Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi was surprised. His actions from a few years ago had spread to a completely different territory.

“I named it Yanluo Sword Intent,” he said. “The mindset behind it is similar to what you described.”

He glanced at the vermilion wine gourd hanging from his waist. “I won’t be sharing this wine with you, though.”

He Yuning was puzzled. “Why not? Is it really that precious?”

Li Guanqi shook his head. He pointed at the green wine on the table, potent enough to pass for spirit medicine. “The wine in this gourd is nothing like this one. They’re as different as clouds and mud.”

“Uh… Why’s that?”

Li Guanqi cradled the gourd in his hand, his gaze growing distant. “Because I’m saving this wine for someone from my past.”

He Yuning noticed the subtle change in Li Guanqi’s expression and asked gently, “Is that person not here anymore?”

Li Guanqi nodded.

“A girl?”Li Guanqi didn’t answer. He Yuning sighed, then raised his cup and knocked it against Li Guanqi’s.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he could sense that Li Guanqi’s mood had soured. Suddenly, the wine went down much easier. Mortal worries made the best side dish for alcohol.

Ning Xiu’s face surfaced in Li Guanqi’s mind. They had only met once, yet she’d sacrificed her life for him. How could he forget her?

They sat in silence for a long time before He Yuning let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

Li Guanqi looked at him. “What’s on your mind, Brother He?”

He Yuning pursed his lips as if recalling something. “Brother Li, do you have a Dao partner?”

Li Guanqi shook his head.

“What about someone you like?”

Li Guanqi fell silent, his mind drifting to the girl who used to scold him as she carried pots of food. “Someone I like... I suppose I do, but it’s not worth talking about.”

He sighed. “Why do you ask? You’re not having love troubles, are you? That doesn’t seem possible.”

He Yuning was handsome, cheerful, and sophisticated—Li Guanqi didn’t see how he’d struggle with romance. Looks aside, his status as the Great Profound Sword Sect’s young sect master alone was enough to draw a crowd of admirers. And that wasn’t even counting how he’d been hiding his true strength. He was likely at the peak of the Divine Transformation Realm, half a step from the Illusory Refinement Realm.

How could a person like that worry about love?

He Yuning chuckled bitterly. He tipped his head back and took a long drink, choking so badly his eyes watered. He smiled bitterly. “Brother Li, you don’t understand. Every family has its own problems.”

Li Guanqi was intrigued. What kind of girl could make someone like him so worried?

He Yuning pointed at himself with an amused expression. “To you, I look fine, right?”

Li Guanqi nodded.

“And my cultivation is decent enough, right?”

Li Guanqi smirked and nodded again.

“And my status as young sect master earns me a lot of respect, right?”

Li Guanqi smiled. “Of course. With your status, you can do whatever you want in the Taiqing Territory!”

“Not quite to that extent,” He Yuning said awkwardly. “Besides our sect, there are ancient families and other holy sects. But still, my position is respectable, right?”

Li Guanqi nodded once more, but He Yuning smiled bitterly. “The thing is… the girl my father arranged for me to marry… She’s way above my league.”

Li Guanqi raised his eyebrows. Someone more noble than him? A saintess from a holy sect?

He Yuning’s expression soured, looking like he was about to cry. “And that’s not even the worst part. I haven’t even met her yet! How can I even talk about feelings? My father basically told me to seduce her with my looks.”

Li Guanqi almost spat out his wine.

Seduce?!

“Who the hell is she? Your father is selling you off!” Li Guanqi said through voice transmission.

He Yuning hesitated. “Her identity is confidential. I can’t tell you.”

He sighed.

Li Guanqi smiled. “Surely you’ve at least seen what she looks like?”

He Yuning nodded, and Li Guanqi asked, “And are you interested?”

He Yuning nodded shyly. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. She’s gorgeous. But I’m worried she won’t like me when we meet.”

Li Guanqi thought for a moment. “What are you actually worried about? That you won’t be able to fulfill your father’s wishes and marry her? Or that approaching her with this intention feels wrong?”

He Yuning leaned back in his chair and stared up at the starry sky. “A little of both. Honestly, if we became Dao partners, I’d be the one getting a bump in status.”

Li Guanqi smiled and downed his cup of wine. Vital force surged through his body, and he realized with surprise that he would reach the peak of the Divine Transformation Realm soon. The wine was speeding the transformation of his nascent soul into a primordial soul. Even the wine itself traveled down to his stomach faster.

“If you two meet, be genuine with her. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is—at least you won’t upset her with deliberate seduction attempts. You’ve got nothing to lose anyway. Why worry about something that hasn’t happened?”

He Yuning’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Li Guanqi’s hand. “You’re right! Why am I worrying about this? Hahaha! Brother Li, you must have been through a lot to say something so sensible.”

Then Peng Luo’s muttering surfaced unbidden in Li Guanqi’s mind. “With chicks like that, just grab her shoulders and press her under you…”

Li Guanqi ignored Peng Luo’s voice.

He Yuning pulled out a jade slip. “By the way, I’ve made arrangements to track down that fellow. We should have news within a few days. If they can’t find him, it means he’s already left.”