Hearing the child's careful words, He Jianlan's expression tightened slightly. She nodded gently and said softly, "Auntie will pass on everything you said. You don’t need to worry. Just focus on your training with your second granduncle. Listen to him and don’t act recklessly. If you have time, you can also go to the training ground to practice. You’re always welcome there."
Before, she hadn’t wanted Li Hao to go to the training ground because she was worried he might get bullied. Now that Li Hao had started his training, going to the training ground would allow him to spar and learn from others, which would help him in his cultivation.
After Li Hao left with Li Fu, He Jianlan couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
Beside her, Xue Jian noticed her expression and cautiously asked, "Why are you sighing, Madam?"
"Xiao Qi is busy with military affairs in Yanbei. Maybe he’s too busy to remember. This couple hasn’t seen each other in so many years; they don’t even send more letters to check on this child. Hao’er is actually very sensible…" He Jianlan murmured to herself, her tone tinged with helplessness and a hint of reproach.
Xue Jian, quick-witted, suddenly realized, "Could it be that what Madam just said was all…"
He Jianlan shot her a glance, and Xue Jian immediately fell silent, lowering her head. She couldn’t help but sneak a look outside, where she saw the small figure swaying as it walked away.
So, the care and concern Madam expressed earlier were all made up by her, but that little young master took it seriously…
Back at the Shanhua Courtyard, Li Hao hadn’t even taken out his drawing board when he received a letter delivered by a servant. Upon seeing the signature, a smile appeared on his face, and his earlier feelings of disappointment vanished.
Although he hadn’t interacted much with the couple from Yanbei, strangely, he found himself missing them at times, especially during the quiet of the night. Perhaps it was the warmth of their embrace that lingered in his dreams. Or maybe it was their sincere eyes that he still remembered.
The letter in his hand was from Jianlu, sent by that lovely little girl. Ever since she went to Jianlu, she would send letters every so often. At first, it was every three to five days, but later, she mentioned that her master, the Sword Saint, was strict and wanted her to focus on her training, so the frequency of her letters decreased. Now, she still managed to send one every month.
The letters no longer detailed her daily life, as she had mentioned many times that training at Jianlu was quite dull and repetitive. Basic training could be tedious.
Li Hao opened the letter, sitting on a sunlit lounge chair, smiling as he read it word by word, missing nothing. He even spotted a typo and a circle with a cross, indicating a character she had written wrong and skipped over because she didn’t know how to write it.
In his mind, he could almost picture her scratching her head in front of the letter, and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
The letter talked about her recent meals and the precious medicine her master had gotten for her. She had reached the fifth level of the Zhou Tian realm and opened twenty-one meridians, practicing the strongest technique at Jianlu.
Li Hao had heard his second uncle mention that Jianlu’s technique was the Star River Sword Qi Technique, a top-tier skill. If one could reach perfection in the Zhou Tian realm, they could open forty-nine meridians!
Compared to the Li family’s 54-meridian Dragon River Divine Pulse technique, it was only slightly inferior. Moreover, the little girl had already opened the Taiyin Ghost Meridian, which made her very favored by the Sword Saint.
Seeing this, Li Hao couldn’t help but feel happy for her. The Dragon River Divine Pulse technique wasn’t taught to just anyone; only direct descendants could practice it. Even his fiancée, Bian Ruxue, wasn’t allowed, nor were the other ladies in the family, including Aunt He Jianlan.
However, they could still practice top-tier techniques, just slightly less powerful. If someone had exceptional talent and could open two special major meridians, they could make up for the difference in foundational skills, but such talent was rare in the world.
After reading the letter, Li Hao called for a servant to prepare some writing materials for him. He wrote a letter detailing his recent experiences with painting, cooking, and the fun he had while fishing, as well as his encounters with an interesting old senior.
Of course, he didn’t mention the name or title of the Thief Saint. After all, this Wind Old Man was considered a villain in Dayu, not well-liked by any faction. Only someone as carefree as his second uncle would befriend someone like him, but outsiders didn’t know their relationship. If they did, they would surely curse him behind his back for colluding with a corrupt official!
After finishing, Li Hao casually drew a little expression to encourage her to keep up her training, a mutual motivation.
The letter was sent out with the servant, and Li Hao moved his drawing board over to continue painting. Now that he had reached the second level of painting, his skills had improved significantly.
The changes in his sketches seemed subtle, but he noticed that his eyes had become more expressive, as if they were staring right at the paper.
Just as he was finishing a piece, a group of figures rushed in from outside, making a racket. He could hear someone shouting from afar, "Hao Ge, we’re here!"
Looking up, he saw three little kids running over.
They were Li Yuan Zhao, the only son of the Sixth Madam; Li Yun and Li Zhi Ning, the second son and third daughter of the Fifth Madam.
On the day they sent Bian Ruxue off to Jianlu, they were all direct relatives and had come to the Shanhua Courtyard to say goodbye, so they had met Li Hao.
Later, that kid named Li Yun kept coming over to ask about Bian Ruxue, wanting to know when she would return. Li Hao realized that this little brat, who hadn’t even grown hair yet, was actually interested in his little girl.
However, he didn’t bother to argue with the kid. He just gave him a good smack on the backside.
After some intimidation, the little brat didn’t dare to complain to the Fifth Madam. After all, when kids fight, it’s no fun for adults to intervene.
Of course, it also helped that he could win.
Since then, whenever Li Yun saw Li Hao, he was a bit scared, but that didn’t stop him from coming to the Shanhua Courtyard. He later brought his sister and another kid to gain some courage and come back.
After a few encounters, Li Hao easily became the "king" among the three children.
"Hao Ge, you didn’t finish telling us about the monkey that got suppressed last time. What happened next?" Li Yuan Zhao, with his short and chubby body, rushed to the drawing board, but he didn’t dare touch the paper with his dirty little hands, fearing a whack on the head from Li Hao.
"Yeah, yeah!" Li Yun nodded repeatedly, his head bobbing like a chick pecking at grain, already under Li Hao’s influence.
Nearby, the little girl Li Zhi Ning handed Li Hao a food box, her bright little eyes sparkling. "Hao Ge, this is a crispy cake my mom made. We’ve all had some, and it’s really good. This is for you."
"I haven’t had any yet." Li Yuan Zhao immediately interrupted, stretching out his dirty little hand from just finishing practice at the training ground, trying to grab it, but Li Zhi Ning dodged him with a twist of her body and shot him a fierce look.
The little chubby boy looked at her with a wronged expression.
Li Hao smiled, not being polite. He took the food box and opened it. A delicious aroma wafted out. He took a piece to taste and found it quite good. He then shared the rest with the others, saying, "You all go get a little stool and eat while I tell you a story."
"Zhao Bo, chairs!" Li Yun shouted loudly.
Li Hao, annoyed, tapped him on the head. "Zhao Bo is not someone you can order around. Go get it yourself!"
Li Yun covered his head, a bit scared, mumbling something unclear, then pointed to a servant and said, "You, bring me a stool."
The servant didn’t dare disobey and smiled as he went to fetch it.
Li Yuan Zhao and Li Zhi Ning were quick to find little stools inside the house and obediently sat beside Li Hao.
(End of Chapter)