Li Guanqi, Explain Yourself Clearly!

When everyone returned to the Gu clan, Han Yuan and the others had already been waiting in the main hall for quite some time. A few old men sat gathered together, talking over one another in a heated debate. "I already told you, the flame manipulation technique for refining the medicinal liquid back then was definitely different from how we do it now!" "At this step, our heat control is based on extracting the medicinal essence from each herb one by one. But the technique recorded in this pill recipe extracts them all simultaneously!" Han Yuan blew at his beard and glared, slamming his hand down on the table. The old man named Guo Feng bristled, his white brows shooting up as he retorted crossly, "Do you think I bloody well don't know that? Did I need you to point it out?" "Right now, none of us has the ability to extract the medicinal liquid from over three hundred herbs all at once. What I mean is that we can tend to the furnace together." "When the time comes, all five of us will extract the essences together in the very same cauldron. That way, the success rate will be much higher during the fusion phase." Li Guanqi could not make head or tail of what they were saying. Lacking any background in pill refining, he was completely at a loss. After Gu Li and the others returned, Jiang Qizhi, who had a goatee, grabbed Gu Li and explained the idea they had just discussed. Gu Changsheng frowned slightly and said, "The idea sounds nice, but who has a cauldron that massive?" "A cauldron large enough for five of us to refine at the same time would probably need to be a dozen zhang wide!" Gu Changsheng could hardly be blamed for his headache; the pill recipe was simply too complex. Not only did they have to find substitutes with identical medicinal properties, but the refining methods demanded by the recipe were beyond their comprehension. Han Yuan took a sip of tea and could not resist cursing under his breath, "Were ancient alchemists all such monsters? Extracting medicinal liquid from a thousand herbs simultaneously—weren't they afraid of blowing up the cauldron?" Listening from the side, Li Guanqi felt his own head throb. He murmured inwardly, *"Sister Sword Spirit, don't you know the refining techniques for this pill recipe?"* The sword spirit replied in an irritated tone, *"I'm a sword spirit! A sword spirit!! Why would I bother knowing so much about stupid pill refining?"* *"It's already impressive enough that I know the recipe. You expect me to know the refining techniques too? Do you think I'm omnipotent?"* Li Guanqi gave a sheepish grin and rubbed his nose in embarrassment. He had no idea that Meng Wanshu caught every bit of this. The corner of her mouth curved slightly, her eyes flickering with unreadable thoughts. In the end, Li Guanqi's head was spinning with talk of this difficulty, that obstacle, this herb being missing, that concept being incomprehensible... Watching several dignified tier-eight alchemists scratching their heads and ears in frustration gave Li Guanqi quite a headache as well. Gu Changsheng had no time to pay attention to Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu, completely absorbed in arguing back and forth with the other old men. Li Guanqi massaged the bridge of his nose, took Meng Wanshu's hand, and whispered, "Let's go outside for a stroll." Gu Changsheng paid them no heed, letting the two leave. Jiuxiao transformed into a form over a hundred zhang long and raised his head with a draconic roar, gesturing for them to step onto his head. The two exchanged a glance, smiled faintly, and stepped onto Jiuxiao's crown. Jiuxiao reared upright and roared as his massive body took to the air, soaring straight into the firmament! Piercing through the clouds, bright sunlight spilled across the heavens, casting a golden mantle of light over Jiuxiao's scales. Jiuxiao's eyes shone bright and warm as he bathed in the sunlight, the lightning around his body conjuring an invisible barrier to shield the two atop his head from the astral winds. Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu sat cross-legged on Jiuxiao's head, drifting without destination as the dragon carried them across thousands of mountains and rivers. Sitting opposite Meng Wanshu, Li Guanqi brought out a small wooden table. He looked up at her with a smile. "Wine or tea?" Meng Wanshu's brows softened. Smoothing the hem of her dress, she smiled. "Wine." Li Guanqi said nothing, quietly preparing the drinks. Both tacitly understood that an open, heartfelt conversation was bound to happen today. Meng Wanshu did not ask why he had arranged this. Once the mellow, fine wine was poured, Li Guanqi filled Meng Wanshu's cup with a smile. Sitting across from him, she watched the warmth in his expression and could not help asking, "What are you smiling at?" Li Guanqi set down the flagon and looked at her softly. "I just find it a little surreal." "I never imagined that one day I would sit atop a true dragon's head, roaming the skies, drinking wine and talking heart-to-heart with you." Meng Wanshu raised a hand to hide the curve of her lips, lifted her cup, and said gently, "Then tell me first—what have you been hiding from me?" Just as her words fell, the phantom figure of the sword spirit manifested of her own accord for some reason. Li Guanqi turned to look at the crimson-robed sword spirit and felt that she looked exceptionally beautiful today. Observing her closely, he noticed that though her face was free of rouge and powder, her red lips burned like the setting sun. Her proud countenance carried an added touch of tenderness and charm. Li Guanqi cleared his throat awkwardly, nearly spilling the wine in his hand. Without a word, the sword spirit gathered her skirts and sat directly beside him, her calm gaze fixed straight on Meng Wanshu. Meng Wanshu's expression stiffened. Her chest rose and fell slightly as her face abruptly chilled. Frost settled over Meng Wanshu's countenance as her eyes drifted instinctively toward Li Guanqi's side. Though she could neither see nor truly perceive the sword spirit, a woman's intuition was sometimes far sharper than divine sense. Meng Wanshu downed her wine in a single gulp and said with a hollow smile, "I may not be able to see this elder sister, but I can certainly sense a trace of her presence." "I truly didn't expect this. Brother Qi, how long have you kept this from me? Has she been there from the very beginning?" Li Guanqi wore a strange expression. He had no idea why the sword spirit had chosen to show herself today, or why she had deliberately revealed a sliver of her aura! He rubbed the space between his brows, nursing a growing headache. Just as he opened his mouth to explain, the sword spirit's voice sounded beside his ear. *"Tell her I've been with you from the very beginning."* Helpless, Li Guanqi had no wish to pour oil on the fire. He could only plead inwardly, *"Could you please not provoke Wanshu right now?"* The sword spirit snapped her head around to look at him, an unmistakable look of astonishment flashing in her eyes. She had not expected Li Guanqi to take Meng Wanshu's side. For a moment... her slightly parted lips slowly closed. Staring into his eyes, her gaze dimmed a little. The sword spirit turned her body slightly away, pursing her lips. Her beautiful eyes shifted down toward her translucent form, lost in thought. Seeing Li Guanqi's frozen expression, as if he were communicating with someone else, an abrupt surge of anger ignited in Meng Wanshu's heart. *Crack!* The wine cup in her hand shattered to pieces. "Li Guanqi!! Explain yourself clearly!" Meng Wanshu shot to her feet, glaring furiously at Li Guanqi. This time, she was truly enraged! Because she had sensed the presence of something distinctly unusual! Li Guanqi took a deep breath and spoke softly. "Sit down. I'll tell you everything, from beginning to end."