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Chapter 99 Concubine Xue’s generous gift!

As the patterns on the bronze tripod became clearer, traces of the Qilin were imprinted on it, but it was unable to manifest itself as a Dharma image. Instead, it transformed into some kind of pure protective power. Li Guanyi didn't know whether this power itself was not capable of transforming into a Dharma image, or...

Qilin was too weak to do this.

The bronze tripod hummed and slowly quieted down.

Qilin's voice rose in Li Guanyi's heart, with a sense of fatigue:

"This city is not a safe place."

"My power can protect your life once."

"You...just leave."

"Don't come back."

Li Guanyi was anxious and said in his heart: "Wait a minute! What are you doing now——"

Qilin's aura took the initiative to cut off contact with Li Guanyi.

Extremely decisive.

She really didn't want to have any conversation with Li Guanyi anymore.

He only hoped that the young man would be safe, and he himself was not a consideration.

However, the mark of the Qilin's power on the bronze tripod was still extremely clear. The Four Symbols Soul Sealing Array was flowing and changing, and the array points of this mysterious array had changed again. The core array point that Li Guanyi had spent several hours to find had been moved to an unknown place.

This place has turned into a dangerous place. If we continue to try to enter the formation from this aura.

They will be discovered by the Four Symbols Soul Sealing Array.

Attract murderous intent and attacks.

This is the formation left behind by one of the top three masters of the Yin-Yang School in the world. Even if this is only his skill when he is in his thirties, even if the person in charge of the formation is not Si Wei at the moment, and even if Li Guanyi knows the formation diagram, once the formation changes, Li Guanyi can't keep up with the rhythm.

Even though Li Guanyi was feeling anxious, he could only stop reading the "Huangji Jingshi Shu" at this time and did not touch the formation again. Before the formation's qi nodes completed the changes, he casually took half a step forward and looked up at the stars in the sky.

The ripples of the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation passed by. The young man clenched his hands tightly behind his back, his fingers were pinched blue and white, but his face was still calm. He said softly: "Looking at the stars in the sky here is also a different kind of scenery."

Qibili looked at the sky and said:

"Yes, the wind, grass, water and trees in the south of the Yangtze River are all incredibly beautiful. Where we live, there are no such beautiful trees or water. We also have willow trees there, a kind of wood called red willow. It is not beautiful, but its leaves can feed cattle and sheep."

"Its branches can be woven into baskets to store things, and its dead roots can be used as the best firewood. The willow trees in our desert are life-saving, unlike those in the south of the Yangtze River."

Li Guanyi looked at the young man who seemed to love his hometown and asked curiously:
"Then why did you come to Jiangnan?"

"I?"

The young man thought for a moment and answered seriously:
"We don't want to live like that anymore. We want the support of the Saint Emperor. If possible, it doesn't matter if we merge into the Central Plains. Our people can cultivate the land and work hard to pay taxes to the emperor. Our men are all heroes on horseback and can ride horses and hunt."

"As long as our children don't have to be slaves of others."

"I'll hand over my knife and my life."

Li Guanyi immediately realized why the Emperor of Chen asked Qibi Li to come to the palace.

There are not many Tiele people, but the remaining ones are all elite.

There are thousands of households, and if there are two males in each family, that would be tens of thousands of people.

This moment has been submerged in the long history. In this world, one of the top light cavalry was the Tiele's Golden Scimitar Cavalry. They wore leather armor or no armor and rode agile Western horses. When they formed a formation and charged, they kept their bodies low and chopped their scimitars along the wind.

The enemy's throat will be cut by them before they can react.

It was an army that even General Xue praised, and they were given to Li Guanyi as the first enemy.

Tens of thousands of Tiele men fought for their parents, wives and children.

As long as the logistics supplies can keep up.

It would immediately transform into a light cavalry army of 10,000 people.

However, Li Guan thought of the Chen Emperor's balancing act, and he had a guess in his mind, saying:
"Are you the only one coming to tour the palace at night today?"

Qibili replied: "There are also the Living Buddhas of the Western Regions and the little prince of the Tanguts."

Li Guanyi understood.

Still a trade-off.

The emperor of the State of Chen chose the Dangxiang people, but he did not want them to become too powerful. He wanted to use the young Tiele Khan in front of him to check and balance the Dangxiang people, and tell them that the State of Chen did have a second choice, so that the Dangxiang people would be more honest.

This also means that unless the Dangxiang people and the State of Chen turn against each other.

Otherwise, the Emperor of Chen would never have sided with Tiele.

This young man, who traveled thousands of miles on a donkey for the sake of the old and young in his tribe, was destined to return empty-handed. This had nothing to do with whether his people had a hard life or his personal bravery. In the eyes of the king, he was nothing more than a pawn.

Qibili took off the water bag from his waist, which contained milk wine. He tilted his neck back to drink. At this moment, he was just a simple young Khan, with the stars in the sky reflected in his eyes. He told Li Guanyi about his hometown in the Central Plains Mandarin with an accent, saying that the people there were lovely and that they stole sheep to find wolves.

