The youth tilted his head back and took a swig. "Sss!" The spicy liquid hit his throat, pungent and sharp, before plunging into his chest with a searing, fiery burn.
Xu Xian squinted his eyes and let out a long breath.
"Ah!"
That certainly packed a punch.
Gradually, a hint of sweetness lingered in the aftertaste.
Li Qingshan witnessed the whole process, a trace of a charming yet wicked smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Xu Xian grumbled, "What kind of swill is this? It tastes terrible."
Despite his words, his grip on the bottle didn't loosen one bit, nor did he have any intention of returning it.
Li Qingshan said disdainfully, "That is top-grade Immortal's Drunk. If you don't know how to drink it, give it back. Don't waste it."
"As if!"
Li Qingshan was utterly speechless; playing a lute to a cow was exactly like this.
The two of them ate the meat.
Xu Xian drank the wine.
The evening breeze blew gently, and the stars shone with a soft light.
Li Qingshan broke the brief silence, saying, "I heard everything you said to that girl just now..."
"Hmm?" Xu Xian was slightly taken aback, his gaze turning intriguing.
Li Qingshan looked back at him without a word, his silence confirming it.
Xu Xian tore off a large chunk of meat. "Your ears are that sharp?"
Li Qingshan said leisurely, "A great ascension cultivator can hold the heaven and earth's spiritual energy in their palm and comprehend the laws of the world. Within ten miles, I can hear the buzzing of a fly; within a hundred miles, I can hear a shout. With a single glance, I can see a butterfly flapping its wings miles away. I am at the late stage of the great ascension stage, arguably the top sword cultivator below tribulation transcendence. Is it so strange that I heard your conversation?"
Xu Xian first curled his lip, then struck a deeply profound pose.
"Since you heard it, your Little Martial Uncle won't hide it from you. I’m quite troubled myself. If I reject her too bluntly, I’m afraid of breaking the young girl's heart. But if I accept... I’m not that kind of easy person."
"Even though Xiao Ning has some beauty and her character isn't bad, we cultivators must focus solely on the Dao. How can we be trapped by the affairs of the heart? The path to longevity is paved with withered bones. Feminine beauty... heh, in the end, it’s nothing more than skeletons in pink powder."
Under the moonlight, Li Qingshan’s lips twitched uncontrollably several times.
A flash of disdain crossed his eyes before vanishing. He suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh, his eyes overflowing with a sudden surge of melancholy.
"Indeed! I understand your feelings."
Xu Xian felt it was rather bizarre and took a small sip of the wine.
Li Qingshan slowly lowered his gaze, looking toward Xu Xian with eyes full of sorrow.
"Thinking back to when I first entered the sect, my situation was not much different from yours. Senior sisters, aunts, and junior sisters who bared their hearts to me were many. Even many fairies from the Central Plains wanted to become my dao companions, but I rejected them all. It wasn't that I was cold-hearted or lacked appreciation for elegance, it’s just..."
Li Qingshan gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I practice the Heartless Sword Dao. I could only live up to my path by forsaking all that tenderness."
Xu Xian strained to keep the wine in his mouth from spraying out.
He really made it sound so convincing.
After Li Qingshan finished speaking, he even stole a glance at Xu Xian, as if expecting a reaction. Xu Xian almost couldn't hold it together.
His throat moved as he swallowed the strong liquor, and he said wistfully, "Look on the bright side. If there's anyone to blame, it's that these physical shells of ours are just too conspicuous."
Li Qingshan agreed, "Indeed, the Heavenly Dao is truly unfair!"
The two looked at each other, seemingly sharing a moment of mutual sympathy on the surface.
But in their hearts, both were harborng their own schemes.
Xu Xian: 'Nice try, kid. I'll out-boast you to death!'
Li Qingshan: 'He's too good at acting. I've finally met my match.'
In the end, this invisible contest ended in a stalemate between two equally matched rivals.
Li Qingshan felt he hadn't lost; if he couldn't out-boast him, it was simply because Xu Xian's skin was too thick.
Xu Xian, however, felt he had won because Li Qingshan had started the topic, but he was the one who got the last word.
While they were busy posturing for one another...
The meat was finished, and the fire flickered low, leaving only a pile of glowing embers. When the wind blew, the coals grew redder; when the wind died down, they dimmed...
The wine wasn't finished, but Xu Xian was already feeling a bit tipsy. While Li Qingshan was busy acting cool, he quietly tucked the wine flask into his sleeve.
