Chapter 157: Chapter 116 Your Son is Already Dead (Make-up for 6/25)
Within the Divine General Mansion, in the Mountain and River Courtyard.
In a luxurious and noble room, a youth slowly awakened on the soft bed.
Li Hao had a dream, a dream in which his body seemed weightless, soaring through the heavens and earth.
He flew over grasslands, rivers, and lakes, shoulder to shoulder with the birds, drifting through the mountains and great earth.
Streams converged, gradually forming into an ancient character.
That character was his name.
Then Li Hao woke up, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a concerned and aged face before him.
“Hao Er!”
Li Muxiu exclaimed joyfully, quickly asking, “You’re finally awake. How do you feel? Is your body better?”
Over the past few days, the maidservant Qing Zhi attending to Li Hao had cleaned and wiped his body, removing all the blood stains and changing him into clean clothes. The torn flesh and even the broken ribs were gradually healing under the intermittent examination of Li Muxiu and the divine physician.
Such serious injuries healing on their own truly revealed an ability of the “Undying Realm” which belonged to the three Immortals. Yet, Li Hao, having not achieved the status of the three Immortals, possessed this unique physique, which could be described as miraculous.
“This place is…”
Li Hao’s bewildered gaze gradually sharpened, and very soon, his expression changed as he recognized this as his own room.
Does this mean he is still in the Divine General Mansion?
He swiftly tried to get out of bed, but the moment he moved, a sharp pain shot through his chest where his ribs hadn’t fully healed yet, and the wounds slightly cracked open again, oozing fresh blood.
The pristine white clothes he had donned were stained red in an instant.
“Hao Er, you should rest first,” Li Muxiu quickly suggested.
But Li Hao had already sat up. Taking a few short breaths, he looked at his anxious second uncle, then scanned the room. Besides his second uncle, there was Qing Zhi, but no one else.
Noticing Li Hao’s glance, Li Muxiu said, “Your fifth uncle is still watching over the ancestral hall, but he can sense what is happening here.”
A faint smile appeared on Li Hao’s face as he nodded. Then his Divine Soul burst forth from his body and wandered through the Mountain and River Courtyard. There he saw Li Yuanzhao with a nervous and anxious expression, as well as Bian Ruxue.
Outside in the courtyard, he also saw Li Wushuang pacing back and forth, accompanied by his sister Li Zhining.
In a corner, Li Hao finally saw the figure of the little white fox. It was hiding among the flowers and plants, its injuries appearing to have healed.
Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief, withdrew his Divine Soul back to his body, and smiled, “Thank you, Uncle, for saving my life!”
Li Muxiu slightly changed color and said in a low voice, “Hao Er, your father never intended to kill you. He was just momentarily insane. You are father and son, you…”
He suddenly found himself unable to continue.
He had wanted to say you should understand him.
After all, Li Muxiu wished for the father and son to be at peace.
But facing a child pale as snow, severely wounded, he felt it was cruel to ask him to understand such a stubborn father.
However, Li Hao had already captured the meaning behind his uncle’s words. He smiled and said to Qing Zhi beside him, “Bring me my outerwear.”
Seeing Li Hao awake, a look of joy spread across Qing Zhi’s face, washing away the haggardness. She quickly nodded.
“Hao Er, what are you planning to do? You haven’t fully recovered. You should rest,” Li Muxiu urged him.
Li Hao shook his head slightly and suddenly thought of something, asking, “Uncle, do you know about my mother, that she came from the Great Wilderness Heaven?”
Li Muxiu was taken aback and asked, “Who told you this, Tiangang?”
Hearing that name, Li Hao instinctively frowned and shook his head, “Uncle, please tell me about it.”
Thinking Li Hao knew everything already, Li Muxiu sighed, “Your mother has a complicated identity. Indeed, she came from the Great Wilderness Heaven, and it was due to an accident that she met your father. At that time, no one approved of their marriage, but ultimately, no one wanted to break apart the ill-fated couple.”
Li Hao’s lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing.
“You’re not planning to go find her, are you?” Li Muxiu suddenly asked.
Li Hao was startled and said, “Isn’t my mother dead?”
“Hm?”
Li Muxiu was also stunned, realizing he had misspoken and fell silent.
Seeing his face change, Li Hao pressed on, “Uncle, you know something, don’t you? Tell me!”
Li Muxiu looked into his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then sighed, “You do have a right to know. Your father didn’t tell you, and he was right not to, because she went back to the Great Wilderness Heaven. It’s nearly impossible for her to come out again, especially since she bore a child.”
A jolt went through Li Hao’s heart. His mother wasn’t dead?
“Even though your mother isn’t dead, it’s very unlikely that you will see her again. Child, don’t think about going to find her. The Great Wilderness Heaven is boundless and vast. Even those in the Four Stands Realm face extreme dangers there.”
Li Muxiu said to Li Hao, “With your current cultivation level, entering the Great Wilderness Heaven would mean certain death. Even if you went, you might not be able to find her. I don’t even know where her clan’s tribe is located…”
Li Hao stood there in a daze but soon came back to reality.
He smiled and nodded, “Uncle, don’t worry. I won’t take any risks. Even if I were to go, it would be when I have the power to roam the Great Wasteland Heavenly Realm freely.”
He wasn’t merely appeasing his uncle; he meant what he said.
If he had been eager to take the risk when he first met Li Tian Gang, his priority now was simply to live his life well.
