After the maidservants left, Li Hao stopped playing chess and walked toward the courtyard.
Li Fu also stood up. When Li Hao didn’t speak to him, he returned to his usual expressionless military demeanor, silently following Li Hao like a shadow.
He had already asked the servants about the recent assassination attempt and learned quite a bit, which made him feel a bit scared.
Especially after spending time playing chess with this child, he realized that his current position was exactly where that assassin had been.
They were only separated by a chessboard.
At such a distance, it would be easy to take advantage of a child’s carelessness to strike instantly!
But that assassination was surprisingly stopped. Was it because the assassin was incompetent, or was it because the family elder who intervened was too terrifying? Or perhaps this child really was blessed with good fortune!
Because of this, Li Fu took it as a lesson and stayed close to Li Hao all the time, watching over him during meals, drinks, and sleep. Any servant who got too close to Li Hao would be scrutinized by his hawk-like gaze.
This made the servants in the courtyard secretly complain. Every time they reported something to the young master, they were nervous and didn’t even dare to lift their heads... they were almost becoming introverted.
Seeing Li Hao approach, Bian Ruxue pouted slightly, turning away as if she didn’t want Li Hao to see her.
Li Hao noticed her sulky expression and smiled, asking a servant to bring over a small stool and some pastries and fruits. He sat down beside her and started eating.
“Practicing swordplay with a distracted mind won’t help you beat others,” Li Hao said cheerfully as he watched the girl swing her sword haphazardly, clearly not focused.
Bian Ruxue’s eyes suddenly turned a bit red. She stopped her sword practice and lowered her head, saying, “If only you could practice too, Brother Hao. With your intelligence, you would definitely surpass me and become the best.”
After a year of training in the martial arts arena, Bian Ruxue had grown rapidly. As she matured, she began to understand why the adults had looked at Li Hao with such eyes after measuring his bones.
She also understood what Li Hao had lost during that year.
Hearing Ruxue’s words, Li Fu frowned slightly. Even in his calm eyes, a hint of regret and sorrow showed.
This was also a regret for the Li family and for the Marquis of Martial Justice!
Li Hao felt a bit helpless. He wasn’t sad, so why was this little girl upset?
“Don’t say that.”
Li Hao comforted her, “Practicing swordplay is so tiring. Look at you, out in the sun and wind every day, in the freezing winter and sweltering summer. How exhausting! Unlike me, who eats chilled melons in the summer under the pavilion, plays chess, and sleeps in a warm bed during winter until the sun is high. That’s what happiness is!”
Li Fu couldn’t help but glance at the boy. It really sounded like something he would say.
Without the Marquis of Martial Justice around, the other ladies in the household didn’t dare to discipline him strictly. When he returned, they noticed that the boy’s personality had become a bit cynical.
“You’re not afraid of hardship,” Bian Ruxue said, looking up at him.
“What do you know?”
Li Hao replied irritably, “Look at me now; I’m too lazy to even stand. If I can sit, I won’t stand, and if I can lie down, I won’t sit. Some hardships aren’t worth it. Otherwise, why would we want the sweet things? You’re still young and don’t understand. Just focus on practicing your sword.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Li Fu couldn’t listen any longer and couldn’t help but scold him.
What nonsense! Isn’t every soldier in the border areas enduring hardships?
As a martial artist, the last thing they feared was hardship; they only feared having no talent or resources.
This boy, living in comfort, didn’t appreciate it. He had no talent and complained about hardship. He wasn’t learning well himself, and now he wanted to lead Ruxue astray.
Li Fu saw Bian Ruxue’s talent for swordsmanship and recognized that she would achieve great things in the future. She would become a protective shield for Li Hao, and he couldn’t let this troublemaker ruin her future.
“Uncle Fu, I think Brother Hao is right.”
Bian Ruxue quickly defended Li Hao.
Li Fu’s eyes widened, feeling even angrier. This girl listened to Li Hao too much; if she got led astray, it would be a disaster.
“Don’t let Ruxue hear this nonsense from you. Don’t think I won’t hit you. If I do, even your father will agree!”
