Chapter 86: Father and Son Reunited

“Fifteen Li Realm?!”

Li Wushuang’s pupils contracted, utterly stunned, her mind buzzing, dazed.

Her entire body was frozen, bound tightly by an invisible force, unable to even turn over.

This was pure realm suppression.

She cried out in fury: “You bastard, let me go!”

“Your brother screamed the same thing back then.”

Yesterday, Li Wushuang had held back her anger, unaware that Li Hao was no gentle soul; seeing her still speaking insolently, he delivered another dozen hard slaps.

Had it not been for the telekinetic force holding her up, those dozen blows would have cracked the ground.

Of course, for a Spirit Traveling realm Li Wushuang, the blows were bearable—though they still made her grit her teeth till her lips turned white, eyes reddening.

“You, you let me go!”

She struggled violently, sending her soul flying to break free—but Li Hao’s soul directly crushed it back into her body, pinning her utterly.

“Still Bufu ?”

“You bastard!”

Li Hao delivered another barrage of slaps.

Suddenly, muffled sobs came from beneath his hand.

Li Hao paused, looked down, and saw the once-pampered daughter of heaven—now with tear-streaked cheeks, pearls of tears clinging to her face—crying from the beating.

The elegant, cold arrogance she’d carried before was gone entirely, like a celestial immortal stepping gracefully from mist, suddenly stumbling into the mortal world.

Seeing this, Li Hao lowered his hand and said coolly: “Still Bufu ?”

Li Wushuang lay sprawled across the horse, lips clenched, stubbornly silent—only more tears fell.

Li Hao wasn’t moved. He sneered: “Cousin, if you still refuse to submit, do you think I won’t strip you bare, seal your power, and hang you from that branch?”

“!!”

Li Wushuang snapped her head up, staring at Li Hao in shock.

Could a human say such a thing? I’m your cousin!! Beside him, Li Yuanzhao froze, then his eyes flickered slightly brighter.

(((o(*▽*)o))) Li Hao had no improper thoughts toward Li Wushuang—it was pure intimidation. He sneered: “I’ll count to three!”

“You—you dare!” Li Wushuang turned pale, furious and frightened.

“Two!”

“You…”

“One!”

“I—I submit!” Li Wushuang blurted out. She barely knew this cousin and couldn’t fathom his nature—she was genuinely afraid.

Li Hao had expected this. He gave a cold smile. No matter how brilliant the talent, she was still a sixteen-year-old girl—this trick was simple and effective.

With a casual flick, he threw her off.

He released the telekinetic restraint.

Li Wushuang felt her body regain mobility, instantly flipping to land gracefully, brushing away her tears mid-air, then turning to glare at Li Hao the moment her feet touched ground.

“Cousin, don’t even think about reporting this.”

Li Hao sat astride his Crimson Blood Horse, looking down at her with calm indifference: “And don’t come bothering me again. If you do, next time I’ll mean it.”

Li Wushuang bit her lip hard. She’d never endured such humiliation—even when she joined the Thousand Mechanisms Sect. How could she suffer such a defeat? Worse still—this cousin, two years younger than her, had reached the Fifteen Li Realm? His cultivation was higher than hers by one full realm? How was that possible?!

Didn’t her brother say he was a martial waste until he was eight or nine? Only a few years have passed since then!

Li Wushuang’s mind was a mess. Today’s events felt like a nightmare to her.

“Cousin, Brother Hao is right—it was Li Yun who provoked him first. You’re in the wrong, and you can’t even beat him.”

Li Yuanzhao urged gently, seeing her hunched posture, unable to straighten her back, and felt a pang of pity.

Before yesterday, he’d held deep admiration for this cousin—he’d heard since childhood how she’d studied under a famed master, how exceptional she was.

Li Wushuang gritted her teeth and glared at the chubby boy: “Stop talking nonsense!”

Li Yuanzhao fell silent. He’d meant it sincerely—why was it called “nonsense”?

