Chapter 88: So What?
Chapter 88: So What?
As Li Fu's words hung in the air, the courtyard seemed to fall into a sudden, uneasy silence.
Old Zhao slowly opened his wrinkled eyes, staring at Li Fu in disbelief, then turned to look at Li Hao.
Young Master Hao... is at the Fifteen Li Realm?!
Li Tiangang and Yu Xuan, standing beside him, were both stunned, their faces filled with shock.
Seeing Li Fu so agitated, Li Tiangang knew that with Li Fu's meticulous nature, he would never speak without solid evidence. Yet, this news was both exhilarating and shocking.
"Really? Li Hao didn't even manage to Foundation Build, let alone Blood Dissolve?" Li Tiangang couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling with excitement.
Li Fu nodded vigorously, his face beaming with joy. "Really! Absolutely true! I don't know how it happened, but only Young Master Hao would know. I suspect Second Uncle secretly helped him."
Second Uncle...
Li Tiangang's heart jolted.
Second Uncle was at the Fourth Establishment Realm, a realm that possessed a highly coveted ability among countless martial artists.
That ability was to Defy Heaven and Alter Fate!
It could help someone by altering their destiny, turning even a born waste or a beggar into a world-class prodigy, a dragon among men!
Thus, a family with a Fourth Establishment Realm expert could always be revitalized, even if a generation had declined.
Of course, if the decline continued, it wouldn't work.
Because the Fourth Establishment Realm's ability to Defy Heaven and Alter Fate could only be used once, for one person!
Thinking of this, Li Tiangang felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, his eyes welling up. How fortunate his son was to receive such affection from Second Uncle!
"Good, good, too good!"
Li Tiangang repeated the word "good" three times, his voice trembling before he composed himself. He took a deep breath and looked at the young man before him with a gentle expression.
"Such a great piece of news, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Li Hao, seeing his father's excited state, felt a slight tug in his heart but remained relatively calm.
"I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you interrupted me when you told me to rest early."
Li Tiangang immediately recalled their conversation from the night before, feeling a bit sheepish. At the time, he couldn't bear to listen to Li Hao's seemingly trivial and unimportant matters, so he had asked him to go to bed.
"Alright, let's not dwell on the past."
Li Tiangang smiled. "When did you reach the Fifteen Li Realm? Why didn't you write to me about it all these years? Was it because Second Uncle told you not to?"
Li Hao countered, "If I told you, what could you have done? Come back?"
Li Tiangang was taken aback, looking into the young man's calm, dark eyes, feeling as if his heart had been pierced.
But then, a wave of anger surged within him.
"At the very least, your mother and I would have been proud of you, and we would have asked your eldest aunt to find you a great master to teach you!"
Li Hao replied, "A great master? Isn't Second Uncle enough to teach me? Are you not satisfied with my current cultivation?"
Li Tiangang was momentarily speechless, at a loss for words.
Indeed, Second Uncle was at the Fourth Establishment Realm, which was more than enough to rival any great master.
But for Li Family descendants to have a great master, it wasn't just about cultivation; it was also about building connections for each generation.
These connections, while not always used, could be crucial in times of need, providing significant support.
"You're being too simplistic."
Li Tiangang shook his head, thinking that Li Hao was still young and naive, and decided not to argue further.
Li Hao thought to himself, You're the one being simplistic.
Li Fu, watching the interaction between father and son, sensed a subtle tension. It seemed there was some distance and friction between the Marquis and Young Master.
"You're only fourteen years old, and you've already reached the Fifteen Li Realm. That's quite an achievement, surpassing even your Ninth Uncle's record back then!"
Li Tiangang, thinking of Li Hao's cultivation, felt a sense of relief and pride. He smiled at Li Hao and said:
"Since I'm back, there's no reason for Second Uncle to keep you hidden. Uncle Zhao, go and inform your eldest aunt immediately. Announce it to the entire manor. I want to declare to the world that my son, Marquis Xingwu's son, is a world-class prodigy!"
"I want everyone to know that my son's talent is the best in a thousand years!"
He spoke with great enthusiasm, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart, his face beaming with joy.
Old Zhao was now incredibly excited, his lips trembling slightly.
Over the years, he had witnessed Li Hao's maturity and obedience, his intelligence and talent, which often made him shed silent tears, lamenting the unfairness of the heavens. Why had they not given Li Hao the cultivation talent he so desperately needed?
