combat Power, but only those with more than martial strength are the ones he placed his bets on. The elder laughed:

"I'm just curious, Guanyi, what crime have you committed to be hunted for so long?"

"As for intelligence, hahahaha, you're also one of my family now. I just wanted to know whether the Guest Elder in my house is trustworthy. Isn't that only natural?"

Li Guanyi picked up a chess piece with his hand.

Five chess pieces.

He swiftly placed them on the board.

With each piece, he softly uttered a name:

"Chen Country, Ying Country."

"Tuyuhun."

"Turkic."

"Dangxiang."

He wasn't saying anything in particular; these were the business dealings of the Xue Family that he had glimpsed, an open secret. The elder burst into laughter: "Hahaha, merchants chase profits. Selling our Chen Country's goods to the Dangxiang people can yield tenfold profits. How could we give that up? Truly childish."

Li Guanyi withdrew his hand; he sat quietly, delivering the final, fatal blow:

"Yet now, the people are all saying that the Xue Family is merciful and that the Emperor of Chen Country levies heavy taxes."

The smile instantly disappeared from the old man's face, his eyes fixed on the Li Guanyi before him. The huge White Tiger at the elder's side stood up, its hair bristling as if exploding, its brows furrowing to form a vague character, showing its fangs at Li Guanyi, but without intent to kill.

Li Guanyi remained fearless, his gaze piercing through the White Tiger Dharma Form and landing on the elder. He whispered:

"Merchants chase profits."

"However, small merchants seek merely profit."

"Great merchants seek to shape a nation!"

Xue Daoyong's gaze paused briefly, his inner thoughts voiced by another. He harbored no killing intent, only astonishment, and valued this talent. This was also the information Li Guanyi had received from the White Tiger. Xue Daoyong's smile retracted slightly as he leaned back casually, while the youth sat with his spine straight.

The wind rose, and ripples continuously wrinkled across the lotus pond.

The two were engaged in a chess match, and at this moment, the Wind Listening Pavilion itself became a chessboard, their words the chess pieces.

Xue Daoyong sighed and said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile:

"So, young master, do you think I am seeking profit, or am I seeking to shape a nation?"

Li Guanyi's gaze moved away from the now tranquil White Tiger Dharma Form and said:

"I want to ask Elder Xue the same question."

Li Guanyi sat up straight, his black hair at his temples lifting slightly: "Small merchants seek profit, great merchants seek to shape a nation."

"Are you seeking to shape the entire world?"

"Or are you seeking eternal peace for all generations?"

To shape the entire world, to seek eternal peace for all generations!

Just when the elder thought Li Guanyi would talk about shaping a nation, these two phrases hit him like a boulder at the bottom of his heart, breaking his expectations and stirring up waves within him. The old man, feeling a youthful recklessness, unexpectedly experienced a surge of vitality. Looking at the tranquil youth, he burst out laughing:

"Hahaha, excellent, excellent! I had misjudged you!"

"You are someone with both literary and martial skills, ruthless and decisive."

"I once said you were material for a good assistant; I was wrong."

"A person like you is like a Flood Dragon trapped in a well, awaiting a chaotic era to show the Talent of the King!"

"What a pity I didn't meet you a hundred years earlier."

The old servant had already hurried back, whispering to Elder Xue:

"When did those men die?"

The servant answered: "At the end of 1 a.m."

That was exactly when the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow had let out a piercing howl.

Xue Daoyong believed even more in the testament of the corpses.

It matched up. At the time when the youth had embarked on his killing spree, the White Tiger Seven Stars had risen from the west to Central Heaven.

When arrows pierced the necks of the villains, and blood gushed forth, the Breaking Cloud Sky-shattering Bow lamented its unwillingness to remain silent.

Everything aligned.

The man before him was the head of the White Tiger Sect, reappearing in this chaotic world after a five-hundred-year absence, a Star God who governs the weapons of heaven. The old man sighed inwardly, looking at the youth skilled in both letters and arms, finally making a decision. He smiled slightly and said:

"Then, regarding the issue of the bounty you just mentioned, I have another proposal."

Li Guanyi was puzzled.

He had already achieved his goal.

Xue Daoyong spoke deliberately: "Here, I happen to have an empty place for a Ninth-Rank Military Officer, with a rank but no official position, with dispatch responsibilities being the pursuit of fugitives."

"The Xue Family can provide you with a blank identity, that of a Ninth-Rank Military Officer."

Li Guanyi wanted to refuse.

The elder spoke faintly: "Entering the rank, you may carry a spear, wear a crossbow."

"And—"

"Don armor."

The young man's voice froze.

This was a heavy bet!

The elder rose with a smile, opening up a spot and pointing to the Divine Weapon that was quietly slumbering on the ebony stand:

"Additionally, why not take another hold of this bow, eh?"