Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 124 - 101: All Stepmothers Under Heaven Are One Family

For Li Tingshu, saying these words truly required a bit of courage.

Anyone familiar with Li Tingshu would know that this bald man is actually someone who is very proud on the inside.

He joined the Li Family to marry Li Nanqiu, not out of greed for the family's wealth and power. As for the many people who ridiculed him behind his back for changing his surname after joining the Li Family... it was as if he had been insulted by stray dogs. His ancestors had been named Li for generations, and in such a wide world, why should only one family have the surname Li?

Yet after joining, although he received various family resources and support, Li Tingshu never took these for granted. Every time he received a resource, he felt the need to do something in return for the family. On the other hand, whenever there was internal competition, he would always give his all to prove his strength and value.

And indeed, Li Tingshu's abilities were astonishing. He was not yet 30 years old this year, but had already reached the Late Stage of the Rain Cover Realm, without seeing any significant bottlenecks. A talent like him had a great chance of breaking through to the Mountain-Overturning Realm before the age of 35. Compared to a peerless talent like Li Fengyun, he might be lacking, but he had already slightly surpassed someone like Li Kongcheng, who lacked a powerful follow-through. The Li Family also had great trust in Li Tingshu, never treating him as an outsider. The position of Inner Sect Instructor was a sign of the great expectations the family placed on him.

Even though it was only about training a group of teens, it was essentially to prepare for that grand decennial event, to reclaim the Li Family's honor at the QingCyan Grand Competition. Such a heavy responsibility showed that the family truly regarded Li Tingshu as a core member.

Li Tingshu was someone who believed in repaying kindness. Since the family valued him so highly, he was determined to do everything in his power to do the job well. In fact, he was going all out. For every cultivator participating in the Inner Sect Special Training, he conducted very thorough investigations and tailored training plans accordingly. The energy consumed in this process was something even a Rain Cover Realm cultivator could hardly bear.

So when Wang Jiu first mentioned a new training plan, Li Tingshu instinctively resisted because it would mean negating all his previous efforts and dedication. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

However, now Li Tingshu no longer had any conflict. Wang Jiu's skills were truly admirable, proven through actual combat. Since that was the case, if Li Tingshu continued clinging to his own hard work while ignoring the evident practical benefits... that would be too selfish.

"Mr. Wang Jiu, please, you must not refuse."

Wang Jiu looked at Li Tingshu and said, "Alright."

Li Tingshu nodded, feeling a bit disappointed and relieved at the same time.

This outcome was probably the best for everyone. He believed those kids would also be happy to have a more excellent instructor.

Whether in terms of appearance or training ability, Wang Jiu was undoubtedly far superior to him. Since that was the case, why wouldn't they be happy, why wouldn't they rejoice?

That evening, Li Tingshu announced the change of instructor to all the young men and women participating in the QingCyan Grand Competition training at the school grounds. He said not a word more and didn't look back at the students even once, enduring the strong reluctance as he left the grounds.

When he returned home, his wife awaited him at the courtyard gate as usual, her smile gentle and comforting like a spring breeze.

"You're back? Dinner is ready, come and eat."

Li Tingshu suddenly thought of the old saying, 'Family is a haven'. It was indeed true. Could his wife possibly not know about the challenge at the front sea's training ground? She wasn't the sort of shut-in ladies they imagined. But she was merely comforting him. It had always been this way all these years.

At this thought, Li Tingshu didn't rush inside with his wife but instead asked, "Nanqiu, how long has it been since we last went on a trip together?"

Li Nanqiu was taken aback by this: "Eh, why bring this up all of a sudden? If you ask how long..." After thinking for a while, she smiled wryly, "Seems like since we got married, we haven't gone on any trips."

Li Tingshu lowered his head, feeling a bit guilty. All these years, in his efforts to prove his value to the family, he had been consumed by work, neglecting even the ones closest to him—it was like putting the cart before the horse.

"Let's go now."

"Huh?"

Li Tingshu smiled gently: "Neither of us has anything urgent right now. Why not seize this moment? Didn't you always say you wanted to see the splendor of Golden Jade City? I saved up quite a bit over the years. Think of it as our tenth-anniversary trip expenses."

