Chapter 89: Chapter 83: Revisiting the Past
Li Xuanli came over and first paid his respects to Madam He Jianlan with a slight bow.
He then individually greeted the other sisters-in-law, nodded at his younger siblings, and finally sat down with a smile, saying:
“Shuang Er, how is your cultivation progressing at Qianji Sect? I heard you’ve made it onto the Qian list, not bad.”
Upon hearing her father’s praise, Li Wushuang’s expression remained calm. Li Yun, sitting by her side, had his eyes shining brightly, revealing a rather proud demeanor, while Li Zhining also looked at her elder sister with sparkling eyes, seemingly viewing her as a role model.
“I’m only at the bottom of the list, after all. If I could be like Ninth Uncle, who reached the top of the Qian list as soon as he entered it, that would be truly impressive.”
She had no intention of boasting; she was merely stating the facts.
Upon hearing his daughter mention Old Nine, a subtle change flickered across Li Xuanli’s eyes, and the smile on his face receded slightly.
That dazzling, meteor-like figure from the past, just as Emperor Yu had said fourteen years ago, that fallen radiance was indeed the pain of the Li Family!
Although they had nine brothers and did not count the sisters, each of them was closely knit with one another, united as one.
However, as they each took wives and visited each other less, they gradually drifted apart.
In the past, they used to train and dine together in the large courtyard, laugh and frolic together, and together they would avoid their father’s punishments…
Time flies like an arrow.
The summer night’s frog choruses that linger in the memories of the courtyard have long been inaudible…
Seeing the atmosphere at the scene grow slightly quiet, Li Wushuang realized she shouldn’t have brought up that painful scar of the Li Family. Her face changed slightly, and she kept silent.
Li Xuanli, lost in melancholic thoughts, regained his composure and, realizing his daughter had fallen silent, affected by his emotions, immediately smiled lightly and said with a carefree tone:
“You want to compare yourself with your Ninth Uncle? You’re still too green for that. Your Ninth Uncle was already challenging the Celestial Master Realm at seventeen, defeating all challengers in reverse order. Outside Qingzhou City at Phoenix Immortal Platform, he issued a challenge to the world’s finest, and in the end, no one dared to respond!”
Recounting those youthful days, Li Xuanli’s face once again bore a hint of a smile, filled with nostalgia for those spirited times.
Back then they still had the sky above them, as well as their father, and their eldest brother, which allowed them to roam freely across Jianghu, traveling far and wide.
Drinking and riding freely, they explored all nineteen provinces.
But as the sky above them collapsed and their father’s soul went to Mo River, unable to be freed to this day, unable to return to the Li family ancestral hall or to reincarnate,
they also lost that leisurely disposition and instead began to cultivate fervently.
At the same time, they started bearing the heavy responsibility of the Li Family, guarding the Frontier Pass, charging through battlefields, and exorcising demons!
Hearing Li Xuanli’s words, a trace of reminiscence appeared in the eyes of the madams of each household. That period was also when most of them had newly married into the Li residence, when they were most naive and free-spirited, and it was the most beautiful time they had spent with their husbands.
Yearning emerged in Li Wushuang’s eyes. With just a few words from her father, she painted a silhouette in her heart, grand and invincible in the world—the silhouette of her Ninth Uncle, the one she had heard about proudly since childhood.
To challenge the world—such a commanding presence, how many in this world can achieve that?
Li Hao, however, inwardly sighed. Such a prodigy, yet died young, a truly regrettable loss.
“The food is getting cold; let’s start eating first.”
In the end, it was He Jianlan who was the most rational, pulling back her thoughts and saying with a smile.
Everyone chuckled and started to help themselves, calling on each other to eat.
“Hmm, these dishes are good.”
During the meal, they talked about other things, no longer touching on those sentimental memories, seemingly reaching an unspoken agreement on this matter.
Li Xuanli tasted a few dishes and exclaimed in appreciation, “Shuang Er, it’s not often you come back. You should try this Bamboo Fragrant Dark Dragon Liver; it’s quite good. It’s the same taste from over a decade ago, not changed a bit. Your father hasn’t had it for many years either.”
“Oh?”
