Upon returning, everyone from the Great Xia Sword Sect recounted every detail of what had transpired in the secret realm.
In the grand hall, not only were there Elders from various peaks, but also Sect Master Lu Kangnian and the enforcer Qin Xian.
Li Nanting even stood directly below the dais, joining Li Guanqi and the others.
Li Guanqi was actually quite nervous inside. After all, he had annihilated the disciples of four sects.
Among them were several with Heavenly Spirit Roots, which would surely invite retaliation from the other sects.
However, Lu Kangnian waved his hand dismissively and said, "Don't worry, what's a few disciples dead?"
"Hmph!"
"What happens in the secret realm stays in the secret realm, that's the rule set a thousand years ago."
"If they had the ability, they should have killed you in the secret realm. They can't blame others for their own incompetence!"
"No worries, let them come if they dare."
"Just focus on your cultivation!"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi felt a surge of emotion.
After all, twenty lives had been lost! How could the four sects not react at all?
But the Great Xia Sword Sect showed strong support for their disciples!
This was the confidence of a great sect!
After Li Guanqi and the others left, Li Nanting couldn't stop smiling.
When he sensed that Li Guanqi's aura was even more majestic yet he hadn't broken through, he didn't ask much.
He simply assumed the lad had encountered some fortune in the secret realm.
Li Guanqi, Ye Feng, Lin Dong, and Zhong Lin, a group of four, went straight to the Treasure Pavilion on Heavenly Pillar Peak.
Li Guanqi kept his promise, exchanging the massive Taiyi Treasure Silver for sect points.
A whopping twelve hundred points!
And that small piece of Xuanbao Spirit Sand was worth two thousand points!
Just from Li Guanqi's share, there were three thousand two hundred points.
Li Guanqi divided all the points into five shares, saying softly, "Although Ke Qin is no longer with us, this share of points can be exchanged for gold and silver to send to her family."
"Consider it… a token of our sentiment."
No one objected, and in the end, each person received six hundred and forty points.
Ye Feng took out two jade slips and said, "One is a movement technique, and the other is a cultivation method. Who needs them?"
Li Guanqi shrugged and said, "I don't need them, you guys decide."
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first."
The others nodded, and the movement technique went to Zhong Lin, while the cultivation method was given to Lin Dong.
Upon returning to Heavenly Thunder Peak, Li Guanqi found that both Lin Dong and Zhong Lin had given him two hundred points each.
He touched his nose, didn't refuse, and accepted them.
Back at his courtyard, Li Guanqi found the little girl playing with a chubby orange cat.
Yu Sui'an, seeing him return, quickly ran over and stretched out her hand.
Li Guanqi smiled slightly and, as if performing magic, produced two steaming buns and handed them to her.
"Yay yay yay!! Blind is really loyal!"
"Oof oof~ so hot… too hot to eat…"
Watching the lazy orange cat on the ground, Li Guanqi also reached out to scratch its chin, causing the chubby feline to rub its head against him.
Looking at the sky, Li Guanqi picked up the cat and called out, "Sui'an, come inside, it looks like it's going to rain."
Boom boom boom!!
Yu Sui'an was about to question where the rain was coming from.
But the thunderous roar made her cover her head and run into the house in a panic.
Li Guanqi chuckled and said, "Little girl is afraid of thunder, huh."
Whoosh whoosh!
The raindrops fell and quickly intensified.
Coinciding with the rainy day, Li Guanqi also wanted to rest for a change.
He simply lit the stove, put on a pot of tea, and placed some potatoes and sweet potatoes on top.
He moved the backyard rocking chair to just inside the front hall and invited the little girl to sit down.
However, the little girl sat stiffly on a small stool, her eyebrows furrowed and her ears covered, forgetting to nibble on the bun in her hand.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi wrapped her in a blanket and held her in his arms.
"Don't be afraid, it's just thunder. I'm here, eat your bun in peace."
Yu Sui'an timidly lowered her hands and began to eat the bun in small bites.
Her big eyes fixated on the sweet potatoes roasting on the fire, saliva nearly dripping.
Li Guanqi asked with a smile, "Want some?"
The little girl immediately nodded vigorously, and Li Guanqi peeled the sweet potato for her, wrapping it in parchment paper and placing it in her hands.
"Take it slow, it's hot."
"Sss~ha… sss~ so delicious…"
At that moment, the orange cat also jumped onto Li Guanqi's lap.
Outside, the sound of rain was pitter-pattering, while the cat on his lap began to snore softly.
On the large rocking chair, a man and a little girl, along with a chubby cat, were squeezed together.
Yu Sui'an wedged herself between the armrest and Li Guanqi's side, her mouth corner blackened from eating the sweet potato.
The scene was indescribably peaceful and harmonious.
Li Guanqi's mood also calmed with the sound of the rain.
Suddenly, Yu Sui'an asked, "Blind, you used to be a beggar, weren't you afraid of thunder?"
Li Guanqi's face showed a hint of reminiscence as he softly said, "Not afraid, but I was afraid of the rain."
"Why afraid of the rain? Isn't thunder scarier?"
"Silly girl, when it rains, everyone goes home. I couldn't beg for food and would go hungry."
Yu Sui'an looked thoughtful, then nodded in agreement.
"En… that makes sense."
"So how come you're so nice now? How did you get through it?"
Li Guanqi gently rocked the chair and began, "How did I get through it…?"
"When the wind blew, I walked slowly; when it rained, I stayed to the side; when it thundered, I covered my ears; when it snowed, I hugged my shoulders."
"Anyway… Blind, I walked alone for a very, very long time."
Yu Sui'an frowned slightly, not quite understanding what Li Guanqi meant.
Then, as if she had cast the question from her mind, she wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, only her little head poking out, and asked.
"Blind, when you were demoted, so many people spoke ill of you, why didn't you curse back?"
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment before seriously saying to Yu Sui'an.
"If someone mocks you sharply, you snap back at them immediately."
"If they look down on you for no reason, you scorn them immediately."
Before Li Guanqi could finish, Yu Sui'an tilted her head and asked, "Isn't that how you should treat such annoying people?"
Li Guanqi softly said, "You see, those people you dislike can easily turn you into the very thing you hate the most."
Yu Sui'an was taken aback; this was the first time someone had explained such a concept to her.
She was somewhat perplexed, and as she pondered, sleepiness crept over her.
A smile appeared on Li Guanqi's face as he petted the orange cat with his left hand and gently patted Yu Sui'an with his right.
After some time, the man and the little girl had both fallen asleep.
One blanket, two people, one cat.
Despite the thunderous noise outside, the scene inside was quite different.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas