Li Guanqi let out an inward sigh of relief and simply left it to Meng Wanshu to do the talking.
At the young woman's words, Li Guilan assumed Meng Wanshu was still too playful at heart and didn't want to get married so early.
"What's the rush? When I was your age, you were already running all over the house."
"Your father... well, who even knows how old he really is if you count it up."
"That old codger forged a massive furnace a couple of days ago, and when I told him to let me roast a sheep in it, he actually got upset."
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. Hearing this, he immediately understood what was going on.
The massive furnace Aunt Li mentioned was very likely the great cauldron Meng Jiangchu had forged for their alchemists.
When evening came, no matter what they said, Li Guilan refused to return to that magnificent palace, insisting that Li Guanqi go chop firewood to heat the kang bed instead...
Li Guanqi felt as though he had returned to his boyhood days. Without another word, he took a woodchopper's machete and headed into the mountains.
Deep in the hills, he picked out a young tree as thick as a wrist. With a single chop, he split open a chasm ten zhang long across the ground...
Li Guanqi scratched his head in embarrassment, muttering, "I didn't even use any force."
After that, he slowly reined in his strength, testing it strike by strike.
Back in the small courtyard, Meng Wanshu and Li Guilan sat sipping tea amidst the squawking and quacking of chickens and ducks. For a time, the corners of Meng Wanshu's mouth lifted slightly as she savored this long-lost peace and warmth.
Li Guilan didn't pry into what they had been through lately.
She had never cared much about the affairs of the cultivation world; she was only concerned with how the two of them were getting along.
Seeing swaths of trees toppling on the mountain behind them, Meng Wanshu couldn't help but send a voice transmission: "Can't you rein it in a bit? Wait any longer, and you'll have chopped down every tree on that mountain."
Looking at the jagged trenches on the ground, Li Guanqi felt rather sheepish. Taking a deep breath, he carefully suppressed his physical might.
*Crack!*
The blade sank four fingers deep into the wood. A bright gleam flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
Raising his arm and bringing down the blade, he severed the trees one by one and split them open, unable to suppress his grin.
These simple actions filled him with an inexplicable sense of peace.
Only after gathering a massive bundle of firewood did he return to light the fire and heat the kang.
As the bright flames crackled, the flickering glow danced across Li Guanqi's face.
Reaching out his hands to feel the warmth radiating from the flue of the earthen kang, he murmured in reminiscence, "If only it had been this warm that winter..."
Beneath the cloak of night, Li Guanqi lay alone on the kang in the guest room, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep...
On the other side of the residence, Meng Wanshu and Li Guilan lay together on their kang, whispering to each other.
Suddenly, Meng Wanshu's scolding voice rang in Li Guanqi's mind.
"Stop eavesdropping! Go to sleep!"
Li Guanqi sheepishly withdrew his divine sense, resting his hands behind his head with a grin.
Lulled by the gentle warmth of the fire-heated kang, he drifted off before he knew it...
*Cock-a-doodle-doo!*
Just as dawn began to break, the rooster's crow rang out with exceptional clarity in the mist-shrouded back mountain.
Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes, feeling more relaxed than ever before!
He had not slept in years, and this slumber had been utterly peaceful and sound.
When he got up early in the morning, Li Guilan was already bustling about in the kitchen.
Beside a steaming iron pot, the woman was kneading dough on the counter. Looking up at Li Guanqi, she smiled. "You're up?"
"Hahaha! Wanshu said you haven't slept in years, so I wasn't planning on waking you."
"It's all those two roosters' fault. I'll stew them tonight."
Li Guanqi quickly laughed and replied, "Hahaha, mother-in-law, please don't! We're still counting on them for eggs in the future."
"I'm going to take a walk up the mountain."
Her hands covered in flour, the woman beamed. "Go on, go on. You'll be back just in time for minced meat broth noodles."
A wave of warmth washed over Li Guanqi's heart, and his eyes grew slightly moist.
