Disposition

Disposition

After the maidservants withdrew, Li Hao did not continue the game of chess. He rose and walked toward the courtyard.

Li Fu rose as well. Whenever Li Hao was not speaking to him, he returned to that expressionless military bearing, like a silent shadow following Li Hao everywhere.

He had asked the residence servants about the previous assassination attempt and learned the details carefully, leaving him with lingering fear.

Especially after spending these days playing chess with the child, he now knew clearly that the place where he sat was the very spot where that assassin had once sat.

Only a chessboard lay between them.

At such a distance, with a child full of openings and caught off guard, it would have been enough for an instantaneous, murderous strike!

Yet such an assassination had actually been stopped. He did not know whether to call that assassin incompetent, the clan elder who had intervened terrifyingly formidable, or this child truly blessed with a great fate! Taking it as a warning, Li Fu stayed by Li Hao's side while eating, drinking, and sleeping. Any servant or maid who came within three feet of Li Hao would face his hawk-like scrutiny.

This secretly left the servants and maids in the courtyard groaning in misery. Every time they reported something to the young master, they trembled with fear and did not even dare raise their heads... they were practically turning introverted.

Seeing Li Hao approach, Bian Ruxue puffed out her cheeks slightly and turned sideways, as though unwilling to let him see her.

Seeing her aggrieved, sulky appearance, Li Hao smiled. He had a servant bring over a small stool and some pastries and fresh fruit, then sat nearby and began eating.

"You're absent-minded while practicing your sword. At this rate, you won't be able to beat anyone," Li Hao said with a smile, seeing how disorderly the little girl's sword swings were.

Bian Ruxue's eyes suddenly reddened slightly. She stopped her sword and lowered her head. "It would have been nice if Brother Hao could cultivate. With how smart you are, your swordsmanship would definitely surpass mine, and you'd become the most outstanding one."

After a year of cultivation in the Martial Arts Arena, Bian Ruxue had grown rapidly. As she gradually matured, her mind had begun to mature as well, and she slowly came to understand why the adults had looked at Li Hao that way after his Bone Measurement.

She also understood what Li Hao had truly lost during that year.

Hearing Xue'er's words, Li Fu's brows furrowed slightly. Deep within his emotionless eyes, a trace of regret and pity surfaced.

Was this not also the regret of the Li Family, the regret of the Xingwu Marquis!

Li Hao felt somewhat helpless. He was not even sad himself, so why was this little girl the one grieving instead?

"Don't say that."

Li Hao comforted her. "Practicing swordsmanship is so boring. Look at you, exposed to wind and sun every day, enduring the bitter cold of winter and the scorching heat of summer. How exhausting is that? Unlike me—eating chilled melon in a pavilion during summer, playing chess, curling up beneath the blankets for warmth in winter, sleeping until the sun is three poles high. That's what happiness is!"

Li Fu could not help glancing at the boy. It really did sound like something he would say.

With the Xingwu Marquis absent, the madams of the other courtyards could not discipline him too harshly. Li Fu had already noticed upon his return that the child's temperament had become somewhat frivolous and cynical.

"You're not afraid of hardship at all," Bian Ruxue said, raising her head.

"What do you know?"

Li Hao said irritably, "Look at me now. I can't even be bothered to stand here. If I can sit, I'll never stand; if I can lie down, I'll never sit. Some hardships are meaningless—otherwise, what would sweet things be for? You're still young. You don't understand. Just practice your sword properly."

"Don't spout such nonsense."

Li Fu could not listen any longer and could not help reprimanding him.

What kind of nonsense was that? Hardship was meaningless? Which soldier at the border was not enduring hardship?

As a martial artist, the one thing one feared least was hardship. What one feared was lacking talent and resources.

This boy had it good and did not know it. Not only did he lack talent, he even despised hardship. It was bad enough that he would not learn properly himself—how could he lead Xue'er astray as well?

Li Fu had seen Bian Ruxue's talent in the Sword Dao with his own eyes. It was exceptionally outstanding, and she would surely achieve great things in the Sword Dao in the future. At that time, she would also become Li Hao's protective umbrella. He could not watch this little bastard talk away his own future support.

"Uncle Fu, I think Brother Hao is right."

Bian Ruxue hurriedly spoke up for Li Hao.

Li Fu's eyes widened, and his anger rose further. This girl listened to Li Hao far too much. If Li Hao truly led her astray, it would be over.

"Don't fill Xue'er's head with this messy nonsense. Don't think I wouldn't dare beat you, boy. If I beat you, even your father would say I did well!"

Li Fu could not bear to lose his temper at this obedient little girl who had lost both parents, so he could only sternly threaten Li Hao.

