Chapter 87: So What?
As Li Fu finished speaking, a quiet stillness settled over the courtyard.
Zhao Bo slowly widened his wrinkled eyes, staring at Li Fu in disbelief before turning to look at Li Hao.
“Could it be… that Young Master Hao has reached the Fifteen Li Realm?!”
Li Tiangang and Yu Xuan, standing nearby, were both stunned, their faces showing surprise.
Seeing Li Fu’s excitement, Li Tiangang understood that with Li Fu's cautious nature, he wouldn’t say such a thing without reason. But this news filled him with a mix of joy and astonishment.
“Is it true? Didn’t Hao’er fail to complete Foundation Building, and he didn’t undergo Blood-Melting either?” Li Tiangang couldn't help but ask in excitement.
Li Fu nodded vigorously, a joyful expression on his face. “It’s true! Every word of it! I don’t know the specifics, but only Young Master Hao does. Perhaps it was Second Master who secretly aided him.”
"Second Uncle…"
Li Tiangang's heart gave a jolt.
Second Uncle was in the Fourth Pillar Realm, a stage that possessed a skill that countless martial artists envied.
That skill was none other than Reverse Fate!
He could help a person by altering their destiny, turning even someone born as a hopeless failure or beggar into a peerless prodigy, a dragon among men!
Thus, any family with a Fourth Pillar Realm powerhouse could be saved from decline, even if a generation had fallen behind.
However, if decline continued across generations, it would be a different story.
A Fourth Pillar Realm's Reverse Fate power could only be used once and only on one person!
Thinking of this, Li Tiangang felt overwhelming gratitude, and his eyes reddened. His son, what virtues or abilities did he possess to be cherished so deeply by his Second Uncle?
“Good, good, this is wonderful!”
Li Tiangang said "good" three times in succession. His voice, initially trembling, grew controlled as he took a deep breath and looked gently at the young man before him.
“With such joyous news, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Li Hao looked at his father’s emotional expression, yet felt a calm detachment within himself, only slightly stirred as he replied, “I was going to tell you yesterday, but you told me to go rest early, interrupting me.”
At that, Li Tiangang remembered their conversation the previous night. Speechless, he recalled that when Li Hao had brought up trivial, frivolous matters, he hadn’t wanted to listen and sent him off to rest.
“Alright, let’s not talk about the past.”
Li Tiangang smiled, “When did you reach the Fifteen Li Realm? Why didn’t you write to inform me over the years? Was it Second Uncle who forbade you from speaking of it?”
Li Hao responded with a question, “If I told you, what would you have done? Would you have come back?”
Li Tiangang was taken aback, and for a moment, he felt as though a knife had stabbed his heart as he looked into the boy’s calm, dark eyes.
But then a trace of anger surged within him:
“If your mother and I had known, we would have been thrilled and would have sought the best teachers to guide you!”
Li Hao replied, “A famous teacher? Isn’t Second Uncle enough? Are you still unsatisfied with my current cultivation level?”
Li Tiangang froze, momentarily lost for words.
Indeed, Second Uncle, as a Fourth Pillar Realm master, could rival the best teachers.
However, for members of the Li family, studying under a famous teacher was more than just about cultivation; it was a means to build connections for each generation.
These connections, cultivated over generations, became the foundation of their thousand-year lineage. Even if they weren’t used daily, they could be crucial in times of need.
“You’re too naive.”
Li Tiangang shook his head, feeling that Li Hao was still young and unaware of the importance of connections, and chose not to argue further.
Inwardly, Li Hao retorted, You’re the naive one.
Li Fu, observing the father and son, also sensed something was amiss. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was a rift, an estrangement, between the Marquis and the young master.
“You’re only fourteen and have already reached the Fifteen Li Realm. This achievement even surpasses your Ninth Uncle's record!”
Recalling Li Hao’s cultivation level, Li Tiangang’s mood lightened as he smiled at him.
“Since I’ve returned, and Second Uncle has no reason for you to keep this hidden any longer, Zhao Bo, go inform the entire household and let them know that I, Xingwu Marquis, am going to proclaim to the world that my son is a peerless prodigy!”
“I want everyone to know my son’s talent, the best in a thousand years!”
He spoke with boundless pride, as if releasing a burden that had weighed on his heart for many years, his face filled with joy.
...
Zhao Bo was equally overwhelmed with excitement, his lips trembling slightly.
Over the years, he had witnessed Li Hao’s maturity, obedience, and natural intelligence, and had often shed silent tears of sorrow, lamenting the heavens' injustice for not granting Li Hao the cultivation talent he deserved.
But now, even that last missing piece had fallen into place.
Young Master Hao possessed both exceptional talent and intelligence!
