Lu Qi sat on a rock by the lotus pond, arms crossed, watching Mianzhi. He smiled and said, "Although Mianzhi Sword Immortal is the woman Senior Brother Xu Shuo fancies, and I, Lu Qi, shouldn't be presumptuous, how can matters of the heart be about who came first? I, Lu Qi, am a wanderer of the martial world, never having taken feelings seriously. Until I met you, I knew this trial was unavoidable."
Mianzhi frowned, ignoring him, and continued to cultivate her sword intent.
Seeing Mianzhi ignore him, Lu Qi sighed helplessly, shaking his head. "I suppose Mianzhi Sword Immortal already has someone in her heart. What a pity, what a pity. The Great Dao is difficult to tread, who grieves for the fallen? We meet by chance, and they are all other men's wives..."
"Huh?!"
Suddenly, Lu Qi saw Liu Liying, clad in a red dress and holding a folding fan, float past. He immediately called out, "Miss Liying!"
"Oh?"
Liu Liying immediately descended, curtsied gracefully to him, and said with a sweet smile, "Liying greets Immortal Master Lu."
"Good, good, good."
Lu Qi looked at Liu Liying's pretty face, but then suddenly felt a pang of sadness, his expression turning sorrowful.
"What's wrong, Immortal Master?" Liu Liying asked.
"Just a little sad."
Lu Qi looked at Liu Liying and said, "Miss Liying, you are so lovely. Lu Qi was thinking, if Miss Liying is this lovely in front of others, what am I to do? How can I continue to like you..."
Liu Liying was taken aback and narrowed her eyes, smiling. "Oh? Since when did Immortal Master Lu start liking Liying?"
"I don't know when."
Lu Qi sighed. "I only know that from this moment on, I like you today, and I will like you tomorrow, and I have a premonition that I will also like you the day after tomorrow."
Liu Liying rolled her eyes and laughed. "Someone like Liying, who is fickle and heartless, has already deeply hurt a 'fish in the pond' before. I advise Immortal Master not to like Liying, lest you mislead yourself."
Lu Qi dramatically pounded his chest in feigned pain. "Miss Liying, you go too far. Lu Qi can stop breathing and his heart from beating, but he truly cannot stop liking you."
Liu Liying couldn't take it anymore and floated into the study of the Natural Dwelling. She whispered into Lin Zhao's ear, who was drawing talismans, "Young Master, has Immortal Master Lu gone mad..."
"Ah?!"
Lin Zhao startled. "What's going on? Go and see..."
When Lin Zhao walked out of the Natural Dwelling, he saw Lu Qi smiling at Dongzang, who had just come out of the kitchen. "I heard the lady is gentle and virtuous. I wish to hear more."
Dongzang turned and walked away.
Lu Qi then turned to Mianzhi, who was ignoring him, and said, "Mianzhi Sword Immortal, this is too much. It is impolite to ignore me like this. Don't take advantage of my affection for you and deliberately act so outrageously!"
Mianzhi rose and, riding a sword light, descended the mountain.
Lin Zhao was deeply moved. The legends were true. Men became more greasy as they aged. Lu Qi, this Holy Spear Wanderer, had another nickname: Holy Spear Greaser. Once he got greasy, it was unbearable to look at! In the living room, Xu Shuo had a helpless expression. He transmitted his voice, saying, "Just get used to it. My senior brother loves to talk, but he would never overstep his bounds in action. It might have something to do with the emotional trauma he suffered when he was young."
"Mmm."
Lin Zhao nodded with a smile. "I'll have Mianzhi, Dongzang, and Liying ignore him then."
...
Afternoon.
Lu Qi, with a hiccup of alcohol, went for a walk up the mountain. He hadn't gone far when he saw the young sword cultivator in a dark purple robe sweeping fallen leaves along the path with a broom. Lu Qi immediately frowned, his casual gaze vanishing instantly, replaced by a sharp brilliance. Was this the one who, at the twelfth realm, had caused his Senior Brother Xu Shuo to regress in cultivation?
"Hmph!"