Li Hao gave an awkward smile. He knew he had no common language with this stern, rigid fellow in such matters.

Moreover, the Divine General Residence was a military household. The Li Family had always championed thrift and the spirit of enduring hardship.

Though the madams of each courtyard wore fine clothes and ate delicacies, making the world envy them, given the Divine General Residence's status and foundation, they could actually have lived even more extravagantly.

First Madam He Jianlan, for example, had eaten vegetarian meals two days every week for many years. Soldiers killed countless living beings. She did not believe in Buddha, but merely said that this was to warn herself and her children not to become lost in splendor and wealth, forgetting a soldier's duty and integrity.

"Yes, yes, Uncle Fu is right."

Li Hao said to Xue'er, "See? You've made Uncle Fu angry. Why aren't you hurrying back to practicing your sword?"

Xue'er blinked her big eyes and puffed out her cheeks slightly. Clearly, Brother Hao was the one who had provoked him.

Still, she did not argue. If she could take Uncle Fu's anger upon herself for Li Hao's sake, she was willing.

Hearing Li Hao's shameless words, Li Fu was nearly angered into laughter. He rolled his eyes. This boy really was too difficult to discipline.

"Uncle Fu, help take a look. Give Xue'er some pointers on her swordsmanship," Li Hao said to Li Fu.

Li Fu said flatly, "I use a saber, not a sword."

"Saber and sword are connected. The difference isn't that great," Li Hao said with a smile.

"What do you know? To master a weapon to perfection, even the slightest difference is a difference as vast as heaven and earth," Li Fu said irritably. Then he restrained his temper again. Forget it. This boy did not understand martial arts, so it was only natural for him to see things this way.

Li Hao felt somewhat helpless and could only continue gnawing on fresh fruit, one leg crossed over the other in an improper posture as he watched Xue'er practice her sword.

"I think your Whirling Form is wrong."

Watching midway through, Li Hao casually began offering Bian Ruxue pointers. "If you lower your arm a little more, it'll look better."

"Don't talk nonsense. You'll interfere with Xue'er," Li Fu frowned and rebuked him.

An outsider instructing an insider? This was simply absurd!

Yet Bian Ruxue ignored Li Fu. She had become used to Li Hao's casual pointers. Although Brother Hao had not entered the martial path, whenever she practiced as he instructed, she did feel smoother and more natural.

At that moment, she lowered her arm and used the Whirling Form again. Sure enough, it gave her a sense of effortless clarity.

Li Fu gave a soft sound of surprise. It was not because Bian Ruxue had actually listened to Li Hao—after all, the little girl was far too obedient toward him—but because the slight adjustment Li Hao had suggested truly gave the sword momentum several more degrees of ferocity.

He lowered his head in puzzlement and looked at the boy gnawing fruit with one leg crossed over the other in that unruly posture. Was it a coincidence?

Or had he judged based on what looked good? "You need to use your waist. In this kind of long, sweeping whirl, it can't be just your arm exerting force. Your waist needs to drive your arm as you swing it out," Li Hao said again.

Bian Ruxue nodded slightly, then performed the move again. After repeating it several times, she finally grasped the key. Her sword force stirred the air, clearly carrying several more degrees of power than before.

Li Fu raised his brows, astonishment filling his heart. Once could be coincidence, but twice could not be, could it?

Could this child truly understand swords? Did he possess talent in the Sword Dao?

Though Li Fu greatly disliked Li Hao's temperament, he had to admit that over the past half year, the child had shown extraordinary intelligence, maturity, and wisdom beyond his age.

Could it be that he truly possessed talent in the Sword Dao, but simply could not display it because he was unable to practice martial arts?

At that thought, pain rose in Li Fu's heart. If that were true, what a tremendous regret it would be! With Li Hao's casual guidance, Bian Ruxue's sword move gradually approached perfection.

There was no helping it. With Li Hao's understanding of the Sword Dao, after only a few glances, he could record Bian Ruxue's high-grade sword technique onto the panel and immediately bring it to Supreme Perfection.

He guided her with his Supreme Perfection understanding of how to mend its flaws, even skipping past perfection itself. So long as Bian Ruxue grasped a little of it, she could produce power comparable to perfection.

Afterward, Li Hao had the little girl demonstrate the move she had lost with during their earlier sparring match.

Bian Ruxue obediently did as she was told.

Li Hao understood at a glance. He could even already picture in his mind how her opponent had defeated her.

However, he did not say it aloud. With Li Fu nearby, revealing a little talent in the Sword Dao was no great issue, but if he became too precise, he would seem too monstrous.