He said that his dog was lost when he was a child, so he climbed up the mountain to find it.

Finally, at night, he found the cave, reached out his hand, and pulled out a human skull. He was young and not afraid, so he threw it down. Then he took out another one, and finally he found a dog for the third time. It was an old bitch who was pregnant with the old wolf's child and gave birth here.

In the end, he went back with the three puppies in his arms.

Finally, with a drunken blush on his face, he gestured with his hands and whispered:
"The sage emperor of the State of Chen uses the tongues of 150 ducks in one bowl of soup, and the rest of the meat is thrown away. If this kind of meat is given to us, everyone will have a little meat in their bowl. It's only for festivals!"

"I heard that in the palace, in autumn and winter, the trees are hung with beautiful silk to make it look like spring scenery. After a few days of wind and sun, the silk has lost its color, so they are taken down and thrown away to replace it with new ones. This is generous."

"We only have a few thousand households, but each of us is a brave warrior who can ride and shoot."

"I think there must be no problem."

"We are willing to die for them, and only hope that they can give us a piece of land and a stable life. Aren't thousands of brave and fearless cavalrymen worth this? Are our lives not worth more than thrown away meat? The saintly emperor of the Central Plains should have figured this out!"

Tiele's language is not difficult to learn. Li Guanyi learned some of it when he was beaten. He could only understand 60% to 70% of Qibili's words. He finally understood that Qibili did not come here simply to seek help. He knew the truth of this world clearly and that it was a chaotic world, but he still came.

He saw the chaotic world and knew the importance of military force in such times.

So he put his life on the line in this chaotic world, using it as a bargaining chip.

Just to leave a better future for the children of the tribe.

Li Guanyi said: "It should be possible. I wish you success."

This sentence comes from the heart.

He paused, then said in Tiele language: "If the worst happens and you need help, you can come to the Xue family to find me."

"Just say you want to spar with me."

The young man patted Qibili on the shoulder.

He used the power of the golden scimitar of the third prince of Tiele.

Qibi Li's eyes, which seemed to be slightly drunk, suddenly became clear and stared at the young man from the Central Plains. This heroic young man whom he saw when he entered the city, understood the subtle changes in the martial arts of the Tiele tribe? !
The eunuch said, "You two, if you have rested enough here, it is time to continue."

"The other two distinguished guests have already arrived at the Imperial Garden."

Li Guanyi said: "It is a meeting between the Living Buddha of the Western Regions and the Dangxiang prince. It is about the Western Regions."

"Then I won't go." The young man smiled and said, "We have talked for such a long time along the way. It's enough. If I continue to talk, Elder Xue and Auntie will worry about me. Brother Qibili, if you have time later, you can come to me for a drink."

The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be difficult to have outsiders present at the subsequent talks.

Then his smile became much warmer, and he said, "Okay, then I will have someone take Lieutenant Li back to the palace of Concubine Xue. Khan, please follow me to the Imperial Garden, where the distinguished guest is waiting."

Li Guanyi and Qibili parted ways and agreed to meet and drink together later.

Li Guanyi left from here.

He did not look back, his face was calm, as if nothing had happened, just as peaceful as the starry sky at this moment, but intense emotions were rising in his heart. He wanted to see Qilin, he wanted to know Qilin's current condition.

Li Guanyi raised his eyes slightly——

Jinwu Guards.

However, Li Guanyi did not expect that he would run into the eunuch in charge of ceremonies again on his way back. The eunuch was also surprised by Li Guanyi and said with a smile, "I came here to urge my disappointing godson to lead the way so slowly. I did not expect to run into Captain Li."

"It turns out that Lieutenant Li knows the Khan of Tiele."

"Since he has already taken the Khan to the Imperial Garden, I will not urge him. If I keep urging him, it will make me look like a big country like Chen with no capacity. You can go, and I will take Lieutenant Li back."

He gave an instruction to the young eunuch, smiled, picked up the lantern and led Li Guanyi to the palace. Li Guanyi calmed his mind and continued to deduce the formation of Qilin Palace, but the "Huangji Jingshi Shu" and "Si Xiang Fengling Formation" that Li Guanyi had learned at this moment could only deal with [fixed patterns].

This change is a bit stretched.

I was also worried that my impulsive behavior would lead to negative consequences.

So it was much quieter. The eunuch in charge of ceremonies slowed down his pace while holding a lantern. He said softly:
"Captain Li, I have something to say. It may not be pleasant to hear, but after thinking it over, I still have to tell you. I was planning to tell you when I send you out of the palace later, but now that we have this opportunity and it's just the two of us, I won't say anything more."

Li Guanyi said: "Please speak, sir."

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies was silent for a moment, then said, "General Yuwen Lie may still be dissatisfied with you, Captain, and may be hostile to you. If their crown prince or prince invites you to a banquet, you must be cautious. Although he is a distinguished person in the world, you should not go if you can avoid it."

"I said something audacious and treasonous, but the world is not yet at peace."

