Chapter 168: All Fathers Are Heroes in This World
A Liang once joked that Li Huai, that little brat, was a bully at home but a coward outside. On this point, Li Huai was most likely following his mother's example. Before they even reached Eastflower Mountain or caught sight of the Cliff Academy's archway, the woman had already started to feel afraid. The invincible aura she had when cursing people out in the alleys of their hometown market was completely gone.
Her husband, however, still walked with steady steps, as if going up a mountain or down a stream made no difference. Their daughter Li Liu was no slouch either—she asked for directions when needed, expressed thanks when appropriate. Even the common folk of the Great Sui capital, renowned throughout northern Bottle Gourd Continent for looking down their noses at others, showed the utmost goodwill when faced with such a beautiful and gentle young girl.
Although Cliff Academy had been relocated away from Great Li and stripped of its title as one of the seventy-two Confucian academies, leaving it severely weakened, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. It remained a sacred place in the hearts of countless scholars and students throughout Great Sui.
Moreover, the academy's hospitality was impeccable. Even though the three of them were shabbily dressed and reeked of earth, once they were introduced as the parents and relatives of an academy student, the staff was extremely courteous and thorough. Someone personally escorted them to the guest quarters reserved for distant visitors, got them settled in, and then led them to the school building to find Li Huai. Upon learning that Li Huai had skipped class that day, they redirected to Lin Shouyi's dormitory, where they indeed found the child playing with twigs on the ground.
The reason they could come straight here was that these three children—Li Huai, Lin Shouyi, and their companions—were after all the direct disciples of the former mountain master, Saint Qi Jingchun. After stirring up such a huge uproar recently, practically everyone in the academy knew about Li Huai and his group—their personalities, conduct, level of learning, and where they lived.
For most of the academy's teachers who held no real authority, they viewed this matter quite indifferently, without any strong likes or dislikes. They were mostly the type to ignore worldly affairs and focus solely on teaching the sages' texts.
When Li Huai heard someone call his name, he looked up and saw three figures that were unmistakably familiar. He was stunned for a moment, thinking he must be dreaming. He rubbed his eyes hard, then dropped the twig and stood up, dashing over. After first bowing and thanking the smiling academy teacher, he tilted his head up to look at his parents and sister, his eyes reddening, unable to speak.
When your parents and loved ones aren't around, some grievances feel manageable. But when they actually appear, those grievances suddenly seem greater than the sky.
Still, Li Huai had traveled thousands of li by now. Young as he was, he had followed Chen Ping'an and seen countless great mountains and rivers, walked from late spring to early winter. He had learned to rein in his emotions, no longer as loud and noisy as he was in his hometown. In an instant, he cheered up again, wiped his eyes with his arm, and asked, "Dad, Mom, Li Liu, how did you all come here?!"
The teacher smiled and took his leave, not wanting to interrupt the family reunion.
After the courteous teacher left, the woman instantly relaxed. She hugged Li Huai tightly, sobbing, "My little Huai, how did you get so dark and skinny? Oh, my heart is breaking! It's all your father's fault—he's a grown man, we'd already traveled so far, and suddenly he said he was worried about you, afraid you wouldn't have money for food, afraid you'd get sick with no one to care for you. The three of us talked it over and decided to come to the academy to see you..."
The short, stocky man was like a piece of dark, hard iron. He was still carrying a mountain of luggage on his back. He scratched his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "I only said one thing—that I wondered if our Huai could afford chicken legs at the Great Sui Academy—and your mother and sister both started crying. No matter how I tried to comfort them, it didn't work. After that, the two of them..."
The woman, caught in a lie, crouched on the ground and turned to glare at her husband. "Get out of here, you talk too much! If you don't want to see your son, go wait at the foot of the mountain by yourself."
The man grinned foolishly but didn't move an inch.
The woman crouched there, stroking her precious son's head and rubbing his thin little arms. "How can you be this skinny? Are you not getting enough to eat or sleep well?"
