Volume 2 - Chapter 29: The Fourth Master of the Li Family
"Achoo!"
In Liang Province, within Cangya City’s encampment inside Tianmen Pass...
Inside the firewood room, where snow covered the rooftops, Feng Boping sneezed as he added more wood to the fire, nearly extinguishing the flames in the stove.
Rubbing his nose, he muttered in confusion, “Why is my nose suddenly so itchy? Could it be someone’s talking about me?”
Nearby, Li Hao was kneading dough. Once the dough was ready, he set it on a warm stone to ferment.
Then, beckoning the Longxiao Sword to his side, he used it to slice through chunks of demon flesh he had selected, the blade’s swift slashes reducing them to minced meat.
“Such a fine sword, and you’re using it as a kitchen knife.”
Feng Boping shook his head in disapproval.
“It’s all about making the best use of what we have.”
Li Hao smiled. Once all the ingredients were prepared, he began cooking.
Since their return from Dayue City, they had resumed a peaceful life within Tianmen Pass.
The demons beyond the pass and the whispers of the wind within were all muffled by the endless snowstorms. Their days consisted of hunting, fishing, and enjoying three meals a day.
As lunchtime approached, Li Hao sent the little white fox to call Song Qiumo and Li Hongzhuang over for the meal.
“This smells amazing!”
Everyone marveled at Li Hao’s cooking skills. Staying near him, they found that aside from their personal worries, they eagerly anticipated the daily delicious meals.
...
While they ate and chatted, Li Hao asked Song Qiumo for help in the afternoon to visit a nearby city and purchase supplies for the residents.
Within the camp, aside from their small fenced courtyard, Li Hao had gradually built additional houses for the residents in the surrounding area.
With his object manipulation abilities extending up to fifteen li, construction had become exceedingly simple. He split apart distant mountains, carved the stones, and transported them to construct simple stone houses.
“Are you really planning to build another city here?”
Before Song Qiumo could respond, Li Hongzhuang spoke up first. She swallowed a piece of roasted meat and fixed her gaze on Li Hao.
“It’s not about building a new city but restoring the old one,” Li Hao replied with a smile. “Since we’re defending the pass, shouldn’t there be a proper city to defend?”
Li Hongzhuang stared at him intently for a moment before saying, “If the demons stop invading, it’s not a problem. But what if it’s destroyed right after we finish rebuilding it?”
“Then we’ll just defend it well.”
“And if we can’t hold it?”
“Then we rebuild it again.”
“...”
Looking at the youth’s carefree demeanor, Li Hongzhuang fell silent. Yet, deep down, a glimmer of hope began to grow.
If this city could be rebuilt, if the demons beyond the pass could be suppressed and cowed as they had been a hundred years ago, to the point where they dared not invade, it would surely bring tears to her third and sixth brothers if they could witness it...
Lowering her head, she tore off a piece of grilled meat with her teeth, tasting a hint of saltiness.
...
“Speaking of which, you killed the young demon king of Wanshan. If I leave, what if the Wanshan Demon King takes the opportunity to launch a sneak attack?”
Song Qiumo frowned. When Li Hao had returned from Dayue City, he had briefly recounted the events there. Only then did they learn that he had slain the sole son of the Wanshan Demon King.
That young demon king was immensely talented. Being of the demon race herself, Song Qiumo understood just how much potential he had.
In human terms, he could almost rival Li Hao.
For such a prodigious demon to be slain by Li Hao, it was no surprise that the Wanshan Demon King would be furious.
The young demon king had even been under the protection of a hidden demon king. That alone showed how much he was valued. Even facing a solitary practitioner at the Fourth Pillar Realm wouldn’t have posed a threat to him—unless, of course, he encountered the combination of Feng Boping and Li Hao.
“There are hidden lines I’ve left within three hundred li of this area. If any demons invade, I’ll sense it and have time to retreat.”
Li Hao smiled confidently.