Thinking of this, Zhao Bo’s entire body began to tremble as he wiped away the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.
“I’ll go right away!”
“Zhao Bo.”
Li Hao called him back, saying, “First, have someone bring out all my paintings from the woodshed.”
Zhao Bo was startled but nodded quickly, “Understood!”
Li Tiangang, realizing what had been said, frowned as his face darkened, recalling the matter from earlier. He couldn’t help but ask sternly:
“Hao’er, now that you have such extraordinary talent, do you still intend to waste time on these trivial things? If you had devoted yourself to following Second Uncle and focused solely on cultivation, perhaps you would have already reached the Grandmaster Realm!”
How do you know I haven’t been cultivating diligently? Li Hao looked at him, understanding why others might think this way. There was no need to explain about his unique cultivation abilities that no one else could comprehend. Instead, he asked:
“If I were to devote myself wholeheartedly to reaching the Grandmaster Realm as you wish, then what?”
Without a second thought, Li Tiangang replied, “Then the world would be even more astonished. This achievement, if spread, would likely be met with disbelief, but all the other Divine General Mansions would know that the Li family has produced the greatest prodigy in a thousand years!”
Li Hao stared at him and asked, “If I were the greatest prodigy in a thousand years, then what?”
Li Tiangang paused, sensing something off about Li Hao’s words, and frowned at him.
“What do you mean, then what? What exactly are you trying to say? Do you realize how many people live in Great Yu? How many geniuses?”
“Nineteen provinces, each with hundreds of cities and tens of thousands of towns, housing billions of citizens!”
“Geniuses are countless, like carp swimming in a river, impossible to count. Although top talents are rare, even one province can produce dozens of them. Only those who make it onto the Qian Kun Ranking are truly renowned!”
“With your current talent, just reaching the Qian Kun Ranking would be considered below average. Your Ninth Uncle reached the Three Immortals at nineteen, claiming the title of the greatest in a thousand years. If you reach the Grandmaster Realm at fourteen, you would be deserving of such a title!”
The further one progresses in cultivation, the more challenging it becomes. Li Junye reached the Grandmaster Realm at seventeen, which shook the world, but compared to reaching the Three Immortals at nineteen, it was still less impressive.
After all, a genius’s momentum could always falter.
Among those with Ninth-Class Battle Bodies, most reached the Spiritual Wandering Realm by fifteen, but this didn’t mean they would necessarily reach the Heaven and Man Realm or the Grandmaster Realm by twenty.
Some of those who reached the Spiritual Wandering Realm at fifteen might advance to the Heaven and Man Realm at eighteen, while others only reached the Grandmaster Realm at thirty.
And when it came to achieving the Three Immortals, the disparity became even greater.
Li Hao already knew these things, so he looked at his father and decided not to ask further.
Turning to Zhao Bo, he simply said, “Thank you, Zhao Bo.”
“No trouble at all,” Zhao Bo replied quickly.
Li Tiangang's face, however, darkened slightly, sensing that Li Hao hadn’t taken his words seriously.
In Yanbei, his words were like military orders, heavy as mountains.
A single word was like a gun, grounded firmly.
“Stop!” Li Tiangang ordered Zhao Bo, then turned to Li Hao:
“Now that I’m here, I won’t allow you to indulge in those trivial matters again! Furthermore, regardless of your cultivation level or talent, even if it surpasses your Ninth Uncle’s, you still owe your Uncle Yu Xuan an apology!”
Standing nearby, Yu Xuan’s expression shifted as he bowed his head slightly. “Marquis, it’s alright; Hao’er is still young, and I don’t mind.”
“It’s not alright!”
Li Tiangang roared angrily, glancing sharply at Zhao Bo and Li Fu before fixing his gaze on his son’s cold expression. What kind of attitude was this?
“It’s your indulgence that has made him so unruly!”
“Talent alone means nothing. The Li family doesn’t lack prodigies!”
“Without respect for elders, no matter how great your talent, what use is it?”
Zhao Bo and Li Fu were both alarmed by the Marquis’s outburst, stunned that he was taking this so seriously.
After his initial shock, Li Fu felt a bit bewildered. He hadn’t expected that bringing such monumental news would lead to a situation like this.
“Marquis, the young master has always been this way since childhood. Moreover, even though he engaged in those activities, it seems clear now that they didn’t hinder his cultivation…”
Li Fu tried to plead on Li Hao’s behalf. After all, he was familiar with Li Hao’s personality and was certain that if there had been any offense, it was likely a slip of the tongue rather than a significant transgression. Surely, it wasn’t worth treating this so gravely.
“Silence!”
Li Tiangang shouted at him, a rare display of anger.
In the army, Li Tiangang despised it when others pleaded for leniency during punishments. He abhorred favoritism and nepotism.
