Li Guanqi did not know what Ye Feng's family situation was like.
Ye Feng had never mentioned it, and Li Guanqi had never asked.
Yet turning the thought over in his mind, Li Guanqi nudged Ye Feng with an elbow and arched his brows.
Ye Feng frowned. "What is it?"
Putting on a mysterious air, Li Guanqi said, "Want me to take you to a cultivation spot?"
Ye Feng's eyes instantly lit up. Leaning close to Li Guanqi's ear, he whispered, "Could there still be some special place in the sect that I don't know about? I knew it—no wonder you advance so fast! Elder Li must have been giving you private lessons."
A sly smile crept onto Li Guanqi's face as he murmured, "Tsk, what do you mean, private lessons? I discovered this place all on my own. Ahem... it's called 'tempering the heart in the mortal world'!"
Ye Feng furrowed his brow, repeating in confusion, "Tempering the heart in the mortal world? Sounds pretty impressive! Like a heart-tempering realm or something?"
Li Guanqi gave an enigmatic grin. "Just tell me whether you're going or not!"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I want to see for myself why you can cultivate so fast!"
The two hit it off immediately. Two figures rose on flying swords and soared straight out beyond the borders of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Before departing, Li Guanqi had only tossed a single line to Li Nanting, saying they were going off to temper their hearts in the mortal world.
Even Li Nanting, at peak Core Formation, was left momentarily stunned. With a bewildered look in his eyes, he muttered, "Tempering the heart in the mortal world? What the devil is that?"
This time, the two opted against riding a cloud boat altogether, choosing instead to ride their swords directly into the clouds.
Feeling the fierce wind rushing past as the mists fell away behind them at breakneck speed, an uninhibited, carefree joy blossomed in their hearts.
Boisterous laughter rang out across the skies.
"An immortal descended from high heaven, looking down upon the mortal realm!!" Li Guanqi called out, his chest brimming with delight.
At his side, Ye Feng said rather sourly, "Never guessed you were so cultured. You actually sound a bit like a scholar."
Li Guanqi chuckled. "When I was little, my grandfather forced me to read a ton of books every day. All right, let's hurry so we can get there before sunset!"
Several hours later, the two hovered in the sky above a sprawling city.
Ye Feng looked down at the brightly illuminated city below with an odd expression, asking in confusion, "This is what you call tempering the heart in the mortal world?"
Li Guanqi laughed. "Why worry about so much? Just follow me."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
With two rushing gusts, the pair landed outside the city gates and followed the crowd inside.
Ever since they entered the city, Ye Feng's brow had been tightly furrowed. He had no clue what Li Guanqi was plotting.
After following Li Guanqi through seven twists and eight turns...
Ye Feng came to a halt before a tavern adorned in pink lanterns. His eyes went wide with shock as he looked up at the large characters inscribed on the plaque:
"Drunken Flower Pavilion..."
Immediately, a voice laced with fury rang out, rising above the clamor of the street.
"Li! Guan! Qi!"
"This is what you called tempering the heart in the mortal world?!"
"Drinking with courtesans and visiting a brothel?!"
Li Guanqi picked at his ear with an expression that clearly said Ye Feng didn't understand in the slightest.
Glancing at the reactions of the passersby in the street, he said testily, "What are you hollering for?"
"Uh... have you been here before?"
Ye Feng's face flushed red, and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Li Guanqi slung an arm around his shoulder and laughed. "Well, there you go! Come on, let's go."
The two had already caught the eyes of many women. Seeing them ascend the steps, the ladies hurried forward to surround them.
With his golden hair and handsome features, Ye Feng was practically a heartthrob for young maidens.
"Oh my~ Aren't you a handsome young master?"
"Indeed! And this skin... it's even softer and fairer than mine~"
"Sisters, feel for yourselves~"
In an instant, several women pressed close against him, the fragrance of their rouge and powder slightly overpowering.
Li Guanqi could clearly see Ye Feng's face turn red all the way to his ears, his body stiff as a board.
Carried along almost entirely by the women clinging to him, he was escorted inside.
