Li Tian Gang sneered, “Don’t talk to me about ‘Uncle Feng.’ There are many ways to save the world, like slaying demons, enlisting in the army, defending the borders. Aren’t all of these services to the country and its people? Yet he specifically chose to steal!”
Feng Boping coldly retorted, “That’s right, Li, don’t call me ‘uncle’ anymore. I’m not worthy of being an uncle to the True Dragons of the Li Family!”
Li Muxiu knew his old friend was upset. Seeing Li Tian Gang’s sneering demeanor, he couldn’t help but heave a long sigh and said,
“Tiangang, you’ve trained in martial arts since your childhood, and later led troops in battles. You have too little exposure to the Jianghu and too much to the temples of power. You don’t understand the helplessness behind the world’s feuds and resentments. If one could be openly chivalrous, who wouldn’t want to leave behind a good name?”
“The world’s suffering is endless; you can’t experience it all, but you should understand it, rather than looking down with cold eyes from your temple high above.”
Li Tian Gang replied indifferently, “Considering that he protected Hao Er in the past, I can spare him. But he must never come close to Hao Er again. You should know, if others find out that our Divine General Mansion is in collusion with the Thief Saint, how will it look to other Divine General Mansions and to His Majesty?”
Li Muxiu remained silent.
He naturally knew this, and that’s why he only associated with Feng Boping in private.
At first, they were unaware of each other’s identities, enjoyed each others company immensely, and became friends. After revealing their true selves, they realized who the other was.
But by then, how could they completely break off their relationship just because of their identities?
Despite many reluctances and worries, their friendship didn’t wane but instead grew deeper over the years.
Hearing Li Tian Gang’s words now, Li Muxiu sighed deeply. As a child who was not favored, he harbored resentment, thinking how much better life would be if he were not part of the Divine General Mansion. Now, he found himself somewhat wishing for that again.
However, he now bore too much responsibility and was no longer the spirited youth who could gallop across the Jianghu, recklessly roaming everywhere without a care.
“Only you know about my relationship with Feng, and if you don’t speak of it, no one will know,” Li Muxiu said.
Li Tian Gang sneered, “Uncle, you should know that paper can’t contain fire.”
Li Muxiu took a deep breath and slowly said, “Let’s not talk about this now. I came here intending to go to Dragon City Mo River to retrieve Hao Er. Passing by Heavenly Gate Pass, I thought to have a look here first. How did you end up fighting? What about on the Dragon City Mo River side? Bringing Hao Er back safely is the priority.”
Li Tian Gang said, “I was about to ask you. Have you checked the situation in Qingzhou before you left? Was your departure secretive? You should know how dangerous Qingzhou would be if people knew you were gone!”
“You can trust me to take care of things,” Li Muxiu said.
“How is Hao Er?” Li Muxiu asked.
Li Tian Gang slightly sneered. He indeed used to be confident, but ever since returning from Northern Yan and witnessing all the family affairs, he had become increasingly concerned.
“Hao Er has his fourth uncle looking after him there; he should be fine,” Li Tian Gang said. “Unless there are other variables, the situation is currently unclear. I came to the Heavenly Gate Pass to inquire through his avatar, but instead, I stumbled upon this great secret!”
As he said this, anger surged in his eyes again.
Li Muxiu no longer paid attention to him and instead turned his head to look at Li Hao’s avatar. His gaze softened as he asked,
“Hao Er, can you sense your original self in the Mo River?”
The dark side of Li Hao shook his head slightly, “I can’t sense it.”
“Is it because of the Mo River or something inherent within you?”
Li Muxiu quickly pressed for more details.
The dark side of Li Hao explained everything meticulously.
Seeing how forthright Li Hao was in front of Li Muxiu, answering all his questions, Li Tian Gang’s face darkened with a complex feeling that made him both uncomfortable and angry.
I’m your father!
It was not long before Li Muxiu had asked all he wished to know and found that the avatar was unaware of Li Hao’s true situation.
However, through the avatar, he learned that Li Hao’s combat strength was extremely strong, no less than that of a Demon King of the Ultimate Study Realm, and, using the special methods the avatar spoke of, could even reach the limits of the Ultimate Study Realm.
In addition, Li Tian Gang asked Li Muxiu to inquire about the matter of the war flag, and upon Li Muxiu’s questioning, the avatar pondered and then communicated the information to him via mental transmission.
Seeing that Li Hao had intentionally avoided him, Li Tian Gang’s expression turned ugly once again.
But all he could do was ask Li Muxiu via mental transmission, and when he learned that the war flag was indeed personally crafted by Li Hao, Li Tian Gang was struck by a wave of shock in his heart, followed by ecstasy.
This talent that Li Hao possessed was nothing short of a gift from the heavens!
Once Li Hao returned, if he could make full use of this talent, its impact could even surpass the significance of his own martial arts.
After all, no matter how strong one’s martial arts are, by reaching the Grand Tao of Peace Realm, one can only protect a single state, but if such war flags could be mass-produced, they could shelter the entire Dayu Divine Dynasty!
“With Hao Er possessing such strength, along with the fourth child, as long as no unexpected events arise within Mo River, there should be no issues…”
After Li Muxiu gathered intelligence from the avatar, his tense emotions settled slightly.
But without seeing Li Hao’s true body, he still could not relax completely.
“Second Uncle, let’s go to Dragon City Mo River now,” said Li Tian Gang to Li Muxiu, “but you need to hide first to prevent your exposure on the battlefield, which might lead demons to shift their attack to Qingzhou and strike the Divine General Mansion, causing a disaster.”
“I am well aware of that,” Li Muxiu said.
Li Tian Gang glanced at Feng Boping beside him and then said, “Additionally, there is one more thing, you must sever ties with this man!”
“Hmm?”
Li Muxiu’s expression changed slightly; however, Feng Boping merely frowned slightly and did not speak, instead giving Li Muxiu a quiet look, as if waiting for his decision.
If the other party chose to break away for the sake of the Divine General Mansion, he would not blame him.
After all, when they first discovered each other’s identities, he had vaguely anticipated such a scene.
His own identity was, after all, not on par with the Divine General Mansion.
“Tiangang, this is a personal matter of mine, don’t interfere!” Li Muxiu said coldly to Li Tian Gang without looking at his old friend’s face.
Li Tian Gang responded with a cold face, “Second Uncle, you should know the consequences if something happens. This is not your private matter, but something that concerns the entire Li Family. Do you want the ancestors of the Li Family to be shamed because of this?!”
Li Muxiu’s face changed slightly, looking a bit unsightly.
“I have known Feng for six decades, and I understand his character,” said Li Muxiu.
But before he could finish, he was interrupted by Li Tian Gang, who said:
“I don’t want to discuss his character with you. All I know is that once he gets involved with our Li Family, it will be bad for both parties! So what if he’s a good person? I can listen to your explanation, but can the world?”
Li Muxiu’s expression kept changing; he knew this point, naturally. His explanation was just an attempt to sidestep the issue.
“Li, if it really doesn’t work out, let’s stop associating with each other in the future. Even living in different worlds, we can still enjoy the sun and the moon,” said Feng Boping at this point.
He knew the consequences once his identity was revealed and did not wish to put Li Muxiu in a difficult position.
Li Muxiu’s body trembled slightly, and turning to look at his old friend, his eyes filled with sadness, he bowed his head and slowly shook it, saying:
“I have severed enough ties. I don’t wish to sever anymore!”