Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Ru Meng entered and immediately noticed Li Guanqi’s strikingly handsome appearance. Beside him stood Meng Wanshu, her aura as cold as an ice lotus on a snowy mountain.

Despite standing before three Combined Body Realm experts, Ru Meng showed none of the reserve one might expect. She walked up to Qin Wushang and curtsied gracefully, her voice soft and alluring. “Young Master Qin, were you looking for me?”

Ru Meng radiated an almost overwhelming natural charm, but Meng Wanshu’s expression did not change.

Li Guanqi quietly exhaled in relief. The last thing he wanted right now was for Meng Wanshu to read too much into things.

Qin Wushang smiled. “Ru Meng is also the head of our Qin family’s intelligence division. Nearly all intelligence work along the eastern coast runs through her.”

Li Guanqi gave her a slight nod in greeting.

Ru Meng, however, cast him a charming glance. Cultivators of his strength were rare enough, let alone those with such obviously extraordinary backgrounds. She knew full well that Li Guanqi’s identity was far from ordinary.

That one glance made Meng Wanshu frown.

The moment Qin Wushang noticed her displeasure, his expression sobered. “Stop using your charm technique. Don’t bring trouble on yourself.”

She was only Ru Meng, after all. Qin Wushang would never offend Li Guanqi or Meng Wanshu on her behalf. There might be countless Ru Mengs in the world, but there was only one Li Guanqi. He knew perfectly well which mattered more.Ru Meng hurriedly restrained her charm, but her allure was innate. No matter how hard she tried, a trace of it still seeped through. She looked as though she might burst into tears.

Li Guanqi waved a hand. “Forget it, it’s fine. Let’s talk about why I’m here.”

Ru Meng relaxed, though the look Meng Wanshu had given her still sent a chill down her spine. She no longer dared meet Li Guanqi’s eyes and stood quietly behind Qin Wushang to listen.

Li Guanqi said in a low voice, “I came to the Ethereal Immortal Territory to find two things.”

Qin Wushang frowned slightly. “What things?”

“A Qilin soul and the Seven-Colored Glass Flower.”

Qin Wushang had read countless books and ancient records, yet even he had encountered those two items only in a handful of obscure texts. “Do they really exist? If Qilins truly lived in the Human World, someone would have discovered one long ago.”

Li Guanqi smiled wryly. “I don’t know either. All I can do is try. I’ll have to trouble you to keep an eye out for any word of them.”

Qin Wushang nodded, his expression serious. “Don’t worry. I’ll have Ru Meng issue missions and mobilize every intelligence channel at our disposal. While there’s no guarantee we’ll find anything, I’ll also inform my father and ask him to leverage his connections.”

Li Guanqi showed a look of gratitude and said solemnly, “Thank you. If there is anything you need my help with in the future, just ask.”

Ru Meng made a silent note of the two items. “Do you know what they look like, or any distinguishing traits? It would narrow down the search.”

Li Guanqi pondered for a moment. “I’ll have the Gu clan compile what they know and send it to you.”

Li Guanqi and Ru Meng exchanged transmission jade slips, but before he could put hers away, Meng Wanshu snatched it from his hand.

“If you need anything in the future, just contact me,” Meng Wanshu said with a smile.

Li Guanqi smiled. Ru Meng nodded awkwardly and bowed. “Understood. I’ll take my leave.”

Qin Wushang waved her off and stood up. He looked at Li Guanqi and said, “Would you like to meet my father?”

Li Guanqi thought for a moment. “Maybe next time. I’m planning to visit the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect.”

Qin Wushang nodded and personally escorted the two out of the city lord’s residence, handing them two jade pendants. “These will make it much easier to come and go from Qinhuang City.”

Li Guanqi examined the dark-gold pendants and put them away, then cupped his hands with a smile. “All right. Until next time.”

Whoosh!

The two soared into the air, heading straight for the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect.

On the way, Meng Wanshu pouted. “I don’t like that woman. The way she looked at you was far too seductive. It made me angry.”

Li Guanqi laughed helplessly. “She wasn’t doing it on purpose. She was born with that charm. She looked at Qin Wushang in the exact same way.”

Meng Wanshu let go of his hand, displeased. “Oh? Taking her side already? Am I in the way of you two getting together?”

Li Guanqi was momentarily speechless. Apparently, once a woman was angry, anything at all could become ammunition.

He smiled instead, which only annoyed Meng Wanshu further. “What are you smiling at? You think I’m being unreasonable?”

Li Guanqi pulled her firmly into his arms. “No.”

“Then what is it?”

He looked down at the woman in his arms and said softly, “It’s just… seeing you like this puts me at ease. You feel more real. Not like the cold, untouchable saintess of the Meng family everyone else sees, but the little girl from Prosperity Village who used to scold me.”

Meng Wanshu smiled despite herself, her irritation slowly fading.

The two flew on like a pair of immortal lovers, threading through the clouds above the nine heavens. They passed beautiful sights along the way, along with many powerful cultivators. Both of them let out a quiet sigh. The Ethereal Immortal Territory’s overall strength far surpassed that of the Six Territories.

Li Guanqi also noticed the many sects and clans rooted here. Their disciples rarely concerned themselves with outside affairs, sitting quietly on their mountain peaks, diligently cultivating and seeking enlightenment. Compared with the clamor and complexities of the outside world, the path of cultivation here felt far purer.

The journey to the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect was extremely long, as Meng Wanshu knew from her first visit. Still, neither of them was in any hurry. Whenever they grew tired, they found a scenic spot and rested for a while.

A small river flowed nearby. Meng Wanshu sat by the fire, the firewood crackling away. Li Guanqi reined in every trace of his energy, rolled up his trousers, and stood half-crouched in the river.

Meng Wanshu smiled. “You’ve been standing there a while now. Seventy-eight spirit fish have swum past, and you still haven’t caught a single one?”

Li Guanqi didn’t even turn his head and said gently, “I’m definitely catching the biggest one for you.”

His right hand shot out like lightning and seized a cyan spirit fish as long as his forearm. The fish thrashed wildly, but he held it fast in an iron grip.

Li Guanqi lifted it high. “Haha, got a fat one!”

He leaped ashore and released a pulse of vital force, instantly drying himself. Then he drew a dagger and scaled and gutted the fish with a few swift, precise strokes.

Meng Wanshu squatted beside him, watching with interest. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

“A trivial thing like this is child’s play,” Li Guanqi said.

He skewered the fish, set it over the fire, and retrieved several seasonings from his storage ring. Before long, the spirit fish gave off a rich, mouthwatering aroma.

Meng Wanshu’s eyes lit up. She hugged her knees and stared eagerly at the fish.