The concealed lines were masked with his Hidden Bow attribute and enhanced by the Jiangxue Diagram, an artifact he had incorporated into his path of object manipulation. This added a camouflaging ability to his environment-based object manipulation, rendering his attacks nearly undetectable.
Using it with his fishing lines made for a perfect combination. Even a Fourth Pillar Realm expert would struggle to detect his movements nearby, let alone three hundred li away.
Of course, maintaining such a long range consumed his internal energy constantly. If not for his 98 fully developed major meridians and the balance provided by his Yin-Yang Dual Meridians, sustaining it would have been impossible.
“Let me go instead,” Li Hongzhuang said to Li Hao. “Senior Song is right. You have Senior Feng’s protection, but you killed a young demon king. From what I’ve heard, the Wanshan Demon King treasures his only son. Since he hasn’t attacked yet, he’s likely waiting for Senior Song to leave.”
Song Qiumo’s eyes flickered as she glanced at Li Hao and said softly, “I originally planned to stay here for only six months. Now, given what’s happened, I’ll stay for three years.”
Li Hao was momentarily stunned. He looked at her but then quipped with a teasing smile, “And what about your Tan Palace?”
“Three years isn’t much. I’ve been looking after it for nearly a thousand years. A short absence won’t matter,” Song Qiumo replied calmly.
Li Hao knew it wasn’t as simple as she made it sound. As a demon king recorded in Qingzhou, she couldn’t leave for long. Staying here for six months was likely the most she could manage. Extending that to three years would be a significant strain on her.
“We’ll see. Maybe they won’t hold out for even half a year,” Li Hao said, a subtle urgency rising in his heart. He was eager to improve his strength.
He had another backup plan: to temporarily abandon this place. But breaking the three-year promise was something he wouldn’t do unless faced with certain death.
Song Qiumo gave a small nod. Talking about such distant possibilities now felt premature. In a low voice, she said, “If the Wanshan Demon King does come, we’ll most likely face three demon kings together!”
She had mentioned this before. Li Hao and Li Hongzhuang’s expressions turned slightly grave. Besides the two demon kings in the Wanshan region, the dragon lord she had fought earlier would likely take the opportunity to intervene.
This seemingly peaceful Tianmen Pass was, in reality, on the brink of utter destruction at any moment.
Li Hao only nodded faintly, saying nothing more.
In the following days, the group carried on their ordinary lives within the small courtyard. Their activities appeared relaxed, but in truth, everyone remained on high alert for any sudden attack by the demon kings.
Yet, the Wanshan Demon King seemed in no rush. Rather than lashing out in uncontrolled fury, he refrained from acting, perhaps deterred by Li Hao’s continued activity within Tianmen Pass. It was possible he suspected hidden forces supporting the young man, leading him to opt for caution.
Or perhaps, he was simply biding his time, waiting for the right opening.
...
One day, two letters arrived at the small courtyard, both from Qingzhou’s Divine General Mansion.
One of the letters bore Li Tiangang’s signature on the cover.
Seeing it, Li Hao gave it a quick pinch with his fingers and tossed it into the stove to burn as firewood.
The other letter had no signature. When Li Hao opened it, he realized it was from his second uncle.
This letter was filled with sentiments of longing and concern but also discussed the potential danger posed by the Wanshan Demon King.
Li Muxiu expressed his worries that the grief-stricken Wanshan Demon King might act irrationally, warning Li Hao to prepare for an assault by three or even four demon kings.
At the same time, he pointed out an escape route for Li Hao if things became dire. Feng Lao could take him to a secret location outside Liang Province.
This place was a forbidden zone known as the River of Death, classified as underworld-level.
Only Fourth Pillar Realm experts could safely emerge from this terrifying place. Its expanse was so uncontrollable that it could only be contained and marked as restricted territory.
Li Muxiu’s mention of the River of Death was not to suggest using it as a trap to eliminate the demon kings. Instead, he revealed that this secret land was guarded by Li Hao’s fourth uncle, Li Xiaoran.
