latelenovela Chapter 176 Only Hatred, No Sorrow
Chapter 176 Only Hatred, No Sorrow
A few days ago, on Mount Moju.
A member of the Li family dressed in black was kneeling in front of Li Hao.
Li Hao's eyes were cold as he silently fiddled with his mechanical hand.
This mechanical hand is not like a normal human arm; its structure is complex and clearly contains many mechanisms with different functions.
Li Hao seemed to be carefully studying and adapting to his new arm. The veins on his forehead were throbbing slightly, indicating that he was still suppressing something.
boom!
As Li Hao slammed his hand down on the table, a noticeable dent appeared in the sturdy eight-immortal table.
Li Hao angrily said, "Liu Feng, it's him again! How dare he turn my family up like this! How dare he lay a hand on our ancestor!"
He took a few deep breaths, then said with a look of exasperation, "Didn't I tell the ancestor not to hold back? How could you still make things worse like this!"
He stood up angrily, and with his large, mechanical hand, lifted the Li family members off the ground with one hand. "Are you all idiots? How could so many of you let him stir up trouble all by himself and get away unscathed?!"
The Li family member forced himself to remain calm, saying, "It is our incompetence. We beg you, Third Young Master, to consider the bigger picture. Our ancestor left a will that if he were to pass away, you would be invited to return home to take charge of the situation."
Upon hearing this, Li Hao threw the Li family member out. The latter crashed heavily into the wall, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he remained silent, kneeling on one knee, awaiting the Third Young Master's reply.
"The ancestor is dead, don't use him to pressure me. What? You've made a mess and you want me to go back and clean it up?"
The Li family member simply took out a letter from his pocket. "Third Young Master, we have absolutely no such intention. This is a letter written by our ancestor."
Li Hao took the document, glanced at it briefly, and frowned slightly. "Fine, I have to go back eventually. But I'm not reconciled to being tricked by a mere brat like this. I'll wait a few more days. Following his route, he might be heading this way. If I can intercept him, I'll kill him to avenge my ancestor before going back."
The Li family members bowed their heads and remained silent, clearly not wanting Li Hao to delay, but not wanting to persuade him, so they kept quiet.
Li Hao ignored him and turned to leave.
After walking along the mountainside corridor for a while, we arrived at a bright and spacious reception room. Pushing open the door, we found three people already inside, drinking tea and chatting.
One of them was dressed in a strange outfit that resembled a combination of a monk's robe and a Confucian robe, with a white background and black patterns. Upon seeing Li Hao, he immediately cupped his hands and said, "Please accept my condolences, Mr. Li."
Li Hao waved his hand as if shooing away flies, "What's there to grieve about? My ancestor lived several lifetimes longer than most people. He could die anytime without any regrets, and there's no need for others to crocodile tears here. My ancestor was murdered, and I feel only hatred, not sorrow."
The one who had just spoken was the abbot of Moju Temple. Upon hearing this, he was speechless for a moment. Li Hao's words and actions were so dissolute that he couldn't possibly respond.
The abbot could only look at the other two. Unexpectedly, they were still engrossed in their own conversation.
One was a burly man with a bushy beard and a chest covered in strange tattoos. He smiled at the other man and said, "The magistrate is very righteous. I never expected that the magistrate would come to keep the appointment today."
Another well-to-do middle-aged man took a sip of tea and smiled, saying, "What are you saying, Commander? If I were ten years younger, I might have rushed to your heroic banquet. Commander, you have risen up for the people of Sanjiang. Such a righteous cause is beyond my ability to stand idly by. If I were to defend the county town against you, wouldn't it be the people of this county who shed blood when the fighting breaks out? Commander, rest assured, I will place your men in key positions and relax the city's defenses, ensuring that our army can take Wujiang County without bloodshed."
The abbot was taken aback upon hearing this. He hadn't expected the two to reach an agreement so quickly. He immediately abandoned Li Hao and turned to face the magistrate, saying, "Magistrate, you are truly wise and righteous. I admire you greatly. I have prepared two baskets of black rice, a specialty of Moju Mountain, for you. I earnestly hope that you will not refuse."
The magistrate of Wujiang County would certainly not refuse. He had come here despite the hardships, and even went so far as to collude with bandits, all for this reason.
So he stood up and bowed solemnly to the abbot, saying, "Thank you, layman."
Then, turning to the Grand Commander, he said, "Grand Commander, I have another small gift for you. I deliberately delayed the collection of autumn taxes by a month, so they should be stored in the county now. When the army needs provisions, they can take them."
The president was so excited that he stood up, and the three of them thanked each other, looking like everyone had gotten a good deal.
Li Hao, standing nearby, grew impatient and said to the county magistrate, "You are also an official in charge of the people of this area. How could you sell the entire county for just two baskets of rice?"
The magistrate's eyes turned cold as he looked at Li Hao. "Are you Li Hao, the third young master of the Taixin Li family?"
"Exactly."
The magistrate continued, "You probably wouldn't understand if I talked about lofty principles with someone like you. I'm just saying, if the price is right, why can't we sell it?"
Li Hao did not refute, but nodded instead, "That's right, I also have a business deal to discuss with you all."
The abbot exclaimed with delight, "Has Layman Li finally come to his senses and wants to join the cause? Oh, no, he wants to join the Grand Commander's ranks and overthrow the tyrannical Qian Dynasty together?"
Li Hao nodded, his eyes sweeping over the three men. "I can join, but first I need you all to do one thing for me. Curse my ancestor to death, kill my seven direct descendants, kill dozens of people in my family, and find and kill Liu Feng. I don't want him alive, I just want to see his body. This is the only thing I need. If you can do this, not only me, but the Li family and the entire Taixin County can join."
The magistrate chuckled mockingly, "Boy, why should I help you? Whether you join or not is none of my business."
Li Hao looked him in the eye, a cold smile in his eyes. "Isn't the magistrate supposed to be good at business? Do I have to explain something so simple? The magistrate can arrange the reward with the commander first. As long as the magistrate helps me kill Liu Feng, I will join the group immediately. And whatever the magistrate wants, the commander will naturally provide."
The magistrate stared into Li Hao's eyes, his smile softening slightly. "I don't dislike you, you straightforward lad."
The Grand Commander was whispering to the abbot, "Abbot, we can let others go, but how can we kill Liu Feng?"
The abbot replied in a low voice, "The commander is confused. We absolutely cannot bring the real Liu Feng here, and we must also prevent him from falling into the hands of the government. So killing him quietly is the best course of action."
The bearded man thought for a while, seemed to understand, and nodded emphatically, "What the layman says makes sense."
The abbot then addressed Li Hao, saying, "Layman Li, finding someone is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Do you have any ideas?"
Li Hao frowned and replied, "If I had a way, why would I need to come to you? I could just find him and kill him myself."
However, Li Hao paused for a moment before saying, "I have a workaround. There's a female corpse in the crane spirit wood coffin I brought. Help me find a conspicuous place to hang it up. If Liu Feng passes by and sees it, he might try to snatch the corpse. Just have someone keep an eye on it."