Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Seven or eight customers sat scattered across four tables in the guesthouse. There weren’t many of them, but every single one was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

That alone said everything about the Yellow Sand Guesthouse—it catered to Nascent Soul Realm experts. The guesthouse across the street was for everyone else.

As Li Guanqi stepped through the door, a gust of wind blew in a cloud of yellow sand.

Since everyone inside was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, the sand couldn’t reach any of their drinks. Still, a middle-aged man turned to look at Li Guanqi and growled, “Don’t you know how to close the fucking door when you enter a room? Or do you have a tail dragging behind you?”

A long knife lay on the table before him. He had high cheekbones and long, narrow eyes that gave him a menacing look.

Li Guanqi took off his cloth mask and grinned, revealing his bright white teeth.

The other patrons were just beginning to wonder what would happen next when their vision blurred. Li Guanqi was gone.

A knife and a sword briefly flashed.

Before anyone could react, a loud clang echoed, and the knife went flying from the man’s grasp. Li Guanqi grabbed the man, lifting him up and smashing his head onto the table.

Boom!The table exploded. His head formed a crater in the ground, his eyes rolled back, and he foamed at the mouth. The flesh between his thumb and forefinger had split open, blood soaking his palm.

Li Guanqi straightened up, spat on the ground, and said coolly, “Why bark if you can’t bite?”

Then he kicked. The man’s limp body flew through the air like a sack of grain and crashed straight through the guesthouse door.

A woman in a green dress stood on the floor above with her hands on her hips. With a smoking pipe in her mouth, she shouted, “Which bastard’s fighting in my guesthouse again?! If you wanna fight, go outside! This isn’t the place to show off! I’ve fixed this damn place eight hundred times this year already. If it falls apart this time, let’s see where you bastards plan to sleep!”

Hearing such coarse language coming from such a beautiful woman caught Li Guanqi off guard. Inwardly, he felt stunned. He could sense that her cultivation level was higher than his, which meant she was at least in the late Nascent Soul Realm.

The woman turned her eyes to Li Guanqi. Annoyed by his stare, she said, “One hundred spirit stones. And fix my door. If you don’t, I’ll beat you up.”

Before Li Guanqi could answer, he noticed the other cultivators had gone pale. The woman wasn’t bluffing. She’d probably roughed up plenty of people before.

Li Guanqi rubbed the back of his head, pulled out two wooden planks, and waved his fingers to quickly fashion two doors. Then he grinned up at her. “Ah~ I’m sorry, Big Sister… I just got here, but that guy mouthed off and I couldn’t hold back.”

Ignoring her disgust, he took out three mid-grade spirit stones and said, “Don’t worry, Big Sister! I would never shortchange you.”

Ning Xiu felt her stomach churn. Li Guanqi currently looked like a big, stubbled man, and he’d called her “Big Sister” twice.

Vital force surged through Ning Xiu, and she raised her hand to slap Li Guanqi.

Thud!

Fire power flooded the guesthouse. The air around her palm warped under the heat.

Startled, Li Guanqi threw up his arms to shield himself. He let the strike send him flying out the door, deliberately weakening his vital force shield so that his left arm came away lightly burned. Ning Xiu had also held back.

The moment he was gone, the fiery pressure indoors vanished. Soon, Li Guanqi’s voice drifted in from outside. “Big Sister… why so angry?”

Ning Xiu’s face darkened. “I’ll treat your spirit stones as payment for the damage. Now fuck off! Go stay across the street! And my name’s Ning Xiu. Don’t call me Big Sister—it’s disgusting.”

Li Guanqi landed lightly and pursed his lips. Stroking his chin, he muttered under his breath, “Does Big Sister just not like handsome men? Ah… I’m too shy.”

Boom!

All the windows of the guesthouse burst open, and countless flames shot out.

Li Guanqi spun around and ran toward the other inn, muttering, “You’ve got quite the temper, Big Sister. Don’t get so angry… it’ll make you age faster.”

A furious shriek followed. “You fucking bastard! You’re dead!”

Clang!

Ning Xiu took a step forward and shot out of the second floor of the guesthouse, a bright red sword in hand.

Li Guanqi sprinted toward Inferno Valley, though that did not stop him from mouthing off. “Big Sister, you’re awfully emotional today. Could it be that you’re… Ah!”

Ning Xiu looked grim. She’d never thought someone would test her limits over and over again.

And she definitely wasn’t pregnant. She’d been single for many years.

“Hmph! Just you wait! If I catch you, I’ll make sure you learn your lesson!”

Boom!

Ning Xiu left a fiery trail behind her as she ran. Everyone in Inferno Town craned their necks to watch the commotion, and they all silently prayed for the man with the stubble.

Ning Xiu was known for her terrible temper. If not for it, she wouldn’t have been able to settle down in such an obscure location.

Up ahead, Li Guanqi’s eyes gleamed. He glanced back with a smirk.

Soon, the two of them entered the depths of Inferno Valley. The air grew hotter, with the ground dry and cracked.

The natural fire spirit power was abnormally active. Ning Xiu was growing worried when the man suddenly stopped.

Li Guanqi turned to look at her, then shed his disguise and revealed his true face. The sight of his sharp, handsome features made her heart skip a beat.

He smirked. “The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion’s reach is impressive. But I’m curious… why are they so interested in me?”

Ning Xiu frowned and asked coldly, “What are you talking about?”

Despite her composed demeanor, her thoughts were racing.

Does he know? Impossible… But he wouldn’t have revealed himself unless he was certain...

She flicked her wrist, tossing out a jade pendant. An invisible barrier rose around them.

Her beautiful eyes locked on him. “How did you find out?”