""Madam, I am fulfilling General's orders to deliver this precious blood of the Demon King back for Young Master Li Hao."
The middle-aged deputy bowed respectfully before speaking.
He Jianlan was startled, and upon hearing the name Li Hao, the ladies from the other courtyards also showed a moment of surprise.
Now, within the Divine General Mansion, those two characters hold a reputation that is as profound as thunder after a lightning strike.
"Demon King's precious blood?"
Gao Qingqing looked at the Nine Honored Beast Cauldron with surprise, such a large volume, could this be the blood of a Great Demon King from the Four Stands Realm?
Beside him, Li Yun and Li Zhining were also staring in bewilderment at the term "Demon King," feeling it was incredibly distant.
After her moment of distraction, He Jianlan's expression suddenly shifted slightly, she vividly remembered what Li Hao said when he left the mansion.
Was this now a repayment for the second favor?
He Jianlan's eyes moistened slightly, but she quickly composed herself and said, "Then please trouble everyone to deliver this precious blood of the Demon King to the Mountain and River Courtyard."
"Yes, Madam."
The middle-aged deputy accepted the command.
But before he could leave, He Jianlan hastily inquired, "Is Hao Er doing well at the Frontier Pass? This Demon King... is it that little Demon King's father?"
The middle-aged deputy shook his head slightly and said, "The Wan Shan Demon King gathered three Demon Kings to invade, and this is the precious blood of one of them. The Wan Shan Demon King and the other two have already escaped."
"Four Demon Kings!"
Everyone's faces changed drastically as they gasped together.
Even on the Northern Yan battlefield, such a prominent stage for the world's attention, the simultaneous appearance of four Demon Kings would be enough to shake the court.
What's more, at the Heavenly Gate Pass, that lone city.
"Then Hao Er..." He Jianlan turned pale, shaking, almost feeling unable to stand.
The middle-aged deputy hurriedly said, "Madam, there's no need to worry. The Demon Kings have been driven off, Young Master Li Hao is unharmed. With the help of Master Tianji and the arrival of his uncle, had those demons not fled quickly, they would have all died."
He Jianlan's complexion finally relaxed, and she found that her palms were already sweating.
Although she had not witnessed it herself, she could imagine just how perilous the battlefield at Heavenly Gate Pass had been.
And Li Hao, having survived such a huge catastrophe, chose to send the precious blood of the Demon King back; this was not just to thank the Li Family, but to repay a debt of gratitude.
However, what Li Tian Gang had sent back in the past was merely the blood of a Three Immortal Realms demon that had lived for three thousand years. Now, this was the precious blood of a Ten Thousand Years Demon King.
The gap in this reciprocation was too great.
"In another two years, is that child... really going to leave the Li Family?"
He Jianlan suppressed her tears, feeling a bitter and uncomfortable sensation in her heart.
After a while, she gestured for the middle-aged deputy to step down with a wave of her hand.
She then said to a maidservant beside her, "Write a letter, to Liangzhou, tell Tiangang that his son has repaid his gratitude!"
The others, upon hearing He Jianlan's words, stayed silent.
In the crowd, Wang Xiangru, the eighth lady, gave a soft sneer but didn't speak.
Her daughter Li Rumeng was slapped by Li Hao back in the day, and after being investigated for the reason, although no one took a stance, the word 'deserved' was practically written on everyone's faces.
As a mother, however, she couldn't swallow this insult.
Yet, with Li Hao's rising influence now, she couldn't openly say anything.
...
...
In Liangzhou, at the Eastern Border War Camp.
The extensive defense line, a long wall built of black stone, stretched across the border.
The land beyond the border is pitch dark, the ground covered with scorched weeds, and the trees within the mountains and forests are all cut down to maximize the field of view.
Done to prevent demons from stealthily approaching under the cover of night.
Everything is visible for a hundred miles.
At this moment, outside the war camp, numerous soldiers were dragging the corpses of demons back to the camp.
Everywhere on the ground, fresh blood was spattered.
On some flatbed carts and stretchers, many wounded soldiers were carried along with the remains of those who had died in battle.
They had just gone through a large battle, causing grievous losses to the demons.
The soldiers had casualties too, but the numbers were not high.
"...Reporting to the Marshal, 43,255 demons have been annihilated, our side has 720 severely injured, over 1,000 with minor injuries, and 321 killed in action!"
An officer came before Li Tian Gang and reported earnestly.