Tears welled up in Ji Qingqing’s eyes as she looked at the towering figure standing tall and firm like a War God, the dazzling presence that captivated countless onlookers… Could that be her child?
Her body trembled uncontrollably and, finally, unable to restrain herself, she followed the others, flying towards the youth, picking up speed as she approached, the closer she got, the clearer she saw his face—the sharp expression a notable difference from the face of the youth who had fallen into the abyss before.
And his aura was distinctly different as well.
Her speed slowed again, a feeling of timidity and fear creeping over her as if she was touching a beautiful dream—real yet illusory, afraid to come closer yet longing to do so, afraid to touch yet desiring to.
Soon, He Jianlan and the others arrived at the edge of the city and looked at the youth whose Divine Light had now retracted and subdued. Gazing at that somewhat unfamiliar face, their tears nonetheless flowed.
Even though his aura and appearance had changed, they still recognized him—the child who would occasionally bring them his own cooked delicacies, the unique child from the Divine General Mansion.
He was still so distinctive and prominent, yet different from the child they knew from the Divine General Mansion who was playful and carefree, without a care in the world; in contrast, the youth before them now shone brilliantly like a young deity, with a face that had lost some of its laziness, and eyes that carried an added sharpness.
The only thing unchanged were those eyes, still clear and gentle, as transparent as polished glaze.
He Jianlan couldn’t help but cover her mouth, tears streaming out, as memories of that child greeting her in the morning, accompanying her during meals, and sharing casual chats and laughter remained vivid in her mind.
But the time that had passed seemed all too long ago.
Now, he was covered with blood, having wielded an umbrella for himself to block the relentless wind and snow when there was no one else to hold one for him.
“Hao!”
Li Yuanzhao and Li Wushuang, among others, also caught up. Seeing Li Hao, the others seemed to carry nervousness and sorrow, not daring to acknowledge him, but Li Yuanzhao called out excitedly.
Li Hao looked at the little fellow, his brow, normally so stern, relaxed into a small smile, and he said, “You’ve already reached the Divine Travel Realm, huh? Seems you haven’t been slacking off.”
Li Yuanzhao, upon hearing Li Hao’s words, had tears bursting forth, and he lunged onto Li Hao:
“Hao, it’s so good you’re all right, it’s so good you’re all right!”
Li Hao was briefly taken aback before he chuckled, but as he felt the boy nuzzle his head into his chest, he quickly pushed him away:
“You little rascal, don’t smear your snot all over me.”
Li Yuanzhao swiftly wiped it away with his sleeve but managed to blow a bubble from his nose:
“Hao, I’ll wash it for you later.”
“Go on, get out of here.”
Li Hao said, somewhat irritably.
Li Wushuang, Li Zhining, and others, including Li Mingjian and Li Sibei, He Jianlan’s children, arrived as well. They had previously misunderstood Li Hao and tried to stop him when he attempted to kill Li Qianfeng after the True Dragon battle had ended.
But after Liu Yue Rong’s matter was investigated and made clear, they realized they had wrongly blamed the young man.
Seeing the young man again now, their emotions were complex, filled with both guilt and elation.
Watching Li Hao casually chatting and laughing with Li Yuanzhao, those of the same generation as Li Hao, like Li Jianming and Li Wushuang, felt an indescribable envy towards the chubby boy, but at the same time, they were filled with a somber sadness.
Being from the same Divine General Mansion, their relationship with Li Hao was significantly more distant, amounting to barely an acquaintance.
“Hao’er, do you still remember your aunty?”
He Jianlan asked, her eyes reddening as she looked at Li Hao who seemed unchanged except in appearance.
Your next journey awaits at empire
Li Hao turned to the woman who had taken much care of him since he was young, his gaze gentle, and replied, “I dare not forget Aunty’s kindness.”
“Is it only kindness? That’s nothing but simple meals, what kindness is that?” He Jianlan’s eyes reddened further.
Li Hao paused briefly, falling into a short silence before he said, “I remember everything. As I said before, I remember everything from my childhood!”
Hearing Li Hao’s words, the expressions of those around him subtly changed, their thoughts seemingly pulled back two years, to the conclusion of the True Dragon competition, to the events that had unfolded in that courtyard.
For a moment, many heads were bowed in sorrow.
Back then, the young man had recounted their shared daily life—details they had long forgotten—like a connoisseur, leaving them both shocked and horrified. Upon reflection, however, it had only brought sadness and regret.
“Are you really… Hao Er?”
Amidst the somber silence, an excited yet nervous and fearful voice rang out.
Ji Qingqing pushed through the crowd to stand in front of Li Hao, her eyes brimming with tears that rolled down her cheeks:
“Did mother mistake you? Are you really Hao Er”
Li Hao looked up at her, seeing that vivid yet tear-streaked face so close to his own.
It was as real as the face he looked up to while in swaddling clothes more than a decade ago.
And as distant as that final, lingering glance he took before the abyss.
Yet his expression returned to tranquility, mirroring the stillness in his heart now. He simply shook his head slightly and said:
“You are mistaken; I am myself, not your son.”
Upon hearing Li Hao’s words, Ji Qingqing was stunned. Beside her, the excited and sorrowful He Jianlan, the recently arrived Li Xiaoran, Li Qingzheng, and others were also taken aback. Their expressions soured, but not with anger—in their eyes surged sadness instead.
Listening to Li Hao’s calm demeanor, Ji Qingqing felt her heart quiver, as though a sharp blade had pierced it.
She wept even more, sorrowfully saying: “You refuse to acknowledge me now, don’t you? I’m sorry, child, I was wrong. I even wished I could die in your place, but mother really had no choice. If I could trade my life for yours, I would do so willingly, do you understand?”
As she spoke, she began to cry bitterly. The Heroic Spirits of her ancestors detached from her, looking on in shock and puzzlement at this scene, their expressions growing increasingly solemn.
The other many ancestors of the Li Family also gathered around, listening to their conversation, all of them were stunned.
No matter how they listened, it sounded like this child was indeed one of their own, a Li.
Yet, there was not a trace of the Li Family’s aura about him.
Could it be… they had been hoodwinked?
Some of the ancestral Heroic Spirits exchanged looks of bewilderment.
Li Hao quietly listened to the woman’s sorrowful crying. His expression hardly changed; he simply said calmly:
“Those events are all in the past. The moment you made your choice, everything was settled. Your child has died, it has nothing to do with your right or wrong. Whether you feel guilty or sad, those are your affairs. There is no need to tell me, nor will I care.”
Li Hao knew that at that time, Ji Qingqing had no choice, but it was not true that there was no choice; she simply hadn’t chosen him.
Regarding this, Li Hao had already come to terms.
He longer cared about it nor sought to pursue it. His ties to this couple had been severed, the shallow bond of gratitude completely cut off, never to be entwined again.
Li Hao had already protected that borrowed young body until the age of fifteen, and he could no longer use that same body to travel any further.
It had been those spouses who cut him off, and he considered himself to have already done more than enough for them.
Otherwise, the assassination attempt in his sixth year, even with talents monstrous as Li Junye’s, could not have been stopped by a Zhou Tian Realm assassin.
Enough… It was all enough…