Chapter 219: Don't Let Me Die with Regrets
Chapter 219: Don't Let Me Die with Regrets
Li Tiangang couldn't believe it when his father actually slapped him.
The tenderness and kindness on his father's face a moment ago had now turned to anger and sorrow, his eyes filled with disappointment... disappointment?
Li Tiangang's face turned pale. He knew he wasn't capable enough to take care of the Divine General Manor or his brothers, but his father had never shown disappointment over that. Instead, he had always comforted him with warmth and kindness.
But now, over Li Hao, his father showed a pained and disappointed expression.
The burning pain on his cheek made Li Tiangang's mind a bit hazy. It wasn't that the slap was particularly hard, but suddenly, a scene from that courtyard flashed through his mind.
The angry slap he had dealt out.
The young man's gaze, filled with disbelief.
Li Tiangang felt his heart constrict, a hard-to-describe emotion spreading through him. Was it fear?
"Elder Brother..."
Li Xiaoran hesitated, then sighed inwardly. He had not wanted Elder Brother to know about this, but now that he did, it was too late to stop him.
Besides, Li Tiangang's handling of the Li Hao matter had been hard for him to understand. The boy's talent aside, his character didn't match the family's description of him as careless and unruly.
At most, he could be considered somewhat unconventional.
Li Muxiu stood by silently, his face cold, even thinking that the slap was too light.
"No wonder that boy always looked at me with a strange feeling. It turns out he had already left the Li Family. He doesn't even want to recognize me as his grandfather..."
Li Tianzong's eyes moistened. On the way back, the boy had still called him affectionately. Was it because he knew Li Tianzong was about to completely fade away, so he didn't want to worry him?
Even without a physical body, why did Li Tianzong feel a sharp pain in his heart?
The boy had been so understanding!
Why did this happen? Why did such a thing occur?!
"You, you tell me everything in detail. I want to know everything!"
Li Tianzong clenched his teeth, looking at Li Tiangang with anger and pain.
Li Xiaoran's face changed, and he quickly said, "Elder Brother, this will take too much time..."
"That's fine!"
Li Tianzong clenched his teeth. "If I don't understand this, I'll die with regrets!"
Hearing this, both Li Muxiu and Li Tiangang's faces changed. Li Muxiu hurriedly said, "Elder Brother, don't get angry. I'll tell you everything slowly."
"Father, don't be angry. You can hit me if you want, but please don't get angry", Li Tiangang pleaded, his expression tense, fearing that something might happen to Li Tianzong.
"Speak, right here!"
Li Tianzong said through gritted teeth.
Li Tiangang hadn't expected his father to be so angry. Since his father's passing, no one had disciplined him. Now, the feeling of being scolded from childhood returned, like when he made mistakes in the training grounds and hesitated to return to the courtyard.
His face changed, and he lowered his head. "Father, don't be angry. I'll tell you everything. I admit, I was too impulsive..."
He began to recount the events.
Beside him, Li Xiaoran's face darkened, each second feeling like torture.
He knew that Elder Brother was using his last moments of life to understand this matter.
"…And then he wanted to leave the Divine General Manor."
After Li Tiangang finished, Li Tianzong's face darkened. He turned to Li Muxiu and asked, "Is that true?"
Li Muxiu gave a slight cold laugh, noticing Fourth Brother's meaningful glance but not dwelling on it. He said, "That's his perspective. In his eyes, he returned from a hard-fought battle in Yanbei to find Li Hao carefree and idle, not dedicated to cultivation. But has he considered that Li Hao reached the Fifteen Li Realm at fourteen, breaking the Great Yu Divine Dynasty's cultivation record?"
He added more details, filling in the gaps missing from Li Tiangang's account.
The same event, told by different people, can have different outcomes. Even the wisest can only provide a relatively objective account, never an absolutely objective one.
Li Tianzong listened to the two of them and, combining what he had seen and heard in Mourning River, he had a general idea of the reason.
He was so angry that his whole body trembled, unable to fathom how much suffering the child had endured.
"You actually let him leave the Li Family like this. Do you not know how much the Li Family has incurred the hatred of Demons?"
"You, how could you be so foolish!"
Li Tianzong raised his fist and slammed it hard into Li Tiangang's chest, sending him stumbling backward several steps.
A Divine Whip condensed in his palm, and he lashed it fiercely at Li Tiangang, roaring, "When I was young, I rarely beat you, but you've committed such a grave mistake. You deserve this!"
Li Tiangang's face was grim as he endured the pain without a word or a flinch.
"Brother, don't overexert yourself."
Li Xiaoran couldn't help but say, "Why don't you let me take over?"
Li Muxiu couldn't help but glance at him. This Fourth Brother was actually more proactive than himself?
"No need!"
Li Tianzong continued to lash the whip, glaring at Li Tiangang. "Tell me, do you know what you did wrong?"
Li Tiangang looked up with a pained expression and said, "Father, don't be angry. I know I was wrong."
"Wrong where?"
Li Tianzong demanded angrily.
