Callousness

Back at his courtyard residence, Li Guanqi's head was a muddled mess. He could not comprehend how the other man could speak of such things so casually... Yet, thinking about it carefully, across the vast lifespans of cultivators in the Immortal Realm, their emotional attachments seemed... extraordinarily faint. Perhaps in their eyes, only descendants tied by blood felt somewhat closer. Even then, the spans of time separating generations of offspring could be immense. Just as Lin Wujiu had once mentioned, the age gap between his uncles and their children could span several centuries. It was entirely possible to witness an elderly man on the verge of the grave calling a toddler his younger brother. It was just as possible to see a son who looked far older than his own father, or a parent who looked noticeably younger than their grown child when standing side by side. Consequently, the values and upbringing Li Guanqi had received in the Spirit Realm had fallen into utter disarray when confronted with the Immortal Realm. On his way back, he had run into Qian Ronghe. The old man had merely smiled at the sight of him. Standing at Li Guanqi's side with his hands clasped behind his back, the elder had said with a faint smile, "Young friend, do you know anything of the imperial families in the Spirit Realm?" Li Guanqi shook his head. The only dynasty he had ever encountered was the Xuantian Dynasty, where Li Shenzhi's father belonged. The old man nodded slightly and looked up at the sky as he explained, "Familial bonds in the cultivation world are much like those in cold-blooded imperial clans. "An emperor has three thousand beauties in his harem. If a prince takes a fancy to a woman chosen during the imperial concubine selection, the emperor might simply bestow her upon his son." Li Guanqi's brows had knitted tightly as he listened, unable to comprehend such conduct. Seeing his reaction, the elder chuckled, patted his shoulder, and continued, "Perhaps it is hard for you to understand. "Yet you must realize that in the eyes of a mortal emperor, there are only grand ambitions, the state and the realm, and expanding borders. "Beyond that, women are mere external possessions. "To claim the throne, princes vie for power and influence, engaging in open strife and veiled conspiracies, killing others for their own gain! "'A general's triumph is built upon ten thousand corpses.' "It is the exact same logic behind the struggle for power among the children of cultivators in the Immortal Realm." The old man's gaze grew distant as he murmured softly, "Cultivators possess vast lifespans. Over a lifetime, they may have countless women and just as many children. "Some, after several centuries, do not even remember they have a particular child. After a night of pleasure, why would they give it any further thought? "Be it the Immortal Realm or the Spirit Realm, once a cultivator has pursued the Dao for more than a millennium, their sense of familial affection becomes extraordinarily faint. "To them, what truly matters are powerful figures they can cling to, alchemists they can fawn over, contested cultivation resources, and Immortal Realm cultivation methods." Having said this much, Qian Ronghe fell silent, perhaps feeling he had spoken too freely. He cupped his hands with a smile. "Rest early, young friend. This old man has matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave." Li Guanqi nodded in silence. After returning to his own courtyard, he sat on a chair, the elder's words constantly echoing in his mind. Only after a long while did Li Guanqi come to his senses and sigh. He had to admit that the elder's heartfelt words made a great deal of sense. Putting himself in that position, if Wanshu were by his side and several thousand years went by, perhaps he would also have swarms of descendants. Coupled with a cultivator's vast lifespan, if a millennium truly passed, between his first generation of children, the generations that followed, and the children of those children... Perhaps familial affection really would become exceptionally faint. In truth, Li Guanqi did not realize that coming to understand these things was already his first real glimpse into the Immortal Realm. His thoughts unsettled, Li Guanqi entered his quiet cultivation room, laid out immortal crystals, and slipped into cultivation. He had also gained some insights into his movement technique, but right now he dared not leave Yuxu City recklessly. *** Tianshu Ascension Hall. Inside a grand, opulent bedchamber, the sounds of violent smashing and crashing echoed through the room! *Bang! Crash!* A man with a contorted, ferocious face roared, "Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" The man panted like an ox, his eyes completely bloodshot. Unlike the callous detachment Li Guanqi had heard was common among Immortal Realm cultivators, Zhao Chengyong... was deranged. Zhao He was his only son, and ever since Zhao He was born, Zhao Chengyong had permanently lost the ability to father children. For the method he practiced was meant for women. As time passed, numerous changes had taken place in his body. As stubble fell from his face, the man ripped off a fake beard in one violent tug. His eyes were venomous as a viper's. "Could it be Lin Chuanqing who intervened? "Otherwise, how could that murderer possibly kill a fourth-tier Mystic Immortal?!" Immediately after, the man retrieved an eerie black jade slip from his storage ring and rasped in a low voice, "Kill someone for me!" The jade slip gave off a faint ripple before falling silent. *** Meanwhile, on the other side. Li Guanqi's cultivation progressed swiftly over the past few days, yet he chose not to tap into the power left behind by his grandfather. For now, he had no need to rely on that power to force an overly rapid breakthrough. Over these days, Lin Chuanqing sent people to deliver immortal crystals each day. *Knock, knock, knock!* "Brother Li, Brother Li, are you in?" Li Guanqi waved a hand to open the courtyard gate and capped his wine flagon. "Do you have the nose of a hound, brat? I just emerged from seclusion hoping to drink some wine, and here you are." Qi Mobai licked his lips, his nose twitching, and flashed over before Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi was astonished to discover that Qi Mobai was also showing signs of breaking through to the second tier of the Mystic Immortal realm. "How has your strength increased so fast?" Qi Mobai scratched his head and said rather bashfully, "I took quite a few pills." With that, Qi Mobai turned his wrist, producing two jade bottles that he offered to Li Guanqi. With clear pride, he said, "Here, these are pills I personally concocted. I brought two bottles for you." Li Guanqi frowned slightly and pushed the jade bottles back, saying softly, "Keep them for yourself. I still have some Xuanyuan Pills left." Li Guanqi knew that concocting pills was terribly draining on the mind and spirit. Ever since Qi Mobai walked in, he had noticed the boy's pale face and pallid lips. It seemed he had been concocting pills day and night without rest, exhausting his mental energy immensely. Taking small sips of wine, Qi Mobai grinned happily from ear to ear. "No, these are meant for you! "Right now, I get to keep four pills from every cauldron I concoct! "Heh-heh, two for me to take, and two saved for you." Looking into his bright eyes, Li Guanqi found it hard to refuse. He had no choice but to take the pills. Seeing Li Guanqi accept them, Qi Mobai's eyes curved into smiling crescents. "Oh, right. Castellan Lin said he'll send me to the Pill Hall next year to study more profound knowledge." Li Guanqi smiled and nodded, saying softly, "I probably won't stay in Yuxu City for long. It's too peaceful here... not quite suited to me." Qi Mobai did not urge Li Guanqi to stay as others might have. Instead, he felt Li Guanqi was entirely right. "True. Someone like you, Brother Li, is meant to contend with men and contend with the heavens!" Li Guanqi burst into hearty laughter at those words. Qi Mobai glanced at the gilded earring on Li Guanqi's ear and asked curiously, "Brother Li, you possess such manly vigor, so why do you wear an earring?" The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward slightly. "It isn't just an earring. It's a promise."