Chapter 39: Official Title and Oil-Sweet Snack

“Madam also asked me to remind Young Master—you must attend. This is a rare opportunity.” Xuejian spoke softly, her tone respectful and gentle. “If Young Master refuses, Madam said she’ll restrict your movements for three months, take away all your sketching paper, poetry books, and ancient zither, and forbid you from entering the kitchen ever again.”

As she said this, a strange sensation stirred within her. How broad his interests were—this Young Master truly was a rare talent. And yet, such a precious chance, one that would be fiercely contested in the outside world, was now being begged for in earnest, right here in the courtyard. It was almost absurd.

“This punishment is too harsh,” Li Hao muttered, bemused. “Is this a request… or a threat?”

Xuejian lifted her head, her lovely face innocent, her eyes blinking softly.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Li Hao sighed.

Xuejian smiled faintly—this Young Master was truly a delight. With a graceful bow to Fifth Elder, she respectfully took her leave, then turned to Li Hao with a bow of farewell.

“You should listen to Jian Lan’s advice and go,” Li Qingzheng said quietly once Xuejian had left.

“Is it about the forbidden technique from Black and White Hall?” Li Hao asked.

One of the three great sanctuaries of Qingzhou City, Black and White Hall was ranked alongside the Pavilion of Listening to Rain. Though Li Hao had heard from Second Master that the two weren’t on the same level, Black and White Hall still held undeniable prestige—especially its legendary sect treasure, a martial arts treatise said to be worthy of the Seven Towers.

“Precisely. That technique is powerful enough to be ranked among the Seven Towers,” Li Qingzheng said calmly. “And Tan Palace Academy’s teaching standards are solid. You could use a little discipline.”

“That’s the real reason, isn’t it?” Li Hao smirked.

Not long after, Qingzhi bounced back into the courtyard, her steps light and cheerful.

Seeing her hands empty, Li Hao frowned. “The Oil-Sweet Snack?”

“Couldn’t find it,” Qingzhi said, bowing respectfully to Li Qingzheng before turning to Li Hao. “I asked Old Wang across the street. Uncle Liu has gone to Tan Palace Academy’s market fair. It’s packed—talents from all nineteen provinces have come, and the crowd is huge. Business is booming. Besides Uncle Liu, most of the small vendors from the neighborhood have already set up stalls there.”

“Hmph…” Li Hao exhaled through his teeth, a wry smile tugging at his lips. Looks like he had no choice now.

Though his culinary skill had reached the sixth level, Uncle Liu’s Cotton Jade Crispy had been perfected over decades. He could replicate the dish, but something essential—the soul of it—was missing.

Across from him, the old man chuckled, stroking his beard with a twinkle in his eye.

“Young Master,” Qingzhi said, “when I came back, I saw Young Master Yuanzhao waiting at the gate. He said to hurry up—you’re to go together to Tan Palace Academy.”

“Fine,” Li Hao said with a shrug. “If I must go… for the sake of that snack.”

He instructed Qingzhi to prepare his outer robes, then stepped outside in full attire.

“Fifth Elder, I’m off. I won’t be seeing you out.”

“Go on,” Li Qingzheng smiled. “Come back and I’ll show you how I’ll defeat you.”

You’d better think hard about that, Li Hao thought with a silent chuckle, then stepped out with Fu Bo at his side and Qingzhi trailing behind.

Qingzhi had joined the household three years prior. Rumor said she was once a noble lady from a minor family, but after her clan fell into ruin, she was sold into servitude and eventually ended up at Divine General’s Residence. Li Hao had taken her on after hearing she could write calligraphy—enough to place her in the Mountain and River Courtyard.

Given the previous assassination attempt, her entry had undergone rigorous screening, followed by a potion test conducted by Li Fu. Only after confirmation of no anomalies was she officially transferred to the courtyard.

Later, Li Hao took notice of her, gradually bringing her closer to his side. She had become his trusted personal maid—a rare figure among his inner circle.

Outside the mansion.

A contingent of Li Clan elite guards stood ready. Five Yanbei Jiao Shi—each the size of an elephant—were harnessed before a massive carriage, their presence imposing. The vehicle itself was no ordinary chariot.

Among the third generation of the Li Clan, only a few had inherited noble titles. The rest, including Li Hao, were still without official status. Thus, no canopy adorned the carriage. Yet the dragon-and-phoenix carved lacquerwork gleamed with regal splendor, and the five Jiao Shi, their savage, monstrous forms bristling with primal power, radiated an aura of sheer dominance.

Stepping inside, Li Hao found two young men and a woman already waiting—roughly his age. Li Yuanzhao, and his younger brother and sister, Li Yun and Li Zhi Ning.

Among the main branch’s third generation, only the three of them and the children of Eighth Lady had trained together in the Training Ground. But Eighth Lady’s children—spoiled since childhood—had always kept their distance from the others, remaining aloof and isolated. That distance had only deepened with time.

Yet…

As years passed, change was inevitable.

“Hao Ge!” Li Yuanzhao greeted him with a wide grin, patting the seat beside him. “Come sit here!”

Now thirteen, Li Yuanzhao had grown plump and round, his face soft and cheerful—his eyes, small and squinting, like two slits drawn on a steamed bun.

An orphan since childhood, he had been raised in the Fourth Lady’s quarters, where he’d been doted on and fed well, growing up rosy-cheeked and cheerful.

Hearing his cheerful voice, Li Yun and Li Zhi Ning glanced over. Their brows, however, were slightly furrowed. They didn’t speak.

As they aged and absorbed more knowledge from the Training Ground—perhaps influenced by others—the two siblings had gradually stopped visiting the Mountain and River Courtyard. Since Li Hao turned eleven, they hadn’t come at all.

Though Li Hao occasionally met them during outings with the Fifth Elder, they now seemed distant, even avoiding eye contact when they passed each other.

Li Hao had tried greeting them a few times, but after repeated silence, he stopped. He didn’t blame them. He didn’t resent them. He simply accepted the quiet distance—after all, people, and he himself, had changed.

Five years had brought too many shifts.

Fifth Elder, who had spent decades alone in the Ancestral Hall, now came out regularly to play chess and pass time with him. The courtyard, once filled with children running to hear stories, had slowly emptied—until only Li Yuanzhao remained, still faithfully showing up, still eager to sit beside him, watch him draw, or listen to his conversations with Fifth Elder.

And from the distant Sword Pavilion in the south, far beyond thousands of miles, letters had gone silent.

The last one had arrived a year ago. Yet the note had promised: Next year at this time, the girl will complete her training and descend the mountain.

Thinking of seeing that little tail again in just one year, a soft, tender smile touched Li Hao’s eyes. He shifted his bottom onto the half-seat Li Yuanzhao had cleared.

“Zhi Ning,” Li Yuanzhao turned to the girl beside him. “Why aren’t you saying hello to Hao Ge?”

Once neat and sweet, Li Zhi Ning now carried herself with a quiet grace—elegant, poised. Yet her eyes, once bright and carefree, now held a depth of calm and resolve.

She glanced at Li Hao, saw his familiar, easy smile, and her brow twitched. She said nothing.

Beside her, Li Yun’s face darkened.

“Let’s go,” he said coldly to the driver up front. “Ming Bo!”

“Yes, Young Master,” the driver replied.

The carriage began to move—smoothly, without a single jolt. The ride was as steady as the sea.

“Yuanzhao,” Li Yun said, voice tight. “We have an invitation to Tan Palace Academy, but Mother said we should try to enter the palace on our own merits. We shouldn’t rely on family connections—let the world see we don’t need help. Or else, people will mock us.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end