Li Fu didn’t want to lose his temper at the well-behaved girl who had lost her parents, so he could only sternly threaten Li Hao.
Li Hao gave a sheepish smile, knowing he couldn’t have a proper conversation with this serious man.
Moreover, the Divine General’s mansion was a military family, and the Li family had always advocated frugality and hard work.
Even though the ladies in each courtyard lived in luxury, envied by others, with the status and background of the Divine General’s mansion, they could actually live even more extravagantly.
And Aunt He Jianlan, for many years, had to eat vegetarian meals two days a week. The soldiers had killed countless enemies, and she didn’t believe in Buddhism. She only said it was to remind herself and her children not to indulge in wealth and luxury, forgetting the duties and integrity of a soldier.
“Yes, yes, yes, Uncle Fu is right.”
Li Hao said to Ruxue, “Look, you’ve made Uncle Fu angry. Hurry and practice your sword.”
Ruxue blinked her eyes and pouted slightly, clearly thinking it was Brother Hao’s fault.
However, she didn’t argue. If she could take Uncle Fu’s anger away from Li Hao, she would be happy to do so.
Hearing Li Hao’s shameless words, Li Fu was almost laughing in anger, rolling his eyes. This boy was really hard to discipline.
“Uncle Fu, can you help and give Ruxue some pointers on her swordsmanship?” Li Hao asked Li Fu.
Li Fu replied flatly, “I use a knife, not a sword.”
“Swords and knives are similar; the difference isn’t big,” Li Hao said with a smile.
“What do you know? Weapons need to be practiced to perfection. Even a slight difference can make a huge impact,” Li Fu replied irritably, then held back his temper. Forget it; this kid didn’t understand martial arts, so it was normal for him to think this way.
Li Hao felt a bit helpless and continued to eat the fruits, crossing his legs while watching Ruxue practice her sword.
“I think your spinning move is wrong.”
Seeing her halfway through, Li Hao casually pointed out to Bian Ruxue, “If you pull your arm down a bit more, it will look better.”
“Don’t say random things; you’ll distract Ruxue,” Li Fu frowned and scolded.
An outsider guiding an insider? This was ridiculous!
But Bian Ruxue ignored Li Fu. She had gotten used to Li Hao’s casual advice. Although Brother Hao hadn’t entered the martial arts world, every time she practiced according to his suggestions, she felt smoother.
At this moment, she lowered her arm and used the spinning move again. Sure enough, she felt a sense of clarity.
Li Fu raised an eyebrow, not because Bian Ruxue had really followed Li Hao’s advice—after all, this girl was too obedient to him—but because the slight change in her posture did indeed add a bit more ferocity to her swordplay.
He looked down at the boy munching on fruit and casually crossing his legs. Was it just a coincidence?
Or was he judging based on appearances?
“You need to use your waist! In this spinning downward slash, it’s not just the hand that needs strength; the waist must drive the arm to swing out,” Li Hao said again.
Bian Ruxue nodded slightly and then practiced it again several times. She finally grasped the key point, and her sword became more powerful.
Li Fu raised his eyebrows, surprised. Once was a coincidence, but twice couldn’t be, right?
Could this child really understand swordplay? Did he have a talent for it?
Although Li Fu didn’t like Li Hao’s personality, he had to admit that after interacting for half a year, this boy was very smart, with maturity and wisdom beyond his peers.
Could it be that he actually had a talent for swordplay but couldn’t practice martial arts, so he couldn’t show it?
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain in his heart. If that were true, what a huge regret it would be!
With Li Hao’s casual guidance, Bian Ruxue’s sword technique gradually approached perfection.
There was no helping it; with Li Hao’s understanding of swordplay, he could absorb Bian Ruxue’s high-quality sword technique with just a glance, directly reaching an excellent level.
He used his perfect understanding to guide her, even skipping the perfect level. As long as Bian Ruxue grasped a bit, she could achieve power comparable to perfection.
Then, Li Hao asked the girl to show him the move she had lost to previously.
Bian Ruxue obediently followed his instructions.
As soon as Li Hao saw it, he understood, even visualizing how she had been defeated.
