As night fell, a wooden post as thick as a man's waist appeared in Li Guanqi's backyard.
Looking at the brand-new post, the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curled slightly.
He then fell into a stance and began throwing punches.
Thudding blows echoed ceaselessly from the courtyard on the mountainside, and a little girl running about was drawn by the noise.
Lying flat on the roof, she watched the youth with a stone casket strapped to his back pummel the punching post with ferocious intensity.
With every punch he threw, countless wood splinters went flying.
His taut body dodged, shifted, and maneuvered without pause.
Yu Sui'an lay on the roof, her large eyes filled with disbelief.
*This guy is actually treating the wooden post as an imaginary enemy!*
*What an incredible... blind kid.*
*What in the world is that thing on his back...*
Having finished his punches, the sweat-drenched Li Guanqi prepared to wash up and get some rest.
He was genuinely looking forward to his very first sect lesson the following day.
Moreover, entering Li Nanting's tutelage today felt like a true blessing to him.
At least in his perception, when the old man looked at him, his gaze was completely pure and devoid of malice.
Setting down the sword casket, Li Guanqi submerged himself in the bath tub, soaking comfortably for a while.
Yet without him realizing it, the little girl on the roof had slipped down into the courtyard.
She crept stealthily toward Li Guanqi's room.
Li Guanqi's ears twitched. A smile touched his lips, and he paid her no mind.
Suddenly!
"Aaaah!"
*Clatter!*
"Help meee—!"
Li Guanqi instantly yanked a robe around himself and bolted out the door.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw a tiny figure pinned beneath the sword casket, her little hands flailing wildly in the open air.
Her mouth was still mumbling, "Help meee—!"
Li Guanqi swiftly hauled the sword casket up with one hand while plucking the little girl out with the other.
The girl's little face was smudged with soot. The steamed bun in her mouth had not yet been swallowed, nor had the one in her hand been dropped.
Her porcelain-doll-like face scrunched up, and she declared with absolute gravity, "I'm hurt! You have to take responsibility!"
Li Guanqi was amused to exasperation by the little girl. She had sneaked in on her own and knocked over the sword casket, pinning herself beneath it.
And now she was demanding that he take responsibility.
Just as Li Guanqi was about to say something, he suddenly noticed a flush spreading over her face.
He hastily crouched down to examine her, asking in a grave tone, "Does your chest hurt?"
Yu Sui'an's eyes rimmed with red. Tears the size of beans came pattering down as she nodded.
Li Guanqi hurried to soothe her. "It's fine, it's fine. Don't move. I'll put on some clothes right away and take you to get help."
Li Guanqi dashed back into his room, threw on his clothes, scooped up the little girl, and charged out the door.
He was heading up the mountain to find his master!
He suspected that when the sword casket crashed down on her just now, it had fractured her ribs.
Fearing that she was frightened, Li Guanqi asked in a gentle voice along the way, "What's your name? I've seen you twice now, but I still don't know it."
Feeling that the pain seemed to have lessened a bit, the little girl took a bite of her bun to soothe her nerves.
In a crisp, clear voice, she replied, "My name is Yu Sui'an. I'm six years old."
Li Guanqi paused slightly, not expecting the little girl to have such a lovely name.
In the end, Li Guanqi found Li Nanting, who had not yet gone to sleep. After half the night's commotion, the little girl finally fell asleep by Li Nanting's side.
Watching the child fast asleep against Li Nanting, Li Guanqi asked curiously, "Whose child is she? I've already seen her twice on the peak."
Li Nanting pulled the blanket over her, gently patting her as she slept.
"Little Steamed Bun doesn't belong to any family. I picked her up when I went down the mountain three years ago."
"Picked her up?"
"That's right, picked her up.
"Three years ago, a famine struck the northern territories under the Great Xia Sword Sect's jurisdiction.
"Two whole years of drought left the farmers with nothing to harvest. I went over intending to summon rain with a spiritual incantation.
"That was when I saw the little girl squatting by the roadside. Beside her lay a woman who had starved to death.
"So I brought her back with me. On the road, I bought her a hot, freshly steamed meat bun.
"Even now, I still remember the way she looked up at me—her eyes were so very bright.
"She told me it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten!"
Li Guanqi listened quietly as the old man recounted the girl's past.
It could not help but remind him of his own childhood.
It seemed neither of them had lived an easy life...
No wonder every time he saw Yu Sui'an, she was holding a steamed bun.
It turned out that her past had been just as fraught with misfortune.
Seeing Li Guanqi's expression, the old man asked gently, "Why does it seem like you empathize so deeply?"
A bitter smile touched the corner of Li Guanqi's mouth. He looked up at the night sky and spoke softly.
"Well... once, clutching my elder sister's compensation of ten strings of copper coins, I had her cremated.
"After returning home, I hacked to death a distant uncle whose gambling addiction had driven my mother to fall gravely ill and die.
"Under heavy, swirling snow, on my way home cradling my sister's ashes, I found two steamed buns on the ground.
"They were rock-hard and sour, but to me back then, they were no different from a heavenly delicacy.
"And on that very same day, I visited that cremation shop a second time."
Li Guanqi recounted these things softly, his voice even and without a ripple of emotion.
Yet the old man looked at the boy with eyes full of heartache. Reaching out his other hand, he pulled the youth by the shoulder and said gently, "It's all right. Everything is in the past now. From now on, treat your master and martial brothers as your family, and consider Tianlei Peak your home."
The old man and the two youths sat in the courtyard, painting a scene of profound harmony.
Early the next morning, Li Guanqi awoke in an unfamiliar bed, only to realize he had somehow dozed off leaning against the old man's shoulder the previous night.
He had ended up sleeping directly in Li Nanting's room.
At this moment, there were still at least two two-hour periods before dawn, and the old man was already seated on a prayer mat, cultivating.
Li Guanqi got up as well, tidied himself up briefly, and then went to the backyard to practice his punches.
Every punch and kick was delivered with utter earnestness, accompanied by gusts of wind.
At some point, the old man had come to stand outside the doorway, watching quietly and nodding in approval.
Li Guanqi had practiced this boxing routine for eight full years; every subtle variation of each punch was under his complete control.
It was precisely these unceasing years of punching and stance walking that allowed him to command every muscle in his body with absolute perfection.
When Li Guanqi finished his routine and turned around, he found the old man behind him, giving him a thumbs-up.
Afterward, the old man demonstrated the exact routine Li Guanqi had just performed.
The entire set of basic fist techniques flowed smoothly like drifting clouds and flowing water, deployed and retracted with total ease.
This provided Li Guanqi with immense inspiration.
Seeing him lost in thought, the old man chuckled and said, "All right, if you reflect on these things later, you will understand the crux of it.
"If you don't hurry over to Tianshui Peak now, you're going to be late.
"Lan He dislikes nothing more than people being late."
Only then did Li Guanqi notice that the sky had already brightened. He quickly washed and straightened up.
Before heading out, he did not forget to step before Li Nanting to offer his greetings. "Master, this disciple is heading out now."
"Hahaha, good, good, go on!"
Chapter 18