Li Huai instantly puffed up with pride, grinning wide. "I eat well and sleep well! Really well! Mom, let me tell you, on this trip to study at the Great Sui Academy, I walked all the way here myself, following behind Chen Ping'an! We walked really far—thousands of li! Starting from our hometown, we went to Chess Mound Mountain, Red Candle Town, Embroidery River, border Wildman Pass, then through Yellow Court Kingdom... See this?"
The child took a step back and lifted one foot. "Straw sandals! Chen Ping'an wove them for me—they're sturdy and comfortable. Later I wanted to learn how to make them myself, but Chen Ping'an wouldn't let me. Mom, guess how many pairs of straw sandals I've worn out?"
As soon as he threw out this question, the woman completely broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Her daughter Li Liu quickly knelt down and gently held her mother's hand.
Li Huai was also a bit flustered. He didn't understand why this made his mother so sad. The clever little boy hurriedly put his sandals down, his eyes darting around. Then he had a brainwave and shouted, "Mom, come inside the room! I'll show you something good!"
Once they were in Lin Shouyi's dormitory, Li Huai slammed the little green bamboo bookcase onto the table. Imitating Li Baoping, he crossed his arms and gave his sister Li Liu a sidelong glance. Then, mimicking the white-robed boy with the birthmark between his eyebrows, he said smugly, "What do you think? My little bookcase! Pretty, isn't it? Jealous?"
Li Huai wasn't done yet. He familiarly slung the bookcase onto his back and, wearing his straw sandals and carrying the bamboo box, walked a full circle around the table. Watching him, Li Liu felt both distressed and amused. She quickly helped him take off the bookcase and put it back on the table. Tears glistened in her eyes, but a soft smile played on her blushing, egg-shaped face—a smile unique to a clever, graceful young girl, like warm spring waters.
The man suddenly asked, "Did anyone bully you along the way?"
Li Huai shook his head and smiled. "Nope."
As soon as the woman heard this, she got angry. "And if your son was bullied, what could you do about it? With your spineless attitude, back home whenever your son was wronged, wasn't it always me, his mother, who fought back with words? What can you do?"
The man shrank his neck and mumbled, "Wasn't that back in our hometown? The neighbors mostly meant no harm. I couldn't ruin the harmony. In the end, it would've made things harder for you, wife."
The woman slammed the table. "Talking back, are you?! Li Er, are you rebelling? Or do you think that just because you left the courtyard once and broadened your horizons, you can abandon your wife and child and find a young, pretty new wife?"
The man said helplessly, "How could I?"
The woman grew even angrier. "That's just because you have the desire but not the guts! You know no other woman would ever fancy you. Last time we ran into that long-legged enchantress, dressed all flashy—clearly not a proper woman—didn't you sneak a peek? Disgraceful! And that bitch didn't even have two ounces of flesh on her chest, yet she dared to compare her looks to mine?!"
The man opened his mouth, then closed it. He crouched on the ground, sighing deeply. What a headache.
That old mountain hag looked fairly young, but she was actually seven or eight hundred years old. She was a ninth-tier demonic cultivator who ruled over her territory. If I hadn't glanced at her to let her know who was boss, she would have killed someone and eaten their flesh. If you and your mother hadn't been there, I would have just punched her to death.
But how could he dare tell his wife any of that murky nonsense?
The man, still crouching, had forgotten to take off his backpack, so he looked like he was leaning against a small mountain.
The woman roared, "Take out the stuff! What, are you reluctant to give it to your son? Saving it for some vixen outside?"
Li Er quickly stood up, fumbled with his pack, and piled a bunch of food, clothes, and books onto the table.
Li Huai asked curiously, "Do we have that much money?"
The woman smiled and explained, "Your father is a lucky fool. On this trip, he found some medicinal herbs on the road, sold them, and got a good amount of money. Your mother has seen gold for the first time! Gleaming gold—just looking at it makes you happy. I've saved up a little nest egg now, but don't you go getting any ideas, boy. That's for your future wife."
Li Huai glanced at his sister, who had been sitting quietly without saying a word. "Give it to Li Liu as her dowry first. I'm in no rush."
