Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 380

Volume 3 - Chapter 94: But I Am Reluctant! - Part 1

Yuhuang took a sip of tea. The taste was passable—though not as refined as the cloud mist tea served in the imperial palace, it carried the natural sweetness of the mountains and fields.

“You really don’t mind, do you?” Yuhuang chuckled lightly.

“The world has become accustomed to its ways. My heart remains at ease no matter where I am,” Li Hao replied with a casual smile.

Literary Experience +66

Yuhuang blinked in surprise, glancing at Li Hao. Upon thinking of the young man’s circumstances, his gaze flickered briefly.

“No wonder the old fossils at the Hanlin Academy like you so much.”

It was as though Yuhuang sighed and lamented at the same time.

Li Hao was somewhat puzzled. Wasn't the Hanlin Academy a place for scholars and literary figures? He didn't seem to have much interaction with them.

“Come, let me see if your chess skills have improved. Don’t just pretend to be skilled.”

Yuhuang lifted the hem of his robes and sat down on a cushion, speaking half in jest.

Li Hao straightened up, sitting attentively. He knew that the Emperor hadn't come just to play chess; he had also brought with him the answer Li Hao had been waiting for.

However, this answer was deeper and heavier than he had expected.

This made Li Hao feel a little guilty.

The scattered pieces on the chessboard were cleared away, and the two began to play slowly.

Li Hao took the white pieces.

“Don’t hold back on me. I don't need anyone's charity,” Yuhuang said as he moved a piece.

Li Hao nodded. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Soon, on the chessboard, the white pieces launched a fierce offensive, swiftly seizing the initiative. The layout was as solid as a fortress, and the black pieces could only retreat step by step, surrounded and unable to escape.

“You little brat…”

Yuhuang smirked slightly, muttering to himself, clearly impressed. He had said he wouldn't hold back, and yet, Li Hao was playing with full seriousness.

Li Hao coughed lightly, feeling that he might have taken it a bit too seriously. Though still newly promoted to Sixth Rank in chess, he had already been able to easily defeat the Emperor back when he was only Fifth Rank.

“Let’s go again.”

Yuhuang clearly wasn’t the type to accept defeat. Or perhaps, since ascending the throne, he had never experienced the taste of loss… except when playing against Li Hao.

After three more rounds, Li Hao decided to go a little easier, allowing the Emperor to enjoy some fun in the game rather than simply crushing him.

Soon enough, Yuhuang’s craving for chess was satisfied.

During the fourth game, however, his expression became less focused and intense. As he moved a piece, he casually asked, “You killed the Buddha Lord… have you thought about the consequences?”

Li Hao, still focused on the game, slightly subdued his expression and replied, “I’ve thought about it.”

“Oh? What did you think?”

Yuhuang placed a piece, looking at Li Hao with interest.

“I think the elder will have quite a headache. It will cause you some trouble,” Li Hao sighed.

Yuhuang froze for a moment, then asked, “And how do you think I will deal with it?”

Li Hao shook his head slightly. “I haven't thought about that in detail.”

“Not thought about it?” Yuhuang raised an eyebrow.

“No matter how it is dealt with, I will accept it calmly,” Li Hao replied, adding, “As long as my life isn’t taken.”

“...”

Yuhuang stared at the young man’s serious expression for a few seconds, half amused and half exasperated, before saying, “You’re really not worried? What if the Buddhist sect pressures me, and in order to calm the public’s anger, I revoke your title, stripping you of the third-rank noble title you’ve worked so hard to earn?”

“If it’s just that, then the killing of the Buddha Lord will have been worth it,” Li Hao said.

Yuhuang was speechless, a wry smile forming on his face. “You really are willing to part with it.”

“Sacrifice one moment’s pleasures, and gain eternal freedom,” Li Hao smiled.

“This sounds like something from Chan Buddhism. If the Buddha Lord had truly understood it, maybe he wouldn’t have been killed by you,” Yuhuang sighed, shaking his head.

“Maybe he wasn’t cultivated enough,” Li Hao replied.

Yuhuang glanced at him, the two locking eyes before bursting into laughter.

After their laughter subsided, Yuhuang turned to Li Hao and asked, “If I were to revoke your title, would you resent me?”

Li Hao shook his head and, without a trace of hesitation, placed a piece on the board. “How could I? This title was given by you in the first place.”

“But you worked hard to earn it.”

“Without this title, I’d still be working just as hard,” Li Hao replied.

Yuhuang looked at him, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. As he lowered his head to place a piece, he noticed that Li Hao had placed a piece earlier to block his next move.

That brat…

Yuhuang felt a little exasperated. They were discussing serious matters, and yet this young man had the audacity to make moves on the chessboard.

“Enough! No more,” Yuhuang muttered, tossing the piece into the box and flinging his sleeve. “Let’s talk about the serious business. I should thank you. The Buddha Lord has already fallen into demonic corruption. What you’ve done is actually helping to eliminate a hidden threat for Great Yu.”

Li Hao was stunned. “You know that the Buddha Lord’s avatar is a demon?”

Yuhuang nodded slightly, looking at Li Hao. “Looks like you know too. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I forgot,” Li Hao said, clearing his throat.

Yuhuang slightly pursed his lips, but his eyes were deep, as though something was stirring beneath them.

“Forgot? This kid must be worried that if he spoke up, it would make things more difficult for me in handling this situation…”

“Ah…” Yuhuang shook his head, muttering, “The remnants of the Buddhist sect are putting pressure on me, trying to strip you of your title. Behind all this, there are probably demons at play, attempting to sow discord among us and take advantage of the situation.”

“Right now, one solution is to temporarily let you suffer. I will publicly announce that your title has been revoked and imprison you in the dungeons, pretending to sever ties with you.”

“This will lure the demons to counterattack and provoke the Buddhist sect into causing chaos. We can turn the situation from passive to active.”

Li Hao listened quietly, nodding slightly. This was indeed a good strategy.

“But to pull this off, the performance must be convincing, and you’ll endure a lot of hardship,” Yuhuang said, looking at Li Hao.

Li Hao nodded. “I can handle it.”

Yuhuang stared at him for a moment and then asked, “Afterward, how would you like me to compensate you?”

“Compensate?” Li Hao thought for a moment before replying, “If possible, I’d like some calligraphy, music scores, or chess manuals from famous masters for me to admire. Oh, and maybe some cookbooks…”

He started counting items on his fingers, one by one.

“…”

Yuhuang fell silent.

Calligraphy? Music scores? Chess manuals? Cookbooks? What kind of random junk was this?

To a wealthy merchant, these might hold value. But for someone like Li Hao, with his level of strength, wealth and power were already within easy reach.

These things… were practically garbage.

“Nothing else?” Yuhuang asked, narrowing his eyes at Li Hao.

Li Hao thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly. “Nothing for now.”

Yuhuang gave him a deep look but said no more. Rising to his feet, he said, “It’s getting late; I should be going.”

“I’ll see you out,” Li Hao said quickly.

“No need,” Yuhuang replied.

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