Chapter 103

"You are Little Hao?"

Besides Li Qianfeng, among the third generation standing outside the hall were He Jianlan's children.

Li Mingguang and Li Sibei were now about thirty-five years old.

In terms of age, they were a big cut higher than Li Hao and the others, almost more than double.

Both of them had long since joined the army and were now generals in the army, with extremely high cultivation bases. Li Mingguang had just stepped into the first stage of the Three Imperishable Realms, and his younger sister, Li Sibei, had also stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm for many years.

In terms of cultivation, both of them were the most top-notch of the third generation of the Li family, leading the way.

The same was true for their achievements.

After all, their age was there.

But He Jianlan had said early on that her children would not compete for the True Dragon seat.

This statement was public, so it naturally had great binding force.

However, even if they wanted to compete, at the same age, Li Mingguang only stepped into the Fifteen-Li Realm at eighteen.

He entered the Heavenly Human Realm at twenty-five.

Now ten years had passed, and he had stepped into the Three Imperishable Realms. This progress was already extraordinary! It's just that compared to Li Qianfeng and Li Hao, at the same age, it was much inferior.

At this moment, Li Mingguang smiled and sized up Li Hao.

He had already heard this name before returning to Qingzhou, and he had many expectations for this cousin he had never met.

Being so stunningly talented, he had already surpassed the Ninth Uncle of that year.

He and his younger sister Li Sibei were born early, but they played and practiced with the Ninth Uncle in the courtyard when they were children. Speaking of which, his age was even older than the Ninth Uncle!

However.

The seniority was there. Seeing the Ninth Uncle who was two years younger than himself, he still had to obediently lower his head and respectfully call him Uncle.

Besides the strict rules of the Li family, he called him willingly. After all, the Ninth Uncle, who played and practiced with them when they were children, had gone all the way after stepping into cultivation.

Every year, he would shock everyone in the courtyard, like a brilliant shooting star.

It's a pity that heaven is jealous of talent.

Fourteen years ago, when the Ninth Uncle fell, he also accompanied a pot of wine in the army at the distant border.

Drinking in the army was a big taboo, but he still drank it.

After drinking, he went to receive punishment himself and was rewarded with a hundred military whips, beaten until his skin was torn and his flesh was bloody.

But he didn't even frown at the time, and instead smiled.

But later, when he returned to his tent, he cried uncontrollably.

"Cousin."

Li Hao nodded and greeted Li Mingguang.

"Even I can't see through your cultivation base. You kid, it seems you have also practiced techniques to cover up your aura," Li Mingguang smiled.

Li Hao smiled slightly.

Li Mingguang looked at Li Qianfeng next to him again. Compared to Li Hao's breeze, Li Qianfeng was like a sharp sword half-drawn from its sheath. Although restrained, he had already revealed a chilling sharpness, and his aura was even more profound and majestic, far exceeding that of an ordinary Fifteen-Li Realm cultivator.

Seeing that both cousins were so promising, Li Mingguang's eyes showed a gratified expression: "I came back this time to watch you compete for the True Dragon. Neither I nor the eldest sister will participate. In terms of aptitude, we are not as good as you. In the future, we will have to rely on you."

Li Qianfeng nodded slightly: "Cousin, rest assured."

Li Hao looked at the other party twice, thinking that this cousin's personality was somewhat similar to the eldest aunt's.

Putting aside talent, the eldest brother's bearing he carried naturally was, in Li Hao's view, somewhat suitable for serving as the head of the family.

"However, you compete for the True Dragon, but don't hold grudges because of this and keep them in your heart."

Beside them, the eldest cousin Li Sibei exhorted.

She and her brother had both taken off their armor and changed into clothes, but they had fought in the army for many years, so their postures were upright, and their eyebrows were a bit more heroic than ordinary women.

"Cousin is right."

Li Hao nodded with a smile.

Li Qianfeng nodded, his expression calm.

Seeing the two of them express their attitude like this, Li Sibei smiled slightly, her gaze swept over the two of them and behind them, and she also nodded slightly to Li Wushuang and the others to greet them. It was inconvenient to talk much outside the hall at this moment, so they didn't catch up one by one.

