Chapter 1: Named, Li Hao

A headache, a violent pain!

Li Hao tried to open his eyes, but it felt extremely difficult.

Finally, a slit slowly opened before his eyes.

Dim light entered his vision; a towering, ancient palace stood solemn and grave, and before him was a dark-gold dragon-scaled carpet.

On the steps at the end of the carpet sat a majestic giant who seemed to swallow mountains and rivers. His gaze was like a torch, like a candle in the dark night, possessing a soul-captivating radiance.

This... where is this? Wasn't I playing a game?

Oh, the phone was out of power, I was just about to charge it...

Li Hao's mind was sluggish, muddled, and he looked at everything around him in a daze.

Damn, I didn't fall asleep holding my phone again, did I?

But this didn't seem like a dream.

"Nineteen years old, brave enough to top the three armies, beheading the royal court, exterminating great demons, and pacifying the century-long chaos of our Cangzhou. Such a hero is not only the pain of your Li Clan, but also the pain of the myriad commoners of our Great Yu Dynasty!"

"General Xing Wu Hou, step forward to hear the decree!"

A majestic voice spoke from the great hall, deafening.

Li Hao struggled to look over and saw numerous figures in official robes standing with heads bowed on both sides of the carpet. Is this... the imperial palace? The Great Yu Dynasty... history doesn't seem to have this dynasty, right? While Li Hao was confused, a burly giant suddenly stepped out from the side, his posture upright. Just looking at his back, one could actually smell a scent of murderous blood.

"Today, I confer upon the Li Clan's ninth son, Li Junye, the title of First-Rank Marquis of the Nation, promoted to Grand General. He may be buried in the imperial mausoleum, and I bestow ten carts of ancient treasures, three Yu Dragon Tokens, and ten dou of gold!"

"From this day forth, the whole country shall wear mourning for three days, and the imperial palace shall abstain from meat for seven days to pay tribute to the heroic soul of the Marquis of the Nation!"

When such an earth-shattering reward was announced, everyone in the great hall was shaken.

At only 19 years old, he was actually made a general and a marquis! Moreover, ordinary marquis titles were usually Marquis of the North, Marquis of the Plains, etc. To be titled 'Marquis of the Nation' was truly an achievement for the ages! There had been none before him, and it was feared there would be few to come.

After all, being made a first-rank marquis at 19 was truly illustrious! "Your subject, on behalf of my ninth brother, accepts the decree. Thank you, Your Majesty, Emperor Yu!"

That figure, as upright as a mountain and a spear, knelt on one knee. There was not much joy or excitement in the low voice, but rather only hidden grief, the tone hoarse.

"This is what your Li Clan deserves; it is I who have failed you!"

"General Xing Wu Hou, that is your child, is it not? I wish to bestow a name upon him. Are you willing?"

"Your subject has no merit and dares not accept the holy grace!"

"The sons of the Li Clan are all heroes of our Great Yu! At the moment the Marquis of the Nation sacrificed his life for the country outside the borders, your child was born. This, perhaps, is the cycle of the Dao. Heaven took away my beloved general and bestowed upon our Great Yu another fine son."

"I now bestow upon him the name... Hao!"

"I hope he can inherit the will of the Marquis of the Nation, sweep the world for our Great Yu, and unify the Eastern Radiance!"

"Your Majesty, this name is too noble; your subject fears he cannot bear it..."

"No matter, the sons of the Li Clan are worthy of it!"

A single name, Hao? Li Hao was stunned, then felt like laughing. Isn't that a coincidence? It's actually the same name as his own?

Wait.

The child he's talking about, could it be me?

Li Hao looked down, and upon seeing this, he was instantly dumbfounded. He was in swaddling clothes, his little hands and feet extremely tender, held in the arms of a beautiful woman wearing military armor.

"Someone, bring my Dragon Blood Treasure Jade to Hao'er."

Soon, Li Hao saw a eunuch with an overly pale complexion walk over with a solemn expression, handing over a dark red dragon-patterned jade pendant.

A slender, fair hand beside his head gently took it, and the beautiful woman holding him whispered, "Thank you, Emperor Yu, for your great kindness."

