Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Cao Yan’s face looked especially pale under the moonlight, but his smile was sincere and joyful. Ye Feng returned, carrying an armful of storage pouches with unbridled joy on his face.

“Boss! Look at these! I looted all of these, and Yu Kai even had one storage ring on him!”

Cao Yan struggled to sit up. His eyes widened in shock. “You killed Yu Kai, the chief of the Dark Blood Association?! Run! The Dark Blood Association has five more Golden Core Realm cultivators!”

Ye Feng took half a step back, then pointed at Cao Yan and said, “Hey, Big Head! Don’t widen your eyes at people like that! It’s very scary!”

Then Ye Feng started counting on his fingers and plopped down beside Li Guanqi. “Boss, there were six of them total, including Yu Kai. I think we got them all, right?”

Cao Yan suddenly dropped to his knees, tears pouring down his face. “Cao Yan bows to you both for saving his life!”

Startled by his sudden kowtow, both Li Guanqi and Ye Feng hurried to pull him up. Ye Feng, slightly embarrassed, wiped the blood from Cao Yan’s forehead with his sleeve. “You can’t just kneel like that with a head that big... What if it bursts? Saving you wasn’t a big deal, really. I don’t even kowtow that hard to my old man.”

Cao Yan grinned.

Li Guanqi asked, “If I’m right… You’re… at the late Foundation Building Realm?”

Cao Yan’s eyes dimmed, but he nodded truthfully. He said in a small voice, “That’s right. I entered the late Foundation Building Realm when I was ten.”Ye Feng’s eyes grew even wider than Cao Yan’s. “Ten?! Late Foundation Building?!”

Cao Yan’s eyes darted at him. Li Guanqi shot a glance to shut him up.

“That’s right... But something happened to my clan. After that, I ended up like this. I can’t cultivate or absorb any spirit qi. My head keeps growing, and my cultivation level keeps slipping.”

Li Guanqi sighed. Fate could be vicious. Every family had its own share of hardship. He hadn’t saved Cao Yan out of impulse, but because seeing him thrown out the mansion’s back door had struck a nerve. It mirrored what had happened to his sister when she was cast out of the Zhao Estate all those years ago. Back then, he’d been powerless to stop it. Even his grandfather couldn’t have saved her, as she was already dead.

But now, he could save Cao Yan.

He didn’t want that tragedy to repeat itself. Cao Yan might have looked strange and ugly, but his heart was kind. In fact, they likely targeted him because of his warning to Li Guanqi and Ye Feng about the pills.

Just as Li Guanqi was about to ask Cao Yan what he planned to do next, a gasp echoed in his mind. Sword Spirit had awakened.

She shot out of the sword coffin, visible only to him. Her demeanor was as cold and arrogant as ever, a trait Li Guanqi had long grown used to. Her beauty, however, never ceased to dazzle.

She leaned and eyed Cao Yan up and down, clicking her tongue in surprise. “I can’t believe your luck. You actually met someone like this.”

Li Guanqi frowned. “What do you mean?”

She grinned, her vermilion-red lips revealing pearly white teeth. “I’ll give you two choices.”

Li Guanqi shrugged. He did not like the sound of her words. “Let’s hear them.”

She leaned down and pointed at Cao Yan. “This guy has far more potential and talent than that big oaf sitting next to you. He could be a major asset in the future!”

“Go on.”

“But… someone did something very evil to him.”

She straightened up, and Li Guanqi silently mourned the loss of eye candy.

Then, a ray of spirit light shot out from her finger into Cao Yan’s eyes. A bright mark blazing with blue flaming spirit light appeared between his eyebrows, right where his burn had been.

“You can use the sword in your spirit void to sever the seal on his spirit platform,” Sword Spirit said. “But if you do, you’ll take on his karma—and it’s heavy. It might even kill you. The choice is yours.”

Li Guanqi felt conflicted, though he didn’t doubt Sword Spirit’s judgment. Of everyone he knew, only his grandfather possessed comparable knowledge. If Sword Spirit believed it, she undoubtedly had good reason.

He sat there silently for a long time. Eventually, he got up and interrupted the small talk between Ye Feng and Cao Yan. He stared at Cao Yan for a long while. Cao Yan returned the gaze, sensing that Li Guanqi had something to say.

He felt nothing but gratitude toward them both.

To Cao Yan, the ones who saved his life were no different than second parents. They’d given him another chance to live.

After a long time, Li Guanqi glanced at Ye Feng and transmitted, “I want to take him as a little brother. What do you think?”

Ye Feng had not expected Li Guanqi to ask for his opinion. The feeling of being taken seriously made his heart feel warm. Ye Feng was an easygoing person who wasn’t one to fuss about details. He’d be more than happy to have a younger brother. Besides, he liked Cao Yan. The guy had risked himself to warn them.

When Ye Feng nodded, Li Guanqi took a deep breath and said, “Cao Yan, my name is Li Guanqi, this is my brother Ye Feng. If I help you unlock the seal in your body today, would you be willing to follow me and call me your brother?”

Cao Yan’s pupils trembled. He made up his mind on the spot and scrambled to his feet.

Ye Feng moved to help, but Cao Yan raised a hand to stop him. With great effort, he stood on his own. His features were twisted and uneven, but the resolve in his eyes was unmistakable. Even with one eye sitting higher than the other, he locked his gaze on Li Guanqi and struck his chest with his fist.

“I’ll be honest. My background is... complicated. If you take me in as your brother, it might not do you any good.”

Li Guanqi smiled. His judgment hadn’t been wrong. Cao Yan had chosen to be upfront with them.

But Li Guanqi had already made his decision. “You just need to give us a yes or no. I’m ready for whatever else comes with it.”

Cao Yan took a deep breath and bowed. “I, Cao Yan, swear on the honor of my ancestors. From this day forward, I will follow you and do all I can to support you!”

His voice rang with such conviction that even Ye Feng felt a surge of emotion.