Not long after, the father generation finished paying homage to the grandmother and also summoned Li Hao and the other third generation of the Li family in.

Led by Li Mingguang, everyone walked into the hall and saw Chen Hefang sitting above the hall, with the remaining father generation and the wives of each courtyard sitting on both sides, while the remaining concubines were standing obediently behind the wives of each courtyard.

Li Mingguang, with a burly and thick figure, walked to the middle of the hall and knelt down.

Everyone else followed closely and knelt down to pay homage.

"All rise," Chen Hefang said with a smile.

Everyone stood up. Li Hao looked up and sized up this biological grandmother. Her hair was snow-white, combed neatly like silver silk. She looked old, her skin had wrinkles, but there were no age spots, and her complexion was ruddy. She looked like an extremely clean old lady.

And although she was old, one could also see that she was an extremely good-looking beauty when she was young. Although the beauty was old, her bone structure was beautiful.

While Li Hao was sizing them up, Chen Hefang was also sizing up these grandchildren.

She was most familiar with Li Mingguang, whom she had held when he was a child and who often came to the Green Lotus Courtyard to play with Junye.

It's just that since the eldest and the third died in battle one after another, followed by the Ninth and the Sixth who died one after another, her hair turned white overnight, and she handed over all the affairs of the mansion to the eldest daughter-in-law, He Jianlan.

And she herself went to Forget-Worry Mountain to eat vegetarian food and pray for blessings, hoping that the heroic souls of the Ninth would return early.

Thinking of the Sixth and the Ninth, Chen Hefang's eyes had a bit more sadness.

Over the years, she had dreamed of them running toward her countless times in the night, as they were in childhood, high-spirited, with heroic spirit, calling "Mother, Mother" in their mouths...

Those two children were too bitter. One was left with only an only son, and the other hadn't even married yet.

They had practiced hard since childhood, and they hadn't even seen the prosperity of the human world before they were buried at the border.

"Mingguang, come here, let Grandmother take a look at you."

Chen Hefang's emotions didn't show much before they were already put away, and she said with a smile.

Li Mingguang looked at the white hair on this grandmother's head, and his heart also felt heartache. He walked up and bent the spine that had been straight when he was wandering outside.

"At the border, don't be greedy for merit and advance rashly. The Li family no longer lacks merit and glory,"

Chen Hefang stroked the eldest grandson's shoulder and said softly: "Grandmother only hopes that you can all live well." When this was said, tears welled up in the eyes of many wives.

Jiang Xian'er, sitting at the end, had moist eyes and turned her head slightly.

Those young men were still there, but how many of the young men of that year had returned?

Those high-spirited young men were the fathers of these children today, and also their husbands.

Li Mingguang's heart trembled, and he nodded forcefully: "Sun Er will keep it in mind."

Chen Hefang's gaze was soft, and she called Li Sibei to her side, sizing up this once little girl in detail. Now she was heroic, and they all said that a daughter is like her father. Her eyebrows also had a few similarities with the eldest son, Li Xingbei.

The more Chen Hefang looked, the more she liked her, and she couldn't help but sigh.

Afterward, her gaze looked at the other grandchildren. As her gaze swept over, they were all young faces, already showing signs of prominence, with the heroic spirit of youth.

Although it was their first meeting, she could see many familiar shadows from within.

"Which one is Hao'er?"

Chen Hefang said softly.

Li Hao was slightly startled and took a small step forward: "Sun Er is here. Greetings, Grandmother."

Chen Hefang sized him up and down, beckoned lightly, and said with a smile: "Come here and let Grandmother take a look."

Under the gaze of the whole hall, Li Hao went up obediently and came to Chen Hefang.

Chen Hefang sized Li Hao up carefully, sighed lightly, and said: "You look so much like your mother!"

Li Hao's gaze moved, and he didn't speak.

"It's our first meeting, and Grandmother has nothing to give you. I heard you like to use a sword, so Grandmother will give you one."

Chen Hefang said, calling a servant to bring up a sword box.

Seeing the appearance of the sword box, Li Tiangang couldn't help but stand up and say: "Mother, this, this is the one from the Ninth Brother back then..."

Jiang Xian'er's eyes also gazed slightly.

