A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Luo Changqing stared at Li Guanqi. Thick streams of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he muttered, “I... won’t yield!”

Li Guanqi’s power surged again. Qin Wushang hurriedly shouted, “Don’t! That’s enough. Killing him would cause quite a bit of trouble.”

Luo Changqing’s pupils dilated. As Qin Wushang’s words sank in, Luo Changqing’s tense expression eased slightly.

Li Guanqi shrugged and turned to Luo Changqing. “I’m not sparing you because Qin Wushang asked. Senior Hong Zhi has been good to me. Since you’re her candidate, I’ll let you live.”

He tossed Luo Changqing dozens of zhang away like a piece of trash. Then he dragged Luo Siyang out, shattered his dantian with a palm strike, and tore off his four limbs before throwing him down beside Luo Changqing.

“This is the price he has to pay,” Li Guanqi said.

Luo Changqing’s eyes were full of rage.

Li Guanqi turned around and said coldly, “If you won’t accept it, come find me anytime. But if you try anything underhanded... Heh. Just try it.”

Luo Changqing lay on the ground with his eyes barely open, staring fearfully at the bloodstained Li Guanqi. Then his gaze drifted toward the scattered clouds overhead. For the first time, he knew what it meant to be utterly outmatched. Li Guanqi surpassed him in sword intent, reserves of vital force, spirit comprehension, and physical strength. Even the killing intent of his Immortal-slaying projection made Luo Changqing’s soul tremble.

Luo Changqing slowly closed his eyes. Still lying on the ground, he crushed a teleportation scroll. Bloody tears streamed down his face as silver light enveloped him and Luo Siyang. Beside them, the Blood-Drinking Saber lay abandoned on the ground.

“I won’t forget the humiliation I suffered today,” Luo Changqing said softly. “But the feud between you and the Luo clan ends here. No one will trouble you or the Daxia Sword Sect over what happened to Luo Siyang.”

Li Guanqi sneered. “Good.”

Suddenly, Luo Changqing opened his eyes. His voice carried endless fury. “Li Guanqi! One day... I, Luo Changqing, will come to your door and take back my saber!”

Qin Wushang shook his head helplessly and transmitted his voice to Li Guanqi. “Well, you’ve given him an inner demon now.”

With that, the severely wounded Luo Changqing lifted the unconscious Luo Siyang, whose dantian had been shattered, and teleported away.

Li Guanqi looked down at the dead branch in his hand and shrugged. “You’re still here?”

“Why are you chasing me away?” Qin Wushang asked irritably.

Li Guanqi replied, “The show’s over. Are you waiting for dinner?”

“You have food?” Qin Wushang asked. Then, seeing Li Guanqi roll his eyes, he added, “Hey, quit that. It’s scary when you do it.”

The two stood side by side above the clouds. Qin Wushang looked at Li Guanqi curiously. “You’re not usually this merciful. Why did you spare Luo Siyang and let Luo Changqing leave?”

Li Guanqi glanced at him. “Kong Yan survived, so punishing Luo Siyang was enough. As for Luo Changqing... I owe Senior Hong Zhi a favor, so I spared him.”

Qin Wushang narrowed his eyes. “No, that’s not the whole reason. Knowing you, Luo Siyang should be dead. You spared Luo Changqing out of consideration for Senior Hong Zhi, but you also didn’t want to make a mortal enemy of him. You were testing his strength to see what the other candidates were capable of, weren’t you? Were you worried Luo Changqing might secretly go after your brothers?”

Li Guanqi gave him a surprised look. He really was sharp.

Qin Wushang stopped and looked at him, his tone certain. “And there’s something else. You were using Luo Changqing to get used to your own strength.”

Li Guanqi rubbed his nose, neither confirming nor denying Qin Wushang’s guess. “All right, I know you’re clever. But forget dinner. I was hoping to get some wine out of you.”

Qin Wushang’s mouth twitched at the outstretched hand. He passed over a storage ring. “Leaving again already?”

Li Guanqi accepted the storage ring and nodded. “Mm. I have something to handle.”

“You’re really keeping Luo Changqing’s Blood-Drinking Saber?” Qin Wushang asked in surprise.

Li Guanqi smiled. “An opponent like him makes things interesting, doesn’t he?”

Qin Wushang’s face twitched. “With your strength, there aren’t many who could overpower you if you used your sword.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes brightened. He caught the implication in Qin Wushang’s words. “You mean some of the others are stronger than you?”

A mysterious smile spread across Qin Wushang’s face. “Hehe. Your brother’s called Xiao Chen, right? As it happens, Senior Long Hou’s candidate is the strongest of us.”

Li Guanqi frowned slightly. Given Xiao Chen’s temperament... “You know Xiao Chen?”

Qin Wushang nodded with a hint of admiration. “I’ve heard a bit about your brother. He’s ruthless.”

Li Guanqi frowned. He had never imagined anyone would describe Xiao Chen that way.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he said softly, “All right, I’m off. We’ll have plenty of chances to meet again. Let’s drink next time.”

Whoosh!

A spatial crack slowly closed in front of Qin Wushang. As he watched Li Guanqi disappear, he muttered, “Why leave in such a hurry? Things are going to be boring again once I go back.”

He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back, surveying the devastation stretching for dozens of li. He clicked his tongue in wonder, then strolled through the sky. The more he thought about Li Guanqi’s actions, the more certain he became that they served some deeper purpose, though he had yet to work out what Li Guanqi was after.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi headed straight for the Black Sect Territory, where two more sects had been wiped out. Ye Feng had likely left traces at both sites, but this time, Li Guanqi would need to investigate without attracting attention. Otherwise, Sha might realize what he was doing and uncover Ye Feng’s actions as well.

Li Guanqi’s reason for sparing Luo Changqing was simple: he wanted a powerful opponent who could remind him not to grow arrogant.

Was Luo Changqing weak? Far from it. He was one of the strongest young cultivators Li Guanqi had ever encountered. Li Guanqi himself, however, had virtually no weaknesses. Both his vital force and his physique ranked among the best of any cultivator in his realm.

Still, something troubled him. His sword intent did not yet feel firmly rooted in the Sword Soul Realm because his understanding of Sword Spirit remained too shallow. Even the sword-intent manifestation he could summon had only scratched the surface. He had once asked Sword Spirit what she represented, but she had merely stared at him for a while before shaking her head without a word.

“Sword Spirit?”

Still, there was no reply. He could sense neither her nor the sword coffin’s space. Li Guanqi gave a bitter smile. He had never expected to find himself truly alone.