Li Qingshan stood up and paced to the edge of the cliff. Looking at the green mountains under the night sky and the river of stars above, he suddenly called out.
"Little Martial Uncle."
Xu Xian was a bit dazed and thought he was hallucinating.
"Are you... calling me?"
Li Qingshan didn't look back, speaking slowly. "Do you really blame me for bringing you into the Wendao Sword Sect?"
The croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects were loud, and the atmosphere suddenly began to feel a bit off.
Xu Xian didn't answer directly, asking instead, "What do you think?"
Li Qingshan reminisced, "Five years ago, I encountered you in the mountains. I caught a glimpse of a sword intent faintly radiating from you, practically bursting to come out. So, I stopped in Houdao Village and observed you for several days. Seeing that you were kind, clever, and possessed a steady character, I finally revealed myself to you. I wanted to bring you back to the sect to cultivate and tread the path of longevity, but I didn't expect to be rejected."
At this point, Li Qingshan gave a dry laugh. "A mortal who doesn't want to cultivate? Heh... I've lived for nearly a thousand years, and it was the first time I'd ever heard someone think like that."
Xu Xian shifted back, leaning lazily against a large rock behind him with his hands behind his head. He said casually:
"Don't misunderstand. It's not that I'm not interested in cultivation; I just simply didn't want to endure the hardship."
Li Qingshan continued to gaze at the sky, saying meaningfully, "Indeed, cultivation is bitter!"
After a pause, he continued his rambling. "But longevity and power are things every living being craves. Some seek them but never find them; some never even get the chance to seek them. You, however, clearly had the opportunity but were unwilling. That is why I brought you back. I thought to myself, what does a twelve-year-old child know? I did it all for your own good. I thought that one day, you would surely thank me..."
Xu Xian narrowed his eyes into slits and said impatiently, "I say, you've been rambling on about all this nonsense, what do you actually want? I'm not here to listen to your sentimental drivel. Just say what you have to say and stop beating around the bush."
Li Qingshan turned around and paced back to Xu Xian's side, looking down at him from above.
Xu Xian felt a bit uneasy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Li Qingshan lowered his gaze and said, "I know you have resentment in your heart. I admit what you told me earlier is true. You are a genius, a freak of nature that appears once in ten thousand years. With your talent, if you were in any other sect, even among the Three Sects, I believe those old fogies would have exhausted everything to nurture you. At the very least, you wouldn't have to drink porridge, nor would you have to worry about external resources, and naturally, you wouldn't have fallen into such a dangerous place..."
Xu Xian was completely bewildered. He really wanted to pinch himself; he wasn't sure if he was dreaming.
If this was real...
Then Li Qingshan must be sick.
Li Qingshan didn't care about Xu Xian's strange look and continued on his own:
"Being in the Wendao Sword Sect, from beginning to end, you haven't received any special resource allocation despite your epiphany at the sword stele or reclaiming the immortal sword. You've gained nothing more than the title of Little Grand-Uncle, earning you a bit more respect in these mountains."
"You have resentment in your heart, and I can understand that. Not just you—anyone would feel the same."
"But these are the rules set by the Sword Ancestor himself. Every one of us has gone through this. I did, and my master did too..."
"As for why the Sword Ancestor did this, it's too troublesome to explain, and you'd find it annoying to hear, so I won't go into it. Perhaps one day you will understand..."
"Simply put, these are the rules of the Wendao Sword Sect."
"Self-reliance and relative fairness!"
"We didn't have the courage you have—to break the rules, to change the regulations. we could only obey..."
"The Wendao Sword Sect has always been like this."
"The strong protect the weak."
"It is something every disciple of the Wendao Sword Sect will do."
"The dao protector you mentioned... there truly has never been a precedent in the sect. The rule of the Wendao Sword Sect is that when traveling together, the strongest acts as the dao protector for the weaker ones, not hesitating to risk their life, regardless of status..."
"So..."
At this point, Li Qingshan waved his hand. "Forget it, there's no use saying more. Now that the die is cast, the whole world knows you, Xu Xian, are the Little Grand-Uncle of the Wendao Sword Sect after the incident in Yecheng. It is a settled fact that cannot be changed. However, if you are unwilling to go out and deal with all the fighting and killing, you might consider this."
"It just so happens my immortal abode needs someone to look after it. You can move in. From now on, I will cover all the expenses for your food and lodging, and I will pay you a certain amount of extra compensation every month. This way, you can cultivate in peace without having to put yourself in danger."
"What do you think?"
Rate on N.U.
