Ye Xuan looked at Li Guanqi with half-belief and knitted brows. "Is that truly how it was?"
Li Guanqi nodded solemnly, a frown on his face. "Uncle Ye, if you don't believe me, I can disperse the flame barrier right now!"
Yet at that very moment behind the flame curtain, Ye Bingxin, who had just opened her eyes, was frantically pulling on her clothes.
Seeing this through his senses, Li Guanqi moved as if to pull down the barrier.
Ye Xuan hurriedly raised a hand to stop him, fearing his own recklessness might cause lasting harm to Ye Bingxin. "No need, no need! I believe you, I believe you."
Li Guanqi lowered his palm and quietly let out a breath of relief.
He was not the only one; behind the wall of fire, the woman leaning against the barrier also exhaled in relief, hurriedly slipping into the robe on the ground.
Li Guanqi knitted his brows and said, "Uncle Ye, as for the Luo Clan, plundering their resources is only natural—no one can say a word against it. You can kill anyone who deserves to die, but... as for those who don't deserve it, not a single one may be touched! I've already explained the reasoning."
Ye Xuan nodded and said gravely, "Rest assured, I understand. The stakes are truly immense."
Li Guanqi gave a slight nod as well, then turned around to say, "All right then, I'll head back to the Ice Lion Sect first. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
With a solemn expression, Ye Xuan cupped his fists in gratitude. "This time... my deepest thanks to you, young friend! If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask!"
Li Guanqi smiled, ascending into the air with a chuckle. "It's rather that Uncle Ye needs to raise your cultivation realm and strength soon; only then can I be of help."
Li Guanqi gave Ye Xuan a wink and sent a voice transmission: "If you're interested in a seat among the Eight Generals, you can come find me after returning to the Seven Domains."
Ye Xuan's eyes lit up instantly! "Good!"
Li Guanqi flew higher into the sky, retracted the flame barrier, and tore open the void to depart.
Yet the moment Ye Xuan turned around, he saw Ye Bingxin emerge, drenched in fragrant sweat, her cheeks burning crimson, dressed in a new man's robe.
Ye Bingxin was so mortified her toes could have dug straight through the ground.
Ye Xuan had just turned around, and before the echo of his "Good!" had even faded, it transformed into an enraged roar:
"Good... good my foot, you little bastard!"
Even after stepping into the void, Li Guanqi could still hear Ye Xuan's voice...
Startled, he quickened his pace, wiped cold sweat from his forehead, and could not help muttering, "How was I supposed to know her clothes would burn away? Shiwu, did you do that on purpose?"
The flame spirit remained silent for a moment before replying with a rather speechlessly deadpan tone, "Why don't you take me to see a doctor for my back? I don't think I can carry a scapegoat pot this massive... Every wisp of flame was under your control."
Li Guanqi coughed awkwardly twice. "Ahem, it was my first time controlling it with such precision, so I'm a bit unaccustomed. Ha... you're so much stronger than the Yinming Profound Flame and the Purple Cloud Thunder Flame."
The flame spirit could not resist retorting, "Do you always compare the number-one ranked flame to trash ranked down in the teens?"
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly, and he murmured, "Your temperament is actually quite like Pengluo's. Stop putting on airs. Back in the Third Domain, your internal emotional swings were plenty wild and frantic."
The flame spirit's composure collapsed at once, though he still clung to a trace of his aloof dignity as he whispered, "One step at a time... It's hard to drop all these airs at once."
Li Guanqi smiled without pressing further, saying softly, "From now on, I'll call you Shiwu."
The flame spirit's voice sounded quietly: "Good. I like it very much."
As the voice faded, Li Guanqi took out a jade pendant and spoke in a deep voice, "Brother Ji, once our people leave Dijing Slope, have them head straight to the Luo Clan."
Ji Yuchuan's voice came through from the jade slip. "Understood. Is everything resolved on your end?"
Li Guanqi said gravely, "Mm. The Luo Clan... is no more."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a sharp intake of breath sounded from the other side of the jade pendant.
As the one in control of the Guanyun Pavilion, Ji Yuchuan knew better than anyone how powerful the Luo Clan of Nanjiang was.
