Chapter 194: Chapter 15 Turmoil (Additional Update 14/25)
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To return so many cultivation techniques all at once shows just how resolute that child is about severing his relationship with Li Tian Gang as father and son!
He Jianlan glanced at Li Tian Gang, whose face was the color of iron, and sighed,
“Tiangang, after all, you are a father. Don’t be cross with Hao Er any longer. If our fathers’ generation hadn’t been so enlightened, you and Qingqing’s marriage would have faced countless obstacles, and your child would have suffered various criticisms.”
“Everyone says Hao Er is fortunate, but where is his fortune? Although born into a family of martial honor and draped in silks, you and Qingqing have never been with him. The child waited fourteen years for your return, and even after you came back, you only spent a few days together before such a huge conflict arose.”
“If this continues, the bond between you two as father and son will really be gone.”
“Seventh brother.”
Li Xuanli’s expression complicated, said, “I have seen Hao Er, and he’s not as bad as you describe. If that child were my son, I would be too happy to contain myself. He treats people with courtesy and measure, far from reckless. Moreover, you have seen the results of the interrogation…”
At this point, he seemed to think of something, his eyes subtly shifting, and he couldn’t help but sigh.
“Seventh brother, you can’t blame Hao Er for that slap Rumeng received.” Li Fenghua couldn’t help but speak up.
As he said this, he glared fiercely at his wife Wang Xiangru standing beside him.
Wang Xiangru returned his gaze with equal anger, showing no fear at his demeanor.
Li Fenghua was so furious that he clenched his fists tightly, but in the end, he let them go.
Recalling his father’s teachings, a man’s fists are for conquering the world, not for striking his wife.
For this reason, he had endured for many years.
“Seventh brother, even if you think Hao Er is dissolute and carefree, no matter how dissolute he is, his cultivation level is still beyond his peers. Since he has the talent and the leisure to be carefree, why must you press him so hard?” Jiang Xian’er said gently.
Hearing everyone’s persuasion, Li Tian Gang remained silent, his face somber.
He was well aware of the words of advice; to say that he harbored no regret at this moment would not be true, but every time he thought of that child’s cold face, he felt a burning rage.
Especially with the return of these cultivation techniques, such a resolute attitude; he was, after all, his father!
Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, even if he had misjudged, could that child really draw a sword against him?
And to fall out with him over a mere demon beast.
As for his own feelings as a father, how much did that child value them?
“Thinking of leaving? It’s not that easy.”
Li Tian Gang took a deep breath, his eyes cold and sharp, “Although I don’t know how he got these cultivation techniques, the things he owes the Li Family are far from just these.”
“Defending the frontier pass for three years is no easy task, and Liangzhou is about to fall into great chaos!”
At his words, everyone was startled.
Concerned about the millions of people in Liangzhou, Li Xuanli couldn’t help but ask, “Seventh brother, what do you mean by that?”
Li Tian Gang gave him a look. With things having gotten to this point, there was no need to keep some classified information hidden.
Moreover, he had been planning to make arrangements in the recent days; today was merely an earlier announcement.
“Do you know why I ordered the withdrawal from Heavenly Gate Pass and the return of Hong Zhuang?”
“That is where our third brother and sixth brother have defended for many years. Our Li Family has lost countless warriors there, and poured countless amounts of blood. If we withdraw our troops, it is equivalent to abandoning it all!”
Li Tian Gang’s eyes turned cold and stern, “It’s not that I don’t want to defend, nor that His Majesty doesn’t wish to, but we simply cannot hold it!”
“Outside Liangzhou, demons are gathering, preparing to stir up war. Heavenly Gate Pass will bear the brunt and become the first barrier!”
“Recently, three Mo Rivers have appeared inside Liangzhou, all of which are of ghost city level. One city affected by the Mo River vanished overnight, half submerged, with countless dead and injured.”
“Now, the elders from the Wang Family have gone there to try to temporarily defeat these Mo Rivers. There is no hope of keeping the pass open; if they can destroy them all, then the three Mo Rivers can be temporarily eradicated, preventing further spread.”
“The demons plan to use this opportunity to break through Liangzhou and invade Dayu.”