"That's right, it's the sword your Ninth Brother used, Yongye!"

Chen Hefang stroked the sword box with her palm, looking at Li Hao with eyes full of love, and said: "This sword is one of the top ten famous swords in the world. I heard you also use a sword, so I will give it to you. Don't let a famous sword gather dust."

Li Hao's heart was shocked. One of the top ten famous swords in the world, this was a sword that could slay Four Standing Realm great demons, extremely sharp.

And this sword had extremely special power, but it required a corresponding realm to be able to exert it.

Currently, in his hands, it could only slay souls and dispel evil, and it was sharp.

But that was enough.

"Thank you, Grandmother," Li Hao said softly, taking it.

Although he said it lightly, Chen Hefang could hear the solemnity in this child's words and couldn't help but smile.

Everyone else was silent. This sword had been sealed for many years, but now it was handed to Li Hao, which showed Grandmother's love for this grandson she was meeting for the first time.

However, it was also mostly because Chen Hefang saw the shadow of Li Junye in Li Hao.

Both were so dazzling and bright.

In the crowd, Li Qianfeng's expression turned gloomy, and he didn't speak.

Liu Yuerong smiled, but the smile seemed a bit forced, but at this moment everyone's eyes were on Li Hao and the black sword box, so no one paid attention to her.

After entrusting the sword box to Li Hao, Chen Hefang also called Li Qianfeng to her side.

She said softly: "I heard you are practicing in Mount Wuliang. I have three precious Buddhist scriptures here, so I will give them to you."

Li Qianfeng's expression was a bit unnatural.

Giving a famous sword to Li Hao, and giving Buddhist scriptures to him? But he didn't dare to show it, so he lowered his head and said: "Thank you, Grandmother."

Chen Hefang smiled and said: "There is a top-notch Buddhist technique, Great Sorrow Hand, in these scriptures. If you can master it, not to mention the power of the palm technique itself, the improvement of the palm technique will also help your future Sword Dao cultivation."

Li Qianfeng was stunned and couldn't help but show joy: "Thank you, Grandmother!"

Chen Hefang waved her hand, let him and Li Hao retreat to the side, and then called the other grandchildren, giving them meeting gifts one after another. Although these gifts had differences, they were not big.

After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed from the Green Lotus Courtyard.

It's just that Chen Hefang kept He Jianlan and the other wives, seemingly to inquire about the situation in the mansion over the years, and also asked Liu Yuerong to notify the Bodhisattva of the Four Standing Realms who had come down from Mount Wuliang and was living in the mansion to come for a meeting.

Time flew by.

After the old lady came out of the mountain, Qingzhou City also became more and more lively.

Soon, the day for the True Dragon selection arrived.

Outside the gate of the Divine General Mansion, the street was crowded, and a large number of carriages drove over. They were all dignitaries, and many civil and military officials had come from all over the nineteen states to offer congratulations.

Such a grand event had happened once more than ten years ago, and it was just as lively now.

The threshold of the Divine General Mansion was about to be trampled flat.

The Liu family relatives arrived one after another.

In other states, the Liu family was also a big family. Over the years, Liu Yuerong had married into the Divine General Mansion, and the Liu family naturally borrowed the power of the Li family to develop even more rapidly, and their official positions in the imperial court had also been promoted one after another.

The Liu family had many civil officials, with several top graduates in their ancestry, serving as officials in the imperial court.

Besides the many civil and military officials of the Liu family, there were also other counts and marquises who came to visit to support Li Qianfeng and show off their connections.

Besides that, people from the other four Divine General Mansions also came, but they just visited normally and didn't take sides, seemingly just coming to see what the Li family's True Dragon was like in terms of strength.

The noise outside the courtyard was endless.

Inside the courtyard, Li Hao moved an old man's chair and was basking in the sun comfortably.

Not long after, Bian Ruxue ran back into the courtyard, followed by a string of footsteps.

Li Hao raised his eyebrows slightly, opened the poetry collection that was covering his face to block the sun, turned his head to look, and saw a familiar face.

With white hair and beard, and bones like a sword, the one walking at the very front behind Bian Ruxue was actually that Sword Saint, Jian Wudao.

(End of chapter)