The day after the banquet at the Li family.
In the distant Yuzhou, the imperial city.
In a luxurious palace that gathered countless gazes from around the world, but was hard to breach due to its high walls, stood an ancient hall that had stood for a thousand years. It was solemn and imposing, with a dark golden dragon-patterned carpet stretching from the entrance to the steps of the dragon throne inside.
The civil and military officials of Yuzhou were lined up on both sides. From high-ranking ministers like the Grand Tutor and the General to lower officials like governors and scholars, everyone bowed their heads respectfully.
Even the lowest-ranking officials could make the citizens of dozens of cities bow down in submission.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
"The Li family of Qingzhou held a grand family banquet yesterday, announcing to the world that they have produced another genius!"
Someone respectfully reported.
The majestic figure sitting on the deep, dignified dragon throne, though appearing aged, had a tall posture. Dressed in a black robe adorned with nine dragons, his gaze was like a candle flame, hard to look directly at, as he surveyed the officials.
Upon hearing this, a slight smile appeared on his face.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the 'Qilin Son' is none other than Li Hao, the one you blessed and named fourteen years ago!"
"He is also the son of the Minister of Justice, who recently came here to receive his title!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The other officials couldn't help but praise and congratulate him.
"Your Majesty saw this child’s extraordinary talent fourteen years ago. Truly, he is like a star descending to the mortal realm; he is indeed a blessing for our Great Yu!"
Someone said excitedly.
"Fourteen years ago, the Duke of the State quelled the century-long calamity in Cangzhou, slaying the great demon and the demon king. Unfortunately, he fell into the river of death in the Underworld and died with regrets in Cangzhou, leaving his spirit with nowhere to go."
"Perhaps, this Li Hao is the reincarnation of the Duke of the State, a new blessing sent by heaven to our Great Yu!"
Someone spoke passionately.
Facing the congratulations from the officials, the figure on the throne seemed to be lost in thought, recalling that painful day from over a decade ago. The infant who had been gifted with his dragon blood jade had now grown into a youth with such achievements?
He smiled faintly, his gaze drifting beyond the palace, looking towards the distant Qingzhou.
"Your Majesty, this child has exceptional talent, yet he has never revealed himself before. I believe the Li family needs to provide an explanation."
Once the congratulations ended, someone suddenly stepped forward and said, "Deceiving Your Majesty deserves punishment!"
The crowd was surprised and glanced sideways, realizing it was the Lord of the Helian family, a rival family to the Li family. This was not unexpected.
Among the five great military families, some were closely related, like the Wang and Li families, who had marriage ties. Naturally, there were also those who were distant or even looked down upon each other, like the Li and Helian families.
Seeing that the Emperor had not spoken, another military official stepped forward. He was a commander who had fought alongside the Li family and said respectfully:
"My lord, I believe that the Duke of Justice and his wife have fought in the northern front for many years, leaving their young child alone at home. Naturally, they wanted to keep their child’s cultivation hidden to avoid being harmed or spied upon; this is understandable!"
"Hmph!"
Lord Helian sneered, "Though the child is young, there are many powerful generals in the military family to protect him. Who could harm him in secret? Are you questioning the loyalty of the Li family’s noble ladies, thinking they would harm their own child?"
The ladies of the Li family were mostly of high rank, like Lady He Jianlan, who was a first-rank noblewoman. Though they had no real power, their status was high, allowing them to enter the palace at any time to meet the Emperor. Even if they made a mistake, the Ministry of Justice could not punish them directly.
"I believe that the Li family has slayed countless demons over the years, and many demons hold grudges against them. Thus, their caution is not unwarranted."
The commander continued to speak with his head bowed.
Lord Helian scoffed, "Are you saying that in Qingzhou, there are still demons that dare to invade? Do you look down on the Li family?"
"My lord, I think the Li family's caution is somewhat justified. Now that Li Hao has reached the Fifteen Li realm, he has the strength to protect himself. In a few years, if he reaches the Master realm, he will have no worries."
Another civil official stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Moreover, the Duke of Justice has just returned and announced this to the world. There is no intention to deceive Your Majesty; this is merely a small matter. Why should my lord be so serious?"
