Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 354

Volume 3 - Chapter 75: A Friend from Afar - Part 2

Outside the Shuihua Courtyard...

Li Xuanli opened the courtyard gate for Li Hao, casting a glance at his former nephew. He sighed inwardly and said softly, “She’s inside. Ever since the investigation concluded, she has been… imprisoned.”

“Is this what you call imprisonment?”

Li Hao glanced into the courtyard. The usual bustling servants were nowhere to be seen. Fallen leaves littered the ground, accumulating in the pond until it looked like a pool of stagnant water.

Yet, it was still an opulent courtyard, far from resembling a prison.

Hearing Li Hao’s remark, Li Xuanli’s expression shifted slightly. He only replied, “We will wait for you out here.”

This was also a subtle hint to Li Hao, suggesting that if he was dissatisfied, he could do as he wished.

Li Hao said nothing and stepped into the courtyard. Following the paved stone path, he soon spotted the figure of a beautiful woman reclining in the pavilion.

However, she was no longer as dazzling as before. The ornate hairpins adorned with pearls and jewels were now sparse, leaving only a simple hairpin with a single pearl.

Hearing movement, Liu Yurong turned around. When she saw Li Hao, her eyes flickered with slight surprise but no great shock. Instead, she scrutinized him intently. After a moment, she said,

“In less than two years, your appearance has changed this much?”

“Your changes are quite significant too.”

Li Hao smiled faintly. His expression lacked the hatred or rage that one might expect when enemies met.

As he spoke, he stepped into the pavilion, noting the fruit platter on the table. The fruits were wilted and no longer fresh.

“Now that you’ve achieved fame and success, are you here to seek revenge for what happened back then?”

Liu Yurong stared at Li Hao, then smirked coldly, her face showing no trace of fear. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it. Living here is no different from being dead anyway. My only hope is to see my son surpass you one day.”

“Even if I don’t live to see it, I’m sure that day will come.”

As she spoke, she sneered, her sharp gaze fixed on Li Hao.

Li Hao, however, did not grow angry at her words. Instead, his smile deepened, the corners of his mouth curving even higher.

“You certainly dare to dream.”

“Hmph. You are indeed extraordinary, but so what? I’ve seen many extraordinary people. Take your Ninth Uncle, for example. Though not quite your equal, he stunned everyone in his youth. People believed he would lead the Li family to unprecedented heights. And what happened?”

“Brimming with talent, dead before he turned twenty. Hah, that’s what it means to be envied by the heavens!”

Liu Yurong’s tone grew frostier. “You may be strong now, but who’s to say you won’t meet the same fate?”

Li Hao nodded slightly. “You’re not wrong. That’s why, before such a fate befalls me, I plan to ensure your son has a taste of misfortune first.”

Liu Yurong froze, her expression shifting rapidly as she asked in alarm and anger, “What are you planning?”

Li Hao replied leisurely, “You think I’m here to kill you? I’m not. On the contrary, after leaving the Li family, I stopped hating you. In fact, I even want to thank you.”

Liu Yurong stared at him, bewildered.

“That bit of divine blood might have been an immense help to an ordinary person, but to me, it was negligible,” Li Hao said. “You once claimed that loving parents think long-term for their children. You truly are a good mother. So, I’m here to tell you that I will ensure you witness firsthand how I cripple your son. That will be your retribution.”

“You... you dare!”

Liu Yurong suddenly stood up, glaring at Li Hao in shock and fury. “Do you truly think you’re above all law? My son is with the Boundless Buddhist Lord. You won’t succeed!”

“Does your son plan to spend his entire life clinging to the Buddhist Lord’s robes?”

Li Hao smirked.

Liu Yurong’s body trembled. Her face grew pale. She had already heard from her old servant about the recent events in Qingzhou City. The youth before her was now a top-tier powerhouse, possibly even beyond the Buddhist Lord’s control.

“I was wrong. I was wrong. Kill me. Let me atone for my sins!”

Liu Yurong suddenly knelt, kowtowing in supplication.

