Li Guanqi and the others took to the air, soon arriving thirty li within the borders of the original Great Xia Sword Sect.
He still remembered this boundary even now.
It was because this had been the limit of Lin Dong's patrol back then...
Exhaling a long breath of pent-up sorrow, he was soon stunned by the scene before his eyes!
When the group crossed Tianmen Cave and reached the summit of Tianjian Peak, Li Guanqi was truly awed.
Sunlight poured across the peak, where thick clouds and mists of spiritual energy slightly obscured the view.
Yet the sprawling complex of sect buildings below was as magnificent as an imperial palace scroll painting.
Vermilion buildings were arranged in picturesque harmony across the entire summit of Tianjian Peak.
The architecture was ancient and grand, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, every detail displaying the enduring heritage of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Looking down from above, one could truly feel the sect's current heritage and confidence!
Several flying cranes cried out crisply as they glided past, holding parcels in their beaks—evidently delivering letters to newly inducted disciples.
The spacious plaza now appeared somewhat smaller, yet traces of the past battle there were still preserved in full.
Upon seeing the newcomers, many disciples set aside their tasks and bowed respectfully where they stood.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi could not help sighing in wonder. "How long has it even been since I was last here?
"The changes are truly immense..."
The others smiled faintly at his words. Soon, the group arrived at the multi-story grand hall of the sect.
Lu Kangnian did not sit at the head of the hall; only a handful of people were present.
Lu Kangnian gestured warmly and said with a light chuckle, "Sit, sit, everyone, don't stand on ceremony.
"The journey must have worn you all out, hasn't it?
"Now that you're home, relax. Make yourselves comfortable."
The tables beside the chairs were laden with spiritual fruits, and freshly brewed spiritual tea was ready.
Li Guanqi, Ye Feng, and the others sat on one side, while Lu Kangnian, Qin Xian, and the rest sat on the other.
Only two feet separated the two sides as they sat facing each other, lacking any of the formal distance typical of routine sect council meetings.
Lu Kangnian's casual demeanor put Cao Yan and the others at ease.
Before coming, they had worried that the sect would be bound by rigid rules, making them uncomfortable.
Seeing how Lu Kangnian carried himself, Xiao Chen also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
He was naturally accustomed to doing as he pleased; if someone tried to control his every move, he would never be able to stand it.
He had already suffered enough of that stifling atmosphere back in the Xiao clan, but so far, he felt quite comfortable here.
Without realizing it, Xiao Chen's posture slouched, and he leaned back against the chair to rest.
Having traveled through so many places recently, he was indeed exhausted.
Seeing this, Lu Kangnian burst into hearty laughter. Xiao Chen wondered if he was being a bit too casual and disrespectful, and he hurriedly moved to sit up straight.
Lu Kangnian pressed his hand downward and chuckled. "Young friend, please make yourself comfortable. There are no outsiders here. Sit however you like."
Hearing that, Xiao Chen slumped back down at once and cupped his fists with a grin. "Then thank you, Sect Master Lu. I really am quite tired..."
Li Guanqi stood up slowly, took Meng Wanshu by the hand, and walked over to Li Nanting and his wife.
Looking tenderly at the woman beside him, he said, "Master, this is my Dao companion, Meng Wanshu.
"Wanshu, this is my master, Li Nanting. Beside him, with the gentle grace, is my master's wife, Shen Lan."
Li Nanting rose hurriedly upon hearing this.
"Good, good, good! One look and I can tell she's a sensible girl. Stinky brat, you'd better treat her well!
"Girl, if this brat ever bullies you, just tell me. See if I don't set him straight!"
Her cheeks flushed crimson, Meng Wanshu nodded. Beside them, Shen Lan looked at Meng Wanshu with undisguised fondness.
She nodded repeatedly as she looked her over, the smile never fading from her face.
Evidently, Shen Lan was exceedingly pleased with her as well.
Shen Lan rose slowly. From Meng Wanshu, she could faintly perceive the fluctuations of an immensely powerful ice-attribute primal energy.
She stepped over to Meng Wanshu's side and gently removed an azure hairpin from her own hair.
With a warm glance prompting Meng Wanshu to turn, Shen Lan skillfully swept up the cascading black hair that draped the young woman's shoulders and pinned it up.
With her hair gathered, Meng Wanshu revealed her slender, snow-white neck and the graceful curve of her shoulders.
Merely by having her hair pinned up, she gained an added air of dignified elegance and noble poise.
Meng Wanshu felt a trace of bashfulness, but then something struck her.
Because the jade hairpin lacked any fluctuations of primal energy, it was likely Shen Lan's personal, cherished accessory.
"Senior... is this jade hairpin too precious to give...?"
Hearing Meng Wanshu speak with such consideration only deepened Shen Lan's affection for her.
Shen Lan tucked a stray strand of hair behind the young woman's ear, her eyes brimming with maternal warmth.
"Keep it. It's just an ordinary mortal hairpin from the foot of the mountain; I haven't given you anything truly precious.
"I only hope that you and Guanqi will be happy and joyful together."
Blushing, Meng Wanshu nodded. She also sensed lingering hidden ailments inside Li Nanting's body.
With a flash of light in her hand, she produced a jade bottle and offered it to Shen Lan.
Just as Shen Lan was about to decline, the young woman said softly, "I noticed Senior Li still seems to carry some hidden ailments. The spiritual liquid in this jade bottle can help heal them."
Shen Lan froze in surprise. Even Sun Miao, the sect's chief alchemist, had been powerless to cure him!
Yet this young woman casually produced a jade bottle and told her it could remove those hidden ailments...
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. "Mistress, please accept it... You'll understand Wanshu's background later."
Hearing this, Shen Lan found it hard to refuse. After all, Li Nanting's hidden ailments had always weighed on her heart.
Recently, backed by sect resources, she had just broken through to the Soul Formation Realm, leaving Li Nanting feeling rather discontented with himself.
Shen Lan then took Meng Wanshu by the hand and led her toward the hall exit, saying, "You men carry on with your talk. I'll take Wanshu around the sect for a stroll."
Meng Wanshu nodded as well.
"Haha, child, let me show you Yuhu Peak, where Guanqi used to cultivate."
Arm in arm, the two women walked out together, leaving only the group of men in the grand hall.
Li Guanqi simply sat down beside the old man and asked, "Master, how come I haven't seen Sui'an?"
Li Nanting smiled. "That little girl is almost at the Nascent Soul realm, and she's gone out to temper herself through experience as well.
"Hardly any of the disciples from your generation are still at the sect; almost all of them have left to travel the continent."
Li Guanqi nodded slightly, yet a tangle of complex emotions rose in his heart.
In his memory, Yu Sui'an was still that little girl who did nothing but run around wildly...
How had she grown up all of a sudden?
Almost at Nascent Soul?
Time really flew... Out wandering to temper herself...
Lu Kangnian gave two dry coughs, signaling Li Guanqi with a smile.
"Ahem... Guanqi, aren't you going to introduce these two young friends?"
Just as Li Guanqi was about to stand, a delicate cry from the woman suddenly sounded in the divine sense he had kept focused on Meng Wanshu:
"What? Drink it down?"
Her cheeks burned hot, her eyes full of bashful shyness.
Chapter 570