A Century Early in the Battle of Dou Qi

Inside the courtyard, the guards' conversation drifted into Zhao Li's ears, and he couldn't help but smile.

With his current strength, even without trying to listen, such a close distance was no different than them talking directly into his ear.

He chuckled softly and then cast his gaze towards the ancient tree in the courtyard, watching it quietly.

There was a rocking chair there, creaking in the breeze, looking like it had been there for many years. But it was empty; Zhao Lingxiao wasn't there.

Zhao Li slowly walked over, sat down, leaned back, and then lay down on it.

Whenever he came back before, Zhao Lingxiao would always be lazily lying on it, making Zhao Li quite envious.

"Perhaps, I should also take a little break?"

The ancient tree's branches and leaves were lush, and even the sunlight only filtered through in dappled spots. Lying on the rocking chair, a sense of relaxation involuntarily arose in Zhao Li's heart.

Ever since he saw Hun Tiandi in the Ruins, a string had been taut in his heart, forcing him to cultivate diligently. Now, he wanted to ease up a bit.

The thought of stopping had just risen when Zhao Li gently shook his head, casting it out:

"No way! Without strength, all this beauty and peace is just a fleeting illusion."

He didn't want everything beautiful to vanish in an instant.

On the rocking chair, Zhao Li looked up at the sky. The blue sky and white clouds changed silently. Various thoughts popped into his mind. As he thought, he actually fell asleep on the rocking chair.

...

Time flowed by. Three hours later, the sun slowly set over the mountains. A figure appeared in the courtyard; Han Xiangyu had returned.

She stopped, looking at the person on the rocking chair, her hands on her hips, shaking her head slightly, looking quite helpless.

"Xiao Ge! Xiao Ge! Ah? Li'er!"

She subconsciously thought it was Zhao Lingxiao, calling out a few times as she approached. It wasn't until she clearly saw Zhao Li's face that she let out a cry of surprise.

At home, Zhao Li seemed to have let down his guard. It wasn't until Han Xiangyu's cry of surprise reached his ears that he woke up.

He sat up, his eyes slightly dazed, like an ordinary person. Then he saw the figure in front of him and said in surprise:

"Mother!"

Han Xiangyu hugged Zhao Li tightly, her voice trembling:

"You little brat, you still know to come back? You've been gone for ten years, you've made your mother miss you terribly."

Feeling his mother's slightly trembling body, Zhao Li carefully patted her shoulder:

"Your son is unfilial for making Mother worry. Mother, please let go of me first. I'm already back, it's not like I can run away again?"

Zhao Li fought back the tears welling up in his eyes, trying his best to appear calm.

Hearing this, Han Xiangyu released Zhao Li, placing her hands on his shoulders, and examined him closely.

Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed. Under the sunlight, one could see the glimmer of tears in the corners of her eyes.

She raised her hand to smooth the long hair that had fallen across Zhao Li's forehead, then stroked his cheek, and finally let her hand slide down to his shoulder.

She looked at him over and over again. After a long time, she wiped the corner of her eye:

"It's good that you're back! Let your mother have a good look!"

Zhao Li felt a little overwhelmed for a moment, but he still let Han Xiangyu examine him carefully. He could feel his mother's happiness.

He had experienced the long life of the Bone Chilling Flame, seen countless Puppets on the Ice Plains, and even felt the powerful Heavenly Flame being forcibly devoured until only a trace of its origin remained, almost completely perishing.

Through the long years, he knew countless times that he shouldn't have strong emotions, otherwise he would only watch those he cared about leave him. But in the end, he couldn't manage to not take emotions so seriously.

Seeing Han Xiangyu slowly calm down, Zhao Li supported her and walked to the stone table, gently helping her sit down. Then he naturally went around behind her, began massaging her shoulders, and asked:

"Mother, where's my father? Why don't I see him?"

