The old man didn't know how many times he stood in front of Li Qiwu, shielding her from countless rumors.
Hua Pengxing dissected those two questions extremely clearly, then took the tea from the hand of the lady-in-waiting, Qing'er, and sipped it gently to moisten his throat. After praising, he was about to inquire about her studies, but heard Li Qiwu softly ask:
"Teacher, have you heard of Divine Martial Mansion?"
Divine Martial Mansion.
The old man's actions paused for a moment, looking at his student, the window slightly opened, sunlight spilling on the girl's fair face, shining like jade. Her eyes were focused and serious, and those three words seemed to come from the distant past, instantly striking the softest part of his heart.
Hua Pengxing's expression involuntarily softened, placing the teacup on the nearby table, and sighed, saying:
"Divine Martial... How did you find out?"
Li Qiwu murmured softly: "Of course I know."
The elder realized, laughed:
"Indeed, these past few days, not just Heavenly Capital City, but the entire world has been stirred up by these words, everyone talks as if returning to that era. Back then, such things often happened, where we won over some country or another, someone would compete over girls in Jianghu, not limited to Divine Martial Mansion... "
"Back then, Jianghu was exciting, interesting, more interesting than now. Jianghu heroes were impressive, full of vigor. When an Oiran from any country came to challenge, it could attract crowds for miles."
"Drinking contests, poetry duels, the Blade Madman of Heavenly Mountain, self-restrained Taoist, and the swift reports of Divine Martial."
The elder's face had a subtle glow, then he paused, saying:
"It's just a pity, after all, it's just the leftover glow... "
"It's been over twenty years, and I'm old too."
"But even if it's just leftover glow, it's as dazzling as it was then."
"The Military Soul reappeared in Loulan; Zhang Dao alone stopped a thousand troops; and that contemporary mansion master, no, it was Divine Martial Mansion that forcefully fought the Xiongnu Tribe, almost crippling their Iron Cavalry, it's rightly said to be renowned across the world."
Hua Pengxing felt inexplicably better, laughed: "Yes, the Master of Divine Martial."
"One person broke through three thousand armors."
"Some say, he can stand alongside the Blade Madman among the extraordinary, this is undeniable, after all, it's the Dichi Iron Cavalry, crushing three thousand armors is indeed extraordinary. However, between these two young martial artists, there's no conclusion on who is stronger."
"Some say Blade Madman, some say Divine Martial Mansion Master."
"However, Blade Madman seems to be over twenty, while the Divine Martial Mansion Master is only nineteen now."
"Comparatively, this old man feels the latter is stronger."
Li Qiwu felt dissonance, recalling the dazzling blade light, the back blocking ahead, and shook her head, saying:
"The teacher's words are incorrect."
"One day a thousand miles, there are those who pause for a thousand miles too. How can you be sure Blade Madman won't suddenly advance rapidly? Or that the mansion master's potential isn't exhausted, not advancing in the next ten or twenty years?"
Hua Pengxing was speechless, saying: "This matter can't always be judged right or wrong."
"But Your Highness seems quite favorable towards Blade Madman, yet you should stand by Divine Martial."
"The Divine Martial Mansion Master Wang Anfeng... or rather Anfeng, has quite a deep relationship with Your Highness... Initially, I thought he was a waste living off his ancestors, like the offspring of major families in Capital City, but now it seems he's a sweeping figure in the world."
Li Qiwu constantly heard that person's name these days, saying:
"So where is he now?"
The elder, usually knowledgeable about worldly Military Family matters as if reading the lines on his palm, hesitated a bit, opened his dossier and map, looked intently for a long time, and then extended his right hand, carefully tracing a curve on the map with his finger.
Li Qiwu looked toward that direction.
"What's he still doing in the Western Regions?"
The elder frowned, saying:
"This, this is not something we can know, after all, he is a peak martial artist."
"But it's heard he hasn't returned from the Western Regions, possibly recovering from wounds in secret."
"Though he's strong enough, regular members of the Dichi Iron Cavalry alone have eight thousand people. Including auxiliary troops, it could be over twenty thousand, forming a military formation, exhausting a grandmaster is a normal feat." The rıghtful source is novel⸺fire.net
"Moreover, the Great Khan King of Dichi isn't a scholar without the strength to truss a chicken, but a rare fierce general of the Xiongnu Tribe's Golden Tent Empire. Divine Martial killed three thousand men. Wang Anfeng must have paid a hefty price, it's highly possible he's severely wounded."
Li Qiwu said: "Did he not kill that Xiongnu Great Khan King?"
Hua Pengxing shook his head.
"He probably didn't… "
"Otherwise, his feat would be one sword defeating three thousand armors, killing the Dichi Khan King in battle."
"But why does he linger there?"
The elder furrowed his brow, looking towards the vast Western Regions.
Outside Great Qin's Northern Frontier, there is an extremely vast yet bitterly cold land.
This environment naturally creates a rugged and brave country, differing from Great Qin, the Golden Tent Empire has almost never been completely unified in its history and doesn't build cities. Under the Xiongnu Tribe's great king, there are eight Great Khan Kings.
The Northern Frontier has enough vast grasslands to divide among them.
Usually, the eight Great Khan Kings are within their territories, only in August each year do they convene under the king's banner, called subjects, but not quite subjects, more accurately, they exist like vassal states.