Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

At the peak of a tall mountain, there was a village called Prosperity Village.

In a small but elegant courtyard, a handsome young man sat cross-legged in the center. He was wearing clean white robes, and an ordinary copper coin hung from his neck, secured by a red string.

A small and thin old man was smoking away nearby, watching the youth with a twinkle in his eyes.

Opening the heart’s eye is especially difficult. I hope he succeeds this time!

Li Guanqi chanted the sutra silently in his heart, his mind entering a profound state.

With a clear heart, even a speck of dust can be seen. When there is no attachment in your mind, you will find clarity.

Myriad paths return to one source through the eyes. When your intrusive thoughts vanish, enlightenment will appear instead.

Sit quietly, focus your mind, and count your heartbeats. When light shines in your heart, it will slowly reflect the whole cosmos.

Forget perceptions and attain true essence. When your heart’s eye opens, it will reveal the workings of heaven.

The sutra that his grandfather had taught him echoed constantly in his head. As the external distractions faded, his mind grew calm and peaceful, like a still pond. His consciousness sank into his surroundings.A while later, Li Guanqi saw thick white fog in his mind.

It nearly shattered his concentration. For the first time ever, he saw something other than pitch-black darkness!

Very quickly, he calmed his mind and chanted the sutra in his mind repeatedly. He felt like this was the closest he had ever gotten to opening his heart’s eye.

In his subconscious, Li Guanqi walked toward the fog. It was as if an invisible wall was blocking him.

He calmed himself and strode forward with great determination. His blood and qi surged instantly within him. The sand and dust on the ground around him started to vibrate slightly.

Smoke obscured the old man’s face, but his smile was still visible.

“His Empty Spirit Physique is impressive... It only took him seven days to open his heart’s eye... With such talent, he will be a great prodigy the world has never seen before.”

Before the old man could finish his sentence, Li Guanqi’s veins suddenly popped and strained against the skin of his neck. His mind cleared; he had broken out of the mist!

Boom!

The sound of something shattering rang in his mind. Suddenly, Li Guanqi’s expression turned to shock as his qi gradually calmed down.

He could finally see...

Although there was no color, his heart’s eye could see everything like regular human eyes.

Su Xuan, the old man, nodded. Before his sea of consciousness is fully formed, this heart’s eye will suffice.

Li Guanqi looked around the elegantly built courtyard. This was his first time seeing it.

“Grandfather?”

Su Xuan smiled. He rose to his feet, placed his hands behind his back, and asked smilingly, “Can you see now?”.

Li Guanqi was incredibly overwhelmed. He nodded vigorously with reddened eyes. Although he could not see color, simply being able to see was enough to overwhelm him.

Su Xuan patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Haha. Don’t worry. In the future, when you attain divine consciousness, you’ll naturally be able to see the colors of the world. However, since you have only just opened your heart’s eye, it’s best if you use it sparingly, as it will use up a lot of spirit energy. Come, come. Come here. I’ve prepared something good for you.”

Li Guanqi nodded slightly and committed Su Xuan’s words to memory. After he rose, he stood and stared for a long time.

He looked at his hands and feet, then he pored over the copper coin tied around his neck.

He held it in his hand. So... this is a copper coin...

Li Guanqi followed Su Xuan to the backyard. When he noticed the pungent medicinal bathwater in the bathtub, he pursed his lips and asked, “Do I still need a bath today?”

Nonetheless, he still took his shirt off. Clearly, this was not his first time.

The Su Xuan just smiled mysteriously and continued walking inside. “You’re not taking a bath now. Come here.”

Without a word, Li Guanqi followed behind Su Xuan. Soon, he saw a rectangular stone pillar about as tall as Li Guanqi with a few hemp ropes tied around it.

The corner of Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched. Looking at the ropes, he blurted, “Grandfather... You’re not asking me to carry this on my back, are you?”

Su Xuan did not respond. He merely looked at Li Guanqi with a smile.

Li Guanqi shrugged. He went up to the stone pillar and looped the ropes around his shoulders. He braced his core and back, and the stone pillar was lifted off the ground!