The woman huffed, "A married daughter is like water spilled—born to lose money. Why give her anything?"
The girl was used to this and didn't get angry at all. She had always been easygoing and patient, taking after her father, completely unlike Li Huai. In their family of four, the son was like the mother and the daughter like the father—interesting indeed.
Li Huai shook his head. "Mom, if you keep talking like that, even if my sister marries into a good family, she'll end up being mistreated. You were just lucky to find a man as honest as my dad, who goes along with everything you say. If it were anyone else, like our uncles—if Dad really bullied you, could your family be relied on? That would just add insult to injury, make you sick from anger. Am I right, Mom?"
The woman was choked speechless.
The girl bit her lip and secretly smiled.
The woman reached out and poked her son's forehead, a bit disgruntled. "Oh, you've grown up, have you? Not taking your mother's side anymore?"
Li Huai chuckled, then turned to look at his sister and grinned mischievously. "Li Liu, on this trip, I found you a few potential brothers-in-law..."
The girl blinked her long, autumn-water eyes, looking a little confused.
The woman slapped her son on the head and laughed angrily, "What kind of talk is that! Your sister can only marry one person. Of course, if it's a bad marriage and she can't take it, she can divorce and find another. But there's no such thing as one woman marrying multiple husbands."
Li Huai grinned slyly. "Li Liu, I'm rooming with Lin Shouyi now."
The woman frowned. "Is that the Lin Shouyi whose father works in the Supervisor's Office?"
Li Huai nodded. "That's the one. The one who fought with Dong Shuijing over my sister. He's really impressive now, and he's nice to me too. Back in the hometown school, I used to hate him, but now I realize he's actually a good person—just a bit cold-tempered and not very patient. Can't compare to my future junior uncle, Chen Ping'an."
The girl remained silent.
The woman said "Oh," and smiled. "You keep going on about this Chen Ping'an. Who is he? Is his family richer? You're not trying to pick him as your sister's husband, are you?"
Li Huai shook his head. "Chen Ping'an is one of my best friends, like A Liang. But he's not going to be my brother-in-law. His age is about right, but Li Liu isn't good enough for him."
The woman slapped him again. "What do you mean Li Liu isn't good enough for him? Is that any way to talk about your sister? What's wrong with your sister? She has looks, she has a good temperament—clearly the kind of wife who helps her husband and teaches her children well. Whoever marries her will be lucky."
The man sat across from them with a strange expression on his face.
Li Huai continued his nonsense in a serious tone. "I'm telling the truth. Look at my sister—she's... passable in looks. As for family background... well, that's just sad."
Then he smiled. "But we can't choose our parents. Besides, we may be poor, but you're great parents. Once, when Chen Ping'an and I were taking a dump together in the mountains, we chatted. He said his parents died early, so he told me to always appreciate how good you are to me. At first I didn't think much of it—I thought he was just making conversation because he couldn't poop. But after walking with him for so long, I realized he meant it from the heart. Let me tell you, Chen Ping'an and I are really close. You know how scared I am of ghosts. When I couldn't hold it in at night, I'd always drag him along with me. He never once said I was annoying—truly, not even in his heart. A person like that—my sister isn't good enough for him."
The woman snorted. "So he's a great guy just because he takes a dump with you?"
Li Huai started counting on his fingers. "Besides that, Chen Ping'an also made me a little bookcase, wove straw sandals, cooked and did laundry, took care of my donkey. When I caught a cold, he ran dozens of li through the mountains in the middle of the night to gather herbs and make me medicine. He spent money to buy me books, gave me a jade hairpin, taught me to box, told me to be filial to my parents. When things went wrong, he never scolded me—he just stood in front of me and beat up the bad guys... There's too much to count. I wish he were my brother-in-law! I dream about it!"
The woman was stunned.
The man looked at his son, who seemed almost unfamiliar in his exuberance, and felt a mix of emotions—but mostly happiness.
The woman smiled and took out a pair of cloth shoes with a thousand-layered sole. "Your sister sewed these for you. They're definitely more comfortable than straw sandals."
Li Huai sighed.