What is going on...

Li Hao blinked his eyes. Is it a dream?

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck, and he could no longer hold on, falling into a deep sleep.

Qingzhou City, Divine General Mansion, Li Clan.

The Great Yu Dynasty had five Divine Generals, and the Li Clan was one of them.

Nine generals from one family, the whole family loyal and heroic, they could be called the nobles among nobles in the Great Yu Dynasty, enjoying endless glory and wealth.

But beneath this earth-shattering wealth was flesh and blood forged in sacrifice.

Of the nine sons of the Li Clan, six had already fallen!

The youngest, the ninth son, had been in the army for less than two years and had just been promoted to Captain. Who would have thought that in the Cangzhou campaign, he, as a Captain, led tens of thousands of iron cavalry and actually fought all the way to the enemy's royal city.

Breaking through fifteen cities in a row and beheading a hundred demons! He achieved ten generations of merit and became the sixth fierce general of the Li Clan to sacrifice his life for the country.

Now, a golden body had been molded in the Martial Temple, receiving the incense and singing praises of the world.

At this time.

About three months had passed since the "Marquis of the Nation" conferment.

In these few months, the people of the Li Mansion had slowly walked out of their grief, and the gloom on their faces had lessened somewhat.

And today, there was a happy event in the mansion, and it had become lively for a change.

Powerful figures from various states and ministers of the court either came in person or sent people to Qingzhou. Luxurious and noble carriages stopped in front of the Li Clan's Divine General Mansion, attracting countless passersby to stop and watch.

Today was the hundred-day banquet for Li Hao, the son of the Li Clan's seventh son, General Xing Wu Hou.

This heaven's pride, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, was named by Emperor Yu at birth, his name spread throughout the world, and he was from a family of Divine Generals. Without a doubt, there would definitely be a place for him in the world in the future.

As the saying goes, it's best to curry favor early. Inside the Divine General Mansion, in a room in the Shanhe Courtyard.

Li Hao was in the arms of his mother, Ji Qingqing, curiously observing the bustling activity outside the courtyard.

In these few months, Li Hao had already realized that he was not dreaming, but... had transmigrated.

This was not a dynasty in history, but the Ephemeral Realm.

There were martial artists, great demons, as well as swordsmen and the imperial court.

Fortunately, the Great Yu Dynasty was powerful, demons were forbidden from walking, and there were not many demons who dared to sneak into the borders. Therefore, the lives of the commoners were relatively prosperous, not to mention himself, born into a top-tier noble family.

Life had much to look forward to!

"Hao'er, actually, Mother doesn't hope for you to be born into the Li Clan, do you know?" Outside was lively and noisy, but his mother, Ji Qingqing, in the room, had a worried face and suddenly whispered softly.

Li Hao looked up at his mother in surprise.

At this moment, his vocal cords had not fully developed, so he couldn't speak, but even if he could, he couldn't ask why, otherwise he would scare this young girl to death.

However, although Ji Qingqing was a young girl in his eyes, she was only in her early twenties after all.

But the meticulous care and warmth of these past few months had made him feel a sense of reliance on this mother.

"Actually, Mother had already thought of a name for you, Le Ping, Li Le Ping! Mother only hopes you can grow up happy, safe, and healthy. Unifying the world and such, that is the dream of the royal family, not the dream of the Li Clan, and even less my dream..."

Ji Qingqing whispered to herself. The fawning faces of the powerful figures outside the courtyard did not make her feel vain or happy, but rather felt somewhat glaring.

"Emperor Yu bestowing a name upon you is because he saw that the ninth son died and hopes the Li Clan can pull itself together. This name contains the expectations of the Great Yu royal family, and also the expectations and spurs for the Li Clan..."

She did not continue.

This heavy expectation, falling upon her own child, it was not hard to imagine that the more favor he received today, the greater the pressure he would bear in the future!

Li Hao looked at the sorrow between the young girl's brows. At this moment, she was no longer the Seventh Lady of the Divine General Mansion who was revered, nor was she that iron-faced female general who made people tremble on the battlefield, but simply a mother.

