The notification had continued from the afternoon into the evening, and at night, the city was once again lit up with countless lights.
On the streets, quite a few bold individuals took the lead to stroll around, attracting more people to leave their homes, and gradually the streets bustled again.
In various taverns and teahouses, business quickly resumed, and those with a little money flocked to these lively places to gather and gossip about the news.
Those without money found cool spots in alleys and courtyards to keep company, clustering in groups to discuss events heard that day, occasionally slapping mosquito bites with their palm leaf fans.
And the topic everyone talked about was the city-shaking call, the scale of this demon threat, and the names heard during the slaying of those Demon Kings.
“Have you heard? The demons were directly calling out to Haotian, do you know who Haotian is? That’s right, it’s that one from Liangzhou, the lone star that calmed the entire demon chaos in Liangzhou!”
“Truly a blessing from Dayu, a Heavenly General has descended, born out of nowhere, it’s just a pity that we haven’t seen his true face.”
“He must be sixteen now, right? Ennobled as a Duke, offered the position of Commander-in-Chief, tsk tsk, such fame once in a thousand years, I doubt anyone can surpass that again!”
“Is that Haotian General the one from the Li Family?”
“Haotian General is Haotian General, the Li Family’s guy, isn’t he dead already?”
“That’s right, not long ago the Li Family had a funeral, although it was low-key, I saw it with my own eyes—the Li Mansion had white mourning banners hung up.”
“Is that so? Then it seems I remembered wrong, what a pity for that Li Family’s prodigy, truly a dragon amongst men.”
“Aren’t they the same person? Could the Li Family have made a mistake?”
“You’re joking, could the Divine General Mansion make a mistake?”
“But I’ve never heard of that Haotian General’s background…”
Everywhere on the streets and in the taverns people were talking, some of the older folks still remembered some details, but many of the younger generation had only intermittent knowledge of these celebrities, busy with their own tough jobs on a daily basis, who has the time to keep track every day? Thus, many pieces of information were confused, and gradually, when people discussed the Haotian General, they went on to talk about Liangzhou as well.
And so less and less was mentioned about the Li Family.
In the Cloud Pavilion, Li Hao sat waiting quietly for old friends who had received invitations to arrive. With his exceptional hearing, he naturally overheard many discussions around him, but now, it seemed many had truly forgotten his former family name.
The river of time seemed to bury everything, smoothing all to a roundness.
Li Hao poured and sipped his drink alone, looking at the myriad lights outside the window, the night was so beautiful.
Meanwhile, at Tan Palace Academy and in the various courts of the Divine General Mansion, invitations were being delivered; He Jianlan and others, upon receiving them, sighed slightly again, but had already contained their emotions quite a bit and headed for the banquet with their invitations.
As people gradually left each court, the rooms became empty and deserted. In the end, only the Mountain and River Courtyard remained brightly lit.
At the dining table, Li Tian Gang and Ji Qingqing looked at the full spread of dishes but seemed to have lost their appetites.
Both were lost in thought.
When they heard movement outside the courtyard, they extended their Perceptive Power only to discover a series of carriages speeding out of the Divine General Mansion.
The breaths within those carriages were those of the ladies of the various courts, including He Jianlan. Discover hidden content at empire
The expressions of Li Tian Gang and Ji Qingqing grew difficult, as they glanced occasionally towards the courtyard entrance, where no one entered, no one announced anything.
Apart from Feiyun Court’s Wang Xiangru, the other courts had all received invitations, and now, only they had yet to receive any.
The child evidently had no intention of inviting them.
At the entrance, Steward Zhao stooped, watching the frequent gazes towards the outside from within the hall, his eyes dull with sorrow, letting out a deep sigh in his heart.
If only it had been known, why bother in the first place… he lowered his head, simply looking at his toes, feeling his shoes were somewhat worn.
The chilly moonlight shifted, and the night grew even more tranquil.
The noise of carriages and horses outside the courtyard had also vanished; evidently, all the invitations had been issued, and the banquet had likely already begun.
Li Tian Gang’s face turned ugly. He picked up the chopsticks from the table and roughly stirred the food in front of him, saying:
“Eat, don’t wait anymore. Everyone else is gone. After you eat, go check on the situation with the demons outside the city. I will visit our ancestor and also deal with the affairs of the other cities. We cannot falter!”
Ji Qingqing, however, stared blankly at the food, motionless as if in a daze.
Li Tian Gang shuffled a couple of bites, but couldn’t eat anymore, and placed his bowl and chopsticks heavily on the table. Grinding his teeth, he said:
“He severed his bloodline, but little does he know that without our bloodline, his talent will be greatly diminished. Though he is strong now, this decision will lead to him never being able to comprehend the ‘Way’. Even if, by chance, he does comprehend it, he will have reached his limit!”
“He had the makings of an ‘Ask Sage’, an existence that could have led to the Saint Realm, eternal and undying. He has ruined his own exceptional talents; he doesn’t love himself enough!”
Ji Qingqing’s eyes trembled slightly, and she said with sadness, “Even so, he is still excellent, and it is because of us that he…”
Upon hearing this, Li Tian Gang’s face twitched. He was well aware of this.
But there was grief and anger in his heart with no outlet for release.
“He has gone too far, he will regret this eventually!”
He said, clenching his fists, and then he rose from his seat and left the hall.
Night quietly crept over the tree tops.
The moon was full and round.
Meanwhile, in the Cloud Pavilion, Li Hao was drinking with the others, and the sound of laughter was unceasing.
He Jianlan, Li Muxiu, and others who had come here had given up on trying to persuade Li Hao and were simply eating, drinking, and making merry together.
When the conversation was heartfelt and spirits were high, they still couldn’t help wanting to say a few words of persuasion, but as soon as they started, Li Hao would smilingly interrupt.
Clearly, for everyone, getting used to the fact that Li Hao had completely severed ties with the Divine General Mansion was going to take some time.
At the banquet, disciples from the Tan Palace Academy also came up to Li Hao, taking turns toasting and offering thanks. Li Hao, realizing that the two princes were no longer among them, inquired and learned that they had completed their deep studies and were taken back to the Imperial Capital.
Obviously, the two princes’ visit to the Tan Palace Academy was, as everyone had guessed, solely a means to form connections and accumulate capital.
Li Hao still remembered the prince who was fond of poetry and felt a slight regret for not seeing him this time.
Amidst toasts and laughter, it wasn’t until late into the night that the gathering dispersed.
Li Hao then found an inn and settled down for a brief rest.
The next day.
Having had a rare good night’s sleep, Li Hao felt refreshed. Last night, Li Muxiu mentioned that the Li Family had already sent people with his war banner and the heads of those Demon Kings, escorted by elite light cavalry, to reinforce the various cities of Qingzhou.
The rest of the large army would follow shortly.
With the pressure from the demons outside Qingzhou City gone, the abundant military power that had been defending inside the city could now launch a full-scale offensive toward the battlefield.
The bloodline descendants of the Li Family who were called back by the ancestral blood also rushed to various battlefronts, joining the Li Family’s large army on the campaign to recover lost territories of Qingzhou.
Li Hao shook his head slightly — he had drunk too much the previous night and hadn’t deliberately used his body to purify the alcohol, leaving him with a slight headache.
But he quickly regained clarity.
With increased strength, it seemed he didn’t get drunk as easily anymore.
Unless, it was some specially brewed liquor.