In Li Muxiu’s generation, the Li family had six brothers. Three had perished, leaving only three survivors: Li Qingzheng, who presided over the ancestral shrine; Li Muxiu, who oversaw the Divine General Mansion and Tingyu Pavilion; and Li Xiaoran, stationed outside the River of Death.
The River of Death had once run through Liang Province but had since been classified as external territory due to its uncontrollable nature. The Great Yu Divine Dynasty had officially relinquished its claim over the region.
However, Li Xiaoran’s post there wasn’t just to observe the River of Death. He remained there to guard the heroic spirit of Li Hao’s grandfather, Li Tianzong, who was trapped within the river.
Li Hao recalled his second uncle mentioning this during a previous fishing session. Li Xiaoran had long left the Divine General Mansion to repeatedly challenge the River of Death, hoping to break through and retrieve his elder brother’s heroic spirit.
To his surprise, this infamous River of Death was so close, just beyond Liang Province.
Li Hao thought briefly and then carefully put the letter away.
...
In the following days, the Wanshan Demon King continued to make no move. Instead, Li Hao received another imperial reward from Emperor Yu, delivered once again by Grand Eunuch Chu Jiuyue.
“Earl, we meet again,” Chu Jiuyue said as he entered the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces. Compared to last time, the courtyard now exuded a stronger sense of domestic warmth, like a tranquil countryside retreat.
Li Hao greeted him with a smile, inviting him inside.
Accepting the imperial edict, Li Hao learned that his title had been promoted from a third-class earl to a first-class earl.
Additionally, he received numerous rewards, including gold, treasures, and servants.
The fief granted during his previous conferment remained untouched, as Li Hao had never gone to inspect it. It was likely still managed by the assigned stewards.
Though uninterested in these rewards, Li Hao considered the possibility of relocating to the fief in three years when he left Tianmen Pass. It might serve as a good place to settle.
After accepting the edict, Li Hao invited Chu Jiuyue to stay for a meal. This time, the eunuch didn’t decline.
As they ate, Chu Jiuyue grew increasingly at ease, even rolling up his sleeves and sitting by the stove with his legs sprawled, displaying none of the elegance expected of his station.
After thoroughly enjoying the meal, he mounted his horse and prepared to leave. But before departing, he discreetly handed Li Hao a treasure talisman, explaining that this was the true gift from Emperor Yu: a Sacred Heart Talisman.
It was a lifesaving artifact meant to protect him in times of peril.
Li Hao was utterly stunned. In his casual conversations with his second and fifth uncles, he had learned of this item’s incredible value.
The Sacred Heart Talisman was typically used by Fourth Pillar Realm experts and was considered extraordinarily precious.
In the world of cultivation treasures, there were distinct levels: divine weapons like the ones used by Zhou Tian or the Inheritor Soul Realm, spiritual tools for cultivators between the Spirit Wandering Realm and Heaven-Man Grandmaster Realm, and the rare god-tier weapons and armors for those in the Three Immortals or Fourth Pillar Realms.
The Longxiao Sword in Li Hao’s possession was one such god-tier weapon and one of the most renowned of its kind. However, its fame didn’t equate to being the absolute strongest. Some divine weapons were so rarely seen that their existence was almost mythical.
Nonetheless, the Longxiao Sword was indisputably a top-tier weapon within its class.
Above these divine weapons and armors lay the Sacred Heart Heaven Treasures, an incredibly scarce category that even many Fourth Pillar Realm experts didn’t possess.
The Sacred Heart Talisman handed to Li Hao was a consumable item, even more invaluable due to its utility. For a Fourth Pillar Realm cultivator, such talismans were exceedingly rare.
The one Li Hao held wasn’t offensive in nature but designed specifically for preservation of life.
If it had been an offensive Sacred Heart Talisman, it might have even posed a threat to and injured someone at the Fourth Pillar Realm.