He couldn't speak, only buried his head deeper into her chest.

Trying to convey his comfort through body temperature.

Feeling the movement in her arms, Ji Qingqing looked down, and seeing the child's long eyelashes and beautiful face, her eyes instantly softened.

She held Li Hao and swayed slightly, her slender hand soothing the infant, as if also soothing her own heart: "No matter what, Mother will help you. Your father has already stepped into the 'Three Imperishable' realm, and there is a probability that you will inherit that power in your body."

"Even if your martial arts aptitude is mediocre in the future, with that power passed down by your father, it will be enough for you to catch up with the footsteps of your father's generation when they were young, and you won't fall behind other peers."

"No matter what happens in the future, Mother will stand in front of you and will never let anyone hurt you..."

She whispered to herself.

"The hundred-day banquet is about to start, why are you here?"

At this time, the burly General Xing Wu Hou walked over, his palm gently wrapping around Ji Qingqing's waist, surprised: "What are you thinking about? Are you unhappy?"

"Of course not."

Ji Qingqing put away her emotions, looked up and smiled, not telling her husband the words in her heart. She knew the stubborn character of the Li Clan's men, who took pride in dying on the battlefield. Her own private feelings could not compare to the thousand-year glory of the Divine General Mansion.

"Have the sisters-in-law all arrived?"

"They've all arrived and are just waiting for you and Hao'er."

General Xing Wu Hou glanced at Li Hao and rubbed his little head, but his rough palm was like a blade, making Li Hao roll his eyes.

This big pig-trotter of a father, can't he be more careful?

Ji Qingqing held Li Hao and went to another room full of ladies and wives from various courtyards, and the chattering voices instantly swarmed over.

"Oh my, Hao'er is so beautiful, even more handsome than Jing'er was when he was little."

"Yes, Shuang'er, look at your younger brother, how cute."

"Yo yo, his little eyes are staring at me!"

Besides the wives of various courtyards, there were also their children, the small ones only one or two years old, tugging at the adults' trouser legs, their eyes dark and round, curiously looking at Li Hao in the swaddling clothes.

Several other five or six-year-old children stood to the side like little adults, not naughty, looking quite bored, yet not daring to leave rashly, having no interest in this new little brother.

"Come, Hao'er, let Fifth Mother hold you."

A beautiful woman picked up Li Hao, full of love, and suddenly said in surprise: "Oh, is Hao'er hungry?"

"He just ate this morning."

The beautiful woman did not doubt it, only thinking that Li Hao was hungry. After hearing Ji Qingqing say he had eaten, she didn't worry anymore, just gently kneaded Li Hao's little face and giggled.

Other wives also gathered around to tease Li Hao, and when the time was right, they successively presented gifts.

Ji Qingqing hurriedly declined, but they were still firmly stuffed into her hands.

These were treasures that money couldn't buy. Today, at Li Hao's hundred-day banquet, the gifts received alone piled up half of the Shanhe Courtyard, all of them rare treasures, extremely precious.

One of them, a jade-like bracelet, was put on Li Hao's tender little hand. It was a gift from the beautiful Fifth Mother who was holding him, saying it had the effect of nourishing the spirit.

Li Hao had originally been somewhat sleepy from the chattering voices, but after wearing the bracelet, he felt a cool sensation surging into his body along his little hand, making him feel that his spirit was indeed much better.

The sleepiness was swept away, and his thinking became more agile.

He narrowed his eyes, and a group of blurry characters suddenly jumped out before his eyes.

Compared to the turbidity and blurriness when he first transmigrated, as he grew up day by day over the past few months and his brain continued to develop, these characters also slowly became clear.

And at this moment, like wearing glasses for nearsightedness, it became completely clear.

Friendly reminder, a newbie returns. It's been too long since I wrote a book, the beginning is slow-burning, it takes off after 600,000 words, and becomes super satisfying after a million words. From 7,000 first-day subscriptions to 70,000 average subscriptions, and over 100,000 high subscriptions, it gets more and more exciting~()(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====