Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 239

Volume 3 - Chapter 8: Grasping the Sword Again - Part 2

“Shi Ge, why do you paint every day?”

“Because I like it.”

“Then Shi Ge, do you like Hongzhuang?”

“I like her too.”

“Then you should spend more time with Hongzhuang!”

Li Hongzhuang walked over, tugged at the corner of Li Hao’s robe, and spoke with wide, pleading eyes.

Li Hao was taken aback. This little one had already learned how to manipulate people with words.

“Alright, alright, Gege will keep you company,” Li Hao said, feeling increasingly accustomed to and adept in his current role.

“Hmph, Shi Ge only cares about his own things and doesn’t play with Hongzhuang at all,” Li Hongzhuang pouted.

Li Hao quickly came up with an idea and suggested they play hide-and-seek.

Hearing this, Li Hongzhuang’s eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed, darting off.

Once Li Hongzhuang was out of sight, Li Hao resumed his painting.

After working on his painting for some time, he suddenly thought of heading to the kitchen. Not only could he accumulate experience for the Culinary Dao, but it was also relatively easy to earn early-stage artistic skill points.

He also considered gathering some firewood from the kitchen, which could help him improve in the Sculpting Dao.

With his plan in mind, Li Hao left his room, only to find Li Hongzhuang standing at the door, puffed up with anger.

“Why are you here?” Li Hao asked in surprise.

“Shi Ge, you didn’t come to find me!” Li Hongzhuang huffed.

Li Hao was momentarily speechless. He coughed lightly and said, “I did look for you! I searched everywhere but couldn’t find you. I thought you were hiding here, so I came back.”

“Shi Ge is lying.”

“I was hiding in the flowerbed in the courtyard outside the door,” Li Hongzhuang said indignantly.

“...”

Li Hao was rendered speechless. This clever little thing was hard to fool.

“Let’s go. Shi Ge will take you to make something to eat,” Li Hao said, immediately changing the subject and taking her hand as they headed to the kitchen.

Although Li Hongzhuang was only three years old, her curiosity was piqued as soon as she heard this. “What are we making?” she asked in confusion.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” Li Hao replied with a smile.

When they arrived at the kitchen, the household servants quickly greeted Li Hao with respectful bows.

Li Hao, maintaining a mature demeanor, instructed them to clear the stove and brought out the ingredients, encouraging Li Hongzhuang to join in the process.

As a young child, especially a little girl, she naturally enjoyed playing house. She soon forgot her earlier grievances, diligently rubbing, kneading, and washing the ingredients with her small hands. Her face was full of concentration as she carefully arranged each clean item neatly on a plate.

“Young Master...”

The numerous servants in the kitchen were visibly nervous, standing nearby as though facing a great enemy, worried about any potential mishap involving Li Hao.

They also stole curious glances at this Young Master, renowned throughout the Divine General Mansion. Normally, servants like them had no chance of interacting with the direct descendants of the family.

As the stove was lit, Li Hao began cooking with methodical precision.

“Gege, can I add this in now?”

“Not yet. Wait until I tell you.”

“Okay!”

“Gege, are the scallions added last?”

“Yes.”

Standing beside him, Li Hongzhuang had fully assumed the role of Li Hao’s top assistant.

Li Hao watched as his experience points increased, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. At this rate, he thought, he could accumulate four or five artistic skill points before starting cultivation at six years old.

Before long, the servants outside suddenly knelt in panic.

“Master, please calm your anger!”

Two figures dressed in fine clothing entered. They were none other than Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang.

When they saw Li Hao standing on a stool, cooking at the stove, the couple paused in surprise. They had rushed over after hearing reports from the servants.

By now, Li Tianzong had returned from slaying demons outside the city. Half a month had passed since Li Hao’s injury during the banquet, and he was now dressed in luxurious robes.

“Xiao Shi, what are you doing here?” Li Tianzong asked, unable to suppress his curiosity. “Who taught you this? Why are you in such a place?”

Li Hao noticed his father’s furrowed brows and felt a slight tension in his heart. He quickly came up with an excuse: “I wanted to make some food for you and Mother.”

Li Hongzhuang chimed in with a wide grin, “Daddy, Mommy, we’re almost done! Would you like to eat?”

Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang exchanged helpless glances. Cooking was the servants’ duty; how could their children lower themselves to such tasks?