The woman asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Li Huai looked at his mother with sorrowful eyes. "Why didn't you give me another sister? One who's prettier? Then I could give her to Chen Ping'an, and then I could call him 'brother-in-law' or 'junior uncle'—either works!"
The woman twisted his ear. "Badmouthing your own sister like that! You're going to make your mother die of anger!"
The girl smiled until her eyes crinkled into crescent moons.
She genuinely loved this unruly little brother from the bottom of her heart.
And she knew that no matter how much her naughty brother talked bad about her, Li Huai was still very, very good to her—just that outsiders didn't know.
"Your two children—the daughter has talent, the son has great fortune."
That was what Old Man Yang, the master craftsman at the Yang Family Shop where her father worked, had said. Of course, there was another half of the sentence that the girl had heard and forgotten: "And a shrew who curses heaven, earth, and King Yama—that's your Li family's misfortune."
Footsteps came from the doorway.
A handsome, cool-faced boy appeared at the entrance. He froze for a moment, then, for the first time ever, blushed.
Li Huai, always eager to stir up trouble, pointed at his sister and said to Lin Shouyi with a loud laugh, "This is my sister Li Liu! She's come here to be your wife!"
The woman actually found Lin Shouyi quite agreeable. He was well-mannered and educated, not just the son of a wealthy official. The few times he had visited their home, though quiet, he had always been respectful to her and never looked down on their poverty. The woman had always had a soft spot for scholars, believing that her daughter should marry into a scholarly family—even if the husband's family wasn't rich.
Li Huai stood on a long bench and joked, "Lin Shouyi, why don't you sit next to my sister? We'll be family soon anyway."
The woman pinched her son. "Stop that nonsense."
Lin Shouyi took a deep breath. Of course he didn't dare sit next to the girl. After politely greeting Li Huai's parents, he held a book in his arms and sat across from the girl.
Compared to Lin Shouyi, the man actually preferred Dong Shuijing a bit more as a potential son-in-law. But Lin Shouyi wasn't bad—just not as compatible with his own temperament. In this family, when it came to Li Liu's future marriage, his opinion mattered the least, coming last. First his wife's approval, then Li Huai's, then Li Liu's own preference, and finally his own.
Later, when they talked about the academy and Eastflower Mountain, and learned that Li Huai's parents and sister would be staying for a few days, Lin Shouyi offered to take them out for a walk.
Li Huai snickered. "Oh, playing the son-in-law already, huh?"
He got a pinch on the arm from his sister and a solid rap on the head from his mother.
The scenery on Eastflower Mountain was beautiful. They walked for nearly an hour and only made it halfway up. After lunch, two academy teachers came to Lin Shouyi's dormitory. They were still very polite, which finally put the woman's mind at ease. In her view, Qi Jingchun was just a poor teacher in a small place—nice enough—but now they were in the Great Sui capital. How could the truly prestigious scholars not have a temper? She knew her son's character better than anyone. She had been terrified that the teachers would see Li Huai as a hopeless case and do nothing but scold and beat him. How could Li Huai bear that?
While the family of four chatted with the two teachers, Lin Shouyi sat quietly to the side, an outsider.
Having gone through that earth-shattering storm, Li Huai had changed a lot, becoming calmer and more mature.
That girl seemed like a quiet, gentle soul that wouldn't change in a thousand or ten thousand years. She had such beautiful eyes—Lin Shouyi never tired of looking at them, even if only in secret.
Li Huai's mother wasn't as loud and boisterous as before. She spoke softly, completely unlike how she was back in town, and seemed a bit nervous. Even her daughter carried herself with more poise. This was also why Lin Shouyi liked the girl. Li Liu had never attended school, but she would often come to pick up Li Huai. Even when facing Teacher Qi Jingchun, she remained neither servile nor arrogant, handling things with a natural, intelligent grace. She was polite and courteous to everyone, giving Lin Shouyi the strange feeling that she was both close and distant. And even when she was far away, out of sight, it felt as if she was standing right in his heart.
So Lin Shouyi liked her very much.
