As Li Fu finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a quiet stillness.
Uncle Zhao slowly widened his wrinkled eyes, looking at Li Fu in disbelief, then turned to look at Li Hao.
Young Master Hao... has reached the Fifteen Li Realm?!
Li Tiangang and Yu Xuan, who were nearby, were also stunned, their faces showing surprise.
Seeing Li Fu so excited, Li Tiangang knew that with Li Fu's cautious nature, he would never make baseless claims. But this news was just too delightful and shocking.
"Is it true? Didn't Hao'er fail to build his foundation and has no bloodline?" Li Tiangang couldn't help but ask excitedly.
Li Fu nodded vigorously, his face filled with joy. "It's true! Absolutely true! I don't know the reason; only Young Master Hao knows. It’s likely that Second Uncle secretly helped him."
Second Uncle...
Li Tiangang's heart shook.
Second Uncle was at the Four Standing Realm, a level that gave many martial artists envy and jealousy.
That meant he had the ability to change fate!!
He could help someone alter their destiny, even if they were born useless or a beggar, turning them into an extraordinary talent, a true dragon among men!
Thus, families with a Four Standing Realm expert could recover even if they fell into decline in a generation.
Of course, if they fell continuously, that wouldn't work.
Because the ability to change fate was only available once and could only be given to one person!
Thinking of this, Li Tiangang felt an overwhelming gratitude, his eyes turning red. How fortunate was his son to receive such love from Second Uncle!
"Good, good, that's wonderful!"
Li Tiangang repeated "good" three times, his voice trembling with excitement. He took a deep breath and looked gently at the young man before him.
"Such great news, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Li Hao looked at his father's excited expression, but inside, he felt little stirrings. He just slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
"I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you told me to rest early."
Li Tiangang suddenly remembered their conversation from the night before and couldn't help but feel speechless. At that time, he had found it hard to listen to Li Hao talk about trivial matters and had told him to rest.
"Alright, let's not mention the past."
Li Tiangang smiled. "When did you reach the Fifteen Li Realm? Why didn't you write to tell me all these years? Was it Second Uncle who didn't let you say anything?"
Li Hao countered, "What would you do if I told you? Would you come back?"
Li Tiangang paused, looking into the young man's calm, dark eyes. He suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
But soon, a bit of anger surged up:
"At least if your mother and I knew, we would be happy for you, and your aunt could help find a famous teacher for you!"
Li Hao replied, "A famous teacher? Isn't it enough that Second Uncle teaches me? Aren't you satisfied with my current cultivation?"
Li Tiangang was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed, Second Uncle was at the Four Standing Realm, which was enough to rival a famous teacher.
But for the children of the Li family, studying under a famous teacher was not just for cultivation; it was also about building connections for each generation.
When the previous generation passed, those connections might not be as useful for the next, but over generations, a thousand years of heritage made connections a significant foundation.
These connections might not be used daily, but at crucial moments, they could provide immense help.
"You think too simply."
Li Tiangang shook his head, feeling that Li Hao was still young and ignorant, and he didn't want to argue further.
Li Hao silently thought to himself, "You're the one who doesn't understand."
Li Fu watched the father and son, sensing something was off. Why did it feel like there was some distance and gap between the lord and the young master?
"You are only fourteen this year, and reaching the Fifteen Li Realm is quite rare. This record even surpasses your Ninth Uncle from back then!"
Li Tiangang thought about Li Hao's cultivation level and felt quite pleased. He smiled at Li Hao.
"Now that I'm back, there's no reason for Second Uncle to let you hide it anymore. Uncle Zhao, go notify your aunt and tell the whole household. I want to announce to the world that my son, the Marquis of Martial Justice, is an extraordinary talent!"
"I want everyone to know that my son's talent is the best in a thousand years!"
He spoke with great ambition, as if releasing a long-held burden from his heart, his face full of smiles.
Uncle Zhao was also extremely excited, his lips trembling slightly.
Over the years, he had watched Li Hao mature and show his intelligence and talent, often feeling a sense of sadness, lamenting the unfairness of fate for not giving Li Hao the cultivation talent he deserved.
He never expected that this last flaw would now be resolved.
Young Master Hao is truly exceptional, with unmatched talent!
