Star Gate

Chapter 751: Persuading With Fist and Reason (III)

“So have you grasped a third element or not?” Manager Yu couldn’t help ask.

“It’s hard to say.”

Her expression darkened as well.

“You guys will know in the future!” Li Hao laughed heartily. “There’s no rush. I’m just here today to discuss these two matters with Director Hou. Then I’m going to visit Director Yao next. Ah, how many locks have you saturated, Director Hou?”

“Guess!”

This was payback in the kid’s own manner!

“How many auras have the director comprehended?” Li Hao smiled.

“There is no need for multiple auras—that leads to a mishmash of mediocrity!”

Ah, the young man understood. The director knew only one aura—that of the spear. Li Hao had once sensed the aura of the Broken Will Spear and it was indeed very strong. Just some lingering hints had threatened to rip apart the firmament, and that may not have been Hou Xiaochen’s peak condition.

However, did he know only one aura? In that case, would he be able to incorporate all of his supernatural locks through writing just one character? That wasn’t out of the question either. Just as his teacher has said, those with multiple auras had their methods, those with few auras had their different methods.

Hou Xiaochen just wouldn’t be able to utilize each individual character as a different supernatural ability like Li Hao could. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as the young man would have to combine all of his words as one at the end. All paths lead to the same end. If not, it wasn’t a good outcome to have his strength scattered piecemeal instead of gathered in one whole.

He was just letting his mind run as he was far from that stage. As for Hou Xiaochen and the rest, Li Hao wasn’t planning on letting them become supernatural and walk his path. He himself didn’t know where the path led, so how would he dare let others follow his footsteps?

Only Hong Yitang had set foot into the supernatural domain, the rest walked their own martial path and was yet to reach the stage of unsealing themselves.

“Then I’ll be off...” Li Hao left as swiftly as he came. Hou Xiaochen wanted to say something, but stopped himself. Off your ass! The young man suddenly turned to Manager Yu when he thought of something. “Manager! You haven’t saturated that many locks, have you?”

“Eh?”

“You can come with me when I strengthen the Silver Moon Guards.”

“Ah...” Manager Yu nodded and glanced at Hou Xiaochen. The man’s face was full of resignation.

“Go with him!” he said after a while. Why not? There were free benefits to be had there.

Manager Yu smiled, looked at Hou Xiaochen, and nodded. She gave off the air of “I’m only going if you go”, which mollified Hou Xiaochen somewhat.

Meanwhile, Li Hao had already left. How childish! He was speechless that Hou Xiaochen was actually jealous. These Silver Moon martial masters all liked to have fun with the ladies in their old age. What were they doing in their youth?

Hou Xiaochen was younger than the rest, but he was almost fifty, correct? What a pity that there didn’t seem to be any renowned female martial masters among the younger generation.

Wait, why does it have to be female martial masters? Li Hao thought. Can’t it be female supernaturals? Honestly, these people... and I lack a secretary still! His thoughts turned to Light Sword. Forget it, that auntie seems to be looking for me everywhere lately. She can’t find me because I keep running around. This is so scary. Everyone else’s secretary is a pretty, cute little thing, but mine is an auntie with a beard. What a... stark difference!

Li Hao grew more depressed the longer he looked at Little Ye’s sweet smile. Yao Si was fashionably part of the times with a secretary in her twenties!

“Commander, is your body able to endure the strain of breaking through to three elements?”

Little Ye seemed to be prying for information! Li Hao went on the alert and responded without a flicker of change in expression, “I’m alright, even four elements would be fine!”

“I knew it!” Little Ye was delighted. As she thought, Commander Li was almighty. Even four elements would be fine, the director had guessed incorrectly!

A sneering Yao Si lifted his teacup inside his office. My secretary is a bit silly and Li Hao is a bit foolish. He probably thinks that Little Ye is probing for intelligence, but she’s simply admiring him.

Heh! Women, heh! Men, young men, heh heh!

His smile disappeared the moment Li Hao set foot inside the door.

Little Ye was very hospitable and quickly ran off to make tea. “Commander, what kind of tea do you drink?” she whispered.

“Any is fine!”

Little Ye completely understood and hastily took out a can of tea leaves from the bottom drawer. Yao Si sucked in a sharp breath—his secretary was completely out of line! That contained his most precious tea that even he himself rarely partook in!

He couldn’t contain himself when he saw Little Ye take out a large pinch and coughed gently, “You are dismissedt, Little Ye. I have matters to discuss with the commander!”

“Oh, alright!” Little Ye didn’t dare say anything else and rushed out the door, casting a lingering look at the dry tea leaves. She was slightly regretful that Commander Li wasn’t going to have a chance to drink her tea.

......

Yao Si raised his massive tea cup after his secretary left and took a large mouthful, smacking his lips as if an old man in the countryside. He adopted the pose of waiting to listen to Li Hao’s words.

The young man furrowed his brows, but decided to persuade through reason.

