Follow the path of Dao from infancy

At this moment, Li Hao and Ren Qianqian approached, both with puzzled expressions on their faces.

They had assumed they would find Cangya City at the end of their journey, but instead, they saw military tents everywhere, the ground riddled with pits and cracks, some unprocessed demon corpses, and tattered military flags. It was, unexpectedly, a gruesome battlefield.

Li Hao then heard the sound of bugles and saw two figures descending from the sky.

"Who are you?"

Li Hongzhuang looked at the young man before her, feeling that his features seemed somewhat familiar, and frowned in confusion.

Li Hao was about to speak, but then fell silent.

He had said he would no longer carry the Li surname. How should he introduce himself?

His gaze was a bit lost, but he quickly thought of a name and said, "My surname is Ji. You can call me Ji Hao. I am here to relieve you as reinforcements."

"Ji Hao?"

Li Hongzhuang and the deputy had never heard this name, but upon hearing Li Hao's next words, joy filled their hearts. They looked past Li Hao to the distance behind him:

"Where are the others?"

The two were confused to see nothing behind Li Hao.

"I am the one," said Li Hao.

The two were stunned, their excitement immediately deflated as they looked at Li Hao, "Just you?"

"Not just me,"

Li Hao continued, "This is my sword attendant, and this one is my little companion. The three of us."

As for Feng, he had already concealed himself nearby and was the reason Li Hao dared to come to Heavenly Gate Pass. However, he could not reveal himself to the people before him.

Feng's identity was looked down upon and spurned by the world, a sensitive matter. Only his private dealings with the second master and him were known to no one else. Otherwise, it would have caused a great stir.

"..."

Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Li Hongzhuang and the deputy were dumbfounded, their weathered, numb faces showing a hint of astonishment.

Looking around again, indeed, there were no other presences.

Just this young man?

Reinforcements?

Li Hongzhuang exclaimed in anger, "Are you joking?"

After waiting for so long, longing for so long, all they get is a teenager. Rage flared in her heart.

Li Hao shook his head and said earnestly, "Not at all. I truly am here to take over. For the next three years, I will be guarding this place, until I die."

"You think you can guard for three years?"

Li Hongzhuang was so angry she almost laughed. One person guarding a solitary city, even she wouldn't dare make such a claim!

Miss Hongzhuang might really be insane!"

Li Hongzhuang no longer paid attention to Li Hao and instead said to the deputy, "Send a message back on horseback and inquire what Li Tiangang means by this. Is he truly ready to abandon us, or does he have another intent?"

The deputy acknowledged and was about to leave.

Suddenly, a figure swooped in and landed in front of them.

It was an old man wearing battle armor, his hair gray and his gaze steady and contained.

He first glanced at Li Hao, then bowed to Li Hongzhuang, saying, "Miss."

Li Hongzhuang felt the same Immortal energy emanating from the man and looked closely, yet she could not recognize who he was.

The deputy beside her seemed to have recognized him and exclaimed, "Are you General Li He?"

"Li He?"

Upon hearing the name, Li Hongzhuang pondered briefly, then her face showed surprise. Li He had already made a name for himself outside when she was still a child training in the martial fields.

He was of the older generation of the Li Family, a peer of her second uncle and others.

But he was born to a concubine.

In that generation of children from concubines, Li He was one of the outstanding few.

"Miss Hongzhuang, may I have a word with you in private?" Li He said.

Li Hongzhuang was slightly perplexed, but she still followed him as they flew off to the side.

Li Hao and the deputy remained where they were.

Li Hao wasn't surprised by the sudden appearance of the elderly man. Although it was their first close encounter, he had been followed by the other party all the way from Qingzhou, for five days already.

According to what Feng mentioned, this was most likely a person sent by Li Tian Gang to secretly protect him.

Li Hao felt nothing about this.

On the road, most of the demons were dealt with by Feng and himself. Once his injuries healed, demons below the Immortal Realm wouldn't require Feng's intervention.

At this moment, while the other party was having a private chat with that young aunt, Li Hao also asked the deputy:

"Isn't Cangya City at the end of Dragon Pass Road? How long will it take to get there?"

The deputy spoke gravely, "The place where you are standing now is Cangya City."

"Hm?"

Li Hao was stunned and looked at him in surprise.

Then he looked around. Where was the city?

"With hundreds of years of warfare and frequent fierce attacks by demons, Cangya City has been weather-worn and has sustained too many serious damages. It no longer has the strength to repair the city walls or to rebuild the enchanted patterns; the entire city has been obliterated."

The deputy said, "Now only that place remains, which can be considered a city, and it's also where we stand guard."

With that, he pointed to a small mound not far away.

Li Hao looked over and was taken aback.

The small mound was only a few meters high and could be easily crumbled with a slap.

This was... Cangya City?

He was aware of the bitter warfare at the Frontier Pass, but he hadn't imagined it to be this dire.

An entire city had been forcefully reduced to flat ground.

"So you're saying, when you're stationed here with nothing to shield yourselves, you just withstand the demon attacks?" Li Hao asked.

The deputy, with an emotionless face, replied, "The only wall we have are our bodies."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Li Hao fell silent and said no more.

Before long, Li Hongzhuang and Li He both returned.

Li Hongzhuang looked at Li Hao with a complex expression, saying, "So you're actually Hao Er!"

Li Hao glanced at the elderly Li He, guessing that he must have told this young aunt about the matter.

"It's me. Now you believe it, right? You can withdraw your troops now."

Li Hongzhuang's eyes were complex and filled with sorrow as she said, "How could Seventh Uncle be so heartless? It was only a minor disagreement. Why did it turn out like this? What about Fifth Uncle, Second Uncle, and my eldest sister-in-law? Don't they care?"

Li Hao shook his head slightly, not wishing to bring up these matters again.

"Hao Er, you're too impulsive. You should hurry back, or you'll die if you stay here!" Li Hongzhuang said.

No wonder she felt a resemblance to the young man earlier; although it was their first encounter, she did not want to see her nephew act foolishly.

"It's alright."

Li Hao gave a faint smile and said, "Dying here, I can at least be considered a martyr. Dying elsewhere, I would be nothing."

"Why are you so stubborn, child? Your father wouldn't actually kill you." Li Hongzhuang said with a sorrowful face.

Li Hao shook his head and replied, "Aunt, it's getting late. You should retreat as soon as possible. I heard these soldiers have been defending this place for many years; they should go back and see their wives, children, and mothers."

Upon hearing this, the deputy beside him trembled, and his numb, cracked face seemed slightly moist.

Li Hongzhuang fell silent for a moment, then shook her head, "Others may retreat, but I won't."

She looked up at the small mound behind her. Although it could no longer be considered a city,

This was the place her third and sixth brothers had defended with their lives.

She wanted to fight here until the last moment of her life.

"The heroic spirits of the soldiers here still need someone to accompany them."

Li Hongzhuang's eyes were sharp and earnest as she slowly said, "I was planning to stay and continue the fight with the reinforcements once they arrived, but since it's only you now, aunt will stay here and fight the demons with you. We'll kill as many as we can!

"This is the land of the Dayu Dynasty, and the place our Li Family has guarded for many years."

"Unless by imperial decree, we shall not yield a single inch!"

Her gaze emitted a sharp glint, and her female figure stood tall like a great wall.