Yet Li Guanqi was saying the Luo Clan was finished!
That meant both the Luo Clan's ancestor and the clan head were dead!
After a long silence, Ji Yuchuan spoke. "Since they're already dead, why go to the Luo Clan?"
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and said softly, "On one hand, to monitor whether Ye Xuan slaughters the innocent. On the other... to guard against someone framing them after they leave!"
Ji Yuchuan's brows knit tightly, and he closed his eyes in deep contemplation.
In the room, only the sound of a man gently tapping a tabletop could be heard.
"You mean... you fear someone wants to incite hostility toward the Seventh Domain and weaken our strength?"
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curled. Ji Yuchuan was simply too clever; before he had even fully explained, the man had already deduced it.
"Exactly. But the outcome I want is for someone to make a move! If that person truly acts, keep your eyes pinned on him!"
Ji Yuchuan nodded slightly and said in a heavy voice, "Rest easy. I will dispatch our people best versed in concealment, and leave behind shadow-casting stones and other dharma artifacts."
Li Guanqi nodded, reassured, and put the jade pendant away.
"Phew... Will Gu Xici strike at the remnants of the Luo Clan?"
Li Guanqi had to keep a countermeasure ready. If the worst should happen, he needed sufficient means to strike back.
Moreover, he wanted to see if Gu Xici would make a move...
He wanted to know just how many clones Gu Xici still had.
With all this settled, Li Guanqi finally breathed a sigh of relief, then flew swiftly toward the Ice Lion Sect.
A hundred li from the sect, Li Guanqi suddenly came to a halt.
Tearing open the void, he discovered an exceedingly secluded mountain valley.
Here, birds sang amidst blooming flowers, bathed in sunlight, while a clear stream meandered through the center.
Li Guanqi descended into the valley, stepping directly beneath the warm light.
After standing in silence for a long time, he placed the corpses of Luo Siyang and Luo Changqing onto the ground.
With a flick of his fingers, two streaks of sword qi shot forth. With two muffled thuds, two deep pits appeared beside him.
He placed the two bodies into them respectively and covered them with earth.
Looking at the two small mounds, Li Guanqi's gaze wavered for a moment.
"Heh. Just two small mounds of dirt. Who would ever know you were once a half-step Tribulation Transcendence cultivator? And you, a useless dandy who idled away decades in amusement—in the end, don't you end up beneath a mound of dirt all the same?"
Li Guanqi sat down beside Luo Changqing's mound and thrust the Blood Drinker Saber into the earth before it.
Looking back, he took out two jars of strong liquor.
"To be honest, I never thought much of Luo Siyang. Oh, right—I didn't think much of you either, hahaha. This saber... since you couldn't come collect it from me yourself, I'll just leave it planted here for you."
The flame spirit manifested atop the valley's ridge, quietly watching the scene unfold.
He did not know what had transpired between the two in the past.
Yet seeing Li Guanqi plant the long saber before the grave and speak those words moved his spirit considerably.
Pengluo popped out and softly recounted the past events to Shiwu.
"I didn't bury you at Dijing Slope. I doubt you'd want to be buried there even if you were alive. You... if only you'd been born into the Qin Clan, even Qin Wushang would probably fear you a little. What a pity you were born into the cold, heartless Luo Clan."
Li Guanqi looked back and poured a jar of fine wine before Luo Changqing's small earthen mound.
Walking reluctantly to Luo Siyang's grave, his voice grew cold with exasperation. "You had a good elder brother."
With those words, Li Guanqi looked up at the cliff of the valley.
After a long silence, he raised his hand, lightning sword qi crisscrossing through the air as he used his fingers as a sword to carve several lines of characters:
"Strive to become the person you wish to be.
Never drift along with the murky mire.
Tomb of Luo Changqing.
Tomb of Luo Siyang."
Finally, beneath Luo Changqing's tomb inscription, Li Guanqi carved a line of smaller characters:
"A fellow... who didn't quite get along with me."
Li Guanqi laid down a lightning restriction across the valley to prevent stray beasts and cultivators from wandering inside.
Stepping out onto the narrow winding path of the valley, he looked back once more.
"It's quite nice here. Rest well."
Chapter 1415