Peace Order
Chapter 184 - 98 Noble Consort Xue’s Generous Gift!

Chapter 184: Chapter 98 Noble Consort Xue’s Generous Gift!

As the patterns on the bronze tripod became distinct, the Qilin’s imprint was burned onto it, yet it did not transform into a Dharma Form. Instead, it became some kind of simple protective power. Li Guanyi did not know if this power was inherently incapable of becoming a Dharma Form, or if it was because

the Qilin was too weak to achieve this.

The bronze tripod hummed and gradually stilled.

A weary voice from the Qilin rose in Li Guanyi’s heart:

"This city is not a safe place."

"My power can protect your life once."

"You... should leave."

"Do not come back."

Li Guanyi became anxious and thought to himself, "Wait a moment! You now——"

The breath of the Qilin deliberately severed its connection with Li Guanyi.

Firmly resolute.

It truly did not wish to engage in even a slight conversation with Li Guanyi.

It only hoped that the young man could be safe; its own considerations were beyond its scope.

However, on the bronze tripod, the imprint formed by the Qilin’s divided power was still vividly clear. The Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation flowed and changed, and the core point that Li Guanyi had spent several hours finding had shifted to an unknown location.

This place had turned into a land of malevolence. If one attempted to enter the formation through the current aura,

they would be detected by the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation.

Attracting murderous intent and attacks.

This was a formation left by one of the top three seats of the Yin Yang Family, even if this was merely his technique from his thirties, even if Si Wei was not the current master of the formation, even if Li Guanyi knew the Formation Map, the moment the formation changed, Li Guanyi struggled to keep pace.

Even as Li Guanyi felt anxious inside, at this moment he could only stop ’Imperial Pole Worldly Scripture’, no longer touching the formation. Before the qi nodes of the formation completed their changes, he casually took a half step forward, looking up at the myriad stars in the sky.

The ripples of the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation swept past him, the youth’s clasped hands behind his back gripped tightly, fingers turning pale from the force, but his face remained composed as he softly said, "It is a different kind of scenery to watch the stars from here."

Qibi Li looked up at the sky and said:

"Yes, the wind, grass, water, and trees in Jiangnan are incredibly beautiful. In our homeland, we do not have such beautiful trees or water. We also have willow trees, a kind called the red willow, which isn’t pretty, but its leaves can feed cattle and sheep."

"Its branches can be woven into baskets for carrying things. Its dead roots can serve as the best firewood for burning. Our desert willows are lifesaving, unlike those in Jiangnan."

Li Guanyi looked at the young man who spoke fondly of his homeland and asked curiously:

"So your purpose in coming to Jiangnan was—"

"Me?"

The young man thought for a moment and earnestly replied:

"We no longer want to live like that and seek the support of the Saint Emperor. If possible, we would not mind being incorporated into the Central Plains. Our clansmen can cultivate the land, they are hardworking and can pay taxes to the Emperor; our men are heroes on horseback, skilled in riding and hunting."

"As long as it means our children won’t have to be slaves to others."

"I will give up my sword and life."

Li Guanyi immediately realized why the Emperor of Chen Country had brought Qibi Li to the palace.

The Tiele people were few in number, but those who remained were the elite.

With a few thousand households, each with two men capable of fighting, the numbers reached tens of thousands.

Now sinking into the vast chronicles of history, one of the pinnacles of light cavalry was indeed the Golden Scimitar Cavalry of Tiele. Wearing leather armor or none at all, riding agile horses from the Western Regions, they would bend low to the wind when charging in formation, their scimitars cleaving through the air.

Before the enemy could react, their throats would be slit.

It was an army even General Xue praised, now presented to Li Guanyi as his first adversary.

Tens of thousands of Tiele men, ready to fight for their parents and children.

As long as the logistical support could keep up.

They would instantly become an army of ten thousand light cavalry.

However, Li Guanyi thought of Chen Country Emperor’s balancing methods, and suspected:

"Is it only you who has come to stroll through the Imperial Palace tonight?"

Qibi Li answered: "There are also the living Buddha from the Western Regions, and the little prince from the Dangxiang."

Li Guanyi understood.

It was still a matter of balance.

The Emperor of Chen Country chose the Dangxiang people but did not want them to gain too much power. He wanted to use the young Tiele Khan before him to counterbalance the Dangxiang, to show them that Chen Country had another option, to keep the Dangxiang in line.

This also meant that unless the Dangxiang turned against Chen Country,

the Emperor would definitely not favor the Tiele.

This young man, who rode a donkey for thousands of miles for the sake of his clan’s elderly and children, was doomed to return empty-handed. His hardships and his bravery were irrelevant to the king, who saw all of this merely as a piece on the chessboard.

Qibi Li unsheathed the water bag at his waist; it was filled with the kumis he brought. He tilted his head back to drink, that moment just a simple young Khan with the stars of the sky reflected in his eyes. He shared tales of his homeland with Li Guanyi in an accented Central Plains official language, talking about how lovable the people were, how they would steal sheep to bait wolves.

Talking about how he lost his dog as a child and climbed a mountain to find it.

Eventually, as night fell, he found a cave, reached inside and pulled out a human skull. Being young and fearless, he tossed it aside and pulled out another one, only on the third try did he find the dog. It was an old female that had mated with a wolf, giving birth there.