Long Hou Arrives!

Li Guanqi realized where he was in an instant. "Holy crap… Old Ye! Hurry up and open your damned pot lid!" *Clack!* "Hehe, Boss, you're awake?" Looking at the two of them holding large basins and ladles, Li Guanqi was rendered completely speechless. "You… you two aren't actually going to drink my bathwater, are you?" Ye Feng and Xiao Chen's eyes shone as they stared at the medicinal broth, which had gradually thickened. "Boss, you have no idea what went into this medicinal bath! Tier-seven spirit herbs were crushed to bits and thrown right in…" With an odd look on his face, Li Guanqi put on his clothes, feeling a distinct wave of nausea. "No, wait… you two are seriously going to drink it?" Xiao Chen held his bowl, hesitating as well, his heart full of doubts as he looked at Ye Feng. "Little Fengfeng, are we really drinking this?" Ye Feng could not care less; after all, what hadn't he eaten back in the Purgatory Abyss? "Don't say your bro didn't think of you. It isn't often we get to catch Pengluo and stew him in soup. You won't get another chance like this!" With that, right under Li Guanqi's shocked gaze, Ye Feng swung his ladle and scooped the broth into his basin. Seeing this, Xiao Chen gritted his teeth. Looking at Pengluo's severed finger floating in the pot, he threw caution to the wind and scooped out a massive basinful directly with the basin itself. *Gulp, gulp!* *Gulp! Gulp!* Ye Feng drank with relish, his eyes gleaming, while Xiao Chen pinched his nose and chugged with his eyes squeezed shut. Yet the more he drank, the more his furrowed brow smoothed out. It seemed… not to be what he had imagined at all… Standing aside, Li Guanqi shook his head repeatedly. Although he knew this pot of medicinal broth was extraordinarily precious, bringing himself to drink bathwater was still a bit too much to stomach. Just as Ye Feng started on his second basin, Xiao Chen suddenly set his down and picked at the corner of his mouth… A hair was pinched between his fingers. In an instant, the entire room fell dead silent… Li Guanqi cleared his throat in embarrassment and bolted out the door. Ye Feng and Xiao Chen exchanged a look, and their stomachs instantly heaved. "*Bleugh…*" "*Gag!*" Li Guanqi had just stepped outside when he ran into Meng Wanshu, who had come looking for him. "Are you all right?" Li Guanqi smiled. "Of course I am. Thanks to our father's secret medicinal bath, I recovered this quickly." Meng Wanshu nodded, then turned to see the two figures sprawled on the ground, retching their guts out. She asked in confusion, "What's wrong with them?" Li Guanqi quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and laughed. "Haha, nothing, nothing at all. They probably just drank too much water. Oh right, did you need me for something?" Meng Wanshu didn't dwell on it and said with a smile, "My mother stewed a hen and sent me to bring you over for dinner." Li Guanqi's eyes lit up, and he beamed. "Hahaha, wonderful! I've been craving Aunt Li's cooking for years. To think I'd get to taste it again today! Let's go, let's go." Meng Wanshu pointed at the two behind them. "Aren't they coming?" With the sound of violent retching splashing into his ears, Li Guanqi smiled and said, "Don't worry about them. They'll head over themselves once they're done throwing up." *Whoosh!* Li Guanqi took to the air without delay. Pengluo was still sleeping inside the sword casket space anyway. When the two reached the mountain hollow, Li Guanqi smiled at the sight of the grand house. Gliding down from the sky, they saw Meng Jiangchu, dressed in a magnificent robe, sitting on the threshold smoking a dry pipe. A smile crossed his face as he looked at the pair. "You recovered pretty fast, you brat. I thought it'd take you all night." Li Guanqi chuckled immediately. "It's all thanks to Father-in-Law's medicinal bath that I was able to recover so quickly." Meng Jiangchu rolled his eyes, stood up, tapped out his pipe, and said, "Get inside. Dinner's about to be served." Night fell, and the four of them feasted heartily in the courtyard. Li Guanqi devoured three large bowls of white rice, thoroughly enjoying every bite. Sitting in the courtyard, the four of them were just like a family, chatting and laughing. After hearing about what had happened during the day, Li Guilan spent the entire meal heaping food into Li Guanqi's bowl. Her eyes were red, filled with an unspoken, tender heartache whenever she looked at him. Once they had eaten their fill, Meng Jiangchu waved his hand and produced a wine jar carved of amethyst stone. Turning toward Li Guanqi, he couldn't help asking with a smile, "Fancy a drink?" Li Guanqi showed no hesitation and replied softly with a smile, "I'd like that." Meng Jiangchu's face darkened, and he muttered with a quiet huff, "Well now, you've only been out cultivating for a few years, and you've already learned to drink?" Without batting an eye, Li Guanqi answered neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Uncle Meng, though I haven't been on the path of cultivation for very long, I've lived through quite a lot over these years. In the past, I never understood what was so good about harsh, stinging wine. But having been through so much, I came to realize that this stuff… can dispel sorrow, and when you're happy, it lets brothers raise their cups together in high spirits." The man fell silent, having glimpsed a sliver of grief in the depths of Li Guanqi's eyes. He had also heard about the battle at the Great Xia Sword Sect's Ziyang Palace, and he had even obtained a visual recording of it. The two exchanged cups back and forth without using a trace of primal energy. It was as if they were competing, cup for cup. Seeing this, Li Guilan smiled gently and went inside to prepare a few side dishes to go with the wine. As the night deepened, a thoroughly intoxicated Li Guanqi threw his arm over Meng Jiangchu's shoulder, slurring his words. "Uncle Meng… I'm… I'm telling you… Back in the village… you were the one I feared most…" Meng Jiangchu's eyes were bloodshot as well. Slinging an arm around Li Guanqi, he said, "Since you were little… damn it, I… I was on guard against you, brat… And now… it's all… all down the drain… When Long Hou wiped out Mingchuan… I… I knew it was because of… because of you." Pouring wine beside them, the young woman's eyes went wide. "Aha! Dad! No wonder you've spent the past six months trying to introduce me to all those young talents!" Meng Jiangchu gave a sheepish chuckle and said nothing more. Suddenly! A terrifyingly immense pressure descended upon the entire domain territory! The instant this pressure appeared, the alcohol was shocked right out of Li Guanqi and Meng Jiangchu! Circulating their primal energy, they instantly dispelled the alcoholic haze. A flash of light erupted from Meng Jiangchu's wrist, and an azure-blue longsword cloaked in flames appeared in his hand! Li Guanqi frowned, probing outward with his senses, and his expression grew increasingly puzzled. Immediately after, countless golden steps abruptly materialized in the void of the domain territory. The steps stretched from the firmament all the way down to just outside the residence in the mountain hollow. At the far end of the staircase, a figure clad in golden armor slowly emerged. The man possessed a resolute countenance, his eyes completely calm and unruffled as he walked down the steps at an unhurried pace. Upon recognizing him, Meng Jiangchu drew in a sharp breath. He sheathed his sword, bowed, and saluted. "Junior Meng Jiangchu greets Lord Long Hou!" Indeed! The arrival was none other than Long Hou, who had crossed between domains. Long Hou gave a slight nod, turned toward Li Guanqi, and curled his lip. "Middle Void Refinement. Not bad." With that, Long Hou slowly raised a finger and traced lightly across the void. Li Guanqi's eyes went wide! For he recognized the trajectory drawn by the man's hand… It was the Great Sumeru Nine Palaces Immortal-Slaying Sigils! The corner of Long Hou's mouth curved slightly as the golden steps behind him gradually dissolved into the air.