Chapter 112: Chapter 93 Dazzling Brilliance【Fourth Update】_2
The poisonous pill I swallowed thirteen years ago.
It was to truly unleash its vicious and cruel toxicity after these thirteen years!
At this time, Li Tian Gang continued to speak:
“Aside from the second sister-in-law’s child, the elder sister and the third sister’s children all have a chance to contend, but the third sister’s is a daughter, who I’ve heard has formed a bond in the military and has a marriage arrangement, therefore she automatically withdraws from the True Dragon seat.”
“As for the two children of the eldest sister, they are already in their thirties, have made achievements and established themselves, holding general titles in the military. If they were to compete, they’d be quite formidable contenders, though in terms of innate talent, they’re still a notch beneath you and the second sister-in-law’s child.”
“Moreover, the eldest sister said early on that she would not let her children participate in the struggle for the True Dragon seat, and I still trust her on that.”
Li Hao nodded; he was aware of these matters as well.
“Qianfeng, that child, may not have talent comparable to yours, but he has studied under the Buddha Lord, cultivated his character by the Buddha Lord’s side, and naturally has the proper disposition. He’s said to have reached the Fifteen Li Realm at the age of seventeen, which, leaving you out of the question, denotes quite impressive talent,” said Li Tian Gang.
He himself had reached the Fifteen Li Realm around the same time, then became a Grandmaster at nineteen, stepping into the Three Immortalities at twenty-three.
That was already incredibly exceptional, outpacing the top talents by a wide margin.
Of course, that’s provided he wasn’t compared to his ninth brother.
“In terms of connections, with the Buddha Lord behind him, he won’t fall short, and another plus point is his reputation and achievements,” Li Tian Gang added to Li Hao: “I’ve checked out his situation. He has already descended the mountain but hasn’t come back. He must be amassing achievements, which will be a bonus point for him.”
“As for you, who have mostly stayed within the residence without any military achievements to your name, it may slightly weaken your position, but it’s not an issue. I’m planning to arrange for you to go to the frontier within the next two months to behead a Great Demon and thus establish some military achievements.”
Upon hearing about military achievements, Li Hao smiled faintly.
Li Fu at his side could not help but also contain his mirth.
Li Tian Gang, noticing the odd expressions on their faces, frowned and asked, “Why? What is it?”
Li Hao did not speak, but Li Fu respectfully replied, “My lord, the young master’s military achievements should be considered quite substantial.”
“Hmm?”
Li Tian Gang and Xuan Yu both turned to look at him with puzzled expressions.
Li Fu’s face broke into a smile as he said, “Does my lord remember how I came to know of the young master’s realm? It was in Cangyu City, where he single-handedly saved the entire city from the calamity of demons!”
Hearing these words, Li Tian Gang and Xuan Yu were stunned and somewhat taken aback.
They glanced at Li Hao, saving an entire city? That was a tremendous feat!
As veterans of constant warfare, they were all too familiar with the calculation of merits.
“Hao Er, you actually…”
Li Tian Gang looked at Li Hao with immense surprise, his eyes revealing excitement and joy, his affection for his son rising significantly.
He had thought Li Hao was naturally lackadaisical, merely engaging in amusement, but who would have expected him to achieve such an enterprise so stealthily!
Xuan Yu, too, regarded Li Hao with admiration, his eyes reflecting approval. To rescue people from dire straits was indeed to make achievements and establish oneself!
“The rewards for the young master’s merits should be arriving in Qingzhou soon,” said Li Fu with a smile, also looking forward to it.
“Excellent, excellent, excellent!”
Li Tian Gang repeated the word thrice and burst into hearty laughter.
“With this, the True Dragon seat is as good as secured!”
Li Tian Gang was completely reassured.
With top-notch talent and such significant merits to his name, even if Li Hao’s disposition was somewhat frivolous and not the best, being capable of such an impressive achievement indicated strength in other aspects, which was more than enough.
Such a disparity would be difficult to bridge.
Even if the child of the second sister-in-law were to go and establish military achievements, in just two short months, coming across such an opportunity for merits would be unlikely.
