When the entire mountainside was covered with newly sprouted peach saplings, the entire Li family breathed a collective sigh of relief, their faces filled with pride and satisfaction. The recent rush planting had exhausted everyone, both physically and mentally.
Zhou Yu specially visited to deliver some red ginseng slices he had prepared himself, which could be brewed into tea to refresh the mind. "You're very thoughtful, thank you," said Li Rongzhou as he sipped the tea, sighing comfortably while marveling at the unpredictable wonders of life. Who would have thought that Zhou Yu, once an honest and simple man, had been sent by Li Yuan to break his second son's leg? Now Zhou Yu lived peacefully while Li Yuan had long turned to bones in the ground.
"Not worthy of your thanks," Zhou Yu replied with a half bow. He remained most grateful to the Li family patriarch who had handed him meat buns, giving his wandering heart an unexpected home. Hearing Li Rongzhou's praise filled him with joy.
After seeing Zhou Yu off, Li Rongzhou rested briefly before gathering the laborers to announce the long-term employment list. Those selected wept with gratitude, their futures secured, while the unsuccessful left disappointed. Some tried to leverage personal connections, prompting laughter from others: "If we're counting relations, isn't every family in this village connected somehow?" The remark flushed the petitioners' faces red with embarrassment, forcing them to abandon their attempts.
Observing the Li family's thriving, bustling scene, the old village chief sighed with emotion: "The Rongzhou household is truly rising now!" The Li family had funded the ancestral hall's renovation. Li Ping'an, when free, would compile examination study guides to teach village children. Li Pingfu, known for his loyalty and righteousness throughout Peach Blossom Mountain, never refused to help villagers in need, earning widespread recognition as a chivalrous figure.
The chief privately regretted his lack of foresight - he should have arranged marriages with the Li sons earlier. Who could have predicted refugees would transform into a prominent family within years, with the eldest son achieving martial success and the second son scholarly distinction? Now, they'd become unattainable matches!
Meanwhile, Li Rongzhou also discussed marriage matters with his sons. By village standards, twenty-year-old Li Pingfu and eighteen-year-old Li Ping'an were considered "older bachelors," yet no one in the Li family felt urgent pressure to marry. As Li Ping'an pragmatically stated, he'd become quite the "hot commodity" now - marrying some village girl without influential in-laws would feel like "settling." After passing the imperial examination, prominent families from Yunshui County would surely extend olive branches. His reasoning, though calculating, undeniably represented the optimal path.
Li Pingfu, less complicated, hoped to find someone he liked, having grown up witnessing his parents' harmonious relationship. Mutual affection would be ideal, but lacking that mattered little - a real man needn't worry about finding a wife, establishing his career came first. As for young Li Pingcan, no one asked his opinion, sparing him unnecessary worries with five or six years still ahead. He appeared to gaze distantly at the scenery, seemingly daydreaming while actually grinding skill proficiency. Xie Yuan secretly glanced at Li Pingcan, her lips curling into a smile more graceful than even Lady Qin's.
The current martial arts craze had spawned makeshift fighting circles where anyone could jump in and spar. Dojo disciples, gang members, wandering martial artists - all local notables had fought in these "wild rings" to build reputations, attract patrons' attention, or wager on their skills.
Li Yuan's sharp-featured face remained impassive while Old Five and Old Six beside him wore expressions of stifled anger, glaring at the yellow-scarfed gang members swaggering before them. "Know the rules, country bumpkins? Who fights without paying fees?" taunted one. "With those amateur skills, you call this fighting?" jeered another. "Call us 'grandpa' and we might teach you a move or two," they sneered, their dozen-strong group erupting in raucous laughter.
"You!" Little Seven Miao Kai burned with fury. These local gangs had gone too far, claiming public spaces as their own. As he prepared to charge forward, Li Yuan restrained him, whispering, "Let it go, Little Seven." Li Yuan recognized their leader - Jiao Shichang, a frequent underground boxing opponent of Pingfu back in the day, who'd joined the Yellow Scarf Gang after aging out of the brutal youth fights. Underground rings favored reckless teenagers who fought viciously for silver, creating bloody spectacles that thrilled audiences. Jiao had earned Pingfu's enmity through particularly dirty tactics before being disciplined several times. Outnumbered now, provoking conflict served no purpose.
"That's it? That's all you've got?" The gang members erupted in mocking catcalls and duck-like cackles as the trio withdrew. "Brother Jiao, what if Li Pingfu comes for us?" one gang member worried aloud. Li Pingfu commanded considerable respect in Flat Peach Town, his Black Tiger Technique widely feared.
"What's there to fear? I've crossed hands with Li Pingfu before - nothing special," Jiao Shichang scoffed, watching Li Yuan's retreating back. "Besides, our gang leader obtained an immortal pill and will soon break through to the Divine Execution Realm. What's one Li Pingfu? We could make him our dog!" The underling grew more concerned - their fifty-something gang leader achieving such a breakthrough seemed doubtful.
"Brother Yuan, we can't just let this go," Miao Kai protested. "Avoid unnecessary conflict - have you forgotten Pingfu's teachings?" Li Yuan cautioned. "No need to trouble him with this during his critical breakthrough period." Since establishing his "three agreements" with his father, Li Yuan had matured rapidly. With family resources supporting his martial development, his skills progressed swiftly as his personality grew steadier like Pingfu's. To become his elder brother's reliable right hand and the family's shield, he needed to stand independently.
Time flowed like water, and half a year passed in a blink.
Li Family Training Grounds.
Through these months, Li Pingfu had accumulated energy day and night until his blood qi bubbled like boiling water within him. The Cold Water Pearl at his waist emitted wisps of frosty air as he swallowed the Seven-Leaf Purple-Gold Treasure Herb decoction. His chest heaved violently, breaths rapid yet controlled. Li Yuan, Xie Xiaodao and others guarded the compound against disturbances while Li Rongzhou, Li Pingcan, Xie Yuan and other martial practitioners observed - witnessing a Divine Execution Realm breakthrough offered invaluable insights.
The Divine Execution Realm embodied a warrior's courage. Li Pingfu recalled years of life-threatening trials, the killer instinct from battles, condensing these experiences like a raging dragon as the herb's potency flooded his system. Executing the Black Tiger Technique repeatedly, his pupils gradually crimsoned with accumulating killing intent. Every acupoint in his body opened like stars twinkling, capable of withstanding the clashing divine and execution energies.
One sweat droplet fell. Then two. Three...
Suddenly, enlightenment struck. Li Pingfu shuddered violently as torrential power surged through his limbs - an invisible barrier shattered instantly! Within his meridians and organs, strands of execution qi swirled and expanded, converging and growing in his dantian! With a mental grasp, he seized these circulating energies - this was true internal force!