Chapter 121

Bian Ruxue looked up slightly.

What she saw at this moment was the young man with a kind and warm smile in front of the bonfire.

It's just that, although the smiling appearance hadn't changed, the distance between her and that young man seemed to be very, very far.

But this feeling was fleeting, as if it were an illusion.

She thought of the sword.

Her restless heart seemed to suddenly find a place to land.

She thought of the peak of the Sword Dao, that legendary ultimate sword technique.

She said softly: "Brother Hao, your talent is better than mine. Maybe you will reach that place faster than me."

"That might not be the case."

Li Hao spread his hands slightly, "You've seen it, I don't even have a sword."

"..."

Bian Ruxue was stunned, then couldn't help but smile bitterly.

As a swordsman, yet not carrying a sword.

Then he is not a swordsman.

But the exquisite sword technique and majestic sword intent Li Hao displayed when fighting Li Tiangang earlier still made her unforgettable.

Clearly it was such an extreme sword technique and majestic sword intent, why was the person before her so indifferent to the sword?

It seemed that he had been like this since he was a child.

Brother Hao... what exactly does he care about?

At this time, a figure floated down from the treetops silently and landed on the ground beside the bonfire, interrupting Bian Ruxue's thoughts. Her eyes cleared up, and she looked over quickly.

She saw an old man in a green robe, with white hair and beard, his hair bun casually tied up, and an old wooden hairpin inserted diagonally into it.

At this moment, the other party sat on the wooden stake beside the bonfire carelessly, fanned the smell of the roasted tiger meat toward his nose, and tutted: "No seasoning, yet you can still make such a delicacy. It's a pity you didn't become a cook!"

"I wanted to, but I didn't have the chance."

Li Hao smiled.

"Is it cooked?"

"It can be eaten."

Hearing this, Feng Feng Bo Ping didn't stand on ceremony anymore, picked up a roasted tiger paw, and blew on it.

The tiger paw had cracks cut into it, with salt sprinkled inside, and some wild herbs that Li Hao picked along the way, crushed and smeared inside. At this moment, everything permeated into the meat with the roasting.

Feng Feng Bo Ping ate with juice flowing, without any image at all.

Li Hao smiled, pulled out Ren Qianqian's sword, and used it as a meat-cutting knife.

He cut off a few pieces, then beckoned to pick tree leaves as a tray, and handed it to Ren Qianqian.

"Thank you, Young Master," Ren Qianqian smiled lightly, holding it with both hands.

Li Hao did the same, cut off the meat of another tiger paw, served it on another large mulberry leaf, and beckoned to Bian Ruxue.

Bian Ruxue had been chasing and running for days and hadn't eaten or slept well. At this moment, feeling hungry, she walked over.

Taking the mulberry leaf, she looked at it twice, but didn't dislike it, broke off a branch as chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and ate it.

"This, it's really delicious!"

As soon as the tiger meat entered her mouth, Bian Ruxue couldn't help but open her eyes slightly, somewhat surprised. This taste was truly delicious.

She cultivated in the Sword Hut and hadn't enjoyed much. According to her master, if one indulged in enjoyment, it would definitely corrode the sword heart, and from then on, where would there be room in the heart to hold the sword? It would all be filled with other eating, drinking, and playing.

Therefore, the food in the Sword Hut was always average.

"If it's delicious, eat more."

Li Hao smiled.

He also picked up a tiger paw, cut off half a piece, and threw it to the little white fox.

He blew on the rest and gnawed on it.

"Who is this senior?"

Bian Ruxue looked curiously at Feng Feng Bo Ping while eating meat, wondering when Li Hao had met such an old senior who seemed unfathomable.

"Old man's name, you'd better not know."

Feng Feng Bo Ping laughed lightly, then didn't bother with her anymore, eating and drinking on his own.

He brought his own water and wine at his waist. After drinking, he handed it to Li Hao.

Li Hao didn't stand on ceremony either, eating meat with one bite and drinking wine with another. After swallowing it, the spiciness and meat fragrance entered his stomach at the same time, and he called it refreshing! Seeing Li Hao like this, Bian Ruxue was somewhat lost. Drinking wine like this was a matter for those rough men in her eyes, although most men liked wine, but Li Hao was still too young after all.