But she was clearly furious—anything brushing past her, even a branch, would earn two slaps. He wisely kept quiet.

“So you’ve been hiding all this time. Did Second Grandfather teach you?”

Li Wushuang glared at Li Hao, face flushed with shame. Blood ties meant she had no other thoughts—she simply felt humiliated from being beaten.

“None of your business.”

Li Hao snorted: “If it had been anyone else, your stupidity would’ve killed you already.”

Li Wushuang clenched her teeth in rage. Her return was meant to seize the True Dragon Throne.

At last night’s family banquet, she’d subtly clashed with Second Mother—among the third generation, only she and Li Qianfeng had real chances.

She’d already decided: emulate an ancestor, remain unmarried, and take control of the Li family.

And now—today—she’d been brutally beaten by Li Hao.

“Stop bothering me. I’ve got no time for you.”

Li Hao glanced at her, tugged the reins lightly, and his Crimson Blood Horse stepped past her with a gentle trot.

“You!”

Li Wushuang trembled with rage, wanting to strike—but held back. She had countless techniques, Thousand Mechanisms Sect secrets—but… the gap between Spirit Traveling and Fifteen Li Realm was too vast.

Just the telekinetic force had paralyzed her—no matter how many secrets she knew, they were useless.

Only when she reached the Fifteen Li Realm herself could she challenge Li Hao on equal ground and reclaim her dignity.

Watching the two boys ride away, Li Wushuang’s fury burned—but suddenly, she remembered something.

He was only fourteen—and already Fifteen Li Realm.

This… broke Ninth Uncle’s record!

Her pupils shrank slightly, as if a thunderclap had split her mind.

The invincible figure she’d looked up to since childhood… had been surpassed?

Before she could fully process this shock, a searing pain in her buttocks snapped her back to reality. She instinctively pressed her hand there—and saw faint blood seeping through her skirt.

She bit her lower lip, a strange sense of grievance rising in her chest, her eyes reddening again.

…

…

“Brother Hao, weren’t you a bit too harsh just now?”

After they’d walked far, Li Yuanzhao asked anxiously. His eyes were small, but he’d glimpsed a faint red mark as they passed.

“Just superficial flesh wounds. A little ointment, two days and it’s gone.”

Li Hao said coolly: “I hit her hard because it’s for her own good. Didn’t you see how she acted at last night’s banquet? Early fame isn’t always good. Surrounded by sycophants, even a pig would get swollen with pride and blind to its own flaws.”

“She learned skills from the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, but she’s been pampered too long. Now she’s young enough to correct it—if she stays like this, she’ll suffer terribly outside the family!”

Li Yuanzhao froze. He hadn’t thought so deeply.

But after thinking it over, he realized Li Hao was right.

He couldn’t help but admire Li Hao even more.

“Brother Hao, I’ve noticed you always speak and act like you’re from my parents’ generation.”

Li Hao glanced at him. Having lived two lives, his inner age matched his Fifth Uncle’s—so his actions had carried the tone of an elder correcting a junior.

From the start, he’d never regarded these third-generation members as his equals.

It wasn’t arrogance—just his mindset.

…

…

While Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao headed to the Tan Palace Academy, the General’s Mansion suddenly erupted in commotion.

Li Wushuang had quietly returned home, changed into fresh clothes, dug out six or seven vials of bone-and-tendon healing powder from her childhood training days, and applied them herself, wrapping the wounds in soft cloth.

Throughout the process, her resentment toward Li Hao deepened—but then she remembered his realm, and her emotions turned complex.

She’d begun to realize she might be in the wrong.

After dressing, she heard loud noise outside. She immediately thought of Li Hao—had her mother and the others found out about his cultivation?

But she hadn’t told anyone yet.

When she stepped out of the side courtyard and asked a retainer, she learned it wasn’t Li Hao—it was the Garrison Commander of Yanbei returning.

…

The Garrison Commander’s return had shaken all of Qingzhou!