After all, he had not seen her for over a decade. There was no rush.
Relieved by Li Hao’s response, Li Muxiu said, “It’s good you think this way.”
Li Hao softly smiled, and as Qing Zhi handed over his clothes, he silently put them on. Once he was ready, he took a deep breath and looked at his uncle.
He said in a soft voice, “Uncle, the road of Jianghu is long, and after today… I won’t be able to join you for fishing anymore.”
Li Muxiu’s pupils contracted sharply, and his tone changed as he asked, “Hao Er, what are you planning to do?”
Li Hao’s gaze drifted to the courtyard as he said, “I won’t stay here any longer.”
“Young Master!” Qing Zhi couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief.
Li Hao walked slowly out of the room and into the courtyard.
Seeing Li Hao fully recovered, Li Yuanzhao and Bian Ruxue, who were waiting in the courtyard, immediately sensed it and rushed over in surprise and delight.
“Brother Hao!” Li Yuanzhao quickly called out.
Bian Ruxue also wore a face of joy: “Have you recovered?”
Seeing the two of them, a smile appeared on Li Hao’s face, and he said to Li Yuanzhao, “From now on, you must cultivate well on your own.”
Li Yuanzhao was taken aback and said, “Brother Hao, are you…”
Li Hao’s gaze slowly swept over the courtyard, the courtyard he had spent fourteen years in.
He was familiar with the flowers, plants, and trees inside.
In many areas, he had even drawn sketches of them.
But now, none of that mattered anymore.
At this moment, the sky was already chilly, the fallen leaves of deep autumn had long since withered, and the yellowed ground had been swept clean by the house servants, giving off a desolate chill as if frost had descended.
Without speaking, Li Hao walked slowly to a spot in the courtyard.
A few people hurriedly followed him, with Li Yuanzhao anxiously inquiring along the way.
In the end, Li Hao came to a circle of flowers and plants, surrounded by stones to forbid entry.
He fell silent, then slowly and deeply bowed.
“Uncle Lin, farewell, take care,” he said.
After speaking, Li Hao took one long look, then turned around, his thoughts flying out to caress the small white fox in the courtyard.
The small white fox, sensing Li Hao’s presence, immediately felt overjoyed, and like a swift white shadow, it rushed over and ran to Li Hao’s feet.
A smile appeared on Li Hao’s face, and then he turned to Second Master, saying seriously, “Second Master, thank you for your care over the years. If there is a chance in the future, Hao Er will repay you.”
As he spoke, he too bowed deeply and earnestly.
Li Muxiu’s face changed dramatically, and he said, “Hao, you…”
Li Yuanzhao said urgently, “Brother Hao, are you leaving?”
Li Hao looked at him, smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, “Brother Hao is leaving.”
“Brother Hao!” Bian Ruxue was also somewhat urgent but didn’t know what to say.
“Where are you going if you leave!”
An icy voice filled with anger suddenly came from behind.
The smile on Li Hao’s face gradually faded, but he did not turn around.
The small white fox, as if shocked, shuddered but then bared its teeth slightly and positioned itself protectively behind Li Hao, facing Li Tian Gang.
“Tiangang!”
Li Muxiu saw Li Tian Gang approaching, with Yu Xuan, Li Fu, and Zhao by his side.
Anger rose on his face, “What tone is that? Can’t you speak properly to Hao?”
Li Tian Gang’s expression was dark. He too had been healing from injuries for the past two days and had recovered quite a bit. With other brothers and sisters advising him, along with the fifth and eighth, he had been considering easing the father-son relationship.
But seeing that Li Hao had just awakened and the first thing he did was not see him, but rather wander around the courtyard preparing to leave, anger surged in his heart once again.
“Just got a bit better, and the wings are hardened again, huh?”
Li Tian Gang said coldly.
The corners of Li Hao’s mouth lifted slightly, and he turned around, silently looking at the man in front of him:
“So, do you want to fight again?”
As he spoke, the aura around his body was already revealed.
“Fine, fine, fine!”
Li Tian Gang saw this demeanor and was so angry that blood surged to his face, but this time he managed to restrain himself.
After all, he had just injured himself by violating a heartfelt oath, and to fight and add injury to injury was something he hadn’t experienced many times in his fourteen years in Northern Yan.
“Great, just stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm and you can’t be disciplined already!”
Li Tian Gang’s gaze was piercing and cold as he spoke.
Li Hao looked at him indifferently, feeling not the slightest ripple in his heart, and said, “From now on, you have no right to talk to me about discipline again, and I am no longer your son. I’ve said before, your son was assassinated long ago.”
“What do you mean?!”
Li Tian Gang asked coldly.
Li Hao looked at him quietly and said softly, “Have you forgotten? Well, let me remind you then. You still remember the reason Fu returned, don’t you?”
At these words, everyone was slightly startled.
Li Fu’s return was naturally because of Li Hao’s encounter with an assassin at the age of eight when a member of the Human Race from the Zhou Tian Realm, enslaved by the Demon Race, snuck into the mansion to assassinate him.
“Your son should have died at the age of six, because you were guarding the Frontier Pass!”
Li Hao said flatly, “Did you think you had the protection of a powerful figure? That assassin was killed by my own hands!”
“Before he died, he said that I was your weakest point, huh, trying to assassinate me to shake your state of mind. Now it seems that the Demon Race thought too highly of me.”
At these words, everyone was stunned, their pupils contracted, and they looked at Li Hao in shock.