Gu Yanshu also glanced at Lu Qi, harboring a deep disdain for this glib and greasy man. Gu Yanshu originally wanted to kill everyone in the world, but upon seeing someone like Lu Qi, he decided on a priority: kill Lu Qi first and rid the world of a menace.
"What are you humming about?" Lu Qi asked with a smile.
Gu Yanshu stopped sweeping and his eyes held a chilling glint. "What business is it of yours?"
"If you're humming at me, then it is my business."
Lu Qi frowned, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"You want to kill me?"
Gu Yanshu sneered. "To avenge your junior brother?"
"Indeed, I do."
Lu Qi lightly stomped the ground, and a small thirteen-realm world instantly unfurled.
"If you want to kill me, then kill me."
Gu Yanshu sneered. "You, Lu Qi, are merely relying on the fact that my sword intent and realm are sealed by a wisp of the Dragon Slaying Sword's intent. You can't even draw your Deer Seeking Sword. If I, Gu Yanshu, were still at the peak of the twelfth realm, would you dare to be so arrogant?"
"I would."
Lu Qi grinned, a formation rapidly spinning in his left hand. "I'll give you a chance to kill me, Lu Qi. I cannot break the Great Dao's seal on the Dragon Slaying Sword, but I can restore your cultivation for a short period. This will allow you, you little beast, to experience the true peak combat power of the Mohist Ancestral Hall and avenge my tragically dead junior brothers and nephews!"
Saying this, Lu Qi's formation condensed into a golden radiance that gathered at his fingertips. He pressed it directly onto Gu Yanshu's forehead. The next moment, Gu Yanshu was sent flying back. He spun in mid-air, his twelfth-realm cultivation restored. The instant he drew the Deer Seeking Sword, a fierce wind swirled, ruffling his hair, and he became heavy with killing intent once more.
"Hahahaha~~~"
Gu Yanshu sneered. "Lu Qi, you idiot, you think too highly of yourself. Are you not afraid of retribution after opening the cage of the furious tiger?!"
"Laugh all you want. You won't be laughing soon."
Lu Qi raised his hand, took down the cloth behind him, revealing a three-sectioned staff that shimmered with silver light. In Lu Qi's hands, it gently merged into the legendary sage's relic, the "Pear Blossom Spear." The moment Lu Qi held the spear across his chest, his entire demeanor changed. He was no longer the greasy middle-aged man but the Mohist Ancestral Hall's most senior disciple, exuding an aura of slaughter.
"You court death!"
Gu Yanshu's gaze turned fierce, and he lunged forward, unleashing a sword strike. An ordinary twelfth-realm cultivator would not be able to withstand this.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qi swept his spear across, and with a loud "bang," Gu Yanshu was sent flying backward, sword and all. He couldn't even block one of Lu Qi's spear thrusts. Instantly, Lu Qi soared into the air and smashed down with his spear. As Gu Yanshu fiercely swept out his sword, the immense sword intent was almost instantly crushed by Lu Qi's spear light. Then, the spearhead heavily struck Gu Yanshu's shoulder.
With a booming sound, Gu Yanshu crashed to the ground within the small world, utterly disheveled.
"Just you, Gu Yanshu?"
Lu Qi thrust his spear forward and sneered, "If my Junior Brother Xu Shuo wasn't troubled by love and couldn't break through his mental state, he would have been a thirteenth-realm Sword Immortal long ago. I would have killed you, you bastard!"
Gu Yanshu was filled with frustration. Although he had temporarily returned to the peak of the twelfth realm, the thirteenth-realm Mohist wanderer before him was too strong. His aura completely suppressed Gu Yanshu's twelfth realm. Moreover, his weapon, the Pear Blossom Spear, seemed to be no lower in grade than the Deer Seeking Sword. More importantly, the opponent's fighting spirit and killing intent were also extremely strong, completely overwhelming his unorthodox cultivation with his righteous power.
In an instant, Gu Yanshu blocked with his sword, channeling all his sword intent to form a powerful sword aura as thick as a mountain. Forced into a defensive position, he could only block.
