Feasting My Childhood Self

Li Guanqi reached out and stroked Chen Xiaotian's head, channeling a faint, gentle wisp of primal energy into him to ease his pain. "Don't worry. It's free." Hearing this, Chen Xiaotian's eyes crinkled with a wide smile. To him, today was the most unforgettable day of his life so far. The prayer in his heart had truly reached an immortal in heaven, and an immortal had actually come to save him. Yet right after, Chen Xiaotian struggled to turn his head toward his mother, speaking with great hesitation. "Immortal... could you save my mother first?" "I... I can hold on a bit longer. If I die... it doesn't matter much." Li Guanqi gave a gentle smile and said softly, "Don't worry about all that. I'll save both of you." For Li Guanqi, curing the woman was merely a trivial matter. The woman hastily got up and said, "Immortal, you must not have eaten yet. Please wait for me!" Before Li Guanqi could decline, she had already hurried out the door. Yet Li Guanqi saw clearly that once she turned the corner, she squatted on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. Only Chen Xiaotian and Li Guanqi remained in the room. The young boy looked Li Guanqi up and down with constant curiosity. Right then, Li Guanqi raised a hand and ignited a wisp of heavenly flame out of thin air to warm the room. Seeing this, the boy's eyes went wide, making him even more certain that he and his mother would survive! After a moment of thought, Li Guanqi looked at Chen Xiaotian and asked gently, "Have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to become when you grow up?" Chen Xiaotian shook his head blankly. *Grumble...* The boy clutched his stomach in embarrassment, poked out his tongue shyly, and said, "Never thought about it. Every day I only think about whether we'll have anything to eat." "How much longer I can live, and whether Mother will die before me." Listening to the child speak of such things so matter-of-factly, Li Guanqi felt an inexplicable pang in his heart. How familiar this scene was! *Thud!* A massive sword coffin materialized abruptly. Chen Xiaotian gaped at the sword coffin that had appeared from nowhere, full of wonder. The coffin opened, and the Red Lotus sword flew out into the air, settling into Li Guanqi's grasp. Holding Red Lotus out to him, Li Guanqi asked softly, "Do you know what this is?" Chen Xiaotian said excitedly, "A sword! I've seen them in picture books." "The people who brandish swords are so impressive!" Li Guanqi burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this. He said softly, "Since you haven't thought about what you want to do, how about becoming an indomitable sword cultivator who slays demons and devils?" Indeed, Chen Xiaotian possessed a spiritual root, and not a bad one at that. The boy's eyes shone bright. He timidly reached out a finger to tap the hilt of Red Lotus. Red Lotus trembled slightly, letting out a crisp sword chime as crimson light flowed across its length, looking extraordinarily majestic! And this moment firmly planted the seed in his heart of wanting to become a sword cultivator. He didn't speak; he only nodded vigorously. Seeing him nod, Li Guanqi raised his hand and brought out the section of trunk given to him by the ancient Fumu tree. Forming a sword with his fingers, he shaved off a piece in the blink of an eye and carved an exquisitely crafted three-foot wooden sword. He infused it with primal energy and sword intent, carving the characters "Xiaotian" into the base of the hilt. Finally, he sealed it with his dual heavenly flames! Placing the wooden sword in his arms, Li Guanqi asked in a low voice, "Do you feel very grateful to me?" Chen Xiaotian blurted out, "Yes! If not for you, Immortal, neither Mother nor I would have survived. You are Chen Xiaotian's greatest benefactor!" "When I grow up, I'll definitely repay you tenfold, a hundredfold!" Li Guanqi did not answer. Instead, his expression grew solemn. With a wave of his hand, spatial power enveloped the boy, gently propping him up to lean against the wall. Next, spiritual light surged beside them, revealing the woman who had just left, now knocking on doors house to house. Debasing herself without hesitation, she knelt freely to anyone, wearing a subservient smile all just to borrow a few greens and a bit of meat from her neighbors. Even when those people mocked and sneered at her, Xu Jinglan merely kept smiling, nodding, and uttering flattery. One kindhearted old woman did catch an old hen from her courtyard for her. Everyone knew Xu Jinglan could never pay these things back; giving anything to her was like throwing meat buns at a dog—gone for good. Chen Xiaotian could not bear to look at his mother's debased state in the reflection and turned his head away. His small fists clenched tight, his lip trembling as tears fell pitter-patter onto his chest. Dispersing the projection, Li Guanqi said