Stepping out the door, he didn't fly through the air. Instead, he walked step by step up the back mountain, leaping into a tree canopy to sit cross-legged.
His chest rose and fell gently as the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy converged into two white dragons, spiraling into his nostrils.
Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, he felt the primal energy within his body circulate without the slightest hitch. His whole body felt thoroughly refreshed, his state of mind clearer than it had ever been.
Just moments ago, his senses had told him that Meng Wanshu was still in bed. It was the first time in all these years that he had ever seen the peerless beauty pulling the quilt over her head, reluctant to get up.
Tiny electrical arcs of thunder drifted through the air around him. Having clashed with the Thunder Qilin, Li Guanqi had attained a far deeper understanding of lightning's power.
Moreover, he realized that he had yet to truly unleash the full Lethality of lightning.
The near-annihilating force of that eruption had sent a twinge of dread through even him.
If he wanted to reach the level of that Thunder Qilin, he would need to attain at least the fifth stage of spirit comprehension!
Even at his current third stage, he could clearly feel that his strength was nearly overwhelming against cultivators of the same realm who lacked spirit comprehension.
If he could advance further, the boost to his combat prowess would surely be immense.
After a few moments of breathing, a spark of inspiration seemed to flash across his mind, though he couldn't quite grasp it, leaving behind only a faint, elusive impression.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Guanqi roused himself, sending his primal energy surging through his body to shake off the dust.
Looking back at the small courtyard in the mountain hollow with its curling chimney smoke, he gave an understanding smile, leapt down from the tree canopy, and chuckled softly.
"Time to head back for noodles."
Over the next few days, Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu stayed by Li Guilan's side nearly the entire time, and the smile on the woman's face hardly ever faded.
During those days, Meng Wanshu and Li Guanqi subtly helped her unblock and soothe her meridians, expanding and stabilizing them without her noticing.
On a tranquil afternoon, Li Guanqi, Meng Wanshu, and Li Guilan rested on rocking chairs beneath the shade of the trees, their eyes closed as they dozed to the sound of humming cicadas.
Sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves, casting dancing specks of light across their faces.
Lying between the two of them, Li Guilan opened her eyes, glanced left and right, and pursed her lips in a covert smile.
"It's very sweet of you two to make time to come back and keep me company."
The two of them opened their eyes but said nothing.
Folding her hands over her stomach, Li Guilan gently rocked her chair, a smile touching her lips as she spoke in a soft voice.
"I've been very happy these past few days—truly happy."
"But more than having you two here keeping me company, I'd rather my two children never get hurt out there, never..."
"Alright, enough gloomy talk. If you don't have anything else to do, head out this afternoon."
"That big furnace was probably made for Guanqi's alchemy, wasn't it? When that dead father of yours left, he was in such a hurry he didn't even say goodbye. It must be something urgent."
Opening her arms, the woman wrapped them around Meng Wanshu and Li Guanqi's necks, pressing her face against theirs before letting out a hearty laugh.
"Alright, you two little rascals, get going. Come back another day."
"I'm going to start cultivating, too. I need to live a long, long life—I'm still waiting to hold my grandchildren!"
Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu looked at Li Guilan in some surprise.
The woman stood up, looked at them, and laughed. "You two clever little devils, do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"
"Don't worry. I actually think cultivating is pretty nice now."
"At least... I'll live for a few hundred... no, a few thousand years!"
"By then, I'll truly be an immortal old hag, hahaha!"
Li Guanqi took a deep breath and said softly, "Mother-in-law, then I'll take Wanshu and be on our way. We'll be back in a few days!"
Her eyes slightly red, Meng Wanshu pursed her lips and smiled. "Mother, I'll be back in a few days."
Li Guilan turned toward the house and waved a hand over her shoulder, muttering with feigned indifference, "Go, go. I still have dishes to wash."
Yet tears were already streaming down her cheeks, pattering on the ground.
Chapter 979