Chapter 96: Chapter 86: Rage and Exposure_3
“Has he become disheartened? Now that his meridians are unblocked, what does it matter if his Foundation Establishment comes later than others? With my Immortal Bloodline, he can surpass his peers in the early stages!”
“By the time he reaches the stage of Inheriting the Spirit and Divine Traveling, with the support of the Cultivation Techniques from Listening Rain Tower and the aid of our ancestral spirits from the mausoleum, he will be able to enter the Qian List and at least have the capability to defend himself. How could he let himself fall to such a state!”
Zhao had an embarrassed look on his face and said, “Actually, the young master has been working very hard…”
“Working hard at playing?”
Li Tian Gang gave him a sideways glance, a look that carried the remains of his authority from the battlefield, causing a slight tremor in Zhao’s heart.
“It seems you have all been too indulgent with him. Spoiling him to the point of arrogance, don’t you realize that’s harming him?” Li Tian Gang said sternly.
Zhao couldn’t sit still any longer, and he quickly stood up, “Master, it’s my lack of supervision, the old servant’s fault.”
Li Tian Gang was taken aback and suddenly realized he had been too serious. The decade-plus of relentless battlefield life had not allowed him to relax yet.
Seeing the butler who had looked after him since he was a child bowing to apologize, he felt somewhat remorseful. He let out a long sigh and said,
“It has nothing to do with you. Hao Er has simply been given too much favor.”
Zhao bowed his head, not daring to answer any further.
Li Tian Gang suddenly lost interest and waved his hand, “Go rest for now.”
Zhao hesitated, then bowed his head and retreated.
The next day.
Li Hao slept in.
Since his father had returned, it was natural he should spend more time with him. There was no need to go to Tan Palace Academy these days, anyway. There was nothing much for him there; he would either draw by the Cold Pond or find Old Shen for a game of chess and some drinks.
Perhaps it was the ruminations before he went to sleep, but in his dreams, Li Hao saw those eyes, holding him and gently soothing him to sleep, when suddenly a horde of Demons surrounded them.
“Young master!”
Suddenly, a soft call came to his ear.
Li Hao started, waking up with a jolt. Opening his eyes, he saw a young man standing by his bed.
“When did you come in?” Li Hao couldn’t help but ask.
He recognized the young man; he was one of the attendants who had returned with his father from battle yesterday, appearing to be in his late twenties, with a slender figure and sharp eyes.
“Young master, the master has asked me to call you. It’s time to train in the front courtyard,”
the young man, Yu Xuan, said with a smile.
Li Hao sighed inwardly, realizing that his days of leisure were over.
Thinking of the beautiful dream he had just been interrupted from, his face darkened, “From now on, without my permission, you are not allowed to enter my room.”
Yu Xuan nodded, “Yes.”
Only then did Li Hao reluctantly sit up and called for Qing Zhi to prepare fresh, clean clothes for him to change into.
Seeing Li Hao’s demeanor reminiscent of a pampered young master, Yu Xuan stood silently on the side, his expression unchanged.
However, Li Hao was moving slower than he had anticipated, standing there carelessly while the maids slowly dressed him. Yu Xuan couldn’t help but remind him, “Young master, the master is already waiting for you.”
Li Hao blinked and then quickly dressed himself, saying, “Let’s go.”
The two left the room and headed towards the front courtyard.
As they passed the main house, Li Hao casually glanced inside and suddenly froze, a look of shock crossing his face as he rushed into the building.
Inside, all the calligraphy and paintings he had accumulated over the years were gone.
“Zhao!”
Li Hao called out in a hurry.
Zhao hurried over from the front yard. “Young master.”
“Where are my paintings?”
Li Hao revealed a rare expression of anger towards Zhao.
Zhao’s face changed slightly as he hesitated, “These paintings, the master saw them this morning, and he had them all moved away.”
“Moved where?”
“The woodshed…”
On hearing this, Li Hao immediately felt a rage rushing to the crown of his head. The woodshed? Were they planning to burn all of his paintings like trash?!
If it were other paintings, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but among those paintings were the ones he had sketched of his mother, whose memory had already become blurred!
“Bring them back immediately; move them all back. From now on, no one is allowed to touch my paintings!” Li Hao clenched his teeth and enunciated every word.
Zhao, who had never seen Li Hao this furious in all these years, was a bit stunned. He quickly responded, “Young master, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it right away.”
But just as he was about to leave, a hand stopped him.
Yu Xuan blocked Zhao, still with an unaffected expression, and said to Li Hao, “Young master, it was the Marshal who ordered the paintings to be moved. You should come with me for your training now.”
Li Hao had already guessed that no one but his father, who had just returned the day before, would dare touch his paintings.
Yet hearing this confirmed, a fierce rage seethed within him, uncontrollable.
“Get out of my way!” Li Hao glared at him furiously.
Yu Xuan looked at Li Hao calmly, his arm unmoving. In the military, he only obeyed Li Tian Gang’s orders.
It was the same in the Mountain and River Courtyard.
Because he, Li Tian Gang, was the true master of this place.
Li Hao’s fists clenched, his gaze fixated on him: “I said it once, get lost!!”
“Who do you want to get lost?” Suddenly, a voice came from the side as Li Tian Gang approached, his expression somewhat dark.
Yu Xuan lowered his arm and bowed to him.
“Father, those paintings have…”
Seeing his father approaching, Li Hao began to speak in a hurry.
Before he could finish, Li Tian Gang shook his head and said with a cold face, “Apologize to Uncle Yuxuan!”
Li Hao froze, then his eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at his father.
Zhao’s face also changed, and he quickly added, “Master, the young master was just anxious about the paintings; those are his hard work over the years, and he just got a little carried away in the heat of the moment…”
“Silence!”
Li Tian Gang rarely scolded him so sharply.
Zhao froze.
Li Tian Gang’s expression was one of anger. The previous night, he had already felt some discontent, and this morning when he saw the house filled with scrolls and paintings, chessboards, and several fishing rods carelessly placed on the racks next to the main hall, it looked like a mess, and it immediately made him furious.