Chapter 13: Assassination
Seeing the notification, Li Hao didn’t feel much joy within.
He had long set aside any desire for fame and fortune, choosing instead to immerse himself fully. This genuine dedication was what allowed him to attain the "Chess Heart."
In the past, he had regarded the Chess Dao merely as a tool to refine his martial arts. That way of thinking was something he could no longer accept.
In fact, he even felt a strong urge to use his newly gained skill points directly on the Chess Dao itself.
However, that severed arm and the sight of that drinking man held him back from this idea.
Playing chess was important—it was something he was deeply passionate about.
But some matters couldn’t be ignored. Like, for instance, the need to utterly destroy the Tiger-Robed Immortal.
Still, that was a Fourth Realm great demon. Reaching the Fourth Realm would take much more than a day or two.
All he could do for now was grow up, and grow up quickly.
...
...
The Chess Heart was a state of mind, a particular frame of mind.
With this Chess Heart, Li Hao once again busied himself with chess in the courtyard in the days that followed.
But now, he wasn’t just playing to accumulate experience after each game; instead, he genuinely relished every moment of the process.
The subtle brilliance of every move, the intricate strategies, the depth of thought—they captivated him completely, like a well-designed game that left him utterly immersed and unwilling to stop.
Even while eating, sleeping, or watching the little girl practice her swordsmanship, his mind was filled with thoughts of chess.
As a result, aside from chess, Li Hao found little interest in anything else.
One day, Xuejian from Changchun Academy brought a message: the matron had invited Bian Ruxue to join the Divine General Mansion’s martial training grounds.
This was where the Li Family’s children trained.
Upon reaching six, any child who hadn’t been accepted into a renowned sect would come here to train, receiving instruction from retired masters of the Li Family who had once served in the military.
Li Hao agreed readily. Although he could teach the little girl himself, he was only skilled in swordsmanship. The martial training grounds, however, offered not only sword training but also a comprehensive education on various martial arts skills and world knowledge, nurturing growth in all aspects.
Since that day, after bowing to the matron each morning, Li Hao would part ways with the little girl at Changchun Academy—one heading back to Shanhe Courtyard, the other sent off to the martial training grounds.
In the training grounds, besides the Li Family’s direct descendants, there were also some children from collateral branches and other offshoots of the family. Altogether, there were dozens of trainees, but only five were direct descendants, including those who greeted the matron with Li Hao each morning.
Since Bian Ruxue was Li Hao’s future fiancée, she was also treated as a Li Family direct descendant in the training grounds—a half-member of the Li Family.
Direct descendants were treated with particular care, enjoying a status akin to stars in a constellation, standing far above those from the collateral lines. In terms of cultivation resources for things like Foundation Building and Blood-Melting, direct descendants had access to at least one level higher.
Because of this, a significant gap in martial arts aptitude often existed between direct and collateral descendants.
This meant that, apart from a few young direct descendants, most collateral descendants in the training grounds were teenage boys. Their talents ranged between four to six grades, indicating moderate aptitude. Though they may not rise to the heights of greatness, they could still one day hold their own as city defenders.
Those with a grade-seven aptitude among the collateral descendants received particular attention and were granted resources nearly matching those of the direct descendants.
After entering the training grounds, Bian Ruxue officially embarked on her path of cultivation.
It was then that the terrifying prowess of her ninth-grade battle body began to manifest.
In just a few short months, Li Hao saw that the little girl had reached the fourth level of the Tongli Realm.
She was advancing through minor stages nearly once a month, as easily as drinking water or eating food.
This was in no small part due to the abundant training resources from the Li Family, who poured them into her without reservation. Yet her martial aptitude was like a sponge, able to absorb such vast amounts with ease—a talent in itself.
Meanwhile, the older teenage boys in the training grounds lingered at the eighth or ninth level of the Tongli Realm, and at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the little girl caught up to them.
Li Hao, on the other hand, continued his days playing chess in the courtyard. No one disturbed him, and the matron hadn’t insisted he join the training grounds. He could tell that she, as the acting head of the Divine General Mansion, didn’t want him, a direct descendant, to suffer humiliation there.
Because besides training, the training grounds also encouraged sparring and competition to motivate the children’s fighting spirit.
For someone like Li Hao, lacking martial aptitude, being there would undoubtedly mean trouble. Children often spoke without restraint, and their conflicts could easily attract the attention of the adults, creating unwanted situations.
The matron, managing the Divine General Mansion, preferred peace.
Li Hao was happy with this arrangement, enjoying a lighter, more relaxed life.
After all, training in martial arts was simply a waste of time for him.
He had no desire to compete or quarrel with those teenagers—it was far too dull.
...
“You’ve played so many games, yet you still haven’t learned? This is the third time you’ve lost by making the same move!”
Li Hao scolded the servant playing chess with him.
Startled, the servant jumped, hurriedly standing and bowing, like a quail trembling before its predator. “Young Master, please calm your anger.”
Nowadays, Li Hao already carried the authority of a young master. No one dared treat him like a child or take his words lightly.
“What’s on your mind? Your focus isn’t on the game at all!” Li Hao snapped.
The servant was inwardly distressed. He had always played like this, and the young master had never seemed to mind, often happy when games ended quickly.
But now, things were different.
A poor game soured the young master’s mood, leaving the servant inwardly despairing.
“Both of you play atrociously! After all this time, you haven’t improved at all!” Li Hao complained angrily.