Thinking of this, Uncle Zhao's entire body trembled with excitement, and he quickly agreed, wiping away the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes.
"I'll go right away."
"Uncle Zhao."
But Li Hao stopped him, saying, "First, have someone bring all my paintings from the woodshed."
Uncle Zhao was taken aback but nodded quickly. "Okay!"
Li Tiangang came back to his senses, but his brow furrowed as he thought of what had just happened. His expression darkened.
"Hao'er, you have such astonishing talent. Do you still want to immerse yourself in these trivial things? If you had followed Second Uncle to cultivate properly all these years, you might have reached the Master Realm by now!"
How would you know I haven't been cultivating properly? Li Hao looked at him but knew it was pointless to explain his situation to anyone. He asked instead, "If I were to focus solely on reaching the Master Realm, what would change?"
Li Tiangang answered without thinking, "That would naturally shock everyone even more. If this news got out, maybe no one would believe it, but those other divine generals' houses would know that the Li family produced a once-in-a-thousand-years genius!"
Li Hao stared at him and asked, "If I am indeed this once-in-a-thousand-years genius, so what?"
Li Tiangang was taken aback, feeling that Li Hao's words were off. He frowned and looked at him.
"What do you mean, so what? Do you know how many people there are in Dayu? How many geniuses?"
"Nineteen states, each with hundreds of cities, thousands of towns, and billions of people!"
"There are countless geniuses, like fish in the river, hard to count. While the top geniuses are few, each state can produce dozens. Only those who enter the Qian Kun Ranking can truly gain fame!"
"And your talent now is barely enough to enter the Qian Kun Ranking. Your Ninth Uncle entered the Three Immortal Realm at nineteen and was already the best in a thousand years. If you enter the Master Realm at fourteen, you could also be considered the best in a thousand years!"
The later one goes in cultivation, the harder it gets. Just like Li Junye, who entered the Master Realm at seventeen and was famous worldwide, but compared to those who entered the Three Immortal Realm at nineteen, it still seemed weaker.
After all, a genius's momentum can break.
Most can reach the Divine Travel Realm by fifteen, but that doesn't mean they can enter the Human Master Realm by twenty.
Many geniuses who reached Divine Travel at fifteen might reach Human Master at eighteen, while others may only reach it at thirty.
As for breaking into the Three Immortal Realm, the differences become even more pronounced.
Li Tiangang's words were all things Li Hao understood. He glanced at him but felt it was unnecessary to ask further.
He simply turned to Uncle Zhao. "Thank you, Uncle Zhao."
"Not a problem," Uncle Zhao quickly replied.
Li Tiangang's face darkened. It was clear that Li Hao didn't take his words seriously.
In Yanbei, his words were commands, as heavy as a mountain!
One word was like a gun, piercing through the ground.
"Don't go!" Li Tiangang shouted at Uncle Zhao, then turned to Li Hao.
"From now on, as long as I'm here, you won't touch those trivial things again! Also, I said it before, no matter your cultivation or realm, even if your talent surpasses your Ninth Uncle's, you must apologize to Uncle Yu Xuan!"
Beside them, Yu Xuan's expression changed slightly. He bowed his head to Li Tiangang. "Marquis, it's fine. Hao'er is young and ignorant; I don't take it to heart."
"That can't be accepted!"
Li Tiangang shouted angrily, his gaze shifting to Uncle Zhao, then to Li Fu, and finally landing on his son, who was looking at him coldly. What was that expression?
"Because you all spoil him, he acts so recklessly!"
"What if he has cultivation? The Li family doesn't lack geniuses!"
"Disrespecting elders, even with extraordinary cultivation, if not guided, what future will he have?!"
Uncle Zhao and Li Fu were both shocked, not expecting the Marquis to be so serious.
After the initial surprise, Li Fu felt confused. He never thought he would bring back such great news only to encounter this scene.
"Marquis, the young master has always been like this. Besides, it seems he hasn't delayed his cultivation with what he's been doing..."
Li Fu opened his mouth to plead for Li Hao. He knew Yu Xuan and didn't understand what wrong Li Hao had done to warrant an apology.
However, knowing Li Hao's character, he thought it was just a moment of careless words; it couldn't be such a serious mistake.
