Li Guanqi stared blankly at the wine gourd in his hand, then suddenly let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"I'm sorry. It's been so long since I last came to see you."
"Haha, do I look a bit pathetic right now?"
A colorful butterfly fluttered down onto the back of his hand, its wings beating gently, as if Ning Xiu were telling him that she thought no such thing.
The corner of Li Guanqi's lips curved slightly. Tipping his head back, he drained every drop of wine from the gourd!
He simply sat there in a daze atop the solitary mountain peak, speaking at length to the silence, and did not depart until late into the night.
After Li Guanqi left, an invisible power seemed to envelop the tranquil summit, preventing anyone from drawing near.
A four-foot strand of sword qi hung suspended above an ancient tree, watching over this plot of pure land.
Li Guanqi himself did not understand why his feet had unconsciously carried him here.
Perhaps deep down he still felt weighed down by a gloomy ache that he could share with no one—not even Meng Wanshu.
If he spoke of it to her, both their hearts would grow heavy.
Yet by Ning Xiu's side, his spirit felt entirely free of burden...
By the time Li Guanqi returned, night had already fallen deep. He went to check on Tang Ru once more.
When he arrived, he found that Tang Ru had already begun silently cultivating the Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art. Though it brought excruciating agony, the young man gritted his teeth and persevered.
Tang Ru knew full well that his natural talent was nothing remarkable.
Since Li Guanqi had granted him this chance to rewrite his destiny, he would clench his teeth and seize it with all his might.
Looking at the heavily injured Cao Yan and Xiao Chen, Li Guanqi felt mixed emotions stir within him.
Gu Li had never left. His own wounds were not severe.
Hovering behind him were hundreds of blank sheets of talisman paper. In flashes of spiritual light, one talisman brush after another swept rapidly across them, inking down inscribed talismans.
It was clear that after the recent battle, the fellow was genuinely heartbroken.
That earlier clash had burned through nearly millions of inscribed talismans—every single one of them representing shining, hard-earned spirit stones.
Yet regarding this staggering loss, Gu Li did not utter a single word of complaint.
Seeing that everyone's condition had stabilized, Li Guanqi said softly, "Want to go grab a drink?"
Gu Li shrugged and nodded. "Sure, let's have a few!"
Before the words had even faded, and before the two could turn around, Cao Yan suddenly woke up and flashed over to their side.
With an expressionless face, he said, "Count me in."
"Me too."
"Take me along."
Xiao Chen and Tang Ru had both stirred awake. The group looked at Li Guanqi, their gazes filled with complex emotions.
Li Guanqi managed a faint smile and said softly, "All right. Tonight on Yuhu Peak, no one goes home sober."
After the group left the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven, no one from the sect came to disturb them.
Soaring through the air, they arrived straight at the summit of Yuhu Peak.
Jar after jar of strong wine was set out. No one said a word, each drinking in silence, one cup after another.
Not a single person used primal energy to disperse the alcohol's potency...
After a long while, Cao Yan violently shattered the wine bowl in his hand and snarled in fury.
"That damned scum! To think he actually left a contingency inside Second Brother's ghost hand!!"
Xiao Chen stared at the shattered fragments on the ground, frowning. "Third Brother! Enough, don't say anymore."
Li Guanqi's large hand remained hidden inside his sleeve, gently rubbing Ye Feng's life-bound jade slip. His eyes were downcast, his thoughts inscrutable.
In a calm voice, he said, "Don't worry. I will bring Second Brother back."
"Sha... is not an existence we can take on right now."
"So... I want to talk about two things today."
Cao Yan lifted his head slightly to look at Li Guanqi, quietly waiting for what followed.
Xiao Chen took another drink, glancing at Li Guanqi without a word.
Li Guanqi looked warmly at the companions beside him and called softly, "Tang Ru."
"Huh?"
"Are you willing to become sworn brothers with us?"
The slightly slimmed-down fatty rubbed his head with a silly grin, speaking rather bashfully.