The servants quickly begged for forgiveness. One of them, recalling something, glanced cautiously at Li Hao. “Young Master, I do know someone who also plays chess. He’s a new third-grade servant recently brought into the mansion.”
“Oh?” Li Hao raised an eyebrow. “Where is he?”
“In the woodshed, responsible for chopping firewood.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Call him here so I can see if he’s any good,” Li Hao instructed.
“Yes, Young Master.” The servant, relieved, quickly left.
Before long, a lanky young man, dressed in servant’s clothes, was brought before Li Hao.
“What are you waiting for? Greet the young master.”
“Oh! Yes, Young Master, may you be in good health,” the lean young man stammered as he knelt.
Li Hao waved his hand, indicating he could speak without formalities. Gesturing to the chessboard, he said, “I hear you play chess. Play a game with me and let’s see your skill. If you do well, you’ll stay in Shanhe Courtyard as a first-grade servant and stay by my side.”
“What?” The lean young man was visibly stunned, unable to believe his luck, before breaking into a smile. “Thank you, Young Master! Thank you!”
After wiping his hands on his clothes, he sat in front of the board.
The game was quickly set up, with Li Hao taking the white pieces.
After seven or eight moves, Li Hao felt delighted—the lean young man was indeed skilled at chess, with a decent level of technique.
Li Hao became slightly more serious, placing his moves without any mercy.
Within just a few minutes, the lean young man’s face turned pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead as fear flickered in his eyes.
Finally, he looked at the chessboard in dejection, then at Li Hao, unable to believe that this young boy could possess such profound understanding of the Chess Dao.
“I lost,” he admitted, standing with a complex expression, unwilling yet tinged with a hint of malevolence.
Li Hao remained silent.
Only after hearing the young man’s words did he snap out of his thoughts, smiling. “Good, very good. From now on, you’ll be my first-grade servant in the courtyard, accompanying me in chess daily.”
The young man froze, astonished. “But, but I lost.”
Li Hao smiled, satisfied with the notification that he had gained 20 experience points from this game.
In the past, he only gained 3 points at most from playing with the other two servants—this difference was tremendous.
This suggested that the higher the opponent’s skill level, the more experience he could gain, rather than relying purely on the sheer number of games played.
“If each game brings 20 points, 10 games would mean 200 points. To reach 5,000 points, that would take only 250 games. Even if I played 10 games a day, it would only take a month.”
The more Li Hao thought about it, the more excited he became, and the more he liked the young man before him.
“If you manage to beat me, I’ll even reward you with 10,000 taels of gold!” Li Hao said, encouraging him with a smile.
The lean young man froze, body trembling with excitement.
Li Hao told him to stop standing there blankly and sit back down to continue. He also ordered the two other servants to prepare the paperwork for his transfer.
Thus, Li Hao began a series of matches with the lean young man.
Half a month quickly passed...
One night, after dinner, Li Hao called the lean young man to play another round.
In the dimly lit room, two figures—one large, one small—sat by the chessboard, locked in an intense battle.
“Young Master.”
Li Hao was deep in thought when he suddenly heard the lean young man call him.
But this time, his tone lacked the usual flattery and respect, carrying a strange calmness instead.
Li Hao looked over in surprise, only to see a flash of cold light lunging straight for his face!
His pupils shrank, his body reacting instinctively as he kicked back, retreating with lightning speed.
Looking again, he saw the lean young man frozen by the chessboard, one hand on the board and the other holding a dagger mid-thrust, an expression of shock on his face—clearly not expecting the young master to evade his attack.
“What? You…”
Regaining his composure, Li Hao felt both shocked and resolute, his gaze turning icy as he spoke in a low voice. “An assassination? Who sent you?”
His mind flashed briefly to the woman from Shuihua Courtyard, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He was a mere cripple now, posing no threat. No one would bother to send an assassin after him.
“You… how…” The lean young man’s mind was more chaotic and stunned than Li Hao’s. Wasn’t this child supposed to be a useless martial waste? He had spent days in the courtyard with Li Hao and had never once seen him train, not even once!
All Li Family children began their grueling training in the martial training grounds at six.
Yet this useless young master had spent his days playing chess alone in his courtyard, ignored by everyone.
The intelligence was accurate, and yet… wildly inaccurate.
Quickly regaining his focus, the lean young man’s body sprang up, erupting with terrifying speed as he lunged towards Li Hao.
He couldn’t let this child make a sound; his eyes flashed with a fierce determination to kill.
But Li Hao thought the same.
The assassin mustn’t shout; it would draw too many witnesses.
Kill!
Seeing the figure charging towards him, Li Hao didn’t evade. Instead, he planted his foot firmly, his small figure surging forward with the momentum of a thunderbolt. As he closed in, he tilted his head slightly, watching the dagger slice past his face, then struck with a fist to the man’s abdomen.
This was his first time using full strength in a fight since beginning his cultivation journey.
A dull thud echoed as the man’s eyes bulged, his body arching like a prawn, flung backward until he collided with the chess table.
Li Hao had no idea of the exact strength of that punch, but given that he could lift a 20,000-pound rock, a full-force punch should easily be in the tens of thousands.
As the lean young man stumbled back, Li Hao quickly lunged, his small hand gripping the man’s throat like an eagle’s claw, hissing coldly, “Don’t scream!”
The lean young man: "???"