Looking at the weeping woman standing before him with lowered head, Li Guanqi let out a soft chuckle.
"I know you feel guilty in your heart. Since you do, put that feeling into cleaning up this mess."
Li Guanqi closed his eyes, resting lightly. He had finally come to realize that his influence was no longer what it used to be.
Even a Domain Master would bow in greeting upon seeing him.
This inevitably meant people around him would try to borrow his authority to bolster their own standing.
He had also feared that those close to him might change.
Yet until today, hardly anything of the sort had ever happened.
Because the people around him loved him and dreaded causing him trouble, practically nothing had gone wrong.
Take Chen Xiaotian—if he were to mention within the organization that his sword had been a personal gift from the Pavilion Master,
wouldn't he have been promoted to captain long ago?
And the Great Xia Sword Sect still conducted itself just as it always had, without the slightest hint of arrogance or overbearing pride.
The disciples within the sect understood this all the more, and those who failed to grasp it... had all been expelled.
Li Guanqi felt fortunate that this incident had not been Gu Xici's handiwork.
If Gu Xici had set the trap, Qianqiusui would not have walked away with her life, no matter what!
Li Guanqi curled up slightly in his chair, feeling rather exhausted.
Qianqiusui remained silent throughout. She could see how utterly drained he was.
Stepping quietly out of the room, Qianqiusui set about handling everything that needed settling in Feiyun City.
She took out all the savings she had accumulated over the years.
She raided the Meng residence, reclaiming countless funds, natural treasures, and spiritual ingredients.
Using a shadow-casting stone, Qianqiusui recorded a public apology and had Guanyun Pavilion distribute it far and wide.
She clearly explained the entire sequence of events from beginning to end, displayed the footage captured by the Meng clan's shadow-casting stone, and outlined her full plan for rectifying the fallout.
Through these measures, Guanyun Pavilion managed to significantly dampen the impact of the scandal.
An incense stick's time later, Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes.
The illusory chessboard hovering before him gradually dissipated.
After re-examining every single detail in his mind, Li Guanqi was finally certain that no one else had been pulling strings behind Qianqiusui's situation.
He could hardly be blamed for being so cautious; when dealing with someone like Gu Xici, taking extra precautions was never a bad idea.
Li Guanqi rose slowly to his feet. Casting an eye over the lavish study, he summoned a blast of flame and reduced it entirely to ashes!
As he walked out of the study, the numerous senior executives of Yunding Auction House bowed low in respect.
Li Guanqi gave a slight nod, then vanished from the spot with a flicker.
"Pengluo, you and Jiuxiao stay at the sect for now. Once I finish what I have to do, I'll come find you."
Pengluo gave an affirmative nod, yet couldn't help asking with lingering concern,
"Master, do you want me to come along?"
Li Guanqi thought for a moment before declining. He wanted to go alone.
Taking out a jade pendant, he informed Ji Yuchuan of the situation here, leaving the remaining matters in their capable hands.
Li Guanqi felt somewhat dazed.
Over this period, he had returned to the Tianlei Peak courtyard and dealt with Qianqiusui's troubles.
Wasn't all of that simply because his own mind was in turmoil, and even having reached this point, he still didn't quite dare to face what lay ahead?
Gradually, Li Guanqi flew past the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Before heading back to Beiliang City, as if drawn by some inexplicable pull, he found his feet straying toward Fulong Village.
Soon enough, that familiar towering mountain appeared in his line of sight.
Li Guanqi descended from the sky and began walking up the mountain along that small familiar path.
Retracing the mountain road he had once walked down, his heart slowly settled into peace.
Now that things had come to this, whatever awaited him, he would simply face it with composure.
Before long, Li Guanqi reached the mountaintop.
Looking at the immense old pagoda tree standing at the entrance to Fulong Village, a faint smile curved his lips.
The dapples of sunlight under the canopy were so tranquil, and the rustling leaves whispered in the gentle breeze.
