Looking at the aged but still imposing face of Yu Yuanzhen—
which, for once, actually showed a trace of embarrassment—
Li Zhexian's lips curved slightly. He smiled:
"About the Grandmaster and me—"
"Zhexian, don't call him that."
Yu Yuanzhen raised a hand to rub his brow, his voice heavy with fatigue:
"Every time someone calls him by that title…"
"This old man wishes he could split the earth open and crawl inside."
Yu Xiaogang was his own flesh and blood.
He knew better than anyone exactly how little his son amounted to.
That so-called title of 'Grandmaster'—
it sounded lofty, but to Yu Yuanzhen it was more like a silent slap in the face,
landing loud and clear on the gates of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
—There are no useless Spirit Masters in this world, only useless Martial Souls?
Yu Yuanzhen wanted to grab that unfilial son by the collar and roar:
Then why couldn't you even make Luo Sanpao stand up?!
Seeing the deep cloud of worry between Yu Yuanzhen's brows, Li Zhexian couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
A tiger father with a dog for a son—no case clearer than this.
Yu Xiaogang truly had not made life easy for his old father.
"Well, then let it be as you wish, Senior."
After a brief pause, Li Zhexian spoke.
He had no real desire to make Yu Xiaogang apologize,
but if it could ease Yu Yuanzhen's burden, then going along with it was no harm done.
As for Yu Xiaogang, he didn't like the man—
but he bore no great hatred either.
He could give Yu Yuanzhen this bit of face.
...
Leaving the palace, everyone went about their respective business.
Li Zhexian brought Zhu Zhuqing, Yu Tianheng, Yu Feng, and a few others to Fragrant Pavilion, where they drank freely and heartily.
Cups were raised and exchanged, laughter rising freely.
He found himself still fond of this lively mortal atmosphere.
"Today is just a warm-up!"
"In ten days, when all our friends gather—"
"I'll drink every last one of you under the table!"
The moon was high in the west before the banquet finally ended.
Hand in hand, Li Zhexian and Zhu Zhuqing walked back under the moonlight toward the courtyard.
Zhu Zhuqing suddenly stopped, hands tucked behind her back, leaning close.
Under the moonlight—
Her usually cool, serene face bloomed into a smile,
and she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
Then she skipped lightly backward, landing before the courtyard gate ten steps away.
Creaaak—
She pushed the door open.
Seeing his dazed expression, Zhu Zhuqing beamed:
"Hello, neighbor."
Two more bright faces peeked out from inside.
Xiao Wu called out cheerfully:
"Li Zhexian! We bought this courtyard!"
Ning Rongrong bit her lip, eyes a little evasive yet stubbornly meeting his gaze.
Li Zhexian chuckled, waved at the three girls, and turned to enter his own yard.
...
The small courtyard was spotless, as if cleaned daily.
The plum tree again bore heavy fruit;
plums that had previously been unripe now bent the branches with their weight.
The four-seasons plum blossoms were in full bloom, their fragrance drifting softly.
Li Zhexian exhaled deeply, pleasantly tipsy, sinking into the sandalwood chair beneath the blossoms.
This little courtyard—barely a hundred square meters—
Every time he returned,
his heart found peace.
"No matter how fierce the storms of the jianghu, one still needs a corner of warmth—
a bowl of porridge,
a place to soothe the weary traveler."
He lifted a hand, catching a plum as it dropped, and bit into it.
From next door came Zhu Zhuqing's clear, melodious laughter.
A smile rose unbidden on his lips.
But then—
An unwelcome, reckless thought surfaced.
"If only Xue'er and Zhuqing were both here…"
Li Zhexian was unruly—but he was honest about it.
To speak plainly…
Between Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing,
he could not let go of either.
The sweet-tart plum flavor spread through his mouth as he stared through the plum branches
at the ink-blue sky and the full moon above.
The Qinglian Sword could cut down all things under heaven—
but not the two tangled threads in his heart.
In one hand he held the wine gourd that once carried Zhu Zhuqing's Daughter's Red.
