Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Meng Jiangchu grew even angrier. He raised his hand, forming a massive, palm-shaped blue fireball, then sealed the space around them and swatted Li Guanqi into the air.

Bam!

Li Guanqi crashed through the pavilion walls and flew another few thousand zhang. The people outside heard a loud boom and saw a shadow flying out of the pavilion like a kite with a broken string.

“Ouch…”

Li Guanqi snapped out of his daze mid-flight. His whole body felt like an angry bull had rammed into it, and his skeleton felt on the verge of shattering. Did I just challenge a cultivator who’s probably in the Great Mahayana Stage to a fight?

“Father-in-law! Go easy on me!”

Even while tumbling mid-air, he didn’t forget to call Meng Jiangchu “Father-in-law,” terrified he would send him flying again with another slap.

Crash!

Li Guanqi slammed into a tall mountain, leaving a deep crater with web-like cracks radiating outward. After a few stretches, he scooped up his two swords and flew obediently back to the main pavilion. Along the way, he spotted a servant girl giggling behind her hand and shouted indignantly, “What are you laughing at? If he hits me, it means he likes me! Father-in-law is just teasing me.”

The pretty servant girl laughed. “Oh… Sir, are you going to wipe the blood off your face?”Li Guanqi froze, then quickly wiped his face and fled. By the time he returned to the main pavilion, Meng Jiangchu sat grinning at him from his throne.

“Come, come. Let’s pull our swords out.”

Li Guanqi froze. “Uh… Why don’t we… forget about it?”

Meng Jiangchu stepped down from his throne. He pursed his lips. “Eh? That won’t do. Let’s pull our swords out! Where’s the bravery you had just now?”

Li Guanqi submitted. “The mood was right! I had no choice—your aura was too strong, and before I knew it, I was in a trance… I’m a sword cultivator, after all. Sword cultivators have to be brave enough to draw their sword at all times, right?”

Meng Jiangchu pursed his lips and slapped Li Guanqi on the head. He pointed at the chair opposite him. “Sit down, you brat. You’re as glib as ever. I’ve never been able to let my guard down around you. Sigh…”

Li Guanqi just grinned. He took out some spirit tea, poured a cup, and held it up respectfully to Meng Jiangchu. “Hehe. Have some tea, Father-in-Law.”

The pavilion fell silent. Li Guanqi stood before Meng Jiangchu, head bowed, holding the teacup high. Meng Jiangchu stared at him, emotions flickering through his eyes. Li Guanqi noticed the man’s hands still resting on his knees, unmoving. This isn’t going to be easy.

He held his position and waited for Meng Jiangchu to speak.

“Brat, do you know how many pursuers Wanshu has? And what status and power they hold?”

Li Guanqi looked up and grinned. He looked directly at Meng Jiangchu and took out a jade slip. “Why not gather them all here? I’ll have my grandfather come too.”

Meng Jiangchu felt a wave of defeat. He had to admit that Su Xuan was terrifyingly powerful—so powerful that even he felt suffocated. If that old man actually came, the Combined Body Realm and Great Mahayana Stage would mean nothing. Every last one of them would have to step aside.

Long Hou himself had destroyed the Hell Rivers. The man had once been the strongest in the six territories, yet even he had willingly become Su Xuan’s right-hand man.

Meng Jiangchu said awkwardly, “Let’s set that aside. Do you genuinely like Wanshu? Can you give her a happy life?”

Li Guanqi straightened up. “I’ll be honest, Uncle Meng. I’ve liked Wanshu since we were kids. That’s why I always teased her, saying that whoever married her would be the happiest man alive. I can’t promise she’ll always be happy, but I can promise I’ll always be good to her. I’ll protect her, love her, and never let harm come to her.”

Meng Jiangchu nearly nodded, but then he remembered that Li Guanqi had taken his daughter’s innocence to save her life.

“Damn it… I’m so unlucky,” he muttered.

Frustrated, he grabbed the teacup from Li Guanqi’s hands and downed it all. By the time he realized what he’d done, Li Guanqi had already snatched the empty cup and run away. Clutching the teacup to his chest, Li Guanqi shouted, “Thank you, Father-in-law, for accepting me!”

“Eh! I didn’t mean that!”

“No way, Father-in-law! You drank the tea! How could you change your mind now?”

Li Guanqi fled from the pavilion, ignoring Meng Jiangchu’s cries. After Li Guanqi left, Meng Jiangchu returned to his throne and raised a hand to repair the broken walls. He leaned back, formed a series of hand seals, and slowly exhaled.

“Is this fate? So annoying! How could that brat Xiao Chen lose to him?”

Buzz!

The space beside him warped, and Li Changqing slowly appeared. Hearing Meng Jiangchu mention Xiao Chen, Li Changqing began to speak, then stopped himself.

“What is it?”

Li Changqing sighed and told him what had happened during the journey back.

Meng Jiangchu slammed his fist into the armrest of his throne. “Cowards! Those cowards! Sigh… Send him some ten-thousand-year-old milk essence. Expelling his Brilliant Sunset Flame like that must have left chronic wounds.”

Li Changqing’s expression turned strange. “Actually, no. Li Guanqi gave him a Heaven-tier cultivation technique, and the fire seed slipped right back into his body.”

Meng Jiangchu froze. “A cultivation technique? Heaven-tier? And he just… merged with an expelled flame again?”

Li Changqing shrugged. “Li Guanqi had a Heavenly Flame Orb too, but he gave it to Wanshu as a bracelet. He had another heavenly flame on top of that—the Yin Hellfire—and gave it to a friend. Oh, and that friend went through the same thing. Expelled his flame, put it right back in. No problems at all.”

Meng Jiangchu realized the brat had far more treasures than he’d thought. As he rose, Li Changqing spoke up awkwardly. “Uh… Territory Lord, representatives from a few holy kingdoms and holy sects have come to see you. Their cloud boats are docked outside the territory’s borders.”

Meng Jiangchu scowled. He knew exactly what those people wanted. “They’ve all brought their children with them, haven’t they?”

Li Changqing nodded, clearly thinking the same thing.

Meng Jiangchu massaged his brow and shouted, “Come back, you brat! We’re going out to fight some people.”