The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

Upon learning of Li Yi's visit, Zhang Ling, without even changing out of his official robes, headed straight for the backyard. Seeing the two men standing at the door, he quickened his pace.

"My lord..."

"Just call me Uncle."

Zhang Ling laughed heartily and placed his official hat on the table.

"No wonder Junyi treats you differently. You are indeed handsome and dignified, no less so than those aspiring cultivators from Qishan."

"Uncle, you flatter me," Li Yi readily agreed. "Actually, I came here today because I have something I'd like to ask for your advice on."

Zhang Ling raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead and say it."

Li Yi then gave a brief account of the post station situation, but was unsure how to choose between the garrison and the military, so he sought advice from Zhang Ling.

Zhang Ling stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, "Gongsun's father is the Commander-in-Chief of the Garrison. You'll have many benefits working under her—but, which battalion does Yi-ge belong to? And under which centurion?"

"The Tiger Might Battalion was under the command of Wu Youwei, the Commander-in-Chief."

Zhang Ling nodded slightly. "I have little contact with the Tiger Might Battalion Commandant, and I am not very familiar with Wu Youwei either. It would be better if I joined the garrison."

Li Yi seemed to have expected this, replying, "I had similar thoughts. With Uncle's confirmation, I feel much more at ease."

After saying that, he stood up and glanced at Li Erhu. Just as he was about to take his leave, Zhang's mother got up and pressed him down.

"Yi-ge'er is a great benefactor of the Zhang family, how can we let you stay outside? The west wing has been prepared long ago, please don't be shy."

Li Yi was indeed short of money, but considering that this was where Zhang Junyi had grown up, he no longer refused and agreed.

As darkness fell, Zhang's mother made arrangements for the two Lis to settle in, and assigned two servants to the west wing.

Li Yi entered the room, dismissed the servants, and hurriedly opened the envelope, reading it word by word.

[Brother Yi, it's like seeing you in person.]

My daughter killed Zhang Lingbao in front of her parents, and felt a great sense of satisfaction.

Will Yi-ge think I'm ruthless?

I have been away from the mountain for nearly two months and cannot delay any longer. I also fear that my teachers will be strict and will not allow me to leave the mountain easily, so I left a letter.

Yi-ge is about to return to the army and embark on the path of physical cultivation. He must always be wary of anger and must not let his mind wander or act recklessly. He must constantly reflect on himself...

It consists of three pages in total.

Besides showing concern, Zhang Junyi clearly explained the ins and outs of the county town and the military in his letter, so that Li Yi wouldn't be like a headless fly, bumping into walls everywhere. He had obviously put in a lot of effort.

Li Yi read it over twice, his gaze lingering on the three characters "Zhang Junyi" at the end of the signature. They were truly elegant and refined, crisp and neat, just like the person in question.

Unfortunately, I haven't learned all the characters yet, so I can't understand it very well.

He carefully put away the letter, sat by the window, and silently gathered his Qi to circulate through his acupoints.

Upon closer inspection, one could sense that the incense offerings from Li Family Village were still being continuously sent to the Investiture of the Gods, and then distributed to various parts of the body via scrolls. Over the past few days, the village had undergone a complete transformation.

Otherwise, how could a newborn calf possibly shake a fox demon?

After last night's battle, Li Yi had gained a basic understanding of his own physique, which should be no weaker than that of a typical mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Gongsun Ling's attitude last night clearly indicated that she regarded him as a cultivator of the same realm; otherwise, she wouldn't have been surprised by his ignorance.

Using muscles to stop bleeding is a common technique among body cultivators, and it doesn't even qualify as a magic spell.

During his journey during the day, Li Yi had inquired about Gongsun Ling's sword out of curiosity. It turned out that the sword she wore was merely for show and was more of a symbol of her status. In a real fight, she relied solely on her fists, truly a heroine among women.

