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He remembered telling Xue’er that there was no need for her to ask his master to come down from the mountain and stand up for him.

It was pointless.

After an eight-year absence, Jian Wudao once again stepped into this courtyard.

Upon entering Mountain and River Courtyard, he saw the young man lying leisurely on a recliner in the sun, looking quite content.

He had thought that such a youth should be practicing all the time; he never expected to see him so relaxed.

But perhaps it was the calm before the storm, a final respite before the impending battle.

Behind Jian Wudao, four figures followed, all disciples of his, three men and a woman. The one with the highest level of cultivation had already entered the Three Immortal Realms as well.

All four of them likewise observed Li Hao, eyes revealing surprise and curiosity.

“Brother Hao.”

Bian Ruxue came trotting over with a bright smile, saying, “I’ve asked the master and the others to come down from the mountain.”

It disrupted the peace, but faced with the girl’s goodwill, Li Hao couldn’t bring himself to reprimand her; he simply got up, tossed the poetry collection aside, and sighed internally as he watched the revered Swordsman approaching.

It was he who had taken the little tag-along away, but it was also he who had let her leave.

And the one who truly said farewell to him was the little tag-along herself.

So whom could he possibly blame?

Li Hao blamed no one, for he had already reined in those extra feelings.

Thus, after a soft sigh, Li Hao set aside the multitude of distractions and greeted with a congenial smile and a cupped-fist salute, “Swordsman, your grace remains unchanged.”

“Hmm?”

Jian Wudao looked slightly taken aback and asked, “You still remember me?”

“With your peerless elegance, Jian, how could I forget?” Li Hao replied with a smile.

Jian Wudao raised his eyebrows slightly. He had expected this prodigal talent to be either arrogant and unrestrained, or deeply immersed in bitter cultivation, aloof and solitary.

He hadn’t anticipated the youth would be like a breeze, neither joyous nor sorrowful, exuding a sense of easy freedom found in the wilderness.

“The Marquis of Xingwu has a fine son. The Li Family is set to soar once again,” Jian Wudao said calmly.

Li Hao smiled, concluding the pleasantries.

Jian Wudao’s gaze fell on a black Sword Box cradled by a girl dressed as a maid next to him.

As he had said years before, one obsessed with the sword could spot it immediately among ten thousand weapons.

Upon entering Mountain and River Courtyard, he had indeed noticed the black Sword Box at first glance, then had turned his attention to the young man.

Seeing the Sword Box, his eyes briefly lit up as he asked, “Could this be Eternal Night?”

“Jian, you’ve seen it before?”

“It did shine briefly, but alas, it faded into obscurity.”

Jian Wudao’s gaze remained even as he said, “It’s a shame for the name, Eternal Night; it should blanket the skies forever, known to all under heaven!”

“Are you accusing my uncle, Jian?” Li Hao asked lightly.

Jian Wudao indeed harbored such a thought; even though he felt it shouldn’t be voiced, his deep respect for the sword meant he was quite dissatisfied when he learned that the name had fallen into dust, sealed away completely.

He once visited the mansion to demand it, willing to exchange other promises for it.

But the elderly lady had turned him away.

However, today’s visit was a casual remark; many years had passed, and there was no use revisiting old matters, especially with a junior.

“My uncle wielded the sword to worldly acclaim; within just three years, he turned this once obscure forged sword into a renowned one. There is no shame in that,” Li Hao said indifferently. “Moreover, if my uncle were still alive, the world would surely know of this sword. Of course, had the revered elder Jian been willing to eradicate demons beyond the borders instead of sitting idle within Sword Cottage, perhaps the sword might now be known as the foremost in all the land.”

Upon hearing the mockery in Li Hao’s words, Jian Wudao’s expression shifted slightly.

The four behind him were also taken aback, their expressions quickly turning as the middle-aged man at the head said with a stern tone:

“Mr. Li, please apologize to my master!”

Li Hao merely glanced at the man, chuckled softly, and said nothing.

This was Mountain and River Courtyard, not Sword Cottage.

Bian Ruxue had not expected a disagreement between her master and Li Hao so soon upon meeting, and caught off guard, she became both nervous and anxious.

Jian Wudao looked at Li Hao with a slightly colder gaze and asked dispassionately:

“Li has indeed exceptional talent. Now that the sword has been passed on to you, are you worthy of it?”

“This sword was forged by the Li Family, gathering precious metals from across the world. Whether I’m worthy is hardly for an outsider to comment,” Li Hao replied with a smile.

“Brother Hao.”

Bian Ruxue couldn’t help but call out.

Li Hao looked at her and saw her distress at being caught in the middle, his smile fading slightly.

Years ago, in this very courtyard, perhaps even in this very spot,

that little girl stood resolutely by his side, speaking up for him at every turn.

Upon hearing she was to be taken away, she cried and said she didn’t love the sword anymore, that she would stop practicing…

Those days were gone, never to return.

Just like the autumn leaves scattered across the courtyard that could never return to the branches they had fallen from.

Even if the spring breeze blew anew next year, what would sprout would be new buds…

At that moment, several figures hurried from the inner courtyard, led by Li Tian Gang, with Yu Xuan and Li Fu flanking him on the left and right.

“Sword Saint!”

Li Tian Gang called out to Jian Wudao from afar, then stepped forward and gave a modest salute:

“I did not expect you to come in support of my son, I am grateful.”

Jian Wudao was a powerhouse of his father’s generation and had once visited to spar with his father when he was a child.

Though his father, despite being able to overcome Jian Wudao in overall martial prowess, was not a sword specialist, and thus often narrowly lost in swordsmanship matches.

“Support is unnecessary,” Jian Wudao replied indifferently. “I came out of regard for Xue’er, to join the festivities and have a cup of wine. I wonder if the Divine General Mansion welcomes me?”