Li Fu’s face paled, and he quickly lowered his head. At this moment, the Marquis was no longer the comrade who treated him as a brother, but the mighty Xingwu Marquis, feared and revered by tens of thousands in the army.
Zhao Bo also opened his mouth to speak but, upon seeing the Marquis’s fierce glare, chose to remain silent. His worried gaze, however, rested on Li Hao.
Li Hao stayed quiet. Confronted by the piercing gaze of the middle-aged man before him, he felt a strange urge to laugh, though no laughter escaped his lips.
Was this what he had waited fourteen years for, sitting alone in a courtyard and gazing at the stars?
And yet, why did he feel no joy at all?
Just yesterday, everything had been so harmonious.
Li Hao took a deep breath. He wasn’t one to act impulsively. Suppressing the bitterness welling up inside, he met his father’s eyes and said:
“I shouldn’t have lost my temper with him because he did nothing wrong. He only followed your orders.”
Yu Xuan, standing nearby, blinked in surprise, his expression revealing a hint of astonishment as he looked at Li Hao.
Li Tiangang’s anger momentarily subsided, but it surged again as he narrowed his eyes like a hawk. His tone was sharp:
“So, you’re blaming me? Do you wish to yell at your father and tell him to get out?!”
He couldn’t help but laugh angrily at his own words, the absurdity of the situation nearly making him lose composure.
This was outrageous!
Li Hao’s fists clenched slightly before relaxing again. He turned his gaze away, his eyes falling idly on the weeds growing beside the courtyard steps.
Suddenly, a peculiar thought crossed his mind. How similar he was to those weeds.
Taking a deep breath, Li Hao slowly exhaled. A faint, self-deprecating smile curled his lips.
“Have you ever looked at my paintings? I doubt you have. You claim Mother is gone, but even I can’t remember her anymore. That’s why, while I still could, I painted her from what little I could recall.”
His clear voice carried through the courtyard, leaving everyone present stunned.
Li Tiangang froze in place, his body trembling as his composure shattered.
Those paintings… Were they of Qingqing?
He had always dismissed them as meaningless scraps, never once considering their significance.
“I painted her based on the faint memories I had. But by the time I learned to paint, I had already forgotten what she looked like. I could only remember her eyes.”
Li Hao’s gaze remained fixed on the swaying weeds. His focus seemed to drift away as if lost in thought. His tone was soft, almost as though he was speaking to himself:
“So, I drew blurry images of her. I thought that when she came back, I could paint her properly. But then… she left.”
His words brought a heavy silence over the courtyard. Li Tiangang’s breathing grew heavier, and the hands hidden within his sleeves clenched tightly.
It felt as though a part of him had been hollowed out.
Li Hao’s thoughts seemed to return to the present as he stood there, his fragile frame standing tall in the courtyard. Turning to face his father, he offered a faint smile.
“You say that a Grandmaster must never be insulted. But I wonder… could my mother be insulted?”
It was unclear whether he was making a statement or asking a question, but his words struck like a blade, sharp and unyielding. Li Tiangang staggered slightly, the strength of his conviction wavering.
Nearby, Yu Xuan’s expression darkened as he began to piece things together. Those paintings… no wonder the boy had been so emotional earlier.
Thinking back on his actions, Yu Xuan fell silent.
Zhao Bo and Li Fu’s eyes grew misty as they glanced at Li Tiangang, their gazes filled with a quiet reproach.
Li Hao said no more. He turned to leave, saying only, “Do with the paintings as you wish.”
Watching his son’s retreating figure, Li Tiangang involuntarily shouted, “Stop!”
But Li Hao didn’t stop. His footsteps carried him farther away, his slender back disappearing into the distance.
For the first time in his life, Li Tiangang’s authority had been challenged.
And it was by his own son.
If it had been anyone else, he would have broken their legs on the spot. His words were like unbreakable commands; who would dare defy him?
Yet Li Hao’s words had stopped his anger in its tracks, leaving it to smolder without an outlet. His expression darkened, frustration and helplessness mingling within him.
“Marquis, the young master…”
Zhao Bo hesitated, worried that Li Tiangang might erupt again.
But Li Tiangang raised a hand to silence him. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he spoke coldly:
“Immediately retrieve all the paintings. Clear out the cleanest room, and display them properly. If any are damaged, everyone involved will face military punishment!”
Zhao Bo blinked in surprise before heaving a sigh of relief. He quickly bowed and replied, “Understood!”
Li Tiangang turned to Li Fu. “Inform the Madam at once about Hao’er’s Fifteen Li Realm. We’ll host a family banquet. I want the entire world to know!”
Li Fu, relieved to see the situation calming down, cupped his fists and said, “I’ll handle it immediately.”