The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2184 is not about knowledge, but about rules.
Ye Shang asked, "What are your opinions?"

Liu Shuai solemnly replied, "I am willing to give it a try! After all, my father died fighting for him; surely he can at least give me a chance to meet him?"

Ye Shang pondered for a moment, then said in a heavy tone, "Then I'll have to trouble you, my dear nephew!"

Liu Shuai said, "Uncle Ye, you are too kind! You and my father are old friends, we are of the same blood, we share the same fate, and I am the youngest here. It would be inappropriate for me not to step forward!"

Zhou Meng patted Liu Shuai's left shoulder forcefully and said with a solemn expression, "Then I'll have to trouble you, my dear nephew!"

Luo Xinghe patted Liu Shuai's right shoulder, as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end it all came down to the three clichéd words "You've worked hard!"

Ye Shang said, "Then we'll follow from a distance. Nephew Liu, go first. If you fail to get an audience, you must return promptly and not linger. If you succeed, we'll await your good news!"

Luo Xinghe said, "Even if we don't succeed, it doesn't matter. At least we need to figure out Young Master Feng's intentions."

Feng Jiuxiao's attitude is of utmost importance!

Did he "completely abandon" everyone, "temporarily let them go," or was he "deliberately giving them a warning"? His attitude will determine everyone's fate!

If Feng Jiuxiao "completely abandons" everyone, then the two sides will keep to themselves and not interfere with each other in the future. As long as you do not cause trouble for him, he will not come to your door to ask for your punishment!

If Feng Jiuxiao "temporarily lets everyone go," it means that his anger has not subsided and could erupt again at any time, putting everyone in danger of dying at any moment!

If Feng Jiuxiao is just "deliberately giving everyone a warning," it means that everyone still has hope of being accepted back by Feng Jiuxiao! As long as they find a suitable opportunity, sincerely admit their mistakes, and make their attitudes clear, Feng Jiuxiao may forgive them!
The snow has stopped, but the wind is biting cold!

As dozens of people from the Xihe Sect, Beggars' Sect, Golden Saber Sect, and White Horse Sect marched along the frozen lake toward Haixin Mountain, other factions began to stir!

The wandering swordsman Yan Qi and Mr. Mo met by chance on their journey west. They hit it off immediately, traveled together, and even shared a tent they had bought from the Tubo soldiers on the shore of Qinghai Lake.

At this moment, the two of them stood outside the tent, watching the convoy gradually disappear into the distance.

Yan Qi said, "Are they going to follow them? Suddenly they're not afraid of death?"

Mr. Mo said, "Regardless of whether they are afraid of death or not, I think we have to keep up!"

Yan Qi said, "Alright, let's follow behind them and keep some distance. As long as Feng Jiuxiao doesn't attack them, he definitely won't attack us either! If Feng Jiuxiao does attack them, we'll retreat immediately!"

Mr. Mo said, "Hmm! But how far should we keep our distance? Legend has it that his Heaven-Shaking Bow can reach a range of a thousand feet!"

Yan Qi scoffed, "A thousand zhang? That's impossible! No matter how skilled he is, he can't shoot a thousand zhang! A thousand zhang is nine thousand chi! What does nine thousand chi mean? Even if someone has a long stride, taking three chi per step, that's still three thousand steps! Do you know what the nickname of the best archer in the army is? It's 'shooting through a willow leaf from a hundred paces'! Why is it called 'shooting through a willow leaf from a hundred paces'?"

"Because the target is set at a distance of one hundred paces!"

"Why not set it to 200 steps?"

"..."

Why aren't you saying anything?

"I suddenly feel that what I'm saying doesn't hold water!"

"You realized that?"

"Yes, I was saying that the military regulations stipulate that the target is set at 100 paces when assessing archery skills. I bet you'll ask me why not 200 paces, and then I won't be able to answer. Because a master archer's eyesight won't become blurry just because of an extra 100 paces. If someone can't shoot 200 paces, either their wrist strength is insufficient to draw a strong bow, or the bowstring tension is insufficient, and even at its limit, the shot won't go far. So I think I understand what you're trying to say. You're saying that how far a person can shoot depends on their strength and the strength of the bowstring, right?"

"That's right!"