Just secretly looking at her like this made his heart feel especially calm and peaceful.
He had seen countless beautiful mountains and rivers, but if she wasn't there, none of them were truly beautiful.
As for Li Huai's father, that taciturn man, he was extremely polite to the two teachers, nearly bending over backward to serve them tea and water. When he spoke, he kept his back hunched. Already short, he seemed even smaller and more humble than his restless wife. All he could do was urge the teachers to eat the snacks. But although the two teachers held low positions in the academy, any teacher who could teach here was far from mediocre. Confucius taught that one should not tire of fine eating. Those snacks on the table might not be something they particularly wanted to eat. Eating a little was just good manners—no one would actually stuff themselves.
If it had been before, Li Huai would have felt ashamed of his father. But not this time.
His father might not have much ability, but in this life, he had already given Li Huai everything he could.
Now, Li Huai felt that no matter what his father did, it wouldn't be embarrassing.
Chen Ping'an, who rarely chatted idly with him and Lin Shouyi, had taught Li Huai similar lessons. And after everything that had happened on the road, Li Huai had heard them, taken note, and more or less understood them in his heart. A Liang had also once casually said to Li Huai, "If a rich man casually gives you a thousand silver taels, and Chen Ping'an gives you ten silver taels, which one comes from a better heart? Think about it yourself. If you're easily grateful to the former, that's fine—it's because you haven't grown up yet and haven't seen much. No big problem. But if you overlook the latter, then you have no conscience—you're an idiot."
Watching his father busying himself with a foolish smile, Li Huai suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He told his father to take a rest.
At first, the man thought he had done something wrong. But when he saw his son's expression, he realized that wasn't it. He smiled and stepped aside. He started to crouch down, then thought that seemed crude, so he straightened up again. Seeing his son making a funny face at him behind the teachers' backs, the man grinned honestly and rubbed his hands together. He had been nervous dealing with his son's teachers, but now he felt much better.
After the conversation, the two teachers left, as they had classes in the afternoon. The family of four and Lin Shouyi saw them to the door.
Li Huai had class that afternoon, but he said he wanted to spend the day with his parents. He promised that starting tomorrow, he would study harder and more diligently. Books didn't have legs, and the knowledge in the teachers' heads wouldn't run away. As long as he studied hard, he could catch up. But his parents wouldn't be at the academy for many days, so he needed to spend more time with them.
His sensible words left the woman staring in a daze. Looking at her earnest son, she burst into tears. Then she started punching and kicking her husband, blaming him for insisting on going so far away and leaving their son alone to suffer.
The man silently endured the rain of blows.
Lin Shouyi mustered his courage and quietly asked Li Liu if she wanted to go see the library. He said the academy's collection was the richest in all of Great Sui.
The girl smiled and shook her head. She said she wanted to stay with her brother.
The rest of the afternoon, Li Huai played around in his parents' room. He didn't forget to put on his little bookcase and mysteriously take out the painted wooden puppet, claiming it was his most treasured possession. With a deliberately pained expression, he said he was giving it to his sister. Li Liu naturally refused, but she held it and played with it for a while before returning it. Li Huai asked if she really didn't want it. Li Liu nodded. Li Huai grumbled that she had long hair but short vision—she didn't know a good thing when she saw it.
The girl patted her brother's head.
Lin Shouyi didn't have the face to stay any longer, so he went to the library to read. But he couldn't concentrate at all. Finally, he put down his book and stood by the window, waiting impatiently for the sun to set.
Near dusk, Li Huai suddenly said he needed to talk to his father about something. The woman asked what couldn't be said in front of her—was he finding a husband for his sister and a stepmother for his father at the same time? Li Huai laughed and said his father was the type to fall into a pit and never climb out. The woman pretended to hit him. Watching the two figures—big and small—walk toward the door, the room now without its man, the woman sighed and silently wiped her tears. Although the girl seemed delicate, she wasn't the sentimental type. But seeing her mother like this, Li Liu felt sad too.
They weren't stupid. Without truly suffering, Li Huai wouldn't have grown up overnight. But the child, now understanding, simply didn't want to talk about the unhappy things.
