Yuanxiao

The little girl nodded, then dashed out like a gust of wind. Watching her leave, Qin Xian chuckled. "The little girl ran off to play again?" Li Nanting, sitting beside him, smiled. "Mm, she just can't sit still." The old man simply sat down beside Li Nanting, remaining outside the door and peering inside. He let out a long breath and drew out a pipe. *Puff, puff...* *Whoosh...* "After all these years, our Great Xia Sword Sect has finally held its head high." Li Nanting chuckled softly. "Indeed. Who could have imagined that the one ultimately arm-wrestling with Ziyang Palace would be a disciple from our sect?" Qin Xian smiled and pointed toward the other rooms. "It isn't just about how many resources the sect will obtain. "More importantly, this boy Guanqi has given the sect a sword backbone! "Just look at the disciples lately—which one of them isn't cultivating for dear life? "I'd wager they will break through one after another once we return." The old man beside him smiled and nodded, murmuring, "Guanqi alone has inspired the entire sect's disciples. It was he who instilled this fighting spirit in them. "I believe in the next century, even without a monstrous prodigy like Guanqi, the Great Xia Sword Sect will still secure a decent ranking." And so the two old men chatted over dry tobacco, their spiritual awareness closely monitoring the cultivation of the youth inside. Li Guanqi, his mind immersed in cultivation, had no idea the two elders were keeping guard right outside his door. For all he needed to do now was bring himself to his absolute peak, so that three days later he could face that fellow monster, Zhao Beichen, at full strength. For some reason, he had always felt a sinister, vicious aura radiating from Zhao Beichen, a feeling that left him somewhat uneasy. Though he possessed his own pride, Li Guanqi was far gentler compared to Zhao Beichen's razor-sharp, flamboyant arrogance. After completely filling the Dao Platforms in his dantian, he looked inward and found that his dantian's sea of qi was saturated to an incomparable degree. The mist-like origin energy had practically condensed into liquid. *Looks like once the Hundred Sects Tournament ends, I can prepare to break through into Core Formation!* Smoothing the pathways of his meridians, Li Guanqi's mind gradually grew calm as still water. Sensing the long, rhythmic breathing coming from inside the room, Li Nanting smiled faintly. The two old men exchanged a glance and nodded with a smile. Little did they know that all of Tianyu Pass was currently buzzing about the tournament match between the Great Xia Sword Sect and Ziyang Palace. Some newcomers had never known the Great Xia Sword Sect, or even heard of it before. Suddenly! A clamor erupted along the street, and the crowded throng parted down the middle of its own accord. Many stood on tiptoe, and upon seeing who was approaching, cried out in surprise: "Heavens! It's disciples from Ziyang Palace!" In the crowd, the petite Yu Sui'an curled her lip at those words, but she still skirted around the back of the mob and walked in the opposite direction. She didn't want to bring trouble upon the sect on her account at a time like this. If she couldn't afford to provoke them, she could at least steer clear. The city had plenty of fun things to see; she had no interest in paying attention to those Ziyang Palace folks. Just then, someone in the crowd remarked in a low voice, "How can they still be in the mood to go carousing at brothels? Shouldn't they be preparing for the tournament match in three days?" Someone scoffed, "Prepare? What is there to prepare against a completely obscure sect?" But the moment those words left his mouth, they drew sneers from several bystanders. "Brother, did you leave your brain on the heated brick bed before heading out?" "How do brainless words spill so easily from your mouth? Did you even watch the earlier matches? Do you have any idea what Li Guanqi of the Great Xia Sword Sect represents?" A barrage of questions left the burly man utterly bewildered. Just as he was about to retort, he noticed that quite a few people around him were staring at him as though looking at a fool. The man parted his lips, but in the end said nothing and slunk away in disgrace. After leaving, the man went to the Treasure Pavilion and spent ten spirit stones to buy a shadow-casting stone. A moment later... With a flushed face, the man shouted in excitement, "The Great Xia Sword Sect will definitely seize first place!" The words had barely left his mouth when a sneer came from behind: "Where did this fool come from? How could a mere petty sect ever compare to Ziyang Palace?" Then the man adopted the exact demeanor of the people earlier, tossing the shadow-casting stone he had just finished watching to the newcomer with utter contempt. *Great Xia Sword Sect, Li Guanqi!