After Li Xuanli arrived, he first gave a slight bow to the eldest lady, He Jianlan, to greet her. Then he greeted each of his other sisters-in-law one by one and exchanged pleasantries with his younger siblings before finally sitting down. With a smile, he said, “Shuang'er, how has your training at the Qianji Gate been? I heard you made it onto the Qian List. That’s impressive.”
Hearing her father’s praise, Li Wushuang remained calm, but Li Yun beside her lit up with pride, and Li Zhining looked at her elder sister with sparkling eyes, as if she had already taken her as a role model.
“It’s just at the bottom of the list. If I could be like Uncle Jiu and get to the top in one go, that would be something to brag about.” She didn’t mean to show off; she was just stating the facts.
When Li Xuanli heard his daughter mention Uncle Jiu, his expression changed slightly, and the smile on his face faded. That brilliant figure from years ago, like a shooting star, was a painful memory for the Li family, as mentioned by Emperor Yu fourteen years ago.
Though they had nine brothers and no sisters, they were all closely connected and united. However, after everyone got married, they began to drift apart.
He reminisced about the times they all practiced martial arts, ate together, laughed, and avoided their father’s punishments. Time flew by. The summer croaks of frogs that once filled the courtyard were long gone.
Noticing the atmosphere had become a bit quiet, Li Wushuang realized she shouldn’t have brought up that painful memory, and her face changed slightly as she fell silent.
Li Xuanli, feeling the shift in mood, snapped back to reality and noticed his daughter’s silence. He smiled gently and said, “If you want to compare yourself to Uncle Jiu, you’re still too young. He was only seventeen when he reached the realm of a Celestial Master, challenging the best in the world at Fengxian Terrace outside Qingzhou City, and no one dared to face him!”
Talking about that youthful time brought a smile back to Li Xuanli’s face as he reminisced about the days when they felt invincible. Back then, they had the sky above them, their father, and their elder brother, allowing them to roam freely in the martial world. They drank and rode horses, traveling across nineteen states.
But as the sky fell, and their father passed away, they could no longer enjoy such carefree days. Instead, they began to train hard, shouldering the heavy responsibilities of the Li family, guarding the borders, fighting in battles, and eliminating demons.
The wives at the table listened to Li Xuanli’s words, reminiscing about that time, which was when most of them had just married into the Li family, a time of innocence and joy, and the best moments spent with their husbands.
Li Wushuang felt a sense of longing. Her father’s few words painted a picture in her heart of a towering figure, invincible in the world—her Uncle Jiu, the one she had heard about since she was young, her proudest and most admirable uncle.
Challenging the world, how many people could carry such a presence?
Li Hao sighed inwardly. Such a talented person, yet he died young. What a pity.
“The food is getting cold; let’s eat first.”
In the end, it was He Jianlan who was the most rational. She pulled herself back from her thoughts and smiled. Everyone chuckled, and soon they began to eat.
“This food is quite good.”
During the meal, they talked about other things, avoiding the sad memories, as if they had reached a silent agreement.
Li Xuanli sampled a few dishes and praised, “Shuang'er, it’s rare for you to come back, so try this bamboo-scented ink dragon liver. It’s just as good as it was over a decade ago; it hasn’t changed a bit. I haven’t had it in many years.”
“Oh?”
Li Wushuang, who had been keeping a cool demeanor, now showed a hint of curiosity as she picked up her chopsticks to taste it.
“Hmm, it really is good.” Li Wushuang smiled, revealing her teeth.
Li Xuanli looked at his sister-in-law and said, “Sister-in-law has put some thought into this. This bamboo-scented ink dragon liver from the Cuihu Courtyard is a specialty of Qingzhou. I haven’t eaten it in so long that I almost forgot about it.”
He Jianlan smiled slightly and glanced at Li Hao, who was eating quietly, saying, “This wasn’t prepared by me; it was Hao’er and Yuan Zhao who bought it. They said since Shuang'er has been away for so long, she must have missed the food from Qingzhou, so they specially went to get it.”
Li Xuanli was taken aback and looked over at Li Hao and Li Yuan Zhao. “You two bought this?”
Li Hao nodded, showing respect for his uncle, who had fought bravely in battles.
Li Yuan Zhao chimed in, “Uncle, Hao Ge knows food best. The dishes you just ate were all picked by him, and there are several more on the way.”
“Oh?”
Li Xuanli was surprised. He remembered Li Hao, the son of his seventh brother and Qingqing. He had even attended the hundred-day banquet back then.
Later, he heard that this kid was a waste in cultivation, but it seemed he had found a way to open his meridians. In any case, he was able to cultivate again.
It was a pity that he had missed the foundation-building and blood-melting stages, so his talent was bound to be inferior to others, especially since he started late and wasted time.
Thinking of this, Li Xuanli couldn’t help but feel regret and looked at Li Hao with a softer gaze. “Hao’er, you’re thoughtful. I heard your father is coming back soon, and the war in Yanbei has ended. He’s reported to the court, so I believe you’ll see him soon.”
Saying this, he turned to his daughter. “Shuang'er, hurry and thank Xiao Hao. This gesture is no less than any other gift.”
Li Hao felt a stir in his heart. His uncle seemed to have been aware of things here long before.
He felt goodwill toward this uncle, who clearly understood the situation.