Li Guanqi’s face swelled and turned red as he stuttered, “G-grandfather! T-this thing is a-at least five hundred jin[1]! I’m a-afraid... i-it’s quite difficult to carry...”

Su Xuan smiled and said, “So what if it’s five hundred jin? You’ve reached peak Body Tempering, and five hundred is not heavy. From now on, you shall carry this on your back as you eat, sleep, and as you travel up and down the mountain!”

Li Guanqi did not complain. All he did was ask, “What about when I’m practicing my punching routine?”

Su Xuan turned and smiled. “You’ll still be carrying it, of course. Carry it even when you’re sleeping.”

Li Guanqi had no choice but to obey him despite not knowing the reason for doing this.

At sunset, Su Xuan left to play chess in the village. Before he left, his eyes darted at Li Guanqi as he muttered, “This is for your own good, brat...”

***

Early the next morning, Su Xuan seemed to be busy preparing something. Li Guanqi, who was carrying the stone pillar on his back, hiked up the mountain from its base, huffing and puffing.

On mornings like this one, the time between waking up and breakfast was playtime for the village youths. When breakfast was ready, women wearing flowery coats opened their yard doors and shouted their children’s names at the top of their lungs.

“You brat! Time for food!”

“Cuihua~ Time to come home.”

“Chenchen, you’d better come home this instant!”

A teenager named Zhao Beichen was hiding in a dark corner, waiting for his target to arrive. He was watching the youth with venomous hatred in his eyes. Meng Wanshu had a cold attitude toward everyone except Li Guanqi, whom she was willing to chat with a little more.

But as far as Zhao Beichen was concerned, Meng Wanshu was going to be his future wife! What right did that stupid blind guy have to take his woman?!

Because of this, during the past few years, Zhao Beichen often came to Li Guanqi looking for trouble. Unfortunately, he would always end up getting beaten up by Li Guanqi.

What made today different was that Li Guanqi had now opened his heart’s eye. Nevertheless, even if he could not see Zhao Beichen, the young man’s breath was as heavy as a bull’s in his ears.

When Zhao Beichen spotted his chance, he slipped out, raised his fist, and swung it at Li Guanqi. All Li Guanqi did was dodge sideways slightly, then he punched Zhao Beichen’s stomach.

The intense pain caused Zhao Beichen to squat on the ground, clutching his abdomen in pain. He pointed at Li Guanqi and cried shakily, “Li... Guanqi! You bastard! Just you wait for two more years!”

Li Guanqi squatted and smirked with amusement. “It doesn’t matter how many years pass; it’ll be the same. You’ll never beat me.”

When the boys nearby saw Li Guanqi get up and look at them, they cried out in a panic, “I... I’m going home. My mother’s calling me.”

After the few boys left, Li Guanqi left Zhao Beichen lying on the ground. He had long set his sights beyond Prosperity Village.

As for Zhao Beichen... Fortunately, he had not thought of using weapons yet, or Li Guanqi would have killed him a long time ago.

Li Guanqi wrinkled his nose and followed a delicious fragrance to its source. When he arrived, he climbed up a house’s garden wall and asked, “Auntie Li~ What’s the occasion? Is that a braised hen?”

Creak~

A slightly plump, middle-aged woman pushed the door open and waved at him with a smile. “It’s you, Guanqi! Have you eaten? Let me give you some.”

Looking at the smiling woman, Li Guanqi thought to himself, So this is what Auntie Li looks like...

Li Guangqi rubbed his belly dramatically and said, “I haven’t, actually. Blame my dog-like nose. I didn’t want to eat the wild vegetables my grandfather cooked, so I followed the smell and arrived here.”

The woman quickly waved him off and said, “Don’t say such things, boy.[2] You came at the right time. I’ve got half a pot left.”

The youth’s smile widened even more. He thanked her sweetly, “Thank you, Auntie Li. Sigh... With your talent in cooking, it would be such a waste if you don’t leave this mountain to open a restaurant.”

The woman squinted, and a few more wrinkles appeared around her eyes. “I know you’re trying to sweet-talk me. Wait here.”

