Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Not long after, Ye Feng’s injuries had almost completely healed. The potent medicinal pills helped stabilize his cultivation.

Buzz!

A wisp of white smoke slipped from his mouth as he exhaled. His eyes flashed, but there was no joy in them.

Noticing this, Li Guanqi waved him over. “Come sit.”

Ye Feng hesitated, then quickly moved to his side.

The night was clear, with a bright moon and only a handful of stars. Li Guanqi pulled out a wine jug and handed it to Ye Feng, then produced another for himself.

The jugs clinked together with a sharp sound.

Glug. Glug.

Without looking at him, Li Guanqi asked gently, “You’ve got something on your mind, don’t you?”

Ye Feng lowered his head, his golden hair veiling half his face. He let out a soft grunt. “Mm.”Li Guanqi grinned and playfully punched his shoulder. “Come on, just say it. You look like you’re about to burst.”

Ye Feng chuckled, then looked up at Li Guanqi with a determined gaze. “Boss, I would like to leave and train on my own!”

Li Guanqi had half-expected it. “You think you’re holding me back, don’t you?”

Ye Feng let out a long sigh. Since he’d chosen to speak, he wouldn’t hold back. He tipped his head back and gulped down a mouthful of wine, fire rushing down his throat. The alcohol gave him the courage he needed. He nodded.

“Yeah. I feel useless. I can’t help you. It’s happened once, then again… Sometimes I wonder if you’d be better off without me. With your brains and strength, you wouldn’t have gotten caught in those dangers in the first place.”

Li Guanqi suddenly kicked him. Ye Feng stared in confusion.

Rising to his feet, Li Guanqi pointed at him and snapped, “If it weren’t for you, I would’ve died without even leaving a damn corpse behind. You’re no burden, Ye Feng! Neither is Cao Yan! I’ve taken you both as my brothers. Even if you were a burden, I’d accept it gladly!”

His chest heaved, his voice rising without him realizing it.

Ye Feng scrambled up and grabbed his shoulders. “Hehe. I knew you wouldn’t hate me, Boss.”

He released him, then said, “You know… I used to be arrogant. I had talent, so I looked down on others. I was lazy, and I didn’t enjoy cultivating.”

He paused, then turned to Li Guanqi. “Until I met you.”

He continued, “That day at the Scripture Pavilion, as I watched you leave, I finally understood what people mean when they say there’s always someone better out there. I respect and admire you. Everything since then has proven I was right to follow you.

“And Cao Yan lit another fire in me. He was an incredible prodigy, and I started cultivating more seriously.”

Li Guanqi listened quietly. He’d seen how Ye Feng changed after Cao Yan joined, becoming many times more diligent.

Ye Feng took another swig of wine. “Big Head made me feel threatened. His progress was terrifying, built on years of hard work.

“I’m scared. Scared that one day I won’t be able to keep up, that the gap between us will only grow.”

His head hung low. With companions like them, even Ye Feng, born with a rare King Spirit Root, felt inadequate.

Then he looked up and flashed a toothy grin. “That’s why I’ve decided to venture out on my own! You won’t stop me, will you, Boss?”

Li Guanqi felt torn.

When he brought Ye Feng with him out of the sect, his goal was to experience hardship with a brother by his side and explore the vast world. However, Ye Feng now wanted to leave.

And he understood why. If things continued, the gap would only widen. They had been fighting enemies so strong that Ye Feng could only see himself as a burden. When they faced Fang Yishan and when Cao Yan was being pursued, it was Li Guanqi who saved Ye Feng from death.

After a long silence, Li Guanqi fixed his eyes on him. “Do you want to make a bet?”

Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t gambled since following Li Guanqi. “Bet on what?”

The corners of Li Guanqi’s lips curved upward. He looked at Ye Feng and said solemnly, “Do you want to bet that the next time you meet me, your sword will cry so loud it’ll reach the nine heavens? That your name will be heard across the whole Daxia Territory and the four seas?”

Ye Feng’s eyes burned brighter, almost shining with light. He grinned and clinked his jug against Li Guanqi’s. “I’ll bet on that! And I’ll stake my dignity as your little brother!”

Li Guanqi raised his jug and smiled. “This time, I hope I lose.”

Beneath the moonlight, he gave Ye Feng half the resources he carried—healing pills, life-saving medicine, and more.

They talked until dawn.

Chirp chirp! Tweet tweet!

Birdsong, insect hum, and beast calls filled the morning air of the endless mountains.

Vital force surged through Ye Feng as he purged the alcohol from his body. He rose and looked at Li Guanqi. “Boss, I don’t know when we’ll meet again. But… the path to immortality is long. Like rivers flowing to the sea, our paths will converge again. You have a jade slip—if you ever need me, just send word. Regardless of where I am, I’ll come.”

Li Guanqi had never seen Ye Feng look so serious.

Grinning, he pulled Ye Feng into a tight embrace and thumped his back hard. “I believe in you, just as you believe in me. I know you can do it!”

Ye Feng didn’t drag out his farewell. His heart burned with the desire to grow stronger, to stop being a burden, to stand as Li Guanqi’s equal. Ye Feng didn’t want to fall behind his companions.

Li Guanqi watched him go, emotions swirling.

Looking out at the endless mountains, he murmured, “Then I can’t fall behind either… Hell Mountains, here I come. I’ll break through to the Nascent Soul Realm right here.”