Assassination

Seeing the prompt, Li Hao did not feel much joy in his heart.

He had long since cast aside any utilitarian thoughts and simply thrown himself into it wholeheartedly. It was precisely because of this that he possessed a chess heart.

Using the way of chess to drill the way of martial arts, treating chess as a tool—such a thought from the past was something he could not accept now.

He even felt an impulse in his heart to spend this Art Skill Point directly on the way of chess.

But that severed arm, and that man drinking wine, made him restrain the thought.

Playing chess was certainly important. It was what he loved now.

But there were some things he had no choice but to do, such as cutting that Tiger Robe Immortal into ten thousand pieces! However, that was a great demon of the fourth realm. Wanting to cultivate to the fourth realm was absolutely not a matter of a single morning and evening.

The only thing he could do now was grow up quickly.

A chess heart was a state of mind, a condition.

After possessing a chess heart, in the days that followed, Li Hao once again began busily playing chess in the small courtyard.

But now, when he played chess, he was not doing it for that little bit of experience at the end of a game. He truly enjoyed the entire process of playing.

The subtlety of every placed stone, the layout, the thinking—all of it fascinated him deeply, like playing a fun game and becoming completely immersed in it, unable to stop at all.

Eating, sleeping, watching the little girl practice the sword—chess would surface in his mind.

This made Li Hao lack interest in anything other than playing chess.

One day, Xue Jian from Evergreen Courtyard brought news that First Madam had invited Bian Ruxue to join the Martial Arts Arena of the Divine General Residence.

That was the place where the Li Family's children cultivated.

After the age of six, if they had not entered a famous mountain as disciples, they would go to the Martial Arts Arena to cultivate, where the strong experts who had retired from the army under the Li Family would teach them in a unified manner.

Li Hao agreed. Although he could also teach the little girl, at present he was only skilled in sword arts, while in the Martial Arts Arena, aside from sword practice, there was also how to cultivate, all kinds of martial arts knowledge, including general knowledge about the outside world and so on. It was all-round training.

From that day on, after paying morning respects to First Madam each day, Li Hao and the little girl parted ways at Evergreen Courtyard. One returned to Mountains and Rivers Courtyard, while the other was sent to the Martial Arts Arena.

Aside from the Li Family's direct-line children, there were also some children of concubine-born branches and clan offshoots in the Martial Arts Arena, so there were quite a few people, numbering in the dozens. Among them, there were only five direct-line children, namely the few who paid morning respects to First Madam together with Li Hao.

Bian Ruxue also enjoyed the treatment of a direct-line Li Family child in the Martial Arts Arena, because she was Li Hao's future fiancée, half a member of the Li Family.

Direct-line children in the Martial Arts Arena were like stars cupping the moon; their status was far above the concubine-born children. Even in cultivation resources for Foundation Establishment and Blood Fusion, they were at least one grade higher than the concubine-born.

Thus, there was quite a large gap in martial arts aptitude between the direct line and the concubine-born.

This resulted in the Martial Arts Arena being filled, aside from a few little direct-line fellows who had only just become sensible, mostly with teenagers born of concubines. Their talent was around the fourth to sixth grade, considered mid-level aptitude. If they rose in the future, they could also preside over a city as its defender.

Among them, concubine-born children who reached seventh-grade aptitude would receive focused cultivation and enjoy resources close to those of the direct line.

After entering the Martial Arts Arena, Bian Ruxue could be considered to have officially stepped onto the path of cultivation.

At this time, the terror of a Ninth Grade Battle Body showed itself.

In just a few short months, Li Hao saw that the little girl had already reached the fourth level of the Power Through Realm.

It was almost one small realm breakthrough every month. Such divine speed was truly as simple as eating and drinking.

Although this was inseparable from the Li Family's abundant cultivation resources, which had been poured into her without reservation, martial arts aptitude was like a sponge; being able to absorb so much was also a kind of ability.

As for the teenagers in the Martial Arts Arena, they were all still hovering around the eighth or ninth level of the Power Through Realm. It was estimated that in another half a year, this little girl would catch up to them.

