"Important matters? No matter how important they are, how could they possibly be more important than the God of War's injuries?"
Li Yaoqing stepped forward, her tone gentle. Her slender finger touched the God of War's forehead, and her dark brows knitted in concentration.
"You should all know that I am an Imperial Physician, and that my third brother is proficient in all sorts of unorthodox methods. What? In the lands of these two prefectures, is there someone we cannot save, but someone else can? Or are you saying you have your own way to save him?"
Once she had spoken, the members of Skynet could only look at each other in dismay. They had no choice but to hand the barely breathing God of War over to Li Yaoqing.
Nowadays, Li Dalong often remained within the Heaven-Piercing Coffin, refining the endless stream of corpses that were brought to it. At the same time, after receiving the boon from Heaven and Earth and refining Tian Xing's essence Qi, he had begun to glimpse the path of the Void Refining realm.
The family's affairs were thus temporarily handed over to the eldest son, Li Yaozu.
The vast majority of the Skynet members were still alive. These desperadoes, who were normally wary of each other, now seemed to be united against a common enemy, ready to fight to the death.
A trace of confusion flashed in Li Yaozu's eyes, but he still stepped forward and addressed the Skynet members.
"Why don't you let our Li family take a look at the God of War's injuries? As for any other important matters you have, feel free to discuss them with us in detail."
Immediately after, Li Yaozu led the members of Skynet to the inn in the Outer City.
Li Yaozu sat in the host's seat, with Skynet's 'Boss' seated in the secondary position.
This was the first time the Li family members had gotten a good look at him. The man had taken off his bamboo hat, revealing a handsome face, yet he also had a... shifty air about him.
His behavior was strikingly similar to that of a common thief they had caught in Merit City a few days prior.
In the hall, aside from the members of Skynet, was Li Tianyue.
After the recent, short-lived great battle, Li Kuangren and Li Xinghuo were already in secluded cultivation or healing their wounds, and the Three Thieves were not quite right in the head.
Thus, it fell to Li Yaozu and Li Tianyue to preside over the situation.
Although he was very wary of these fellows, Li Yaozu felt not a shred of worry as he touched the sword box beside him.
Then, the Boss of Skynet broke the silence in the grand hall. His voice was low and deep.
"Half a year ago, after you were all captured, I saw that the Li family didn't make a move immediately, so I left as well, returning to Prince Qian's Mansion at the first opportunity."
Li Yaozu nodded slightly.
At the time, the members of Skynet had been very cooperative.
In truth, one of the reasons the Li family hadn't killed them was because they hadn't yet found this Boss of Skynet.
No matter how powerful the Li family had become, no one wanted to be targeted by a Void Refining expert.
"Prince Qian's miscalculation caused these incompetents under my command to fall into your trap," the Boss continued. "If I had wanted to rescue them, it would have actually been quite easy."
Those words were not pleasant to hear.
The members of Skynet glared, their eyes wide with anger.
The Boss of Skynet continued, "You want Prince Qian's life. My plan was to bring you his head, and from that moment on, I would have no more ties to him. You are wary of my strength, so you would have naturally let my people go."
"Unfortunately, after several hundred years, Prince Qian was also on his guard against us. He used us to win over the three great sects. It wasn't until I secretly went back to kill him that I learned the truth. The man is useless at everything, except for one thing: he has a real knack for finding powerful backers."
"An old bastard from the Aeternus Sect stopped me."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Skynet members turned grim.
They were the ones who had won over the Aeternus Sect for Prince Qian, and now that very sect had become an obstacle to them.
Li Yaozu's fingers tapped lightly on the table. Li Chang'an was at the Aeternus Sect, trying to prevent a war between the two prefectures. Unfortunately, that sect was divided; the faction that wanted to contend for the world was far larger than the one that chose peace.
He couldn't help but ask, "Did the God of War also fall into the hands of the Aeternus Sect's Supreme Elder?"
The Boss shook his head. "It was the Myriad Dao Immortal Palace."
The rhythm of Li Yaozu's tapping grew more urgent.
Just then, Li Yaotie walked into the grand hall, his expression dejected. "You should all come with me."
Silently, the group walked into the Li family's residence. After serving the Li family for half a year, this was the first time the members of Skynet had been permitted to enter the Inner City and the family compound itself.
In the past, they had held many speculations about the mysterious residence. Now, they hadn't the slightest inclination to investigate, simply following the Li family members past the Old Tree and into the Silver Iron Forest.
Arriving at a healing hut within the forest, they saw the God of War already sitting up on a sickbed. The Skynet members gathered around him, discussing something in low voices.
"Physician…"
Skynet's Boss still had his brow tightly furrowed. When he had brought the God of War back, the Void Refining realm curse had already penetrated deep into his Sea of Consciousness.
Li Yaoqing spoke in a low voice. "My medical skills are insufficient. The caster's curse has already entered his Sea of Consciousness. Forget me; even a Rank 4 or Rank 3 Physician would be powerless to save him. I have applied acupuncture and bought him one month's time. For this month, he will seem as he always was, but after that…"
"Prince Qian! Myriad Dao Immortal Palace!!!"
The Boss let out a low, guttural roar.
Li Yaozu had also heard the news. He knew little of the other Skynet members, but for this loyal God of War, he felt a measure of respect.
The God of War surely knew his own condition—Li Yaoqing rarely concealed a prognosis from a patient—yet he acted as if nothing was wrong.
Soon, the God of War bowed to the Skynet Boss.
"Boss, I am content just to have seen the light of day again. If there is another chance in the next life, I won't be so fixated on being a general in Duskwild Prefecture. I'd rather still be your brother."
Afterward, he turned and saluted the members of the Li family. "I will repay this great kindness in the next life."
Li Wei stood among the crowd, his gaze as complex as everyone else's.
Although he'd had little contact with them, it seemed these people, once locked away in the Imperial Prison, possessed more humanity than many of the free people in the world.
[Special Event—The God of War Returns Home]
[The Boss of Skynet has rescued the God of War. Your descendant, Li Yaoqing, has extended his life by one month. He has still decided to spend the final moments of his life returning to his homeland.]