"You mean either Feng Jiuxiao's wrist isn't strong enough, or his bowstring isn't strong enough, so he can't shoot that far, nine thousand feet."

"Yes, that's an exaggeration. Even a master archer can only hit a willow leaf from 'a hundred paces,' so why isn't there a saying of 'hitting a willow leaf from a thousand paces'?! Brother, you have to understand, to shoot an arrow far enough, the bowstring and the bow itself must have sufficient strength and resilience to withstand enough pulling force! It is said that the Song army classified strong bows into three grades: the best bow weighs 120 jin, the medium bow weighs 80 or 90 jin, and the worst bow weighs 60 jin! In other words, a bow that can draw 120 jin is a best bow, which is the limit of the strongest fighting force of the Song Dynasty!"

"One hundred and twenty pounds? Then the maximum range is probably more than one hundred paces!"

"Of course! Maximum range is not the same as effective range! The Song army's ordinary bows and arrows can shoot up to 300 paces, but that's the projectile distance. Do you understand projectile distance?"

"Of course I know! When I was a kid, I played a game of throwing beanbags with my friends in the village to see who could throw the farthest. The beanbag could only be thrown the farthest when it was thrown diagonally upwards, which is called projectile throwing. Let me tell you a secret, I've studied the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art!"

"What is the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*? Is it some kind of mathematical discipline?" This was a blind spot for Yan Qi, so his voice was noticeably weaker. He had heard of the *Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*; it seemed to be a profound field of mathematical knowledge.

“It,” Mr. Mo finally spoke, his voice not loud, but clear enough to penetrate the sound of rain, like a stone sinking into a pool, “is not knowledge.”

He raised his eyes, his gaze calmly meeting Yan Qi's sharp edge.

"It is the rule. The rule of heaven and earth."

It felt so good to regain control of the conversation! Just now, he felt like a child being "disciplined" by Yan Qi, and his mood wasn't good. Yan Qi was younger than him, yet just now she acted like his mentor, completely dominating him! Mr. Mo wanted to get back something he had lost!
Yan Qi's eyebrows furrowed, like two tangled daggers: "Rules? The rules of the martial world are on the edge of a knife! Can rules that are only talked about on paper kill people?"

"Yes," Mr. Mo answered decisively, without the slightest hesitation. "The square field plan can calculate the extent of the enemy camp's territory, where they store grain, where they hide their troops, and where their vital points are."

"The regulations on millet can accurately calculate the losses from transporting grain over a thousand miles, preventing starvation and the collapse of the army before the battle even begins."

"The rules of reward and punishment can determine merit and demerit, preventing the powerful from monopolizing power and causing the poor and weak to become disloyal."

Yan Qi scoffed, his short sword clattering as it was half-drawn from its sheath, a flash of cold light in its wake: "That's the generals' business! What does it have to do with me? I only trust the sword in my hand!"

"Oh?" Mr. Mo slightly raised his eyelids, looking at the knife at Yan Qi's waist. For the first time, his eyes flickered with emotion, like a small pebble being thrown into an ancient well. "Then do you know where this knife was forged in iron furnaces, how much charcoal was used, how much it cost to transport through trade, and what it's worth when it's put up for sale?"

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

"The rules of business can be calculated in this way. All the powerful tools in the world can be calculated in this way."

Yan Qi's grip on the knife tightened, his knuckles turning white. He stared at Mr. Mo as if he were a monster.

"What about the Pythagorean theorem?" His voice lowered, carrying a wary tone of someone cornered. "Could it also be used to calculate the entire path of the martial world?"

"No." Mr. Mo shook his head, a decision that surprised Yan Qi.

Then, Mr. Mo stretched out his right foot and drew a clear, straight mark on the snow-covered ground.

“But,” he lightly touched the end of the straight line with his toe, then drew a short line diagonally downwards, finally connecting the two ends to form a triangle, “it can tell you how long the shadow of a ten-zhang-high wall is. How high or low the arrow tower is a hundred paces away. How long the suspension cable needs to be on the other side of the deep ravine.”

He withdrew his finger, as if what he had just drawn was not a line, but an invisible net.

"Observing people from across the river is like looking at the lines on the palm of your hand. Killing and destroying a stronghold can be done in the blink of an eye. Does this count as the way of the martial world?"

