My Ares Son-in-Law

"That's not what I meant," Li Changcun quickly put on a fawning smile and bowed half a step. "It's a surprise! I guess your personal visit is mostly to check on my cultivation progress, right?"

Li Shicong held the white piece between his fingers, hesitating to place it until Li Changcun's voice had completely faded away. Then, with a soft "tap," the piece landed steadily on the star point of the chessboard, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

“Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don’t advance, you fall behind.” He spoke calmly, with the unique authority of an elder. “Impulsiveness and restlessness are major taboos. Among your generation, besides your eldest brother guarding the border 'over there' and upholding the family’s reputation, you are the only one with potential. Back when your talent was tested, you…”

His voice abruptly stopped, the calmness in his tone instantly freezing, and the air itself seemed to solidify.

Almost simultaneously, Li Changcun, seemingly oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, blurted out, "In terms of talent, looking across the entire Dragon Kingdom, and even the whole world, I'm afraid no one can compare to the War God Wang Xiao of yesteryear..."

The moment the word "Xiao" escaped his lips, Li Changcun clenched his teeth, his face turned deathly pale, his pupils contracted sharply, a flash of panic crossed his eyes, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

The atmosphere around the stone table froze instantly; even the aroma of tea floating in the air seemed to solidify, making it hard to breathe.

Li Shicong's hand, holding a chess piece, froze in mid-air. The last vestige of warmth on his face vanished, replaced by an extreme coldness. He slowly raised his head, his gaze like a drawn sword, piercingly cold, shooting straight at Li Changcun.

"Snapped!"

A muffled thud suddenly rang out, not from a chess piece falling onto the board, but from Li Shicong's hand slamming heavily onto the edge of the stone table!
The hard bluestone tabletop trembled violently. Centered on his palm, fine spiderweb-like patterns instantly spread out with a "crackling" sound. The black and white chess pieces on the board were shaken and bounced slightly, with several rolling directly to the ground, making a crisp collision sound.

Li Shicong abruptly stood up, his tall figure stretching long in the moonlight, casting a heavy shadow like a dark cloud looming over Li Changcun. His voice was as cold as an icy wind in the dead of winter, piercing the eardrums:

"Don't mention that person's name to me!"

"Back then, my Li family risked offending three top aristocratic families for his sake, exhausting half of our resources to help him, almost resulting in the destruction of our family! But what about him? After the battle in the outer realms, he disappeared without a trace, his fate unknown!"

"That person's life, death, honor, or disgrace have absolutely nothing to do with my Li family! Never... ever mention him again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around, his sleeves fluttering and a chill rising from them, and was about to leave.

Just then, the heavy wooden door of the courtyard was pushed open with a creak, and a middle-aged man dressed in black, with a lithe and powerful physique like a cheetah, staggered in. His steps were hurried, his face showed obvious anxiety, and beads of sweat were still on his forehead.

He was about to speak when his gaze suddenly swept over Li Shicong in the courtyard. His voice caught in his throat, his face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he bowed deeply with a thud, his voice trembling.

"Master...Master? What...what are you doing here?"

Li Shicong did not stop walking, as if he had not heard his words, and continued to walk straight into the inner courtyard, his back as cold and hard as iron.

The man in black was Li Chen, Li Changcun's trusted confidant, who was in charge of intelligence gathering. Seeing his unusual expression, Li Changcun's heart skipped a beat. Suppressing his fear, he asked in a deep voice, "What's the matter that you're so flustered?"

Li Chen stole a glance at Li Shicong's indifferent back, then looked at Li Changcun's solemn expression. He gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and said urgently in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Second Master, urgent report from the provincial capital! That guy named Xiao Chen, he... he's causing a huge uproar in the provincial capital!" The name "Xiao Chen" was like two thunderclaps, suddenly exploding in the silent courtyard.

Li Shicong, who had already reached the Moon Gate, suddenly stopped, as if he had been nailed to the spot by invisible nails. Even his back looked incredibly stiff, and the chill around him seemed to freeze.

He turned around very slowly, the moonlight illuminating half of his face. The muscles on his face seemed to stiffen for a moment, then were replaced by extreme shock.

His hawk-like gaze first locked onto Li Chen, as if he wanted to devour him alive, then slowly shifted to Li Changcun, whose expression suddenly became incredibly complicated. His eyes were so sharp that they seemed to pierce through people's hearts and see through all the secrets hidden in his heart.

"Who did you just say...?" Li Shicong's voice was very soft, as soft as a breeze, yet it carried a terrifying sense of impending storm, making the air in the entire courtyard seem to freeze, and even the sound of the wind blowing through the grape leaves disappeared.

Li Changcun took a deep breath, met his father's sharp gaze, slowly straightened up, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and said clearly, word by word:

"Dad, there's something I've been keeping from you."

"Recently, a young man with the same name as the God of War King has appeared in the secular world. He is also called Xiao Chen."

"And just today, he publicly killed Ao Tianchen, the head of the Western Region New Martial Arts Association, in the provincial capital, crippled Ao Feiyang, the inspector sent by the Dragon Group's 'Prison Suppression', and even... issued a life-or-death challenge to Duanmu Jue, who is ranked 100th on the Heavenly Ranking."

The night breeze swept through the courtyard, finally rustling the grape leaves and breaking the brief silence, but adding a touch of eerie oppression.

Li Shicong stood there, his back to the moonlight, his expression completely hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to discern his joy or anger. Only his eyes shone terrifyingly in the darkness, like a lurking beast, fixed intently on his son.

After a long silence, he finally managed to squeeze out a few cold, iron-like words, uttered with extreme solemnity:

"Elaborate."

“This kid is no ordinary person,” Li Changcun said slowly. “At the re-election ceremony of Ao Tianchen, the new president of the Western Region Martial Arts Association, he single-handedly stormed in and defeated Ao Tianchen in front of countless martial arts masters. In the end, he even beheaded him with a single sword strike, which was swift and decisive.”

"Snapped……"

The teacup clinked against the stone table, making a crisp sound. Li Shicong's teacup wobbled slightly, and the tea almost spilled.

He finally raised his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his slightly cloudy eyes, his tone tinged with disbelief: "Ao Tianchen? The new martial arts association president of the western region? The Ao Tianchen who has already touched the threshold of the Grandmaster realm?"

"Exactly." Li Changcun nodded, his tone solemn.
"Intelligence indicates that Xiao Chen's strength is unfathomable. If it weren't for his young age, looking no more than twenty, my son would really think that he is the War God King himself. Ao Tianchen originally wanted to set up a trap to kill him, but he was killed on the spot, and even the reputation of the Western Region New Martial Arts Association was trampled underfoot by him."

A brief silence fell over the courtyard. The rustling sound of servants sweeping fallen leaves drifted from afar, unusually clear in the oppressive atmosphere. (End of Chapter)