Soon, Li Muxiu landed on the fishing platform he had been at before.
He scanned the area but didn’t see Li Hao. His expression changed, and he quickly looked around. A moment later, he spotted Li Hao a kilometer away, crouched down by a pile of dirt, hiding while fishing.
“Can’t he be patient?”
Li Muxiu shook his head slightly. Just as he was about to head over, he caught sight of a fish demon with a smashed head out of the corner of his eye.
He paused for a moment, then suddenly appeared right in front of the fish demon, as if he had teleported.
After examining it closely, he realized the injury was made by a fist.
Li Muxiu reached out to touch the fish demon’s body, sensing it carefully. His expression changed immediately.
A fish demon at the Zhou Tian realm? And around the third level!
This fish demon... was killed by that little guy?!
Surprise flickered in Li Muxiu's eyes as he looked over at Li Hao. Without saying a word, he dashed a thousand meters and quickly reached Li Hao's side.
“Kid!”
The sudden voice startled Li Hao.
He was focused on the fish bladder and hadn’t noticed when the old man had arrived.
“Shh!”
Li Hao hurriedly made a gesture for silence.
Li Muxiu was taken aback. Just as he was about to ask, he followed Li Hao’s gaze to the fish bladder.
His vision pierced through the water, and he immediately saw a fish demon circling near the hook, seemingly hesitating.
What surprised Li Muxiu was that the hook was completely covered by bait, making it hard to detect.
When did he learn this sneaky hooking technique?
While Li Muxiu was astonished, the fish demon below finally couldn’t hold back. Although it felt a vague sense of unease, it couldn’t pinpoint why. In the end, driven by the bait, it impulsively took a bite.
It was hooked!
Li Hao’s eyes lit up. As the fish bladder sank, he suddenly yanked it up.
The hook pierced the fish demon’s mouth, causing it to struggle and create waves in the water.
Li Hao wasted no time, quickly pulling the line and using his earlier fishing techniques to skillfully tug the fish back and forth in the water, wearing it out.
Minutes later, he pulled the fish demon onto the shore. It was a small demon at the sixth level of the Tongli realm.
Seeing how easily Li Hao handled it, Li Muxiu’s eyes flickered. Once Li Hao removed the hook from the fish demon’s mouth and tossed it onto the slope behind them, Li Muxiu asked, “That fish demon over there, did you kill it?”
“Yeah.”
Li Hao nodded, admitting it.
There was no one else around, so lying was pointless.
“Do you know what realm that fish demon was?” Li Muxiu squinted slightly, staring into Li Hao’s eyes, as if trying to see into his soul.
“Zhou Tian realm?”
Li Hao guessed based on the power the fish demon had shown in the water.
It definitely couldn’t be from the Tongli realm.
“Correct, at least the third level of Zhou Tian!” Li Muxiu fixed his gaze on Li Hao. “You’ve just practiced the Bull Strength technique, at most you’re at the sixth level of Tongli. Honestly, have you secretly practiced something else?”
Li Hao had already prepared his answer. Seeing the old man take the initiative to ask, he pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding, “Yeah.”
“What book?”
“The Thousand Dragons Sacred Body from the sixth floor,” Li Hao replied.
Li Muxiu raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence! He had wanted to say that if Li Hao really had talent for body refinement, he wouldn’t mind teaching him that body refinement manual later. But it seemed this kid had already gone to learn it himself, and from the looks of it, he had learned quite a bit!
“How far have you practiced?” Li Muxiu asked, staring intently.
“Second layer.”
Li Hao answered honestly.
The second layer was the Dragon Body, which could unleash half the power of a dragon. Even without stepping into the Zhou Tian realm, he could display strength comparable to the early stages of Zhou Tian, which explained how he managed to kill that fish demon.
Li Muxiu took a deep breath. Second layer?
He looked at the child before him, barely eight years old, and was astonished that he had reached the second layer already!
It seemed Li Fu hadn’t been wrong; this kid really had talent for body refinement.
“Even mastering the Dragon Body, being able to catch that fish demon is no easy feat. You little guy, not only do you have talent for body refinement, but you also have great potential in fishing!” Li Muxiu praised with a smile.
Li Hao scratched his head, smiling humbly, but inwardly he thought, judging by the old man’s tone, it seemed his talent for body refinement pleased him less than his fishing skills.
