章 135: Chapter 271: Lingyun Pavilion
Upon hearing Li Hao's question, Ren Qianqian's expression changed slightly, and she hesitated before replying softly, "Old Man Feng has left."
"Left?"
Li Hao was taken aback and immediately asked, "Did something urgent come up? Where did he go?"
"Old Man Feng didn't say," Ren Qianqian shook her head slightly, glancing at Li Hao. After a moment's thought, she decided to tell him what she had witnessed.
In her opinion, this was Li Hao's personal matter, and she only needed to honestly relay what she had seen to him, leaving the young master to make his own judgment.
After hearing Ren Qianqian out, Li Hao's expression turned gloomy.
Just as she had said, while he was in the River of Death, Li Tiangang had arrived at Tianmenguan, arguing with his clone. Old Man Feng had gone to confront him but never returned afterward.
He hadn't even received a mental message from Old Man Feng informing him of his departure.
It was as if he had left without saying goodbye.
Later, Li muxiu came to tell Ren Qianqian that Old Man Feng had left due to some matters and asked her to assist Li Hao in guarding Tianmenguan in his stead.
Although it was only Ren Qianqian's account, Li Hao could almost imagine the kind of conflict that had occurred and the insults and difficulties Old Man Feng must have endured, given his understanding of the man.
Evidently, Old Man Feng had been forced to leave.
Li Hao felt a surge of anger, and he took a deep breath. Soon, however, he felt that something was amiss.
Given Old Man Feng's temperament and strength, Li Tiangang couldn't do anything to him. Even if Li Tiangang was the true dragon of the Li family, capable of transcending boundaries to fight against fate, Old Man Feng was stronger than the average fate-defying cultivator, and his movement technique was unparalleled. In a direct confrontation, Li Tiangang wouldn't even be able to touch his shadow.
Coercion through force was not going to work on Old Man Feng.
It had to be through words.
But Old Man Feng was the kind of person who took things in stride and didn't hold much importance to anything. Insults and ridicule wouldn't affect him.
For him to be driven away by words, something truly hurtful must have been said.
At this thought, Li Hao felt a stabbing pain in his heart. His eyes burned with anger, but he suppressed it, turning it into a sharp, cold glare.
"Didn't Old Man Feng bid you farewell before he left?" Li Hao asked Ren Qianqian.
Ren Qianqian nodded.
Li Hao's brows furrowed slightly as he felt that something was amiss. Given Old Man Feng's personality, he would have explained things clearly even if he had to leave.
Moreover, Ren Qianqian had followed them all the way here, and Old Man Feng had taken a liking to this young girl. He wouldn't have left without saying goodbye to her.
Unless he was in a hurry.
Or perhaps, his heart had truly been hurt by those words. Given his temperament and identity, he would have seized on this point of attack. For him to obediently leave without saying goodbye, it must be related to Li Hao himself.
Was he trying to cut off all ties with him and didn't want his reputation to affect Li Hao?
Li Hao's eyes flickered as he felt this possibility becoming more likely. Not many things could threaten Old Man Feng, but he had inadvertently become Old Man Feng's weakness, causing the elderly man, who had accompanied and protected him all the way from Qingzhou, to leave quietly.
However, Old Man Feng should know that he didn't care about reputation at all.
"Old Man Feng, where have you gone..." Li Hao muttered to himself, gazing at the city outside the courtyard. The elderly man who had helped him build this city had ultimately left quietly just as it was flourishing. His heart must have been heavy with sorrow.
"Young Master, can we find Old Man Feng?" Ren Qianqian asked, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer.
She still didn't know Old Man Feng's identity, but she had grown fond of the elderly man who never put on airs of being a senior. He was easygoing and indifferent, making him pleasant company.
Li Hao fell silent.
If Old Man Feng wanted to hide, who could find him?
With his movement technique and experience, he had managed to evade capture all these years despite being wanted. He had even taken down many of the wanted posters from various cities and shown them to Li Hao, mocking and bragging about how different the portraits were from his actual appearance.
