A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Li Guanqi stood outside the fence and gently tapped on the wooden door.

Knock knock knock.

The woman inside stiffly turned around and saw a blind youth in white robes standing at the threshold, his hair tied loosely so it rested on his shoulders. He stood with a warm smile, his ethereal presence stark against the village’s poverty—like an immortal descended from the heavens.

She froze. When Li Guanqi made no move to leave, she realized he was indeed looking for them.

On the kang, the boy turned his head with great difficulty to look outside. From the dark room, the youth lit by the setting sun looked unreal.

The woman wiped her tears and walked out of the house, eyes still swollen. Standing at the door, she asked cautiously, “Are you... at the right house?”

Li Guanqi nodded with a smile and looked toward the boy in the room, who looked at him in confusion.

“My name is Li Guanqi. May I come in to talk?”

The neighbor’s door opened, and a plump woman stepped outside with a pail of dirty water. She looked at Li Guanqi in shock. Seeing his clothes, she smiled at the mother. “Mrs. Chen, who is this?”

Mrs. Chen panicked and tugged at the hem of her clothes.

“I’m a child of Auntie’s distant cousin,” Li Guanqi said.

Mrs. Chen nodded frantically, not daring to say anything.

The neighbor gave a knowing smile. Looking at the woman out of the corner of her eye, she nodded. “Ah... A distant cousin. I was just wondering why I haven’t met you before.”

She laughed. “Alright, I’ll leave you to talk.”

Li Guanqi looked at Mrs. Chen. “Auntie, let’s go inside.”

Mrs. Chen nodded hurriedly and led him into the house.

The neighbor kept glancing back at Li Guanqi as she threw out the pail of dirty water by the road. She shook her head and muttered mockingly, “A distant cousin? Looking at how poor she is, how could she have a cousin like that? She’s not up to something illegal, is she?”

The moment Li Guanqi stepped through the door, his eyes flashed coldly, and he curled his finger.

The woman by the road clutched her throat and frowned. “Aiyo! Why does my throat hurt so much? No, I really need to get Doctor Li to check it out.”

When Li Guanqi entered the house, he was hit with the pungent smell of dampness and rot. The dampness came from the many holes in the walls that failed to keep out rain and wind. However, the scent felt strangely familiar, even comforting.

The rotting smell came from the tumor on the boy’s neck.

The woman peered at Li Guanqi cautiously. There was no light source in the room. It was as dark as their lives.

He saw an air of sickness in her eyes. Her life force was weak, and she clearly wouldn’t live long. However, the boy’s yintang[1] was darkened—he was doing even worse than his mother.

The woman looked around, picked up some clothes, and laid them on the kang. Embarrassed, she said, “Our home is a little ugly. My apologies.”

Li Guanqi picked the clothes up and laid them on the boy’s body. Then, he sat on the ashy kang, not caring about the dirt. The boy looked at him emotionally, his eyes clear and bright.

Li Guanqi smiled. “Have a seat. There’s no need to be so uptight.”

The woman sat on a wooden stool, leaning one hand against the wall. She placed both hands on her knees, unsure what to say.

Li Guanqi spoke first. “There’s no need to be nervous. I bear you no ill intent. If possible, could you tell me about yourselves?”

The woman relaxed slightly. “My name is Xu Jinglan. My son, Chen Xiaotian, is seven. As you’ve seen, it’s just the two of us. His father died early, leaving us to fend for ourselves.”

Tears fell from her swollen eyes. She wiped them, turned to look at her son on the kang, and sobbed. “This boy... has had a hard life. He’s never had it easy since the day he was born. The heavens have not been kind.”

She drew a shaky breath, tears streaming down her face. “I’m very ill. I’m afraid I won’t live much longer. I feel so bad for my son... he’s only seven! I’ve endured all kinds of hardship over these years. I can’t believe that in the end, I’ll be the cause of my son’s suffering.”

Holding the boy’s hand, she crouched on the kang and sobbed hard.

Li Guanqi’s Adam’s apple trembled. He couldn’t help but close his eyes. A rope breaks where it is thinnest, and misfortune finds only those who already suffer.

Chen Xiaotian... He is befitting of his name.[2]

Li Guanqi looked at the boy and found the child already looking back. Before Li Guanqi could speak, the boy asked timidly, “Are you a cultivator?”

Li Guanqi hesitated, then nodded. He held the boy’s hand. “Yes, and a really strong one.”

Xu Jinglan was shocked. Her eyes filled with hope. She rose from her stool and fell to her knees. Despite the hard, sharp stones on the ground, she kowtowed, banging her head hard.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The first kowtow was enough to make her forehead bleed, but she did not care, letting her hair flow messily. She bit her lip hard, knowing this was her only chance to save her son.

The boy looked at her and said, “Mother...”

Li Guanqi did not stop her. He waited until three kowtows were done before raising his hand gently. An invisible force lifted the woman. Looking at her bleeding forehead, he sighed. Her forehead shone with spirit light, and the wound sealed, leaving only dried blood behind.

She was filled with shock, and the joy that followed was beyond words. Still kneeling, she looked at him with desperate hope and begged, “Immortal Master! I beg you, please save my son. If you can save him, I’ll be your cow, your horse, anything for the next many lifetimes!”

Li Guanqi held his hand up. “There’s no need for that. I’ll save Chen Xiaotian.”

The boy’s eyes brightened. “You’ll save me, Immortal Master? D-do you need us to pay? We... don’t have any money. If you don’t want money, I can do whatever you want as repayment.”

Li Guanqi’s breath hitched. The boy already understands concepts like this at such a young age.

But a child so mature so early was also pitiful.

1. In traditional Chinese medicine, a dark color between the eyebrows (the yintang acupuncture point) signifies poor mood and fortune, and may hint at severe health problems. A blackened yintang is often a sign that death is near. ☜

2. Xiao (孝) means filial, tian (天) means heavens. The name Xiaotian implies that he is a very filial person. ☜