"If it’s a small matter, then there should be no deception," Lord Helian insisted.
The others secretly shook their heads, feeling that Lord Helian's stance was unreasonable, but they were used to it.
Over the years, the Li family had received titles, and aside from the time when the true dragon of the Li family fell fourteen years ago, which caused widespread sorrow, the Helian family had not dared to speak out. Most of the time, they would just try to insert their opinions.
Including this time when the Duke of Justice returned from the northern front, having quelled the demon chaos and driven back the Sacred Palace, achieving great merit, Lord Helian had also focused on the prolonged war and the severe depletion of supplies.
During the years of fighting in the northern front, many officials close to the Helian family had picked at the Li family's efforts, with some even suggesting to impeach the Duke of Justice, which was unrealistic.
But everyone knew that only the Helian family could say such things. If anyone else dared to criticize in this way, they would have been labeled as traitors and dealt with immediately.
And the Helian family had countless merits to back them up. While it was well-known that their relationship with the Li family was poor, it could not be said that they were traitors.
After all, the Helian family had shed plenty of blood on the borders, enough to stain several cities.
"This Lord Helian is too anxious. The Duke of Justice has just achieved great merit; even if he were to cause trouble at this moment, he could not be punished, let alone for such a trivial matter…"
Many officials thought to themselves.
At this moment, the Emperor raised his hand to quell the debate and smiled, saying:
"Minister Liu is right; this is merely a small matter, not worth mentioning. The Duke of Justice has fought bravely, sacrificing his own family to protect the borders. His loyalty is evident. Let’s discuss the matter of Cangyu City."
Seeing that the Emperor had made a decision, Lord Helian glanced at the civil official, snorted coldly, and said no more. He turned to look at the dragon pillars in the hall, expressing his dissatisfaction, as if to say, "You all talk; I won’t participate."
The others knew how it was; if the Helian family didn’t participate, it was fine. If they did, it would only be to pick at things. They ignored him and began to discuss.
"Cangyu City was almost destroyed. Yue Shuhong has come to plead guilty and has been imprisoned in the sky prison. The confession he wrote is clear. Thanks to that young master of the Li family, Cangyu City was saved. Truly a young hero!"
"Based on the number of demons slain, he should be awarded a first-rank viscount title."
"Protecting the city is a great achievement, and with so many citizens involved, I believe additional rewards should be given…"
Many officials began to discuss.
Outside Feijiang City in Jingzhou, in a forest.
Dozens of thick trees were rapidly pushed down, as if they were weeds, while a fierce tiger, over ten meters long, dashed through. Its sides had four large eyes glowing with a sinister red light.
But at this moment, several of its eyes were injured, closed, and bleeding profusely.
Suddenly, the fierce tiger turned its head.
With a whoosh, a golden light shot down from the sky, revealing a figure radiating brilliant golden light, with a Buddhist wheel behind him, rushing into the forest.
This figure, resembling a divine being, was a young boy with a calm expression, showing no killing intent, yet his strikes were incredibly fierce.
"Roar!!"
The fierce tiger roared, "Li family, I will never let you go even in death!!"
"Then go die!"
The young spirit clapped his hands, and a violent force pressed down on the fierce tiger.
Behind the tiger, a demon shadow emerged, but before it could escape a few meters, it was suppressed by the golden light.
"Children, avenge me! Kill the Qingzhou Li family—"
The furious roar echoed through the forest.
But soon it stopped abruptly, the demon spirit dissipated, and the giant tiger's body rolled forward, crashing through several large trees before finally coming to a stop, its eyes now half-closed, lifeless.
In its amber eyes, the reflection of a young figure chasing from the forest appeared, until the boy approached and splashed sand onto the tiger's eyes.
The boy looked at it for a moment, then stomped on its head several times until it shattered.
"Slaying this great demon should earn me some merit…"
The boy muttered to himself.
He was Li Qianfeng, who had just come down the mountain to enter the world.
He bent down to cut off the tiger's head and was about to leave when suddenly a small figure, like a palm-sized arrow, flew in from the sky.
The boy was momentarily stunned, dropped the massive tiger head, and reached out to catch the small figure.