* As if imbued with magic, these words spread in all directions in the blink of an eye. Strolling down the street with her hands behind her back, the little girl listened to the praise around her, a broad smile blooming across her face as she walked with immense pride. Along the way, she bought a stick of candied hawthorns and two large meat buns. Walking through the streets, the little girl couldn't have been happier. Looking this way and that, she wandered until night fell, when many vendors selling yuanxiao appeared on the streets. Gazing at the piping-hot, plump, round yuanxiao, Yu Sui'an couldn't resist poking one with her finger. The soft, glutinous dumpling immediately indented a little. To her surprise, the pretty older sister didn't scold her; instead, she reached out, pinched her chubby little cheek, and asked with a smile, "Little girl, want some?" Yu Sui'an had been about to roll her eyes, but hearing this, her eyes instantly lit up and she nodded like a chick pecking at grain. Clad in a green dress, Song Zhi'ang scooped up a bowl of yuanxiao with delicate fingers, then pointed to the small wooden stool she usually sat on and said with a smile, "Sit down and eat." Yu Sui'an stood where she was, reaching into her robes, and said crisply, "Big Sister, I won't eat for free. Tell me how much it is and I'll pay you." Song Zhi'ang couldn't help stifling a giggle at the sight, utterly charmed by the little girl. Squatting down, she extended a fair, jade-like hand and said softly with a chuckle, "Big Sister likes you, so just give me one copper coin." The little girl grinned, showing her teeth, pulled out two copper coins, and placed them into the woman's palm. Waving her hand like a little adult, she said, "I won't let Big Sister like me for free—here's an extra coin." At that, the woman doubled over with laughter, drawing meaningful glances from many diners. She didn't care in the slightest, getting up to attend to other customers. And for the first time, Yu Sui'an tasted yuanxiao. Watching the lively, peaceful atmosphere on the streets, where adults from every household led children carrying beautiful lanterns to solve riddles, the little girl looked down at the yuanxiao in her bowl, suddenly feeling it wasn't quite as sweet anymore. Yet soon enough, Yu Sui'an grinned, reverting to her carefree self. Because she had just thought of the youth who was like an elder brother to her, and kindly, gentle Grandpa Li. After finishing, Yu Sui'an placed the bowl and chopsticks on the stool, came up to the woman, tugged at her skirt, and said, "Pretty Sister, I'm done eating, so I'm heading home now." Song Zhi'ang waved with a smile, watching the little girl dash off into the distance like the wind. "Pfft... wonder whose little girl that is." However, on her way back, Yu Sui'an suddenly heard waves of sneering voices. Several young men sitting on the second floor of a restaurant were joking and laughing: "Heaven's favored son, my foot! If you ask me, that little blind man reeks all over, looking just like an unruly commoner from the streets." Another handsome youth chimed in with a laugh, "Heh, don't be so harsh on him. After all, the fellow used to be a beggar." "Hahahahaha!" "A lot of people actually think he can beat our Brother Chen now. Heh... what pure delusion." Sitting on the inner side, Zhao Beichen swirled his wine cup and sneered, "Ants will always be ants. Even if they grow stronger, they're merely stronger ants. "Were it not for participating in the Hundred Sects Tournament, I might already have broken through into the mid-Core Formation stage by now. "So what if a stinking blind man hid his strength? In my eyes, it merely adds a bit of amusement." Yu Sui'an looked up at the second-floor window and happened to see the disciples of Ziyang Palace holding forth in loud conversation. Not wanting to stir up complications and cause trouble for her sect, she carefully skirted around the restaurant and sprinted far away in a flash. "It's getting late. I need to hurry back so Grandpa Li and the others won't worry." Cradling the buns she had bought for Li Guanqi against her chest, her face brimmed with a warm, gentle smile. Yet how could the people seated up there fail to notice her? One of them said with a vicious look, "That little girl... when testing spirit ruins before, wasn't Pang Li killed because of her? "I heard she's Li Guanqi's sister? "Heh heh, just the thing when I've got nowhere to vent my anger!" The moment the words fell, several figures immediately vaulted down from the second floor! Zhao Beichen's brows furrowed slightly. "Let's go take a look. "We can't let them go around killing people in the city."