“They all thought you were a waste in martial arts, but who would have thought that at such a young age, you could kill a Zhou Tian realm demon, haha…”
Li Muxiu laughed heartily. No matter how high his potential was in the future, at this moment, Li Hao’s combat power was still stronger than those top talents with ninth-level battle bodies!
After the laughter subsided, Li Muxiu thought of something and looked down at Li Hao:
“By the way, Li Fu shouldn’t know about this, right? You little rascal, when did you secretly start practicing? Why didn’t you tell Li Fu? Do you not trust him?”
“I started learning when I first entered the Listening Rain Tower a few years ago.”
Li Hao said innocently, “Uncle Fu… he didn’t ask me.”
Li Muxiu rolled his eyes, “So just because he didn’t ask, you didn’t say anything? No wonder you managed to master the Bull Strength technique in just three months. With that foundation, practicing Bull Strength must be as easy as eating or drinking for you. Did your dad tell you to hide this?”
Li Hao thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.
“So it’s all you?”
Li Muxiu narrowed his eyes.
Seeing Li Hao silent, he suddenly thought of many things. A cold glint appeared in his eyes: “Could it be that someone in the mansion is eyeing you, so you’re keeping a low profile?”
Li Hao looked into the old man’s eyes and saw a chilling killing intent. He pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
“Who?!”
Seeing that it was true, Li Muxiu became furious.
How could a seven-year-old child suffer such grievances? Those second-generation brats would be in for it!
Li Hao shook his head slightly, “For now, I don’t want to say.”
“Why?”
Li Muxiu was taken aback, staring at Li Hao, then quickly understood the child’s thoughts:
“You don’t trust me? Think I might be connected to the ones eyeing you? Haha, you’re overthinking it. I have no children or family; there are few things in this world worth my concern.”
Li Hao still shook his head, remaining silent.
Li Muxiu stared at him with a serious expression. After a moment, the anger on his face faded, and he nodded slightly, revealing a hint of a smile:
“Since we just met and aren’t close, it’s normal for you to be cautious. However, since you won’t tell me who that person is, why are you willing to expose your strength in front of me? You could have easily let that fish demon go and taken the fishing rod away without anyone knowing.”
Li Hao smiled slightly, “Because you’re not a bad person, old man.”
Li Muxiu was taken aback, looking at the bright smile on Li Hao’s face and his clean eyes. For a moment, he was lost in thought.
After a while, he came back to his senses and couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly. “You’ve got it wrong; I’m not a bad person, but when I get angry, I’m not exactly pleasant either.”
“Then what are you like?”
“When you step out of the Divine General Mansion in the future, you’ll hear my name outside,” Li Muxiu laughed.
Seeing this, Li Hao didn’t ask further.
“You little guy, so clever at such a young age. It’s a bit of a shame.” Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao, growing fonder of the child. If he could train normally, he might become another little Jiuyou.
However, he only felt a bit of regret and didn’t have any deep obsession.
After all, what good would it do to become Li Junye? It would just end up dying on the battlefield; it seemed to be the fate of the Li family’s sons.
“From now on, you don’t need to hide your body refinement talent in front of me. Show it off boldly. I’ve seen many geniuses, and you’re just a normal first-rate genius; you won’t scare me.”
Li Muxiu said lightly, “If anyone in the mansion still covets you, thinking you’re a hindrance to some people, I want to see if our Divine General Mansion can still accommodate a child of body refinement.”
After packing up the catch, Li Muxiu took Li Hao back to Qingzhou City.
To spark Li Hao’s interest in fishing, Li Muxiu didn’t land directly at the Listening Rain Tower in the inner mansion but instead landed at the main entrance. Then, he had Li Hao carry the fish basket, and the two of them swaggered into the mansion.
“Old man, what are we doing?” Li Hao asked, puzzled.
“You wouldn’t understand; this is fishing tradition.”
Li Muxiu held his head high, looking proud.
“Not counting the one you killed and the one I used as bait, you caught four more. For a beginner like you, that’s already a great harvest. We have to show everyone.”
“Is there such a rule?” Li Hao was surprised.
Li Muxiu shot him a glance, “I say there is, so there is.”
“Muxiu!”
