Upon hearing Li Hao’s inquiry, Ren Qianqian’s expression slightly changed; she hesitated and whispered, “Master Feng has left.”
“Left?”
Li Hao was stunned, and immediately asked, “Was there an urgent matter, to where did he go?”
“Master Feng didn’t say.”
Ren Qianqian slightly shook her head, looked at Li Hao, thought for a moment and still decided to tell what she had witnessed.
In her view, this was Li Hao’s personal matter. She just needed to faithfully report what she had seen to Li Hao and let the young master judge for himself.
After hearing Ren Qianqian’s words, Li Hao’s expression turned ugly.
As she said, when he himself had entered the Mo River, Li Tian Gang had arrived at Heavenly Gate Pass, had an altercation with his doppelgänger, and Master Feng had gone to meet the challenge, but afterwards, he had not seen Master Feng return.
Nor had she heard from Master Feng to inform her that he was leaving.
It was like a departure without farewell.
Later, Li Muxiu came to inform Ren Qianqian that Master Feng had to leave due to some matters and asked her to guard the Heavenly Gate Pass well for Li Hao.
Though it was just Ren Qianqian’s account, based on Li Hao’s understanding of the man, he could almost imagine what kind of conflict had erupted, and the kind of humiliation and embarrassment Master Feng must have endured.
Evidently, Master Feng had been forced to leave.
Li Hao felt a surge of anger in his heart, he took a deep breath, and soon, he felt something was amiss.
With Master Feng’s character and abilities, Li Tian Gang couldn’t have bested him. Even if Li Tian Gang was the True Dragon of the Li family, capable of fighting beyond his realm, Master Feng was stronger than the ordinary Defying Fate Realm and his movement technique was unmatched—were they really to fight, Li Tian Gang wouldn’t even be able to touch his shadow.
Force was not enough to threaten Master Feng.
It had to be words.
And, with Master Feng’s easy-going nature, not many things mattered enough to him, mocking and insults were ineffective.
To have driven him away with words, something truly hurtful must have been said.
At this thought, Li Hao felt a stabbing pain in his heart, his eyes ablaze with anger, yet he contained it, turning into a sharp, cold glare.
“Did Master Feng not say goodbye to you when he left?”
Li Hao asked Ren Qianqian.
Ren Qianqian nodded.
Li Hao’s brow furrowed slightly, feeling subtly that something was wrong. Given Master Feng’s character, even if he were to leave, he would have made it clear.
Moreover, all the way here, Ren Qianqian had followed, and Master Feng, who was quite fond of this young girl, would not have left without bidding her farewell.
Unless he had to leave in a hurry.
Or perhaps, hurt to the core by that person’s words, given that person’s character and Master Feng’s status, he must have found a point to attack, and could have forced Master Feng to comply and leave without saying goodbye, only if it concerned himself.
Was he trying to completely sever ties with him, not wanting his own reputation to entangle Master Feng?
Li Hao’s gaze flickered, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. There weren’t many things that could threaten Master Feng, and he himself had become Master Feng’s vulnerability, letting the old man who had protected him all the way from Qingzhou leave in dismay.
Yet, Master Feng should know that he didn’t care about his reputation at all.
“Master Feng, where exactly did you go…”
Li Hao murmured to himself, looking out at the city beyond the courtyard, mourning the old man who had helped him build this city, who ultimately left as the city flourished.
“Young Master, can we find Master Feng?”
Ren Qianqian couldn’t help but ask upon hearing Li Hao’s words.
She still didn’t know Master Feng’s identity, but she very much liked the old man, the elder who bore no aura of superiority, was accommodating and serene, making him very comfortable to be around.
Li Hao fell into silence.
If Master Feng wanted to hide, who could find him?
With his movement technique and experience, after years of being wanted yet never found, Master Feng had even collected many of the wanted posters from various cities featuring him, boasting and complaining to Li Hao about how unalike they were.