“For years, the demons have long seen Dayu as their dining table and the millions of our people as fish on the plate, ready to strike, and just the other day, the Xia Family suffered a huge loss. Two Four Stands Realm Demon Kings invaded our territory, and one of the Xia Family’s grandfathers has already fallen in battle!”
Hearing the series of shocking news he revealed, everyone was taken aback.
The most core intelligence network of the Li Family was in the hands of Li Tian Gang, the True Dragon, and they had not expected so much to have happened outside.
“Tiangang, if Liangzhou is so dangerous, then why are you still letting Hao Er…” He Jianlan, coming back to her senses, hurriedly said.
Li Tian Gang said with a frosty expression, “I had planned to wear down his stubborn spirit. Who knew that he would be protected by Four Stands Realm forces in secret, insisting on being contrary to me!”
With that, he looked at Li Muxiu.
Li Muxiu angrily said, “Without Four Stands Realm protection, relying on just Li He, do you really think you could keep your son safe?”
“Don’t forget that the child’s talent has already been revealed. Those demons who bear a grudge against our Li Family, could they just watch him grow and rise?”
“At a critical moment when he needed protection the most, you pushed him out of Qingzhou, out of our base of operations, exposed to the harshness of the outside world. Do you really want to kill him that badly?!”
As he released the pent-up anger in his heart, Li Tian Gang said angrily,
“If it wasn’t for your indulgence, would Hao Er have ended up where he is today, leaving home over such a trivial matter? And now, he even has the capability to sever ties with me?!”
“You!”
Li Muxiu was so angry his face turned red, and he trembled, speechless.
“Tiangang, Uncle Second meant well, you can’t speak to him like that.” He Jianlan’s complexion changed slightly as she hurriedly said.
The others looked at Li Muxiu. Although this elder had spent a great deal of time in the Divine General Mansion, because of some quirky things he had done in his youth and his conflict with their father, their opinions of him were not really favorable.
Over the years, it was only He Jianlan who was relatively close to Li Muxiu and understood the temper and character of this elder.
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Others were unsure whether or not they should help persuade.
Li Tiangang had also reined in his anger, realizing that his attitude just now had indeed been somewhat offensive. He took a deep breath, looked towards his fifth brother, Li Xuan Li, and said in a deep voice,
“Fifth brother, I brought up this matter today because I planned to find you in a few days. Regarding Liangzhou, I intend to have you stationed there to explore the situation. When the demons launch a major attack, I will personally go there to lead the army.”
Li Xuan Li nodded, responding earnestly, “No problem, leave it to me. I’ve been recuperating from my injuries these past years, and I’m almost fully recovered now. I should have been the one to go to that battle in Northern Yan.”
Li Tiangang shook his head: “Why should we bother with such distinctions between us?”
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan Li’s eyes reddened slightly, but he restrained himself and said no more.
Li Fenghua said, “Seventh brother, if there’s anything you need, just call on me.”
“Eighth brother, you just need to ensure Cangzhou is safe. That place was reclaimed by Xiaojui at the cost of his life; we cannot afford to lose it,” Li Tiangang said gravely.
Li Fenghua nodded slightly. He understood this point well, which was why he had been diligently defending Cangzhou these past years, seldom returning to the Divine General Mansion.
Because of this, he had neglected the discipline and companionship of his children, resulting in both children being spoiled without limits by his wife. Upon returning this time, he found it exceedingly difficult to discipline them.
Moreover, his wife relied on her family background from the Wang Family and was not afraid of him because she had people in her maternal home.
Therefore, witnessing the great conflict between Li Tiangang and Li Hao, he felt a deep empathy in his heart, unconsciously siding with Li Tiangang a bit more, sensing the helplessness of a father in Li Tiangang’s heart.
“In that case, fifth brother, get ready these next few days and set off. The sooner you go and understand the situation, the better. You don’t have to worry about Heavenly Gate Pass,” Li Tiangang said.
Li Xuan Li appeared startled: “What about Hao Er…”
“He has the protection of the Four Stands Realm. If the situation turns sour, he will naturally return. Unless he truly wishes to throw his life away!” Li Tiangang said coldly.
Li Xuan Li’s expression changed slightly, but he just sighed softly in his heart and remained silent.