Though still doubtful, Li Nanqiu saw the exhaustion written all over Li Tingshu's face and nodded: "Alright, I've always wanted to have a spontaneous trip since I was young."

"To me, you're always that young girl."

...

To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Li Tingshu and his wife, Li Nanqiu, traveled to Golden Jade City. The Inner Sect Special Training Instructor position that Li Tingshu previously held was temporarily taken over by the family's Honored Guest Elder, Wang Jiu.

The couple didn't spend long in the outside world. Three days later, on September 10th, they already returned to the Li Family Mansion, looking pale.

The trip was evidently much shorter than initially planned. However, upon returning to the Li Family Mansion, they seemed as though they had drifted like island castaways for decades, filled with emotion.

Li Tingshu, naturally more resilient, merely twitched his eyebrows and said in a less-than-calm tone, "Finally, we're back."

Beside him, Li Nanqiu shook her head with residual fear: "Yes, finally back... Golden Jade City—I don't want to go there again."

"It really is befitting its reputation as one of the world's most prosperous places," Li Tingshu remarked. "I thought that after a decade, with family support and my own hard work, I'd have a modest estate. But who knew... in Golden Jade City, I'm not worth mentioning."

Li Nanqiu chimed in, "You can't blame yourself. That place, a cup of plain water costs a tael of silver, and a basket of buns a Spirit Stone. Such prices are unheard of, and thankfully we didn't order any alcohol. Otherwise..."

Li Tingshu smiled wryly: "It's my fault for showing off by booking Golden Jade City's top hotel. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had to flee back after just two or three days..."

"Who could've expected Golden Jade City's prices to be so outrageous? The best hotel in QingCyan City costs less than a tenth of that in Golden Jade City. How do those people even survive there..."

"Probably by robbing ignorant tourists from other cities."

"Indeed, such prices are no different from highway robbery... Robbery might even be cheaper!"

"Ah, how much better Cyan Cloud is."

"I don't want any more spontaneous trips in the future.

While saying this, the couple put down their luggage and prepared a lavish dinner to commemorate this profoundly educational tenth-anniversary trip.

However, before long, they heard knocking and the sobbing of young men and women outside.

"Instructor, are you back?!"

"Instructor, it's me, Li Qiude!"

"And me, Li Ruocheng! Instructor, please save us!"

Hearing this, Li Tingshu's expression changed, and he hurried out the door, only to see a group of youths crying miserably at the doorway.

"What's going on!?"

Upon seeing Li Tingshu, the young men and women cried even louder, as if subjected to unspeakable humiliation.

"Instructor, please replace Wang Jiu now!"

"We can't take it anymore."

"That's not cultivation, it's torture!"

The heart-wrenching cries of the young men and women left Li Tingshu deeply unsettled.

"What on earth happened!?"

The young men and women, amidst sobbing and sniffling, began to recount the course of events.

——

Rewind to the evening of September 8th. When Li Tingshu, with a mix of disappointment and relief, announced that Mr. Wang Jiu would temporarily assume the position of Chief Instructor, the youths were mostly pleased at heart.

Though witnessing Li Chaolu's grueling training scenes some days ago was harrowing, today's duel, with Li Chaolu bravely fighting two alone, was even more astounding.

Those who could join the Inner Sect Special Training were all young people passionate about the Immortal Dao. While some had aristocratic airs, such evident success made laziness and fear of pain less concerning.

If they could transform like Li Chaolu in just a few days, what did it matter if they spat a few pints of blood? Besides, even though Li Chaolu looked quite miserable under Wang Jiu's training, he didn't seem to have any other ill effects. After every three cycles of Diffusion Circulation, he still had the energy to joke with Wang Jiu. Perhaps Wang Jiu's training plan wasn't as painfully terrifying as it seemed and was entirely bearable.

Given that, what was there to fear?

So, despite some regret for the bald instructor, the prospect of gaining a superior coach was indeed delightful news.

Moreover, no matter how the bald instructor changed his look, compared to the naturally gifted Mr. Wang Jiu, it was really...

In any case, the young men and women anticipated with hope the upcoming day.

The next day, they witnessed hell.