For his uncle’s sake, Li Hao decided not to dwell on the earlier incident and pretended nothing had happened. He glanced at Li Wushuang, and she would likely feel embarrassed.
On the other side, when Li Wushuang heard her aunt’s words, her expression changed slightly. After hearing her father, she suddenly found the dragon liver in her mouth hard to swallow.
She glanced at Li Hao, who was busy picking food, seemingly not waiting for her thanks.
To her, this attitude seemed indifferent and a bit arrogant.
Her face turned cold as she pushed the half-eaten dragon liver from her bowl onto the table and instead picked up other dishes, saying, “Father, I’ve already thanked him, and I don’t actually like this dragon liver. It’s too greasy.”
Li Xuanli was taken aback, his expression darkening. He put down his chopsticks and stared at her, saying, “Shuang'er, I’ve taught you since you were little to be honest and straightforward. You just got back, what prejudice do you have against Hao’er? Just because he gave you a bottle of pills earlier?!”
At this moment, he no longer hid the fact that he had noticed the tension earlier.
With his anger rising, everyone else at the table stopped eating. Gao Qingqing, knowing her husband’s temperament, found it strange. Shuang'er wasn’t like this before.
However, the situation was a bit awkward now. If she forced her daughter to apologize in front of everyone, it might hurt her pride.
He Jianlan, seeing the tension, gently said, “Xuanli, Shuang'er just got back; don’t get angry. Shuang'er, do you have any opinions about Hao’er?”
Li Wushuang didn’t expect her father to scold her in public. She felt a sense of unjust grievance. She hadn’t been home for a long time, and now that she was back, her father was scolding her for an outsider.
She bit her lip and glared at Li Hao. “You should ask him. While I was away, he bullied my younger brother. Father, you’ve been meditating on the mountain, so you don’t know about this.”
“Hmm?” Li Xuanli was stunned. Li Hao bullied his child?
Li Yun’s face also changed, feeling a bit nervous.
When their eldest sister returned, the three siblings had a lot to catch up on. When Li Wushuang casually asked if anyone had bullied them over the years, Li Yun took the opportunity to mention how Li Hao had beaten him when they were younger.
It felt a bit shameful to mention it to their mother, but he felt he could confide in his older sister.
He had thought about asking for revenge himself, but every time he saw Li Hao, he felt inexplicably intimidated.
When Li Wushuang heard this, she naturally remembered Li Hao’s name and thought of finding a chance to settle the score with him.
So that was the reason… Li Hao felt speechless as he glanced at the red-faced and nervous Li Yun. He hadn’t expected this kid to hold a grudge. It seemed he hadn’t hit him hard enough; otherwise, he wouldn’t still remember it.
“Yun’er, when did this happen?” Gao Qingqing’s face changed slightly as she hurriedly asked.
Li Yun had never been under so many gazes from his elders before, and his face turned red as he lowered his head slightly. “A few years ago.”
“When exactly?”
“Five or six years ago…”
Upon hearing this, everyone realized it was a misunderstanding. Five or six years ago?
At that time, both Li Hao and Li Yun were only eight or nine years old. It was just kids playing around; how could that be called bullying?
Moreover, Li Hao seemed to have been a waste back then, with blocked meridians and not even in cultivation, while Li Yun had already been training in the martial arts arena for a few years.
Wait, how could he have been bullied then?
As everyone thought this, they looked at Li Hao and then at Li Yun with suspicion.
Gao Qingqing sighed in relief. It wasn’t the kind of bullying she had imagined. It was likely just kids squabbling, and the injuries were probably not as serious as those in the martial arts arena.
“You child, how long ago was that? Why are you still holding onto it and telling your sister?” Gao Qingqing said, not pleased. Her son was good at everything, but he didn’t have enough confidence and hadn’t learned his father’s generosity.
The other wives chuckled lightly, and Liu Yueren smiled, saying, “Yun’er, five or six years ago, Hao Ge hadn’t even started cultivating yet. Who was really bullying whom?”
Though it sounded like a joke, Li Hao sensed a probing tone in her words.
Of course, he might be overthinking it.
Li Yun’s face turned even redder. He felt embarrassed, but at that time, he hadn’t actually hit Li Hao. The other boy was much stronger than him.
“I was careless back then.”
“He ambushed me, and he was stronger.” Li Yun said, blushing.
Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. They remembered that Li Hao had been training his body, so he would naturally be stronger.
Seeing Li Yun’s embarrassed face, they understood that the boy was considering how he had been bullied by someone who hadn’t even started cultivating yet, and it felt shameful to admit it.
In the end, he had told his sister about it after many years apart, only to reveal this embarrassing story.
“Hmph, it’s not like you’re not always thinking about Hao Ge’s fiancée.”
Li Yuan Zhao, hearing Li Yun’s words, said angrily.
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his mother’s gaze on him, silently telling him to be quiet.
Li Xuanli realized it was a misunderstanding and shot Li Yun a glare. “Useless boy! You’re telling your sister about such a trivial matter? You’re a grown man; if you’re not satisfied, go challenge Hao’er in the martial arts arena! Crying here won’t prove anything!”
His harsh reprimand made Li Yun feel even more ashamed.
Gao Qingqing shot him an annoyed look for scolding their son and quickly changed the subject, asking Li Hao, “By the way, Hao’er, when is your fiancée coming back? She’s been apprenticed to the Sword Saint. When she returns, let her spar with Shuang’er.”
(End of Chapter)