"Brother Hao, drink less..." Bian Ruxue couldn't help but say.

Feng Feng Bo Ping laughed loudly: "Little Haozi, your wife hasn't entered the door yet, and she's already starting to control you."

Li Hao smiled indifferently, didn't take this, and continued eating and drinking.

Bian Ruxue's cheeks were flushed. Seeing that Li Hao couldn't be persuaded, she didn't persuade him anymore and lowered her head to eat her meat pieces gently.

Dark forest, starlight flickering.

Long night silent.

After eating and drinking enough, everyone rested.

Li Hao lay comfortably in front of the bonfire and fell asleep, his expression peaceful and comfortable, the corner of his mouth seeming to contain a smile.

Bian Ruxue sat by the bonfire, occasionally adding a piece of firewood. Looking at the young man from time to time, her eyes were slightly condensed.

Clearly coming out of the Divine General Mansion, clearly suffering such severe injuries, and breaking with his father... why did he look so at ease while sleeping?

What did he dream of? And who was in his dream?

The young girl didn't know, she slowly withdrew her gaze, looking at the sparks jumping in the bonfire and lost in thought...

Birds startled in the forest, and the dawn of dawn gradually arrived.

The bonfire had already gone out.

A new day had arrived.

On the edge of the forest, on the Liangzhou national road, Li Hao said goodbye to Bian Ruxue, telling her to return and not worry.

Bian Ruxue had said everything she had to say and didn't insist anymore. Carrying her sword, she turned her head three times, but saw that the young man was no longer standing in place, so she didn't turn her head again and walked straight back along the road she came from.

In her heart, there was also a feeling of relief.

Since Li Hao didn't need her company, she could also wholeheartedly pursue her own Sword Dao next.

"Brother Hao, I will definitely climb to the peak of the Sword Dao, and then tell you what I saw..." the young girl muttered to herself, her eyes gradually stabilizing.

Along the official road forward, the green cypresses gradually became sparse. Some of the planted cypresses were clearly destroyed and crushed, but they were not repaired or replanted.

The official road also gradually became dilapidated. In some places, it was actually cracked, leaving thick concave marks, as if a large python had passed through, patrolling and collapsing it.

"Further ahead, it's the Longguan Road."

Feng Feng Bo Ping's eyes were also slightly condensed.

The Longguan Road extended from the border official road, like a sharp thorn, straight into thousands of miles away. The end was the Tianmen Pass, the Cangya City where the Li family's garrison was stationed.

The Longguan Road was the only way to the Tianmen Pass. This road was very long, and it would take a day to ride a horse. It was opened by the Great Yu's first emperor thousands of years ago when he expanded the territory, leading the Li family's ancestors to conquer step by step.

With this road, the Great Yu's army could drive straight in at any time and march into the Northern Rin Kingdom outside the Tianmen Pass.

The Northern Rin Kingdom was one of the six surrounding vassal states surrendered by the Great Yu, becoming a vassal state of the Great Yu. But now the Great Yu Dynasty was declining from prosperity, and these former vassal states seemed to have signs of restlessness.

Li Hao looked out and faintly saw a huge white road extending straight.

"Coming really fast."

Li Hao sighed, then continued forward.

Not long after, on the official road ahead of them, there was a pair of grandfather and grandson carrying herb baskets on their backs.

Although Li Hao walked casually with the little white fox and Ren Qianqian, his foot speed was still better than theirs, so he slowly approached and then surpassed them.

The grandfather and grandson noticed Li Hao and Ren Qianqian from afar, their eyes revealing vigilance, even somewhat nervous. Although this official road was empty, wide, and deserted, they still subconsciously avoided to the side.

After seeing that Li Hao didn't pay attention to them, the grandfather and grandson breathed a sigh of relief.

They followed slowly in the distance behind, but didn't dare to show any abnormality.

But this behavior was strange enough in Li Hao's eyes. People here seemed to be very vigilant and afraid of strangers.

