Duke Cui had no fear that Li Yan, upon discovering the secret passage, would flee instead of entering. So many experts were stationed outside; as long as he gave no order, the man was trapped. Even if he had concealed his martial arts, the men outside needed only to delay him for a moment before he himself would arrive.
After descending seven or eight steps, a smile graced Duke Cui's lips, for he sensed that Li Yan had followed him in.
The tunnel was not very deep. After about forty-odd steps, they arrived one after the other at the bottom.
This underground chamber was rather spacious. Li Yan scanned his surroundings and estimated it could hold about one hundred and seventy or eighty people. The surrounding walls were constructed from massive blocks of dark green stone, and many places were inlaid with Night-Luminescent Pearls, the source of the soft glow he had seen.
If any single one of these pearls were taken by a commoner, it would be more than enough to provide for a family of three for a lifetime of comfortable living. Yet here, they were used merely for illumination. It was an extravagant display. However, the other furnishings in the chamber were far from what Li Yan had expected.
The chamber was not filled with chests of gold, silver, and other treasures hoarded by officials and wealthy merchants. There were no piles of ancient scrolls or famous artworks, nor was it a dungeon for torture or the private imprisonment of criminals.
Instead, everywhere he looked, there were weapons. Lining the walls were racks forged from refined steel, filled to the brim with sharp blades. There were not only common sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, but also a plethora of strange and unusual weapons: long benches, shears, cleavers—a complete and bizarre collection.
Li Yan even spotted a siege crossbow!
He knew of this weapon. It required at least six soldiers to operate, and the power of its bolt was something not even a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator would dare to face head-on. It was a heavy weapon capable of shattering peaks and piercing mountains.
The variety of weapons was vast, numbering around one hundred and ten, with many duplicates. Each blade was either chillingly bright, its sharp aura palpable even from a distance, or heavy as a mountain, like a great, edgeless shield. Some were so plain they seemed utterly unremarkable, even useless. Every piece possessed its own distinct character.
'Every weapon here is a deadly instrument, a vicious tool that has tasted the blood of many. A few of them could even rival the power of the most inferior low-grade Spirit Artifacts in the Immortal Realm. In the eyes of those from the martial world, each of these would be a supreme treasure. The old man has certainly collected some fine things.'
After a brief scan, Li Yan understood. All these so-called precious blades were likely collected by Cui Feng. The swords and sabers alone could truly cut through iron as if it were mud with the ease of turning one's hand.
However, in his eyes, these "precious blades" were nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.
"You claim to be the former Marshal Li. There is no one else here. Please, select any weapon you wish and demonstrate a few of Marshal Li's famous techniques for me," Duke Cui said, having come to a stop at the edge of the chamber. He turned his head to look at Li Yan.
'Oh, so that's his game,' Li Yan thought. 'He wants to see if I know the martial arts of the Li Yan from back then. If I were an impostor, even if I knew some of his techniques, the power with which I executed them would instantly reveal the truth to his discerning eye.'
Li Yan had already grasped the man's intention.
"Very well! It has been many years since I last wielded a weapon. Today, I shall give it a try!"
Without a second glance at the other weapons, Li Yan strode toward the front-left side of the chamber, ignoring all the other blades on either side.
As Li Yan walked, Duke Cui's gaze followed his path, and an inexplicable turmoil began to stir in his heart.
'Could it really be him? Not necessarily! If someone were to impersonate him, they would have surely studied his past.'
Though this thought crossed his mind, a sense of anticipation began to build within him, an excitement he could feel growing.
Li Yan walked directly to a weapon rack in the opposite corner. On it rested only four items—or rather, three weapons, as one was a pair of polished brass maces, clearly a set. There was also a long spear that gleamed with a silvery light, reflecting the glow of the Night-Luminescent Pearls in a dazzling display, its tip shining with a snow-white, cold light.
However, Li Yan reached directly for the last weapon. It was a great lance, about ten feet long, with a head shaped like a small, square cauldron—clearly a heavy weapon. There were four holes on each side of the cauldron-like head, and its entire body was a deep, azure-green, giving it an ancient and powerful appearance.
With a single motion, Li Yan lifted it from the rack.
As the long shaft of the great lance was pulled from the rack's slot, a metallic screech, "Clang!", echoed through the chamber. The great lance, weighing over three hundred jin, was effortlessly drawn out by Li Yan.
He then swung it casually a few times. Instantly, a strange whistling sound, "Whosh, whosh, whosh…", filled the air, a peculiar wind-sound created by the holes in the cauldron-like tip. The sound was uniquely unsettling.
'It must be him!'
Duke Cui's eyes shone with a brilliant light. Since that man, no one had been able to wield this great lance with such ease. Even now, with his own martial arts having reached the Transformation Realm, he could not swing it so effortlessly, as if it weighed nothing.
He had tried it before. In a life-or-death battle, pushing his internal power to its limits, he could perhaps last forty-five breaths with this weapon. Of course, that was in combat. If he were just practicing on his own, he could manage for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, but he could never wield it with the casual grace Li Yan displayed.
"Old General Cui, I recall giving this weapon to my Personal Guard Captain, Li Du. How did it come into your possession?"
As he spoke, Li Yan was already swinging the great lance like the wind. In an instant, the entire chamber was filled with the howling gusts of a powerful internal power. The force was so immense that it made it difficult for Duke Cui to breathe, his beard and hair flying wildly. In the center of the chamber, all that could be seen was a swirling green light where Li Yan had been!
