Follow the path of Dao from infancy

As he passed through the bustling district, the streets were already brightly lit.

The streets were lively with pedestrians; servants led tall horses, and the carriages behind them rumbled unremarkably along.

All those leading horses possessed the power of the Soul Succession Realm—truly a bustling scene…

Li Hao’s lips curved into a slight smile.

With the Li Family approaching the True Dragon Era, Qingzhou City was already teeming with undercurrents.

In recent days, he had seen many figures wearing clothes from other states flow into the city.

While dining in restaurants, the conversations he overheard were all related, including discussions about some third-ranked official who had also come to Qingzhou City to cheer on his nephew…

To Li Hao’s knowledge, his own mother didn’t seem to have any clan relations.

His grandmother had said that his mother was born into a small family, which was later wiped out by demons. She met his father, Li Tiangang, who helped her, and the two of them became acquainted and eventually tied the knot.

These figures hurrying to Qingzhou were obviously the doing of his second mother, who still hadn’t given up…

All the better.

Li Hao chuckled softly, unconcerned, silently counting down the days and looking forward to the arrival of that day.

Passing by a lively riverbank and bridge, Li Hao saw some people playing chess and stopped to watch for a moment.

Since it was already late to return, he was in no hurry.

“Don’t push!”

“Why is a kid squeezing in here?”

Most of those who had the leisure to play or watch chess were middle-aged or older, and aside from Li Hao, there were also two young men in their thirties.

When he managed to squeeze his way to the front of the chessboard, he saw that the game had reached the middle yet the outcome was already clear.

Li Hao took a quick glance and knew that the player with the white pieces was doomed to lose.

Although the white pieces formed a Jiaolong shape, their head and tail were trapped, with no way to retreat.

Unless the white player had the daring to twist and turn aggressively, biting off an arm of the black pieces, there might have been a chance to win.

But having been forced into such a checkmated position showed that the white player was already intimidated, and it was unlikely they possessed such audacity anymore.

Li Hao shook his head slightly and looked at the player with the black pieces.

The opponent was an old man with a ruddy complexion and white hair and beard, who was now smiling, gently shaking his folding fan, and stirring up an evening breeze.

He serenely waited for his opponent to admit defeat.

“I’ve lost.”

The player of the white pieces put his pieces back into their case, admitting defeat in front of Li Hao with resignation.

“Ah, what a pity.”

“Tsk tsk, there could have been hope in the move made earlier.”

“Nonsense, it’s clearly here that is…”

“How come I feel like there’s still a chance? Why concede?”

The crowd around the chessboard, who had been watching with furrowed brows, began to voice their opinions. Some lamented, some regretted the previous move for the losing player, and some didn’t understand the resignation, feeling it was too hasty.

The level of chess skill varied, and so did the perspectives on the situation.

But the game was set, and this chess match had ended.

Amid the discussion, suddenly carriages appeared crossing the bridge.

Seeing the throng of people at the bridge, the leading groomsman shouted angrily: “Move aside, all of you move aside, stop blocking the way!”

His domineering attitude angered many, but upon seeing those Jiaolong battle horses attached to the carriages, their expressions changed, and they hurriedly made way, daring not to obstruct.

Soon, the crowd parted, allowing the carriages through.

Upon seeing the chess stall by the road, the groomsman shouted, “Scram, scram!”

The onlookers who moved aside murmured among themselves. They commented that the groomsman, having been subservient in his master’s household for so long, was now throwing his weight around unreasonably.

Out of indignation, but powerless against greater force, the people around the chessboard hastily moved away, not daring to stay.

Even though,

they were in the right.

In the blink of an eye, the only ones left were Li Hao, the old black chess player.

And also two young men in their thirties standing behind the old man.

The black chess player continued to leisurely shake his folding fan, his gaze turned toward the evening breeze rustling the willows on the riverbank, as if he hadn’t heard the noise and commotion around him.

The two young men behind the old player had a flash of murderous intent in their eyes. One of them turned his head and gave the incoming groomsman a chilly look.

“What are you looking at?” the groomsman shouted angrily, noticing that the few people remaining had an extraordinary presence and seemed to have some background. But even so, he was rude without restraint.

Compared to the backgrounds of those in Dayu, who could compare to his own master?

“If you don’t want your family to suffer, get out of here. Do you know who the lord sitting in the carriage behind me is?”

One of the young men suddenly stepped forward, appearing in front of the groomsman with the speed of teleportation, and delivered a slap.

The groomsman’s head twisted to the side, his neck broken, and he died on the spot.

The crowd, previously driven off, was shocked by this sight and cried out in alarm.

Some muttered satisfaction, thinking the evil groomsman got his just deserts and felt avenged.

Others felt that although the groomsman was odious, the punishment of death was too harsh.

And they started to feel sympathy for him.

But without giving the groomsman a second glance, the young man lifted the carriage curtain and stepped inside.

Cries of alarm came from within the carriage, where a richly dressed, corpulent old man sat, seemingly unprepared for someone to burst in so abruptly.

There were also women inside who began to cry out, wanting to scold, but the cold, stern gaze of the young man silenced them, turning their faces deathly pale as if the mere act of speaking would result in instant death at the hands of this warrior.

“Apologize, kneel, and then scram,” said the young man, totaling eight words.

The corpulent old man trembled with a mix of fear and rage, saying, “Do you know who I am? I’m acquainted with the King of Yan, I…”

“Your head may have someone above you.”

The young man coldly interrupted: “But above our master’s head, there is no one left!”

“Say one more word, and none of you will leave!”

A chilling murder intent filled the carriage, terrifying the women so much they wanted to cry but couldn’t, instead cowering and trembling.

The old man’s face turned as unsightly as a pig’s liver, and despite all the power at his command, he found himself in a hostile land. A commoner’s wrath could cause blood to spatter within five steps, and there was no distinction between princes and commoners.