Chapter 42: Chapter 39: Honors and Shortbread

“The lady also asked me to remind the young master, please make sure to attend, as this is a rare opportunity.”

With a respectful and gentle tone, Xuejian said, “If the young master doesn’t go, the lady said she would ground you for three months, take away all your painting paper, poetry and books, guqin, and also forbid you from entering the kitchen again.”

As she spoke, a strange feeling rose from the bottom of her heart, wondering how one could have such a broad range of hobbies—this young master was indeed a man of talent.

Moreover, such a precious opportunity, that people would scramble for outside, yet here she was, having to persuade this young master with great effort—it was indeed quite inconceivable…

“Isn’t this punishment too harsh?”

Li Hao was somewhat at a loss for words and asked, “Is this really a request, or a threat?”

Xuejian looked up, her lovely face displaying innocence as she blinked her eyes.

“Fine, fine, I understand,” Li Hao sighed.

Xuejian’s lips curled into a smile; the young master was definitely a character. She curtsied gracefully, said goodbye to Fifth Master, and then took her leave from Li Hao with great respect.

“You should listen to that girl Jianlan and go,” said Li Qingzheng indifferently after Xuejian had left.

“Is it for that Peerless Technique from Black and White Hall?” Li Hao inquired.

As one of the three sacred places in Qingzhou City, Black and White Hall was mentioned alongside Listening Rain Tower. Although Li Hao had heard from Second Master that the two were not on the same level, Black and White Hall had something of its own too, like that Peerless Technique it possessed.

“Exactly, that Peerless Technique is worth being included in the Seven Floors.”

Li Qingzheng said calmly, “Moreover, the teaching standard of Tan Palace Academy is not bad, and you should rein in your nature.”

“That’s the real purpose, isn’t it…” Li Hao muttered with a smirk.

Before long, the maid Qing Zhi bounced back with a skip in her step.

Seeing her empty-handed, Li Hao asked, “What about the flaky pastries?”

“Didn’t manage to get them.”

Qing Zhi bowed formally to Li Qingzheng before speaking to Li Hao, “I asked Ms. Wang next door, and Uncle Liu has gone to Tan Palace Academy to set up his stall at the fair there. They say it’s crowded with talents from all nineteen provinces, and the business is booming. Besides Uncle Liu, many other vendors from nearby streets have also gone there to set up their stalls.”

“Tsk…” Li Hao inhaled sharply and couldn’t help but smile wryly; it seemed he had no choice but to make a trip there.

Although his cooking skills had reached the Sixth Stage by now, Uncle Liu had been making that cottony fragrant flaky pastry for decades. He could make it himself, but it somehow lacked that indescribable flavor, not quite perfect.

On the other side, the old master watched Li Hao’s resigned expression and chuckled, twirling his beard.

“Young master, when I came back, Young Master Yuan Zhao was waiting for you on the Jiaoshi carriage outside. He said he’s waiting and you should get ready quickly to go to Tan Palace Academy together,” said Qing Zhi.

“Alright then.”

With things having come this far, Li Hao could only get moving, for the sake of the flaky pastries.

He asked Qing Zhi to get his outerwear ready, and headed out in casual attire.

“Grandfather, I’m taking a trip and won’t see you off,” Li Hao said to the old master.

“Go ahead, we’ll see how I defeat you when you return,” Li Qingzheng said with a laugh.

You better think it through well… Li Hao thought to himself with a secret chuckle, taking along with him Fu, and Qing Zhi as they stepped out.

Qing Zhi had entered the mansion three years ago. She was said to be the young lady of a small family that had fallen on hard times and ended up being sold into servitude, eventually making her way to the Divine General Mansion.

Li Hao had heard about her some calligraphy skills, which was why he had her brought to Mountain and River Courtyard.

Given the previous assassination attempt, Qing Zhi’s entry to the mansion went through layers of scrutiny and also a medicinal examination by Li Fu to confirm nothing was amiss before she was officially transferred to Mountain and River Courtyard.

Later, favored by Li Hao, she was gradually brought to his side to become a personal maidservant, becoming one of Li Hao’s more trusted individuals.

Outside the Mansion.

