Li Jun had thought that his uncle would send some guards after him after he had beaten Li Chen when he came to cause trouble, not to mention slapping Li Cui for disrespecting his mother.
It seemed strange that his uncle took so long to take revenge, but that worried Li Jun the most. He trusted that his mother was safe, and his intuition told him that she was. But what could Li Hong be scheming?
As he opened the gate, he was greeted by eight Li Family guards. Their steel armor was painted red, and a single sword with feathers surrounding it was engraved into their chests.
The Great Hao Empire gave noble ranks based on their family's profession. The Li family were soldiers, so their emblem was a sword. Their military achievements earned them the feathers of a phoenix, one of the highest honors.
Li Jun recognized the leader of the guards as the daughter of his third uncle. Her name was Li Min, and when he lived back in the main family house, she would constantly command him around. It was like living with a dictator. Even when he found a place to hide from her tyranny, she would still find him.
"Oh, it's you," Li Jun said as he saw her standing with her hands on her hips. She had grown up a lot over the years that Li Jun had been living alone with his mother, but it seemed her commanding personality had earned her the position of guard captain.
He looked over the guards and sensed that none of them had stepped into the Body Refining stage, although Li Min wasn't far off. Despite being the shortest, her aura was much more imposing than the other guards.
"What kind of greeting is that?" Li Min asked, her face contorted as she remembered how obedient Li Jun had been as a child.
Li Jun sighed; he didn't want this to drag on for too long. He guessed why they were here, but he wanted to make sure.
"Never mind it. Why are you here?" He asked bluntly, which seemed to make the other guards nervous. No one talked to Li Min so disrespectfully, and since they had all been hired during the last few years, this was the first time they had met Li Jun, but they had heard the stories of his father's greatness.
"Why?!" Li Min growled but then took a deep breath and contained her displeasure. "Patriarch Li Hong wishes to meet with you."
"Patriarch? What Patriarch? Has grandfather died already?" Li Jun asked with a sour expression. Since his grandfather had locked himself up, Li Hong had become more overbearing, but he didn't expect that he would have the audacity to call himself the Patriarch.
Li Min frowned. "No, grandfather is still in closed-door meditation. But Li Hong is the acting Patriarch since he is absent."
"But that doesn't matter. I'm here to escort you to the family estate; you can either walk or be dragged. It's up to you." she said matter-of-factly, as if she wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Is that so?" Li Jun asked with a smirk and took a step back from the gate.
"Try it. As Spirit City law states, trespassers may be killed in self-defense." He said, standing with his hands by his side in the least threatening way possible.
Li Min was hesitant for a moment before bravely stepping forward.
"Well, as you know, Family disputes are exempt from City law. As long as we share the same blood, I can do whatever I want to you." She said with a menacing glint in her eyes as she dashed forward.
Li Jun smiled as she shot towards him. Although she was strong by regular standards, a martial artist was at least two times stronger than a regular person unless that person trained their muscles endlessly. Looking at Li Min's thin arms, she didn't train her muscles beyond that of an average person.
As soon as Li Min's hand stretched out with a palm strike, Li Jun vanished from her sight. She stopped, looking in disbelief; she couldn't believe what was happening. Just as she was about to turn her head, a hand struck her in the stomach.
Li Min began to cough as she dropped down to her knees. Li Jun was surprised; his palm strike against Li Chen had pushed him back a few steps, but Li Min only stumbled slightly. Although he held back because she was a woman, she was stronger than he had thought.
With her eyes wide in shock, she turned to see Li Jun standing behind her. The guards she commanded didn't dare step in to help her. If she had been defeated by a single attack, they wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention that if they crossed the threshold, Li Jun would have the right to kill them. Upon witnessing his strength, they could only watch.
"How did you?" She croaked as she tried to catch her breath.
"Since you have never insulted my mother, I will let you leave on your own. If you want to continue, I will let your guards carry you back on a stretcher." He said with a blank face.
In the last two days, along with cultivating through the night, he spent his days not only reading the book Master Shen had given him but also learning how to use the movement technique he had gotten from the silver ring.
Phantom steps were difficult to practice and in reality, he had only learned a small part of the technique, but even that was enough to catch a regular person completely off guard. He couldn't wait to see what would happen as he continued to improve.
But knowing his uncle, he would probably lock him up for a few months or strike him with a whip; both of those would be steps back from Li Jun's cultivation. There was no way in hell he would go back to the family estate.
"Oh, and don't forget to close the gate on your way out." Li Jun walked back into his house, leaving his cousin and her guards confused as to how he had become so strong. But they didn't dare to try and capture him after witnessing his power. They left without another word.