However, seeing the nervousness in Li Hao’s eyes and the bright smile on Li Hongzhuang’s face, their expressions softened.

Before they could say anything, Li Hao lifted the lid and said, “The dish is ready. Add the salt now.”

Li Hongzhuang immediately grew serious, carefully scooping out a few grains of salt from the jar.

“Not enough.”

She scooped out half a spoonful.

“Still not enough. A bit more.”

A large spoonful of salt was poured in all at once.

Li Hao froze for a moment and quickly used the spatula to remove some of it. “That’s enough!” he said hastily. He made a mental note that he should handle seasonings himself next time.

With some effort, he plated the food and looked at his parents, who seemed like they wanted to say something but stopped. Li Hao smiled awkwardly and said, “Why don’t you try it?”

Li Tianzong pinched a piece of meat with his fingers and popped it into his mouth, exhaling slightly to cool it down. Without betraying any emotion, he nodded. “It’s not bad.”

“Use chopsticks!”

Chen Hefang sighed, taking the chopsticks handed to her by a maid. She delicately sampled a bit, frowning slightly. But seeing the amused expression on Li Tianzong’s face, she reluctantly said, “You’ve worked hard. This is thoughtful of you. Wash your hands and come back with us.”

“Yes, bring this dish along as well,” Li Tianzong instructed. “My son’s cooking suits my palate. Get me some wine too—I’ll savor this properly.”

Li Hao was somewhat surprised. After all, his current Culinary Dao was only at level one, and his cooking skills relied entirely on the bachelor experience from his past life.

He tasted a piece of meat and nearly spat it out—it was still too salty!

Seeing Li Hao’s scrunched-up face, Li Tianzong burst out laughing.

“Next time, use less salt,” he advised. “Don’t waste food. Ordinary people work hard to grow crops, often risking attacks from demons. They toil from dawn to dusk. Respect food.”

Li Hao paused, then nodded slightly. “Understood.”

Before leaving, he grabbed two pieces of wood.

“What are you taking those for?” Chen Hefang asked in surprise.

“I want to carve figures for you,” Li Hao replied earnestly.

“Oh? Can you carve?” Li Tianzong, walking ahead, asked with interest.

“Not yet, but I can learn.”

“You shouldn’t spend all your energy on such things,” Chen Hefang said with a sigh. “You’ve already undergone bone-measuring. You should focus more on martial arts and cultivation. These hobbies are fine to play with, but don’t get too caught up.”

“Got it,” Li Hao responded. Relieved that their tone wasn’t overly harsh, he felt a sense of ease.

Back at the courtyard, Li Hao borrowed a small knife from Zhao Bo and began carving.

As he worked, the Sculpting Dao was added to his repertoire, and he continued accumulating experience on his journey of mastery.

His carvings gradually became more lifelike and expressive...

Time flew by.

Every two days, Li Hao activated his time-skipping ability to rest. Although his five-year-old body, imbued with divine jade-like bones, was stronger than ordinary children, his spirit still couldn’t sustain prolonged activity without rest.

After several such cycles, Li Hao reached six years old.

During this period, his skills in sculpting, painting, and cooking had all progressed steadily.

Now, his Painting Dao had reached level five, his Culinary Dao level two, and his Sculpting Dao level three.

He had accumulated five artistic skill points as well.

...

“Xiao Shi, this is your first time cultivating. Look at these weapons—choose the one you like.”

Li Tianzong led Li Hao to the training grounds. Other young men of the Li family, both direct and collateral descendants, were present, training hard.

Li Hao spotted a face resembling Li He and another who looked like Li Fu.

Wasting no time, Li Hao’s gaze fell on the weapons before him. One in particular caught his eye—a longsword displayed second in the lineup.

He stepped forward, picked up the sword, and swung it a few times. The movements felt familiar and natural.

After all, his Sword Dao was already at level one.

“You like swords? Then give it a try,” Li Tianzong said with a faint smile, signaling an instructor to teach Li Hao the basics.

The instructor approached respectfully, demonstrated a set of sword techniques, and said, “Young Master, I’ve just shown you the movements. Try replicating them as best you can so I can assess your comprehension of Sword Dao.”

Li Hao raised his hand, and the sword flashed as he began his demonstration.

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