The monster horde scattered in disarray, and Li Hao found Uncle Fu at a spot on the city wall.
Seeing Uncle Fu unconscious and gravely injured, Li Hao couldn't help but sigh. It was his fault for arriving late and not protecting Uncle Fu well.
Li Hao went to find Yue Shuhong and asked him to arrange for someone to treat Uncle Fu's injuries. Yue Shuhong readily agreed, immediately sending people to carry Uncle Fu away and dispatching the best military doctor to treat him.
Wei Feng, along with Li Yuanzhao and Ren Qianqian, found Li Hao and witnessed the scene.
The monsters outside the city had already been defeated, and the ground beneath the high walls was littered with corpses, looking no different from the situation in the west of the city, except there were even more bodies and more blood.
There weren't many injured on the city wall. Seeing Uncle Fu being carried away, Wei Feng glanced at Li Hao, who looked completely unscathed, as if nothing had happened. His mouth twitched slightly.
He had always heard about family guards secretly protecting the young master, but this was the first time he saw the young master secretly protecting a family guard. The Li family was really turning things upside down.
"Your sword."
Li Hao noticed Ren Qianqian and immediately handed over the sword in his hand. A thought suddenly popped into his mind: No, it's your sword.
Ren Qianqian clearly had no idea what the young man in front of her was thinking. Her expression was complicated as she took the sword from Li Hao, but her gaze remained fixed on his face.
She, who was usually very aware of her beloved sword, didn't even notice that the blade had slightly dulled.
"Are you really at the Fifteen Li level?"
She bit her lip slightly, asking with mixed feelings.
This was also the answer that Du Qiuyue and the others were eager to know. Even though they had seen Li Hao flying through the air and defeating the monsters, it all felt like a dream, too unreal.
Wei Feng's expression changed slightly as he worriedly glanced at his young lady. Encountering a monster like Li Hao was a huge blow to her peers. If she were to lose her confidence in her swordsmanship, it would be terrible!
Li Hao smiled but didn't say anything.
But this was also an answer.
Ren Qianqian thought of the bright moon and couldn't help but ask, "That sword technique of yours..."
"Do you want to learn it?"
"Yes!"
Ren Qianqian's eyes lit up suddenly as she nodded vigorously.
"Unfortunately, this is one of my family's unique sword techniques and isn't taught to outsiders. If you're willing to become a follower of the Li family or agree to serve in the Yuan Camp for thirty years, I could teach you," Li Hao said.
Ren Qianqian was taken aback, but then she gritted her teeth and said, "I can be your follower."
"Be mine?"
Li Hao was surprised and said, "Do you know what being a follower means? Once you become one, it's for life. Your father is a master, and with your status, you could enjoy endless wealth in the future."
To him, this seemed unnecessary.
It wasn't like him, who had debts to settle.
"Yes, miss, don't act impulsively!" Wei Feng hurriedly said.
If the young lady could learn something by following Li Hao, he would naturally want that, but being someone else's follower... that was too low of a status!
If Li Hao wasn't right there, he would have spoken even more sternly.
Ren Qianqian shook her head and said, "As long as you are willing to teach me that sword technique, I am willing. Besides, I've heard that your Li family's Listening Rain Tower has countless martial arts. If I become your follower, can I also go in and take a look?"
"You really have a clever plan," Li Hao laughed and said. "But to enter the Listening Rain Tower, I need to consider your performance."
"No problem," Ren Qianqian said seriously.
Wei Feng was anxious: "Miss, this is a big deal. You should discuss it with your master. You..."
"I am me, and he is he. He has his own path as a master, and I will have my own path in the future!" Ren Qianqian said earnestly.
What a mess... Wei Feng's mouth twitched. What path could there be as a follower?
He didn't dare to think about how his master would likely skin him alive when they returned.
Li Hao didn't expect this little girl to be so persistent. However, over the years, he had come to understand the people of this world, who were quite ambitious.
Some feudal ideas were deeply rooted, like how a man without achievements was seen as worthless and despised by everyone!
Women too, in this martial world, while there were noble ladies, many girls had dreams of competing with the sun and moon from a young age.
Moreover, this girl came from a martial arts family.