Gongsun Ling laughed and said, "In the army, battles are mainly fought with fists. Apart from ordinary soldiers, most of the body-cultivating generals who have entered the Dao are not equipped with weapons. They will break if touched anyway. It's all about fists."

Li Yi was shocked and pressed for an answer, asking if body cultivators didn't have any suitable weapons.

Gongsun Ling said that suitable weapons must be purchased by physical cultivators themselves or obtained through military merit.

As he spoke, his expression became more serious. "Let me give you a piece of advice, brothers. Since we body cultivators have embarked on the path of martial arts, we are determined to achieve physical sainthood. No matter how good the weapon is, it is still an external thing and cannot be relied upon."

Li Yi regained his composure, clenched his fist, and muttered:

"Physical ascension to sainthood..."

That night, Li Yi took a Blood Qi Pill and finally opened his tenth spiritual acupoint, "Floating White".

As soon as the acupoint was opened, he felt his mind become clearer. After a brief examination, Li Yi was overjoyed.

Like Shangguan, this Fubai acupoint has yielded one of the three treasures. Although it is still only an enhancement, it is an invaluable enhancement of mental clarity.

"If we were to face a fox demon again now, perhaps we could withstand it for a while without relying on wood energy!"

In this way, it will be less likely to be caught off guard and fall into a trap as easily as Gongsun Ling's two guards.

"It's a pity I haven't mastered the body-strengthening method yet, otherwise my physique would be much stronger."

As he was thinking, Li Yi sensed something and quickly summoned the Investiture of the Gods from his Tongziliao and unrolled the scroll.

Li Yi, a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel.

[Opening acupoints for Qi circulation, Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian (10/44).]

[A minor Qi Refining deity, with meager cultivation, may be granted the title of two Qi Refining deities within a village, who will share incense offerings.]

One more spot for deification!

Li Yi felt a sudden surge of emotion, and then, as if thinking of something, his face fell into a frown.

"This Investiture of the Gods has geographical limitations. Since it's set in a small area, does that mean we have to make time to go back to the village?"

But Li Family Village only has a little over a hundred households. Are they really going to divide the incense offerings in two? Putting aside whether the two deities have any disputes, it would be a waste from the perspective of incense revenue alone.

As if sensing its master's distress, the characters on the scroll seemed to writhe like insects, undergoing a change.

Removing the phrase "one township" makes it even more straightforward: "Two Qi-cultivating deities may be appointed to govern one prefecture."

Li Yi was quite surprised, relieved, yet also somewhat confused, when he saw a thought emanating from the Investiture of the Gods:

This prefecture is exactly the same as that village.

According to the Investiture of the Gods, the entire Qifeng County was just a small town!

How vast is this world?

Li Yi suddenly realized that he had never understood the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and his understanding of the general situation of the world was limited to a single prefecture.

Once everything is on track, we should take the opportunity to learn more about it.

Li Yi reluctantly fiddled with the Investiture of the Gods, and gradually fell asleep.

The next morning, a servant brought a meal: a whole salt-baked lamb leg, a plate of crucian carp weighing about ten pounds, and some delicious side dishes—a very sumptuous meal.

Li Yi saved a Blood Qi Pill and immediately used the Food Nourishment Qi Method after the meal to strengthen the Fu Bai Spirit Acupoint.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Erhu knocked on the door and came in, calling Li Yi to leave the Zhang residence and head straight for the Hundred Household Office on North Street.

When the two Lis arrived at the government office, they happened to run into the tall man riding a horse.

The soldiers on duty at the gate were about to stop the two Lis when they saw the tall man and quickly clasped their hands in greeting, "Commander-in-Chief."

The tall man nodded slightly. "These two brothers are valued by the centurion, so there's no need to ask them again."

The soldier on duty immediately straightened up, "Yes, sir!"

The tall man dismounted and walked into the government office side by side with Li Yi and Li Erhu, laughing as he said:

"Have you two brothers thought it through? — You didn't come here to refuse me outright, did you?"