Once, while they were fishing, he had even asked Li Hao to personally draw a wanted poster of him, which he had taken overnight to a city that was searching for him, tearing down the original poster and replacing it with the one Li Hao had drawn. He criticized the quality of the artwork on the wanted poster, saying the artist hired was too low-level to match his status.
At the time, that statement had made both Li Muxiu and Li Hao burst into silent laughter.
Li Hao agreed that the drawing captured the likeness perfectly, and later, that particular wanted poster was bought by an artist who admired its craftsmanship to study, and the original poster was restored in its place. Master Feng recounted this story to Li Hao and Li Muxiu while they were fishing, making them both unable to resist laughing.
But now, everything seemed very distant, those peaceful and quiet moments appeared unreachable.
“Unless Master Feng himself wishes to come out, no one can find him.”
Li Hao slowly shook his head and told Ren Qianqian, “Have the Governor of Liangzhou come over.”
Ren Qianqian felt a pang of sadness upon hearing Li Hao’s words, lowering her head and acknowledging.
Li Hao planned to leverage the influence of Liangzhou, spread the word that he had returned to Heavenly Gate Pass.
Just he didn’t know whether, upon hearing the news, Master Feng would be willing to come and see him once more.
Thinking about this, Li Hao entered the courtyard and saw the familiar arrangement inside, which had not changed much. He took paper and brush and quickly drew several wanted portraits. If Feng saw these paintings, he would definitely know that it was him searching…
Thinking about finding Feng in this way, Li Hao felt both amused and melancholic. The old gentleman, if he saw the wanted portraits, would probably remember the old times too.
Next, Li Hao called over a general from the Grandmaster Realm and sent him to Youzhou to pass a message and ask the Xia Family for help in finding Feng and spreading the word.
Back then, the young boy was too weak to protect him, but now, Li Hao did not want Feng to suffer the slightest grievance.
Time flew by.
Cangya City, celebrating Li Hao’s return, held a feast, and the whole city was caught in days of cheering.
The news of Li Hao’s return to Cangya City was also spied on by the demons from Tianji Palace outside the city. The city’s cheers could not be concealed, and the news quickly spread through Tianji Palace.
Meanwhile, outside the city at Heavenly Gate Pass and extending for thousands of miles, the areas that Li Hao had previously cleared were gradually being secretly reoccupied by demons. After all, the previously discovered caves and blessed lands could accelerate cultivation, and they were not something to be easily given up.
But now, with the news from Tianji Palace spreading, all the demons knew that the boy had returned, back to Heavenly Gate Pass.
Within just a few days, all the demons within thousands of miles outside the city were frightened, migrating and hiding overnight, fearing that the boy would come out again for a sweep.
This situation made the bird demons from Tianji Palace, in charge of Heavenly Gate Pass, feel very confliccled. Merely the boy’s return to Cangya City had deterred the demons from settling for thousands of miles outside the pass. Such was the terrifying influence of the boy.
And only two years ago, that boy had first entered the pass.
In just two years, his growth had been beyond imagination, to the point it could be called shocking and extraordinary.
Shortly after Li Hao’s return, the Xia Family heard the news, and Xia Yuan Wu personally came to visit and ascended the pass to formally thank Li Hao.
Back when Youzhou was being pacified, Li Hao had left in a hurry to help Qingzhou, and they had not had the chance to properly bid farewell. The Xia Family certainly could not trivialize this matter, their gratitude for Li Hao was heartfelt.
For this elder of the Xia Family, Li Hao invited him to come inside and sit. As for the Xia Family’s thanks, Li Hao said it was already in the past, merely a small matter, not worth mentioning.
Seeing the boy’s calm and collected demeanor, Xia Yuan Wu felt rather embarrassed and immediately invited Li Hao to visit the Xia Family.
Originally, they had planned to ask Li Hao for help and to give him a little chicken that the old lady had been raising, which was a Great Demon from the Three Immortal Realms, but now, Li Hao’s mount was a four-stands realm Demon King and also the ruler of the Great Void Realm.
The previously planned “modest gift” now seemed indeed very modest.