However, he didn’t say anything. After all, with Li Fu around, it was fine to show a little talent, but if he got too detailed, it would seem too extraordinary.
“This sword doesn’t look good. I think this downward slash should be changed to a diagonal cut, and your elbow should be pulled back.”
“Here, changing from a slash to a thrust would be better; don’t shake your wrist.”
Li Hao casually pointed out.
Bian Ruxue was puzzled, carefully listening and slowly understanding Li Hao’s words. Then she practiced again and again, gradually getting closer to his description.
Li Fu glanced at Li Hao and was now convinced that Li Hao also had a high talent for swordplay.
Although this boy expressed himself in a very unprofessional way, only correcting Bian Ruxue’s movements with “good” and “not good,” he could perceive the beauty of weapons at such a young age, which was also a kind of talent.
After all, in the eyes of geniuses, some things look different.
Li Fu sighed inwardly, feeling more and more regret for Li Hao.
The next day.
The two went to Changchun Courtyard for breakfast, and then Bian Ruxue excitedly ran to the martial arts arena.
After the morning practice and class at the arena, Bian Ruxue found the illegitimate son from yesterday. The girl, holding a sword almost as tall as herself, looked serious and was ready to challenge him again.
Hearing Bian Ruxue’s words, the boy couldn’t help but laugh.
The other illegitimate sons around him also laughed and mocked her.
They didn’t dare to provoke the other direct descendants, but Bian Ruxue was ultimately not a direct descendant of the Li family; she was just the fiancée of a direct descendant who hadn’t married yet. Moreover, that direct descendant was already known as a waste in the Divine General’s mansion, so any of them would surpass him in the future.
Therefore, they couldn’t stand that person who sat on a mountain of treasure, enjoying endless resources and affection.
“Didn’t you learn your lesson from being defeated by Brother Bai yesterday?”
“If you want to stand up for that waste, let him come himself. I can take him down with both hands without Brother Bai’s help!”
“Hmph, Brother Bai was already merciful yesterday. You still don’t get it.”
“Your talent is good, but Brother Bai has been training here for eight years. If you want revenge, maybe in half a year you’ll have a chance, but by then, Brother Bai probably won’t be here anymore.”
Bian Ruxue bit her lip, her small face serious as she stared at the boy in the middle, “Do you dare?”
Her words immediately stirred the boy’s blood. The boy called Brother Bai was named Li Dongbai, one of the three most talented illegitimate sons in the martial arts arena. He had a seventh-grade battle body and enjoyed resources close to those of direct descendants, having already entered the Zhou Tian realm.
However, the martial arts arena’s rules required that the stronger party’s cultivation be suppressed to the weaker party’s level.
And Bian Ruxue’s current cultivation was at the tenth level of the Tongli realm!
“Today, I’ll make you lose clearly.”
Li Dongbai’s eyes were cold. He hadn’t planned to provoke this exceptionally talented girl. He was just chatting about something with his friends, casually mentioning that waste, and this girl came to him.
Even though he was an illegitimate son, he had a high sense of pride and wouldn’t apologize, which led to yesterday’s competition.
“Let’s go!”
Li Dongbai stepped onto the martial arts arena.
Soon, the arena was surrounded by people, all eager to see the match between these two talented illegitimate sons and the extraordinary talented girl.
Outside, the old military instructor smiled and squinted his eyes, encouraging the young and spirited kids to compete against each other.
The sharpness of a sword comes from being honed. If you don’t fight when you’re young, where will the setbacks and progress come from? You can’t wait until you’re my age, an old bone, to fight with others.
Before long, the big and small figures in the arena clashed.
The same scene had been seen by the old military instructor yesterday, and today’s difference wasn’t much, except that Li Dongbai’s attacks were a bit fiercer.
“It seems Ruxue is going to lose again,” the old military instructor thought to himself. “After all, she hasn’t practiced long enough. Although her talent is excellent, she still needs to be tempered.”
At that moment, the figures in the arena intertwined, and the fiercest sword was unleashed.
With a clang, a sword flew out, rolling off the arena and stabbing into the sand.
The figures on the arena froze.
So did the cheers from the crowd below and the old military instructor’s frozen smile.
(End of Chapter)