In his robes lay Qian Renxue's Angel Feather.
Zhu Zhuqing was earthly fire—
warming his travel-worn bones and the dust of the mortal world.
Qian Renxue was moonlight atop the clouds—
a partner to stand beside him against sword-wind and winter frost.
The wine gourd warmed his palm.
The feather rested against his heart—quiet and steady.
It turned out that without him realizing it…
Both the fire of the mortal world and the radiance of the moon
had long been carved deep into his heart.
...
At the Dugu estate—
Dugu Yan pushed open the window, gazing at the moon.
One hand propped her cheek, the other held a cup she occasionally tipped back for a full swallow.
She stared foolishly at the bright moon, the bewitching green-red eyes drifting with longing.
"You and I…"
"Are we looking at the same moon?"
"Actually, I could pluck the Yearning Heartbroken Red for you too."
"If, back then…"
"If the one who risked her life to save you had been me—how wonderful that would have been."
"Even if I never woke up again… I would still have been willing."
In the flower garden below,
Dugu Bo let out a silent sigh.
In this world, nothing is harder to untangle
than the word love—
the foolish boy and foolish girl alike are helpless before it.
...
At the Nine-Heart Begonia estate—
Moonlight fell like water.
Ye Lingling's forehead was dotted with sweat as she worked before an outdoor stove.
She never talked much when people were around.
But she remembered clearly—
Ten days from now was Li Zhexian's Titled Douluo grand banquet.
There would surely be countless friends toasting him one after another.
"Zhexian said the last time that my sobering honey tasted good…
I need to prepare much more this time."
...
Heaven Dou Empire, outside Suotuo City.
A crude archway held five crooked characters: Shrek Academy.
On the dusty training field—
Yu Xiaogang's expression was colder and harder than ever, his face like carved stone as he watched the youths running under heavy loads.
The blazing sun scorched the sky, heat distorting their vision.
The students staggered, their breathing like broken bellows.
Suddenly—
An older boy stopped abruptly and collapsed to the ground, shouting through clenched teeth:
"I… I'm not running anymore!"
"Why aren't we allowed to cultivate Spirit Power?!"
"With training like this, aren't you afraid you'll cripple us?!"
With someone taking the lead, dozens of students stopped as well,
anger burning in their eyes as they glared at Yu Xiaogang.
"Cripple you?" Yu Xiaogang stared coldly at the boy, his voice icy:
"I only know one thing—good steel doesn't fear the forge!"
"Continue!"
But his meager Level-29 Spirit Power made it impossible to convince the crowd.
Just as restless murmurs began to rise—
Swish—!
A blazing streak of fire shot down.
Heat surged out in all directions, forcing the students back in terror.
When the flames dispersed, a red-haired woman appeared.
She cracked her whip—
PA!
The ground split open with a deep fissure a foot wide.
"Who dares defy the Grandmaster?!"
"If he could train the Shrek Seven Monsters, who placed third in the tournament,
then his theories clearly work!"
"If you don't want to stay—leave! If you want to stay—keep training!"
The students scrambled to their feet, panic on their young faces,
yet they could only grit their teeth and endure this hellish training.
Liu Erlong glanced at Yu Xiaogang's stiff, expressionless profile,
her eyes full of pain.
Ever since their defeat in the tournament…
Yu Xiaogang, who seldom smiled to begin with, had grown even colder and quieter.
The first generation of Shrek Seven had failed to validate his theories.
Instead of doubting himself, he placed even harsher demands on the next group.
"Xiaogang, you will prove yourself."
"You will make everyone understand—you deserve the title of 'Grandmaster.'"
Yu Xiaogang did not respond. He only asked indifferently:
"Any word from Xiao San and the others?"
Liu Erlong shook her head softly—then pulled a letter from her robes.
"But a letter came from the clan…"
"It's written by the Sect Master himself."
"In nine days, it's Li Zhexian's Titled Douluo banquet."
"Your father orders you… to accompany me
and go apologize to Li Zhexian."
Yu Xiaogang's hand froze as he accepted the letter.
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin