Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi kept his head lowered, his body involuntarily trembling. He stood in place, clutching herbs in his hand, too afraid to move.

However, the man immediately spotted Li Guanqi’s exposed eyes.

His face darkened, and he swiftly struck Li Guanqi to the ground with a single hand!

A resounding smack!

“Damn it, how many times have I told you to cover your eyes!”

“You’re a jinx!”

Li Dashan glared at the herbs scattered on the ground, growing even angrier. He vigorously kicked Li Guanqi several times.

He yelled, “Did you use money to buy medicine?!”

This kind of scene was perhaps a recurring nightmare for the young boy. He tightly hugged his head, curling his body into a defensive posture.

These wretched days had begun three years ago when they fled famine and sought refuge with this distant uncle.

The boy on the ground fiercely guarded the scattered herbs beneath him.

The woman on the heated brick bed heard the commotion and stumbled over, pushing Li Dashan away while crying out, “Don’t hit… don’t hit the child…”

In response, Li Dashan snatched a nearby wooden board and struck the woman’s head!

A loud thud!

“You frail child! What’s the use of spending money on treatment?! You should’ve died sooner!”

“I should’ve sent you to work for the Zhao family. Even if you died, I could’ve received some compensation!”

Fresh blood slowly streamed down the woman’s forehead as she clung desperately to the young boy, continuously pleading, “Don’t harm the child.”

Li Guanqi suddenly felt a warm, sticky sensation on his face.

Realizing something, the young boy’s face twisted into a grimace!

He fought fiercely to break free from the woman’s grasp, instantly grabbing a kitchen knife from the chopping board, relying on familiar memories!

“Shut up! If it weren’t for your drinking and gambling, our family wouldn’t be in this situation!”

“My mother’s illness wouldn’t have been prolonged like this! My sister wouldn’t have been sold to the Zhao family, working herself to death!”

“The one who deserves to die is you! It’s you, Li Dashan!”

Li Guanqi’s face contorted with rage as he fiercely shouted at the man, finally releasing the pent-up anger that had been suppressed for so many years. It seemed to find an outlet at this very moment.

Reeking of alcohol, Li Dashan, noticing the change in Li Guanqi’s expression, grew increasingly fierce. He cursed, “If it weren’t for me providing for you and your mother back then, you would have starved outside the city. And now you dare to wield a knife at me?”

Li Dashan scanned the surroundings for a makeshift weapon, but the young boy, with a slight ear movement and a sudden burst of strength in his legs, lunged at the man!

The kitchen knife gleamed in the moonlight outside the door, and in his panic, Li Dashan snatched a clay jar and swung it toward Li Guanqi!

Despite his frail physique, the young boy displayed remarkable agility, dodging the heavy object the moment it was raised.

Crack!

Crash!

The jar shattered at Li Guanqi’s feet, and along with the clinking of copper coins hitting the ground, the young boy stood frozen in place!

Because he understood the significance of that sound!

Those clinking copper coins gleamed brightly in the moonlight.

Li Dashan’s voice rang out with surprise, “Hahaha! Ten guan!”

“This time, I’m definitely going to turn things around!”

“This time, I’m going to win back everything, principal and interest! Hahaha!!!” Li Guanqi stood in place, trembling uncontrollably all over.

For a moment, his mind flashed scenes like a flashback.

He couldn’t recall ever having a full meal, and he had no knowledge of his father because he had never seen him. He had heard that his father had perished during the famine.

The real nightmare commenced three years ago when they sought refuge with their distant cousin, Li Dashan.

Li Dashan frequently visited their home to extract money. When he had money, he would either drink until he was completely intoxicated or vanish into the gambling den for days on end.

Tonight he had come again.

Somehow, he had learned about his sister’s demise and set his sights on a stack of ten guan copper coins!