After a while, a beautiful teenage girl wearing a light blue dress emerged, holding a full, fragrant pot of braised chicken. Afraid to spill it, she kept her eyes fixed on the pot.

As she walked, she complained, “Li Guanqi, are you a dog? Why are you so punctual every time my family cooks something good?”

I see now... Wanshu really is beautiful. With that thought, the corners of his lips curled up. He chuckled and said,“Meng Wanshu, who do you think will get to marry a domestic goddess like you when you’re older?”

Meng Wanshu’s tiny face reddened. With great effort, she was finally able to lift the pot up to the top of the garden wall.

She rolled her eyes at him and then ran into the house. However, when she realized the blind youth wasn’t able to see her rolling her eyes, she pursed her lips, looked up, and cursed, “You blind idiot!”

Li Guanqi laughed and turned around. However, he did not leave. Instead, he stood up and bowed slightly before saying awkwardly, “Uh... Uncle Meng... You’re back?”

The man standing in front of Li Guanqi did not speak; he merely kicked Li Guanqi’s bottom.

With a smile, he chided Li Guanqi, “Don’t tease Wanshu so much. You’re coming of age soon, and you’re still not serious at all. Get out of here, brat~”

Li Guanqi chuckled. He quickly nodded and said, “Alright~ I’ll bring you some wine tomorrow, Uncle Meng.”

Then, he strolled over to a house that was slightly further away. After pushing the door open, Li Guanqi called gently, “Grandfather? I’m home.”

Su Xuan, who was smoking a pipe by the door, lit up when he saw the youth. Smacking his lips together, he said, “I’ve always said that Old Meng’s wife is the best cook.”

When Li Guanqi put down the pot, Su Xuan slapped his head, and he almost fell.

Su Xuan pursed his lips and huffed, “You’ve only just opened your heart’s eye, and you’re already using it for such things? One hundred more rounds of punches for you today!”

Li Guanqi grimaced but did not dare fight back. “You controlled your strength well today. If you had hit any harder, I’d have to pay Old Zhao a visit tomorrow.”

He rubbed his head and did not say anything for a long time after that.

Burp~

“I’m done eating,” Su Xuan said.

Li Guanqi suddenly sensed that something was off. He poked around the pot with his chopsticks. For a while, only the clinking sounds of his chopsticks and the pot could be heard.

He asked, “Are you going to play chess with Old Lu again?”

“It’s none of your business. Focus on your practice! I’m going to the mountains to look for something. I’ll be back in two days. Remember to buy me some wine when you go down the mountain tomorrow.”

Li Guanqi sulked and inhaled large mouthfuls of rice until not a single grain remained.

After he was done eating, he went to the backyard, took off his clothes, and then sat in the bathtub. The ink-green medicinal bath constantly prickled his skin. In just a few breaths’ time, the youth’s skin had turned completely red, and beads of sweat started to sprout from his forehead.

He trembled, clenching his teeth hard as if he was suffering from extreme pain. Through the ink-green medicine, many mysterious patterns that densely covered his body could be seen.

Li Guanqi had only opened his heart’s eye yesterday. Although he could only “see” in black and white, it was still an incredible gift. He had exhausted his mental energy to open his heart’s eye, as he treasured being able to distinguish between day and night.

Li Guanqi sat in the bathtub, silently bearing the pain brought by the medicinal bath. He was thinking about what he would do after completing his punching practice.

***

His fists whistled through the air. Finally, he completed the last repetition of his routine.

Li Guanqi opened his heart’s eye and realized that it was already past midnight. He furrowed his brow.

“Why hasn’t Grandfather returned yet?”

Li Guanqi did not think much of it. He lay on his bed and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, he still did not see his grandfather. He decided to descend the mountain to buy some wine.

Sometimes, his grandfather spent days in the mountains, so he had grown accustomed to this. Li Guanqi hummed a small tune as he descended the mountain.

Meanwhile, another friend of his had also descended the mountain.

1. 1 jin () = 0.5-0.6kg depending on which country in Eastern Asia you’re in. In China, it’s standardized as 0.5kg.

2. “Eating wild vegetables” is slang for living a poor life.