Chapter 72: Wuliang Mountain
The horde of monsters scattered in disarray. Li Hao found Fu Bo at a spot on the city wall.
Seeing Fu Bo unconscious, his body gravely injured, Li Hao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
It was all his fault for arriving late and failing to protect Fu Bo.
Li Hao sought out Yue Shuhong, asking him to arrange for someone to treat Fu Bo’s injuries.
Yue Shuhong readily agreed and immediately ordered Fu Bo to be carried away while dispatching the best military doctor for his treatment.
Wei Feng arrived with Li Yuanzhao and Ren Qianqian to find Li Hao, and they also witnessed the scene.
Outside the city, the defeated monsters lay in heaps, their corpses covering the ground. It was a grim sight, no different from the west of the city—if there was any difference, it was in the sheer number and the even more copious rivers of blood!
There weren’t many wounded on the city wall. Wei Feng’s eyes twitched as he saw Fu Bo being carried away and then glanced at Li Hao, who hadn’t even gotten blood on his sleeves and looked completely unperturbed.
He couldn’t help but mutter to himself. From time immemorial, one only ever heard of bodyguards secretly protecting their young masters; this was the first time he’d seen a young master secretly protecting his bodyguard.
The Li family was truly defying the heavens...
“Your sword.”
When Li Hao noticed Ren Qianqian, he snapped back to reality and immediately handed her the sword in his hand.
A thought suddenly popped into his head: No, it’s your sword.
Ren Qianqian clearly had no idea what was going through the boy’s mind. Her expression was complicated as she accepted the sword Li Hao handed her, though her gaze remained fixed on his face.
Usually meticulous about the condition of her beloved sword, she didn’t even notice that its edge was slightly dulled.
“Are you really at the Fifteen Li stage?” she asked, biting her lip lightly, her feelings a mix of complexity and disbelief.
It was a question that Du Qiuyue and the others were also eager to have answered. Although they had seen Li Hao soar through the air and scatter the monster horde, it all felt like a dream—too unreal to believe.
Wei Feng’s expression shifted slightly as he glanced worriedly at his young lady. Encountering a monster like Li Hao was a devastating blow to her peers. If her sword heart were to shatter and she lost her resolve, it would be disastrous!
Li Hao smiled faintly, saying nothing.
Yet even his silence was an answer.
Ren Qianqian thought of the rising moon and couldn’t help but ask, “That sword technique of yours...”
“Want to learn it?”
“Mm!”
Ren Qianqian’s eyes lit up suddenly, and she nodded vigorously.
“Too bad,” Li Hao said, smiling. “It’s one of my family’s absolute-grade sword techniques and isn’t taught to outsiders. But if you’re willing to become a retainer of the Li family, or serve in the Yuan Battalion for thirty years, I could teach you.”
Ren Qianqian was stunned for a moment. Then, gritting her teeth, she suddenly said, “I can be your retainer.”
“My retainer?”
Li Hao was taken aback. “Do you even know what being a retainer means? It’s a lifelong commitment. Your father is a grandmaster. With your status, your future is one of endless wealth and prosperity.”
To him, it seemed entirely unnecessary for her to make such a choice.
It wasn’t as if she were like him, burdened with debts that needed to be settled.
“That’s right, young lady, don’t be impulsive!” Wei Feng said urgently.
While he would be more than happy if his young lady could learn from Li Hao, becoming someone’s retainer... that was a status far beneath her!
Had Li Hao not been standing nearby, he would have spoken even more harshly.
Ren Qianqian shook her head. “As long as you’re willing to teach me that sword technique, I’m willing. Besides, I’ve always heard that the Li family’s Tingyu Pavilion houses countless techniques. If I became your retainer, wouldn’t I also get a chance to see it?”
“You sure know how to play your cards,” Li Hao said with a laugh. “But to gain access to Tingyu Pavilion, I’ll have to see how you perform.”
“No problem,” Ren Qianqian said solemnly.
Wei Feng was desperate. “Young lady, for such a major decision, you should consult your master first. You—”
“I am me, and he is him. He has his path as a grandmaster, and I have mine!” Ren Qianqian said earnestly.
Foolishness... Wei Feng’s mouth twitched. What kind of path could one walk as a retainer?
He didn’t dare imagine what his master would do to him after this. Most likely, he’d have his skin flayed.
Li Hao hadn’t expected this little girl to be so persistent. Over the years, he’d come to understand the people of this world well—they were caught in a relentless race.
Certain feudal ideals were deeply ingrained, like the belief that a man who failed to achieve fame and glory was no different from a waste, deserving only scorn and disdain.
Women, too, were like this. In this world that revered martial prowess, while there were refined young ladies, many were also driven to rival the sun and moon.
Especially this little girl, who hailed from a family of martial artists.
