Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi stroked Chen Xiaotian’s head, using a weak but warm wisp of vital force to ease his pain. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to pay me.”

Chen Xiaotian smiled, eyes squinting with happiness. This was the most unforgettable day of his life. His prayers had been heard by an immortal from the heavens, and that immortal had come to save him.

He turned to look at his mother and said with great difficulty, “Immortal Master… could you save my mother first? I-I can still hold on for a little while. And if I die… that’s not a big deal anyway.”

Li Guanqi smiled gently. To Li Guanqi, the woman’s illness was simple to cure. “Don’t overthink it. I’m saving you both.”

She hurried to her feet. “Immortal Master, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Wait for me.”

Before Li Guanqi could decline, she left the house. He saw her squat around the corner, sobbing hard.

Only Chen Xiaotian and Li Guanqi remained. The boy eyed Li Guanqi curiously as he raised his hand and summoned a heavenly flame to warm the room.

The boy’s eyes widened, now even more confident that he and his mother would live. After some thought, Li Guanqi asked, “Have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to be when you grow up?”

Chen Xiaotian shook his head, puzzled.

Grrr…The boy clutched his stomach, a little embarrassed. He stuck his tongue out. “I haven’t thought about that. All I ever think about is whether I’ll get to eat, how long I have left to live, and whether Mother will die before me.”

Li Guanqi’s heart clenched at the boy’s calm delivery. It felt like he was looking at the younger version of himself.

Thud!

A gigantic sword coffin appeared. Chen Xiaotian stared at it curiously, his mouth agape.

The coffin opened, and the Red Lotus Sword flew into Li Guanqi’s hand. He passed the sword to the boy. “Do you know what this is?”

“A sword!” Chen Xiaotian shouted. “I saw this in a book! Those people who use swords are so cool!”

Li Guanqi burst into laughter. “Since you haven’t thought about what you want to be when you grow up, you should become a proud sword cultivator who kills demons and devils. What do you think?”

Chen Xiaotian possessed a spirit root, and a rather good one at that. His eyes lit up, and he tapped the Red Lotus Sword’s hilt with his finger. The sword trembled and let out a bright cry, red light flowing through it.

Awesome! The scene planted a seed in his heart. He didn’t speak, only nodded hard.

Li Guanqi took out the piece of wood that the tree had given him. He held up two fingers and pointed at the wood, turning it into an elegant three-chi-long wooden sword in the blink of an eye. He used his vital force and sword intent to carve “Xiaotian” on the bottom of the hilt, then sealed it with his twin heavenly flames.

He placed the wooden sword in the boy’s arms and asked in a low voice, “You feel very grateful, don’t you?”

Chen Xiaotian said, “Yeah! Without your help, we would’ve died! I owe you big time! When I grow up, I’ll repay you a hundred times over!”

Li Guanqi remained silent. His expression turned solemn. He wrapped the boy in spatial force to help him sit up against the wall, then showed him a projection made of spirit light.

In the projection, Chen Xiaotian’s mother knocked on all her neighbors’ doors. She kneeled before them with a big smile, begging to borrow vegetables and meat. Despite their mockery, she only nodded, even saying ingratiating things. A kind old woman gave her an old hen from her yard. Everyone knew Xu Jinglan couldn’t afford to repay them—it would be a sunk cost.

Chen Xiaotian could not bear to see his mother like that. He turned his head away as he clenched his little fist tight, tears falling onto his clothes.

Li Guanqi retracted the projection. “Xiaotian, remember what I’m about to say.”

The boy looked up in confusion.

Li Guanqi stood, his back to the boy. “Don’t treat minor acts of kindness from strangers as precious treasures while forgetting your loved ones’ sacrifices. I know you’re grateful and love your mother very much. But remember: no matter what, your family is the most important thing. Even though I’ve told you to become a proud sword cultivator, you must wait until after your mother passes from old age. Understood?”

Determination flashed across Chen Xiaotian’s young face. He nodded hard.

Li Guanqi turned and infused the wooden sword with two techniques and a sword sutra, then used a secret technique to obscure its light so it appeared ordinary.

He turned toward the window. “Fellow Daoist, you’ve been watching for a long time. Are you still not going to show yourself?”

To the boy’s shock, Li Guanqi vanished.

***

A hundred zhang outside the village, Li Guanqi stood under a willow tree, waiting.

Buzz!

The space before him warped, and a youth in luxurious green robes appeared. He was handsome, with sword-shaped eyebrows and bright eyes, radiating righteousness. He held an emerald bamboo flute in one hand. A jade pendant hung at his waist, and he wore a warm smile.

Li Guanqi looked at him. What a fine young man!

The youth matched his cultivation level, and even with his aura retracted, his strength was evident.

He gave Li Guanqi a fist salute. “My name is He Yuning of the Great Profound Sword Sect. I apologize if I’ve offended you, Fellow Daoist.”

Li Guanqi frowned. He’d sensed He Yuning from the moment he entered the house, but he’d ignored him since he hadn’t detected any malicious intent.

He returned the salute. “I’m Ye Feng, a rogue cultivator. Why were you spying on us?”

He Yuning seemed to panic and replied hurriedly, “Brother Ye, don’t misunderstand! I only came here… because I heard the boy’s thoughts.”

Li Guanqi was shocked. “You heard it too? Did every cultivator hear it?”

“How’s that possible? Perhaps you and I are the only ones.” He Yuning waved his hand. “As for why I was spying…”

He hesitated. “I was just curious why you treated him so well. Curing his illness aside, you taught him life concepts, gave him a treasure, and were generous with that sword sutra.”

Li Guanqi observed He Yuning carefully but saw no greed in his eyes. His clothes and bamboo flute were clearly extraordinary.

He Yuning studied him in return. “Although I don’t know what you’ve experienced, Brother Ye, it felt like… you’re helping your younger self.”

Li Guanqi froze, then smiled, murmuring, “Helping my younger self… Hahahaha, you phrased it well!”

He turned to look at the wooden house, then tossed a jug of wine to He Yuning as snow fell around them.

“Although this is our first meeting, I feel close to you. Let me give you some wine today. Next time, we’ll meet to drink more.”

He Yuning looked at the wine jug, hesitated, then drank it.

He coughed violently. “This is so spicy!”

Li Guanqi chuckled, though he hadn’t touched a drop of wine. He simply ran his fingers over the crimson wine gourd hanging at his hip.

He Yuning clenched his teeth and finished the remaining wine, his face red. He gave Li Guanqi a fist salute. “If fate allows, come to the Great Profound Sword Sect one day! Just tell them my name—He Yuning!”

Then, He Yuning flew off, staggering mid-air.

Li Guanqi laughed as he watched him leave. “Decent guy! Low alcohol tolerance, though.”