“Director Yao, I am extremely grateful for your aid earlier. I find that the director has not forgotten his original intentions and returned to his initial self! I would like to unite the strength of the people and consolidate those with ambition and drive. The tyrannical rule of the nine ministries and royal family needs to be overthrown as they wish to become the Human King through erasing the people’s mind!

“That cannot be tolerated!” Li Hao waved his arms around and grit his teeth. “Therefore, even though I know I am less than the enemy, I resolve to be the mantis trying to stop the chariot. They must know that this will not work!”

“Pfft! Pah!” Yao Si spat out a tea leaf that he’d accidentally ingested. He nodded at Li Hao when the young man looked at and indicated for him to continue.

“I was then thinking, that whoever takes the lead in this will be visited with misfortune! Otherwise, Director Yao would be the best choice. How about this, I’ll lead the Silver Moon Guards and Demon Hunters in joining the Night Watchers. Director Yao can raise the flag and I’ll wave it for you!

“I have no other goal other than to defeat the nine ministries, royal family, three great organizations, overthrow the feudal traditions, and rebuild order...”

“Pah!” Yao Si spat out another mouthful of tea leaves again. This time, Li Hao glared at him.

I’m here to persuade you with reason, but if you don’t recognize the respect that I’m treating you with, don’t blame me for bringing out the fist instead!

Yao Si laughed to see the fiery look in Li Hao’s eyes and bared his yellow teeth. “You talk a pretty talk. I ask you, what right and basis do you have to say all this? Shall we follow you to our deaths?

“Don’t clap lofty morals on me,” he sneered coldly. “And don’t paint yourself with such an invincible right. You’re not weak, Li Hao. In fact, you’re strong with a stable dual-element system. However, the nine ministries and royal family have deep foundations. Setting aside whether or not they will produce Arcanus of three elements this time... You may not be able to stand against them even if they don’t!

“Who are you to speak of overthrowing them, even without taking into account who stands behind them? Is it a good idea to die with you? And it’s one thing if you die, but you want to drag the Night Watchers into the swamp with you?” The old man looked coldly at Li Hao. “I, Yao Si, may be fearful of death as you say. But at least I know one thing, and it is that if I do not have the Night Watchers with me, if I stand against them just by myself, then the nine ministries will not kill everyone because they still need people in the field!

“What will they do once you dust yourself off and run back to Silver Moon?” Yao Si looked at him. “You’ve set your goals so high and noble that you speak of yourself like a saint! You are not, and neither am I, but at least I won’t drag other people down with me!

“How many people have you implicated along your journey? Hong Yitang has transformed from a premier martial master to an Arcanus, to say nothing of anything else. That is a nightmare for a martial master...”

“Becoming supernatural is a nightmare?” Li Hao snorted. “Then Director Yao really can’t endure much pressure. If you’re this kind of martial master, then it doesn’t matter if you no longer are one!”

“Hah!” Yao Si sniffed. “Just listen to yourself! Do you think you’re stronger than me because you’ve killed Hu Xiao? It was part accident and part my doing that you were able to kill him. You don’t think you would’ve easily killed him by yourself, do you?”

Li Hao looked at him and said slowly after a while, “So Director Yao continuously refuses me because you think I am too weak, that I am unable to stand against the nine ministries and royal family, and because you think I have exhausted my potential after seeing foot into the supernatural?”

Yao Si did not reply. These were indeed factors influencing him; he could not permit the Night Watchers to follow Li Hao down the abyss. The young man was destined to lose!

Yao Si wasn’t saying all this in a fit of temper or out of a lack of desire to support Li Hao’s grandiose ambitions. None of that mattered. What was key was that Li Hao did not have the skills to bring people hope. Without hope, there was despair.

Yao Si was responsible for the Night Watchers. People like Little Ye blindly worshiped Li Hao. That could not be permitted and would cause problems sooner or later. It wasn’t just him, Hou Xiaochen and the rest didn’t pay the young man much attention because they knew that these actions would result in self-destruction. That was why Silver Moon neither encouraged nor discouraged the young man. They simply went along with the flow.

Li Hao smiled, he knew. That was why he’d come prepared. It wasn’t just the people in the central region. He knew that Silver Moon didn’t think highly of him either. What Deputy Zhou had said before was a clear indication.

“If I can beat you, Director Yao, will that represent something?”

“So what if you can?” Yao Si smiled. “Do you think there’s no one stronger than me? I’m not weak, I know it. I am likely stronger than unstable Arcanus if I don’t unseal myself, and can rival a stable Arcanus if I do. If I further unseal myself... premier Arcanus of two elements may not be a match for me. I would not fear those of three elements if I break my locks!

“But... so what?” he laughed self-deprecatingly. “Do you know the type of existence that will emerge after the second awakening?”

“I do!” Li Hao responded calmly. “Those known as Apex—existences that can rip through the void and instantly travel thousands of kilometers in a split second! There might be those above Apex as well, but are they relevant?”