When the morning sunlight shone across the lands, Li Guanqi rose slowly and said, “I’ll go check on the little girl.”
Ye Feng nodded. “I’ll go get some rest. I feel... a breakthrough coming soon.”
Li Guanqi turned into a streak of light and disappeared from the sect graveyard.
The Daxia Sword Sect had risen from the ashes overnight. By morning, it had been reborn, brimming with hope and renewed spirit.
Li Guanqi returned to Heavenly Lightning Peak. The eight peaks had suffered the worst of the destruction, far exceeding the damage to the rest of the sect, and Heavenly Lightning Peak was no exception. His courtyard had been damaged, crushed beneath falling boulders.
Li Guanqi did not stop at his quarters, heading straight to his master’s courtyard. He pushed the door open, and the sight of the two rocking chairs hit him like a truck. He stood there for a long time, staring blankly.
Every time he had come here before, Xu Zhengjie had been sitting there, drinking tea with his master. In his mind’s eye, he could still see the thin old man smiling and waving at him.
Li Guanqi raised a hand, then let it fall.
A gentle, somewhat weak voice came from the yard. “Guanqi, is that you? Come in.”
Li Guanqi hurried inside. Li Nanting lay on the bed, bandaged from head to toe. At his side was Shen Lan, the Peak Master of Heavenly Water Peak, administering medicine to him with her sleeves rolled up.
Li Guanqi forced a smile. “Master, are you feeling better?”
Shen Lan helped Li Nanting sit up. He waved at Li Guanqi. Seeing the sorrow in Li Guanqi’s swollen eyes, Li Nanting reached out and took his hand. “You don’t need to blame yourself. This was fate. I believe Old Xu wouldn’t have hesitated, no matter who it was. If you’d been in his place, you would’ve done the same—you would’ve done anything to save him too.”
Li Guanqi hung his head and murmured, “I know, but whenever I think about it... I still feel miserable.”
Thump. Thump. He struck his chest with his fist. “Master, it hurts... it hurts right here.”
Shen Lan sighed. She opened her mouth, but no words came. She didn’t know how to comfort him.
Li Nanting picked up a red wine gourd and pressed it into Li Guanqi’s hands with reddened eyes. “Then drink. Didn’t you once ask me what was so good about wine? Well, now’s as good a time.”
Li Guanqi took the gourd in a daze, then walked into the backyard. He looked down at it for a moment, uncorked it, and tilted his head back, downing several mouthfuls.
The liquor burned like flaming knives in his throat and roared down to his stomach like a fire dragon. He choked a little.
He opened his eyes, which reddened a little, then wiped his mouth and said weakly. “This wine... It’s quite good.”
Creak... Original content can be found at n0velfire.net
Li Guanqi pushed open the door to the room where Yu Sui’an was resting. On the bed lay her tiny figure, still unconscious. He moved quietly to her side, watching her furrowed brow.
A rare smile crept onto his face. He saw a shadow of himself in her. Like him, she’d had an unlucky childhood. That was why he felt so protective—he wanted to give her only the best.
He happily took her flying around the sect, letting her sit on his shoulders and chatter away. He even grew fond of her habit of bringing him buns from the dining hall.
Only he and Li Nanting received those buns. She never gave them to anyone else. Those simple buns... others might see them as nothing special, but to her, they were the most delicious things in the world.
Li Guanqi reached out and gently smoothed Yu Sui’an’s brow. He took one last look at her bandaged figure, then turned and left the room.
Outside, he looked up at the thick fog and the morning sun and felt like everything had changed.
His mind was still a mess, so he flew off to Jade Teapot Peak. There, sitting at the summit, he drank and drank, facing the sun.
Very soon, he became drunk, and so he lay there on top of Jade Teapot Peak, refusing to get up.
The Daxia Sword Sect was bustling that day. First came the installation of several massive spirit veins, newly acquired for the sect grounds. Then, the sect catalogued its spoils of war, packing the Scripture Pavilion and armory to the brim.
The severely injured disciples rested, while the others hurried around.
While the Daxia Sword Sect recovered from the battle, an enormous crowd had gathered at the mountain’s base, forming a line that stretched for one dozen li. Countless young hopefuls had been brought by their elders, all seeking a chance to join the sect.
Lu Kangnian was still resting, and Ling Daoyan had returned to the bamboo forest in the back of the mountains.
Qin Xian was left in charge. He didn’t waste time with pleasantries. Descending the mountain, he called out, “Anyone who isn’t a candidate, leave now! As for those seeking to join, wait for further notice!”
If this were the previous Daxia Sword Sect, such an announcement would have received a lot of objections from the crowd. But now...
The elders turned to leave immediately, but not before delivering earnest advice to their juniors, urging them to do whatever it took to join the sect.
Qin Xian’s face remained solemn, but inwardly, he was thrilled. Nearly twenty thousand boys and girls had come to register—many from minor factions and clans, some of high standing.
Yet none of them dared try to bribe him. They simply hovered in the air, offered him respectful salutes, and departed with polite smiles.
The Daxia Sword Sect was more popular than ever.
Qin Xian turned to leave and began preparing for the new cohort of disciples.
When Li Guanqi woke up, he saw Shen Lan, who had come looking for him. She landed on Jade Teapot Peak and looked at the drunk Li Guanqi. “Alright, kid. You can grieve and reminisce all you want later. I’ve got a job for you now.”
Li Guanqi circulated qi through his body and dispersed the alcohol using his vital force. He no longer squinted, and his mind regained its clarity. He rose to his feet and bowed. “Mistress, please carry on.”
Shen Lan could not help but blush a little. She joked, “You sure know how to flatter. Anyway, there’s a crowd of people looking to join the sect at the foot of the mountain right now. The sect hasn’t opened its gates in more than a year. Now that we have the resources, we’re ready to take in new disciples. Senior management has unanimously chosen you to lead the recruitment!”