It was a little demon bird raised by his mother, very good at flying. Its combat power was probably not even at the Zhou Tian realm, but even some practitioners at the Divine Travel realm might not be able to catch it.
Demon cultivation is slow, but they have various abilities, just like humans can quickly cultivate.
The little bird opened its mouth and spat out a note made of oiled paper.
Li Qianfeng opened it and, after a moment of confusion, his expression changed dramatically.
Fifteen Li realm?
Li Hao? Who is that?
His uncle's son?
Li Qianfeng's eyes widened in shock. The key point was that the note said the other party was only… fourteen years old!
Younger than him by four years?
He had entered the Fifteen Li realm at seventeen, while the other had achieved it three years earlier!
Although three years isn’t much before reaching the Celestial realm, it showed a significant gap in talent.
Moreover, if Li Qianfeng remembered correctly, this speed of progress was even greater than that of his ninth uncle!
The note was instantly crushed to dust between his fingers.
A cloud of gloom covered Li Qianfeng's face. His original target was only Li Wushuang, but the other was at the Divine Travel realm, which didn’t put much pressure on him.
On the contrary, he had reserved some thoughts to guard against his aunt’s son and daughter, those cousins.
And his third aunt's only daughter, who had joined the army at fifteen and was now a female general.
But they were older, and while they had accomplishments, the true dragon valued talent more. Among peers, he should be the first to enter the Fifteen Li realm at seventeen!
But now… suddenly a Li Hao had appeared.
A character he had never paid attention to before.
"With his own cultivation, it’s impossible to progress so quickly. My ninth uncle also entered the Fifteen Li realm at fifteen. Could it be that the older generation has intervened…" Li Qianfeng frowned deeply.
He recalled that the other party seemed not to have sought a famous master and was staying in the family residence.
This would allow him to come into contact with the older generation of the Li family.
But, didn’t the older generation of the Li family not influence the younger generation before the true dragon was confirmed? This would be biased!
"It seems that when we gather at the ancestral hall, I must ask the ancestors to verify this. Also, should I inform my master about this?"
Li Qianfeng glanced into the distance, his dark eyes flashing for a moment before being covered by a hint of pride:
"Forget it."
He picked up the tiger head and hurried back to Feijiang City.
"With this achievement, I should return early to take a look."
In Qingzhou, inside the Divine General’s Mansion.
After the family banquet ended, the Shanhai Courtyard returned to its usual calm, but it was still much livelier than usual. Occasionally, the wives and concubines from various courtyards would come to deliver gifts, bringing their children to greet Li Hao, trying to get acquainted with this future true dragon of the Li family.
Among these illegitimate children, some were well-behaved and sensible, some were shy and nervous, and some had already learned to flatter.
One by one, they got to know Li Hao, which also made him realize the difficulties faced by these illegitimate children.
At least it would make him feel embarrassed when his parents forced him to flatter another boy, but some kids were already adept at it.
This seemed unrelated to maturity or experience; some children could speak better than adults, eloquent and persuasive, purely a difference in personality.
Li Hao's nature was somewhat laid-back, just going with the flow.
Another early morning.
Li Hao was still deep in sleep when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.
He opened his eyes, and with a sweep of his spirit, he saw his father’s trusted aide, Yu Xuan, outside the door.
He turned over and said, "Are you calling me to practice martial arts again?"
Thinking of that day, Yu Xuan smiled bitterly and said, "Young Master, the Marshal wants you to wash up and go with him to pay respects to the ancestors, and also to ask the ancestors to decide on the matter of the true dragon."
Li Hao raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, then sat up and called for Qingzhi to change quickly.
Soon, after washing up, Li Hao opened the door and glanced at the young man, saying lightly:
"Let’s go."
Yu Xuan knew that Li Hao was still upset with him because of the painting incident, but he didn’t mind. He extended his hand and said, "Please, Young Master."
They walked through the corridor and arrived at the main hall.
Li Hao saw his father, who had already removed his armor and changed into white clothes. However, his demeanor was not as refined as his fifth uncle; it seemed to carry a certain sternness from years of battle.
(End of Chapter)