Peace Order
Chapter 270 - 126: I Shall Become the Red Emperor!_3

Chapter 270: Chapter 126: I Shall Become the Red Emperor!_3

"You should also know by now."

Li Guanyi’s eyes paused slightly, and he nodded.

The old man stretched out his finger, pointing at Li Guanyi, and said deliberately, "You saved them and let them return to their hometowns, but today, after you’ve killed a band of bandits, there are others in this world... They lack the power to protect themselves, and this world is not just and bright. There will surely be a second disaster."

"I once saved someone, who was ’saved’ seven times, sold seven times, and has since gone mad."

"However, those you saved needn’t worry about this now, thanks to the Imperial Guard and Elder Xue."

"But what if you lack these one day? These are all external factors."

"Without the influence of Elder Xue, without the status of the Imperial Guard."

"In this world, saving a life is like taking one."

Li Guanyi suddenly understood the deep sorrow in Mr. Siming’s eyes because, under some circumstances, being sold was better than being killed or taken away to be killed after being raped along the way.

The old man had lived long and must have seen many sad things.

Li Guanyi looked at Xue Daoyong, the fierce tiger of this chaotic world, who reached out to tousle the youth’s hair and said softly, "You only went to save them because you knew Elder Xue was backing you; you knew the Imperial Guard was there, so you entered the fray alone and broke up the Ghost Market. You’ve got courage and insight, willing to take risks and to kill when necessary."

"But remember, one day you’ll need to have your own ’foundation’."

Seeing Li Guanyi’s expression, the old man patted his hair and laughed heartily, "Don’t feel sorry. You and I have an alliance. Besides, covering for the younger generation’s mistakes, allowing them to err and then grow is precisely our responsibility to you."

"But—"

He looked at Li Guanyi and said softly, "You need to grow up."

"Youth has its pride, like a White Tiger with wings, but youth that does not grow is still a fool in the end."

Li Guanyi’s heart swelled with emotion as he bowed, saying:

"I shall take your teachings to heart."

The elder left.

Here too was a pot of wine.

And books, but all preached loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism.

He took off his shoes, sat cross-legged, the night already upon him, when unexpectedly the chains were unlocked, and to his surprise, a scholar walked in, not old in age but with great dignity, in a purple robe, it was Wang Tong.

Seeing Li Guanyi drinking alone at night, Wang Tong laughed unrestrainedly and said:

"Li Guanyi, quite carefree."

Li Guanyi got up to greet him, "Master?! What brings you here?"

Wang Tong raised the Imperial Decree in his hand and said, "Naturally, I’ve come to issue an Imperial Decree to you." He sat down casually next to Li Guanyi, tossed it to him, and let him read it for himself. As Li Guanyi looked over the decree, Wang Tong explained, "The ministers argued all day. It was Tantai Xianming who put forward the proposal."

"He said, you must be rewarded for clearing out the Ghost Market, but you cannot be unpunished for disrespecting the grand sacrifice and damaging the nation’s face. The punishment should be postponed, but as for the matter of the Ghost Market, it must be completely dealt with, albeit kept suppressed and not disclosed publicly."

"The Emperor simply agreed."

"Your reward and punishment will probably be settled after the grand sacrifice."

Li Guanyi remained silent.

Wang Tong said, "After all, this is Chen Country."

"Speaking of which, since we first met after Guan Yi City, we haven’t seen each other for such a long time because the you back then were full of zeal, yet ultimately you only saw the delightful side of the world. It’s only after letting you see the darker side can we begin to teach."

"Now that you’ve seen it, how do you feel?"

Li Guanyi concealed his true feelings but still replied, "It’s disagreeable."

"I feel stifled and also like my life won’t last much longer."

Wang Tong asked, "Why?"

The young man answered, "If this is how it is under Jiangzhou City during the grand sacrifice, then on regular days, Jiangzhou City can only be worse than yesterday; and if this is the state of the Capital City, what about the rest of the world?" He pointed at his eyes and said, "With my personality, I cannot ignore these matters when I encounter them."

"The world is in such disarray, and I am not blind."

The young man sat there, his head knocking against a pillar, and said, "With my kind of personality."

"In times like these—"

"I’m doomed to not die a good death."

Wang Tong laughed, raised his cup, and said, "Good rant!"