“Elders, take these Cultivation Techniques to Listening Rain Tower,”
Li Tiangang said to the several elders, bowing slightly as a gesture.
The elders all nodded lightly. They had no intention of meddling in the family affairs of Li Tiangang, having always kept to their duties over the years.
“Then these three Unparalleled Techniques…”
An elder hesitated.
Li Tiangang’s expression darkened slightly as he remembered the contents of that letter.
“What about these Unparalleled Techniques?” asked He Jianlan, puzzled.
The elder, with a gentle demeanor, said, “Madam, it seems that young master Li Hao once mentioned that if these three Unparalleled Techniques are to be included, we must ensure that these Cultivation Techniques are not practiced by Li Qianfeng before he would allow gifting the Unparalleled Techniques to us.”
The group was taken aback and looked at each other in astonishment, not expecting the child to still keep this in mind.
However, considering that it was over this matter that the great father-son conflict erupted, it was normal for the other party to remember it deeply.
“Moreover, there is another option, which is that he may also cultivate these Unparalleled Techniques, but he cannot inherit the True Dragon position of the Li Family,” another elder spoke up.
He Jianlan turned towards Li Tiangang: “Is that true?”
Li Tiangang nodded with a stern face.
The crowd could not help but exchange glances; it was fortunate that Liu Yue Rong was not present, or she would have burst into a rage upon hearing this.
“This child, he sure knows how to calculate,” He Jianlan couldn’t help but reveal a slight smile.
Li Tiangang glanced at her and scoffed, “Using the three Unparalleled Techniques to blackmail us is simply a wild fantasy, his scheming is deep, nothing like a child!”
“He is clearly clever and shrewd, how come in your mouth, it turns into being scheming and deep!” Li Muxiu couldn’t hold back and spoke up again.
Li Tiangang’s brow furrowed and he remained silent.
Li Xuan Li considered and said, “Hao’s action is not meant as a threat. The child has simply employed a tactic of open stratagem. If we let Qianfeng cultivate it and he inherits the True Dragon position, then with the Unparalleled Technique originating from him, who knows if he’s hidden half a move in it? In the future, if Li Qianfeng uses these Unparalleled Techniques to battle him, then the True Dragon would crumble instantly before Hao.”
“Even if Qianfeng were to learn it, he wouldn’t have the True Dragon’s authority. So, it seems that once Qianfeng learns these Techniques, he would be completely at Hao’s mercy for the rest of his life.”
“What about the others?” Wang Xiangru asked, unable to help herself from changing her expression. She had been thinking of letting her two children learn them as well.
Li Xuan Li gave her a glance and spoke softly, “For others, the gap with Hao is so vast that whether they learn it or not… it makes little difference.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiangru’s face changed, feeling a sense of embarrassment for asking such a question.
But she had to admit that she couldn’t refute what had been said, at least not right now.
Among the next generation, only that young lord directly taught by the Buddha, holds some hope of catching up with Li Hao in the future.
For the rest, facing Li Hao, even if the Unparalleled Techniques had no flaws, they would be no match in the face of such an enormous difference in realms.
However, she couldn’t help feeling a bit indignant deep down.
There’s a long road ahead, and being one step ahead doesn’t mean you will be ahead forever. Once reaching a certain height, there will naturally be a stagnation at the bottleneck; a stagnation that could last decades. By then, the advantage of a few years that exists now would be nullified, which is hardly anything significant.
Her two children might not stand out too much, but with the foundation of the Wang and Li families behind them, that was something the child couldn’t compare with, and in the future, they might have the opportunity to compete with him.
Thinking this, she felt slightly better, but she now viewed Li Xuan Li with less favor, snorting coldly in her heart.
“Since that’s the case, I think we should include them after all. In the end, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. As for whether to practice them or not, that will be for Qianfeng to decide. If he chooses to cultivate them, he’s willing to accept being under Hao’s foot. If not, he will have to cultivate other Peerless Techniques.”
“Indeed, with many Peerless Techniques available in Listening Rain Tower, as long as one masters another to perfection, mastering one can defeat many; there’s no significant difference,” they concluded after a short discussion.
Seeing this, Li Tiangang also felt this way and said nothing more.