"This sword strike doesn't look good. I think the downward chop here should be changed into a slanting cut, and your elbow needs to lift backward."

"It would be better to change this chop into a straight thrust. Don't shake your wrist."

Li Hao gave his pointers as though casually.

Bian Ruxue was puzzled, but listened carefully and slowly understood Li Hao's words. Then she practiced according to them again and again, gradually approaching what Li Hao had described.

Li Fu glanced at Li Hao. He was now certain that Li Hao also possessed extremely high talent in the Sword Dao.

Though the boy's way of expressing himself was very amateurish, correcting Bian Ruxue's movements merely by calling them "good-looking" or "not good-looking," being able to perceive the beauty of weapons at such a young age was itself a kind of talent.

After all, in the eyes of geniuses, some things appeared as an entirely different landscape.

Li Fu sighed inwardly, feeling even more regret for Li Hao.

The next day.

The two went to Evergreen Courtyard to pay their morning respects, after which Bian Ruxue eagerly ran off to the Martial Arts Arena.

After the morning training and lessons at the Martial Arts Arena ended, Bian Ruxue found the illegitimate boy from yesterday. The little girl held a sword nearly as tall as herself, her small face filled with seriousness as she challenged him again.

Hearing Bian Ruxue's words, the boy could not help bursting into laughter.

Several other illegitimate boys gathered around him also joined in, mocking and ridiculing her.

They did not dare provoke the other direct descendants too much, but Bian Ruxue was not ultimately a direct descendant of the Li Family. She was only the fiancée of a direct descendant, and had not even married into the family yet. Moreover, that direct descendant was the useless good-for-nothing whose name had long spread throughout the Divine General Residence. In the future, any one of them would surpass him.

Thus, they naturally could not stand that person sitting atop a mountain of treasure, enjoying endless resources and affection.

"Brother Bai defeated you yesterday, and you still haven't learned your lesson?"

"If you want to stand up for that useless good-for-nothing, have the guts to let him come himself! Brother Bai doesn't even need to make a move. I could beat that waste with both hands tied behind my back!"

"Hmph, Brother Bai already showed mercy yesterday, yet you still don't know what's good for you."

"Your talent may be good, but Brother Bai has cultivated here for eight years. If you want revenge, I think you might have a chance in half a year. But by then, Brother Bai probably won't even be here anymore."

Bian Ruxue bit her lip, her small face merely staring seriously at the boy in the center. "Do you dare?"

Those words instantly stirred the boy's fighting spirit. The youth called Brother Bai was Li Dongbai. Among the illegitimate disciples in the Martial Arts Arena, he was one of the three most talented. He possessed a Seventh Grade Battle Body, enjoyed resources nearly equal to those of direct descendants, and had already entered the Circulation Realm.

However, the Martial Arts Arena's rules for technique contests required the stronger side to suppress their cultivation to the weaker side's same realm.

Bian Ruxue's current cultivation was at the tenth level of the Power Through Realm, at full completion! "Today, I'll make sure you lose beyond all doubt."

Li Dongbai's eyes were icy. He had not intended to provoke this little girl of peerless talent. He had merely chatted about something with those around him and happened to mention that useless good-for-nothing, adding a few remarks in passing. Then the little girl had come looking for him.

Though he was an illegitimate disciple, he also possessed great pride. Naturally, he would not apologize over this, and that was how yesterday's contest had come about.

"Come!"

Li Dongbai stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena's fighting platform.

Before long, a crowd gathered around the platform. Everyone was excited, eager to watch these two illegitimate geniuses compete against that peerlessly talented girl.

Outside the arena, the Martial Arts Arena's instructor—the elderly military man—watched with narrowed eyes and a smile. He encouraged such contests between these hot-blooded young ones.

The edge of a treasured sword came from the grinding of stone. Without struggles in one's youth, where would setbacks come from? Where would progress come from? One could not wait until reaching his age, when his old bones were ready to fall apart, before going out to fight others to the death.

Soon, one large and one small figure clashed fiercely on the platform.

The elderly military man had already seen the same scene yesterday, and today's difference was not great. Only Li Dongbai's attacks were several degrees more vicious.

It seems Xue'er will lose again, the elderly military man thought. After all, she has cultivated for too short a time. Though her talent is exceptional, she still needs tempering.

Just then, the figures on the platform crossed, and their fiercest sword strike was unleashed.

With a sharp clang, a sword flew out, tumbling beyond the platform and stabbing diagonally into the sand.

The figure on the platform froze as well.

So did the cheers and shouts of encouragement below the platform.

Along with the elderly military man's smiling face.