Chapter 23 Divine Weapon!

The old man saw that Li Guanyi agreed and smiled, nodding gently. He added:

"Shuangtao, you come along as well. And what about Changqing?"

Xue Changqing waved his arm carelessly. "I'm not going! Grandpa, your conversations are always boring. I'll stay here and keep practicing my archery!" His excitement was childlike, holding the bow and arrows like a child with a new toy. His inner energy stirred faintly.

Just moments ago, after that final shot, his palms had been trembling slightly from exhaustion, yet now they were already recovering, and he could once again draw the bow.

Li Guanyi raised his eyebrows and advised, "Too much is as bad as too little—don't overdo it and risk hurting yourself."

The old man, seeing where Li Guanyi's gaze was going, spoke casually, "My Xue family's direct-inheritance internal art, the Divine Bow Heart Manual, is unparalleled when it comes to strengthening the senses and arms. Changqing started cultivating qi at the age of five and already has some foundation. You needn't worry."

"This rascal's always been stubborn. Since he loves training, just let him be. Little Mister, please—this way."

"I've got a lot I want to discuss with you."

The old man had already started strolling toward the main gate. The white tiger's tail swept lazily behind him as it followed.

Li Guanyi naturally moved along, matching the white tiger's manifestation to maintain the optimal range for the bronze cauldron to accumulate its jade liquid.

He suspected that the cauldron's ability to absorb energy was related to his own strength. Already, its capacity was clearly much stronger than back when he was at the mountain god's temple.

Xue Shuangtao stayed behind a moment to scold her little brother before hurriedly catching up and closing the door behind them. The sounds of arrows being shot faded as they walked away, muffled behind the closed door. It seemed that the old man had been standing just outside earlier, silently listening to everything.

Xue Shuangtao clung to her grandfather's arm, curiosity brimming:

"Grandfather, when did you get here?"

The old man affectionately patted her head, smiling gently. "Heh, I've been here for a while. I was worried I might disturb Changqing's practice, so I stayed outside. None of you even noticed me."

"But... Little Mister's method of using numeracy to assist martial arts—I've never seen the like of it. If everyone could learn this, wouldn't we all be sharpshooters? Hitting the mark with every shot?"

Was he suggesting I teach the whole Xue family?

Li Guanyi calmly replied, "Impossible."

"What just succeeded was because we were shooting at fixed targets, Changqing was already trained in your family's arts, and we were in Xue family's own martial training grounds. What if it were raining? What if the wind picked up? Besides, these bows and arrows have been perfectly calibrated for practice."

"More importantly—if you're facing a person in combat, your opponent won't be standing still like a target."

The old man looked at him with growing interest. "Then why did you tell Changqing that mathematics could assist in martial training?"

Li Guanyi answered, "Tailored teaching, that's all."

"Oh?" the old man asked, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Since he likes martial arts, why not guide him through martial arts toward learning mathematics? It will yield twice the result with half the effort."

The old man raised his brows in surprise, chuckling. "Tailored teaching, huh? I've never heard anyone put it like that before."

"Did you come up with that yourself?"

Li Guanyi replied, "No, I once encountered an elderly man with the surname Kong before I came here, and that's what he told me."

The old man pondered over those words, then sighed in admiration. "Just those four words alone—already far superior to the teachings of those so-called private academies and tutors nowadays. The world truly is vast... To think such men exist, and I've never even heard of them."

"Then, Little Mister, where did you learn your mathematics?"

As he said this, the old man's tone was gentle but probing, and the white tiger manifestation watched Li Guanyi with curiosity, though without malice. Li Guanyi, sensing this, smiled with ease. "Naturally... I met another old man during my escape, and he taught me."

Xue Shuangtao's eyes widened. This boy lies as easily as breathing, she thought. It was like seeing a completely different side of Li Guanyi.

Knife techniques were taught by some old uncle on the road. This teaching philosophy came from an old man met by chance. Now even mathematics was learned from yet another mysterious old man?

Even she could tell this was nonsense, making excuses. And yet, when she glanced at her formidable grandfather, she was shocked to hear the old man laugh loudly and heartily, genuinely delighted:

"Ha! It seems Little Mister has had many good teachers!"

"This mathematics master of yours—should I ever have the chance, I'd very much like to meet him!"

In Li Guanyi's heart, a thought surfaced: Those who taught me mathematics... they're probably still in another world entirely, holding thermos mugs of goji berries while scolding their misbehaving students: 'You lot are the worst class I've ever taught!' Living ordinary, peaceful lives—with computers, with soda... lives he envied now.

Let you meet that 'mathematics master'?

Sure—if one fell from the sky and landed on my head.

But Li Guanyi only smiled faintly and said, "If there's a chance, certainly."

The old man laughed again, not pressing further.

Originally, Li Guanyi shouldn't have been able to enter the inner court, but now with the old man leading him, no one dared stop them. Along the way, they passed courtyards of varying grandeur. Some were modest, some had carved screens by the entrance and fine carriages with dragons and tigers sculpted on them.

He knew these were residences of guest retainers.

In the Xue family, guest retainers had separate courtyards, something the rest of the family envied.

But upon closer inspection, it was clear: even among guest retainers, there were distinctions of status.

