Peace Order
Chapter 436 - 3: The World’s Turmoil, Finally Seeing the Shaking Light_3

Chapter 436: Chapter 3: The World’s Turmoil, Finally Seeing the Shaking Light_3

There was a lock on top, securing both the chest and the heart.

In fact, the lock was already rusty.

No key was needed, a mere touch would shatter the lock, its rust scattering on the ground. Such a lock, only worth a few copper coins, could be easily broken by any man with some strength—it was not capable of securing anything.

He slowly reached out his hand and opened the chest.

Inside the large chest, there lay only a sword and a waist card.

He grasped the sword and slowly withdrew it from the scabbard.

The sword, sealed for ten years, showed no signs of rust. The sound of unsheathing was clear and piercing. With his eyes closed, he could still hear roars and howls, the clamoring of blades mixing with the wind, making his aged heart beat wildly once again.

"The Taiping Army—!"

He opened his eyes.

The blade reflected his pupils, his phoenix eyes slightly upturned, his gaze sharp.

He saw it again.

The Big Banner of Yan Xuanji!

With a resounding whine, the sword was returned to its scabbard. As the sword qi swept past, the trees outside the door rustled, and willow leaves fluttered down, finally cutting through ten years of seclusion. He reached out to grab the tiger talisman and then wore it at his waist.

One of the twenty-four generals of the Taiping Army, a strategist.

One of the former five great strategists of Zongheng.

Fei Feng, Pang Shuiyun.

Emerging from seclusion.

The next day, the master resumed teaching the children at school, then announced he was leaving. He gave all his chickens and ducks to a neighbor and his books to Yao Lianrong, departing with only a green robe and his wife.

Yao Lianrong, reluctant, asked, "Master, where are you going?"

Pang Shuiyun said,

"To the place I must go. Study hard, and perhaps one day, you can come find me."

The young man reluctantly departed, his wife inquiring where Pang Shuiyun was headed.

Pang Shuiyun said, "He will run away from Chen Country, he won’t approach the Murong Family’s border. The best strategy is to instantly move to another city, then leave from there, so he will not go to Jiangnan’s Eighteen States’ Gate."

"It’s here."

"Zhenbei City!"

"Also, within the strategies of Breaking Army, it’s a place the Yue Family Army will pass through!"

Pang Shuiyun chuckled, "While saving Yue Pengwu, it also draws attention to the borders, creating sufficient opportunity for the Young Master’s escape."

"Truly, a cunning strategist."

......

Li Guanyi heard about the Qilin Hunting Conference happening in the Martial World and was not interested in joining the clamor; he just wanted to meet with Aunt and Shaking Light. Trouble was too abundant, and he had no interest in rushing into it.

Patting the Qilin, he casually asked,

"Qilin, Qilin, when will you recover?"

The Qilin hesitated, then said, "After a few more meals."

Li Guanyi puzzled, "Huh???"

The Qilin quickly amended in his heart, "I mean, three meals a day, after a few more, probably in three to five days, I can recover and fight once again."

Li Guanyi eyed the long-haired lion cat that the Qilin had transformed into, which then turned its head away in annoyance.

Li Guanyi just laughed it off, not overly concerned. Now possessing Treasure Armor and holding the Divine Weapon, with the absolute trump card of the Qilin, he wouldn’t claim how, but riding the Qilin at least allowed him to escape from powerful figures like Brother Yue and Elder Xue.

Besides, there was also the charm contributed by Chen Yuyun.

Within the time of three incense sticks burning, he would become as mighty as Hou Zhongyu, invulnerable to blades and spears.

Chen Yuyun, Hou Zhongyu, after their death, were indeed good people.

The young man smiled, tilting his head back to drink some wine from his gourd, a low-alcohol rice wine, sweet and rather refreshing in the summer. Heading to the area near Guard City in Zhenbei City, Li Guanyi drove his carriage in and went upstairs to eat.

Just as he was about to eat his noodles, Li Guanyi suddenly heard a shout from outside.

"Hey, hey, hey, Taoist master, our place is open to all directions, dealing in trade, we really don’t have the means to accommodate you..."

A voice came from outside, Li Guanyi continued slurping his noodles, looking down.