Once, while fishing, Old Man Feng had asked Li Hao to draw a wanted portrait of him. Li Hao had done so overnight and delivered it to a city that was offering a bounty on Old Man Feng's head. He had replaced the original poster with the one he had drawn, criticizing the crude artwork of the previous one as unbefitting of his status.
This had caused both Li muxiu and Li Hao to burst out laughing at the time.
Li Hao had gone along with Old Man Feng's whims, drawing the portrait skillfully. However, after the incident, a certain painter had appreciated the exquisite artwork and bought it for a price. The original wanted poster had been put back up, and Old Man Feng had shared this story with Li Hao and Li muxiu while fishing, causing the two of them to laugh uncontrollably.
But now, everything seemed so distant, and those peaceful and tranquil times felt like they would never return.
"Unless Old Man Feng wants to be found, no one will be able to locate him," Li Hao slowly shook his head and said to Ren Qianqian, "Ask the Grand Commander of Liangzhou to come over later."
Hearing Li Hao's words, Ren Qianqian also felt a sense of sadness and nodded her head in agreement.
Li Hao intended to use Liangzhou's influence to spread the news that he had returned to Tianmenguan, hoping that Old Man Feng would receive the message.
However, he didn't know if Old Man Feng, upon learning of this, would be willing to come back and see him.
With these thoughts in mind, Li Hao entered the small courtyard and looked at the familiar furnishings inside, which hadn't changed much. He retrieved some paper and brushes and quickly drew portrait after portrait of Old Man Feng, knowing that if the old man saw these wanted posters, he would know that he was the one searching for him...
The thought of having to search for Old Man Feng through wanted posters made Li Hao feel both amused and saddened. He wondered if the old man would reminisce about the past upon seeing these posters.
Subsequently, Li Hao called over a commander at the Grandmaster realm to send a message to Youzhou, requesting the Xia family's assistance in finding Old Man Feng and spreading the word.
The young man from back then was still too weak to protect him, but now, Li Hao didn't want Old Man Feng to endure any more hardships.
Time flew by.
A banquet was held in Cangya City to celebrate Li Hao's return, and the entire city was immersed in festivities for several days.
But now, with the news from the Tianji Temple, these demons and monsters knew that the young man was back and had returned to Tianmenguan.
In just a few short days, the demons and monsters within thousands of miles of the city were so scared that they moved and hid in the middle of the night, fearing that the young man would once again sweep through the area.
This turn of events left the bird demons of the Tianji Temple, who had been responsible for Tianmenguan all along, with mixed feelings. The mere presence of the young man in Cangya City was enough to intimidate the demons and monsters outside the pass for thousands of miles, making them afraid to set foot there. This was the terrifying might of that young man.
And just two years ago, that young man had entered the pass for the first time.
In just two short years, his growth had exceeded all expectations, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he had shocked the world.
Not long after Li Hao returned to the pass, the Xia family received the news. Xia Yuanyu personally rushed over, arriving at the pass to express his sincere gratitude to Li Hao.
Back then, when Li Hao had hastily departed from Youzhou to aid Qingzhou, they hadn't had the opportunity to bid farewell properly. The Xia family naturally couldn't let this matter go so easily, and their gratitude towards Li Hao was heartfelt.
Li Hao invited the elderly Xia Yuanyu to sit down in the courtyard, and in response to the Xia family's thanks, Li Hao indicated that it was all in the past and was a minor matter not worth mentioning.
Seeing the young man's nonchalant attitude, Xia Yuanyu felt embarrassed. He immediately invited Li Hao to visit the Xia family.
They had originally intended to ask Li Hao for help and offer him one of the little chicks raised by the elderly lady, which was actually a Three Non-Immortal realm demon. But now, Li Hao's mount was already a Four Established realm Demon King, and it was also the mount of that Void realm master.
The previous "thin gift" now seemed truly insignificant.
Moreover, Li Hao had single-handedly resolved the disaster, slain the Gluttonous Valley Master, and pulled Youzhou back from the brink almost by himself. If they didn't express their gratitude in a grand manner, it would be better not to thank him at all.
