Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The three of them took to the air, but they didn’t head straight for the Great Wind Mountain Residence. First, they had to see Zhao Yang off.

They soon reached a city near the residence. Following directions, they made their way to a place known as the Heavenly Wind Guesthouse. Li Guanqi carried the unconscious Zhao Yang on his back.

The moment he stepped inside, a busboy wordlessly led them to the backyard. After hearing the agreed-upon secret code, Li Guanqi finally felt assured enough to hand Zhao Yang over.

The guesthouse, he learned, was a business of the Daxia Sword Sect. Clearly, Lu Kangnian had never intended to merely guard his own territory. His preparations had been in place for a long time, waiting only for the right moment to move.

Once Zhao Yang was in safe hands, the three set off again, flying toward the Great Wind Mountain Residence while keeping themselves concealed. When they drew near, they saw that it was all but abandoned. Only one woman remained.

The residence lay in ruins, with rubble scattered everywhere. Anything of value had long since been stripped from the rooms. The once-proud Great Wind Mountain Residence was now a hollow shell.

The woman approached, clearly having taken care to present herself well.

A gleam appeared in Cao Yan and Ye Feng’s eyes, instantly drawn to her sophisticated aura.

Li Guanqi rubbed his nose awkwardly. The last time they’d met had been at night, and under poor circumstances. He’d never noticed how striking she was.

Su Qiu looked directly at him. She studied his face for a long while, as though trying to memorize it.Even Cao Yan sensed something unusual. He nudged Ye Feng and sent a voice transmission. “Second Brother, I think there’s something between Brother Li and her.”

Ye Feng rolled his eyes and huffed. “Obviously! I’m not the blind one here!”

Su Qiu descended the steps and came to stand before Li Guanqi. Seeing the deeper lines in his face, she instinctively reached out to brush the wrinkles at the corner of his eye.

Li Guanqi leaned back awkwardly. Ye Feng grimaced.

Her hand froze, then fell slowly. Disappointment clouded her features.

In the end, she pressed a storage ring into his hand, speaking softly with her head bowed. “Thank you for helping me escape my suffering. I found this in the Fang family’s storage. I don’t know what’s inside, but… please take it as my thanks.”

Li Guanqi accepted it without hesitation. “I didn’t save you for your sake alone. You don’t really need to thank me.”

Su Qiu pursed her lips with tears in her eyes, gazing at him pitifully. His words were blunt—too blunt.

Even though Li Guanqi didn’t do it specifically to save her, Su Qiu still considered him her savior.

However, he clearly implied that he did not want anything to do with her.

Once, she had been the cherished princess of an entire kingdom. Now, she had been turned away just like that.

No matter how she tried to steel herself, the rejection stung. Her eyes reddened. She turned to leave and walked away without another word.

Ye Feng watched her go, then said, “Boss, sometimes I wonder if you’re really a man.”

Li Guanqi gave him a sidelong look and a chuckle. “Oh? Why’s that?”

Ye Feng crossed his arms, as if he knew everything. “There’s clearly something between you and that young lady. And from the look of it, she’s into you! Tsk tsk! When a gift like that comes knocking, why not accept it?”

Li Guanqi said in exasperation, “Hey, brat. Do you really think I learned nothing from ‘cultivating amongst mortal distractions’? I can keep the lower half of my body in check.”

After a bit of banter, his tone grew serious. “Let me warn you—we’ll be spending money when we cultivate amongst mortal distractions, so it’s fine for you to enjoy yourself. But with women like her, don’t lead them on if you’re not truly interested. Not even a little. That’s already crossing a line, and you’ll pay for it in the end.”

Only half-understanding, Cao Yan muttered, “Is that why you were so harsh, Boss?”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “I don’t feel that way about her, so why pretend? I’m not trying to win her over, so why accept her affection?”

Without another glance back, he left the grounds.

The two of them fell into deep thought, muttering, “I don’t understand him.”

When they caught up to him, Ye Feng asked curiously, “Boss, what type do you like? Wide hips for childbearing? A face that could topple a city? Or…”

Ye Feng gestured with a naughty smirk.

Though Ye Feng’s tone was playful, Li Guanqi actually gave it thought. Faces flickered through his mind: the female disciples of Heavenly Water Peak, the kind Senior Sister Gu Ran, and the cold, aloof Sword Spirit.

In terms of beauty, Sword Spirit was unmatched. But she… Some things were better left unsaid.

Then, she appeared. With a nostalgic look, he said, “I like a girl who scolds me and calls me a dog.”

Both Ye Feng and Cao Yan froze. Ye Feng frowned and muttered, “That’s not… some kind of kink, is it? You like being insulted?”

Li Guanqi kicked his backside. “Shut your mouth if you have nothing good to say! Go to the secret realm and train.”

Ye Feng and Cao Yan looked at each other, then nodded vigorously.

A flash of light burst from the sword box, and they vanished into thin air.

Li Guanqi didn’t enter the Hundred Prides Illusory Realm. He had little to gain from it at the moment.

His technique had already reached a high level, but without the cultivation to match, he couldn’t unleash his full power. His golden core was of superior quality, and he possessed vast reserves of vital force compared to his Foundation Building days. However, he still felt powerless when facing those with higher cultivation levels.

His gaze grew distant. “Cultivation… My level’s still too low. If I’d been in the late Golden Core Realm, I would’ve had a seventy percent chance of killing Fang Yishan.”

He looked down at his wrinkly hands and sighed. “I have to use every means to raise my cultivation. Three years of life left… Nascent Soul Realm… the pressure is crushing.”