softly, "Xiaotian, remember what I am about to tell you." The boy's tender face was full of confusion as he looked up at Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi stood up, turned his back to him, and said softly, "Never treat a stranger's slight kindness like a treasure while turning a blind eye to all the sacrifices made by the one right beside you." "I know you carry gratitude in your heart, and that your heart aches deeply for your mother." "Yet you must remember, no matter what happens, your family is the most important in your life." "Even though I told you to become an indomitable sword cultivator when you grow up, that can only happen after your mother lives out her natural life and passes away in peace. Do you understand?" A flicker of resolve flashed across Chen Xiaotian's young face, and he nodded with all his might. Li Guanqi turned back and infused two cultivation methods and a sword art into the wooden sword. Using a secret technique, he concealed all radiance from the wooden sword, making it look like nothing more than an ordinary toy. Having finished all this, Li Guanqi looked toward the window and said softly, "Fellow Daoist, you have watched for so long. Are you still not planning to show yourself?" Then, before the young boy's astonished eyes, Li Guanqi vanished into thin air. A hundred zhang outside the village. Li Guanqi stood beneath a willow tree, seeming to wait for someone. *Buzz!* The space before Li Guanqi rippled slightly, and a young man in opulent green robes abruptly materialized. The youth was handsome, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, exuding an outstanding presence filled with righteous air. He held an emerald bamboo flute in his hand, wore jade at his waist, and carried a warm, genial smile on his face. Looking at him, Li Guanqi could not help but inwardly praise, *What a gentleman, gentle and flawless like fine jade!* The man was in the same realm as Li Guanqi, and his breath-concealment technique was quite remarkable. Cupping his hands in a polite salute, the newcomer said softly, "I am He Yuning of the Taixuan Sword Sect. If I have offended you, I hope you will not take offense, Fellow Daoist." Li Guanqi's brows knitted slightly. The other man had been here for a long time; he had arrived right as Li Guanqi stepped into the cottage. However, sensing no malice from him, Li Guanqi had simply ignored him until now. Li Guanqi cupped his hands in return and said softly, "A rogue cultivator, Ye Feng." "Brother He, what brings you here? And why have you been observing in secret all this time?" Hearing this, He Yuning looked somewhat flustered and quickly replied, "Brother Ye, please don't misunderstand. I came here... because I heard the boy's inner voice." Li Guanqi was taken aback and asked, "You heard it too?" "Could it be that all cultivators can hear it?" He Yuning waved his hands. "How could that be possible?" "Perhaps... only the two of us heard it." "As for watching you... uh, I was simply curious as to why you would treat him so kindly." "Curing his illness was one thing, but you also taught him life's lessons, gifted him precious treasures, and bestowed cultivation methods and sword arts without holding back in the slightest." While He Yuning spoke, Li Guanqi watched him closely. Yet he could not detect even a shred of greed in the man's eyes. The clothes he wore and the bamboo flute in his hand were clearly no ordinary items. Fixing his deep gaze on Li Guanqi, He Yuning said softly, "Though I do not know what Brother Ye has been through in the past, still... it feels to me..." "You seem more like... you are feasting your childhood self." Li Guanqi paused for a moment, then the corners of his lips curved slightly into a smile. He murmured under his breath, "'Feasting my childhood self'... Hahahaha, well said!" Li Guanqi glanced back toward the little wooden cottage. Beneath the willow tree amidst the swirling snow, he tossed a jug of strong liquor to He Yuning. "Though we met by chance, you feel like an old friend. Today, I, Ye Feng, treat you to a drink! Someday... my friend will come drinking with you as well!" He Yuning looked at the wine jug in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then tipped his head back and gulped it down. "Cough, cough, cough! *Hack, hack!* *Hiss!* This stuff is way too fiery!" Li Guanqi burst out laughing at the sight. Even so, he still did not drink, only reaching down to rub the vermilion wine gourd at his waist. He Yuning gritted his teeth and finished the rest of the wine, his face flushed bright red. Cupping his hands toward Li Guanqi, he called out, "If fate allows, come visit the Taixuan Sword Sect someday! Just give them the name He Yuning!" With that, swaying unsteadily, he took to the air and flew off. Watching He Yuning's departing back, Li Guanqi could not help but chuckle. "A decent fellow. Just can't hold his liquor."