"I shouldn't have been so impulsive. I was wrong. I will bring Li Hao back and treat him well", Li Tiangang said immediately.
Li Tianzong raised the whip again, but seeing the pain in Li Tiangang's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to strike again.
"You've truly disappointed me..."
His expression turned sorrowful, and the whip in his hand dissipated. He said bitterly, "It's all my fault for dying too early, for not educating you well, for not being a good father to you..."
"Father, you've done enough!" Li Tiangang's face changed, and he hurriedly said.
Li Tianzong looked up, finding it both laughable and heartbreaking. He said, "How could the Li Family have such a venomous woman, and she is even Second Brother's wife? The Liu Family was obedient when they married in, always respectful to me and your mother, showing no sign of any ill intent."
"Second Brother died in battle, and she harbored such vile thoughts. How could such a tragic thing happen in the Li Family!"
He lowered his head, looking at Li Tiangang with a bitter expression. "What good will beating you do? Tian Gang, you should know that some mistakes are unforgivable. Once made, even if you regret them, they can never be undone!"
Li Tiangang quickly said, "Father, don't be angry. I will find Li Hao and bring him back. There's still time, there's still time!"
Li Tianzong looked at his son's frightened and tense face, feeling a deep ache in his heart.
He knew that this son of his was very filial, and while his anger made him lash out, his heart was torn.
His anger at Li Tiangang's lack of struggle, his frustration with his foolishness, and his pity for his filial obedience made Li Tianzong's emotions incredibly complex. He sighed deeply and said dejectedly, "I had planned to return home to visit, but now, it's too late."
Li Xiaoran's body trembled, and he looked at Li Tianzong, whose figure had become much fainter. He couldn't help but call out, "Brother!"
Li Tiangang and Li Muxiu were both stunned. When they heard Li Xiaoran's sorrowful cry, their blood seemed to freeze.
It was as if all the blood in their bodies had rushed to their brains and frozen, sending a chill through their bodies, making them shiver.
"Brother?"
Li Muxiu suddenly noticed that Brother's figure was much fainter than before.
His heart raced as he asked, "Brother, what do you mean? Can't you return to the family?"
He suddenly realized something and turned to Li Xiaoran, urgently saying, "Fourth Brother, what's going on? Tell me, what's happening?!"
"Father?"
Li Tiangang was frozen in place, staring at Li Tianzong in shock.
He wasn't stupid. That short sentence, combined with Li Xiaoran's reaction and the current faint appearance of Li Tianzong's Heroic Soul, filled him with a sense of dread.
"Brother was trapped in Mourning River for too long, deeply eroded by it. Although he has escaped now, he can only barely return home for one last look."
Li Xiaoran said sorrowfully, "But now, Elder Brother... you can’t go back!"
The years of unwavering resolve spent by the Mourning River were about to dissipate here, and he felt a pain so deep it made it hard to breathe.
Li Muxiu and Li Tiangang, upon hearing his words, stood rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning.
They had thought that Li Tianzong’s journey to liberation would allow him to return to the Ancestral Hall, to be enshrined in the Memorial Tablet, and to be seen often in the future...
But now, this was the last time they would see him?!
"Elder Brother..." Li Muxiu trembled all over, staring blankly at Li Tianzong. It felt as if the blood had drained from his body, and he was losing all warmth, his limbs growing cold.
"Father!"
Li Tiangang’s pupils constricted, his mind buzzing with a dizzying sensation. At the funeral, he had cried his eyes red over his father’s half-destroyed body, and now, he was to watch his father dissipate before his very eyes?!
Was it because of the recent conflict?
He felt his heart pounding, twitching, and a searing pain like a tear.
"Don’t be sad."
Li Tianzong, seeing their grief, grew calm, though a hint of bitterness lingered on his face.
"I never expected this to happen. Second Brother, remember to greet your Elder Sister-in-Law for me. Tell her I’ve gone ahead, and that she should take care. If she misses me, she can go to the mountain where we used to sit. The cicada calls she hears will be my greetings..."
Li Tianzong’s eyes were filled with the weight of years as he began to settle his affairs.
His words made Li Muxiu tremble uncontrollably, his grief overwhelming, unable to utter a single word.
"Father, it’s all my fault. I made you angry, it’s all my fault, all my fault..."
Li Tiangang suddenly knelt before him, raising his hand and striking his own face harshly.
He continued to slap himself, using his Flame Power, causing his face to bleed.
After several slaps, he looked at Li Tianzong, tears welling in his eyes.
"Tell me, how can I bring you back?"
Li Tianzong, seeing his state, couldn’t help but sigh. "You can’t bring me back. What you need to bring back is your son. There’s no need for you to grieve. With my current power, I can last until home, but... it’s not necessary."
He took a deep breath. "I planned to pass my power to Li Hao, but he refused. Now, I will pass this power to you. Go and bring Li Hao back immediately, no matter the cost, no matter what happens, you must bring him back!"
"If anything happens to him, I will die with regret!"
His hand landed on Li Tiangang’s shoulder, his gaze intense. "Do you understand?"