Among the demons raised by the elderly lady of the Xia family, there were also two Demon Kings. Over the years, they had guarded important locations for the Xia family and contributed greatly in times of danger. This time, Xia Yuanyu had come with the instruction of the elderly lady to offer one of the Demon Kings to Li Hao, allowing him to choose personally.
To gift a Four Established realm demon was undoubtedly a grand gesture, especially since it came with the Xia family's unique blood contract, making it difficult for the demon to rebel.
At this moment, as Xia Yuanyu conveyed his offer, Li Hao gently shook his head in refusal.
An ordinary Four Established realm demon held little significance to him, and establishing a blood contract would be useless.
After all, with a single thought, even a Peaceful Dao realm demon would be unable to resist him.
Instead of keeping it by his side, it would be better to leave it with the Xia family. At least the Xia family, which guarded four states and often went to war, could make use of the demon and have it contribute to their battles.
Seeing Li Hao unmoved, Xia Yuanyu secretly sighed. This was something that other Divine General Mansions had long coveted, but to the young man before him, it seemed to hold no appeal.
He looked troubled, as merely expressing words of thanks and gratitude now seemed insincere.
Li Hao noticed his dilemma and after a moment's thought, an idea came to mind. The Xia family was also a millennium-old Divine General Mansion, and their collection of cultivation techniques was not much inferior to the Li family's. Compared to a Demon King-level mount, cultivation technique manuals were more valuable.
"Are you interested in taking a look at Lingyun Pavilion?" Li Hao asked.
Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Xia Yuanyu was taken aback. Lingyun Pavilion was where the Xia family stored their collection of cultivation technique manuals, similar to the Li family's Listening Rain Pavilion.
"If it's inconvenient, I can just take a look at half of the collection," Li Hao said.
Xia Yuanyu's expression eased slightly. Lingyun Pavilion was one of the foundations of the Xia family. To a strong cultivator like Li Hao, who possessed a powerful soul, glancing at a technique once would be enough to remember it. Although he might not be able to cultivate all of them, cultivation techniques were the core and most secretive aspect of major powers.
It was similar to how martial arts sects in the Jianghu valued their techniques above all else.
"If General Haotian himself views them and promises never to divulge them, there's no harm in granting him full access to Lingyun Pavilion," Xia Yuanyu said. "However, I will need to report this matter to the family head before I can give you a definite answer."
Lingyun Pavilion contained almost all of the Xia family's cultivation techniques, except for a few that even the direct descendants might not be able to learn.
For example, the old lady's art of taming demons was not included in Lingyun Pavilion. It was a single-lineage technique that could only be practiced by true dragons and was stored in the Xia family's secret vault, serving as the true foundation of their family.
"Alright," Li Hao agreed with a nod. His main purpose was to study these techniques and refine them further. Even if he passed on the techniques to Ren Qianqian or others, it would be his refined versions, which would differ significantly from the originals, so it wouldn't be considered leaking secrets.
After some more pleasantries, Xia Yuanyu departed to return to Youzhou.
As Liangzhou was not far from Youzhou, Xia Yuanyu soon arrived back at Tianmenguan in Liangzhou after two days. He conveyed the Xia family's decision to Li Hao:
"The family head has agreed. You may visit Lingyun Pavilion at any time."
Li Hao laughed. He hadn't expected the family head of the Xia family to have such boldness.
Immediately, he left some battle flags at Tianmenguan and brought Ren Qianqian along with him to broaden her horizons. The young girl had been staying in that small courtyard since she followed him to Tianmenguan, and it was about time for her to see the world outside.
Candlelight Spirit was displeased when Ren Qianqian climbed onto its back, and it huffed in protest. Li Hao gently patted its head, and it could only accept its fate reluctantly.
During the journey, Li Hao discussed with Xia Yuanyu about asking the Xia family to help search for Old Man Feng. Xia Yuanyu had already heard of Feng Boping and was surprised, but he promised to do his best to assist.
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