Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi sensed something strange about the whole affair.

Meng Wanshu’s gaze sharpened as well, though she didn’t dwell on it. If anything, she found Qixia City quite charming. The whole place felt different to her, steeped in a heritage of its own, and unlike Li Guanqi, she wasn’t reading so much into it.

Li Guanqi had good reason to be cautious—the enemy he was facing came from the Immortal Realm.

“Sword Spirit, is there something wrong with this so-called immortal-welcoming ceremony?”

Sword Spirit furrowed her delicate brows and answered uncertainly, “The ceremony itself doesn’t seem to be a problem. I just can’t see through it.”

Li Guanqi fell silent for a moment, then said softly, “Wanshu, let’s stay the night here in the city. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go see this ceremony for ourselves.”

Only then did Meng Wanshu catch on. She spoke to him via voice transmission. “You think something’s wrong with it?”

Li Guanqi gave a slight nod, and Meng Wanshu smiled. “Alright, let’s stay the night.”

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. The hundred-strong procession was clearly composed entirely of mortals, yet after they performed their ceremony, a layer of spirit qi seemed to settle over each of them, as though they had reached the Qi Refinement Realm. Of course, the mortals couldn’t wield that power. They didn’t even know what had happened to them. The mortals behind the strange, oversized masks simply felt an inexplicable surge of strength and vigor, mistaking it for a blessing from the gods.

Throughout the procession, they carried themselves as if divinely empowered, moving with authority and presence.

Li Guanqi’s lips curled upward. He murmured, “Interesting. To think this world harbors such a mysterious and peculiar power.”

Sword Spirit suddenly frowned. “I think I know what this power is!”

Li Guanqi’s heart tightened. “What kind of power is it? These people are clearly mortal, so why does this spirit qi cling to them and refuse to disperse?”

Sword Spirit’s eyes glinted, a cold smile at the corner of her mouth. “We have to see tomorrow’s ceremony. That power comes from an offshoot of the Zhuyou Arts passed down from the Immortal Realm.”

Li Guanqi’s brows knitted together in confusion. Sword Spirit elaborated, “The Zhuyou Arts are a kind of technique triggered through recitation, ritual, and chanting. As long as the inheritance passes down intact, even a mortal can commune with the spirit qi of heaven and earth and draw that power into his own body! A powerful enough Zhuyou art practitioner can grant a mortal the strength to cut down a Golden Core Realm cultivator.”

Li Guanqi drew a sharp breath, his eyes wide with disbelief. He understood exactly how vast the gulf between a Golden Core Realm cultivator and an ordinary mortal was. It was beyond a mere chasm. They were worlds apart.

A technique that requires no pills and no external aids, yet can let a mortal stand against a Golden Core Realm cultivator…

Sword Spirit scoffed. “The Zhuyou Arts here have already lost most of their substance. After centuries of erosion, only these elaborate rituals are left, and I imagine less than a tenth of the original chants have survived.”

As Sword Spirit spoke, her gaze flickered, and her expression turned distant and contemplative. It seemed she had once known a powerful cultivator who practiced the Zhuyou Arts.

Li Guanqi found himself looking forward to the next day’s ceremony.

Fireworks lit up the night sky above Qixia City, creating a truly festive atmosphere. The celebrations stretched late into the night, with no one showing the slightest intention of going to bed.

Li Guanqi wandered the streets with Meng Wanshu for a long while. They sampled every kind of snack and bought all manner of seemingly useless trinkets, and every one of them delighted her. The smile never left her face.

She had pictured a scene like this countless times. Back in Prosperity Village, she had rarely come down the mountain, and after Meng Jiangchu brought her back to the Divine Treasure Territory, she had thrown herself into cultivation, so chances like this had vanished altogether.

On top of that, as the daughter of the Divine Treasure Territory Lord, she always had enemies watching from the shadows. The moment an opening appeared, men like that would stop at nothing, for they all knew that kidnapping Meng Wanshu would set them up for a lifetime of wealth and glory. She had long desired to freely explore a mortal city like this, experiencing the simple joys of everyday life that she had been deprived of for so many years.

***

Cloud Mist Tower was the finest tavern in Qixia City. Li Guanqi waved his hand and booked the most luxurious room on the top floor.

The middle-aged woman who ran the place looked troubled. She didn’t dare offend them, so she bowed in apology. “My esteemed guests, I’m truly sorry. The premier suite has already been reserved for tonight. I can’t break the house rules just to earn a little more.”

Li Guanqi frowned slightly, though he didn’t press the issue. “Then we’ll take the second suite.”

As he spoke, he passed a mid-grade spirit stone from his broad sleeve into her hand. The manager’s heart jolted the moment she felt it. This was only a tavern for mortals, and yet Li Guanqi had handed over a mid-grade spirit stone for a single night’s stay.

Her eyes lowered, and she grew far more deferential. Bowing low, she took up a place at Meng Wanshu’s side and gestured with one hand for the two of them to follow her upstairs.

The sixth floor held only three lavish suites. The one Li Guanqi took showed exquisite taste in every detail, and even he couldn’t help but give a small nod of approval when the door swung open.

The manager stood at the doorway and said softly, “There’s a simple communication array in the room. If you need anything at all, just say the word.”

Li Guanqi nodded and followed Meng Wanshu inside. Once the door had closed behind them, the manager beckoned an attendant over to stand a little way from the door and told him, “Look after them well. Those two aren’t people we can afford to offend.”

The young attendant was a sharp one, and he caught what lay beneath her words at once. If he served them well, even a small tip slipped from their hands could set him up for the rest of his life.

The boy’s eyes lit up. He bowed and whispered, “Don’t worry, ma’am. I know my place. I won’t overstep.”

The woman’s lips curved into a slight smile. With that, she headed back downstairs to tend to the other guests.

Meng Wanshu glanced at the bath that had already been drawn in the room, and her cheeks flushed. “We’ve been out all day, so I’m going to take a bath.”

Li Guanqi shot to his feet. Meng Wanshu set her hands on her hips and glanced back with a playful pout. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Li Guanqi grinned. “I’m doing whatever you’re doing.”

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t get his way. He could only sit at the desk, sipping tea and listening to the soft trickle of water behind the folding screen.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out downstairs, and the rest of the tavern fell silent.

Crash! Bang!

“Didn’t I say it? Not a single person on the entire sixth floor! Are you deaf, damn it? You knew I was coming, and you still dared to put someone on the sixth floor?”

Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched in mild frustration.

Then an icy glint passed through his eyes. With his teacup in hand, he murmured, “Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators? There are quite a few of them. And what’s in those dozen or so cages?”