"I want to, but right now I'm so weak..."
Xiao Chen chuckled and said softly, "That would be wonderful, hahaha!"
"Why worry about that? Becoming brothers has nothing to do with your strength or cultivation realm!"
"Just look at Li Song. Swearing brotherhood with someone just comes down to whether you hit it off, doesn't it?"
Tang Ru grinned foolishly without replying, though a glistening wetness shimmered in his newly restored eyes.
Li Guanqi turned to Gu Li and smiled. "How about taking the sixth spot?"
Gu Li shrugged and muttered under his breath, "Gu the Sixth? Why does that ranking sound so weird?"
"How about Gu the Fifth? Tang the Sixth sounds pretty good too."
Li Guanqi offered a faint smile, while Tang Ru laughed. "Either works for me, haha!"
Li Guanqi said softly, "Then it's settled. Tang Ru ranks fifth, and Gu Li is the youngest!"
Cao Yan nodded silently, having long since recognized both of them in his heart.
Whether it was what Tang Ru had endured this time or Gu Li's unwavering loyalty from beginning to end, he acknowledged them completely.
Xiao Chen was especially delighted, thrilled that his own standing had been bumped up two notches for free.
The group raised their drinks and toasted one another, and the heavy atmosphere eased considerably.
After several rounds of wine, Li Guanqi said softly, "This isn't entirely official, since Ye Feng isn't here."
"When Ye Feng returns, we will do it all over again properly!"
Cao Yan nodded heavily. He too felt that swearing brotherhood with Tang Ru and Gu Li without Ye Feng present was somewhat lacking.
Li Guanqi turned to Xiao Chen, his expression gradually growing solemn.
Xiao Chen sensed the shift and quickly sat up straight.
"Eldest Brother, do you have something to tell me?"
Li Guanqi nodded and said gravely, "Right now, both the Xiao clan and the Ye family are staying within the Great Xia Sword Sect."
"Regarding Ye Feng, let's not act too weighed down by grief. After all, he is still alive, and nothing is set in stone yet."
"I visited the Ye family today and explained everything clearly."
"Still, with Second Bro gone, the Ye family has no pillar here right now. I won't meddle in what's between you and Qing'er, nor will I lecture you about it."
"During this time, you must step forward and protect the Ye family. If anything happens to them, I will hold you solely responsible!"
Xiao Chen thumped his chest with heavy thuds and said solemnly, "Don't worry, Boss. Leave the Ye family to me."
"I was originally planning to take Qing'er back home to visit my clan during this period, but... it's not appropriate right now. I'll make sure to explain it clearly to her."
Li Guanqi nodded gently. "You don't need to report every detail to me. Just keep it in mind."
Gu Li asked curiously, "What's the other thing?"
Tang Ru's eyes flickered, but he held his tongue. In his view, the matter between Xiao Chen and Ye Qing'er wasn't significant enough to count as one of the two matters Li Guanqi had intended to announce.
Li Guanqi's sharp gaze swept across everyone's faces. For the first time, he felt a crushing sense of helplessness in the face of a formidable enemy.
In a deep, steady voice, he said, "I plan to... find a master for each of you!"
The moment the words left his mouth, everyone froze, unsure of what Li Guanqi meant.
Cao Yan frowned. "Boss, are you saying you'll find me an alchemy master? Is it Senior Gu?"
Hearing this, Gu Li curled his lip. He had already come to terms with the reality that his father's prized disciple was most likely out of the question.
Sure enough, Li Guanqi said in a low voice,
"You all know I share some inexplicable connection with the Seventh Domain. I won't hide that from you, but I won't reveal the specifics either."
"However, I plan to have the Eight Generals become your masters!"
*Hiss!*
At those words, Tang Ru and Gu Li both sucked in a cold breath of air.
Xiao Chen and Cao Yan, on the other hand, did not react as intensely, having little concept of just how terrifyingly powerful the Eight Generals truly were.
Chapter 936