Moreover, since Li Hao had single-handedly resolved a disaster by slaying the Gluttonous Valley Master and essentially saved Youzhou from a dangerous situation alone, it would be almost insulting not to offer something significant in return.
Among the demons the Xia Family old lady had been raising, there were also two Demon Kings. They had been guarding important locations for the Li Family for many years and had sold quite a bit of effort during times of crisis. This time, Xia Yuan Wu came as the old lady had instructed, to offer one to Li Hao so he could personally choose.
Giving a four-stands realm demon, especially with a specially formulated Blood Covenant by the Xia Family that made rebellion very unlikely, was undoubtedly a grand gift.
At this moment, Xia Yuan Wu spoke these words, but Li Hao just slightly shook his head and declined.
For him, a typical four-stands realm demon meant little, and signing a Blood Covenant was utterly pointless.
Your next read awaits at empire
After all, even a demon of the Grand Tao of Peace Realm was utterly helpless in front of him.
Instead of keeping it by his side for mundane tasks, it was better to leave it in the Xia Family, which at least guarded four states and often went on campaigns that could put the demon to some use.
Seeing that Li Hao remained unmoved, Xia Yuanwu secretly lamented, for this was something other Divine General Mansions had long coveted, yet it seemed to hold no appeal for the young man in front of him.
He looked troubled, knowing that mere words of thanks would seem insincere.
Li Hao noticed the other’s dilemma and after a moment’s thought, his mind stirred. The Xia family was also a millennia-old Divine General Mansion. Their collection of Cultivation Techniques was not much less than that of the Li Family, and certainly more valuable than some Demon King-level tamed beast.
“Would you like to visit Lingyuan Pavilion?”
At Li Hao’s words, Xia Yuanwu was stunned. That place was where the Xia family stored their most valuable Cultivation Skill Manuals, akin to the Li Family’s Listening Rain Tower.
“If it’s difficult, seeing just half would be fine,” Li Hao said.
Xia Yuanwu’s expression eased slightly. The Lingyuan Pavilion was one of the foundations of the Xia family. For a powerful cultivator like Li Hao, with a strong Divine Soul, a mere glance could commit to memory the contents, though mastering them all might not be possible. But for major powers, Cultivation Techniques were crucial to establishing their legacies.
Like the Sects of Jianghu, where Cultivation Techniques are central and the highest secrets.
“If General Haotian agrees to keep it confidential and observes it personally, the Lingyuan Pavilion can be fully accessible to General Haotian,” Xia Yuanwu said. “However, I need to go back and report to the Family Head before I can give General Haotian a definite answer.”
Apart from some techniques that even direct members of the Xia Family might not learn, Lingyuan Pavilion essentially gathered ninety-nine percent of the Xia Family’s techniques.
For example, the old grandmother’s unique demon-taming skill was not included there since it was passed down through one lineage only and stored in the Xia Family’s Secret Vault, a real foundation of their house.
“Okay.”
Li Hao nodded his agreement. His main intention was to use these techniques to deduce more refined techniques. Even if he taught Ren Qianqian or someone else, he would teach his own far-evolved versions of these original techniques.
After some more pleasantries, Xia Yuanwu set off to return to Youzhou.
Liangzhou was not far from Youzhou, and two days later, Xia Yuanwu once again rushed to Liangzhou Tianmenguan to inform Li Hao of the Xia Family’s decision:
“The Family Head has agreed. General Haotian, you may visit Lingyuan Pavilion at any time.”
Li Hao smiled, surprised that the Xia Family’s head had such resolve.
He immediately left some war banners at Tianmenguan and then took Ren Qianqian with him to broaden her horizons. Since following him to Tianmenguan, the young girl had been confined to a small courtyard, which inevitably was somewhat dull.
The Candle Flame God, feeling slightly discontent when Ren Qianqian climbed onto his back, snorted, and Li Hao gently patted its head, leaving it no choice but to accept.
On the way, Li Hao started talking to Xia Yuanwu about asking the Xia Family to help find Master Feng. Xia Yuanwu had heard of Feng Boping and expressed surprise, but agreed to assist as much as possible.