Li Wushuang, who had maintained a cool demeanor until now, revealed a trace of a daughter’s playful nature at this moment, curiously picking up the dish and tasting it carefully.
“Mm, it really is good,” Li Wushuang smiled, showing her teeth.
Li Xuanli looked at his eldest sister-in-law and said with a smile, “Eldest sister-in-law has put a lot of thought into this for Shuang Er. The Bamboo Fragrant Dark Dragon Liver from Emerald Lake Courtyard is a unique delicacy of Qingzhou, and I almost forgot its taste after such a long time.”
He Jianlan smiled faintly, glancing at Li Hao, who was concentrating on his food, and said:
“It wasn’t me who prepared it, but Hao Er and Yuan Zhao who bought it together. They said that since Shuang Er had been away for many years, she likely hadn’t had Qingzhou’s delicacies, so they specially bought it for her.”
Li Xuanli was momentarily stunned, then looked at Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao on the other side, “Did you two buy this?”
Li Hao glanced at him, harboring great respect for his warrior uncle, and nodded.
Li Yuanzhao smiled and said, “Uncle Five, Hao knows food best. The delicious dishes you just praised were all Hao’s idea for me to buy. There are still several more coming up.”
“Oh?”
Li Xuanli, surprised, naturally remembered Li Hao, the seventh brother’s only son with Qingqing. He had attended the boy’s hundred-day celebration.
Later, he heard the child was a cultivation cripple, but it seemed he had somehow managed to unblock himself, or perhaps his second uncle had thought of a method to help him. In any case, he was able to cultivate again.
But it was a pity that he had missed the opportunities for Foundation Establishment and Blood Melting; his aptitude was inevitably inferior to others, and starting late, he had wasted valuable time.
Feeling pity, his gaze softened when he looked at Li Hao:
“Hao Er, that’s very thoughtful of you. I heard your father is about to return, and the war in Northern Yan has ended. The report has been submitted to the court, and I believe you’ll see him soon.”
As he spoke, he addressed his daughter, “Shuang Er, aren’t you going to thank Xiao Hao? This thoughtfulness is no less important than any other gift.”
Li Hao felt moved by his uncle’s words, which seemed to carry a hidden meaning since he had arrived later than others, and now spoke as if he had been observing the situation with Spiritual Thought from the start.
He developed a favorable impression of this discerning Uncle Five.
Out of consideration for the other party, Li Hao no longer dwelt on the incident just now and pretended as if nothing had happened. At this moment, one more glance at Li Wushuang would have likely made the latter embarrassed.
On the other side, Li Wushuang’s expression had turned sour upon hearing her aunt’s words, and now, listening to her father’s, she suddenly found the dragon liver in her mouth difficult to swallow.
She glanced at Li Hao, only to see him picking up food as though he wasn’t waiting for her gratitude.
To her, this attitude seemed aloof and somewhat arrogant.
Her face turned cold, and she put the half-eaten piece of dragon liver from her bowl back onto the table, reaching for another dish as she said,
“Dad, I’ve already thanked him, and also, I don’t actually like dragon liver that much, it’s too greasy.”
Li Xuanli was taken aback and his expression abruptly darkened. He put down his chopsticks and stared at her, saying,
“Shuang Er, I’ve taught you since you were little to be honest and forthright. You’ve just come back, what do you have against Hao Er? Just because he gave you a bottle of elixir?!”
At this point, he no longer concealed that he had been paying attention to the situation all along.
As he became angry, the others at the dining table also involuntarily stopped eating. Gao Qingqing knew her husband’s temper and also found it strange; Shuang Er had never been like this before.
However, the atmosphere was now stiff, and if she were to ask her daughter to apologize in front of everyone in the room, it could possibly damage the child’s self-esteem.
He Jianlan saw that the situation was becoming awkward and gently said, “Xuan Li, don’t be angry with Shuang Er, she just came back. Shuang Er, do you have some kind of view towards Hao?”
Li Wushuang hadn’t expected her father to scold her publicly, and she instantly felt an inexplicable sense of grievance. She had been away from home for so long, and before she had even had a chance to spend time with her father upon her return, he was already scolding her on behalf of an outsider.