"The Emperor said you are indeed as unrestrained and frivolous as described, and believed you’ve read too little. Hence, he sent me to mentor you in your studies before the grand sacrifice. It’s actually a reward. Come, how about reading some Classics, History, Philosophy, and Literature?"

Li Guanyi replied, "Classics, History, Philosophy, and Literature, no matter how much you study, you’re just a gentleman at best."

"A gentleman cannot save this turbulent world."

Wang Tong frowned and said, "The books do contain the wisdom of Saints."

Li Guanyi quieted down, pressing his hand against his chest, and said:

"I have a mentor, truly I have a mentor."

"He told me that only after cleaning the house can one invite guests. In my eyes, this world is filled with trash. No matter how good something is, if placed in a house full of waste, it only seems to add to the chaos."

Struck by the words, Wang Tong fell silent, then said:

"The Six Arts of a gentleman, which do you favor?"

Li Guanyi replied, "Rites, music, archery, chariot driving, calligraphy, and arithmetic. Being able to read, write, and compose poetry is enough, and so is being good at mathematics, as for myself. Archery and swordplay, able to kill ten, a hundred, but what’s the point even killing one or two hundred?"

"It’s merely being the enemy of ten."

"The enemy of a hundred."

Wang Tong watched him and couldn’t help laughing:

"Do you aspire to learn the Overlord’s Skill of Ten Thousand Enemies from eight hundred years ago?"

Li Guanyi looked at the master before him and said, "Can I trust you, Master?"

"You can."

"In Master’s eyes, are there the common folk of the world?"

Wang Tong said, "Yes."

"Good."

Thus, Li Guanyi’s past experiences converged within his heart, all that he had been through, as well as Elder Xue’s words. He picked up his wine cup, and addressing Mr. Wang Tong before him, said:

"Before, I thought only of accompanying my Aunt back to Jiangnan. My Aunt and I rely on each other, and I was very afraid of dying, extremely afraid. Because I feared that we were the only two people left in this world."

"If I died, what would become of my Aunt? Left alone in this world, no one to fight over roasted goose with her, no one for her to tease, must be very distressing, right? Whenever I thought about this, I would be so scared that I couldn’t sleep through the night."

"But yesterday, I learned that there are others in this world who care for her, looking after her just the same, sending her there would definitely be very safe, even without me, my Aunt would have someone to protect her, and I, myself... "

Li Guanyi closed his eyes: Qian Zheng, farmers, traffickers, black markets, deserters, the Emperor, the aristocracy, parents, Yuwen Lie... such a world, such a blood feud of parents, such a destiny-bound foe. He was to avenge his parents’ blood feud, his enemy was the Emperor of a great nation.

His destiny-bound foe was the fifth-ranked Divine General.

With his eyes closed, he said: "Master, in this life of mine, it’s either Great Success or Great Defeat."

He bowed deeply, his heart finally shining with a bright light:

"I will not learn the Overlord’s Skill of Ten Thousand Enemies."

"I wish to learn from the Red Emperor, to cultivate the Skill of Ten Thousand Enemies!"

Wang Tong looked at the young man before him.

The cup in his hand fell to the ground unawares, the wine spilled, and his aura was as imposing as ever.

After a while, he exhaled a breath.

This peerless great scholar slowly raised his hand in salute:

"—Granted."

"History Chronicles · First Record": Special attention to the fact that he did not cultivate the scholarly arts in his youth, yet his nature was clear and penetrating, strategic, a good listener, possessing valiant courage. At the age of fifteen, he joined the Imperial Guard, once wielding a Three-foot Sword in the sinister lands, cutting down over a hundred by foot and saving nearly a thousand people; viewed with suspicion by the throne, he was confined to the palace.

Wen Zhongzi went to visit, sat knee to knee in conversation.

Bowing in his robes and cap, he then cultivated the Skill of Ten Thousand Enemies.

From within the prison,

He first saw the whole world.

...

The next day, Li Guanyi, deep asleep, was awakened by noises outside—a commotion that seemed to involve General Gong Zhenyong. Rubbing his eyes as he approached, he said, "Why are they here again..." The door opened, and there he saw those young people, he saw Gong Zhenyong, General Gong Zhenyong looking at Li Guanyi oddly.

"Kid, you sure have a wide network..."

He stepped back as a young man dressed in a brocaded robe and golden crown gently fanned himself with a folding fan.

Li Zhaowen.