Li Guanqi paid little heed to the various outside sects and powers coming to pay their respects.
The Great Xia Sword Sect of today had no need to cater to anyone's whims; it was enough to leave everything to Wu Bing.
Yet another matter weighed somewhat on his mind.
For reasons unknown, he had been unable to contact Lu Kangnian.
Fortunately, Lu Kangnian's life-bound jade slip showed no signs of distress, suggesting he was likely inside some mystic realm or similar domain space.
Early the next morning, bodies lay sprawled every which way across the ground, reeking of drink.
Ye Feng and Li Guanqi had risen early and departed.
Before long, a neatly tended headstone came into view.
Beside green hills and emerald waters, this solitary grave seemed particularly conspicuous.
Yet...
Far more striking than the solitary grave itself was an enormous stone beside it.
Densely inscribed upon it were the names of countless sword cultivators.
Every single one of them was a disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Nearly every disciple setting out to roam the realm made a pilgrimage here.
Back when their strength had been feeble, all of them had eaten the food Song Kangning cooked.
They all harbored deep gratitude and reverence for the kind, genial old man.
Thus, every disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect who reached the Core Formation Realm came here once before setting out on their travels.
The censer before the solitary grave was packed with sandalwood incense long since burned to ash. Offerings abounded, and hardly a weed grew nearby.
With that stone bearing all those names standing guard, practically no one dared disturb the grave.
No one wanted to be hunted down by so many disciples.
Grave-robbing and tomb-raiding were commonplace in the cultivation world; after all, no one knew whether the deceased had been buried with burial goods or a storage ring.
Not only Ye Feng, but even Li Guanqi was visiting Song Kangning's grave for the very first time.
Both men fell silent at the sight, and Li Guanqi let out a long sigh.
Their expressions turned solemn. They offered incense to Song Kangning and cleared away the few newly sprouted weeds nearby.
With a flick of his hand, Ye Feng unleashed a strand of sword energy, digging a deep pit ten feet away.
A crystal coffin then appeared within the pit, clearly prepared by Ye Feng well in advance.
Ye Feng had tidied Song Zhi'ang's corpse until it looked almost as it once had.
He had even replaced the soiled black robe she had worn with the pale green dress from his memories.
Watching Ye Feng gently place the woman into the coffin, Li Guanqi felt a sudden swirl of complicated emotions.
Song Zhi'ang had died by his own hand.
Yet Ye Feng had shared much about her past.
Li Guanqi had learned many things, such as why Song Zhi'ang had come to his room on Yuhu Peak back then to undress.
It had been Tantai Yiting's idea, yet it had wounded her self-respect in the process.
For someone who had once been trodden into the dust, once she began cultivating and gained strength, the dignity she reclaimed became dearer than anything else.
Yet on that occasion...
Afterward, she had been taken away by Sha, who promised her even greater strength.
One wrong step led to another.
Looking back, the mistake was beyond mending.
And so Song Zhi'ang had chosen a path no one could understand.
A path... sufficient to make Li Guanqi feel guilt in the dead of night.
Ye Feng sealed an expanse of fresh flowers inside the coffin using his mighty power.
Blanketed in blooms, Song Zhi'ang looked as if she were merely asleep.
With slightly reddened eyes, Ye Feng gently closed the coffin lid and covered it with soil.
A white jade stele sank into the ground, and he turned to look at Li Guanqi.
A bitter smile touched Li Guanqi's lips as he said softly, "You do it."
Ye Feng nodded. He raised two fingers like a sword, intending to carve the epitaph with surging, torrential sword intent.
Yet the moment he raised his hand, he froze in midair, his fingers trembling faintly, at a loss for where to begin.
In the end, Ye Feng carved only two lines.
"Tomb of Song Zhi'ang."
Beneath it was a line of smaller script:
"Her bosom friend, Ye Feng."
Were there other romantic feelings between Ye Feng and Song Zhi'ang?