She bit her lip and glared at Li Hao, “That’s something you should ask him about. Taking advantage of my absence, he bullied my younger brother. Dad, you’ve been healing on Zen Meditation Mountain, so you don’t know about it.”
“Hm?” Li Xuanli was slightly stunned. Li Hao bullying his own child?
Li Yun’s expression also changed slightly, and he grew anxious.
When his elder sister had returned, they had a lot to catch up on. When Li Wushuang casually asked with a smile if anyone had bullied them in recent years,
he took the opportunity to mention the time Li Hao had beaten him up as a child. It was embarrassing to mention such things to his mother, but telling his big sister, he felt like he had found a strong backer.
He had thought of getting back at Li Hao on his own, but every time he saw Li Hao, he irrationally chickened out.
And Li Wushuang, upon hearing this, naturally remembered Li Hao’s name, thinking she should seize the opportunity to put him in his place.
So that was the reason… Li Hao was somewhat at a loss for words. He looked at the blushing and anxious Li Yun and didn’t expect the lad to hold such a grudge. It seemed he hadn’t hit him hard enough back then; the fact that the kid still remembered it meant he hadn’t hit him hard enough.
“Yun’er, when did this happen?” Gao Qingqing’s face showed concern as she quickly asked.
Li Yun, who had never been scrutinized by so many elders before, blushed slightly and lowered his head a little, “Several years ago.”
“Exactly when?”
“Five or six years ago…”
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately realized it was a misunderstanding. Five or six years ago?
Back then, Li Hao and Li Yun were just eight or nine years old; at most, this could be considered child’s play, not bullying.
Furthermore, Li Hao was still considered infirm at the time, with unopened meridians, and had yet to start practicing martial arts.
While Li Yun had been training at the martial arts field for a few years already.
Huh? Right! How could he have been bullied then?
As everyone came to this realization, their looks became suspicious, glancing between Li Hao and Li Yun.
Gao Qingqing relieved, knowing it wasn’t the sort of bullying she had thought. It was probably just a scuffle over some verbal dispute, likely nothing more serious than the sparring that took place in the martial arts field.
“You child, this happened so long ago, why are you still holding onto it, and even going so far as to complain to your sister?” Gao Qingqing rebuked him, irked. Her son was fine in all other respects but lacked magnanimity, failing to inherit his father’s broad-mindedness and generosity.
The other ladies present began to laugh lightly, and Liu Yue Rong said with a smile, “Yun’er, five or six years ago, your brother Hao hadn’t even started training yet, so who was bullying whom?”
The question seemed teasing, but Li Hao immediately sensed a probing undertone.
Of course, he might have been overthinking it.
Li Yun’s face became even more flushed, both ashamed and embarrassed. Back then, he truly had never beaten Li Hao, who was indeed stronger than him by a great deal.
“I was careless at the time.”
“He ambushed me, and he was stronger,” Li Yun said with a red face.
Hearing Li Yun’s words, everyone couldn’t help but smile, remembering that Li Hao used to practice Body Refinement and naturally would have been stronger.
Seeing Li Yun’s embarrassed face, they knew the dilemma he faced: despite training in martial arts, he had been bullied by Li Hao, who had not yet started cultivating, a humiliating story to share.
As a result, he had complained in secret to his sister, whom he hadn’t seen in years, only to accidentally expose this embarrassing incident.
“Hmmph, it’s because you were always fixated on Hao’s fiancée,” Li Yuanzhao said, annoyed upon hearing Li Yun’s words.
No sooner had he finished speaking did he feel his mother’s gaze upon him, her eyes silently saying three words, “Shut your mouth.”
Li Xuanli came to understand it was a misunderstanding and sternly glared at Li Yun, saying,
“Useless thing, making such a fuss over something so trivial and tattling to your sister. A man as tall as you should settle it with Hao in the martial arts field if you’re disgruntled, not whine to your parents—what kind of skill is that!”
His rebuke was so harsh it left Li Yun even more mortified.
Gao Qingqing was displeased with how her husband scolded their son, gave him a reproachful look, and changed the subject, asking Li Hao,
“Speaking of which, Hao, when is your fiancée coming back? She is apprenticed to the Sword Saint, and when she’s back, let her spar with Shuang Er.”