Li Hao continued playing chess in the courtyard day after day as usual, and no one disturbed him. First Madam did not demand that he go to the Martial Arts Arena as well. Li Hao could see this First Madam's thoughts; she did not want him, as a direct-line child, to suffer humiliation in the Martial Arts Arena.

Because in the Martial Arts Arena, aside from teaching, in order to stir up these children and youths' fighting spirit for cultivation, they would also arrange sparring and competition among them.

If someone like Li Hao, who had no martial arts aptitude, ended up there, he would inevitably suffer. Some children spoke without restraint, and disputes were even unavoidable. It might even be reported to the adults, which would not look good.

First Madam acted in charge of the Divine General Residence and only wanted peace and quiet.

And Li Hao was also happy with this, for the sake of ease.

After all, practicing martial arts was just a waste of time to him.

He also had no interest in bickering with those youths. It was too boring.

"You've played so many games, and you still don't learn. It's the same move, and you've already lost three games because of it!"

Li Hao angrily scolded the servant playing chess before him.

The servant jumped in fright and hurriedly rose, lowering his hands. Like a quail, he trembled and said, "Young master, please calm your anger."

Now Li Hao already had the authority of a little master. They no longer dared to treat him as a child and take his words lightly.

"Your mind isn't on the chess at all. What are you thinking about?" Li Hao said angrily.

The servant cried bitterness in his heart. In the past, he had played like this too, but the young master had never cared. On the contrary, a game ended quite quickly, and the young master had even been quite happy.

But recently, things had changed.

If the chess was too rotten, the young master's face turned black, making him complain endlessly in his heart.

"The chess the two of you play is too rotten. You've accompanied me for so long, yet you haven't improved at all!" Li Hao said in annoyance.

The servant hurriedly begged for mercy. The other servant seemed to think of something and secretly glanced at Li Hao, saying, "Young master, I do know someone. I heard he can also play chess. He's a recently recruited Third Class Servant in the residence."

"Oh?" Li Hao raised his brows and asked, "Where is he?"

"In the Firewood Room, responsible for chopping firewood."

"Then what are you waiting for? Call him over. Let me test him," Li Hao immediately said.

"Yes, young master." The servant was delighted and immediately withdrew.

Before long, a thin, gaunt young man wearing a servant's uniform was brought before Li Hao.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and greet the young master."

"Ah, yes. Young master, may you be well." The thin young man hurriedly knelt.

Li Hao waved his hand slightly, letting him rise and speak. Pointing at the chessboard, he said, "I heard you can play chess. Accompany me for a game and let me see. If you play well, you'll stay in Mountains and Rivers Courtyard from now on. I'll grant you the rank of First Class Servant, and you'll follow by my side."

"Ah?" The thin young man clearly had not expected such joy to fall from the heavens. He froze, then immediately said in surprise and delight, "Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!"

After saying this, he wiped his hands on his clothes and sat down in front of the chessboard.

Very soon, a game was laid out. Li Hao held the stones and played white.

After seven or eight exchanges of placing stones, Li Hao immediately felt delighted. This thin young man could indeed play chess, and he was even quite skilled.

Li Hao also grew a little more serious, placing stones without mercy.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the thin young man's face turned pale. Fine cold sweat poured from his forehead, and fear appeared in his eyes.

In the end, his palm trembling slightly, he looked dispiritedly at the chessboard before him, then looked at Li Hao in front of him, unable to believe that such a small child had actually researched the way of chess so deeply.

"I lost." The thin young man stood up with a complicated expression, his eyes revealing unwillingness, as well as a faint trace of ferocity.

Li Hao, however, was in a daze.

Only after hearing the thin young man's words did he come back to his senses. He immediately laughed. "Good, very good. From now on, you're a First Class Servant in my courtyard. Follow me. Just accompany me in playing chess every day."

The thin young man froze and looked at Li Hao in astonishment. "But, but I lost."

Li Hao smiled. Just now, after this game ended, the prompt told him he had gained experience, and it was actually a full 20 points! In the past, when he played chess with the two goods beside him, the most he got was only 3 points. This gap was simply far too large.