Building achievements isn’t something that just arises. Even if one went to the frontier to gain them, the Li Family’s borders, except for Northern Yan, were mostly pacified and free of troubles.
Moving to other frontiers would complicate matters.
Moreover, earning recognition at the frontier isn’t easy. Amidst the tens of thousands, even millions, of demon beast tides, what would the Fifteen Li Realm amount to?
The leaders capable of commanding tens of thousands of demons are likely to be at the level of Tianren Grandmasters.
Li Hao, upon hearing this, said, “If that’s the case, does it mean there’s nothing left for me to do?”
Li Tian Gang had just finished laughing when he heard these words, he immediately felt helpless. This child had been left undisciplined for many years and really was too idle.
“If you’re not cultivating, what do you want to do?” Li Tian Gang asked.
“Do whatever comes to mind, like painting, playing the zither, or writing poetry,” Li Hao answered.
Li Tian Gang’s mouth twitched. None of these things appealed to him.
If Li Hao had said this earlier, he would have rejected all of it, but remembering his recent promise to Li Hao, he could only hold back and sigh, “Fine, as you wish, I will keep my word.”
“Good.”
Relieved to hear him say this, Li Hao was also relieved. The other person might not appreciate these activities, but he wasn’t seeking understanding anymore, just permission.
He then took his leave, intending to go play chess with Fifth Master.
Li Tian Gang did not stop him, and let Li Hao go.
Once Li Hao had left, Li Tian Gang turned to Xuan Yu and sighed, “I don’t know when this child will truly grow up.”
Li Fu smiled and said, “My lord, actually the young master is already much more intelligent and mature than other children of his age. Him going to find Uncle Five may not be just for play but for companionship.”
Li Tian Gang was taken aback, his thoughts turning to the lonely old man in the ancestral hall and his solitary chessboard.
His expression changed and he fell silent.
Several days later.
Li Hao’s reward was indeed granted.
In light of Li Hao’s meritorious defense of the city, protecting over a million inhabitants, he was bestowed the title of third-rank Earl!
A city was conferred as his fief!
Moreover, ten chests of jewels and gold.
A set of divine weapons and armor from the Fifteen Li Realm.
Compared to the weapons, armor, and title, these treasures were merely additional rewards.
Just like when Li Jun Ye perished, the rewards included Yu Dragon Token and ten bushels of gold; the gold was just an extra, not worth mentioning.
The real reward was the Yu Dragon Token; it was a life-saving talisman!
Three Yu Dragon Tokens meant three pardons from death, which showed the greatness of the merit!
After the conferment ceremony was over, Li Hao took the imperial edict and his reward from that “top student” from the court, bowed, and expressed his gratitude.
The news spread throughout the entire residence in an instant, and it also traveled beyond to Qingzhou.
The Li family’s young master, at just fourteen years of age, was conferred the title of Earl!
And he had his own fief!
Furthermore, Li Hao’s meritorious defense was known throughout the city, continuously praised and exalted by the populace, marveling at how he lived up to the Li family name!
Some still vaguely remembered the rumors from about ten years ago, alleging that the Li family’s young master was a martial arts cripple; looking at him now, it was clear those were merely misleading rumors and slander.
Li Hao’s name was now completely resonating throughout Qingzhou and even spreading to farther places!
Inside the residence.
The ladies of the various courts were struck dumb upon hearing this news.
He Jianlan was somewhat shocked; ever since Li Tian Gang’s return, the information that had exploded out about Li Hao was one thing after another, and she was almost overwhelmed.
Was this still the child she had been so worried about?
He was so dazzling that she could hardly look directly at him.
“That child… he…”
In the Piaoxue Courtyard, Gao Qingqing couldn’t quite believe the news; thinking back on the advice she had given to her own child years ago to keep their distance from Li Hao, she couldn’t help but feel regret.
Next to her, Li Xuan Li, having heard the news, was elated, clicking his tongue in admiration:
“Worthy of being Old Seven’s child, such a bearing, it really doesn’t fall short of Old Nine’s back in the day. No, at fourteen, Old Nine wasn’t as dazzling as he is!”
“Amazing, Old Seven truly has a gift for childbirth!”