But now, this final flaw had been perfected.
Young Master Hao, unparalleled in talent and ability!
At this thought, Old Zhao's entire body began to shake, and he immediately responded with enthusiasm, wiping away the tears that had seeped from the corners of his eyes.
"I'll go right away."
"Old Zhao."
Li Hao called him back and said, "First, have someone bring out all the paintings from the Firewood Shed."
Old Zhao was taken aback but quickly nodded. "Yes!"
Li Tiangang, regaining his composure, frowned, recalling the recent events. His expression darkened as he said,
"Li Hao, with such extraordinary talent, do you still want to indulge in these frivolous things? If you had followed Second Uncle and focused on cultivation all these years, you might have already reached the Grandmaster realm!"
"Why would you think I haven't been cultivating properly?" Li Hao looked at him, understanding why others might think this way. However, he knew there was no point in explaining the details of his cultivation panel to anyone. He asked,
"If I were to focus solely on reaching the Grandmaster realm as you suggest, what would be the point?"
Li Tiangang didn't hesitate. "That would certainly make the world drop their jaws in amazement. People might not believe it, but all the other Divine General Manors would know that the Li Family has produced a once-in-a-millennium prodigy!"
Li Hao stared at him. "And if I were that once-in-a-millennium prodigy, what then?"
Li Tiangang was taken aback, sensing something amiss in Li Hao's words. He frowned and looked at him.
"What do you mean, 'what then'? What exactly are you trying to say? Do you know how many people and talents there are in Dayu?"
"Nineteen Provinces, each with hundreds of cities and tens of thousands of towns, with countless citizens!"
"Geniuses are as numerous as fish crossing a river, countless in number. While top-tier geniuses are rare, each province can still produce dozens. Only by entering the Heaven and Earth List can one truly make a name for themselves!"
"Your current talent is already enough to place you low on the Heaven and Earth List. Your Ninth Uncle entered the Three Immortalities realm at nineteen, making him the first prodigy in a thousand years. If you enter the Grandmaster realm at fourteen, you would certainly be considered the first prodigy in a thousand years as well!"
The higher one climbs in cultivation, the more difficult it becomes. Take Li Junye, for example, who reached the Grandmaster realm at seventeen and became famous throughout the world. However, compared to the shock of entering the Three Immortalities at nineteen, his achievement was still less impressive.
After all, a genius's momentum can be broken.
A Ninth-Rank War Body can typically reach the Divine Wanderer realm by fifteen, but that doesn't guarantee they will reach the Heavenly Being Grandmaster realm by twenty.
Many geniuses who reach the Divine Roaming realm at fifteen may achieve the Tianren realm at eighteen, while others might only reach the Grandmaster realm at thirty.
As for advancing to the Three Immortalities, the disparities become even more pronounced.
Li Hao knew all of this. He glanced at Li Tiangang but felt it was pointless to continue the conversation. Instead, he turned to Old Zhao and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Old Zhao."
"It's no trouble at all", Old Zhao quickly replied.
However, Li Tiangang's expression turned grim, realizing that Li Hao was not taking his words seriously.
In Yanbei, his word was law, and his commands were as heavy as a mountain!
A single word was like a spear, piercing through the earth.
"Stop!" Li Tiangang barked, halting Old Zhao, then turned to Li Hao.
"From now on, with me here, you will never touch those frivolous things again! Also, I don't care about your cultivation or realm. Even if you surpass your Ninth Uncle's talent, you must apologize to Uncle Yu Xuan!"
Beside them, Yu Xuan's expression changed slightly, and he bowed to Li Tiangang. "My lord, it's fine. Li Hao is young and ignorant; I haven't taken it to heart."
"It's not fine!"
Li Tiangang roared, his gaze shifting to Old Zhao, then to Li Fu, and finally to his son, who was looking at him coldly. What was this expression?
"Because you have spoiled him, he has become so arrogant!"
"So what if he has talent? The Li Family is not short of geniuses!"
"Disrespecting elders, even with supreme cultivation, will lead to nothing if he is not disciplined! What good will come of it in the future?"
Old Zhao and Li Fu were shocked, not expecting the lord to be so serious.
After his initial surprise, Li Fu was bewildered, never imagining that bringing such a significant piece of good news would result in this scene.
"Lord Marquis, Young Master has always been like this. Besides, even though he did those things, it hasn't hindered his cultivation..."
