That night, Lin Wujiu dragged Li Guanqi into his room and drank with him from dusk till dawn.
"You have no idea... back then, I really thought you were trying to kill me!"
"It was terrifying... If I weren't so bold and didn't know my dad was right outside, I definitely would've fought back."
Watching Lin Wujiu whine and complain endlessly, Li Guanqi felt a headache coming on from the sheer noise.
For a moment, he fell into silence.
Seeing Li Guanqi go quiet, Lin Wujiu leaned into his drunken state even more and asked, "What's with the silence?"
"Don't tell me you really did want to kill me back then?"
"No way..."
Thoroughly annoyed by his yammering, Li Guanqi cut him a sidelong glance and couldn't resist retorting, "Right now, I'm kind of regretting that I didn't stab you to death with that strike."
Lin Wujiu shuddered at those words, sobering up considerably.
He then rose, leaned in close to Li Guanqi, and whispered, "Brother Li, is the reason you're so powerful also because you have this ability?"
Li Guanqi glanced at him, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
"On the path of the sword, only personal strength is the true way."
"No matter what kind of ability one possesses, it is merely icing on the cake."
Having said that, Li Guanqi also briefly explained the concept of ruins.
The reason he was willing to share so much with Lin Wujiu was that, from start to finish, the young man had never once asked if this ability could be used to benefit the Lin family.
Lin Jinting's demeanor earlier had made it obvious that he hoped Li Guanqi, if capable, would extend this boon to the Lin disciples.
Lin Wujiu wasn't stupid; he naturally sensed what his father wanted.
Yet Lin Wujiu hadn't taken it to heart at all, not even bringing it up once throughout their drinking.
This was one of the reasons Li Guanqi considered Lin Wujiu relatively dependable.
"Right, if Qisha comes, will you give him a stab too?"
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment and actually shook his head.
"I haven't thought about it for now. It depends on the opportunity, but I won't help him this time."
At this, Li Guanqi added, "I need time to recover."
Hearing that, Lin Wujiu found nothing amiss. After all, such a heaven-defying ability certainly couldn't be used at will.
Still, Lin Wujiu was a bit dejected.
"If my dad can't find your father-in-law, wouldn't that mean I won't even have a sword to use right now?"
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched slightly. Lin Wujiu's nonsensical side was sometimes quite reminiscent of Xiao Chen.
Yet when he turned calm and collected, he resembled Tang Ru.
Perhaps this was what people called being superficially sanctimonious...
Noticing that Li Guanqi seemed slightly annoyed, Lin Wujiu hastily shrank back, set down his flagon, and clapped his hands.
"Heh heh, let's not talk about that. Time to relax!"
As the sound of his claps faded, the chamber doors slowly parted.
When over twenty supple, graceful female cultivators filed inside one after another, Li Guanqi finally understood why Lin Wujiu's residence had been built on such an immense scale!
Attendants carried in musical instruments as shy-faced maidens arrived cradling pipas or holding bamboo flutes and reed pipes.
Over twenty women of striking figures lined up in order, dressed in long-sleeved ink-patterned gowns.
The dark blue silk of their bodices shimmered under the light, swaying gently with their movements.
It was like the sparkling sheen of water reflecting a grand river winding between mountains.
The female cultivators wore exquisite makeup, powdered and adorned to perfection.
Their hair was coiled high, accented by a stroke of crimson pattern between their brows.
A gentle tinkling melody drifted in, reminiscent of mountain springs rippling over stones.
The music of strings and woodwinds swelled softly, showcasing masterful technique.
The maidens raised one hand slightly, their white flowing sleeves like silver ribbons concealing half of their faces.
Standing barefoot, their toes peeked out as they danced in cadence with the music—a feast for the eyes.
Their dance was breathtaking, uniform, and meticulously arranged.
In every movement and pause, the expressions in their eyes were poised just right.
Even with all that Li Guanqi had seen in his travels, he couldn't help but nod slightly, his gaze brimming with admiration.
Sipping his wine, Li Guanqi didn't even look away. His fingers lightly tapped the table in rhythm with the music, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
Lin Wujiu was the same.
The two sat drinking while watching the dance, their eyes filled purely with appreciation without the slightest trace of lewdness.
When the dance concluded, the women bowed in greeting.
Both Li Guanqi and Lin Wujiu couldn't help applauding.
Lin Wujiu laughed. "Mengying, your dancing skills have grown even more marvelous. A reward!"
Before Lin Wujiu could finish, Li Guanqi tossed out a thousand immortal crystals.
"A truly breathtaking dance. Please accept these few immortal crystals."
The dancers exchanged glances, their eyes ultimately congregating on Lin Wujiu.
The lead dancer even pouted playfully at him.
Li Guanqi's reward was substantial; immortal crystals lay not just before the dancers, but before the musicians as well.
Lin Wujiu waved his wide sleeve and laughed heartily.
"Why are you looking at me? If Young Master Li rewards you, take it. You've earned it."
Delight instantly washed over their faces. Collecting the immortal crystals before them, they looked at Li Guanqi with shimmering eyes that carried a hint of coquettish charm.
The lead dancer gave a graceful curtsy, lowering her eyes as she spoke softly, "Mengying thanks Young Master Li on behalf of my sisters."
"If Young Master doesn't mind, Mengying can lead my sisters in another dance for you."
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and said gently, "That would be wonderful. To behold such a dance even once is a fortune; seeing it again would be even better."
The maiden smiled and led the group away to change their attire.
Seeing this, Lin Wujiu leaned toward Li Guanqi and teased cheekily, "Well, well, well. Who knew a miser like Brother Li wouldn't be stingy at all when handing out rewards?"
Li Guanqi shrugged, his expression calm and composed. With a trace of reminiscence in his voice, he murmured, "You should know that back in the Spirit Realm, what I enjoyed most was tempering my heart in the mortal realm alongside my brothers..."
"Sadly, whenever we tempered our hearts back then, they were rarely wholly invested."
"These dancers kept by the Lin household, however, truly deserve to be called peerless beauties."
"This peerlessness isn't about their looks, but the fact that their love for dancing radiates from within. It is very pure."
Lin Wujiu pursed his lips, rolled his eyes, and muttered, "If you like watching, just say so. What's with all the lofty philosophy?"
Li Guanqi heard him, but only chuckled and didn't bother to explain.
Early the next morning, Lin Wujiu rushed to Li Guanqi's room and banged noisily on the door!
"Brother Li! Wake up! Qisha is here!"
Li Guanqi woke from his cultivation. His realm had now stabilized slightly at the peak of the eighth layer of Mystic Immortal.
That bottle of spiritual liquid was remarkably potent... It would likely take another seven days to fully refine it.
Rising to open the door, he was immediately grabbed by Lin Wujiu, who dragged him toward the city outskirts.
On the way, Li Guanqi said quietly, "Don't fly so ostentatiously. Qisha isn't like me. Drop down to welcome him."
Only then did Lin Wujiu realize that Qisha's identity was rather delicate, and he quickly descended from the air.
He sent word to the guards outside the city. When the two arrived at the city gates, they saw Qisha fully cloaked in black robes.
Seeing them approach, Qisha grew equally excited, raising an arm to wave in greeting.
Chapter 1649