Li Guanqi, You're a Real Man

Li Guanqi stood at the doorway with a complicated look on his face, his hands clutching the hem of his robe in awkward unease. The moment Ye Qing'er saw his expression, her face changed drastically. The color drained from her cheeks, leaving her pale as a sheet. Resting one hand against the doorframe, her body swayed. She did not dare look up at Li Guanqi. Just then, Ye Tianying and Ye Feng's mother also came flying over. Standing at the doorway, Ye Tianying saw only Li Guanqi with his conflicted gaze. He looked around for a moment, but found no trace of Ye Feng. His throat bobbed with difficulty, his brows locked tight, and his lips trembled as his eyes remained fixed on Li Guanqi. The gentle Su Xi's eyes reddened. She pressed a hand over her mouth, stifling a sorrowful sob. Li Guanqi took a deep breath. Since he had dared to come to the Ye residence, he was prepared to take whatever beatings and curses they threw at him. A slightly raspy voice slowly sounded. "Uncle, Auntie... Ye Feng isn't dead." The moment those words left his mouth, all three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Ye Tianying hurried before Li Guanqi, speaking in anxious haste. "Then what happened to Feng'er?" "Is he injured? Where is he? I still have some high-grade healing pills on me." "Wait here, I'll go get them right now! Right now!" Su Xi quickly added, "Yes, yes, yes! We still have a few superior healing pills at home. Old Ye, go get them quickly!" Ye Qing'er did not move. She understood all too well that for Li Guanqi to act like this today, even if her brother wasn't dead... She stood before Li Guanqi, paying no mind to her parents behind her. A pair of beautiful eyes stared intently at him. Bracing one hand against the doorframe, she hesitated for a long while before asking, "My brother... what happened to him?" "He isn't dead, yet he hasn't returned. Where is he right now?" At her words, Ye Tianying, who had lifted his robe's hem and started into the house, froze in his tracks. His body went rigid as he slowly turned his head. He looked at Li Guanqi with an unfathomable expression, silently anticipating what his answer would be. Li Guanqi pressed his lips together, lowering his head slightly. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Ye Feng... was taken by Sha..." "Nearly twenty Mahayana realm cultivators, yet we still failed to completely obliterate Sha." "Ye Feng's ghost hand... was actually a contingency Sha intentionally left behind. I used Spirit Absolution on one demon spirit, but there was another..." As he spoke, the guilt and chagrin on Li Guanqi's face deepened. His voice grew quieter, his shoulders slumped slightly, and it seemed as though a fraction of his spirit had collapsed. He truly regretted not discovering the demon spirit inside Ye Feng's ghost hand sooner. If only... Yet there were not that many 'if onlys' in this world. Sometimes, matters simply unfolded in the exact direction one hoped they would not. Ye Tianying fell silent for a long while before softly murmuring, "Oh... captured..." "Before my son was taken... was he brave?" Tears welled in the man's eyes. Perhaps he had already guessed what fate awaited Ye Feng. Su Xi's knees gave out, and she slumped against Ye Tianying's shoulder. Her shoulders heaved as she buried her face in his chest, weeping aloud. Li Guanqi closed his eyes. His throat moved slightly as he whispered, "Heroic!" With that, Li Guanqi turned his palm and took out Ye Feng's life-bound jade slip. Bowing deeply, he said, "Uncle, Auntie, please rest assured!" "Ye Feng is not only your son—he is my brother!" "In the days to come, I will search for his whereabouts no matter the cost!" "One day, I will bring him home!" With tears brimming in his eyes, Ye Tianying fought them back as he nodded repeatedly. He saw absolute resolve in Li Guanqi's gaze. He believed Li Guanqi would give everything he had to find Ye Feng. The man's shoulders sagged, and in an instant, he seemed to age considerably. Looking at the life-bound jade slip in Li Guanqi's hand, he chose not to make an imprint of it. Ye Tianying supported Su Xi, but the gentle and frail woman gently pulled free of his arm. Dressed in an elegant pale golden robe, she walked slowly over to Li Guanqi, her eyes red. She reached out to take his hands. Those hands... They were warm and soft, her touch gentle, as though she were afraid of hurting him. Su Xi tilted her head slightly, her left hand gently smoothing away the furrow in Li Guanqi's brow. Her gentle voice trembled as she spoke softly. "Child, Auntie doesn't blame you." "Just remember to bring him back. Even if he comes back crippled, that's fine." Li Guanqi's brow relaxed slightly, and he said softly, "Auntie Su... rest assured, I will definitely bring him back!" After bidding farewell to Su Xi and Ye Tianying, Ye Qing'er walked Li Guanqi to the gate. She said softly, "Li Guanqi." "Hmm?" "Did you already guess that Sha would target us, which was why you secretly brought us here in advance? Along with the Xiao clan?" With his back turned to Ye Qing'er, the wind stirred his slightly disheveled hair. Li Guanqi did not turn around. He said softly, "What good was knowing? I still failed to guard against Sha's move." "Ye Feng... was actually trying to..." Ye Qing'er cut him off, pushing him out the courtyard gate. "Say no more. I know what kind of person my brother is." She kept her head down, pursing her lips and wrinkling her nose, seemingly fighting to keep from crying. Pinching the corner of her robe, Ye Qing'er said softly, "Li Guanqi, you're a real man." "In the past, I only thought of you as a favored son of heaven, a monstrous genius, an exalted powerhouse above the clouds." Ye Qing'er suddenly looked up, her beautiful eyes fixing on Li Guanqi as she said gravely, "But this time, I think you truly know how to take responsibility." "At the very least, as a man, you weren't too cowardly to face our family." With that, Ye Qing'er turned to head back inside. Just before leaving, she asked softly, "How is Xiao Chen?" Li Guanqi paused briefly, then said softly, "He's in the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven. Heavily injured, but his life isn't in danger." Ye Qing'er nodded, then shut the door. At a time like this, she couldn't leave home. Going to see Xiao Chen would likely have to wait. Li Guanqi had no intention of standing between her and Xiao Chen; on the contrary, he fully supported them. Right now, the Ye family had lost its pillar. Over their long years of growth, they had inevitably made enemies. Li Guanqi did not mind Xiao Chen stepping forward to deter potential threats. After leaving the back mountain, Li Guanqi did not return directly to the Great Xia Sword Sect. Glancing at the endless mountain ranges stretching across the horizon, Li Guanqi stepped forward, his teleportation carrying him over several thousand yards in an instant. Gradually, Li Guanqi lost track of where he was walking. Until... atop a mountain peak blooming with wild flowers, a solitary grave stood tall. Li Guanqi stood in place, staring at that lonely grave for a long time. All around the headstone, blossoms carpeted the ground amid singing birds and fragrant flowers. Ning Xiu... Li Guanqi stepped up to the headstone, caught his sleeve in hand, and gently wiped it completely clean. Crouching before the headstone, Li Guanqi felt his state of mind grow calmer than it had ever been. He set out the offerings, most of which were sweet pastries. Lighting sticks of landscape incense, Li Guanqi sat beside Ning Xiu's headstone and retrieved a severed head from his storage ring. Chen Zhi—the head of the man who had killed Ning Xiu back then. Besides this, Li Guanqi finally brought out that vermilion wine gourd. Sitting cross-legged beside the headstone, birdsong echoed in his ears, and the gentle breeze brushed against his face, rustling the ancient tree behind him.