That night, Li Guanqi slept exceptionally soundly. When he blearily opened his eyes, he found himself lying in his master's courtyard residence.
Beside him was little Yu Sui'an, her eyes red and puffy.
Seeing the meat buns placed beside his pillow, Li Guanqi smiled faintly as he lay in bed. He picked one up and savored it, but the movement pulled at his wounds, making him wince in pain. He sat up and checked on the little girl.
"Good, I didn't wake her."
At that moment, Li Nanting stood in the doorway, watching him with a gentle smile. Once Li Guanqi had composed himself, he settled Yu Sui'an back onto the bed and tucked the quilt around her.
All the wounds across his body had been properly dressed. Li Guanqi moved his limbs, feeling he would be mostly recovered in another two or three days.
Watching Li Guanqi stretch, Li Nanting couldn't help but marvel, "This boy's constitution is simply remarkable."
When Li Guanqi walked over to him, Li Nanting drew a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "What is the deal with the blood-red runes on your body?"
Li Guanqi gave an inward start. Strapping the sword casket onto his back, he mumbled evasively, "Uh... it's nothing, really. My grandfather drew them on me. I don't know what they do, and they haven't affected me in any way."
Li Nanting's brows knitted tightly. Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian had both visited yesterday, but they too had been thoroughly baffled by the blood-red markings. They could clearly sense how profound the patterns were, yet none could decipher their purpose.
Seeing that the boy did not appear to be lying, Li Nanting pressed no further. As long as it caused Li Guanqi no harm, that was enough. Meanwhile, the boy's grandfather loomed even larger in Li Nanting's mind. The vague impression he held was now cloaked in an even deeper veil of mystery. Li Nanting surmised that Li Guanqi's grandfather was at least a Nascent Soul powerhouse—or perhaps even a Soul Formation Realm cultivator!
Li Nanting smiled and said, "Eat something first. Afterward, I'll help you change your dressings."
Li Guanqi grinned and began devouring the delicacies laid out on the table.
After just a few mouthfuls, Li Guanqi paused in surprise and asked, "Medicinal cuisine? And made with spirit herbs and demon beast meat? Master, this wasn't prepared by the sect for you, was it...?"
Li Nanting patted him on the head with a chuckle. "Just eat. I had them prepare it. You're injured, so you need to eat well to nurse your body back to health. The sect's resources are only enough to open the trial secret realm once; I won't have you missing out on it."
After eating for a while, Li Guanqi spoke softly. "Master..."
"Hmm?"
"Regarding my killing those men, you don't seem to have said much about it?"
"What is there to say? They intruded into the sect's borders. Did you expect me to criticize you for leaving no survivors under those circumstances? Besides, cutting weeds down to the roots is the very first ironclad rule once enmity is forged in the cultivation world! You must remember this!"
A solemnity unlike anything seen before showed on Li Nanting's face.
Looking into the boy's eyes, he warned in a grave tone, "No matter who the opponent is, no matter how noble their status may be—once conflict arises between you, whenever there is an opportunity, you must strike to kill! Kill if you can! Never be soft-hearted, and never hesitate!"
Li Nanting spoke with immense gravity, as if intent on etching every word into Li Guanqi's memory.
Recalling what had happened to his master in the past, Li Guanqi nodded silently.
Yet immediately after, the old man assumed the stern posture of an elder.
"Ahem... Though your master says all that, I don't want you turning into someone who slaughters indiscriminately or thirsts for blood. If you ever become like that in the future, I will personally clean house and strike you down!"
The old man's words rang with resolute weight, and Li Guanqi quickly straightened his posture and nodded.
Li Nanting slowly reached out and tapped the boy's chest a few times.
"Guanqi, you must remember. Here, there is a scale. Who should be killed and who should not—it knows best."
Li Guanqi nodded in half-understanding. Perhaps the scale in his heart was only just taking shape, but he believed the old man before him would show him what markings belonged upon it.
When Li Guanqi made his way down the mountain, he discovered a large crowd gathered outside his courtyard residence.