"Sizzle—"
Lu Qi's spear thrust forward. The tip of the Pear Blossom Spear was incredibly sharp, piercing Gu Yanshu's sword aura with destructive force. Then, the spear tip pressed against Gu Yanshu's forehead. If Lu Qi had merely nudged it, Gu Yanshu would have certainly died!
But Lu Qi raised his wrist, and the spear tip grazed Gu Yanshu's scalp. The next moment, Lu Qi slammed a powerful fist into Gu Yanshu's abdomen, sending him crashing against the boundary of the small world. Then, the spear shaft swept out, knocking Gu Yanshu into spitting blood. The bones in his chest seemed to have shattered, and he looked utterly pathetic.
Gu Yanshu's mental state was utterly shattered. Who would have thought this Fatty was so powerful? That the Mohist Ancestral Hall would have such a great cultivator with such intense spear techniques and killing intent?
...
Sensing someone's arrival, Lu Qi dispersed the small world.
Outside, Lin Zhao, Xu Shuo, and Huang Tingyu had arrived. They looked at the miserably battered Gu Yanshu on the ground. His body pulsed with twelfth-realm sword intent, and his Deer Seeking Sword was filled with heavy killing intent. But the next moment, as Lu Qi waved his hand, the Heavenly Dao's suppression from the Dragon Slaying Sword once again pressed heavily upon Gu Yanshu, reducing him back to a first-realm sword cultivator.
"It's fine now."
Lu Qi frowned and said, "Lin Zhao, can we talk?"
"Alright."
Lin Zhao waved his hand, and Huang Tingyu carried Gu Yanshu away for treatment. Xu Shuo continued with his own tasks.
The mountain path was swept remarkably clean.
Lin Zhao and Lu Qi walked side by side.
"Why keep such a deranged beast alive?" Lu Qi frowned and said, "I have observed Gu Yanshu's mental state. He is incorrigible and still believes the whole world owes him. Keeping him by your side is always a menace. My 'Stealing the Sky and Changing the Sun' technique can unleash his twelfth-realm cultivation. Can't the demon race do the same?"
He said earnestly, "Lin Zhao, playing with fire leads to self-immolation. Remember this."
"I know."
Lin Zhao respectfully replied, "Immortal Master Lu, I actually think Gu Yanshu should be killed. The karmic sin from his sword is too heavy; he deserves to die ten times over. However... I have a subtle perception that his mental state is closely related to my own breakthrough. There seems to be some karmic connection, so I want to try and see if I can open his mind. If it works, I can break through. If not, then killing him is not too late."
"Mmm, you must weigh the pros and cons of this yourself."
Lu Qi frowned and sighed. "Before the upheaval in Shuzhou, Senior Brother Xu Shuo took so many of our junior brothers on a long journey, and less than half returned. Most of them died by Gu Yanshu's sword. Xu Shuo was beaten and regressed in cultivation. You can probably guess that Master's most beloved disciple was indeed Xu Shuo. Not only Master, but I, as his senior brother, also dote on this junior brother. Xu Shuo has high talent, is a good person, and has excellent swordsmanship. He was truly the undisputed successor for the next Grandmaster. But now he has regressed in cultivation, which has affected things somewhat. I lost my temper for a moment and almost truly killed Gu Yanshu."
"If you had killed him, it would have been fine."
Lin Zhao said, "It's just that the karma for killing Gu Yanshu would fall upon you. It's actually unnecessary. It's better for it to fall on me, at least the Dragon Slaying Sword can suppress the Deer Seeking Sword somewhat."
Lu Qi couldn't help but laugh. He turned and patted Lin Zhao's shoulder. "Xu Shuo was right. You, this Lin Baiyi, are indeed understanding. By the way, these women on your mountain, Mianzhi, Liu Liying, Dongzang, Yu Wanning, Chu Yu... do they have Dao companions on the mountain? Are they betrothed? Look at me, Lu Qi..."
"Enough!"
Lin Zhao's eyes darkened. "Immortal Master Lu, please spare them. Don't mess with their Dao hearts!"
"Hahaha, good, good, good!"
Lu Qi laughed heartily. "Alas, we meet by chance, and they are all other men's wives. It is bitter, so bitter~~~"