Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi’s words shook everyone to their core, echoing in their minds. When the dejected Cang Lu looked at him, his eyes lit up. To him, Li Guanqi was like a ray of light piercing the darkness.

No one understood why he did what he did, but he felt like Li Guanqi did.

They’d crossed paths before, but never actually talked. Despite that, he felt they were on the same side.

Yun Mengxi stared at Li Guanqi in shock. She didn’t know who he was, but his words rang loud and clear. That only fueled her fury—why did everyone insist on meddling in her personal affairs?

“Who are you?” she demanded. “What’s this got to do with you? You have no right to interfere in my life!”

Li Guanqi smirked. His gaze flicked between her and Wu Kun, then he scoffed. “You don’t need to know who I am. At first, I didn’t plan to step in.”

He paused, narrowing his eyes. “I could’ve stayed quiet, simply watching the show. I would’ve even felt happy for him.”

Then, he turned to look at Cang Lu, who furrowed his brow slightly in confusion. Li Guanqi did not elaborate.

Yun Mengxi snorted. “Happy? Happy that he walked away with unimaginable wealth today? If that’s it, then yes, he should be happy. But I wonder if he can carry all those spirit stones home with those scrawny arms of his. He looks like he’s starving.”

She snickered while looking at Cang Lu’s slender hands.Cang Lu was indeed thin, and he didn’t seem like the type cut out for physical hardship. However, Li Guanqi still couldn’t understand why he insisted on hiding his true strength. Shaking his head, he said sarcastically, “You threw away gold just to grab a pile of shit. Truly blind.”

She paled, realizing the comment was directed at her.

“What do you mean by that?”

Li Guanqi dug at his ear, then pointed at Wu Kun, half-dead on the ground, and laughed. “You’re after his money, aren’t you? That’s why you chose Wu Kun. Do you really need me to pull out a projection stone in front of everyone before you’ll admit it? Heh. To me, a hundred Wu Kuns wouldn’t add up to half of him.”

Yun Mengxi sensed that Li Guanqi was as powerful as the elders in her sect. She felt like Li Guanqi was alluding to something.

When Li Guanqi opened his mouth again, Cang Lu tugged on his sleeve and shook his head. Seeing that Cang Lu didn’t want to dwell on it, Li Guanqi shrugged and decided to end it quickly.

But Yun Mengxi, humiliated, refused to let go.

“You’d better explain yourself!”

Li Guanqi’s face hardened. He struck her across the face.

Slap!

The sound echoed across the pavilion.

An elder shot to his feet, roaring, “Where did this fucking brat crawl out from?! How dare you slap my disciple in front of me?!”

Li Guanqi only glanced at him. He had more than enough strength to kill the elder in moments, but he was in the Phoenix Lightning Sect, and it wasn’t worth the trouble.

That single glance froze the elder to the bone, as if he had plunged into an ice cave.

Chu Xingxian felt there was more beneath the surface. Because of Li Guanqi’s identity, he held his tongue and let him be.

Ning Gang noticed as well. He caught Chu Xingxian’s sideways glance and immediately shut his mouth, not daring to move.

Yun Mengxi stood stunned, her cheek burning. The sheer audacity of it, combined with her master’s telling silence, hit her like a cold splash of reality. Li Guanqi had to be someone of extraordinary status, someone whom she couldn’t offend.

Li Guanqi glared at her coldly. “One day, you’ll understand what I meant when I said he isn’t worth it. Hehe. Go ask Wu Kun yourself. See if he dares admit your relationship now.”

Yun Mengxi’s face paled further. She rushed to Wu Kun’s side, hauling him up. “Tell him! Tell him what we are!”

Though dazed, Wu Kun could still hear. He looked up at Li Guanqi, then quickly averted his gaze in fear.

Li Guanqi had nearly killed him. In that crater, he’d felt a crushing pressure closing in. If not for Chu Xingxian’s presence, Li Guanqi might truly have killed him.

He was completely terrified of Li Guanqi.

“Say it! Say something! Tell him!”

Yun Mengxi’s shrill voice pulled him back to the present. Wu Kun opened his mouth, but turned his head away in silence.

Seeing his reaction, her disappointment twisted into fury. Breathing hard, she slapped him viciously across the face.

Her blow carried vital force. His jaw shattered with an audible crack, and he screamed in agony, blood and broken teeth spilling from his mouth.

Yun Mengxi cried, “Wu Kun! You useless piece of shit! Even at this point, is it so hard to admit we’re together?!”

Cang Lu, silent until now, gave a bitter smile. “Of course it’s hard.”

All eyes turned to him. His gaze was cold. “Hoo… how amusing. So that’s why this bastard always looked at me so strangely.”

He looked straight at her and snorted. “Of course he won’t admit it. Since last year, he’s been engaged to Miss Li Li of the Li family in the southern district.”

Cang Lu finally understood, and any remaining hope vanished. He was naturally calm and emotionally sensitive. Since his feelings were clearly not mutual, he wouldn’t pursue it.

Especially when his love was as worthless as mud to her.

Yun Mengxi’s chest heaved. Looking at the man who once promised her the world, all she felt now was the absurdity of it all.

She glared at Wu Kun, who was hiding like a coward, and her world seemed to tilt with fury.

Then Chu Xingxian raised his hand.

Crash!

Wu Kun was flung out of the main pavilion.