A squad of the Li Family’s private soldiers had already taken their positions, with five Yanbei hydra-lions, whose bodies were as large as elephants, harnessed in front and behind a huge carriage, exuding an air of grandeur.

Since Li Hao and the other members of the third generation of the Li Family, aside from a few who had already inherited titles, had no official achievements to their names, there was no parasol fitted on the carriage. However, the carriage body adorned with carved dragons and painted phoenixes still radiated an aura of nobility, and when combined with the imposing, savage bodies of the five hydra-lions, their presence was nothing short of formidable.

Stepping into the carriage cabin, Li Hao saw two men and a woman who had been waiting inside; they were of a similar age to himself, specifically Li Yuanzhao, and the sibling pair, Li Yun.

Among the direct descendants of the third generation who had trained together in the martial training field, there were only the five of them, including the children of the Eighth Mistress.

However, the children of the Eighth Mistress had been spoiled by her since childhood, and their relationship with others was extremely estranged. They were not sociable, a trait that had been apparent from the past and had become even more obvious over time.

Nonetheless…

With the passage of time, many things had changed.

“Hao!”

Upon seeing Li Hao, Li Yuanzhao immediately called out with a smile and patted the seat beside him, inviting Li Hao to join him.

Now thirteen years old, his body had become even more rotund, making him look quite comical; his squinty eyes resembled two slits on a round steamed bun.

Both of Li Yuanzhao’s parents had passed away, and as an orphan among the third generation, he had been fostered in the courtyard of the Fourth Mistress since childhood. It was said that he was greatly favored by the Fourth Mistress, which explained his well-fed appearance.

At his enthusiastic call, the siblings looked over with slightly furrowed brows but did not greet Li Hao.

As they grew older and learned more at the martial training field or were influenced by certain other factors, these siblings gradually decreased their visits to the Mountain and River Courtyard. Since Li Hao turned eleven, they had not come at all.

When Li Hao accompanied the elder to go fishing, he would sometimes run into them, but it seemed that the siblings had lost the enthusiasm of the old days and started to avoid him.

Li Hao had taken the initiative to greet them several times, but after repeated occurrences, he realized what was happening. He said nothing about it, harboring no resentment or blame, and simply treated them as strangers from then on.

After all, as the years went by, not only the people around him changed, but so did he himself.

Five years had brought about many changes.

For his sake, the Fifth Master had left the ancestral hall, where he had been in seclusion for many years, and often visited the courtyard to play chess with him and relieve his boredom.

Whereas the courtyard, once bustling with people eager to hear stories, had gradually emptied, leaving only Li Yuanzhao, who remained as enthusiastic as ever about coming to the Mountain and River Courtyard.

Sometimes, when there were no stories to hear, he’d bring a small stool to sit next to Li Hao, watching him paint alone or chatting idly with the Fifth Master over a game of chess.

Moving on, the letter from the faraway Jian Pavilion, thousands of miles to the south, had not arrived for a long time.

The last time they received a letter was a year ago.

However, according to the agreement made in that letter, the young girl would have completed her training and descended the mountain by this time next year.

Thinking that he would see that “little tail” in another year, a tender smile couldn’t help but appear in Li Hao’s eyes as he moved over and took the half of the seat offered by Li Yuanzhao.

“Zhi Ning, why don’t you call out to Hao?”

Once Li Hao sat down, Li Yuanzhao looked at the unresponsive siblings beside him and called out to the sister.

The once neatly dressed and obedient Li Zhining had grown into a slender and delicate young girl, but her once cheerful and innocent eyes now carried a touch of calmness and determination.

She glanced at Li Hao, saw the casual and warm smile still on his face, furrowed her brow, but said nothing.

Beside her, Li Yun’s expression darkened, and he addressed the coachman up front, “Let’s set off, Ming!”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The carriage started moving slowly. Aside from some initial jerkiness, the ride became stable and smooth with no jolts whatsoever.

“Li Yuanzhao, although we have the invitations from Tan Palace Academy, my mother has said we should rely on our own abilities to enter the academy and not depend on the family for everything, lest outsiders mock us!”

Li Yun said sternly with a cold expression.