"Shut up!"
Li Tiangang rarely shouted at him.
He hated it most when others pleaded for mercy in the military, using personal connections.
Li Fu's face changed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head, realizing that in this moment, the Marquis was not the friendly Li Tiangang he knew, but the invincible Marquis of Martial Justice in the military!
Uncle Zhao wanted to speak again but had to stay silent under Li Tiangang's fierce gaze, only looking at Li Hao with concern.
Li Hao fell silent, facing the middle-aged man’s piercing gaze. He suddenly felt like laughing, but couldn't.
Was this the waiting he had hoped for while sitting alone in the courtyard for fourteen years, gazing at the stars?
But why was he feeling no joy at all now?
Just yesterday, everything had been so happy and harmonious.
Li Hao took a deep breath. He wasn't a young man anymore; he restrained the unspeakable disappointment in his heart and looked at his father, saying:
"I really shouldn't have gotten angry at him because he did nothing wrong. He was just following your orders."
Beside them, Yu Xuan was slightly stunned, looking at Li Hao in surprise.
Li Tiangang's anger had just subsided, but it surged again, his eyes shining with a fierce light.
"So, you blame me? Do you want to tell your father to get lost?!"
As he said this, he felt like he was about to laugh in anger.
It was simply outrageous!
Li Hao's fists clenched slightly but then relaxed. He suddenly wanted to turn away, his gaze casually falling on the weeds by the steps of the courtyard.
He suddenly felt how much he resembled that weed.
He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, a self-deprecating smile appearing on his lips.
"Have you seen my paintings? You probably haven't. You said mother left, but I can't really remember. So, when I could still remember, I painted her."
The young man's voice floated clearly, but the faces of those present changed.
Li Tiangang froze, his whole body shaking.
Those paintings... were they of Qingqing?
He certainly wouldn't open those tattered scrolls; he just didn't expect it to be like this.
"But by the time I learned to paint, I had forgotten what my mother looked like. I could only remember her eyes."
Li Hao's gaze fell on the weeds swaying in the breeze, his focus unfocused, as if his thoughts drifted far away, speaking to himself:
"So, I painted only her vague image. I originally wanted to wait for her to return and paint a good picture for her, but she left..."
The young man's voice plunged everyone into silence. Li Tiangang's breathing became slightly heavier, and his hands in his sleeves unconsciously clenched.
At that moment, Li Hao's thoughts seemed to return from afar, back to the courtyard, back to his own slender figure.
He turned to look at his father, smiled, and said, "You say a Master cannot be insulted. Yes, but I wonder if my mother can be insulted."
It sounded like a statement but also like a question.
This remark struck Li Tiangang like a sharp knife, leaving him breathless, his steady body trembling slightly.
Yu Xuan's face also looked grim. He hadn't expected that those paintings contained the image of the lady, and now he understood why the young man had reacted so strongly.
Reflecting on his own actions, he fell silent.
Li Fu and Uncle Zhao had slightly moist eyes as they looked at Li Tiangang.
The young man said nothing more and turned to leave, simply saying, "As for those paintings, you can handle them however you want."
Watching the young man walk away, Li Tiangang couldn't help but shout, "Stop!"
But the young man's footsteps didn't halt, walking further away.
Li Tiangang was momentarily stunned. This was the first time someone had defied him.
And that person was his own son.
If it were anyone else, he would have acted, breaking their legs. Who dared to act so recklessly in front of him?
But Li Hao's words had lodged his anger in his throat, which quickly dissipated, leaving his face extremely grim.
"Master, the young master..."
Uncle Zhao saw him getting angry and was about to speak up to persuade him.
Li Tiangang waved his hand, stopping him, taking a long, deep breath. He coldly said:
"Immediately bring all the paintings out, and clear out the cleanest room for me. They must be displayed properly, and if there is any damage, everyone will face military law!"
Uncle Zhao was startled but relieved, quickly agreeing.
Li Tiangang turned to Li Fu. "Go notify your aunt about the news of Hao'er reaching the Fifteen Li Realm. Let her know I want to hold a family banquet. I want the whole world to know!"
Li Fu saw that his thoughts had shifted and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly cupping his fists. "I'll go right away."
(End of Chapter)