What Factions? My Grandfather...

Looking at Li Guanqi, dual swords in hand and brimming with fighting spirit, Meng Jiangchu grew more irritated by the second. He raised a hand, instantly conjuring a terrifying palm of azure flames. With a sweep under locked space, he swatted Li Guanqi flying with a single slap. *Boom!!* The terrifying force sent Li Guanqi smashing through the hall wall, hurtling thousands of zhang into the distance in a flash. Those outside heard only a thunderous crash before a figure shot across the sky like a kite with a severed string. "Oww..." Midair, Li Guanqi finally came to his senses. His entire body felt as though he had taken a broadside hit from an ancient wild bull; his bones were rattling apart. Only now did he register what he had just done. Had he... actually... swaggered up to a terrifying expert—one very likely in the Mahayana Realm—and told him to draw his sword??? "Father-in-law! Go easy on me!" While still flying through the air, Li Guanqi didn't forget to shout at the top of his lungs, terrified that another palm strike might come crashing down at any second. *Crash!!* Li Guanqi slammed into a towering mountain, leaving a deep crater in the massive boulders behind him as fissures spiderwebbed outward in every direction. That single slap had embedded him straight into the rock. After shaking himself out, Li Guanqi hurriedly stowed his dual swords and scampered eagerly back toward the grand hall. Seeing maids along the way covering their mouths and snickering, Li Guanqi couldn't resist puffing out his chest. "What are you laughing at? To hit is to care, to scold is to love—my father-in-law was just messing around with me." A pretty maid couldn't help giggling. "Oh? Then would the young master-in-law like to wipe the blood off his face first?" Li Guanqi froze for a second, then frantically wiped it clean and beat a hasty retreat. When he returned to the hall, he saw Meng Jiangchu seated on his throne, watching him with a beaming smile. "Come on, draw your sword! Draw your sword!" Li Guanqi's expression stiffened, and he said awkwardly, "Uh... how about... we let it slide?" Meng Jiangchu stepped down slowly from the throne and curled his lip. "Come now, how could we? Draw your sword! Where did that swagger from earlier go?" Li Guanqi's demeanor instantly deflated. "Wasn't that just because the mood carried me away...? Besides, Father-in-law, your aura was simply too overwhelming. "I got swept up in it without thinking. We sword cultivators have to dare to draw our swords, don't we?" The man curled his lip, cuffed him over the head, and pointed to a chair across from him. "Sit down, you brat. "Still as slick-tongued as ever. I was guarding against you even back then... *sigh*..." Watching the man sigh, Li Guanqi merely smiled. Being very quick on the uptake, he produced some spiritual tea, brewed a fresh cup, and respectfully offered it with both hands, grinning. "Heheh, Father-in-law, have some tea." The moment those words left his mouth, the hall fell dead silent. Bowing before Meng Jiangchu, Li Guanqi kept his head lowered, holding the teacup aloft above his head with both hands. Meng Jiangchu looked at the youth before him, his expression complicated. With his head bowed, Li Guanqi saw the man resting his hands on his knees without moving, knowing things wouldn't be settled that easily. He held his posture, quietly waiting for what would follow. "Brat, do you know how many suitors Wanshu has? And do you know what kind of backgrounds and statuses they hold?" Hearing this, Li Guanqi suddenly looked up with a broad grin. Looking the man straight in the eye, he slowly produced a jade slip. "Why don't we have them all come at once? I'll call my grandfather over for a visit." At those words, Meng Jiangchu wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. Even he had to admit that the old master... was far too formidable. Formidable to the point where even now, Meng Jiangchu felt stifled in his presence. If that old master really showed up... What sacred grounds? What Integration Realm? What Mahayana Realm? Every last one of them could shove off. After all, the one who had annihilated Mingchuan back then was Long Hou! A man once hailed as the strongest in the Six Domains, yet even someone of that caliber had willingly served as the old man's right-hand man. Meng Jiangchu said rather awkwardly, "Setting aside their backgrounds, can you truly treat Wanshu well? "Can you give her happiness?" Li Guanqi straightened up slowly and said softly, "To be honest, Uncle Meng, I've loved Wanshu ever since we were children. That's why I always joked that whoever got to marry her in the future would be blessed beyond measure. "I cannot promise she will be happy every second of every day, but I can promise that I will always treat her well. "I will protect her, cherish her, and never let harm come to her." The man was about to nod upon hearing this, but then his mind flooded with how Li Guanqi had gone to rescue his daughter, only for her maiden innocence to be 'rescued' away in the process. "Dammit... what rotten luck." Thoroughly annoyed, Meng Jiangchu picked up the teacup before him and drained it in a single gulp. Only after drinking did he realize that Li Guanqi had already dashed far away, clutching the teacup. Protecting the cup, Li Guanqi shouted hurriedly, "Thank you, Father-in-law, for your blessing!!" "Hey! That wasn't what I meant!!" "No takesies-backsies, Father-in-law! You already drank the tea, so how can you go back on your word?" Li Guanqi bolted out like a streak of smoke, ignoring the man's angry shouts behind him. After Li Guanqi left, the man slowly rose and walked back to the throne. With a wave of his hand, he repaired the damaged wall. Leaning back against the throne, he formed a series of hand seals before finally easing his mind and letting out a long breath. "Could this truly be destiny? "So infuriating! That Xiao Chen boy was utterly useless, too!" *Buzz!!* The space beside the man rippled slightly, and Li Changqing's figure slowly materialized. Hearing Meng Jiangchu mention Xiao Chen, the old man opened his mouth, hesitating. "What is it you can't say?" The old man sighed and recounted everything he had seen and heard along the way. By the end, Meng Jiangchu was fuming. He slammed his fist heavily against the armrest and roared, "Pathetic! Utterly pathetic!!" *Sigh...* "Send him some ten-thousand-year stalactite marrow. Forcibly extracting the Great Sky Rosy Flame is bound to leave hidden injuries in that boy's body." Li Changqing wore a peculiar expression as he replied, "There are no hidden injuries. Li Guanqi gave him a Heaven-rank cultivation method, and the flame seed returned to its place without a hitch." The man stared in surprise. "A cultivation method? Heaven rank? And he refined the heavenly flame right back into his body without breaking a sweat?" Li Changqing shrugged. "He originally had a Heavenly Flame Bead inside him, which he gave to Wanshu as a bracelet, and another heavenly flame, the Yinming Profound Flame, which he gave to that little brother of his. "Oh, right—that little brother's flame was extracted and returned, too." Meng Jiangchu reflected for a moment; being that person's grandson, the boy naturally would never lack such things. Just as he stood up, Li Changqing suddenly spoke with an odd expression. "Uh... Domain Lord, the other major sacred grounds and saint sects have come together to pay you a visit. "Their cloud boats are moored just outside the domain barrier." Meng Jiangchu felt an instant headache. How could he not know what those fellows were after? "They all brought juniors along, didn't they?" The old man nodded wryly, clearly thinking along the same lines. Rubbing the space between his brows, the man barked, "Get back here, brat! Time to go out and fight!"