Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 234

Volume 3 - Chapter 6: Who Dares to Mock My Son - Part 1

Li Hao was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected the other party to refrain from anger or reproach.

The man's appearance was dignified and heroic, with thick eyebrows exuding an air of natural authority without the need for anger. However, his gentle expression at the moment softened the accumulated might between his brows, giving off a warmth reminiscent of spring breezes swaying willow branches.

“What are you drawing? Let me take a look.”

Li Tianzong walked over and saw the figure depicted on Li Hao’s drawing board. Though the strokes were rough, he could vaguely make out the form of a woman.

Li Hao’s painting skills had yet to reach even the first segment of mastery. The current piece was barely passable and quite ambiguous. Curious, Li Tianzong asked, “Who is this supposed to be?”

“Mother,” Li Hao replied, referring to the "mother" of his current body, Chen Hefang.

His face flushed slightly. His painting skills were still abysmal—so much so that this portrait could barely be identified. If tasked with sketching a wanted criminal, the fugitive might even show up to deny it out of sheer disbelief...

When Li Tianzong heard this, he paused momentarily, then laughed. “Not bad, but your mother is far more beautiful than what you’ve drawn here. You’ll need to practice more.”

Li Hao grew even more surprised. The other party’s words didn’t suggest any intent to stop him from engaging in such “unorthodox” activities.

“I will work hard,” Li Hao replied.

Li Tianzong tousled his head with a large hand, the warmth of his palm conveying a sense of fatherly affection. Li Hao was slightly taken aback. Although this place was the River of Death and the "father" before him was technically his deceased grandfather, he couldn’t help but feel an indescribable emotion in his heart.

It was as though a long-torn, unhealed wound had suddenly begun to close.

After a brief silence, he nodded seriously. “I will hone my painting skills!”

Li Tianzong chuckled. “When you’ve improved, draw one for me as well. Include your brothers and little Hongzhuang too.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Hongzhuang, who was seated nearby enjoying some pastries.

Little Li Hongzhuang: “?”

Her large, lively eyes blinked with confusion as she stared at the two, clueless about the topic of their conversation.

Although Li Hao’s head was being ruffled by the large hand, he could feel the warmth of the palm—a kindness he hadn’t expected. Though he knew he was in the River of Death, interacting with what was essentially his grandfather’s spirit, this moment carried a depth of emotion that moved him profoundly.

...

When they walked into the courtyard, Chen Hefang saw Li Tianzong carrying both Li Hao and Li Hongzhuang. She hurried over and scolded softly, “Look at you! They’re already so big, yet you’re still carrying them. Aren’t you afraid of others laughing at you?”

“Who dares mock my children?”

Li Tianzong’s brow arched slightly, giving him a commanding presence. Yet, in the next moment, he broke into a laugh. “The situation outside Dragon City isn’t good. Since I rarely get to be home, of course, I want to spend more time with the kids.”

“You should take care of yourself when you’re outside,” Chen Hefang said, her expression turning worried as soon as he mentioned Dragon City.

“It’s nothing major. I’ll handle it. Let’s not talk about this now. No politics at home. Go fetch some treats, and let’s head to the training ground to see how the eldest is doing in his practice. If he’s slacking, I’ll send him off to one of the famous mountains outside.”

Chen Hefang chuckled, knowing his temperament all too well, and didn’t press further. She called for the maids to bring snacks from the kitchen.

Li Hao’s eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at them. Though this warmth was rare and precious, going to the training ground to watch those "brothers" train wasn’t particularly meaningful for him.

Time spent awake in the River of Death would be returned equally when he exited it. With that in mind, he decided to fast-forward through the experience.

...

Once at the training ground, while the couple observed the "brothers" practicing, Li Hao closed his eyes to accelerate time.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Hao continued refining the blood of the Demon King daily, using his free moments to work on his paintings and accumulate experience in the Painting Dao.

With each stroke, Li Hao’s heart grew more tranquil. In the quiet of the side room, he became fully absorbed in his craft.

...

One painting after another was completed. The figures he depicted grew increasingly clear and lifelike, their expressions gentle as jade.

When his Painting Dao advanced to the second segment, his control over the brush improved immensely. His ability to sketch had become remarkably precise, allowing him to create realistic portraits.

Li Hao captured the likenesses of Chen Hefang, Li Tianzong, and little Li Hongzhuang, one by one. His Painting Dao experience varied depending on the subject.

The ground of the side room was soon littered with sheets of xuan paper.

...

When night fell, and the voice of Uncle Zhao called him to dinner, Li Hao finally set his brush aside and once again fast-forwarded.

Several days passed in another instant.

Upon his return to the side room, he found all the scattered xuan paper gone. Startled, he prioritized finishing his current sketch before dwelling on it.

This cycle continued with every time leap—each instance advancing three to four days. Sometimes, the leaps brought him weeks ahead.

...

Little Li Hongzhuang interrupted him one day, pushing open the door and sneaking in with a piece of pastry in hand.

Her arrival broke his focus, but Li Hao wasn’t annoyed. He took the treat with a smile, biting into it as he asked, “Hongzhuang, where are my paintings?”

“Father took them all.”

“Father?”

Li Hao felt a slight jolt.

Little Li Hongzhuang was busy playing with a wooden toy horse, pushing it along the floor as she recalled, “Father said at dinner he told Uncle Zhao to pack them all up. He wants to save them for when you get your own house someday and let your future wife see how talented you were as a child.”

At only two years old, she spoke clearly, repeating her father’s words verbatim.

Then she looked up at Li Hao with wide-eyed curiosity. “Tenth brother, what does it mean to have your own house? And what’s a wife? Is it something tasty?”

The little girl’s innocent face was full of questions, but her “tenth brother” remained silent as a statue before his drawing board, unresponsive.

...

Time continued to leap forward with each acceleration. Li Hao ensured he skipped to moments of free time and always returned to the side room to paint.

During these intervals, he had no memory of the events that transpired, except for the snippets he occasionally gleaned from little Li Hongzhuang’s chatter.

Seven leaps in total passed. In the River of Death, months had gone by, but to Li Hao, it felt as though he had spent seven consecutive days sitting and painting.

Each time he accelerated and returned, the xuan paper scattered across the floor disappeared.

On one occasion, he fast-forwarded to a time near dinner and noticed that the paintings were no longer missing. Instead, they had been neatly stacked on a cabinet in the main hall.

Originally, this cabinet held an array of valuable treasures: divine weapons, ceramics, and royal-bestowed jade. Now, most of those items had been cleared away, replaced with a thick stack of his artwork.

“My son’s painting skills are improving by the day! I hear from the tutor that he’s progressing rapidly in literacy as well—he only needs to be taught once to understand, haha!”

At the dinner table, Li Tianzong laughed heartily.

Li Hao, however, remained silent.

This was the first time he had joined his “father” and “mother” for a meal since arriving in the River of Death.

This time, he chose not to accelerate. He cradled his bowl in his hands and quietly ate his meal.

“Old Ten, I heard you painted pictures for all of us. Why isn’t there one of me?”

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