Chapter 85 - There is a Scale in Your Heart

That night, Li Guanqi slept especially soundly. When he awoke groggily, he realized he was sleeping in his master’s quarters. Yu Sui’an, the little girl, lay curled up beside him, her eyes swollen red from crying.

He spotted a meat bao beside his pillow and couldn’t help but smile. He took the bao and savored it slowly, but even that tiny movement caused pain to shoot through him.

Li Guanqi sat up with a pained frown, glancing at the sleeping girl. He murmured, “Thank goodness I didn’t wake her up.”

Then, he saw Li Nanting standing at the door, looking at him with a smile.

Once Li Guanqi had freshened up, he gently lifted Yu Sui’an and tucked her under a blanket on the bed.

His wounds had been carefully treated and bandaged. As he moved, he estimated he’d recover in another two or three days.

Watching from the side, Li Nanting couldn’t help but remark, “This brat sure heals fast.”

As Li Guanqi approached him, Li Nanting took a deep breath and asked solemnly, “What’s up with the blood runes on your body?”

The question caught Li Guanqi off guard. He mumbled vaguely as he strapped the sword box onto his back, saying, “Uh... nothing much. My grandfather drew them. I don’t know what they’re for, either. As far as I can tell, they don’t do anything.”

Li Nanting frowned. Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian had both visited the day before, and neither of them could make sense of the blood-red patterns. They sensed something profound but couldn’t tell what it meant.

Li Nanting studied Li Guanqi’s face and saw no signs of lying, so he let it go. He was okay with the runes as long as they posed no danger to Li Guanqi. His opinion of Li Guanqi’s grandfather rose a few notches.

Before, the man had been little more than a vague impression in his mind. Now, a veil of mystery had settled over that image.

By his estimate, Li Guanqi’s grandfather was at least a powerful Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, and possibly even someone who had reached the Divine Transformation Realm.

Li Nanting smiled and said, “Eat something. I’ll help you change your bandages afterward.”

Li Guanqi grinned and wolfed down the delicious food on the table. But after a few bites, he suddenly froze. “Wait, isn’t this a herbal dish? With added spirit herbs and demonic beast meat?! Master, isn’t this something the sect makes for you?”

Li Nanting patted Li Guanqi’s head and smiled. “Just eat. I told them to prepare it for you. You’re injured and need good food to heal. The sect only has the resources to open the secret realms once, and I don’t want you to miss your chance because you’re still recovering.”

After eating for a while, Li Guanqi said softly, “Master...”

“Hmm?”

“Why haven’t you said a word about me killing those intruders?”

“Why would I?” Li Nanting said calmly. “They trespassed on sect grounds. Why would I scold you for not keeping them alive? Besides, the number one rule of the cultivation world is to always finish the job in conflicts and grudges. You’d best remember that.”

Li Nanting looked the most serious he had ever been. He looked into Li Guanqi’s eyes and warned, “It does not matter how rich or aristocratic they are. If there is a conflict, finish them off when you can! Kill where you can! Do not be sloppy because you feel sorry for them!”

Li Nanting’s voice was grave, as if he truly wanted Li Guanqi to remember his words. Recalling his master’s past, Li Guanqi nodded silently.

Then, Li Nanting switched back to his role as an elder advising a younger person. “Um... although I say that, I don’t want to see you become a bloodthirsty person who massacres people. If you do, I’ll be the one to kill you.”

The old man emphasized every word, and Li Guanqi hurriedly nodded.

“Guanqi, there’s a scale right here,” Li Nanting said, reaching out and tapping on Li Guanqi’s chest. “Who to kill, who to spare... it’ll tell you. You just have to learn to read it.”

Li Guanqi nodded again, only half understanding. That scale inside him had only just begun to take shape. But he believed his master would teach him how to read the scale.

After leaving his master’s courtyard, Li Guanqi found a small crowd gathered outside his quarters—various senior brothers and sisters, Lin Dong, Ye Feng, and even Zhong Lin. There were even disciples from other peaks.

Startled, Li Guanqi leaped onto his sword and flew off toward Jade Teapot Peak. As he flew, he sent a voice transmission to Ye Feng. “Meet me at Jade Teapot Peak.”

When he arrived and saw a fully completed wooden house, he stood there in a daze. Not far from his peak, a bare-chested youth waved at him. The youth flew over and chuckled. “

Hahaha!

Are you feeling better, Junior Brother Li?”

It was Eldest Senior Brother Zhou Zhi from the outer sect of Heavenly Metal Peak. Back when Li Guanqi tested his spirit root, there’d been another girl from the outer sect alongside Zhou Zhi—Eldest Senior Sister Jiang Su.

Now, Zhou Zhi had entered the inner sect and broken through to the early Foundation Building Realm.

Li Guanqi quickly bowed in greeting. “Greetings, Senior Brother Zhou.”

The handsome Zhou Zhi did not expect Li Guanqi to remember his name. He smiled and said, “No need to be so formal. I only just broke through to the Foundation Building Realm, and you’re already at the mid-stage. If I try comparing myself to you, I’ll just make myself miserable. While you were out cold, a few of us finished your house for you.”

Li Guanqi smiled. “Thank you all for your help. Do you want to come in?”

Zhou Zhi waved him off and leaped into the air. “Maybe another day. I need to go to the Mission Pavilion to see if I can earn some contribution points.”

Li Guanqi watched Zhou Zhi fly off, then turned to admire his sophisticated little wooden house. A warmth bloomed in his chest. This feeling of being cared for enveloped him like glowing embers placed beside him on a snowy night.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Ye Feng and two other friends flew over on their swords. Li Guanqi waved and invited them into his wooden house.

The moment the pale Lin Dong entered the house, he dropped to his knees. The others around him quickly pulled him up.

With tears in his eyes, Lin Dong said, “Li Guanqi, you saved me! I’m only alive because of you. If you ever need me to risk my life for you, just say the word!”

It was a heartfelt sentiment, but Li Guanqi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Alright, that’s enough. I don’t want a man. What would I do with you?” Li Guanqi said.

Ye Feng wriggled his eyebrows with a strange look on his face. He joked, “What? Are you going to cultivate amongst mortal distractions today?”

Li Guanqi smirked coldly. “I think you’ve got too much yang energy in you. You didn’t go behind my back, did you?”

Ye Feng put on a solemn expression. “Don’t worry! I would never go there behind your back!”

Zhong Lin and Lin Dong were utterly baffled. Zhong Lin frowned. “What are you talking about? Cultivating Amongst Mortal Distractions[1]? Is that a place in the secret realm? And you two have already gone there?”

“Uh... could you guys take me with you the next time you go?” Lin Dong said, scratching his head. He continued awkwardly, “I know I’m not as talented as you guys, but I want to improve my cultivation as much as possible.”

Ye Feng and Li Guanqi looked at the earnest expressions on their faces, then burst into laughter. After their repeated requests, Ye Feng agreed to bring them to the place in the future.

This small exchange sparked a tradition among the disciples of the Daxia Sword Sect. Though no one could trace who first spread word of the place, many new disciples began visiting it during their missions...

1. The brothel Li Guanqi and Ye Feng visited in prior chapters. ☜