Chapter 18 – Yu Sui’an’s Tragic Past

By nightfall, a new waist-thick wooden post stood in Li Guanqi’s backyard.

Li Guanqi smiled as he gazed at his brand-new wooden pile. Then, he took his stance and began his punching practice with the stone box still on his back.

As he went through the motions, the constant thudding sound of his punches attracted a little girl who was playing nearby. She lay on her stomach on the rooftop, watching Li Guanqi crazedly hit the wooden pile.

Every time he punched, countless wooden shreds would fly into the air. He was constantly ducking and dodging while spinning around the pile.

Yu Sui’an’s eyes were filled with disbelief. “He’s using the wooden pile as his imaginary enemy! That blind boy is awesome! But what’s that on his back...?”

After finishing his practice, the sweaty Li Guanqi was ready to rest and bathe. He was looking forward to his first class in the sect.

He felt that becoming Li Nanting’s disciple had been a good decision. At the very least, Li Nanting looked at him with a pure gaze. Li Guanqi did not sense any malicious intent in the old man.

He put down the sword box and submerged himself in the tub, letting out a contented sigh.

The little girl on the roof slipped into his yard. Then, she sneaked towards his room.

Li Guanqi’s ear twitched. He smiled to himself and ignored her.

Suddenly, he heard a scream.

“Ahhh!”

Crash!

“Help!”

Li Guanqi grabbed his clothes to tie around his waist, then ran out of the door.

A small figure flailed beneath the sword box, her tiny hands flailing out.

Li Guanqi quickly picked up the sword box with one hand and grabbed the girl with the other. The girl’s face was smudged with dust, but she still had a bao in her mouth—and another one clutched firmly in her hand.

Her doll-like features scrunched up into a frown. “I’m hurt! You did this to me!”

Li Guanqi laughed at the absurdity of her accusation.

She sneaks into my room, touches my sword box without permission, gets herself trapped beneath it, and now I’m the one at fault?

Li Guanqi was about to say something, but he saw her face reddening and quickly sat down to inspect her. “Does your chest hurt?”

Yu Sui’an’s eyes were red. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.

He quickly comforted her and said, “Don’t worry. Stay here. I’ll put on some clothes and take you to someone now.”

After rushing into his room and quickly dressing, he lifted her up and dashed out the door.

He planned to go up the mountain to find his master. Li Guanqi was worried that the sword box might have broken one of her ribs when it fell on her.

Worried that she might be afraid, he softened his tone as they ascended the mountain. “What’s your name? I’ve seen you twice now, but I still don’t know.”

The girl, seemingly less distressed, took a hurried bite of a bao to calm herself. Her bell-like voice rang out, “Yu Sui’an. I’m six years old.”

Li Guanqi froze for a split second. He hadn’t expected such a nice name.

He eventually found Li Nanting, who was still awake. They comforted the girl for a long time until she finally dozed off in Li Nanting’s arms.

Looking at the girl, Li Guanqi asked curiously, “Whose child is she? I’ve seen her twice already.”

Li Nanting tucked her in, covered her with a blanket, and gently patted her.

“Little Bao isn’t anyone’s child. I brought her here three years ago when I went down the mountain.”

“You brought her here?”

“That’s right. Three years ago, the northern region of the Daxia Sword Sect’s jurisdiction had a famine. There was a two-year drought, and the farmers could not harvest a single grain of rice. I went there to cast a spell for rain.

“That’s when I saw a little girl crouching. Beside her lay a woman who had starved to death.

“I brought her back and bought her a steaming meat bao along the way. To this day, I still remember the way her eyes lit up when she looked at me. She said it was the best thing she’d ever eaten!”

Li Guanqi listened quietly. He couldn’t help but think of his own childhood. She hadn’t had it easy either.

So that’s why she always has a bao in her hands...

Li Nanting looked at Li Guanqi and said gently, “Why do I get the feeling you resonate with her story?”

Li Guanqi smiled bitterly. He looked up at the night sky.

“Yeah... I had to use the compensation money for my sister’s death to cremate her—ten strings of coppers.

“When I got home, I personally killed my gambling addict of an uncle. He was the reason my mother fell so ill that she died.

“There was a heavy blizzard that day. With my sister’s ashes in my arms, I picked up two mantou buns on the ground. They were stale and rock-hard, but to me, they were the most delicious food in the world.

“That was also the day I went to the crematorium twice.”

His voice was calm, almost detached.

Li Nanting looked at him with heartache. He placed a hand on Li Guanqi’s shoulder and said, “It’s all in the past now. From today on, consider me and your seniors your family. Consider Heavenly Lightning Peak your home.”

And thus, an old man and a young man sat in the yard together, making for a heartwarming sight.

***

The next morning, Li Guanqi woke up on a bed he did not recognize, only to realize that he had fallen asleep while leaning on Li Nanting’s shoulder.

He had spent the night in Li Nanting’s room.

There were four hours left until dawn. Li Nanting was sitting on a cushion, quietly cultivating.

Li Guanqi tidied up the room, then stepped outside to practice his punches in the backyard. He executed every punch and kick with intense focus, and the air whistled sharply with each movement.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Nanting watched from the doorway, nodding in approval.

Li Guanqi had been practicing this routine for eight years, allowing him to control every small detail. The constant punching and stepping routines on the wooden poles were also the reason he had perfect control over all his muscles.

When he finished, he turned around and realized that Li Nanting was behind him, who could not help but give him a thumbs up.

Then, Li Nanting personally demonstrated the same routine.

His movements were smooth, like drifting clouds or flowing water. He was in complete control of his strength.

Li Guanqi gained a lot of insight from the demonstration.

Seeing Li Guanqi deep in thought, Li Nanting smiled. “That’s enough. Let it sink in—you’ll understand the key principles in time. If you don’t hurry to Heavenly Water Peak now, you’ll be late. Lan He hates latecomers.”

Li Guanqi blinked. Only then did he realize the sky had already lightened.

Quickly freshening up, he turned to excuse himself. “Master, I’m leaving now.”

Li Nanting burst into laughter. “Good, good. Hurry up and go.”