Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi wasn’t an alchemist, but his cultivation was high. For him, helping a mortal rearrange their meridians and cure a few ailments was a simple task.

Pulling Xu Jinglan back from the brink of death gave him a sense of accomplishment. She was lucky—her illness hadn’t been terminal yet.

His own mother hadn’t been so lucky.

The day he left with his grandfather, Su Xuan, Li Guanqi had asked why he hadn’t saved his mother. His grandfather merely replied, “That is her fate, and there is nothing I can do.”

If his grandfather said so, Li Guanqi knew it had to be true. There was nothing that could have saved her. Even Gu Yong, a pavilion master of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion, had to stand and bow before his grandfather.

The nonchalant, childlike old man who lived with him was just that powerful.

Chen Xiaotian’s eyes snapped open at the sight of his mother’s reddened face. He didn’t even glance at the food on the table. He just stood up and threw himself into her arms, eyes already brimming with tears. “Mother! Mother, have you recovered? Are you okay now?”

His mother nodded, tears in her eyes. The boy turned and kowtowed hard to Li Guanqi, so hard his forehead swelled. Neither Li Guanqi nor his mother stopped him, which eased his guilt.

He realized the tumor on his neck had vanished, and his body felt strong, no longer weighed down.

Li Guanqi raised his hand to stop Chen Xiaotian from thanking him. “I’ve been holding my chopsticks for a long time. If you talk now, the food’s going to go cold. Can’t I eat some warm food?”The woman smiled. “Come, let’s eat. Immortal Master, eat more meat.”

Li Guanqi held up his bowl to her and said, “Auntie Xu, just call me Guanqi.”

Finally, he removed his disguise and revealed his true face.

Xu Jinglan froze at the sight of his milk-white eyes. A flash of sympathy crossed her face.

From his actions, she could tell Li Guanqi—powerful as he claimed to be—had probably had a tough childhood too, especially after what he did in the kitchen.

A wave of maternal love swept through her, and she gently pulled Li Guanqi into her arms. Her eyes reddened. She patted his back with her rough hands and said softly, “As long as you’ve grown up peacefully.”

Even someone as strong as Li Guanqi almost broke down sobbing at her words.

With teary eyes, he patted her back and closed his eyes. “Don’t worry, I did grow up.”

It took a long time before the three of them calmed down. In the end, they ate the most memorable meal of their lives.

After Xu Jinglan cleaned up, Chen Xiaotian fell into a deep sleep in her arms. She was torn. Everything had happened so quickly that she still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

She asked, “Guanqi, can you take him with you?”

Li Guanqi shook his head. “I can’t.”

She smiled and remained silent.

Li Guanqi continued, as if talking to himself, “Parents don’t need to feel obligated to sacrifice everything for their children. In fact… letting them experience the suffering of the mortal world might not be a bad thing.”

He turned to look at the sleeping boy, whose lips curved in a smile. He was drooling.

Li Guanqi released a weak wisp of vital force to help straighten out the boy’s meridians.

“Auntie Xu, with your health as it is now, living to a hundred won’t be a problem. Xiaotian would only be in his sixties then, and starting cultivation at that age isn’t late at all.”

Xu Jinglan smiled warmly and nodded.

Li Guanqi stayed for three more days. During that time, the entire village learned he was a doctor, the highly skilled kind. How else could he have cured Xu Jinglan and her son?

Everyone in the village came to the Xu household to beg Li Guanqi for treatment. He picked only those who had previously helped Xu Jinglan. Many were upset, but none dared say anything.

Once Chen Xiaotian recovered, he started working as a letter carrier. His mother started a sewing business at their home. It was hard to imagine that such beautiful embroidery could come from such rough hands.

On the morning of the fourth day, they ate steamed buns, which were usually a rare treat. Chen Xiaotian had earned them through his own hard work.

Xu Jinglan smiled at Li Guanqi and said, “You’re leaving?”

Li Guanqi nodded. “Yes, I’m leaving.”

“When you’re outside, you need to be careful when you’re talking to others. You need to be cautious,” Xu Jinglan said.

Li Guanqi nodded with a smile, like a kid listening to a mother’s nagging.

Chen Xiaotian hadn’t spoken all day. He looked depressed.

Creak—

Li Guanqi pushed the door open and waved at him with a smile.

The boy finally mustered the courage to meet Li Guanqi’s eyes. “Brother Li, will we get to see each other again?”

Li Guanqi thought for a moment, then smirked. “If all goes well, we should meet at the Daxia Sword Sect in a hundred years.”

The commotion at their house attracted a lot of attention.

Li Guanqi rested both hands behind his back. Lightning crackled around him as he stepped on air and ascended to the sky.

The villagers fell to their knees in shock.

When Li Guanqi was ten zhang away, he turned and bowed to Xu Jinglan. “Auntie Xu, take care of yourself. Live a long life.”

He shot up into the clouds as if he had wings.

Chen Xiaotian finally understood why Li Guanqi had said those things to him. He turned to look at his mother. They locked eyes and smiled.

Chen Xiaotian took his mother’s hand, and they walked home together.

The kneeling villagers watched the mother and son with varying expressions.

Later, they found a few silver pieces tucked into their sheets. It wasn’t much, just a dozen taels, but it was enough to help them through their toughest time.

From that day on, a little mailboy could be seen delivering letters through the streets, a wooden sword hanging at his waist.

***

After leaving, Li Guanqi’s vital force was calm as ever. His cultivation was still at the late Divine Transformation Realm, but a gigantic mountain had disappeared from his path to the Illusory Refinement Realm.

He thought for a moment. Since he was close to the Central Prefecture of the Taiqing Territory, he decided to visit.

He still didn’t know just how shocking He Yuning’s identity would prove to be—the young man he’d shared drinks with a few days ago.