Li Hao neither stopped her nor said a word. Before she poisoned him, he had held this second aunt in high regard for her genuine-seeming care. Who would have thought it was all an act?

In the days that followed, her relentless probing taught him the necessity of caution.

“Death is not sufficient penance. Your son plotted against the True Dragon and must pay the price.”

Li Hao rose and said, “You live too comfortably. A prisoner should look the part. Wait in a proper prison cell while I drag your son to you like a beaten dog.”

Liu Yurong froze, her face turning ashen. She lunged toward Li Hao, attempting to grab his legs, but an invisible force repelled her.

She pleaded desperately, “I was wrong. For the sake of the times I held you as a child, spare Qianfeng. He knows nothing. Even for his father’s sake...”

“You tried to strip me of my strength. I’ll strip your son of his. That makes us even.”

Li Hao’s voice was calm. “I have no intention of killing him unless he insists on courting death himself. That would be another matter entirely.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

From within the courtyard came cries of anguish, followed by desperate pleas, but the youth departed resolutely.

When the gate closed again, the cries turned to curses, then sobs.

Afterward, Liu Yurong resolved to write a letter to warn her son, urging him to remain in seclusion until he reached the Supreme Dao Realm. Only then could he ensure his survival.

...

Outside the courtyard, Li Hao emerged, and the cries from within were silenced as the gate shut behind him.

Those waiting outside looked puzzled, unsure of what Li Hao had said.

Li Hao simply told Li Xuanli, “Criminals belong in a criminal’s place.”

Li Xuanli understood his intent. Relieved that Li Hao had not killed Liu Yurong outright, he felt a small measure of comfort, given her status as his elder brother’s wife.

With a sigh, he joined the others in escorting Li Hao out.

“You can’t leave!”

Li Tiangang stood firmly in the doorway of the Divine General Mansion, his expression resolute as he faced the approaching Li Hao.

Li Hao frowned slightly but said nothing. He merely extended his Dao Domain, subduing Li Tiangang before walking past him and out of the mansion.

Behind him, Ji Qingqing called out, “Hao’er!”

Li Hao did not look back. He strode along the street, his figure growing smaller until it vanished from sight under the watchful eyes of everyone in the Divine General Mansion.

He Jianlan and the others looked pale and conflicted. This was the second time they had seen the youth walk out of the mansion.

And this time, it was a final farewell.

“Birds fly in the open sky, perching only when tired. But he is no bird. He is a phoenix.”

Li Xiaoran murmured softly, gazing into the distance. His words were meant for Li Tiangang, urging him to let go, but they also reflected his own feelings. After speaking, he turned and walked away.

Li Tiangang and Ji Qingqing trembled upon hearing this. They knew that to the child, they were nothing but a cage.

And now, they could no longer contain him.

...

...

Within the Boundless Mountain, in the Brahma Pure Land...

Clad in white robes, Li Qianfeng knelt before the Boundless Buddhist Lord.

“Master, how much longer before my mother can join me here? Our Li family...”

Li Qianfeng bowed deeply, his expression pleading as he looked up.

The Buddhist Lord sat atop a golden lotus platform. Observing Li Qianfeng’s anguish, he sighed softly, realizing that his earlier teachings had failed. The youth had yet to attain true understanding.

“The calamity in Qingzhou City has been quelled. You need not worry. As for news of your mother, we must await Pujie Bodhisattva’s return...” the Buddhist Lord said gently.

Li Qianfeng froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Qingzhou City’s unrest has been resolved?”

Boundless Mountain was merely tens of thousands of miles from Qingzhou City, a relatively short distance compared to other regions. A Fourth Realm cultivator traveling at full speed could reach it within a day.

The Buddhist Lord nodded. “Be at ease.”

“Thank you, Master!” Li Qianfeng exclaimed, bowing in gratitude.

The Buddhist Lord dismissed him to continue his cultivation, then turned to Lin Wujing and asked, “Has that thief confessed where the stolen sacred relic is hidden?”

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