Li Fu opened his mouth to plead for Li Hao. He knew Yu Xuan, but he didn’t know what mistake Li Hao had made that required him to apologize.
However, from his understanding of Li Hao's character, it was probably just a slip of the tongue, nothing serious that warranted such a formal apology.
"Shut up!"
Li Tiangang rarely shouted at him like this.
In the army, he hated it when others pleaded for mercy or tried to pull strings.
Li Fu's face changed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head, realizing that at this moment, Lord Marquis was not the Li Tiangang who treated him like a brother in private, but the invincible Marquis Xingwu of the army!
Old Zhao wanted to speak up, but seeing the stern look from Li Tiangang, he closed his mouth, only his worried eyes following Li Hao.
Li Hao fell silent, facing the middle-aged man's intense gaze. He suddenly felt like laughing, but the laughter wouldn't come.
Was this the moment he had been waiting for all those years, sitting alone in the courtyard, gazing at the stars?
But why did he feel no joy at all now?
Yesterday, he had been so happy, so content.
Li Hao took a deep breath. He was no longer a young boy and managed to suppress the inexplicable sense of loss in his heart. He looked at the man and said:
"I shouldn't have lost my temper with him. He did nothing wrong; he was just following your orders."
Yu Xuan was slightly taken aback and looked at Li Hao with surprise.
The anger in Li Tiangang's eyes had just subsided, but it flared up again, his gaze as fierce as a tiger's:
"So, you're blaming me? Do you want to tell your father to get lost?!"
He felt almost amused by his own anger.
How dare he!
Li Hao's fists clenched slightly, then relaxed. He turned his head, his gaze falling on the weeds at the edge of the courtyard steps.
He suddenly felt a strange connection with that weed.
He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, a bitter, self-deprecating smile playing on his lips:
"Have you seen my paintings? You probably haven't. When you said Mother was gone, I couldn't remember her clearly anymore, so I drew her while I still could."
The clear, crisp sound of his voice hung in the air, causing the others to change their expressions.
Li Tiangang was suddenly stunned, his whole body trembling.
Those paintings... Could it be Qingqing in them?
He had never bothered to look at those old, tattered scrolls, but he hadn't expected this.
"But by the time I learned to paint, I had already forgotten what Mother looked like. I could only remember her eyes."
Li Hao's gaze lingered on the weed swaying in the breeze, his eyes unfocused, his thoughts drifting far away as he spoke to himself:
"So, I drew her in a blurry form. I wanted to draw a proper portrait for Mother when she returned, but she never came back..."
The boy's words left everyone in silence. Li Tiangang's breathing grew heavier, and his hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched tightly.
Then, Li Hao's thoughts seemed to return to the courtyard, to his own thin frame.
He turned to look at his father and smiled, saying, "You said Grandmaster must not be disrespected. Yes, but I wonder if Mother could bear the disrespect."
It sounded like a statement, yet it was also a question.
The words cut like a sharp knife, making Li Tiangang feel suffocated. His usually steady body trembled.
Yu Xuan's face also turned pale, not expecting the paintings to include Lady's portrait. No wonder the boy had been so agitated.
Thinking about his actions, he fell silent.
Li Fu and Old Zhao's eyes were slightly moist as they looked at Li Tiangang.
The boy said no more, turned, and walked away, only adding, "Do with the paintings as you wish."
Watching the boy's retreating back, Li Tiangang couldn't help but shout, "Stop!"
But the boy didn't stop, continuing to walk away.
Li Tiangang was momentarily stunned. This was the first time someone had defied his words.
And it was his son.
If it had been anyone else, he would have already acted, breaking their legs. Who dared to be so insolent in front of him?
But Li Hao's words had left a bitter taste in his throat, and the anger quickly dissipated, leaving him with a grim expression.
"Master, Young Master..."
Old Zhao, seeing his anger, was about to speak.
Li Tiangang waved him off, taking a deep breath. He said coldly:
"Bring all the paintings out immediately. Find the cleanest room and arrange them properly. If any are damaged, everyone will be punished according to military law!"
Old Zhao was taken aback but then sighed in relief, quickly agreeing.
Li Tiangang turned to Li Fu and said, "Inform the elder sister about Li Hao reaching the Fifteenth Li Realm. Let her know I will hold a Family Feast and announce it to the world!"
Seeing his change of heart, Li Fu also breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, saying, "I will do it right away."
(End of Chapter)
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