The servants and maids along the way were startled when they saw Li Muxiu, not understanding why this long-time resident of the Listening Rain Tower was here. They hurriedly bowed and paid their respects.
Li Muxiu ignored them and continued on with Li Hao.
The two of them took several turns, heading towards the busier areas.
In the training ground, the clan’s younger generation was practicing, and an old soldier was giving a lecture. Li Muxiu pushed the door open and walked in.
The old soldier was about to frown, but when he saw Li Muxiu’s face, he jumped in surprise and hurriedly stood up to greet him, “Old General of the Yuan Battalion greets Lord Muxiu!”
“Still teaching?”
Li Muxiu asked casually, then continued, “I took Hao’er out fishing today. It was his first time, and he didn’t have much experience, so he only caught a few small demons. Do you want to take some for drinking?”
The old soldier was taken aback, seeing the few fish demons in Li Hao’s basket. He quickly replied, “Thank you, Lord, but I have enough food for drinking today.”
He politely declined.
Having been in the mansion for many years, he knew the old lord’s personality well and immediately understood this was a routine visit to show off.
If he took them, the old man would surely be furious and sneak up on him in the middle of the night for a beating.
He wouldn’t dare take that risk.
“Oh, then that’s fine. You can continue teaching,” Li Muxiu said casually, leading Li Hao away.
Li Hao was left speechless. Was this the fishing tradition? Too rigid!
They turned past the training ground and arrived at the Changchun Courtyard.
“Second Uncle, what brings you here? It’s almost lunchtime. Should I have the servants add another pair of chopsticks for you? What would you like to eat?” He Jianlan was chatting with Fifth Miss Gao when she saw Li Muxiu and quickly stood to greet him.
Li Muxiu replied lightly, “Hao’er caught a few small fish; I’ll make soup for you.”
“Did Hao’er catch these?”
He Jianlan was surprised when she saw Li Hao holding the fish basket with a few struggling little fish inside.
“Otherwise, do you think I would catch such small fish?” Li Muxiu shot her an annoyed glance.
He Jianlan was speechless. She knew her second uncle had a strange personality, and being rude to him was one thing, but she must never mention fishing.
“Of course, since it’s a gift from Second Uncle, I’ll gladly accept it,” He Jianlan said quickly.
“Thank me for what? It’s Hao’er’s fish,” Li Muxiu emphasized.
He Jianlan paused, then helplessly said, “Then I’ll thank Hao’er.”
“Aunt, don’t be polite,” Li Hao quickly said, while casting a sidelong glance at the old man. This tradition was making him feel uncomfortable, like sitting on pins and needles.
After handing the fish to He Jianlan, once the old man and the boy left, He Jianlan looked at the small fish, realizing they were all small demons at the Tongli realm, and couldn’t help but be surprised.
Earlier, she had heard Li Fu say that Li Hao had talent for body refinement, and it seemed to be true.
“Did that child really catch these?”
Gao Qingqing looked at the small fish in surprise. Everyone knew Li Hao was a waste in martial arts, and they all thought he was just an ordinary person. Who would have thought he could catch small demons at the Tongli realm? This meant Li Hao had embarked on the path of cultivation and was making good progress.
“Second Uncle wouldn’t lie about fishing,” He Jianlan said.
She looked towards the courtyard gate, where the old man and boy had vanished: “It seems that child has started practicing body refinement. This is a tough path; I feel sorry for him.”
Gao Qingqing couldn’t help but shake her head slightly and sighed.
Even though Li Hao had talent for body refinement, this path was too hard, and not many could stick with it until the end. If he were her child, she would rather he be an ordinary person and enjoy life.
“It must be the intention of the seventh branch… truly heartless,” Gao Qingqing said softly.
Back at the Listening Rain Tower, Li Hao spotted Li Fu waiting outside from a distance.
Li Muxiu saw him too and snorted.
When Li Fu saw the two of them, he immediately approached, glancing at the fish blood on Li Hao’s clothes. His expression changed, and he hurriedly said, “Second Uncle, Hao’er…”
“Fishing, it’s inevitable to have a tussle with the fish demons. Don’t worry, with me around, Hao’er won’t get hurt,” Li Muxiu said calmly.
Li Fu sighed in relief, then handed Li Hao something, “This is a letter from the Sword Lodge. It should be from Miss Xueer. Take a look.”
(End of Chapter)