Star Gate

Chapter 326: A Bolt From The Blue (I)

Li Hao was highly satisfied after eating and drinking to his heart’s content. However, some doubts lingered in his mind. He thought for a bit and looked at Wang Ming. “Does Director Hou often travel out of White Moon City?”

“I don’t know, what’s up?” Wang Ming truly didn’t know as he wasn’t familiar with that individual.

Li Hao nodded without further question. No matter what the context or reason was, it wasn’t a small matter that he’d killed so many people tonight. Only Manager Yu had come to resolve it, and in a secretive manner without revealing her identity. Certain attempts at subterfuge were at play here.

There was no need for the smoke and mirrors if Hou Xiaochen really was in seclusion. This could only mean that he wasn’t in the city. So where had he gone?

The director had just killed a premier powerhouse, drawing all eyes to White Moon City. If looked at through a more solemn lens, half of the dynasty’s attention was focused here. Wasn’t he worried about trouble developing in his absence? What was worth running off at this point in time?

Faint footsteps sounded outside the door as Li Hao pondered.

Knock knock knock!

Wang Ming jumped with shock and glanced at Li Hao. The latter inclined his head and intoned, “Open the door.”

He swept the remnants of dinner into the trash with a wave of his hand and shut the lid on the trash can. Complexion slightly pale, Li Hao walked toward the door.

Wang Ming was slightly apprehensive since he didn’t know who was here, but quickly opened the door regardless. He heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he did so. “Uncle Hu!”

Hu Dingfang looked at the supernatural greeter at the door. He recognized the boy this time. The man inclined his head, but his expression was less than pleasant. In his view, the ambush on Li Hao had much to do with their conversation before. Wang Ming had such a big mouth!

“General Hu!” Li Hao exclaimed with surprise. He looked at Hu Dingfang with bafflement. “What brings you here?”

“Are you alright?” Hu Dingfang swept a glance over the young man. Thank goodness, Li Hao seemed fine. The lad wasn’t any worse off save for a pale face.

“I’m fine.” Li Hao smiled weakly. “Director Hao came quickly and the attackers didn’t want to kill me. They just wanted to capture me, so I didn’t suffer major injuries.”

Hu Dingfang inwardly groused at Wang Ming for lacking common sense when the latter didn’t leave. Can’t you see that we’re having a private conversation here?

“You can come to me if you need anything,” Hu Dingfang said in lieu of anything else. “Also, it’s not safe with the Night Watchers. If you have nowhere else to go, you can come to the Tiger Wing. Some things aren’t how Hao Lianchuan has presented to you. A certain degree of coincidence and misunderstandings is wrapped up in events of the past.”

Hao Lianchuan must have exaggerated a great deal! Li Hao should already know that Hu Dingfang knew the Five Styles, but in the commander’s eyes, the young man might’ve chosen to come to the Tiger Wings all the same if it wasn’t for Hao Lianchuan. That fatty was an awful person!

“I understand.” Li Hao quickly bobbed his head and continued in a conflicted tone, “It’s just... I’m not at liberty to make any decisions. I have to wait until master returns.”

“......” There was nothing that a speechless Hu Dingfang could say. After some thought, he raised another topic. “If you have time, you... can come to my house for dinner one day. Also, I’ll find a way to get you some blood pearls. You’re too weak. Sunderer is good, but the world is growing ever more disorderly!

“Silver Moon is safe enough—chaos has descended upon some of the nearby provinces. The entire north has been unstable ever since the rebellion of their three provinces. While Commander Yu quelled the uprising, scattered disruptions have continued to this day...” The man suddenly felt that there was no need to explain too much. “If martial dao proves too hard to advance in, you can consider crossing over to the supernatural. Mysterious power is easier to obtain and although your master has broken new territory for martial masters, he is not a regular person. Not everyone can take his path.”

Li Hao quickly nodded again. Hu Dingfang had nothing else to say and Li Hao didn’t seem inclined to keep his guest. Upon seeing that, the commander turned to leave.

“Please get home safe, General Hu!”

Hu Dingfang waved without a response. A while after the man’s departure, Li Hao looked down from the window. As he expected, there was a woman waiting on the ground level.

Wang Ming also sidled over for a look. “Ole Hu’s wife! She rarely shows herself, but she came this time as well. Are you related to Ole Hu?”

The woman seemed to sense something and raised her head for a look. However, the twelfth floor was high up, so who knows what she was able to see?

Li Hao looked for a while and looked at Wang Ming again. “Do you still not understand?”

“Understand what?”

Li Hao shook his head with a sigh. This fellow was rather silly at times. Hu Dingfang knows the Five Styles and he’s pretty good at it! Do you sense nothing at all? He has something to do with the Five Styles discipline!