To Li Guanqi's eyes, there were none. But having endured that dark stretch of years together, they had certainly been the truest of friends.
Was there a right or wrong in the entire matter?
Perhaps from no one's perspective was there any fault, yet no one could feel that anyone had been truly right.
Setting out the offerings, Ye Feng lit the finest Shanshui incense.
Li Guanqi did the same. But after offering his incense, he turned and walked a hundred paces away to drink alone,
leaving Ye Feng sitting beside the gravestone to talk for a long, long time.
Ye Feng watched the morning sun gradually rise, the corners of his mouth curving faintly.
"I hope you reincarnate into a good family."
"This life was too bitter. In the next... may it be sweeter."
"As for Si'ang... so long as the boy doesn't do anything foolish, I'll protect him as best I can."
Perhaps Song Zhi'ang's spirit in heaven heard his words;
Ye Feng felt the Shanshui incense burn far more vigorously.
The two men left the valley, but they left behind two streaks of earth-shattering sword energy to guard the site!
When they returned to Yuhu Peak, they found that everyone was already awake.
Because...
Long Hou had arrived!
The man in golden armor sat at the mountain's peak drinking wine. The armor on his body was cracked, and several bruises marked his face.
Xiao Chen stood behind Long Hou like an obedient pupil.
Xu Junlin stood beside Xiao Chen as well.
As for the rest... every one of them looked as though they were sitting on pins and needles, unable to stay seated or remain standing.
When Long Hou spotted the two returning, he rose slowly to his feet.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two teleported tens of thousands of feet forward, and Li Guanqi clasped his fists in salute.
"Uncle Long."
Long Hou gave an affirmative grunt and spoke softly. "Are all matters settled on the sect's side?"
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment before answering honestly, "We might still need a few days. Is something the matter, Uncle Long?"
Long Hou said gravely, "I have been ordered to escort you to the Seventh Domain!"
Li Guanqi's heart gave a jolt. *Ordered...* Whose orders these were was self-evident.
Thoughts raced through Li Guanqi's mind. After a brief pause, he asked, "Is it urgent?"
Long Hou considered it, then frowned. "I can give you three days at most."
"All of us?"
Long Hou nodded and said quietly, "The Five Yang Ghost Emperor, Meng Wanshu, Gu Changsheng, Ye Xuan, and Qin Xiao will be escorted by Hong Zhi."
Then the man's sharp gaze swept over the gathered crowd. "Every single one of you here must go as well."
Tang Ru scratched his head awkwardly. "Senior, do I have to go too?"
Long Hou looked at the embarrassed Tang Ru, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Yes, you must go. What is more, the Domain Master named you personally!"
Tang Ru's eyes widened, and he dug at his ear in disbelief.
*The Domain Master?!*
*The Domain Master of the Seventh Domain?!*
*A figure standing above the Four Kings!*
Long Hou turned slowly and said in a low voice, "Then I will give you three days to settle your affairs."
"I will come collect you in three days, right here."
With that, the man turned and departed, leaving the group exchanging glances.
Xu Junlin said solemnly, "I need to head back and let my family know."
Qin Wushang shrugged. "I won't bother leaving. My father has to go anyway."
Li Guanqi nodded and drew a deep breath.
He turned and projected his voice, laced with primal energy, throughout the borders of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
"All elders and peak masters of the sect, assemble at the main sect hall at once."
As his voice rang out, many people turned solemn and took to the air, flying toward the main hall.
Ye Feng smiled. "Eldest Brother, I won't go. I plan to spend a few days at home."
Xiao Chen rubbed his nose. "Um... Second Brother, I'll go with you."
"Get lost."
"Come on... good brother, dear Second Brother, I haven't seen Qing'er in years."
Gu Li suddenly chuckled slyly.
"Second Brother, when I woke up this morning, Fourth Brother wasn't anywhere to be seen."
"When he did wake, I saw him wiping his mouth over there, grinning like an idiot."
Xiao Chen snapped, "Gu the sly bastard!"
Chapter 1153