Li Huai led his father out the door. Not far outside was a small lake. The two walked slowly along the lakeside path. Li Huai asked, "Dad, is this Eastflower Mountain bigger or smaller than the mountains you've been to back home?"
The man smiled. "Bigger than some, smaller than others."
The answer was as dull and boring as the man himself.
Li Huai rolled his eyes. He crouched by the lake, picked up a pebble, and tossed it into the water. "Dad, just the fact that you're so good to Mom—that's enough."
The man wasn't good with words and didn't know how to respond.
Li Huai suddenly lowered his voice. "Dad, you've been good to me too. I'm... sorry, for before."
The man crouched down and said softly, "A son doesn't need to apologize to his father. No need."
Then he grimaced. "When you say that, it makes me nervous. Unsettled."
Li Huai grinned and turned to look at this man who had once caused him to be looked down upon by his classmates. "Dad, am I a coward because of you or Mom? Logically, you dare to go into the mountains alone, but I don't. When I was with Chen Ping'an, I didn't think much of it. Living at home, I just assumed that people being good to me was natural. Now I know that's not how it works. There are plenty of bad people out there. Chen Ping'an doesn't talk much, just like you. When he's good to someone, he gives everything he has. He never says anything—just does things quietly..."
Li Huai felt a little sad now. "The only time Chen Ping'an treated himself well was when he agreed to enter the academy with us. He put on new clothes and changed out of his straw sandals. But in the end, he didn't show up. He left secretly. I miss him a lot."
The man reached out with his rough, thick hand and gently placed it on his son's head. "You've grown up."
Li Huai slapped his father's hand away and said, not in a good mood, "No, I haven't. I was seven when I left home. It's not New Year's yet, so I'm still seven."
The man folded his hands on his stomach, crouched, and stared at the lake, lost in thought. Finally, he said guiltily, "Your father hasn't accomplished much in this life. I haven't given the three of you a single day of comfort. I even made you be looked down upon, unhappy with your studies. In my heart..."
Li Huai waved his hand, cutting him off. Speaking with an air of worldly wisdom, he said, "Dad, don't say that. You're a grown man—why talk about useless things like that?"
He was silent for a moment, then hung his head. "Dad, to be honest, seeing you bow and scrape in front of those teachers... it made me really uncomfortable."
The iron-hard man was genuinely moved by his son's heartfelt words. He rubbed his face hard, feeling like he had truly let down such a sensible child.
Finally, Li Huai stood up and smiled. "Dad, take Mom and Sister around the Great Sui capital these couple of days. Even if we can't afford anything good, just looking is fine. Once I've studied enough to make something of myself, I'll buy you everything! Come on, let's go. Mom's a coward—she'll be worried if we're not there."
He added very seriously, "Dad, always be good to Mom. She has that temper, and her words aren't pleasant, but you're a man—cut her some slack, okay?"
The man nodded vigorously. After standing up, he said he wanted to stay alone for a while and enjoy the view.
Li Huai trotted back, skipping and jumping, carefree and cheerful, clearly still running the confused boxing stance.
The man suddenly called his son back.
Li Huai turned around in the distance and asked, puzzled, "Dad, what's up? Do you need to find the toilet?"
The man gave him a thumbs-up. "Good job!"
"You think I need you to tell me that?!"
The child rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and ran off.
---
After Li Huai left, the man flexed his wrist, looked around, and said in a deep voice, "Cui! Come out!"
A handsome white-robed boy slowly walked out from behind a big tree, smiling apologetically. "So Uncle Li Er is here! A pleasure, a pleasure. Let me state upfront—I'm no longer the Great Li National Teacher. I'm Cui Dongshan now. I'm practically half a fellow disciple with your precious son Li Huai. So you can't just go around beating people up."
The man, named Li Er, said expressionlessly, "Just tell me what happened! First, the whole story—don't leave anything out. Second, I can't guarantee I won't beat you to death."
