Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Whoosh!

A golden ray of light shot out from Changxing Town, piercing the clouds.

Li Guanqi looked up sharply and saw someone in white robes walking on air with a sword hanging by his waist. His face paled. “If this person can fly and has a sword... He must be a Foundation Building Realm cultivator!”

When Zhao Yuanlin saw the cultivator, he hurriedly took out two more paper talismans and pasted them on his body. They transformed into a golden protective screen that covered him.

He finally relaxed and lay down on the ground, laughing hysterically. “Hahahaha! You idiot! You idiot! You can’t kill me! I’m going to skin you alive when we meet again!”

Li Guanqi took a deep breath. After weighing his options, he decided to leave. While he was sure he could figure out a way to break the protective shield, it would take a lot of time. Since he had not cultivated qi yet, facing a Foundation Building Realm cultivator meant certain death.

Li Guanqi collected the coppers and then hoisted Meng Wanshu up from the waist, causing her to cry out in surprise. With Meng Wanshu in his arms, Li Guanqi leaped on a horse, and then sped off toward their village.

When the white-robed cultivator saw Zhao Yuanlin’s injuries, his face paled.

Finally seeing hope, Zhao Yuanlin shouted, “Master Zhao... h-help me out first... We’ll... we’ll catch that bastard later.”

The short man scooped Zhao Yuanlin into his arms and left.As for the other guards—well, whether they lived or died, they had nothing to do with him.

Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu sped off across the plains on the horse. As Meng Wanshu leaned against Li Guanqi’s broad chest, she felt a strange sense of security. It was her first time on horseback, yet she felt oddly at ease in his arms.

She looked up and secretly shot him a few glances. Why didn’t I notice his good looks before...?

As Meng Wanshu swooned, Li Guanqi clenched his teeth with a torn look. He knew that he was given a very rare opportunity today, but... with Meng Wanshu there, he could not take the risk.

He sighed. As his mind returned to the present, he noticed that Meng Wanshu was becoming groggy and turning pale. That was when it hit him—her wrist was still bleeding.

The sky had turned dark, so it was impossible to ascend the mountain tonight.

Having no choice, he brought her to his secret cave to spend the night.

***

Crackle!

The crackling of firewood echoed in the small cave.

Li Guanqi occasionally visited this place to find peace—it was a space that truly belonged to him. However, it was sparsely furnished, as he didn’t even have a spare blanket at home, let alone other supplies.

Outside, the rain grew heavier, swelling from a drizzle into a storm.

Inside, Meng Wanshu lay on the ground, covered with a grass mat. Li Guanqi sat by the fire, feeling a little more relaxed because the Foundation Building Realm cultivator had not come searching for them.

He spaced out while staring at the fire, shadows dancing on his face as the fire flickered in the dark. He wanted to kill Zhao Yuanlin as soon as possible, but his desire to keep the girl away from harm was stronger.

If I get another chance... I must kill him!

While his thoughts ran wild, he suddenly heard a moan behind him.

“Mmmm...”

Li Guanqi quickly got up and rushed to Meng Wanshu’s side. He asked gently, “Awake already?”

Meng Wanshu looked at her bandaged wrist and blushed. The swelling in her cheek had subsided significantly, but some redness still remained.

As the night wind blew into the cave, Meng Wanshu shivered beside Li Guanqi. He found the way she was hugging herself quite amusing.

Cold and hungry, Meng Wanshu pursed her lips and cursed quietly, “Those lechers! If it weren’t for them, I would have arrived home a long time ago!”

Li Guanqi smiled. “So, do you finally know the difference between real and fake lechers?”

Meng Wanshu blushed and rolled her eyes. Today, Li Guanqi made her feel something she had never experienced before.

“She’s my future wife.” His words still echoed in her mind.

Her cheeks heated up. She ducked her head, burying her face between her knees.

Seeing how cold she was, Li Guanqi took out the jars of wine he’d bought. Passing one to her, he said gently, “Drink a little. It’ll warm you up.”

When she took the jar, she could not help but ask, “You’re not trying to get me drunk to... do anything, are you?”

Li Guanqi coughed awkwardly. “Cough, cough... Why would you think that... You’ll fall sick easily in this cold weather. I’m stronger and can stand it because I practice martial arts, but you should drink some.”

She replied stubbornly, “Then... then you drink too.”