"Young man, do you still want to go forward?"

Seeing that he was about to enter the Longguan Road, suddenly, a hoarse call came from behind.

Li Hao stopped, turned his head, and looked at the grandfather and grandson in surprise, not expecting them to take the initiative to talk, and smiled: "Can't I go forward?"

The old man, whose herb basket was full of herbs, looked at Li Hao and then at Ren Qianqian, thinking that these two should not be Yao or demons, but some aristocratic children who came out to practice.

He smiled bitterly in his heart and said to Li Hao: "Young man, further ahead is the Longguan Road."

"Hmm?"

Li Hao looked at him with slight doubt.

Seeing that Li Hao still didn't understand, the old man sighed:

"When you reach the Longguan Road, you can't go forward anymore. There are Yao and demons there!"

"Yao and demons?"

Li Hao was surprised and looked at Ren Qianqian. Li Hao asked: "The Longguan Road is still within the territory of the Great Yu, right? Outside the Tianmen Pass at the end is where Yao and demons inhabit."

"Tianmen Pass?"

The old man was stunned, then shook his head and said: "Where is there any Tianmen Pass? There is only a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, only strong corpse stench and bloodiness."

Speaking of this, he looked at the sky, seeming to realize it wasn't early, and immediately said:

"Young man, you want to slaughter Yao and demons and act chivalrously, right? Having a hot heart is a good thing, but this is not a place for you to play. You'd better leave as soon as possible. When the sky gets dark, this official road won't be safe anymore..."

Saying that, he pulled his grandson's hand and walked forward with the herbs on his back.

Only the young grandson carrying a small basket looked back from time to time.

After the grandfather and grandson walked a thousand meters away, the young grandson suddenly said: "Grandfather, they seem to have gone in."

"What?"

The old man was shocked and looked back, but on the official road, where was the figure of the young man and young girl from earlier?

He couldn't help but sigh long, "It's hard to persuade a ghost who is looking for death with good words."

On the Longguan Road, Li Hao and Ren Qianqian continued to walk forward.

But they didn't walk long before Li Hao suddenly moved slightly, stopped, and looked in the direction of the official road where the grandfather and grandson had walked.

"Young Master?"

Ren Qianqian was confused.

Li Hao didn't speak, just looked around and saw a wooden stick.

He bent down to pick it up and casually threw out a sword qi with this rough wooden stick! The sword qi was like a breeze, silent, but rushed out rapidly.

It was like a breeze stirring, sweeping past the grandfather and grandson who were still walking slowly and arduously on the official road, lifting the hair on their temples, as if a warm breeze blew from behind them.

And the breeze blew forward, extending more than twenty miles away.

There, a Yao demon like a crocodile was crawling by the side of the road, waiting for an opportunity.

But suddenly, a breeze blew along the official road.

This Yao demon seemed to perceive something, its pupils shrank, and just as it was about to move, its body stiffened and trembled violently.

Then, from its forehead to its body, it split straight open, and blood and internal organs scattered all over the ground...

Li Hao smiled slightly and threw the wooden stick to the side of the road.

Then he clapped his hands and continued forward.

Ren Qianqian didn't know why. Although she was confused, she didn't ask any more questions. On this road, Li Hao would always make some strange moves from time to time, and she was already used to it.

As they went deeper into the Longguan Road, Li Hao could see some rotting Yao demon bones everywhere, only white bones left, but no one to deal with them.

Along the way, he also encountered Yao demons lying on the Longguan Road to rest, sleeping soundly here, actually treating this road that Yao demons once avoided as their own warm bed.

For these Yao demons, Li Hao didn't go soft. Without needing Old Feng to take action, he solved them easily himself.

Walking all the way, Li Hao's expression became heavy, and he finally understood why the old man would say those words.

The Longguan Road opened thousands of years ago, now, it had actually been abandoned.

Logically speaking, the Li family had also guarded this place for years, why would it be like this?

Walking and stopping, finally, Li Hao brought Ren Qianqian and the little white fox to the end of the Longguan Road.

(End of chapter)