Occasionally, Li Guanqi would daydream about how wonderful it would be if he were one of those immortal beings who could soar through the heavens, escaping the hardships of the mortal world. Perhaps, in such a scenario, the earthly suffering would spare him a little.

As Li Guanqi turned away, he could still hear Li Dashan’s curses ringing in his ears. “Death is death; why bother with cremation!”

Li Guanqi slowly raised the kitchen knife in his hand.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Song Wanrong’s eyes, but ultimately, she refrained from intervening. She had long been thoroughly disappointed with Li Dashan, and she knew her days were numbered. She didn’t want to wait until after her death for Li Dashan to sell her child to repay debts.

Perhaps… it’s for the best.

Splat!

The sharp kitchen knife pierced the neck, and the young boy felt a warm liquid splatter on his face.

Thud!

Li Dashan, with a look of disbelief, collapsed into a pool of blood.

And the young boy, who had endured all of this, slumped and sat on the ground.

Song Wanrong felt dizzy, her vision blurred.

Her body gradually grew cold, and she realized her time was coming to an end. A faint smile appeared on her pale face.

She softly called out, “Guanqi… come here.”

Hearing his mother’s voice, Li Guanqi hurriedly went to her side, trembling all over, and embraced her.

Song Wanrong held Li Guanqi in her arms without even glancing at Li Dashan lying beside her.

Instinctively, she covered Li Guanqi’s eyes with her hand and comforted him by patting his back. “Guanqi, don’t be afraid…”

“Death is just death, and it’s okay.”

“Come, look up so Mom can see you properly.”

Li Guanqi’s sensitive mind immediately sensed something.

When he looked up at his mother, tears were already streaming down his face, and he could hardly speak.

“Mom… Are you leaving me too?”

“What am I supposed to do…”

Song Wanrong’s eyes grew increasingly blurry as she looked out the window at the snowstorm, murmuring softly.

“I’m useless, letting you suffer…”

“In the future, you must become a strong and honorable man.”

“Get married, have children…”

“Mom… will always watch over you from heaven,”

“You must… live well,”

“Go and see the vast rivers and the splendors of the mortal world.” She trailed…

Li Guanqi felt the hand behind him go limp.

In grief and anger, he cried out, “Mom!!!”

He shouted several times but received no response.

Li Guanqi sat in a daze in his mother’s embrace, muttering, “I… no longer have a mother.”

“I no longer… have any family.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes turned red, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face.

Without speaking, he gently caressed his mother’s face, as if trying to etch her image firmly in his mind.

Then, he knocked on the door of the shop with the white silk hanging.

The fat shopkeeper impatiently opened the door and saw the young boy who had come earlier in the evening.

Instantly, anger surged within him, and he said, “Why are you here again? Didn’t you come during the day?”

“I told you, we in our business do things with a conscience. I really didn’t overcharge you ten copper coins!”

Standing barefoot in the snowstorm, the young boy lowered his head and hoarsely said, “My mother has also passed away. Can you help me move her?”

Hearing these words, the shopkeeper was instantly choked up, and his anger dissipated, replaced by a heart full of pain.

The shopkeeper dismantled the door and pulled the young boy inside, giving him a tattered coat that was no longer needed in his house.

With a somewhat choked voice, he said, “Warm up first… I’ll go put on some clothes.”

“You, this child… your life is too hard. If you don’t mind, you can work as my assistant in the future.”

“I won’t say how much I’ll pay you, but at least you won’t starve.”

The boy, who had stopped crying, was overwhelmed by the shopkeeper’s sudden concern and sat on the ground, wailing loudly.

Li Guanqi, feeling the scorching flames in front of him, slowly knelt down on the ground.

He kowtowed deeply in front of the stove.

“Mom, I will never forget your nurturing kindness. I will definitely live well!”

In the sky, Su Xuan, dressed in gray, silently watched this scene.

He sighed lightly, unable to change fate even if he was present.

And on that day, the young boy would leave Beiliang City with the old man named Su Xuan.