The boy, Cui Chan—or rather, Cui Dongshan—carefully studied the man. Looking at this pure martial artist who had nearly beaten the vassal king Song Changjing to death, the boy's emotions were extremely complicated. He sighed and said, "Then allow me to speak at length."
Back in Pear Blossom Cave Heaven, that earth-shattering ninth-level peak battle. Afterwards, Song Changjing successfully broke through to the legendary tenth level of martial arts, becoming the second true Great Wall Grandmaster in East Bottle Gourd Continent. Moreover, Song Changjing was so young—"at his zenith" was not an exaggeration. But how Song Changjing managed to break through his bottleneck in his forties was completely unknown to the outside world.
However, after the seventh level of martial arts, every breakthrough was a life-or-death crisis, almost always achieved by reversing the situation in a desperate deadlock. This was common knowledge in the martial world. And that meant the whetstone, the opponent, had to be at least a peak powerhouse of equal skill.
Why did Song Changjing ascend to the tenth level while Li Er, who clearly held the advantage, did not? Why had Old Man Yang been so certain from the beginning that he could make a deal with Song Changjing? It had to be known that when two ninth-level peak pure martial artists fight, the scene is earth-shattering. In the end, it's not a matter of who wants to stop and can. Old Man Yang was not one to throw out a lure without seeing a return. So why did he take the risk of Li Er killing Song Changjing and becoming a mortal enemy of the entire Great Li Dynasty? Why did he force Song Changjing to accept this opportunity to break through?
Cui Dongshan had always found this strange.
It wasn't until now, seeing Li Er himself with his aura exposed, that Cui Dongshan began to understand.
Because Li Er's ninth-level foundation was more solid and more profound than Song Changjing's!
So for Li Er to reach the tenth level, he needed even more honing. Once he succeeded, even if Song Changjing was exceptionally gifted, in the next life-or-death battle, nine times out of ten, he would still lose to this Li Er, whom almost no one on the entire East Bottle Gourd Continent had ever heard of!
Cui Dongshan recounted the recent twists and turns. From beginning to end, the man's expression gave away nothing.
Cui Dongshan smiled. "Great Sui has deep foundations and shouldn't be underestimated. Don't do anything rash. Besides, I've already vented on behalf of all the children and taught that tenth-level Qi refiner Cai Jingshen a lesson. Their academic journey from now on will be smooth sailing. As long as I'm looking out for them, there won't be any trouble."
But then Cui Dongshan added fuel to the fire with ulterior motives: "However, Li Huai's three roommates—those little bastards—have apologized and returned his things. But their elders haven't said a word yet. That's not great. If you're really angry, you could go talk to their families."
The man glanced at him.
The white-robed boy quickly raised his hands and said with extreme grievance, "I have nothing to do with this, not a single copper coin's worth of involvement. Even if there is any, it's the National Teacher back in the capital. For instance, you coming to the Great Sui capital this time—I won't deny it's likely his and Old Man Yang's idea. So I'm the most wronged of all! Now my soul is separated from my body, and I might even have to play chess against myself in the future. Tell me, isn't that tragic? Can you bear to hit me, Li Er?"
Li Er said impatiently, "Don't give me that. Your schemes are your business. Just don't mess with me or my family. I don't care what you're thinking. But right now, my son has been bullied like this—bullied to the point where he doesn't even dare tell his own parents a single word!"
The man spat. This biggest silent, useless waste of a man sneered, "Fuck Great Sui!"
Cui Dongshan felt a chill run down his spine.
A ninth-level peak pure martial artist, especially a monster like Li Er who had thrived in Pear Blossom Cave Heaven—even if he stood still and let an ordinary tenth-level Qi refiner smash him with magical treasures, he would take half a day to cut through. And even then, Li Er might not be fazed, while the Qi refiner would be exhausted.
The man strode toward the mountaintop.
The white-robed boy quickly followed behind him and asked curiously, "What are you going to do?"
The man tossed out a line: "Go to the top for a look. Find the Great Sui palace. Go there first. After I come back, I'll take care of that Cai Jingshen."
He said it as matter-of-factly as saying, "I'll go to the toilet first, then wash my hands when I come back."