Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman - Chapter 18 Yu Suian

As night descended, a thick wooden stake appeared in Li Guanqi’s backyard. He observed the new stake with a slight smirk playing on his lips. Without hesitation, he assumed a stance and began practicing his martial arts.

The constant banging sounds from the villa halfway up the mountain drew the attention of a young girl who was wandering aimlessly. She crouched on the rooftop, her gaze fixed on the young man with a stone box strapped to his back as he vigorously struck the wooden stake.

With each punch, countless wood chips flew into the air, and his tense body moved fluidly.

On the rooftop, the girl lay with wide eyes, her expression filled with disbelief. “This guy is treating the wooden stake in front of him like imaginary opponent!”

“He’s really impressive… despite being blind.”

“What’s that he’s carrying on his back…”

Having completed his practice, a sweat-drenched Li Guanqi prepared to take a refreshing bath. He was eagerly anticipating his first lesson at the sect the next day. Moreover, joining Li Nanting’s sect today seemed like a great decision. At least in his perception, when the old man looked at him, his eyes held nothing but pure intentions. Setting aside his sword, he immersed himself in the bathtub, relishing the soothing bath.

However, unbeknownst to him, a little girl had stealthily slipped into the courtyard from the rooftop.

She moved stealthily toward Li Guanqi’s room.

Li Guanqi’s ears perked up, and a smile graced his lips, but he paid her no heed.

Suddenly!

“Ahh!!!”

Bang!

“Help me~”

Without delay, Li Guanqi quickly grabbed his clothes and draped them around himself as he burst out the door. Stepping outside, he immediately spotted a small figure trapped beneath the sword box, her hands flailing desperately.

She muttered, “Help me~”

Li Guanqi swiftly lifted the sword box with one hand and helped the little girl with the other.

Observing the girl’s darkened face and the steamed bun still in her mouth, along with another bun held in her hands, Li Guanqi couldn’t help but chuckle. She had snuck in on her own and knocked over the sword box, injuring herself. Now, she was blaming him for the accident.

Just as Li Guanqi was about to say something, he suddenly noticed the little girl’s face turning slightly red. He immediately crouched down, examined her, and inquired in a concerned tone, “Are you experiencing any pain in your chest?”

Yusui’an’s eye rims turned slightly red, and tears the size of beans began to fall from her eyes as she nodded.

Li Guanqi swiftly reassured her, saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t move for now. Let me put on some clothes and take you to find someone.”

Li Guanqi promptly returned to his room, dressed himself, and then picked up the little girl before rushing out the door. He needed to find his master! It was possible that when the sword box had fallen on her, it had broken one of her ribs.

As they journeyed, Li Guanqi, concerned that the little girl might be frightened, gently inquired, “What’s your name? I’ve seen you twice now, but I don’t know your name.”

The little girl, feeling that the pain was subsiding, took a bite of her steamed bun to calm herself and said with a clear voice, “My name is Yu Sui’an, and I’m six years old.”

Li Guanqi blinked, pleasantly surprised by how pleasant-sounding the little girl’s name was. He finally reached Li Nanting’s courtyard, relieved that the Elder hadn’t yet retired for the night. As he tried to explain what had happened to his master, Yu Sui’an leapt onto Li Nanting’s bed and fell fast asleep.

Observing the peacefully sleeping little girl on Li Nanting’s bed, Li Guanqi couldn’t help but be curious and asked, “Who is this girl? I’ve seen her twice around the peak.”

Li Nanting tucked her in gently and patted her lightly. “Little Bun isn’t anyone’s child. I found her three years ago when I came down from the mountain.”

“Found her?”

“Yes, found her.”

“Three years ago, there was a severe famine in the northern region of the Great Xia Sword Sect’s territory.”

“Two years of drought left the farmers with no harvest, so I went to use my spiritual incantations to bring rain.”

“That’s when I saw her squatting by the roadside, next to a woman who had starved to death.”

“I brought her with me and shared a hot meat bun with her on the way.”

“To this day, I remember the bright look in her eyes when she gazed up at me.”

“She told me that it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten.”

Li Guanqi listened silently to the old man recounting the story of the little girl. It made him reflect on his own past during the same period.

It seemed that both of them hadn’t lived very well…

No wonder he had seen this Yu Sui’an holding a bun in her hands both times he encountered her. Her past had also been marked by a tumultuous fate.

The old man looked at Li Guanqi’s thoughtful expression and said, “You seem to empathize with her.”

Li Guanqi’s made a into a bitter face as he looked up at the night sky and whispered softly, “Yeah… back then, I used my sister’s funeral money of ten copper coins to cremate her.”

“When I returned home, I personally killed my distant uncle who had a gambling problem, which caused my mother to fall seriously ill and die.”

“Amidst heavy snowfall, I picked up two steamed buns on my way back while carrying my sister’s ashes.”

“Those buns were hard and stale, but to me at that time, they were a taste of heaven.”

“That day, I went to the crematorium twice.”

Li Guanqi spoke softly, his voice calm and steady, devoid of fluctuations.

The old man, however, gazed at the young man with eyes full of tenderness and gently wrapped his arm around the young man’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, everything’s in the past. In the days to come, consider your master and fellow disciples as your family. Heavenly Thunder Peak is your home.”

The two of them sat silently in the courtyard.

The next morning, Li Guanqi woke up in an unfamiliar bed, realizing that he had fallen asleep on the old man’s shoulder the previous night. He had actually slept directly in Li Nanting’s room.

At this point, it was still at least two hours before dawn, and the old man was sitting on a mat meditating.

Li Guanqi got up and quickly tidied himself. Then, he started practicing his martial arts in the backyard. Every punch and kick was executed with utmost dedication, accompanied by the sound of the wind. At some point, the old man was quietly standing at the door, nodding approvingly.

Li Guanqi had been practicing this set of martial arts for eight years, and he had complete control over every subtle variation of each move. Years of continuous practice of martial arts and stance training had perfected his control over every muscle in his body.

When Li Guanqi finished his routine and turned around, he noticed the old man standing behind him and couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.

The old man then personally demonstrated the same set of martial arts that Li Guanqi had just performed. The entire set flowed like water, with graceful and effortless movements. Li Guanqi stared on, struck by inspiration.

Seeing the contemplative look on his face, the old man smiled and said, “Alright, you’ll figure out the key points as you reflect on it later.”

“Now, if you don’t hurry to Heavenly Water Peak, you might be late.”

“Lan He doesn’t like tardiness.”

Only then did Li Guanqi notice that it was already daylight. He quickly tidied up and, before leaving, bowed in front of Li Nanting to bid farewell. “Master, I’m heading out now.”

“Haha, very well, go ahead.”