Han Xiangyu felt a comfortable force coming from her shoulders with Zhao Li's movements, which actually made the Dou Qi in her body become active. She was slightly surprised, but it was only for an instant before it turned into pride.

Han Xiangyu closed her eyes and, hearing Zhao Li's question, said to herself:

"Who knows where he's gone to show off again. Ever since he saw those things you left behind back then, he seems to have been stimulated somehow. He's even become diligent in cultivation. I thought he had changed his ways, but I didn't expect that after breaking through to Dou Emperor a few years ago, he'd go back to his lazy self. He's a grown man, yet he still likes to wander around showing off."

Her mouth was full of complaints, as if she was extremely annoyed, but the smile on her face clearly told others that she wasn't dissatisfied at all.

Hearing this, Zhao Li's movements couldn't help but pause for a moment. He muttered in his heart:

"Old Man, it's really you! That's something you would do. But why are you satisfied with just Dou Emperor? Do you think I won't be able to break through to Dou Sect anytime soon?"

Back then, he followed his Master to cultivate in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range for three years, breaking through all the way to the peak of Dou King. After returning home, he refined himself and broke through to Dou Emperor, gaining the initial strength to protect himself. He left behind many things for the family, including Cultivation Techniques, Dou Techniques, and Pills.

Although he usually kept a low profile, anyone who wasn't foolish wouldn't doubt his strength. Zhao Lingxiao, seeing his son surpass him quietly, naturally couldn't sit still.

Smiling softly, Zhao Li took over the conversation:

"What!! Old Man has actually reached Dou Emperor? This kind of talent is terrifying!"

He put on an extremely shocked expression.

Han Xiangyu couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, raising her hand as if to hit him:

"Stop fooling around, be serious. Who would dare call themselves a genius in front of you?"

Zhao Li chuckled, saying:

"I'm telling the truth! A Dou Emperor expert at my father's age, isn't that incredibly promising for the future? If that's not genius, what is? Oh, right, Mother, how has the clan been these past few years?"

Zhao Li argued back, then seeing the smile on Han Xiangyu's face, he changed the subject, becoming serious as he asked about the clan's situation.

Han Xiangyu saw the light flickering in her son's eyes – it was anticipation and longing. She was a little confused and paused for a moment before starting to tell him about the changes in the clan over the past ten years.

In ten years, the Zhao Family's overall strength had risen significantly. With the help of the Breakthrough Pill, his grandfather had broken through to the Dou Sect level. Most of his grandfather's generation, due to their age, had reached Dou King and couldn't advance further, with only one person reaching Dou Emperor.

In his father's generation, his Eldest Uncle and his father, the two brothers, had broken through to Dou Emperor. His Second Uncle, due to talent issues, was still lingering at the peak of Dou King.

The younger generation had made even more rapid progress, generally between Great Dou Master and Dou Spirit, with Zhao Hongyu and others even reaching Dou King!

In the generation below that, some had already started to show their potential. Furthermore, thanks to the Zhao Family's abundant resources, their foundations were solid and their potential was immense, making their future promising!

"Not counting you, the clan also has one Dou Sect, three Dou Emperors, and over ten Dou Kings. It's just that, with the rapid expansion of our strength, some people seem to have become a bit arrogant."

Han Xiangyu looked a little worried as she said this. Although Great Qian outwardly still had several major clans standing side-by-side, with the Zhao Family's strength increasing rapidly over the years, it was natural that some people would start having other ideas.

Zhao Li wasn't very surprised by this. If there weren't a few parasites, would this be some kind of utopian ideal country?

"Restrain them as much as possible in normal times. If they don't listen, then they can't blame me. Using my resources just to cause trouble for me, how can I let them be so comfortable?"

Zhao Li's expression was a little cold. He had just witnessed that dissolute young master from the Bai Clan almost cause the Bai Clan's annihilation just because he encountered him.

Zhao Li had no good feelings towards such people and would never let them go unchecked. If they wouldn't listen, he wouldn't be soft-hearted either.

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