Chapter 23: The Disparity of Worlds

Despite it being the Spring Festival, Li Qi remained disciplined.

Upon waking, he went straight to practice his saber work. After finishing, he spent the day without any entertainment, focusing instead on sensing the changes within himself, followed by eating—though he ate significantly less than he had the day before.

The good times of growing stronger simply by eating were over. There was no sudden appearance of a status panel popping up to notify him of attribute gains while he ate.

The only exception was at noon, when the whole family went to his grandfather’s house for the New Year’s feast. The old man had been quite prolific, fathering four sons and three daughters. The daughters had all married and did not return for the New Year, but the four sons meant four large families, each consisting of three to five members. Li Qi’s family, for instance, included a younger brother, though he could not return this year. All told, there were seventeen people present.

Among the younger generation, Li Qi was the second oldest, with only his cousin Li Zheng being slightly older. The rest were younger, the youngest still in middle school. Consequently, Li Zheng was the relative Li Qi was closest to.

As the family gathered, the conversation revolved around the children—talk of school advancement and domestic trivialities. In previous years, Li Qi would have been fully immersed in these discussions, but this time, he felt a sense of alienation, as if these mundane things had suddenly become very distant. After all, only last night he had been crossing a demonic tribulation, struggling against both heaven and earth, and battling his own self. Now, he was surrounded by talk of which school had a better environment or where housing was cheaper.

At the same time, others brought up Li Zheng, urging the younger children to learn from him, or remarked that Li Qi looked thinner and more spirited. All of these varied threads of human life, however, made Li Qi feel a sense of unreality. Halfway through the meal, his mother even made a video call to Li Si so everyone could say hello. Throughout the entire process, Li Qi remained quiet and withdrawn, huddled in a corner, chewing his food slowly. With so many family members and children talking over one another, no one paid him much attention unless he made a point of being noticed.

As for his mastery of the Tiger Form, it would have been obvious in the summer when he wore thin clothing, but in the depths of winter, with thick layers on, nothing could be seen. In fact, after mastering the Tiger Form, Li Qi’s energy and spirit became more restrained. This was the path of conserving essence and focusing the spirit—reducing consumption to rest and recuperate. It was only after mastering the Tiger Form that Li Qi had begun to grasp the fringes of this concept. A tiger is naturally indolent in its daily life, revealing its true spirit only in the moments of life-and-death struggle.

Even Li Zheng only felt that his cousin seemed lazy today, failing to notice the changes in him. The humans of this world were, after all, normal humans, not some strange information-based anomalies where one could sense a breakthrough or martial arts attainment through some mysterious channel.

After the New Year's meal, the adults chatted for a while longer, and by late afternoon, everyone began to head home. Li Qi had returned early to the quiet environment of his house, where he focused his mind to observe and feel every minute change within his body. This, too, was a form of cultivation that yielded great benefits.

However, as the sky grew dim, the peace in his home was broken by visitors. They were a mother and daughter. Li Qi did not recognize the girl at first, but he found a match for the mother in his memories. She was his mother’s former close friend—a bond akin to sisters. About five years ago, due to business matters, their family had moved far away; it was said their clothing business had become quite successful.

As for the girl, her name was Chen Di. Her name, which didn't sound very feminine, was supposedly inspired by Li Qi’s own name—"Qi" and "Di" combined to form "enlightenment" (qidi), which showed just how close the two families had been back then.

Li Qi hadn't recognized her because Chen Di had changed too much. In his memories, Chen Di was a little girl with yellowing hair who would chase after his older brother, constantly calling out to him, her skin dark from the sun. Now, she had blossomed; her skin was fair and delicate, her features refined, and she wore a wool hat over loose, raven-black hair, making her look quite beautiful and pleasing—almost nothing like the girl he remembered.

Chen Di clearly recognized Li Qi, but as time had passed and they had grown apart, she did not step forward to greet him. Eventually, urged by her mother, she exchanged contact information with him.

"Xiao Qi, what do you think of Chen Di?" his mother asked, leaning in mysteriously after the guests had left. "Let me tell you, you two were practically betrothed as children. Before she was even born, we agreed that if it was a girl, you would marry, and if it were a boy, you would be brothers. If you’re interested, Auntie Lan and I will help you out!"

Auntie Lan was Chen Di’s mother. "That girl Chen Di is wonderful. Her personality is good, and you grew up together, so we feel at ease. After all, there are so many bad people out there these days..."

"Mom, is it possible that I’m only in my second year of high school?"

Having lived two lives, Li Qi’s mental age was certainly not that of a high school sophomore, but this was his mother, and he was bound by the gratitude of being raised and their shared history. What could he say?

"Xiao Qi, just listen to your mother. That girl Shen Yue isn't for you. That kind of pampered young lady clearly thinks too highly of herself. You’re so pure and kind; if you fall for her, she’ll just treat you like a plaything..." his mother sighed. "Child, the waters are too deep; you can't handle it."

Li Qi was truly stunned. "Xiao Qi, that boy Xiao Guang told me everything about your situation..." his mother continued.

Li Qi suddenly felt that his saber was in desperate need of a sharpening.

Meanwhile, Auntie Lan was also talking to her daughter: "Xiao Di, what do you think of Xiao Qi?"

"They say that a girl changes eighteen times before she grows up, but I never expected a boy to change this much. Not only is he clean-cut, but he has such a pure, refined aura. He’s a good boy. Everyone around you these days is so calculating!"

"Do you remember how you used to follow him around, saying you wanted to marry him? If you’re interested, your Auntie Chen and I will pave the way for you."

Both sides were using the exact same script. The two women had clearly conspired long ago; this visit was nothing more than an unconventional blind date. It could only be said that as parents, their plans for their children were indeed far-reaching.

"Mom! I’m all grown up now; I have my own ideas. As for the past, that was the past. I hadn't seen the outside world then, I didn't know how big the world was, so I said things like that. I’m not that little girl anymore!"

"Li Qi is too weak and scholarly. There are countless boys like him at my school. He’s just not my type."

"It’s true that heroes who dominate the world are too far out of my reach, but at the very least, he should be proficient in both letters and martial arts. His martial arts should at least have reached the entry level. There are people at my school who have reached that level pursuing me, and even I don't think they're good enough..." Chen Di said without hesitation. "This kind of small-town academic type is just boring."