Especially after just surviving a life-threatening ordeal, if Li Hongzhuang hadn’t arrived in time, they would have undoubtedly perished.
Li Tiangang managed to suppress the turmoil in his heart and quickly concealed his presence, turning his head to see that the six Demon Kings were approaching again, but the previously fiercest vine Demon elder had now fallen to the very back.
“Hong Zhuang, how many war flags do we have left?”
Li Tiangang immediately inquired.
Li Hongzhuang quickly checked the war flags behind her and said, “We still have 23.”
“Good!”
Li Tiangang nodded, feeling a secret relief in his heart, knowing that with these war flags combined with his word, holding this second line of defense would not be an issue.
“What about Heavenly Gate Pass, how many do they have there?”
Something came to mind, and he quickly asked.
“There are a lot there,” Li Hongzhuang stated.
These war flags had been pulled out by Li Hao from outside the city, and she remembered seeing them everywhere outside the walls.
“A lot?” Li Tiangang paused, then immediately asked, “How many is a lot? Do you have a specific number?”
“Maybe a hundred?”
Li Hongzhuang wasn’t certain.
After all, Li Hao had only told her how to use the war flags, never mentioning their quantity.
If all the war flags in Cangya City had such power, there would be at least a thousand.
But she estimated that these war flags must be specially made; the others were just ordinary war flags, or many would still be inserted in the arrow towers within the city. If they were damaged, wouldn’t that destroy the whole of Cangya City?
“That many?” Both Li Tiangang and Li Xuanli were astonished.
“These war flags must be specially made, with such tremendous power; there can’t possibly be a hundred of them, right?” Li Xuanli voiced his doubts.
Li Tiangang nodded, saying, “Didn’t he tell you the number?”
“He didn’t.”
“That rascal!”
Li Tiangang expressed his irritation: “At a time like this, still hiding information, can’t he even trust his own people?”
Li Hongzhuang hastily explained, “Perhaps it was in the rush, Hao Er might have forgotten to mention it, but I can feel Hao Er’s intentions. Maybe I’m wrong, and he only left a small part there.”
Li Xuanli nodded slightly, sighing, “No matter what, for Hao Er to bring out so many war flags to aid us truly protected half of Liangzhou!”
“That’s his duty,” Li Tiangang snorted coldly. “With Liangzhou in such peril, His Majesty bestowed such a secret treasure upon him. If he still had secrets, he simply wouldn’t be worthy of being a member of the Li Family!”
Within the crowd, Li Wushuang glanced at Li Tiangang, hesitating to speak.
She clearly remembered that at the Dragon River by Dayue City, the young man had once personally said in front of the whole world’s Grandmasters that he did not bear the Li surname.
He had long been unwilling to be part of the Li family… she silently reflected.
But facing the authority of this seventh uncle, she dared not voice her thoughts, merely sighing silently in her heart.
…
…
Heavenly Gate Pass, Cangya City.
Inside a small fenced yard.
“Clack!”
With the placement of a white piece, the black piece’s last escape route was completely blocked.
When there is no way out,
it’s time to admit defeat.
Li Hao wore a light smile, picking up the tea beside him and taking a gentle sip, looking at the dejected Xu Zhouyuan in front of him, and said, “Senior Zhouyuan, thank you for letting me win.”
“The young general’s skill in chess is superb. I acknowledge my inferiority,” Xu Zhouyuan said with a bitter smile.
“With your mind unsettled, let’s call it a day,” Li Hao said with a smile, having noticed that the continual military reports that had been coming in had prevented the mini chess master from truly immersing himself in the game.
If one’s heart is not in it, how can one expect to win?
Heart of chess, heart of life—if the heart is there, then the game is as well.
Isn’t it the same with people?
Upon hearing Li Hao’s words, Xu Zhouyuan felt relieved, sighed deeply, and said deferentially, “Thank you, young general.”
He slowly stood up, suddenly wary, looking twice at Li Hao, and said, “Young general, with Liangzhou in such danger, you must be careful as well.”
“Are you planning to leave Liangzhou, Senior Zhouyuan?” Li Hao asked, smiling.
A flush of red crossed Xu Zhouyuan’s face, somewhat ashamed, and he replied, “We commoners are fearful; I don’t want to be a drag on you, general.”
Li Hao heard this and didn’t attempt to detain him, merely nodding and saying, “Since that’s the case, I won’t keep you. But with frequent demon activity outside, staying here in Cangya City might actually be safer. I’m concerned that if you hit the road, you might run into danger.”
Xu Zhouyuan’s heart tightened, then he thought it over and nodded, “Thank you for your concern, young general.”
“No need for thanks,” Li Hao replied with a smile, instructing Ren Qianqian to see the guest out.
Their desire to preserve their lives, not being soldiers, was not something to blame.
“Thank you for the trouble, Miss Qianqian,” Xu Zhouyuan said with lingering embarrassment, addressing Ren Qianqian cordially and gently.
Li Hao looked into the distance as the afterglow of the setting sun shone over, spilling along the walls of the small fenced yard, casting shadows on the side of the veranda, falling on half of the chessboard, and also half of his body. Stay tuned to M|VL|EM|PY|R
Warm and comforting.
“The setting sun is endlessly beautiful, but it’s nearly dusk,” Li Hao sighed softly.
Although the scenery was beautiful, it would disappear in an instant.
Having consumed his last cup of tea, he was about to stand up and proceed to a session of training.
Suddenly, notifications appeared on the screen before him.
Li Hao saw the count of the Qiankun Diagram markers decrease continuously.
Every now and again there was a double jump.
In just a brief moment, more than ten had been deducted.
This meant that more than ten war flags had been destroyed.
Li Hao’s eyes gleamed as he calculated in his mind, instantly realizing that Li Hongzhuang must have already rushed to that battlefield.
Enduring the loss of over ten war flags in a row indicated that the situation on the battlefield was not optimistic.
It was uncertain if they had stabilized.
He wondered whether they had managed to save that fifth uncle in time.
If a significant number of war flags were destroyed and no other demons approached from the outside for the time being, Li Hao considered going in person.
At that moment, he saw his shadow clone returning from outside the pass, carrying many war flags, returning to the courtyard.