"Hahaha, brother, which rule are you referring to?"
The group of young warriors burst into laughter, their brows filled with wild arrogance, obviously accustomed to riding horses. The five horses circled around Li Guanyi quickly, and one of the youths whistled sharply, flung his arm, and a hooked chain with an iron hook flew straight towards Li Guanyi.
If it hit him, there would be at least several bloody holes. Li Guanyi raised his hand to catch the chain.
The youth was taken aback, then cursed loudly, "What kind of bumpkin dares to fight back!" He instinctively pulled on the chain, but as Li Guanyi raised his eyes, looking at the other young warriors dressed lavishly and riding fiercely, the old man’s conversation with him came to his mind again.
’Ever since the Imperial Decree and the Emperor’s praise, Guan Yi, you’ve been put on the fire, and now I hear you are entering Chen Country’s grand ceremony. Those sons of the Court’s military nobility will certainly not be able to restrain themselves. They’re always arrogant, riding wildly in the Capital City...’
’Sticking together, rejecting outsiders.’
’Unconvinced by you, they will wear masks to attack you, and because of their family status, they manage to avoid punishment.’
Li Guanyi asked Xue Daoyong, ’Does Elder Xue wish for me to hide my talents somewhat?’
At that time, the elder burst into loud laughter before cursing:
That was how Li Guanyi felt as well, but he was just worried about causing trouble for the Xue Family.
Unexpectedly, the elder felt the same.
’That group of aristocratic offspring, they don’t have the bold spirit of their ancestors. If you hide your talents and make concessions, they will think you are weak and easy to bully, and hence they will push you further, continue to insult and test you, and might even get entangled in the strife between noble families and the Royal Family.’
’This is what I want to tell you.’
’The ones who show up first are always the weakest of the military nobility. The old man can handle them; these nobles oppress others, but they are not fools. They will decide their actions based on your reactions, and so, the old man means...’
The elder stretched out his finger, and under the Luminous Pearl, the smile of a wild tiger in chaos was fierce:
’Fight to the death!’
’If you don’t establish your authority now, every Tom, Dick, and Harry will dare to provoke you.’
’The Emperor plans to use you to temper the edge of the military noble’s sons, so you must tell him that using you as a whetstone will only have one outcome’
Beneath the Luminous Pearl, the fire in the elder’s eyes burned, ultimately turning into the warm sunshine that now fell. The youth in lavish attire and fierce horses couldn’t pull back his weapon, surrounded by peers who at first thought it was a joke, but now sensed something was wrong.
They spurred their horses forward, cursing, "You! What are you doing!"
Li Guanyi’s eyes opened, and within them, the demeanor of a calm, fierce tiger.
With a sudden raise of his arm, his Jade Arm Divine Bow Skills burst forth.
The warhorse beneath him neighed fiercely, turning gracefully.
The youth clung to his weapon, but surprisingly found himself being pulled off his steed and flung towards Li Guanyi. With his left hand gripping the sheathed black sabre, Li Guanyi swung harshly, striking the military noble’s son’s face, and with a loud boom, blood smeared across his visage as he fell, teeth clattering to the ground amidst anguished howls.
The four other military noble’s sons hesitated.
Li Guanyi sat quiet atop his warhorse, back straight, hand on the sturdy sabre, and asked:
The military nobles accustomed to throwing their weight around in the Capital City found that the rules seemed to have changed.
One of the military noble’s sons, forgetting in his reflex that they were wearing masks to conceal their identities, cried out in anger:
"Do you know who he is?! How dare you do this!"
"Is this how you react when facing an enemy? Your first instinct isn’t to draw your sword?"
"Is this how a military noble acts?"
After a moment’s thought, he pulled on the reins.
The warhorse let out a long neigh, rearing up, and even so, the youth astride it sat bolt upright.
The horse’s hooves swayed.
Directing a ferocious kick at the legs of the military noble’s son who had attacked him first, he spoke indifferently: