Chapter 204 – Swindling An Old Man

Within a secret pavilion deep inside the Daxia Sword Sect, the sect’s peak elders had convened for a meeting. After a lengthy discussion, they reached a decision: the sect would seal itself off from the outside world for three years.

First, they selected the disciples who had fought in the war against the Purple Sun Pavilion and were loyal to the sect. These disciples were made to swear an oath, promising never to leak any details about the technique. Only then were they permitted to cultivate the mysterious technique that Li Guanqi had left behind.

Lu Kangnian and Ling Daoyan had spent three whole days studying the technique. When they finally reached their conclusions, both drew sharp breaths. Lu Kangnian felt like it would become the bedrock for the Daxia Sword Sect’s future prosperity.

The spirit veins were nothing compared to the technique to reach the eleventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm.

The elders had argued back and forth long enough. In the end, Lu Kangnian slammed his palm down on the table to make the call, shattering it into pieces.

Though the Daxia Sword Sect had gained tremendous momentum, they chose not to expand their territory. Instead, they decided to disappear from the world’s stage for three years, keeping this newfound knowledge hidden.

Li Guanqi closed his eyes in thought.

Sect Master Lu Kangnian is no fool.

Then came the voice of the Sword Spirit, ringing in his mind.

“At least you’re not a complete idiot. If you'd given them the technique for the twelfth level and word got out, every major sect in the Daxia Territory would have banded together to destroy the Daxia Sword Sect. Even sects from other territories would have joined in.”

Li Guanqi was stunned. He hadn’t realized the consequences could be so serious. Back then, all he wanted was to repay the sect that had raised him. He understood the value of the method to reach the thirteenth level, which was why he had only left them the one for the eleventh.

He shivered at the thought. He’d actually been very close to leading the sect to destruction. When he left, he’d been carrying two more jade slips, the ones for the twelfth and thirteenth levels.

Before long, the trio arrived at a place called Port Yuanping. Like other cloud boat ports, it sat high atop a mountain, surrounded by beautiful mountains. Now and then, massive demonic beasts flew by, carrying heavy cargo strapped to their backs.

Ye Feng asked, “Boss, how do they sell the goods here? Stalls?”

Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. “Stalls, yes. But places like this draw all sorts—smugglers, pickpockets, gangs, you name it. Guard your storage pouches well and stay out of trouble.”

The other two nodded seriously.

Li Guanqi possessed an innate leadership quality and had naturally assumed the role of their leader, earning their complete trust. Without a word, they positioned themselves on his left and right like bodyguards

It was still early morning, and Port Yuanping was only just stirring to life. The three of them changed into coarse hemp clothes and plain robes before entering. Shops lining the street were just beginning to raise their shutters.

Li Guanqi spotted a narrow road that led to the cloud boat docks and immediately made his way toward it.

The stall owners did not need to pay rental fees, which meant it was on a first-come-first-served basis, leading to competition over the available spots. Once the port closed for the day, everyone had to pack up and leave. That was the rule.

Just as Li Guanqi was about to step into the street, an old man suddenly jumped out from the side. Li Guanqi reflexively dodged, narrowly avoiding a collision. To his surprise, the white-bearded elder barked, “Are you blind?!”

Li Guanqi froze, giving the old man a clear view of his eyes. Pure white eyes. Li Guanqi was, in fact, blind.

Li Guanqi lowered his voice, sorrowful and quiet. “I... I’m terribly sorry, sir. I really am blind...”

The old man’s anger deflated at once. He waved his hand awkwardly and tried to apologize. But Li Guanqi’s eyes had grown misty, and he sighed, voice trembling with grief. “My life has been hard. My parents died when I was young... Years ago, there was a heavy blizzard... and I nearly starved to death on the streets...”

The old man’s expression twisted with guilt. He stepped aside and said, “I’m sorry, kid. I’ve got a sharp tongue, but I didn’t mean any harm. Don’t take it to heart.”

As he spoke, the old man stepped aside, allowing Li Guanqi to take his spot. Li Guanqi walked over with no expression on his face. It was the best position at that crossroads.

Li Guanqi chuckled inwardly.

I’ll guilt-trip you to death if I have to.

He sat down and went on with his pitiful tale. “I still need to feed two younger brothers. One has a big head and can’t talk. The other... is mentally stunted. His limbs don’t work, he drools, and I have to spoon-feed him every day. I was just hoping for a good spot today so I could sell something and scrape together a few coins...”

As he spoke, he pointed at Ye Feng and Cao Yan. Ye Feng’s face darkened. It was clear who had the big head and who was “mentally stunted.”

When Ye Feng turned, Cao Yan was already shuffling over, his hands making wild, incomprehensible gestures. Li Guanqi pointed at himself, then at the old man, then at the ground. Whatever he was trying to say, only Cao Yan seemed to understand. He turned to the old man and bowed clumsily, stammering, “Aba... Abababa... Ababa!”

The old man, despite his seniority, forced a smile and returned the bow.

Li Guanqi could hear the old man’s bones creaking as he bowed. When he turned to look at Ye Feng, he nearly burst out laughing. Ye Feng’s eyes had rolled back, and drool was running down his chin. He had stuffed a tattered rag into his collar, and his hands were twisted like chicken claws. Even his legs were bent at odd angles.

He tiptoed and walked over to them, drooling all the while, his neck occasionally twitching. The old man’s heart sank. He slapped himself twice across the face, eyes brimming with guilt.

I’m not human! I deserve to die! Why did I say such terrible things?

When they saw the regret in the old man’s eyes, all three of them struggled to contain their laughter, pinching their thighs until they bruised.

The old man supported Ye Feng as he walked over. Ye Feng continued his act, thanking him. “Thank... thank you...”

The old man waved him off and gestured for them to sit near Li Guanqi. He decided not to leave and sat down next to Li Guanqi.

Cao Yan didn’t mind. He was supposed to be mute, so his only task was to remain silent.

The trio could tell the old man was only at the mid Foundation Building Realm. At his age, that meant his talent was average at best. He’d likely never reach the Golden Core Realm.

The old man sighed and began setting up shop. He expertly spread out a piece of black cloth and poured out the contents of his storage pouch—bottles, cans, porcelain shards, face powder, pills, herbs, and so on.

Li Guanqi realized that the old man was a professional swindler.

There was an unwritten rule at ports: once you walked away with a purchase, whatever happened next was your own problem. As the old man gathered a few things to secure the cloth spread on the ground, Li Guanqi glanced over his wares but found nothing of interest.

As the old man smoothed out the cloth, Sword Spirit suddenly spoke up.

“That half-piece of a jade pendant next to his foot looks good. Try getting that from him.”

Li Guanqi blinked, surprised.

A treasure in this pile of junk?

However, he maintained a calm expression. Then, to the old man’s surprise, Li Guanqi began taking items out of his own pouch as well.