And to make matters worse, she had already awakened her sword heart, making her singularly obsessed with swordsmanship. For the sake of mastering it, she would even go beyond the bounds of reason.
Much like how he himself would enthusiastically traverse thousands of miles just to play a game of chess.
“Alright, think it over on the way. We’ll discuss it when we return to Qingzhou,” Li Hao said, fearing she might be acting on impulse.
Wei Feng was relieved and gave Li Hao a grateful glance while racking his brain for ways to dissuade his young lady from this notion.
Ren Qianqian, however, shook her head slightly and said no more. She knew her heart was set, and no one could change her mind.
Li Hao glanced at Li Yuanzhao, who seemed to have a lot he wanted to say, and patted him on the shoulder, signaling that they’d talk later.
Li Yuanzhao understood and suppressed his excitement, nodding vigorously.
After finishing his conversation, Li Hao sought out Yue Shuhong, asking whether Cangyu City had any poetry collections, paintings, musical scores, or even a cookbook from a renowned chef.
Since he rarely ventured out, he didn’t want to return empty-handed.
Yue Shuhong was bewildered.
He had expected Li Hao to inquire about something else, but instead, it was all these... unrelated items?
His expression turned strange. Thinking that this young master might have peculiar hobbies, he didn’t question further and shared what he knew.
Being a military official, Yue Shuhong didn’t pay much attention to such things, so he called for a civilian officer from the mansion to accompany Li Hao into the city for exploration.
...
...
Wuliang Mountain.
As one of the foremost powers of the Great Yu Dynasty, Wuliang Mountain occupied the Brahma Pure Land, a vast and sprawling domain. Within its boundaries lay mountain ranges stretching for thousands of miles, magnificent Arhat halls, and over a thousand Mahayana Buddhist Peaks.
Mist swirled through the ethereal landscape, making the Pure Land appear like a transcendent realm.
At this moment, in front of the Vajra Heart Hall on one of the Mahayana Buddhist Peaks...
A man and a woman ascended from the foot of the mountain, arriving at the grand entrance of this majestic hall.
“This is Junior Brother Qianfeng’s Vajra Heart Hall,” the young monk in a kasaya robe said with a smile.
“Vajra Heart Hall?”
The woman beside him, with flowing black hair, a heart-shaped face, and clear eyes like a tranquil lake, showed surprise that rippled like bright waves across her gaze.
“Vajra Heart Hall? Last time, he was only a Garuda Dharma God. How could he have already become a Vajra?”
Both Garuda Dharma God and Vajra were titles in Wuliang Mountain's Buddhist hierarchy, representing distinct ranks.
A Garuda Dharma God required Spiritual Wandering Realm cultivation, whereas achieving Vajra demanded entering the Fifteen Li stage.
“Junior Brother Qianfeng is exceptionally talented,” the young monk said, smiling. “He joined Wuliang Mountain at six years old, became a disciple of the ancient Buddha of Wuliang, and reached the Full Convergence Realm before turning eight. By ten, he completed Zhoutian, and by ten and a half, he inherited the True Spirit of the Buddha. At fourteen, he achieved the Spiritual Wandering stage.”
The monk continued, “Last year, after slaying demons at the mountain’s base, Junior Brother Qianfeng entered a three-month seclusion. Before he turned eighteen, he broke through the Spiritual Wandering stage, officially stepping into the Fifteen Li stage, and was conferred the title of Vajra with the Buddha title 'Qiankun Vajra.'”
The woman’s face revealed her astonishment.
“Qiankun Vajra? That’s such a grand title.”
Clearly, Wuliang Mountain held him in high regard.
The admiration in her eyes deepened. The memory of the figure who wielded his sword to slay demons in the demon-infested forest came alive vividly in her mind.
“Quick, take me to see him,” the woman urged eagerly.
The young monk glanced at her, then softly chanted a Buddhist verse:
“Benefactor Nan, although Junior Brother Qianfeng is a lay disciple of our Buddha, he harbors lofty ambitions. I fear this visit...”
“I don’t care. Let me see him. I’ll tell him myself,” the woman interrupted, shaking her head. She knew what he was about to say, but she had always been bold in love and hate, refusing to leave matters unresolved.
“Very well.”
The young monk sighed and thought back to his master’s teachings about the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion. This female benefactor, alas, had succumbed to delusion.
“Please inform Junior Brother Qianfeng that I am here to register a visit,” the young monk said to the two armored guards standing at the hall's entrance.
The guards’ armor bore unique symbols, and their shoulder guards were emblazoned with a golden, searing-hot “Yuan” character.
This sight reminded the young monk of the extraordinary status of the youth within. A fleeting sense of envy and jealousy arose in his heart, but he immediately realized he was succumbing to greed. With a soft chant of a Buddhist verse, he quickly cleared his thoughts.