Chapter 119

Upon hearing the boy’s bold verse, everyone in the General’s Mansion subtly changed expression.

Who in the world doesn’t know you!

Such overwhelming confidence—and yet, so utterly true.

A Tianren Master at fourteen—unprecedented in history, yet he left our Li family.

“Tiangang, can’t you speak to Li Hao more gently, with some softness?”

He Jianlan’s heart ached as she recalled the obedient child who once came each morning to pay respects, and she couldn’t help but speak to Li Dao.

Li Tiangang snapped back to himself, but his face remained expressionless, silent.

“Li Tiangang, you drove away Hao’er—you drove away the most brilliant genius our Li family has seen in a thousand years.”

Li Muxiu now seemed to have exhausted even his anger; his face bore a weary, dimmed look as he gazed deeply at Li Tiangang and said:

“You will regret these words you’ve spoken today.”

Li Tiangang’s lips twitched slightly—he knew the boy’s talent was astonishing, he had seen it with his own eyes, and his heart ached too.

But regret?

His mind replayed the events of recent days, and finally he drew a deep breath and said lowly: “I won’t regret it. He’s the one who will regret. I can’t break his stubborn bones—only the demons will.”

“Within three years, he’ll come crawling back, begging to return. He’ll realize what he threw away is what countless others dream of. He’s still a child—blind to the fortune he holds.”

Saying this, he turned to Li Muxiu and the others, and said slowly:

“By the command of Li family’s True Dragon, I warn you all: no one is to secretly aid him. Violators will face the family’s harshest punishment!”

Then his face turned icy once more:

“Helping him is harming him. Don’t interfere with me—I’ll make him come back.”

Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly—they hadn’t expected his heart to be so unyielding.

“Younger Brother Seven.” Li Xuanli opened his mouth, then hesitated.

Li Muxiu’s lips trembled slightly: “Do you know his wounds haven’t healed? Today’s departure—how many eyes are watching?”

“Our Li family is a thorn in the demons’ flesh, a nail in their eye. How many demons will lie in wait to ambush and assassinate this child as he leaves Qingzhou?”

“The thousand-year feud between our Li family and the demons may fall upon this child alone!”

Everyone’s pupils contracted—they instantly grasped the peril ahead of the boy.

Li Tiangang’s face remained blank: “Second Uncle, Hao’er is still my son. You thought of these things—I thought of them too. I’ve sent men to shadow him secretly; I’ll act if danger comes.”

He looked earnestly at Li Muxiu: “I’ve given him three years—not out of temper, but to forge his character. These three years are for his own sake. I’ll petition our ancestors to delay the True Dragon selection until then. If he’s changed by then, the position is still his.”

Li Muxiu’s face quivered as he stared at the boy’s retreating figure, his heart bitter.

This child never cared for the True Dragon title—and in three years… he’ll care even less.

Besides, with this boy’s talent, if he truly cultivates, by then he might even reach the Three Imperishables…

At that moment, a figure suddenly sprinted forward, darting past the crowd toward the boy.

It was Ren Qianqian, Li Hao’s sword attendant, recently recruited into the General’s Mansion.

She hadn’t yet studied the Tingyu Tower’s techniques; though registered under the General’s Mansion, no one stopped her as she followed the boy.

Yet the girl went alone—without the black sword case.

Chen Hefang saw this, snapped back to awareness, and hurriedly said: “Muxiu, didn’t Hao’er take his sword? How can he go without it? Bring Yongye—quickly, send it after him.”

Li Muxiu froze, immediately extending his spiritual sense, locating the black sword case within the Shanhe Courtyard, drawing it to him, then rushing after Li Hao with the case in hand.

“Hao’er, you forgot your sword.”

Li Muxiu looked at the boy before him, lips trembling, and finally said with deep sorrow:

Li Hao glanced at the old man and shook his head slightly: “Second Grandfather, don’t be sad. I don’t want this sword. Thank Grandma for me—give it to someone else.”

“Who in the Li family besides you deserves this blade?” Li Muxiu couldn’t help but ask.

Li Hao’s gaze settled on the black sword case. He fell silent for a moment, then said slowly:

“Let it be treated as it always was. In any case, I won’t take another thing from the Li family.”

With that, he turned and walked on.

“Hao’er…”

“Second Grandfather, please return.”

The boy didn’t look back, waving his hand as he spoke.

Li Muxiu’s eyes were complex; he looked down at the black sword case in his hands, his heart bitter.

Two generations had abandoned it.

Yongye, Yongye—perhaps it will sleep forever in darkness.

Along the road, Li Hao walked forward, each step making his body feel lighter, more at ease.

He saw Song Yufeng and Song Qiumo at the General’s Mansion gate, nodded slightly to them, but said nothing—clearly not familiar.

He didn’t want to drag the Tanc Palace Academy into this.

Footsteps hurried behind him, drew near, then slowed.

Li Hao didn’t turn, only said: “I’m no longer the Li family’s Young Master. Why follow me? You haven’t joined Tingyu Tower yet—tell Old Zhao. He’ll dissolve your attendant contract.”

Ren Qianqian shook her head slightly, hugging her sword: “Without Tingyu Tower’s techniques, I can learn others from you.”

“My techniques may not suit you.”

Li Hao said: “Besides, who knows if we’ll survive the journey to Tianmen Pass?”

“Then let’s slay demons together,” Ren Qianqian said.

Li Hao’s steps paused slightly, then resumed forward, his voice calm: “Then we travel together.”

A smile lit Ren Qianqian’s face; she nodded and hurried to catch up.

Large snowflakes drifted down, mingled with frost-like mist.

The noble boy walked through the snowstorm, accompanied only by a white fox, a sword attendant, and the empty wind at his sleeves.