The moment Duke Cui heard Li Yan mention that the great lance had been given to his Personal Guard Captain, Li Du, his aged face had already contorted with emotion. Now, seeing Li Yan wield the weapon like a raging storm, with a power far greater than he remembered, he dropped to one knee, clasped his hands in a formal salute, and spoke with a trembling voice.
"This subordinate general, Cui Feng, pays his respects to Marshal Li!"
In the Duke's Manor, beneath a rockery, a burly old man with a giant axe on his back pulled back his head after peeking out.
"I say, Three-Eyes, why hasn't the General come out yet? There's not a single sound from inside. You don't think something's happened, do you?" the effeminate middle-aged man asked, glancing at Song Duan.
"We've had the entire area surrounded. If something had happened, you think we wouldn't know?"
"At such a close distance, we should know!"
"Then why are you asking? That man hasn't come out, and the study has been completely silent. Do you think there's anyone in this world who could ambush the General without making a sound?"
"No… sigh, that's not it. But it shouldn't be taking this long, right? Three-Eyes, do you think that kid could be… one of the General's from his past…"
"Song Duan, watch your mouth. Don't drag me into your mess. How old is that kid?"
Song Duan chuckled at the remark. "The General is old but vigorous! Besides, Three-Eyes, you're judging a gentleman by your own petty standards. I was about to say, could the kid be some disciple the General took in while traveling? You… what on earth were you thinking? You scholars, with your minds full of filth, what am I supposed to say to you!"
The effeminate middle-aged man shot Song Duan an innocent look and sneered before turning away, ignoring him completely.
Like them, in several other locations, pairs of eyes were secretly fixed on the study.
Just then, everyone's spirits lifted as Duke Cui's aged voice echoed out.
"Yisheng, settle Zhang Ming in the 'Wind-Listening' side-courtyard to the west. From this day forward, Zhang Ming is a Courtyard Guard Instructor of my Duke's Manor. I hope you will all treat him with warmth and kinship!"
Upon hearing this, the effeminate middle-aged man hurried toward the study, his mind racing.
'I wonder how that kid managed to provoke such a reaction from the General. And to be appointed a Courtyard Guard Instructor so quickly… Could it be true, what that brute Song Duan said…'
Though these thoughts swirled in his mind, he decided he would still come back and ask the General after settling Zhang Ming in. After all, he had planned many parts of the General's current scheme, and he needed to understand the General's true intentions.
At the large window, Duke Cui stood with his hands behind his back, watching the figures of Li Yan and the effeminate middle-aged man disappear. The stern expression on his face was replaced by a look of bewilderment and confusion.
Along the way, the effeminate middle-aged man kept up a constant stream of conversation with Li Yan. He mostly explained the duties and responsibilities of a Courtyard Guard Instructor and the various rules one needed to be aware of in the Duke's Manor. Occasionally, he would subtly try to probe, asking about Li Yan's needs under the guise of concern.
But in the end, he was utterly disappointed. Li Yan, though he appeared extremely young, spoke with an impenetrability that yielded no useful information.
Li Yan, meanwhile, was laughing inwardly. In terms of true age, this man was not even a child in his eyes.
'This man is quite skilled at prying for information,' Li Yan thought. 'He uses the pretense of introducing the manor to casually slip in a question. If one isn't careful, you might answer offhandedly and fall right into his trap.'
'No wonder he was Cui Feng's top strategist. To be a head steward now is truly a waste of his talents.'
Along their path, they encountered several people. Upon seeing the effeminate middle-aged man, each of them would quickly bow in greeting, their attitudes exceptionally respectful.
"Greetings, Head Steward Lin!"
"This lowly one pays his respects to Steward Lin!"
…
Li Yan had actually learned the names of Cui Feng's closest confidants from the duke himself. The effeminate middle-aged man's name was Lin Yuxing, with the courtesy name "Yisheng," known in the martial world as the "Three-Eyed Divine Fox." He was once Cui Feng's foremost strategist, and his martial arts had reached the first-rate realm. He was a true master of both literary and martial pursuits, one of Cui Feng's most loyal and trusted men. In the army, he had helped plan countless major military campaigns and had slain numerous enemies himself.
The task of settling in a Courtyard Guard Instructor was not something Lin Yuxing needed to handle personally; he could have simply handed Li Yan over to a servant. But he knew Duke Cui too well. After entering the study, from the few brief instructions his general had given, he could sense the high regard the general held for this person. Thus, he felt it necessary to see to the matter himself.
They came to a stop before a courtyard that, while not luxurious, was neat and tidy. Li Yan saw the words "Wind-Listening" carved above the round, arched gate.
"From now on, this will be Young Hero Zhang's residence. You mentioned earlier that you came to Yuhai City alone. May I ask which inn you are staying at? I can send someone to retrieve your luggage and settle the bill. Consider it a welcome gift."
Li Yan cupped his hands in a salute. "Many thanks, Steward Lin. I just arrived here today. I was having a drink at a tavern when I heard the Duke's Manor was recruiting, so I came straight here. I am traveling light and have no luggage."
Lin Yuxing's eyes flickered. His plan to deduce Li Yan's background from his belongings had failed. He simply nodded in acknowledgement.