Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Just thinking about it gave Li Guanqi a headache. His brothers might not be the best of the best, but they were undeniably among the most talented of their generation. Still, if every one of the Eight Generals’ replacement candidates was as overwhelmingly powerful as Qin Wushang…

Tang Ru could follow the path of the Yin-Yang Diviner, but finding suitable masters for the others would be more difficult. It remained to be seen whether Gu Li could study the talisman Dao under Ji Yuchuan.

Then there was Xiao Chen. Even setting aside Xiao Chen’s talent, his temperament alone probably wouldn’t appeal to Long Hou. He simply wasn’t composed enough.

As for Chan Kongzi, Li Guanqi had barely interacted with him. However, based on what Hong Zhi and the others had said, each of the Eight Generals was a supreme powerhouse who had defined an era. Becoming their disciple was no small feat. Even those chosen as their potential successors likely weren’t their personal disciples.

“Sigh. This really is giving me a headache…”

Meng Wanshu noticed his troubled expression but remained silent. He sensed her gaze, then smiled in the direction of the divider.

She had always been that way. She would ask about something only once. If Li Guanqi had already made up his mind, she would simply support his decision in silence. When he found himself at a deadlock, she would offer her perspective but ultimately leave the final decision to him.

After Meng Wanshu finished bathing, another fierce battle naturally followed, lasting deep into the night.

In the middle of the night, Li Guanqi suddenly stopped cultivating and opened his eyes, staring in a particular direction. Faint screams, no louder than a mosquito, reached him from over a thousand zhang away. Despite the distance, their chilling sound did not escape his ears. The screams seemed to originate from the direction of the city lord’s manor.

Li Guanqi frowned. He rose and laid an invisible spatial barrier around Meng Wanshu. He glanced at her lounging lazily on her side, one bare shoulder peeking out from the covers. A small smile tugged at Li Guanqi’s lips as he pulled the blanket up over her shoulder, then slipped out of bed without a sound.

He made his way to the study and sat down at the desk in the pitch-dark room, brows furrowed. “Help me look into who the city lord of Qixia City is.”

Before long, information came back through the Guanyun Pavilion’s channels. “Xue Gui. Mid Divine Transformation Realm. And uh… a Guanyun Pavilion intelligence operative? Currently being evaluated for formal membership in Guanyun Pavilion.”

Li Guanqi clicked his tongue at the information that came through the jade pendant. He hadn’t realized how far the Guanyun Pavilion’s reach had grown. Even a Divine Transformation Realm city lord had to pass an evaluation just to become a formal member.

Li Guanqi frowned. His thoughts snapped back to the dozen or so cages that Pan Yi’s group had brought with them. Something about those cages was deeply unsettling. They radiated a powerful suppressive force against divine consciousness. They had been draped in black cloth, hiding whatever was inside. And now, faint screams had begun to pierce the night.

The sounds left Li Guanqi vexed and restless. He frowned, shifted his feet, and vanished from the tavern.

His cold gaze swept across the city below. He found no trace of any Pan clan spies or scouts near the tavern. “Heh. Smart enough, at least.”

Still, Li Guanqi was curious about Pan Yi. The man’s attire and the way his vital force circulated were both markedly different from the present-day cultivators of the Six Territories. It could only be described as ancient.

Li Guanqi didn’t dwell on it. He wanted to find Xue Gui and ask about the Zhuyou Arts.

He strolled through the air at a leisurely pace, crossing over a thousand zhang in moments. His form flickered and slipped through the city lord’s manor barrier without a sound, appearing in the air above the compound.

Down below, City Lord Xue waited outside his own study, anxious and deferential. The brocade-robed man stood awkwardly at the door, his head slightly bowed. A thin sheen of cold sweat beaded on his forehead. It wasn’t fear. It was nerves. These days, there might be people in the Daxia Territory who didn’t know who the Daxia Territory Lord was, but absolutely everyone knew Yanluo Sword Sovereign Li Guanqi.

Guanyun Pavilion was now the sole dominant intelligence organization in the Daxia Territory, as well as the largest merchant power, the Guanyun Merchant Guild. The Daxia Sword Sect’s influence hardly needed mentioning either. It stood as one of the Daxia Territory’s apex sects.

Xue Gui had been trying to earn a place in the Guanyun Pavilion for over two years, yet he remained nothing more than a low-ranking intelligence operative. He never imagined that the organization would inform him that the pavilion master himself was in Qixia City. Furthermore, he was coming to see him personally. How could he not be nervous?

Suddenly, a pair of white boots appeared before his lowered gaze. His heart lurched, and he hurriedly bowed. “Xue Gui, City Lord of Qixia City, pays his respects to Pavilion Master Li!”

He lifted the hem of his robes and dropped to one knee, not daring to lift his head.

The study door slowly swung open. Li Guanqi walked past Xue Gui, his voice calm and unhurried. “Rise. Close the door.”

An irresistible force pulled Xue Gui to his feet. He let out a quiet breath of relief, then shut the door behind them with his head still bowed. Earlier, he had dismissed all the servants and attendants from the inner courtyard.

Li Guanqi sat down with a faint smile. “Raise your head. There’s no need to be so nervous.”

Xue Gui kept his head bowed and replied uneasily, “No, no, that won’t be necessary. Whatever Pavilion Master wishes to know, please feel free to ask.”

Li Guanqi found the man’s nervousness a little amusing. “I told you to look up, so look up. You’re making me feel like some kind of monster.”

You’re not a monster? Xue Gui thought to himself.

Still, Xue Gui obeyed and raised his head to look at the white-robed Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi was strikingly handsome, with a hint of a smile on his lips and in his eyes. His elegant bearing lent him a refined, almost otherworldly air, like a young nobleman untouched by worldly concerns.

Once Xue Gui saw him clearly, much of his tension faded. He had imagined Li Guanqi as cold and menacing, the sort of man who constantly radiated killing intent. But that wasn’t the case at all. He’d been overthinking it.

Li Guanqi gestured toward the chair across from him. “Please, City Lord Xue, have a seat. Let’s speak as equals today. There’s no need to stand on ceremony. After all, I’m a guest in Qixia City, while you are its lord. I’m only occupying your seat because of my position in Guanyun Pavilion. Otherwise, I would be the one sitting across from you.”

Xue Gui shook his head vigorously. “No, no, the seat of honor is rightfully yours, Pavilion Master!”

Still, seeing Li Guanqi’s expression, Xue Gui chose not to press the matter. He sat on the edge of his chair, only half-seated, speaking in a measured tone, “Whatever the Pavilion Master wishes to know, I will answer fully and without reservation.”

Li Guanqi brought out a tea set and began brewing. He poured Xue Gui a cup and pushed it gently toward him.

Xue Gui stared at the pale golden spirit tea before him, its color like fine nectar, and his heart hammered in his chest. A fine mist wreathed the surface, clinging there and refusing to disperse. This was clearly no ordinary spirit tea.

He swallowed, resisting the urge to reach for it.

Li Guanqi noticed and smiled faintly. “Tell me, City Lord Xue. What do you know about the Zhuyou Arts?”