Yan Qi fell silent.

He stared at the simple yet chilling geometric shapes on the ground, then at the knife at his waist. The knife was a weapon, but the cold calculations outlined by those lines seemed sharper, and more...ruthless, than the knife in his hand. "Anything else?" he asked, his voice dry, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Mr. Mo gazed into the distance, as if looking at a huge chessboard made up of countless numbers.

"The rules of equations can solve complex puzzles and find the only way out."

“By observing the rules of gain and loss, one can discern the gains and losses in people’s hearts, and the profits and losses in both the open and the hidden.”

"The Nine Chapters Technique appears to be winding," he withdrew his gaze and landed on Yan Qi's face, where a cold flame seemed to burn deep within those calm eyes, "but in reality, it is as square as a whetstone."

“It’s not calculating numbers,” Mr. Mo’s voice suddenly deepened, carrying a penetrating power, “it’s calculating—”

His words paused at that moment, like a powerful crossbow drawn but not yet released.

Yan Qi involuntarily held her breath and leaned forward slightly.

"What is it?"

Mr. Mo slowly pulled a worn-out pipe from his sleeve and leisurely filled it with tobacco. A flicker of fire in the dim light illuminated half of his serene face.

He uttered the last three words slowly and deliberately:

"People, mind, situation."

The fire in the pipe flickered intermittently.

Yan Qi said, "Then tell me, how far apart should we be from them to be safe?"

Mr. Mo said, "A thousand steps, I suppose. There's a saying, 'swift as lightning, before you can even cover your ears,' can you guess what it means?"

Yan Qi laughed and said, "The thunder was so loud that there was no time to cover your ears."

Mr. Mo said, "This phrase originates from the 'Six Secret Teachings, Dragon Teachings, Military Strategy,' specifically the line 'A thunderbolt cannot be covered before the ears can be covered, a lightning bolt cannot be closed before the eyes can be closed.' Originally, it described military actions as sudden as a thunderbolt, leaving the enemy no time to react. Later generations widely adopted this phrase, emphasizing not only speed but also a sense of unexpected pressure and strategic surprise. However, in the context of martial arts competition, 'a thunderbolt cannot be covered before the ears can be covered' has a completely different meaning!"

Yan Qi was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Mr. Mo said, "No matter how fast lightning is, it can't outrun an ear!"

Yan Qi was a little confused: "There's another meaning to that?"

Mr. Mo said, "What this means is that Feng Jiuxiao's arrows are indeed very fast, but the distance between him and us is also far enough. We can trade space for time; enough spatial distance can buy us enough time to dodge!"

Yan Qi said, "I understand! The farther Feng Jiuxiao is from us, the longer his arrows will travel, and the easier it will be for us to dodge! So how far is appropriate?"

Mr. Mo said, "If we're too close, we won't be able to dodge; if we're too far, we might miss the chance to compete for the Heavenly Roc Egg. So, let's say a thousand paces. That distance is far enough. Even if his Heaven-Shaking Bow can hit us, it will be at its last gasp. It will be easy to dodge or block. What do you think?"

Yan Qi said, "Alright, a thousand feet is almost four hundred steps, we should be able to dodge it. Can you calculate what the probability is of us successfully landing on the island?"

Mr. Mo exhaled a puff of smoke and said calmly, "Perfect!"

Yan Qi was shocked: "Ten percent? It can be that high?"

Mr. Mo said leisurely, "Of course, it's just going to an island, right? It's easy!"

Yan Qi slapped his forehead: "I meant the chances of us successfully obtaining the Heavenly Roc Egg on the island! Of course I know getting on the island is no problem. We can get on from any direction, and I doubt Feng Jiuxiao and the others will even bother with us. I asked the wrong question, haha, let me ask again, we..."

Mr. Mo interrupted directly, saying, "I have absolutely no confidence!"

Yan Qi exclaimed in surprise, "What? You have absolutely no chance?"