Senior brothers and sisters from Tianlei Peak, the newly awakened Lin Dong, Ye Feng, and even Zhong Lin had come. Not only them, but disciples from the other peaks had encircled his residence completely.
Spooked by the sight, Li Guanqi hastily mounted his flying sword and sped off toward Yuhu Peak.
Along the way, he sent a voice transmission to Ye Feng: *Come find me at Yuhu Peak.*
Upon reaching the summit of Yuhu Peak, Li Guanqi was taken aback to see a wooden cabin already built there.
Just then, a bare-chested young man standing not far away on the mountain waved to him.
Soaring through the air onto the peak, the young man chuckled warmly. "Hahaha, are you feeling better, Junior Brother Li?"
Only then did Li Guanqi realize this was Zhou Zhi, the former Eldest Senior Brother of the outer sect who had joined Tianjin Peak. Back before the spiritual root testing, there had also been an Eldest Senior Sister of the outer sect named Jiang Su.
Zhou Zhi had now successfully entered the inner sect, and his cultivation had reached the early Foundation Establishment stage.
Li Guanqi bowed respectfully in greeting. "Junior Brother Li Guanqi greets Senior Brother Zhou."
The handsome Zhou Zhi had not expected Li Guanqi to remember his name.
He smiled faintly and said, "No need to be so polite. I only reached Foundation Establishment not long ago, yet you've already broken through to the middle stage. Comparisons like that could drive a man mad with envy! Seeing that you hadn't woken up yesterday, a few brothers and I went ahead and put together this cabin for you."
Li Guanqi smiled warmly and said, "I've troubled you and the other senior brothers too much. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Zhou Zhi waved his hand and leaped into the air. "Another day. I still need to make a trip to the Mission Pavilion to see if I can earn a few more merit points."
Watching Zhou Zhi's receding figure, and then looking back at the neatly crafted wooden cabin before him, Li Guanqi felt a sudden wave of warmth wash through his heart.
The feeling of being cared for and looked after warmed him through and through—just like on a bitterly snowy night when someone placed glowing charcoal beside him.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Ye Feng and the other two arrived on their flying swords, and Li Guanqi welcomed them into the wooden cabin.
The moment the pale-faced Lin Dong stepped inside, his knees buckled as he prepared to kneel before Li Guanqi.
The others quickly grabbed him and pulled him back to his feet.
With tears welling in his eyes, Lin Dong said in a heavy voice, "Li Guanqi, you saved this life of mine! If you ever have need of it in the future, take it whenever you wish!"
His words carried the rough, unpolished air of a wandering outlaw, leaving Li Guanqi caught between tears and laughter.
"Get out of here. What would I want with the life of a stinking man?"
Ye Feng raised an eyebrow with a peculiar look and grinned playfully. "What's this? You fancy tempering your heart in the mortal world today too?"
Li Guanqi sneered, "I'd say you're the one brimming with youthful vitality. Don't tell me you snuck off to temper your heart behind my back?"
Hearing that, Ye Feng's expression turned solemn, and he said with utmost gravity, "Rest assured, I would never go alone without you!"
Their exchange left Zhong Lin and Lin Dong utterly bewildered. Zhong Lin frowned and asked, "What mortal heart tempering? Is there something like that inside the secret realm the sect brought back? Have you two already entered it?"
Lin Dong chimed in as well, "Um... next time you go, could you take me along?" He scratched his head and said rather awkwardly, "My talent isn't as good as yours, but I want to increase my strength as much as I can!"
Seeing the deadpan sincerity on Zhong Lin's and Lin Dong's faces, Ye Feng and Li Guanqi burst into hearty laughter.
In the end, under their repeated insistence, Ye Feng agreed to bring them along the next time they tempered their hearts in the mortal world.
It was precisely because of this minor incident among the four of them that a tradition gradually took root among the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect. No one knew who leaked the idea, but for many years to come, whenever newly initiated disciples of the sect embarked on missions, a detour to "temper their hearts in the mortal world" became an absolute requirement...
Chapter 85