First entering the Jianghu, he forgot his sword.

Now re-entering the Jianghu, he had no sword to wear.

“The road to the horizon is long—henceforth, I seek only joy. What care I for idle sorrows…”

The boy suddenly sang aloud, laughing freely.

Before the General’s Mansion.

Song Yufeng and Song Qiumo stared at the departing boy, silent.

They hadn’t expected that after the father-son battle, things would turn so bitter—so that this gifted boy would flee home and sever ties with the Li family.

Countless people in this world longed to step into the General’s Mansion, to claim even a sliver of Li family connection.

Yet this boy cast it aside like worn-out trash.

“Who says Heaven is inhospitable? The snow and wind escort one man alone.”

Song Yufeng murmured to himself.

Before the mansion gate, Li Yuanzhao stared blankly as Li Hao’s figure vanished, whispering:

“From today, has Hao-ge lost his father?”

As he spoke, his mother Xiao Yujing shot him a sharp glare, then glanced at Li Tiangang’s iron-faced expression, her brow furrowing.

Beside Li Yuanzhao, Bian Ruxue suddenly shuddered, her eyes widening as if struck by lightning.

Memories flashed in her mind—years ago, she had walked weeping all the way, following Uncle Lin into this illustrious General’s Mansion.

In that unfamiliar place, it was the child with starlike eyes who told her her father was in the heavens.

That day, she found new solace, escaping the pain of losing her father.

Now, years later, today, the boy who once comforted and stood by her was losing his father before her eyes.

Yet he simply left—and she hadn’t even followed him, hadn’t spoken a single word of comfort.

Thinking of this, a wave of bitterness surged in her chest, sharp as a needle piercing her heart.

She sprinted after him—but the snowstorm had grown fierce; there was no trace of him left.

…

…

Tianmen Pass lies north of Liangzhou’s border.

Liangzhou is vast but sparsely populated, bitterly cold in winter, scorching in summer, its land barren and poor, yet rich in mineral veins. Its people dislike farming; most rely on animal husbandry and trade, importing grain from other provinces.

Now, the moon shone bright, stars sparse.

Cold moonlight spilled across the earth.

In a clearing within a dense forest at Liangzhou’s border, a campfire blazed, around which two people and a fox sat.

On the fire, green vine sticks pierced tiger paws and liver, roasting over the flames.

A rich aroma drifted out—the food clearly exceeded what two people could eat.

“Almost ready. Wait a little longer.”

Li Hao stroked the head of the white fox beside his knee, smiling.

Five days had passed since leaving Qingzhou; with Ren Qianqian paying, they’d rented a cart that jolted them to Liangzhou.

After returning the cart at the post station, the rest of the journey to this borderland had to be made on foot.

Fortunately, Li Hao’s wounds had fully healed in those five days.

In his spare time, he’d pondered his many techniques, fused them, and created a unique cultivation method of his own.

When he first entered the Tianren realm, the hastily combined power had failed to match a Master’s strength. Now, after careful refinement, if he fought again, he was confident he could easily defeat his former self.

As for whether he could defeat that man—he’d stopped thinking about it for now.

“Old Feng, it’s almost done.”

Li Hao looked up and called out into the forest.

Back in the Divine General’s Mansion, it was Old Feng who whispered to him, prompting him to agree to come to Tianmen Pass.

Otherwise, even if he wanted to sever ties with the Li family, he wouldn’t risk his life by coming here alone—it would be tantamount to suicide.

The forest fell silent, with no reply.

Li Hao was already used to it and paid no mind.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the trees nearby.

Li Hao looked up, sending his spiritual sense out to probe—and saw a familiar figure parting the undergrowth and walking toward him.

Not long after, Bian Ruxue followed the flickering firelight and arrived at the campfire.

She saw Li Hao and immediately broke into a smile: “Great! I finally caught up with you!”

“Why are you here?” Li Hao said, frowning. “This journey is dangerous.”

“I didn’t encounter any demons or monsters,” Bian Ruxue said.

She looked at the boy by the fire, and after days of holding back her emotions, she could no longer contain them—her eyes grew slightly red.

“When you accompanied me back then, now I’ve come to accompany you.”

Li Hao glanced at her in surprise. “Aren’t you pursuing the Sword Dao anymore?”

Bian Ruxue paused, then said: “I won’t abandon the sword—but I want to stay by your side. Otherwise, I can’t find peace.”

Li Hao immediately understood—she felt guilt inside.

He smiled casually. “Foolish girl, don’t worry about me. I’m not as fragile as you think. I’m not like you, always crying.”

Bian Ruxue remembered how, as a child, she often woke up screaming from nightmares, and her cheeks flushed slightly. “Let’s not talk about the past. Back then, when my father wasn’t around, you stayed with me. Now I’ve come to stay with you.”

“Are you trying to repay your debt this way?” Li Hao chuckled.

Bian Ruxue bit her lip slightly, saying nothing.

“If you’ve chosen the Sword Dao, don’t waver. With your disposition, you won’t even reach the foot of the mountain, let alone reach the peak.”

Li Hao said: “As for that debt, I don’t care. You accompanied me, and I accompanied you—we’re even.”

Bian Ruxue froze, her gaze distant, staring at the boy’s carefree smile. “Really?”

Bian Ruxue blinked in surprise, her gaze distant; looking at the boy’s carefree smile, she hesitated, “Really?”

Li Hao smiled openly.

The flames of the campfire danced in the cold night wind.

The warm golden light bathed Li Hao’s face as he smiled at the girl beside the fire:

“Go back. I’m waiting for you to reach the peak of the Sword Dao—then come back and tell me what you saw up there.”

Go back now; I’m waiting for you to reach the peak of sword Dao, and then return to tell me what you saw up there.