In Qingzhou, the Li family was the undisputed co-equal prince. Their ancestral merits were known to all; statues of them stood everywhere, and four martial temples had been built.

People in other cities might not feel it deeply—but in Qingzhou, the Li family’s sacrifice was etched into every soul. The common folk knew how hard-won their greatness was.

Nine sons lost to war—six of them—was no simple phrase.

This time, the Garrison Commander had fought in Yanbei for fourteen years, slaying countless demons. His kill records alone filled three thick volumes! When his victorious army reached the thirty-li road outside Qingzhou City, word spread instantly to the city, to the Li family.

The entire populace erupted in excitement. Many spontaneously rushed to welcome him.

Some street vendors packing up their morning stalls simply handed their business to family members, grabbed food and drink, and joined the crowd to greet the legendary demon-slaying general.

Along the thirty-li road, citizens kept arriving—until the crowd swelled beyond count.

Some even misheard the news and ran to the wrong city gate.

Outside the East Gate, heads pressed thickly along both sides of the road, all eyes fixed on the horizon.

Soon, as the battle flag, snapping fiercely in the wind, appeared at the far end of the road, beyond the emerald cypresses…

Countless bystanders erupted in excited cheers, shouting the name known throughout the land: “General Xing Wu returns in triumph!!”

“Shenjiang Mansion endures!!”

“General Xing Wu returns in triumph!!”

“Shenjiang Mansion endures!!!”

The continuous, wave-like cries revealed the Li family’s prestige, leaving passing martial artists from Qingzhou and merchants from the outer city awestruck.

Only after asking around did they learn the reason: for fourteen years of national peace and prosperity, someone had fought bloody battles in Yanbei, slaying countless demons.

The returning procession was not long—it was the Fa Battalion’s personal guard, the same force General Xing Wu had led when he departed.

Yet, the five hundred fierce warriors he had taken fourteen years ago.

Now, fewer than a hundred remained.

Some lacked arms; others had bandaged heads—they were a wounded army.

Yet only that battle flag still flew wildly, unbowed and majestic! Some civilians, seeing the wounded soldiers, instantly teared up and offered eggs from their baskets or cured meats they carried to the returning troops.

The Li family loved the people as their own children and enjoyed immense prestige in Qingzhou, so these common folk felt no fear.

This scene left outsiders dumbfounded.

Though they had seen victorious armies return before, they dared only gaze from afar—their deadly aura kept them at a distance.

But the Li family bonded with the people like fish and water, interacting in perfect harmony.

Meanwhile, Li Hao, who had just arrived at Tan Palace, received word as Shen Yunqing rushed over, panting:

“What are you doing here? Your father, General Xing Wu, has returned in triumph!”

Shen Yunqing’s voice carried a trace of excitement—hard to avoid being influenced by the Li family in Qingzhou.

Li Hao froze.

Parents… returned?

Fragmented memories surfaced in his mind, but too much time had passed—fourteen years, enough for him to grow from infant to teenager.

So long that many things had nearly faded from memory.

After a moment’s shock, he quickly regained composure, thanked Shen Yunqing, then immediately took to the air and shot off at full speed.

Shen Yunqing watched Li Hao’s speed, eyes widening slightly, then stroked his beard and sighed:

“This generation’s true dragon of the Li family is even more extraordinary than the last…”

Li Hao burst out of Tan Palace Academy and raced down the mountain.

He kicked open the stable, leapt onto the Crimson Blood Horse he had ridden that morning, and spurred it forward.

Through the city streets, hooves clattered sharply; the boy whipped his mount as he raced, forcing pedestrians to scatter.

When they recognized the Crimson Blood Horse, some startled onlookers relaxed.

Finally.

As Li Hao arrived at the outer road on his fastest gallop, he saw at the road’s end, banners flying, and a stern figure seated atop a Jiao Lion slowly approaching.

He yanked the reins hard; the steed reared, neighing, its hooves lightly striking the air before landing.

One Jiao, one horse; one father, one son.

At that moment, their gazes met.

(End of Chapter)