Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Boom!

A golden spear pierced the void and hurtled toward Xiao Chen. In his eyes, it looked powerful enough to destroy the world. He couldn’t move; his body felt as though it would tear apart.

At the last moment, a vicious gleam flashed through Xiao Chen’s eyes. He gripped the Divine Slaying Spear and thrust it forward with everything he had.

Long Hou’s voice rang out unhurriedly. “Heh, not bad. At least he’s got balls. I’m taking him.”

Swoosh!

Xiao Chen vanished before he could even say goodbye. Li Guanqi cupped his fists and bowed toward the west.

Having seen Xiang Huaizhi and Long Hou appear one after the other, Gu Li’s mouth went dry. “Um… Eldest Brother, who am I going with?”

Li Guanqi’s lips curved into a smile. Gu Li’s hair stood on end, and he felt someone breathing beside his right ear. A figure shrouded in shadows leaned close and whispered, “You’re coming with me.”

“Wu Mian, one of the Eight Generals,” Li Guanqi said softly while looking at Gu Li. “Since you can’t get the hang of weapons, learn how to escape and assassinate people.”

Li Guanqi and Wu Mian exchanged a brief look. Gu Li rose and bowed to Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu. “I will take my leave. Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law, take care! When we meet again, it’ll be atop the highest peaks!”Gu Li laughed aloud. As shadows enveloped him, he shouted, “Dad! I’m off! Don’t miss me!”

Gu Changsheng stared in bewilderment as a shadow whisked his son away. He unleashed a torrent of heavenly fire to seal off the domain. He had noticed Long Hou’s arrival, but this looked suspiciously like a kidnapping.

With a faint smile, Wu Mian plunged into the flames with Gu Li and slipped out of the domain without a sound.

Gu Changsheng stood in the sky with a dark expression. He flashed over to Li Guanqi. “Who was that just now?”

“Wu Mian, the Eight Generals’ assassin,” Li Guanqi said reassuringly. “I thought Gu Li could use a few ways to stay alive.”

Gu Changsheng gave him a long look. “Kid, that was thoughtful of you.”

With his worries laid to rest, he left Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu alone in the courtyard.

Peng Luo crept out of the void and took a seat on the stone table without saying a word.

Li Guanqi was suddenly overcome by a wave of exhaustion and emptiness. Bracing himself with a hand on his knee, he sat down on the stone bench and stared at the cup before him, then downed the liquor in one go.

He looked around at the other benches. They were empty now. Entrusting his brothers to their new mentors had eased his mind, but their absence left him feeling hollow.

Peng Luo hoisted the wine jar and hurried to refill Li Guanqi’s cup.

Meng Wanshu watched him for a long while. After some hesitation, she said, “I’m planning to go out into the world to train too. I might head to the Ethereal Immortal Territory.”

Li Guanqi hadn’t expected that. He paused, then gathered himself. “Wanshu, you don’t have to do this.”

Meng Wanshu’s eyes curved gently with her lovely smile. “I certainly don’t want to be a flower vase.”[1]

Li Guanqi smiled wryly. If someone as strong as Meng Wanshu was a flower vase, Xiao Chen and the others didn’t even qualify as broken shards.

Meng Wanshu continued, “I know the Ethereal Immortal Territory is vast beyond measure. In the north, there’s an enormous expanse of ice called the Beiming Glacier. It would be a much better place for me to train.”

Li Guanqi frowned. “The Beiming Glacier?”

Meng Wanshu leaned forward slowly, cupping his cheek in her hands. “I know you’re troubled. When you travel alone, you’re more like a wandering swordsman. I’ve been so happy just to spend this time by your side. But I want to reach the Mahayana Realm soon too. We both know how hard it is to reach our parents’ level. Even you and I could easily spend a century without reaching the Mahayana Realm.”

Li Guanqi’s heart trembled. He knew that all too well. It was why saying goodbye to Cao Yan and the others had hurt so much. Who knew what the world would look like when they met again? A hundred years might pass in the blink of an eye.

Meng Wanshu smiled. “I liked what Gu Li said: ‘When we meet again, it’ll be atop the highest peaks!’ That’s a wonderful hope to hold on to. But if I stay by your side, I won’t reach that level even in another hundred years. Guanqi, let’s spend some time apart, even if we miss each other.”

Her warm breath brushed his lips as she spoke. For a long moment, their lips remained pressed together. Meng Wanshu’s cheeks flushed scarlet, her whole body burning. Just as she was about to pull away and speak, Li Guanqi pulled her firmly into an embrace. Then, terrifyingly powerful lightning formed a wall around them, enclosing them in a private domain.

Peng Luo crept up to the edge of the domain, catching only occasional sounds that shifted between soft and high-pitched.

Pursing his lips, he returned to the table and poured himself a cup of wine.

Glug, glug.

“The Mahayana Realm… Getting there isn’t easy. Cultivators don’t call it the Realm of Withered Bones for nothing. How many enter seclusion determined to break through, only for their descendants to find their bones hundreds or thousands of years later? And how many skeletons still sit in sealed chambers no one will ever discover?”

Before long, Peng Luo was drunk too. He staggered around the courtyard with a wine bottle, making a ruckus and muttering all sorts of things to himself. Perhaps this was his way of seeing Cao Yan and the others off, alone in the otherwise quiet courtyard. Although no one was there to share his farewell toast.

“A hundred years of separation, then a tearful reunion between old friends. Hehe, so long as there’s hope of meeting again, what does the long wait matter!”

Time slipped by unnoticed. A bright moon and a scattering of stars lit the dark sky.

Peng Luo lay snoring on the roof of Gu Li’s residence, a wine bottle in his arms.

Li Guanqi held Meng Wanshu by the waist and kissed her forehead. “Be careful out there. If I break through, I’ll come find you as soon as I can!”

Meng Wanshu leaned against Li Guanqi’s chest, feeling weak, her hair slightly disheveled and her dress wrinkled. She gave a faint nod. “Mm… All right… I’m going now.”

Li Guanqi sighed as she flew toward the distant main hall. He glanced back and smiled at the sight of Peng Luo peeking with one eye open on the rooftop. Taking out more wine, he murmured, “I knew we’d have to part. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon.”

Light flashed in his palm, and he stared absentmindedly at the Profound Origin Sacred Soul Pill. Then he looked toward Gu Li’s cultivation chamber in the back courtyard. He tipped his head back, drained the wine jar, and smashed it on the ground. His eyes hardened with unyielding resolve as he strode toward the back courtyard’s room.

Peng Luo scrambled onto Li Guanqi’s shoulder with a grin. “I can help.”

Li Guanqi smiled and rubbed Peng Luo’s head. “All right. I’ll be counting on you.”

Peng Luo sat atop Li Guanqi’s head and giggled. “Hehe, no trouble at all.”

Li Guanqi set out array trays for a Spirit-Gathering Array and a Meditation Array, then covered the chamber floor with a hundred thousand spirit stones. He took a deep breath and pressed a calming talisman onto his body. After a glance at the pill in his hand, he swallowed it.

1. “Flower vase” is Chinese slang for someone who is attractive but serves only a decorative role.