What was worse was that she had comprehended the heart of the sword and was obsessed with swordsmanship, willing to do extraordinary things for practice. Just like him, who would happily travel thousands of miles for a game of chess.
"Alright, think about it on the way back, and we'll talk when we return to Qingzhou," Li Hao said, worried that this little girl might act impulsively.
Upon hearing this, Wei Feng looked at Li Hao with gratitude, his mind racing to think of how to dissuade the young lady from this idea.
But Ren Qianqian slightly shook her head and didn't say more. She knew her mind was made up, and no one could change it.
Li Hao glanced at Li Yuanzhao, who seemed to have a lot to say to him, and patted his shoulder, signaling to talk later.
Li Yuanzhao understood Li Hao's meaning and held back his excitement, nodding vigorously.
After finishing this conversation, Li Hao found Yue Shuhong and asked if there were any poetry collections, calligraphy, music scores, or recipes from famous chefs in Cangyu City.
Since he had come out, he didn't want to return empty-handed.
Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Yue Shuhong looked puzzled.
He thought Li Hao would ask about something else, but all he asked for were these... unrelated things?
His expression was strange as he wondered if the young master had some special interests. He didn't ask further and shared everything he knew.
However, as a military general, he usually didn't pay much attention to these things, so he called over a civil servant from the estate to take Li Hao around the city.
...
...
Wuliang Mountain.
As one of the top forces of the Dayu Dynasty, Wuliang Mountain was located in the vast land of the Pure Land of Brahma, featuring endless mountain ranges, magnificent Buddha halls, and thousands of Mahayana Buddhist peaks.
The mist floated around, making the entire Pure Land feel ethereal and otherworldly.
At this moment, in front of the Vajra Heart Hall on one of the Mahayana peaks, a man and a woman climbed up from the foot of the mountain and arrived at the grand entrance of the hall.
"This is Junior Brother Qianfeng's Vajra Heart Hall," said a young monk in a robe with a smile.
"Vajra Heart Hall?"
The woman beside him had long hair like a waterfall and a heart-shaped face, her eyes like a clear lake. At this moment, her eyes sparkled with surprise:
"Vajra Heart Hall? Last time he was still a Jialan Law God, and now, now he’s already a Vajra?"
The titles of Jialan Law God and Vajra were both Buddhist titles in Wuliang Mountain and represented ranks.
Jialan Law God required the cultivation of the Divine Travel realm, while Vajra required stepping into the Fifteen Li level.
"Junior Brother Qianfeng is talented. He came to the mountain at six, joined the Wuliang Ancient Buddha sect, and by the age of eight, he was already at the Perfect Harmony level. At ten, he reached the Complete Cycle level, and at ten and a half, he inherited the True Soul of Buddha. By fourteen, he had already achieved Divine Travel."
The young monk smiled and said, "Since returning from slaying monsters last year, Junior Brother Qianfeng closed himself off for three months. Before he turned eighteen, he broke through Divine Travel and officially stepped into the Fifteen Li level, receiving the title of Vajra, with the Buddhist name of Qian Kun Vajra!"
The woman beside him looked shocked.
"Qian Kun" Vajra, that title was too grand.
It showed how much Wuliang Mountain valued him.
Her admiration for him deepened, and the image of him wielding a sword against monsters in the monster forest became clearer in her mind.
"Quick, take me to see him," she urged.
The young monk glanced at her and softly chanted a Buddhist name:
"South Benefactor, while Junior Brother Qianfeng is a secular disciple of our Buddhist sect, he has great ambitions. Your visit might..."
"I don't care, let me see him. I want to speak to him myself," the woman interrupted, knowing what he was going to say, but she had always been bold in love and hate, wanting clarity in everything.
"Alright."
Hearing this, the young monk shook his head slightly, recalling what his master had said about greed, anger, and ignorance. This female benefactor was clearly falling into the trap of ignorance.
"Please inform him; I am here to register for Junior Brother Qianfeng," the young monk said to the two armored soldiers at the entrance of the hall.
The soldiers wore armor with special markings, and on their shoulder plates was the blazing "Yuan" character, which made the young monk think of the young man's distinguished status inside. He felt a twinge of envy but quickly realized he was being greedy and silently chanted a Buddhist name.
(End of Chapter)