Mr. Mo gestured towards Haixin Mountain, "You know Feng Jiuxiao's martial arts skills. He's already reached the pinnacle, far surpassing us! Rumors circulate that he's already at the pseudo-Celestial Realm, and I believe it's true. Otherwise, how could he have confronted the Demon Lord for so long? Anyone else would have been annihilated long ago! So, for Feng Jiuxiao, the Heavenly Peng Egg is useless, no longer holding much appeal. The true value of the Heavenly Peng Egg lies in its ability to neutralize the Dragon Treasure, allowing it to be absorbed and unleash its true power. The Dragon Treasure's effect is to enable these martial arts masters to make significant breakthroughs; most will have the potential to reach the peak of the Ninth Realm in a relatively short time. Legend has it that rare and precious treasures can only help one reach the Ninth Realm; beyond that, their effect is minimal."

Yan Qi's eyes blazed with fervor: "You're being a bit too arrogant. You think the peak of the Ninth Realm is too small? If I can break through to the peak of the Ninth Realm in my lifetime, what regrets would I have? Then tell me, since the Rainbow Egg is meaningless to Feng Jiuxiao, why is he even here getting involved?"

Mr. Mo said, "You know Zeng Yong, right?"

"I know him, he's the young master of Tianying Fortress in Tianhui Prefecture."

"Feng Jiuxiao came purely to accompany Zeng Yong."

Why did you come with him?

"It is said that Zeng Yong, in his eagerness to break through to the peak of the Ninth Realm, consumed excessive amounts of rare and precious herbs. However, this backfired, and although he barely managed to break through, his bones and meridians were permanently locked, preventing him from reaching the pinnacle of martial arts. For someone so obsessed with martial arts, this was tantamount to a death sentence! Feng Jiuxiao, his friend, naturally wanted to help him resolve this predicament. Later, upon hearing that the Dragon Treasure could break free from its shackles and regain its vitality, Feng Jiuxiao accompanied him into the Demon Capital, solely to seize the Dragon Treasure. Later, they heard that without the Heavenly Roc Egg, the Dragon Treasure was as lifeless as a corpse, so they returned to Qinghai Lake!"

Yan Qi said, "I see. This Zeng Yong is really lucky! He clearly had no chance to break through in this lifetime, but he met such a loyal friend as Feng Jiuxiao. For his sake, Feng Jiuxiao actually stormed into the Demon Capital and confronted the Demon Lord, and in the end, he actually managed to snatch the Dragon Treasure!"

Mr. Mo said, "Yes! If all his friends were like him, he would not feel any sense of loss. Unfortunately, Feng Jiuxiao has already reached the Pseudo-Celestial Realm, and Pang Shiwu's combat power seems to be several times higher than his. Zeng Yong is far inferior to them, so how could he be willing to accept it?"

Yan Qi said, "Zeng Yong is so lucky to have met a friend like Feng Jiuxiao! He must have accumulated a lot of good fortune over many lifetimes!"

Mr. Mo laughed and said, "Instead of envying them, why don't we become good brothers who share life and death and are loyal to each other!"

Yan Qi laughed and said, "Brother Mo, that's great! How about we become sworn brothers right now?"

Mr. Mo said with a delighted expression, "Great! Let's swear an oath of brotherhood right now!" With that, he knelt down first!
Yan Qi immediately knelt down and used his hands to grab the snow and dirt from the ground to replace the incense sticks, sticking them into the ground. "Big brother, let's begin!"

Countless eyes peered through the gaps in the tent flap and saw what the two were doing!
"Damn! What are they doing? Are they becoming sworn brothers?"

"A sworn brotherhood? Holy crap, a sworn brotherhood ceremony here?"

Before long, the two men got up and walked on the snow on the lake, following far behind the four gangs: the White Horse Gang, the West River Sect, the Beggar Gang, and the Golden Saber Sect.

At this moment, countless figures poured out of countless tents!

The heroes of the Central Plains martial arts world could no longer sit still.

They also began their operation.

Countless martial arts practitioners from the Central Plains followed Yan Qi and his companion in a grand procession, keeping a distance of several dozen feet!

Many people's tents were very close to Yan Mo and his companion, and they could hear their conversation clearly.

Therefore, "maintaining a safe distance" is very important.

Beneath the ice, countless tiny dark shadows swam in the frigid lake water, constantly observing their moving "prey" overhead. They were waiting for an opportunity to break through. The prey on the ice was simply too plentiful!
Above: Diagram of a traditional bow structure