The inner court had tall walls dividing it neatly from the outer areas, like clear boundaries of a map. Guard posts lined the walls like battlements, with armed family guards pacing steadily atop. Their sure-footed movements betrayed the martial arts skill they possessed.

Li Guanyi quietly took in everything.

Truly a powerful clan.

Truly... a world in chaos.

The old man chatted amiably along the way, and Li Guanyi, equipped with memories of a previous life, handled the conversation with grace, offering witty remarks here and there. The old man seemed even more pleased. Those they passed by—guest retainers, family members, womenfolk—all stared in surprise.

Who was this boy?

To be chatting casually with the revered Xue family patriarch?

Most people who saw the old patriarch would automatically shrink inward, afraid of misspeaking. No one ever joked with him as freely as this boy did.

The old man pointed to a courtyard. "What do you think of that one?"

It was a three-compound residence, complete with pavilions and water features. Very impressive by any standard.

Li Guanyi said, "It's very nice."

A faint smile crossed the old man's lips. "That one belongs to a guest retainer. He's been a martial artist for years, and he married into a branch family of the Xue clan, so we allow him to live here with his family. If you'd like... you could do the same."

"There are thirteen branch families within the Xue clan. Among them are many young women your age, some of them exceptionally beautiful."

Li Guanyi asked calmly, "Senior, what exactly are you suggesting?"

The old man took his time strolling forward, asking casually, "Surely you can tell—I'm asking whether you'd like to become a guest retainer of the Xue family."

Xue Shuangtao froze, eyes going wide.

Thirteen years old... a guest retainer?

Li Guanyi feigned doubt. "But... aren't guest retainers required to have entered the martial path?"

The old man roared with laughter. "Such childish thinking! My words are the Xue family's rules."

"For the past three hundred years, my Xue family has stayed out of court affairs and battlefields, focusing solely on commerce. Tell me, Little Mister, what is the most important quality for a businessman?"

Li Guanyi didn't answer immediately.

The old man gave it to him: "It's vision and courage!"

He looked steadily at Li Guanyi, his white eyebrows arching, his tiger-like eyes narrowing as he grinned broadly. "Just like on the battlefield—you must strike when the moment is right to survive and win glory. Business is no different. If you're timid, you'll barely scrape by."

"Throughout history, the greatest merchants and heroes have all made huge gambles."

"Win—and you're wealthy and renowned for generations. Lose—and you lose everything, and get cursed by history."

"I made my first wager at six years old over a bundle of historical scrolls. I stayed up by lamplight reading until my eyes were red. In the past 120 years, through the rise and fall of entire kingdoms, I have never lost a wager. Today, I'm betting once again—on you."

Li Guanyi asked, "Senior, what exactly are you betting on?"

They arrived at a lotus pond—its flowers yet to bloom. The old man turned, gesturing toward Li Guanyi:

"Thirteen years old, already skilled in mathematics, guided by masters, internal strength nearly perfected, bearing a natural sense of propriety—I bet that in ten years' time, your name will be renowned across the land, that you will become one of the great statesmen of this era!"

"Timely aid outweighs lavish gifts after success."

"An open investment is far better than secretive alliances."

"Today, I'm laying all my cards on the table. Tell me—what do you say?"

The old man's boldness shone through every word.

Xue Shuangtao held her breath, afraid to even speak.

Li Guanyi smiled faintly:

"Of course I accept. But... Senior, you've only seen me twice. Aren't you afraid you'll lose this gamble?"

The old man chuckled and pointed at a nearby hall. "The Xue family has thousands of scrolls—Confucian classics, Buddhist scriptures, Daoist treatises, history, geography, military strategy. If I allowed you to borrow any one of them, which would you choose?"

Li Guanyi looked up at the white tiger watching him carefully and answered:

"Geography and history."

"Why?"

"To open my eyes."

"Open your eyes to what?"

Li Guanyi looked straight at him. "To see this world clearly."

The old man burst into laughter, wild and free like a tiger howling at the moon from a mountaintop.

He strode forward boldly, pushing open a door with a sweeping gesture:

"Li Guest Retainer—please, come inside!"

The interior was plain and unadorned.

The old man personally began making tea. Meanwhile, inside Li Guanyi's body, the bronze cauldron's jade liquid had accumulated to ninety-eight percent full, just like back when he confronted the Crimson Dragon—it was stuck at the critical threshold. Breaking through would require something extraordinary, perhaps like that Dao Mark level technique he'd encountered before.

But how to reach that level?

He could faintly sense that the vague form of a white tiger was beginning to coalesce on the surface of the bronze cauldron, yet it was not stable, not solid, and certainly not as fully formed as the Crimson Dragon had been.

Just as he sat down, his gaze fell—and suddenly froze.

His attention was captured by an object in the room:

A bow.

A weathered, ancient war bow!

Radiating a killing aura, placed at the very center of the hall on a raised platform.

Inside him, the bronze cauldron's white tiger projection suddenly began condensing wildly, as if about to let out a mighty roar.

A strong impulse surged through Li Guanyi's heart—

Grasp it! Hold it tight!

That was—

He saw the inscription next to the bow, sharp as blades of war:

Breaking Clouds, Shaking the Heavens Bow (破云震天弓)!

(End of Chapter)