Exasperated, Li Guanqi had no choice but to drink as well. Neither of them was used to alcohol, so they both coughed as they drank.

After a short while, their faces had turned red from the wine. And under the influence of the alcohol, they both inched closer together...

Then, somehow, their lips met. The warm aura of a budding love started to fill the entire cave.

“Mmm...”

***

Atop the mountain, Li Guilan and Meng Jiangchu were going mad with worry over their daughter, Meng Wanshu.

In contrast, Su Xuan smiled as he smoked and drank wine. He had just returned from the mountains.“That’s enough, Old Meng. Everything will be fine. The rain just delayed the kids. They’ll return tomorrow morning.”

But the panicking Meng Jiangchu threatened coldly, “If that brat dares do anything, I’ll slaughter him! And also, why are you stopping me from getting revenge? Killing a mere Foundation Building cultivator is easier than squashing an ant!”

Su Xuan smiled. He had not expected Meng Jiangchu to contact him first via voice transmission. It seemed like he was genuinely panicking.

Su Xuan tapped his pipe and said gently, “I’ll go play chess with Old Lu. Come see me later.”

***

On the eastern side of Prosperity Village, there was a locust tree several centuries old. Su Xuan stood under the tree, wearing long, gray robes. He carried a stool in one hand as he walked over.

Despite the heavy rain, not a single drop of water fell on him.

A kind-looking old man was sitting beneath the tree, playing Go [1] alone.

When he saw Su Xuan, he greeted him like an old friend.

“Tsk tsk, have you eaten?”

Su Xuan did not answer that question. Instead, he said with a relaxed expression, “Old Lu, today shall be our final game together.”

Then, he picked up a white piece and placed it on the board. Su Xuan looked up and commented softly, “Old Meng and Old Zhang from west of the village... I know who they are... But you... I have meditated on it for eight years, and I still cannot figure you out.

“You... What is your name?”

The old man gave a small smile and placed a black chess piece next to the white.

“Me? I’m just a lonely old man. As for my name... Lu Tiancheng.”

Su Xuan furrowed his brow and muttered softly to himself, “Lu Tiancheng... Never heard of it. Probably no one important.”

It was a brazen thing to say. But at this moment, Su Xuan was a different man entirely, a far cry from the freeloading old man who ate other people’s food.

Crack!

Su Xuan suddenly squashed the black chess piece with his knife’s scabbard. He said calmly, “I don’t care who you are, and I don’t care how awe-inspiring your name is. As long as I am here, you shall not touch my grandson! You couldn’t even if you tried!”

Whoosh!

Then, the shattered crumbs of the chess piece regrouped and it returned to its original form. The old man did not look like he had heard Su Xuan’s threat.

He replied softly, “Whether I can or not... I’ll only know if I try, right?”

Su Xuan gave a small smile and scratched his head with the scabbard. He rose to his feet and said, “Do it now, then. I’m afraid I’ll be busy tomorrow. “

The old men disappeared into thin air.

Soon after, two people from the village walked up to the chess board under the locust tree.

The first was Zhang Qixuan, a thin and withered old man smoking a pipe. He looked at the person behind him and blurted, “Old Meng, I’m telling you to look at this chessboard!”

Meng Wanshu’s father, Meng Jiangchu, approached the chessboard. As he scanned it with his eyes, his expression grew solemn. “It looks like Old Su intends to show his hand today...”

They fell silent, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly, the space in front of them twisted.

Su Xuan slowly walked out of the spatial crack. His clothes were slightly damaged, but he maintained a nonchalant expression.

Meng Jiangchu’s eyes narrowed. As he studied the pitch-black knife scabbard, his eyes glinted. “Where’s that old man surnamed Lu?”

Su Xuan pointed at the chessboard and said, “Have you both seen this?”

Meng Jiangchu nodded. The hunchbacked Zhang Qixuan tapped his pipe and smiled. “So what if we have? So what if we haven’t?”

Su Xuan did not reply. He placed the scabbard on his hip and the Spirit Qi of Heaven and Earth surrounding him started to sizzle. He closed his fist and a red-gold knife hilt started to materialize.

Zhang Qixuan found that he could not move at all, as if there was an invisible force keeping him tied to one spot. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Su Xuan slowly gripped the sword hilt as a terrifying energy shot up from him into the clouds. Within a ten-thousand zhang radius around him, the wind howled and lightning crackled.