Li Tiangang’s body shook, his eyes red. "I can’t accept your power. Please, just take one last look, Mother misses you..."
"Be a man, not a coward."
Li Tianzong waved his hand, cutting him off. "Stop clinging to your rules. You broke family and military laws for Qing Qing, defying everyone. Now, for Li Hao, your own son, you must fulfill your true responsibilities as a father!"
"Remember, you are a son first, then a husband, a father, and finally a subject, a general, and a citizen!"
Li Tiangang was deeply moved, looking at Li Tianzong’s serious and solemn face, realizing he might have been wrong.
His father had never been wrong. He felt a deep sorrow. "Father, I understand everything. Please, don’t say any more. I don’t want your power. Just take one last look, I beg you!"
"If you can bring Li Hao back, the Li Family will surely prosper, and the Great Yu Divine Dynasty will return to its glory. I have seen that glory..."
Li Tianzong’s eyes shimmered with a faint golden light and a sense of nostalgia, as if he could see that distant splendor. "If you want me to truly see my homeland again, go and find Li Hao. Even if you have to apologize, even if it means humbling yourself as a father, it’s your child. What do you have to fear?"
Li Tiangang’s heart overflowed with sorrow, nodding repeatedly. "I understand, Father. Please, don’t say any more, just take one last look!"
Li Tianzong raised his hand to wipe away his tears, smiled, and said:
"You must live on, my child..."
At this moment, he was not only a grandfather but also a father.
As he spoke, a brilliant white light enveloped his entire body, surrounding Li Tiangang.
"Father!"
Li Tiangang cried out in panic.
But Li Tianzong's figure had already vanished into the white light, out of sight.
Li Muxiu and Li Xiaoran rushed forward, calling out, but only Li Tianzong's voice echoed through the air:
"Second Brother, Fourth Brother, the family's future rests on your shoulders. Let's be brothers in the next life... Ha, I probably won't have a next life, so you must live on and carry on for me."
"Tian Gang, open your mind, don't waste my Power!"
Li Tiangang was overwhelmed with grief but gritted his teeth and opened his mind.
A vast surge of Power poured into him, enveloping his entire body.
"I must... bring Li Hao back..."
"Otherwise, I will die... unfulfilled..."
Li Tianzong's voice faded away in Li Tiangang's ears.
The immense Power suddenly spread out, forming a towering golden pillar that enveloped Li Tiangang.
The pillar lingered for a long time before slowly contracting and finally dissipating into a vertical beam of golden light.
"Elder Brother!!"
Li Xiaoran roared in grief and anger, his voice like that of a wounded beast, echoing through the heavens and earth.
Li Muxiu wanted to call out but found himself unable to make a sound, as if his throat had been squeezed shut. He stood there, tears wetting his wrinkled eyes.
The world was filled with the sound of the wind, swirling and howling.
After a long while, Li Tiangang's body trembled slightly as he awoke from the inheritance.
He immediately looked around but saw no sign of Li Tianzong. He clutched his chest in pain, a pain that mirrored the heartache he felt when his wife Ji Qingqing left him in Yanbei.
It was the same pain he felt at the funeral, watching his brothers being laid to rest.
The pain was suffocating.
He cried out in anguish, but there was no response.
The gentle hand that had just patted his shoulder was gone, vanished completely.
"Father, I was wrong, please come out, come out and hit me!!"
Li Tiangang bellowed in grief.
But the surroundings were empty, and there was no answer.
Li Xiaoran, seemingly provoked by Li Tiangang's words, suddenly turned to him and charged forward, delivering a fierce kick to his chest.
With a loud thud, the explosive Power sent Li Tiangang crashing into a distant mountain.
Before Li Tiangang could even crawl out of the dust, Li Xiaoran pounced on him, smashing a fist into his face and driving his head into the rocks.
"It's all your fault, all your fault! Why did you do this to Li Hao? Why did you let Elder Brother die here? Why?!"
He swung his fists wildly, each blow landing on Li Tiangang's face and nose, his knuckles covered in blood.
"Do you know how much Elder Brother wanted to come home? Do you know? Do you know?!"
"That was his obsession, his last wish before he died!!"
"Elder Brother was almost out, almost free, why, why?!"
Li Xiaoran roared like a madman, his fists flying with reckless abandon.
Li Tiangang, battered and bleeding, his Immortal Treasure Body torn and oozing blood, wanted to fight back. But hearing Li Xiaoran's angry cries, the words cut through him like knives, and he stopped resisting, allowing the punches and kicks to rain down on him.
Rocks crumbled and the ground sank as Li Xiaoran beat Li Tiangang into a deep pit, the surrounding earth cracking and splitting.
"Enough, Fourth Brother."
Suddenly, Li Muxiu appeared, grabbing Li Xiaoran's flailing arm.
Li Xiaoran, disheveled and wild-eyed, looked up at him, tears streaming down his face, and croaked, "Second Brother, Elder Brother's Heroic Souls are gone..."
"He doesn't even have a chance to be reborn..."
His voice was not a roar but a mournful cry of despair.
(End of Chapter)
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