Outside the door, a Taoist in old clothes seemed to be getting kicked out for lacking silver. Seeing the Taoist appeared to have not eaten or drunk for a long time, showing signs of hunger and thirst, Li Guanyi thought for a moment and called out, "Waiter!"

The waiter raised his head and said, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Taoist, what would you have me do?"

Li Guanyi said, "Let this Taoist friend come in; I’ll treat him."

The waiter paused, stepped back, and very politely said to the Taoist he had just stopped, "Alright, since someone is treating you, you’re in luck, guest, Taoist, please!"

The Taoist approached.

Li Guanyi said, "Also serve a bowl of noodles for this Taoist friend."

The Taoist said, "Thank you, young friend."

Upon seeing the Taoist’s ancient demeanor and imposing air, the waiter quickly served up a bowl of zhajiang noodles. The Taoist glanced at it and said indifferently, "It’s too plain and simple."

The waiter became angry:

"There’s meat, noodles, and vegetables, all stir-fried in fine lard, this zhajiang is excellent, what are you talking about, Taoist!"

While eating his noodles, Li Guanyi raised his eyebrows and intervened, saying, "Oh."

"What would you like, Taoist friend?"

The Taoist indifferently said, "Without meat, there’s no joy; without wine, it doesn’t work. The meat must include three domestic animals and five offerings, and the wine must be aged over twenty years with not a hint of sediment to barely moisten the throat."

Li Guanyi laughed upon hearing this and said, "What else do you want?"

"Taoist, speak all at once."

Gazing at the youth before him, the Taoist said, "I also want a fine Taoist robe, with gold threads and jade patterns, silk from Jiangnan, a horsetail whisk made of thunderstruck wood and woven with silver threads, a pair of lotus silk shoes, and a rhino horn belt. That should be about it."

The waiter was dumbstruck.

Li Guanyi laughed and said, "Waiter, take this down."

The waiter grew anxious and said, "Taoist, do you really want to satisfy him?"

Li Guanyi said, "Scrape off the meat sauce from the top for me, just a bowl of vegetarian noodles will do. Such a fellow doesn’t deserve meat."

The waiter hesitated, but then happily said, "Alright, alright!"

The Taoist was slightly startled as Li Guanyi pushed the noodles toward him and earnestly said:

"Taoist friend, we’ve met by chance; a bowl of vegetarian noodles to show my sincerity, please."

"It will fill your stomach."

The Taoist seemed surprised. The youth scraped off the meat sauce into a small bowl and put it in the Qilin’s bowl, and Qilin savored it heartily, ate his fill, and got up to wipe his mouth. After a moment of thought, Li Guanyi took out a purse from his bosom, counted several dozen copper coins, and placed them on the table.

"Although you are not particular, you also look famished. Take these copper coins; they are enough for your food and drink for seven or eight days. A man with hands and feet can make a living doing anything; you can also go to the Taoist temple in the city to do odd jobs, although you’d have to wash vegetables and carry water daily, at least it would get you food."

"Don’t always resort to swindling and deceiving."

The youth put the Qilin Cat on his shoulder and said cheerfully:

"Let’s go!"

The Taoist, holding the copper coins, watched Li Guanyi walk away. Suddenly, a gust of wind passed, and his dark face and ancient Taoist robe dispersed, transforming into a Taoist with silver hair and a jade hairpin, actually a member of the Taoist Sect, who toyed with the copper coins and a barely noticeable smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Swindling and deceiving?

"...Interesting."

When the waiter returned after a while, there was no one next to the table.

But the bowl was empty.

That bowl of simple vegetarian noodles had indeed been eaten.

...

Li Guanyi recalled the map, realizing he was not far from the location given by Shaking Light. The dry summer weather made him thirsty, and this drink, similar to the beverages of his past life, was ardently consumed. The youth wondered if he should just buy a jug of it.

While buying the rice wine, suddenly someone tugged at the sleeve of his left robe, but Li Guanyi didn’t feel the slightest presence, which made him freeze for a moment, turning his head to the left.

There was no one there.

But as he turned reflexively, he felt something cool touch his right cheek.

Silver-white hair tips slightly lifted.

The girl wearing a hood tiptoed up and gently poked Li Guanyi’s cheek with her finger.

Her delicate features, unlike those of ordinary people, bore no expression as she quietly gazed upon the belated Li Guanyi.

Then—

Poke, poke.