“You bunch of ancient bastards are incredibly annoying... Why won’t you listen when I speak to you calmly? Must I personally come to the Black Sect Territory to make you listen? Haven’t I been kind enough to let you keep your Transformation Realm body?”

Zhang Qixuan fell to his knees and kowtowed, his Adam’s apple trembling. His eyes filled with horror as he gulped.

Su Xuan pressed Zhang Qixuan’s head down on the ground, but he did not have the slightest intention of fighting back. “Please spare me my life, sir! I will leave the Daxia Territory immediately!”

The knife made of spirit light slowly disappeared, and Su Xuan smiled. “Now that’s what I want to hear... I am a reasonable man who prefers to use my intellect to make people submit. I despise fighting physically.”

Meng Jiangchu, standing nearby, asked, “What happened to Lu Tiancheng?”

The old man shrugged and hung the scabbard on his hips again as he muttered, “I killed him. I had no choice; he wouldn’t reason with me.”

Meng Jiangchu’s breath caught when he heard the response.

Su Xuan turned to look at him and said softly, “You... spent huge effort and energy to predict the future. Then, you came here fifteen years in advance just to wait for me. So, what is your choice?”

Meng Jiangchu’s heart skipped a beat. He still couldn’t discern Su Xuan’s true identity. He sighed and replied softly, “I give up. I still have Wanshu here, after all. And I quite like that boy Guanqi, so I will not interfere. But I have a question... What the hell is that thing?”

Su Xuan gazed silently at Meng Jiangchu for a long time, offering no response.

There was slight confusion in Meng Jiangchu’s eyes, but in the end, he sighed and placed both hands behind his back. “Alright, then I will not fight anymore. Tomorrow, our family shall leave this place.”

Su Xuan nodded. He could not help but tease, “You’re not afraid that my grandson will kidnap your daughter, are you?”

Meng Jiangchu’s mouth twitched. Neither agreeing nor disagreeing, he said, “It is unlikely they will meet again in the future anyway. I’m done with this. I admit defeat.”

After Meng Jiangchu and Zhang Qixuan left, Su Xuan sat under the tree alone and picked up two black chess pieces. He waved, and the skies returned to their original state as if nothing had happened.

He rested his hands on his back and muttered, “I managed to subjugate them using intellect! Indeed, they are both territorial lords who have cultivated for a long time, so they are wise enough to submit.”

Su Xuan then crossed his arms. “Have I left anyone out? Tsk, tsk. Zhang Qixuan and Meng Jiangchu, the territorial lords of the Black Sect and the Divine Treasure, were certainly wise to quit...”

Then, he looked up at the skies, making calculations with his fingers. He muttered, “The time has come... That brat will have to walk the rest of his journey alone.”

***

The next morning, Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu returned home, walking three chi[2] apart.

Li Guilan, as always, nagged when she saw her daughter, but her heart ached when she saw the wound on her daughter’s wrist. As for the lost groceries, those were hardly worth mentioning.

Meng Jiangchu drank the wine Li Guanqi brought back, but the more he drank, the more suspicious he felt.

Crash.

Li Guilan slapped Meng Jiangchu’s back. “You don’t need to drink it if you don’t want to! Why did you spill it?!”

Sitting on the doorframe, Meng Jiangchu huffed and said, “Hmph! This wine tastes terrible!”

Meng Wanshu’s face turned red, not daring to speak. Last night, we almost...

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi went home and confessed to his grandfather. “Grandfather, I... killed someone when I descended the mountain.”

Su Xuan did not expect Li Guanqi to be so honest, but he merely nodded because he already knew everything.

“Good. If you need to punch, you punch. If you need to kill, you kill. But... remember my teachings. You must never kill without a good reason. You must be able to convince yourself it was justified. If you massacre the innocent, I will make you a cripple! Do you hear me?!”

When Li Guanqi heard Su Xuan’s stern warning, he nodded solemnly.

Su Xuan looked at him, then said gently, “Come, let’s go to the backyard!”

The journey of cultivation was long. Li Guanqi would need to walk the path on his own; Su Xuan could not shelter Li Guanqi his whole life.

And if he did, how could Li Guanqi be worthy of calling himself Su Xuan’s grandson?

1. Go is an ancient abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to fence off more territory than the opponent.

2. 1 chi = 1 foot and 1 inch.