Shouldn’t ordinary people have come to this sort of conclusion a long time ago? Are your brains operating at all?

“The person on the ground... Well, you should call her senior sister.”

“I see!” Wang Ming nodded reflexively, then blinked oddly. “Oh, I get it! One of Teacher Yuan’s old students? I’ve never heard about her!”

He understood what Li Hao was saying, then thought back to Hu Dingfang. “Oh... I get it! Hu Dingfang knows the Five Styles and he’s better than me at it. I’m an honorary disciple who knows the breathing technique. He knows it too?”

Li Hao smiled. So he isn’t a complete fool!

He wanted to retract that thought in the next second.

“So this means that Hu Dingfang is the same disciple generation as me. I’m teacher’s honorary disciple—he’s not even that. My status is higher than him among the Five Styles discipline. If I go to him and tell him I’m his senior brother... Do you think he’ll beat me up?”

“Get outta here!” Li Hao cursed laughingly. He watched as Hu Dingfang left with the woman. “You don’t need to think too much about it. Teacher is probably very disappointed!” He shook his head and suddenly sighed, “There was great potential there!”

“What?”

“Don’t you see it?”

“Huh?” Wang Ming plainly didn’t.

“Look at how your senior sister walks.” Li Hao raised his chin.

“Senior sister walks...” Wang Ming murmured in an entranced voice after poking his head out for a look. “In a very alluring way...”

Li Hao rolled his eyes, at a complete loss for what to say.

“Alluring your ass! That’s instinctive movement resulting from making the deer style an integral part of her! She notices the surroundings as she walks and is vigilant against the slightest rustle of leaves in the wind. If I’m not mistaken, our senior sister is a Dominator. She’s been one for many years!”

“What!” Wang Ming sucked in a sharp breath. “That strong? Stronger than our teacher?”

“You should read more books and ask more questions if you want to practice martial dao!” Li Hao shook his head. “Teacher melded five auras together. He’s not an ordinary Sunderer or Dominator. In the modern martial world—and I’m speaking of only Silver Moon’s, not the outside world—all local cultivators who set foot into Dominator before our teacher did is trash!”

“Eh?” Wang Ming started. What did that mean? Dominators were trash?

“Those who weren’t able to do so or advanced after leaving the province may be the true powerhouses.”

Wang Ming was truly confused.

“Silver Moon’s martial world was suppressed by teacher back in the day. He swept through the previous generation, keeping all of them down in a mental way before he progressed to Dominator. It sounds fictitious, but was very real. It was a suppression of mind intent and aura!

“That was why the Earthturner Sword Hong Yitang, Qimei Staff Sun Yifei, and others were unable to advance. If viewed through the lens of present day strength, what would they be worth as Dominators? He Yong didn’t become one until he left the province either.

“Let me put it in simpler terms.” Li Hao counted as a martial dao authority now, so he spoke with a greater degree of understanding and composure. “Of those that teacher defeated back in the day, some had such incredible potential that they didn’t die in defeat. They were outstanding talents! However, they couldn’t break through if they stayed in Silver Moon. But Dominator wasn’t a guarantee if they left...”

Wang Ming scratched his head. This was very hard to understand. What did this have to do with leaving Silver Moon? And hadn’t they been talking about their senior sister?

Li Hao didn’t bother explaining further since his colleague still didn't understand. He brought the conversation back to their last topic. “Senior sister is teacher’s disciple, so logically speaking, she shouldn’t have broken through before teacher did. That’s not to say that she couldn’t, but the fact that she did means that her aura is very weak. It was so weak that teacher didn’t suppress it!

“To put it plainly, only powerhouses were worthy of teacher’s suppression, weaklings weren’t! Chief should be slightly stronger than her because he broke through while facing pressure from teacher. Even though he did so in a bit of a hurry and lacked a deep understanding of the aura, he’s still stronger than the usual Dominators!”

Wang Ming nodded, but still didn’t fully understand. But he knew a little more than before, such as all those who’d advanced before Yuan Shuo had were weaklings!

That was what Li Hao meant, right? Although Wang Ming didn’t understand why, he could pinpoint that it originated from teacher’s suppression. That was terrifying!

“Senior brother, do you mean that although our senior sister is a Dominator, she’s actually very weak?”

“Well, she’s not to the point of very weak, just a regular Dominator,” Li Hao chuckled. “If we divide Dominators into three levels, teacher sits at the strongest level. Next comes those like He Yong, ones who left after suffering a defeat and subsequently broke through. They’re the old guard who have room for improvement! Third are people like the chief. They’re regular Dominators.”

“What about you?” Wang Ming couldn’t help but ask.

“Similar to He Yong and the others,” Li Hao smiled. “I lack in terms of aura, but I’m slightly better than He Yong because I’m of the Five Styles. I’m above them and below teacher.”