That night, by virtue of his status as commander, Li Guanqi was granted a sizable courtyard villa in Yuxu City.
Originally, Lin Chuanqing had intended to bestow a grand mansion upon him, but Li Guanqi felt he had no need for such a sprawling place. He had simply requested a quiet courtyard villa near the southern side of the city instead.
*Crackle, snap!*
Firewood crackled as succulent roast meat sizzled, glistening with drops of oil.
Dressed in a lavish robe, Qi Mobai squatted beside the fire, drooling with anticipation.
Lin Wujiu reclined on a rocking chair to one side, casually sipping wine. Naturally, the liquor was none other than Red Dust Brew. Closing his eyes, he savored the prickle and warmth on his tongue, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
Meanwhile, Li Guanqi was busy tending the roast for the two of them.
"Tsk. I really didn't expect to witness the birth of an alchemist today."
Lin Wujiu rose and looked at Li Guanqi, his eyes gleaming with intrigued amusement. "Were you truly so confident that he would succeed? If I'm not mistaken, the flame within him shares the same source as your own, doesn't it? Was it really worth taking such a massive risk?"
Although Lin Wujiu had already heard the story of the two from his uncle, he still found it hard to fathom. In the Immortal Realm, kindness toward strangers was the most worthless thing imaginable. More often than not, it would only get a person killed. Cultivators who cast aside loyalty at the sight of profit were beyond count, and everyone lived purely for their own self-interest.
Li Guanqi replied in a calm, soft voice, "Whether it's worth it or not—doesn't that depend entirely on what your own heart says? Just like an ordinary stone: to someone else, it might be worthless, but to you, it could be something you wouldn't trade for a mountain of gold."
Saying this, Li Guanqi tapped his chest gently. "Worth it or not, all you have to do is ask here. As for what outsiders think, it doesn't matter."
When it came to ruthlessness, Li Guanqi certainly did not lack it. Yet he refused to let the turbid, cynical norms of the cultivation world obscure his true heart. Since he sought absolute freedom and an unfettered path, the genuine inclinations of his heart were what mattered most. Even if holding to such beliefs occasionally brought trouble upon him, so long as there was the faintest sliver of hope, he would never give up.
To yield once would mean yielding a second time, and then a third... Once giving up became a habit, the competitive, unyielding fire in his chest would slowly burn away. From then on, at the slightest hardship, his first instinct would be to retreat.
Qi Mobai had been crouching by the fire all this while, grinning foolishly. "Brother Li, can I refine pills for you from now on?"
Li Guanqi looked at him and, for a fleeting moment, caught the shadow of Cao Yan in his manner. It wasn't because both possessed talent for the Alchemic Dao, but because Qi Mobai's temperament was strikingly similar to Cao Yan's. Taciturn, deeply loyal and affectionate, yet unshakeably resolute inside. Once they set their minds on something, nothing could sway them.
If not for that, Qi Mobai could never have spent day after day, year after year relentlessly studying the Alchemic Dao. And it was precisely this stubborn persistence and pure heart that had prevented him from betraying Li Guanqi back in the Tianshu Ascension Hall. Although Li Guanqi did not know the exact inhuman torture he had suffered in that place, the severity of his wounds had made it painfully clear.
Li Guanqi smiled and gave his shoulder an affectionate punch. "You're going to be the greatest alchemist under the heavens. Why limit yourself to making pills only for me?"
Qi Mobai scratched his head, gazing dazedly at the skewered meat above the flames. "I don't care. In any case, whenever you need pills refined in the future, just tell me."
Resigned, Li Guanqi could only nod in agreement.
Lin Wujiu then turned to Qi Mobai with a chuckle. "I hope you become more formidable as time goes on. When I seek you out for pills down the road, you'd better give me a discount."
Qi Mobai glanced up at Lin Wujiu, then promptly lowered his head again, shuffling slightly closer toward Li Guanqi. "All right."
Lin Wujiu's face twitched faintly. *This fellow talks Li Guanqi's ear off, so why does he only spare me two words?!*
Brushing the thought aside, the young man twirled a stray lock of hair at his temple and looked at Li Guanqi with an amused smirk. "That Grand Commander post of yours won't be an easy seat to hold. You should know that the commanders of the four gates have had their eyes on it for quite some time. When you officially assume your post tomorrow... heh."
A faint smile lingered on Li Guanqi's face as he calmly drew a dagger to carve the meat. Slicing off a piece, he said, "What's so hard about it? As long as they don't provoke me, all will be well. If they do... they will have to bear the consequences themselves."
Lin Wujiu shrugged, suddenly realizing that rather than fretting over whether Li Guanqi could adapt, he ought to be worrying about the vice commanders under Lin Chuanqing instead.
Carrying his wine flagon, Lin Wujiu walked over and sat down beside Li Guanqi. "Brother Li, I depart tomorrow, and who knows when we will meet again. I've truly enjoyed my time around you—it has been a long time since I felt what it was like to be treated with open sincerity."
With that, Lin Wujiu extended his private jade slip to Li Guanqi. "Whenever you come to Qinzhou City in the future, you must let me know!"
Having spoken his piece, Lin Wujiu did not linger to eat. After exchanging jade slips with both Li Guanqi and Qi Mobai, he took his leave in haste.
Aboard his opulent carriage, the young man's expression once again returned to its customary aloof, cold arrogance. Moreover, his sword art's mental method had unexpectedly broken through to the Eighth Sword—an achievement he had never imagined possible so soon.
Sitting inside the carriage, Lin Wujiu drew back the sheer curtain and looked back toward Yuxu City, murmuring under his breath, "When we cross paths again, I only hope that I, Lin Wujiu, have not fallen too far behind you."
Indeed, deep within his heart, Lin Wujiu acknowledged that Li Guanqi surpassed him in both latent talent and cultivation speed. He hardly dared imagine what would happen if Li Guanqi stood at the same third layer of Mystic Immortal as he did. In that case, even if he unsealed the ancient ring on his hand, he would likely be no match for him.
***
Late at night.
Li Guanqi sat cross-legged in a quiet cultivation chamber filled with dense celestial spiritual energy.
Two jade slips lay before him: one a cultivation method, the other a movement technique.
He reached out for the cultivation method jade slip, recalling Lin Chuanqing's remark that obtaining it had cost him a hefty price. Even though it was merely the first half of a fragmented work, this portion alone was already comparable to a grade-two technique. It was clear that the complete method had to be of an extraordinary rank.
Li Guanqi then brought out the immortal sword Lin Chuanqing had gifted him earlier that day. Shimmering with celestial radiance, the longsword appeared exceptionally lavish. Yet to Li Guanqi, neither its forging materials nor its spirit could compare to Red Lotus.
After a brief thought, the space beside him rippled faintly, and the sword coffin abruptly manifested.
*Thud!*
The sword coffin slowly opened, and Li Guanqi tossed the immortal sword inside without hesitation. Yet he could acutely perceive that the sword's grade didn't even catch the sword spirit's interest... In the end, he simply allowed the sword coffin to refine the blade, channeling its purified essence directly into the Red Lotus sword.
"*Thunder Execution Divine Art*..."
Li Guanqi felt a sudden jolt in his chest as he gazed at the four characters shimmering with spiritual light before him.
"'Execution'... if I remember correctly, it signifies punishment and retribution."
The corners of his mouth curved upward into a slight smile, and he murmured, "How intriguing. The name of this technique actually suits my power remarkably well."
Chapter 1592