"To our Chen State, you are a young hero, but to the Ying State, you are a thorn in the eye that must be eradicated as soon as possible. Over the years, there has never been a shortage of young talents who have died in the conspiracy of other countries."

"Ying State did it to our Chen State, and our Chen State probably never went soft on Ying State either."

The eunuch hesitated, looked around, and in order to strengthen the persuasiveness of his words, worried that this young man was too young and would not admit defeat, he gave an example and said softly:
"Don't say anything else."

"Didn't Duke Taiping die during a grand sacrifice more than a decade ago? Some people say that Duke Taiping's death was also related to Ying State. If you think about it carefully, it makes sense. The ones who benefited the most from Duke Taiping's death were the Turks and Ying State."

"At that time, Yuwen Lie was just a young general, the same age as Yue Pengwu and Yue Shuai."

"He was shot by Lord Taiping and almost vomited blood."

"Our Duke Taiping's fame was achieved by conquering the southwest, pacifying foreign territories, fighting against the Ying Kingdom, and beheading the three famous generals of the Yuwen family in three years. Such a top general suddenly died in his prime. I really don't believe that there was no involvement of other countries."

The eunuch remained silent, sighed, and said, "As for why I feel this way."

"The fifth most powerful general in the world back then."

"It is the Duke of Taiping."

!!!

Li Guanyi's heart was moved. He said, "...I will remember it. Thank you, sir."

"But my aunt and great uncle won't let him do anything to me."

The young man showed a smile that was just right, a mixture of dignity and humility. "Although I am not as good as Duke Taiping, my Xue family is a powerful family in the world. I have also practiced martial arts for ten years and am skilled in archery and horse riding. Although Yuwen Lie is strong, he dare not treat me like this in Dachen!"

"My Xue family won't watch!"

"Nevertheless, thank you very much, sir."

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies smiled and said, "My family? What did my family just say?"

The young man took something out of his pocket.

First, seize the silver.

He put it down again, picked up the gold given by the seven Turkic kings, handed it to the eunuch in charge of ceremonies, and said with a smile:

"They said the palace has strict taboos and asked me to be careful and not to break the rules."

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies smiled warmly and said, "Then we will go there."

"If you have anything to say, you can give me instructions."

Li Guanyi bowed and walked towards Concubine Xue's palace under the starlight. The eunuch in charge of ceremonies watched this scene quietly. In his hand was a secret letter given by a maid in Concubine Xue's palace, which told about what Concubine Xue had just said very skillfully about Li Guanyi's youth.

Thinking of the boy's reaction just now, he said softly:
"He is not the descendant of Lord Taiping."

When he came to this conclusion, he didn't know whether to feel relieved or regretful.

The palace people asked him to check the young man's experience, and then they tested him, his resume, and secretly tested him. After many attempts, they were able to confirm this.

The eunuch in charge of ceremonies remembered the divine general who had asked the princess to welcome him barefoot.

At that time, he was just a little eunuch. Only the general would thank him. After being helped onto the horse after getting drunk, he would raise his wine naan and invite him to drink with him, saying that they were brothers drinking together. He was very nervous and said that he was a disabled person and could not be a brother. The young man just laughed out loud.

It is said that a man should be courageous, so why should he care about others?

He whispered, "It's not your offspring, Lord Taiping. It's good that it's not your offspring."

“No need to be stared at.”

"But why isn't it your offspring?"

"Let this servant know that your bloodline is still in this world."

"But, if it is your offspring, will I report it to His Majesty? Whether I will or not, I don't even know myself." The eunuch who once risked his life to rush into the fire and saw the divine general for the last time bent his waist, turned around and walked away, his body slowly disappearing in the palace.

It seems that he is even smaller than when he was beaten and bullied.

When Li Guanyi returned to the palace, he was calm and was slowly adjusting his state. Tomorrow would be the selection of the Jinwu Guards. Thanks to Yuwen Lie, all the military heroes in the capital were gearing up to try their hand with Li Guanyi in the Jinwu Guards selection!
Officials from the Ministry of Personnel said they had never seen anything of this scale.

It was a way of defending the ring. Li Guanyi felt that those sons of military honors would stare at him and fight him.

I'm afraid we'll have to fight for three days straight!
When Concubine Xue saw Li Guanyi coming back, she smiled and said, "My Qilin is back. I never thought that you were related to the Khan of Tiele."

"Come, take a look at the gift your aunt gave you. Do you like it?"

Li Guanyi thanked him and opened the gift box.

The young man's expression slowly froze. There was a token in the box. On the back was a tiger swallowing a card, and on the front was three big words "Jinwu Guard".

The identity of Jinwu Guard!
Concubine Xue smiled and said, "How about this gift?"

The imperial concubine reached out her hand to straighten the boy's collar, and said in a light and noble tone:
"My Qilin, why would you lower yourself to play around with those sons of military honors?"

"A bunch of dandies who just sit there doing nothing."

"They, are they worthy?"

(End of this chapter)