"Who said I was Duan Yanqing? Don't make things up," E Guan Manying hurriedly cut in, stopping Li Hao from saying anything more.
Duan Yanqing had been the former crown prince, and he'd been dead for more than a decade. Now that Li Hao had blurted out his name, Ye Erniang, Yue Laosan, and Yun Zhonghe were all dumbfounded.
They'd followed their big brother for years, committing countless crimes around Dali and earning the notorious name of the Four Evils. And now Li Hao was saying he was the former crown prince of Dali? Who did he think he was fooling?
"Outside Tianlong Temple, beneath the bodhi tree; a ragged beggar, Guanyin with flowing hair. Duan Yanqing, I've got to say, I admire you. Your face was ruined, your legs were crippled, and you were covered in sores, yet a goddess was still willing to spend a night with you. You're a role model for all of us flower thieves!" As Li Hao spoke, he clicked his tongue, as if he'd been there to watch it all himself and was savoring the memory.
"Big brother, I never knew you were into that!" Yun Zhonghe stared at Duan Yanqing in disbelief.
His big brother was really the shy, secretive type. They were all men, after all—what was there to be embarrassed about? Why keep it hidden? He was nothing like Yun Zhonghe, who never kept anything to himself.
"Li Hao, you're asking for death!" When Duan Yanqing heard Li Hao reveal the secret he'd kept buried in his heart for more than a decade, shame and fury consumed him. He raised his iron crutch and pointed it at Li Hao, his face twisted into a terrifying scowl.
"Yan Shun," Li Hao called.
"Understood, young master." Yan Shun exchanged a glance with the nearby cavalryman, and together they swept their steel sabers across.
Damn it! You understood what? You didn't understand a damn thing!
I told you to let Yue Laosan go, so Duan Yanqing could take his people and leave. We could've gone our separate ways. There was no need to fight to the death.
It wasn't that Li Hao was afraid of trouble. Lin Shiyin was the real problem—after six hundred days of intimacy, his arms and legs were weak, and he had no strength left!
And now you'd gone and killed Yue Laosan. What's more, worried one slash wouldn't do the job, you'd both struck him once. Your ability to read the situation was truly unmatched!
"Third brother! Li Hao, I'll kill you!" Duan Yanqing roared in fury. He swung his iron crutches at Li Hao, bringing one down like Mount Tai before sweeping the other across like a thousand soldiers. Li Hao was forced back more than ten meters.
"Yi Lin, keep an eye on Sister Shiyin. I'll take on Duan Yanqing. Sister Ning, I'll leave Ye Erniang and the others to you." With Yue Laosan dead, there was no chance of making peace between them. They could only fight it out.
"Can you handle him?" Ning Zhongze asked, still worried. She knew Li Hao's cultivation was inferior to hers, and he hadn't even reached the Xiantian realm yet.
"Never doubt your man's abilities. And don't ask whether he can handle it—you already know what I can do, don't you?" Before Ning Zhongze could reply, Li Hao flashed forward, his sword clashing with the iron crutch.
Li Hao was no longer at the peak of the Houtian realm. After spending six nights of passion with Lin Shiyin, he'd received a reward of twenty years' worth of inner energy. Once he'd fused it with his own, he'd become a proud Xiantian warrior—even if he'd only just broken through.
Still, Li Hao was clearly at a disadvantage this time. Duan Yanqing was striking in a fury, holding nothing back. If even one blow from his crutch landed squarely, Li Hao would probably be done for.
Li Hao's cultivation was lower than Duan Yanqing's, but fortunately his movement skills were better, and his swordsmanship was exquisite. For the time being, the two of them managed to hold each other to a draw.
Ye Erniang took on Ning Zhongze, while Yun Zhonghe dealt with Yan Shun and the Li family's cavalrymen.
Yun Zhonghe's thinking was simple. Lin Shiyin had been taken away earlier, and from the looks of it, she'd already been thoroughly enjoyed. But he didn't mind. He could just take Li Hao's woman too.
As for the beautiful older woman with the high level of martial arts, he'd leave her for his big brother. He'd only just found out that his big brother liked that sort of thing too. Before, he'd probably been too embarrassed to admit it.
He couldn't keep all the good things to himself. If he hogged everything like Li Hao, he'd incur everyone's wrath—and heaven would strike him down.
"Duan Yanqing, we've never had any feud, past or present. There's no need for us to fight to the death!" Li Hao dodged and weaved, avoiding the deadly attacks.
At the same time, he used his sword to strike at Duan Yanqing's vital points in strange, unpredictable ways. He also flung golden needles and ox-hair needles as if they cost nothing, sending out handful after handful and giving Duan Yanqing a serious headache.
If Li Hao hadn't had so many tricks up his sleeve, Duan Yanqing would have taken him down long ago. After all, a mid-stage Grandmaster was in a completely different league from an early-stage Xiantian warrior.
"Mother, that uncle is so impressive! Should I call him Uncle or Dad?" Long Xiaoyun suddenly asked Lin Shiyin.
Outside the fighting, Yi Lin stood beside the carriage, keeping Qu Feifei and Lin Shiyin and her son safe. The battle was tense, but she wasn't worried at all.
In her heart, Li Hao was a god.
But Long Xiaoyun's question left her stunned. No wonder her husband would disappear for half a day whenever he went out. He really had been flirting with an older sister.
And this sister was truly beautiful, the kind who inspired tender feelings. She was also so well-endowed—Yi Lin couldn't compare.
What should she do? Maybe she should follow Sister Ning's advice and eat more meat. Sister Ning was so well-endowed; it must be because she ate a lot of meat!
Yi Lin began to let her imagination run wild. The three of them often shared a bed at night, so she knew exactly what Ning Zhongze looked like.
"Don't talk nonsense. Call him Uncle." Long Xiaoyun's words left Lin Shiyin completely flustered. If he called Li Hao Dad, how could she ever face people again?
"He's so handsome! If he were my dad, wouldn't I be able to do whatever I wanted in Jiangnan?" Long Xiaoyun licked his lips and said enviously.
"You little rascal..." Lin Shiyin froze. Where had he learned the phrase "little rascal"? It sounded like something Li Hao had said while he and Lin Shiyin were practicing their cultivation.
"Haha, Shiyin, the child wants to call me Dad. Why are you objecting?" Li Hao laughed. Even as he dodged and weaved, he still found time to tease Lin Shiyin.
"Dad, kill Yun Zhonghe and avenge the blow he dealt me! Mmph..." When Long Xiaoyun heard that Li Hao didn't mind, he immediately called him Dad.
But before he could get another word out, Lin Shiyin clapped a hand over his mouth, her face bright red.
This child. She'd have to find a chance to give him a thorough scolding.
"Holy—" Li Hao had only been teasing Lin Shiyin, but he hadn't expected to actually become a father.
Long Xiaoyun didn't hesitate at all—he'd gone straight to calling him Dad. Lin Shiyin was blushing with embarrassment, and Li Hao, distracted for just a moment, tripped his right foot over his left heel. Duan Yanqing seized the opening and pressed his attack.
With a sharp crack, the iron sword Li Hao had bought for three taels of silver finally gave way under the force of Duan Yanqing's iron crutch and snapped.
"Li Hao!" Ning Zhongze had been keeping a close eye on Li Hao's fight. She'd seen his sword break, but Ye Erniang had her tied down, leaving her unable to come to his aid.
"Li Hao, die!" Seeing that Li Hao was unarmed, Duan Yanqing was overjoyed. He put all his strength into bringing both crutches down on Li Hao's head.
Li Hao knew too much. He had to die today.
Before you continue