From this, it could also be seen that the higher the standard of the person he played against, the more experience he obtained, rather than simply relying on grinding game after game through sheer quantity.

"If every game gives 20 points, then 10 games is 200. Accumulating 5,000 points will only take two hundred and fifty games. Even if calculated at ten games a day, it will only take one month."

The more Li Hao thought about it, the more excited he became, and the more he looked at the thin young man in front of him, the happier he was.

"If you can beat me, I can reward you with ten thousand taels of gold!" Li Hao smiled and encouraged him.

The thin young man was stunned, so excited that his body shook like a sieve.

Li Hao told him not to just stand there and had him sit down to continue. At the same time, he instructed the two servants beside him to go prepare the registration for him and handle the procedures to transfer him to the courtyard.

Just like that, in the courtyard, Li Hao and the thin young man began playing game after game against each other.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

One night, after Li Hao finished dinner, he summoned the thin young man and continued their match.

In the bedroom, beneath the night lamp, one large and one small figure slaughtered across the chessboard.

"Young master."

When Li Hao was concentrating on pondering where to place his stone, he suddenly heard the thin young man call out to him.

But his tone was not as slightly ingratiating and respectful as usual. Instead, there was a strange trace of calm.

Li Hao looked over in puzzlement, and saw a streak of cold light suddenly assault him, rushing straight toward his face!

His pupils shrank. His body instinctively pushed off with his legs, retreating backward like lightning.

Looking again at the chess table, the thin young man had one hand braced on the chessboard, while the other still maintained the posture of thrusting forward with a dagger. A bit of astonishment appeared on his face; he clearly had not expected that with his strike, this young master could actually dodge.

"Hm? You..."

Li Hao came back to his senses. All of this had happened too suddenly, with no preparation at all.

While shocked, his eyes swiftly turned cold and clear. He said in an icy voice, "Assassination? Who sent you?"

In an instant, the woman from Water Bloom Courtyard surfaced in his mind, but very quickly, Li Hao denied it. He was already a cripple and posed no threat. No one in the courtyard should have assassinated him.

"How did you..." The thin young man's mind was even more chaotic than Li Hao's, and he was even more shocked. Hadn't they said this child was a cripple who could not cultivate martial arts? These days, he had accompanied Li Hao in the courtyard every day, and he had indeed not seen Li Hao cultivate at all, not even once!

One had to know that the Li Family's children already had to train bitterly in the Martial Arts Arena at six years old.

The cripple in front of him, however, played chess in his own courtyard every day, with no one paying him any attention.

The intelligence had not been wrong, but it seemed... it had also been wrong to an outrageous degree!

Very quickly, the thin young man reacted. His body suddenly erupted, unexpectedly bursting out with a terrifying movement technique speed as he pounced straight at Li Hao.

He absolutely could not let this child cry out. His eyes were ferocious, full of killing intent.

But on the other side, Li Hao's thoughts were the same as his.

An assassin—he absolutely could not let him cry out, or too many people would be alarmed.

Kill!

Seeing the figure pouncing toward him, Li Hao did not dodge. Instead, his foot suddenly pushed off, and his small figure shot out like thunder. As he moved, he faintly brought with him a thread of wind cry. The instant he closed in, he tilted his head slightly and watched the dagger sweep past before his eyes, while at the same time his fist smashed into the other party's stomach.

Ever since Li Hao had stepped onto the path of cultivation, he had never fought anyone.

This time, he erupted with almost his full strength.

Only a heavy sound like a sandbag hitting the ground rang out. The thin young man's eyeballs suddenly bulged as if they were about to pop out. His body bent like a shrimp as he was beaten backward, crashing into the chess table.

Li Hao also did not know how heavy the power of his punch was, but since he could lift a twenty-thousand-jin artificial mountain, if this punch struck with fierce force, it would be at least tens of thousands of jin.

At the same time as the thin young man was knocked back, Li Hao quickly leapt forward. His small hand was like an eagle's claw as it pinched the other party's throat, and he said coldly, "Don't shout!"

The thin young man: "???"