Meanwhile, the woman who stepped up beside Li Guanqi was the same one from his last visit.
"Ah! Young Master, it really is you!"
Soon, the two walked into Drunken Flower Pavilion, settling into the very same seats as before.
Only this time, the woman performing on stage was a different beauty, playing a tune on the vertical bamboo flute.
Ye Feng was surrounded by a flock of chattering beauties, yet he sat ramrod straight where he was, utterly rigid.
In the end, Li Guanqi spoke up. "All right, all right, off you go. My brother can barely breathe."
Hearing the guest speak, the women did not dare overstep. Taking the opportunity to stroke Ye Feng's cheeks a few more times, they finally took their reluctant leave.
Only after everyone had gone did Ye Feng let out a long breath.
"Whew!"
"Tempering the heart in the mortal world! Truly living up to its reputation!!"
Ye Feng seized the cup of tea from the table and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Only then did his surging blood and vital energy begin to settle.
Li Guanqi turned to the woman named Qinghe and said with a smile, "If Lady Xiangyue is free, could she play a tune on the zither for my brother?"
Qinghe nodded with a smile and said softly, "Please wait a moment, Young Master. Ever since you left, Sister Xiangyue has missed you dearly."
Li Guanqi gave a faint smile, letting the compliment pass in one ear and out the other.
Whether she missed him, or missed his formidable strength and status, was something best left unsaid.
After Qinghe left, a series of dull thuds suddenly reached Ye Feng's ears.
Thud, thud, thud!
Thud, thud, thud!
A jet-black myna bird stood on the table.
Clutched in its beak was a piece of sticky rice cake, which it was bashing against an egg on the table, seemingly eager to get at the yolk inside.
Ye Feng couldn't help but chuckle. "Silly bird, that's soft. How could that crack an egg?"
The myna was remarkably clever. Cocking its head at Ye Feng, it mimicked his words: "It's soft! It's soft!"
Ye Feng laughed and said, "That's right, it's soft. You have to use something hard."
Li Guanqi teased, "Why bother talking to it? It doesn't understand."
Before long, Xiangyue arrived with graceful, gliding steps, dressed in a gown of light pink gauze.
Ye Feng's eyes went wide the moment he saw her; even a veil could not conceal her radiant beauty.
Xiangyue offered an elegant curtsy and said with a tender smile, "Young Master, we meet again."
Li Guanqi took out a hundred taels of gold, pointed at Ye Feng, and said softly, "Play a zither piece for this brother of mine."
Xiangyue's lovely eyes flickered as she looked at Ye Feng, and she actually had the zither brought over and placed right in front of him.
Both Li Guanqi and Ye Feng were taken aback. Ye Feng blurted out, "I don't know how to play the zither!"
To his astonishment, the woman slowly sat down directly on his lap.
Instantly, Ye Feng's face flushed crimson all the way down to his neck, his body frozen, not daring to move an inch.
When the piece came to an end, Li Guanqi thought it sounded quite lovely, but as for Ye Feng, there was no telling what he had heard.
With the melody finished, the woman slowly rose, picked up the gold, bowed, and prepared to take her leave.
Just then, the myna bird from earlier squawked, "It's soft! It's soft!"
The woman, who had already turned to go, blushed deeply and whispered, "It was hard."
With that, she departed with light, brisk steps.
Behind her, Ye Feng wished the ground would swallow him whole, while Li Guanqi doubled over with laughter.
It took a long time for Ye Feng's complexion to return to normal. He said in a deep voice, "The power of tempering the heart in the mortal world truly lives up to its name!!"
Just then, however, Ye Feng's expression shifted slightly as he produced an azure jade slip.
Setting the jade slip down, Ye Feng's face turned grim to the extreme. He rose abruptly and said in a heavy voice, "I have to return to my clan!"
Li Guanqi furrowed his brow and asked softly, "Trouble at home?"
Seeing Ye Feng nod, Li Guanqi also stood up and said, "I have nothing going on anyway. I'll go with you."
Ye Feng paused for a moment without refusing. Then, the two of them flew on their swords and departed Wangyue City!
Chapter 76