Upon returning to the Daxia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi’s squad recounted everything that had transpired in the secret realm. There were elders from different peaks, including Sect Master Lu Kangnian and Disciplinarian Qin Xian.
Li Nanting stood at the base of the dais with Li Guanqi and the others.
Li Guanqi felt uneasy. He had wiped out the disciples of four sects, some of whom had Heavenly Spirit Roots. The other sects would surely want vengeance.
However, Lu Kangnian merely waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. It’s just a few dead disciples! Hmmph! What happens in the secret realm, stays in the secret realm. This rule was set a thousand years ago.
“If they were capable, they could have killed you all in the secret realm instead! So they cannot blame you all for their own incompetency! Don’t worry, if they want to come, we will let them come. Just focus on your cultivation!”
Li Guanqi was moved by his words.
Twenty people had died—there was no way the other sects wouldn’t react at all. But the Daxia Sword Sect had stepped forward without hesitation, offering unwavering support. Their strength was undeniable.
Once Li Guanqi and the others left, Li Nanting couldn't hide his grin. He sensed that Li Guanqi’s aura had strengthened despite not breaking through yet. Still, he didn’t press for details. He assumed Li Guanqi had encountered an opportunity in the secret realm.
Li Guanqi, Ye Feng, Lin Dong, and Zhong Lin made their way to the Treasure Pavilion at Heavenly Pillar Peak. As promised, Li Guanqi exchanged the large chunk of Taiyi silver for sect contribution points, earning them twelve hundred points. The small piece of Black Spirit Clay was valued at two thousand.
Three thousand two hundred points in total.
Li Guanqi divided the sum into five portions. “Ke Qin’s no longer with us, but her share can be converted into gold and silver for her family. We’ll treat it as... a parting gift from us.”
No one contested this distribution. In the end, each received six hundred and forty points.
Ye Feng took out two jade slips and said, “I’ve got one sprint technique and one cultivation technique. Anyone need them?”
Li Guanqi shrugged. “I don’t want them. You guys figure it out. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back.”
The others nodded. The sprint technique went to Zhong Lin, and the cultivation technique went to Lin Dong.
After returning to Heavenly Lightning Peak, Li Guanqi found that Lin Dong and Zhong Lin had sent him two hundred extra points each. He rubbed his nose and accepted without protest.
Back in his courtyard, he spotted Yu Sui’an playing with an orange cat. When she saw him, she ran over and held out her hands expectantly.
He chuckled and pulled two steaming bao from his pocket like a magician.
“Yay! Yay! The blind boy is awesome! Hoo hoo... It’s hot... It’s hot...”
Li Guanqi glanced at the lazy orange cat and scratched its chin until it nuzzled against his hand.
He looked up at the sky, then picked up the cat. “Sui’an, let’s go inside. Looks like it’s about to rain.”
Yu Sui’an was about to ask what he meant when thunder roared overhead.
She covered her ears and bolted for the house in a panic. Li Guanqi laughed. “Afraid of thunder, are you?”
Rain started to fall, becoming heavier by the minute.
It was a welcome sight. He needed to rest.
He lit the stove and placed a tea kettle, potatoes, and sweet potatoes on it. Then, he moved his rocking chair from the backyard into the front hall and called Yu Sui’an over to sit with him.
But she sat stiffly on a small wooden stool with her hands clamped over her ears. She had even forgotten to eat the bao.
Li Guanqi scooped her into his arms and wrapped her in a thick rug. “No need to be scared. It’s just thunder. You can eat your bao—I’ll be here with you.”
Slowly, she lowered her hands and took a timid bite. Her eyes, however, were fixed on the sweet potatoes, her mouth watering.
Li Guanqi smiled. “Want one?”
She nodded hurriedly.
He peeled a red sweet potato, wrapped it in sack paper, and placed it in her hands. “Careful, it’s hot.”
“Ssss... Ha.... Sss... It’s hot...”
The orange cat jumped onto Li Guanqi’s lap, curling up as the rain drummed against the roof. Soon, it started snoring.
One young man, one child, and one fat cat squeezed onto a large rocking chair. Yu Sui’an sat between the armrest and Li Guanqi, munching on her sweet potato.
It was a quiet and peaceful afternoon, calming Li Guanqi’s mind as he listened to the rain.
After a while, Sui’an suddenly asked, “Hey, weren’t you a beggar before? Weren’t you afraid of thunder?”
Li Guanqi reminisced, “I wasn’t afraid of thunder, but I was afraid of rain.”
“Why rain? Isn’t thunder much scarier?”
“Silly girl. When it rained, everyone stayed home. No one to beg from. No food to eat.”
The little girl fell into deep thought, then nodded in agreement. “Mm... What you said makes sense. But how did you manage to stay so determined? How did you walk here?”
Li Guanqi rocked the chair gently. “How did I walk here...? When the wind blew, I walked slower. When it rained, I walked by the roadside. When thunder rumbled, I covered my ears and kept walking. When snow fell, I hugged my shoulders and walked on.
“Basically... I walked alone for a very long time.”
She scrunched her nose, not entirely understanding. She decided not to think about it.
She wrapped herself tightly in the rug. With only her head peeking out, she asked, “When your cultivation level dropped, lots of people mocked you. Why didn’t you talk back?”
Li Guanqi remained silent for a while, then replied seriously, “You argue back when people insult you for good reasons. If they don’t have a good reason, you can ignore them and treat them disdainfully—”
Before he could finish, she tilted her head. “So... should I not fight back against annoying people like that?”
Li Guanqi replied gently, “Look at it this way—those annoying people can turn you into the version of yourself you hate the most.”
Yu Sui’an slightly froze. This was the first time she had heard something . She thought about it for a while.
All the thinking made her drowsy, and she yawned.
Li Guanqi smiled. He stroked the orange cat with his left hand and gently patted Yu Sui’an’s back with his right hand.
After some time, all of them were sleeping soundly.
One rug, two people, one cat.
Outside, thunder and lightning crashed. But inside, all was quiet and peaceful.