Li Guanqi smiled, walked up to the old pagoda tree, and reached out to stroke its dry, rugged bark.
When he was young, he had spent countless days climbing this tree and resting in its cool shade.
After a moment's thought, Li Guanqi rummaged through his storage ring and produced two low-grade spiritual herbs.
Crushing them casually, he let the spiritual sap drip down onto the roots.
Rustle...
The branches and leaves of the old pagoda tree grew lush and emerald green at a rate visible to the naked eye.
They swayed gently, whispering in the breeze.
Turning around, he walked into the village. Fulong Village had long since been abandoned.
Back then, Li Guanqi had feared retaliation from his enemies, so he had deliberately relocated everyone from Fulong Village into his own territory.
Only a few years had passed, yet Fulong Village was already quite dilapidated.
"Uncle Zhao's house, Auntie Zhou's, Widow Sun's... cough, cough..."
Before long, Li Guanqi arrived outside Meng Wanshu's old home. Looking at the courtyard wall that had once reached his chin but now came only up to his chest,
he felt a sudden wave of emotion. Memories swirled through his mind, as if calling out right now would bring a woman in an apron bustling out through the door.
Coming to the house where he had once lived with his grandfather, Li Guanqi looked at the stone mill and the familiar items inside, feelings surging wildly within him.
Twitching his lips, he muttered under his breath, "When I get back, I really ought to apologize to the old man."
Turning around, he caught sight of the tobacco pouch hanging on a pillar.
Li Guanqi reached out, took it down, and tucked it into his robe.
After lingering in the old house for a long time, Li Guanqi picked up a small stool and carried it over beneath the old pagoda tree.
In the shade of the branches, the young man sat on the stool, his gaze drifting into the distance.
"Back then, Fulong Village held three mighty experts, two of whom were Domain Masters."
"Uncle Meng, Zhang Qixuan... and an Old Man Lu."
Li Guanqi closed his eyes, his mind recalling the memories of his days in the village.
His memory of the old man surnamed Lu was exceedingly vague.
All he remembered was that the old man was a man of few words, quiet and rather eccentric.
Still... thinking about it now, the people assembled in Fulong Village were suspicious enough on their own.
Li Guanqi murmured, "When I have time, I'll probably need to have a good talk with my father-in-law about this."
"Why did he wait patiently in Fulong Village for over ten years back then? Did he know something?"
Following his memories, Li Guanqi paid a visit to Old Man Lu's home.
It was on the northern side of the village, a cluster of the most secluded, run-down earthen huts.
Creak...
The door opened, and a draft carrying dust and musty odors greeted him.
Glancing around, the room was utterly bare—four empty walls and nothing else.
Aside from a moldy quilt tossed onto the brick bed, the kitchen held only a single pot and a single bowl.
Even after sweeping the area with his divine sense, he discovered nothing. Stepping out of the room, Li Guanqi frowned slightly.
He felt that there truly might be something unusual about this old man surnamed Lu.
Tucking the doubt into the back of his mind, Li Guanqi took a deep breath and flew away from Fulong Village!
He then laid down a lightning barrier, just in case, to prevent anyone from destroying the village should he ever return in the future.
Heading north, at his speed, it took less than half an incense stick's time to reach Beiliang City!
Beiliang City covered an area of barely ten li across, and there were no other towns or villages within thirty li.
Isolated and hard to reach, it lacked even a decent official thoroughfare.
The ruined city walls were heavily damaged, yet had never been repaired.
The childhood memories that had grown hazy gradually sharpened, and Li Guanqi's eyes instantly reddened.
With reddened eyes, Li Guanqi hovered in midair, hesitating for a long time.
The violent heave of his chest laid bare the turmoil within him.
"Huu... huu..."
Taking several deep breaths, Li Guanqi's expression turned somber.
Changing into a plain black robe and tying a strip of white silk around his arm, he descended from the sky.
Following the gravel-strewn road, Li Guanqi walked toward Beiliang City.
Chapter 1424