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

These junior officers looked astonished, while Li Yi, though outwardly calm, couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

With Liao Qingming stirring things up, things are finally a bit quieter.

He didn't want to embarrass Feng Jun in public, so he smiled at Qin Kai and congratulated him:

"Brother Qin, your misfortune has turned into good fortune, and your spiritual path is now flourishing. Although you currently lack a physical body, once you cultivate to the point of achieving a golden body, you will still have the opportunity to enjoy family happiness. This is truly a joyous occasion."

Qin Kai waved his hand first, "Brother Li is the one who is truly appreciated by Inspector Liao. His future is limitless."

The saying goes that a sedan chair is carried by people, but both are martial artists, so a few words of flattery are enough; too much would be tiresome.

Qin Kai first used the Earthly Immortal Drop technique to drop into the ground, and Li Yi also stopped lingering and turned back to Xiang Erhu and the others; the junior officers behind him were unwilling to leave and rushed to catch up.

"Brother Li, please wait! It has been several days since you took office here, but we dared not invite you because of the funeral at Sanyi Manor."

Now that we're all gathered here, why don't we throw a welcome banquet for you, Brother Li, and treat you properly? The imperial cuisine from the east of the city is exquisite; it's on me!

Li Yi instinctively wanted to refuse, but after a moment's thought, he grinned and said, "Then I'll gladly accept your offer. Thank you for the expense!"

The junior officers beamed with joy and followed Li Yi to Erhu and the others. When they saw him turn around, he looked quite troubled.

"Oh dear, I was so happy that I forgot about the important matter."

Li Yi pointed at Guan Tian and Liu Zhi, "Look, Sanyi Manor is in a state of utter desolation right now. My two soldiers have just recovered a little from the grief of losing their loved ones, and they're so thin they can't eat or drink anymore..."

The junior officers understood perfectly well. Despite their inner grumbling, they still extended enthusiastic invitations, including not only Guan Tian and Liu Zhi, but also Li Erhu.

A group of more than ten people rode horses into the city through the south gate, handed their mounts over to their colleagues at the city garrison, and soon walked to the outside of the Imperial Delicacies Restaurant.

The owner this time is named Liu Zhongliang, a junior officer in the second or third village. Judging from his appearance, he should be the most prestigious junior officer under Gongsun, the centurion.

This man was seven feet tall, only a few inches taller than Liu Zhi. He was quite imposing and looked like a skilled warrior.

He led everyone upstairs and said enthusiastically, "This Imperial Cuisine restaurant is very popular. The customers on the ground floor are either wealthy people or officials, while the third floor and above are exclusively open to cultivators like us, where we can enjoy the finest food."

Another small flag echoed, "I've heard that the head chef is a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator specializing in fire element. The exquisite dishes he prepares are more than 10% better than those in ordinary hotels."

Li Yi smiled and showed his support, saying, "Thank you for spending so much!"

Ultimately, materials that can be used for alchemy are usually not sent to restaurants. While these fine foods can replenish qi and blood, they are not exorbitantly priced.

Oops!

Xiaoqing gave me tiger gall and tiger kidney!

How could you forget so completely? That tiger demon was a mid-stage Qi Refining Earth-type demon, a treasure trove from head to toe!

At that time, Junyi was in a hurry to kill Zhang Lingbao; I was also in a hurry to enter the city and ended up leaving this good thing behind.

Li Yi couldn't help but feel a little regretful, not even realizing when he had taken his seat, when he suddenly heard Liu Zhongliang raise his glass and say:

"I have heard that Brother Li and Brother Feng have had some friction. Please do not take offense. Feng Jun is a confidant of General Gongsun. Considering that we are from the same lineage, perhaps his words were not entirely sincere, but his intentions were good."

He gave Feng Jun a look, "Since Brother Li has no intention of recruiting subordinates ahead of time, I'm sure Brother Feng understands. We're all struggling in the garrison, so why not let bygones be bygones over a cup of wine, what do you say?"

Feng Junqian raised his glass with a smile, then sat up in his seat, looking at Li Yi with a disgruntled expression.

General Gongsun?

After a moment's thought, Li Yi realized it was Gongsun Sheng with his uneven eyes.

No wonder he's so rampant; it turns out he thinks his connections are strong enough, and his father, who's at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, is secondary.

Li Yi immediately raised his glass, "Don't mention it, it's all for official business."

The welcoming banquet was a joyous occasion for both host and guests. Li Yi saved a Blood Qi Pill, and his three subordinates also benefited by replenishing their blood and qi.

By the time the show ended, it was already sunset.

When Liu Zhi and the others were alone in the private room, he called over a servant to pack up the leftovers, thinking of taking some to his wife.

Li Yi casually made an excuse to bid farewell to the junior officers, and only after Liu Zhi had gone downstairs did he slowly take his steps and give them some instructions:

"This meal is a rare treat. The three of you should go back and immediately try to cultivate. It would be best if you could generate external sensations, but at least you can improve your physique and solidify your foundation. Don't just lie in bed and waste this precious food."

Li Erhu, Guan Tian, ​​and Liu Zhi all clasped their hands in agreement, especially the latter two, whose eyes were full of gratitude.

Even the previous junior officer, Qin Kaixian, had never shown such care.

Li Yi turned to look at Liu Zhi, "Have you been exposed to breathing techniques?"

Liu Zhi felt extremely embarrassed and said awkwardly, "Reporting to you, sir, I have been cultivating for three years and have not experienced any external sensations."

This is what we call a dull-witted person; most people in the world fall into this category.

If one accumulates refined food, one should also be able to enter the Dao, but lacking natural talent, the energy expenditure for opening the Qi and acupoints is much greater than that of ordinary people.

In a whole, resources will naturally not be tilted towards it; that would be a waste.

"It's alright. If you can build a strong physique and fight off an armored soldier, you can also earn a title."

Liu Zhi lowered his head in shame, "Sir, this meal... has been wasted."

"Hey—" Li Erhu's tone rose, "How can you be so self-deprecating? We've all risked our lives for you in the future, it's not a waste to give it to anyone."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Brother Yi is right. There's a guy in my village named Li Quan who didn't catch anything, but he still managed to earn military merit and get a government post."

Sekita looked over curiously. "Is he still in the army?"

Li Erhu said sheepishly, "No, he's dead."

When others pressed her for details, she refused to mention it again.

Li Yi returned to the official residence and hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should ask someone to write a letter to Li Family Village, asking his adoptive parents to send him the tiger gall and tiger kidney.

I thought about it and decided against it. I'll wait until the garrison is on holiday and then go back to the village to visit my adoptive parents. If they eat it, that's fine; if not, I'll take it with me.

Just as he was hesitating over the fine food, Feng Jun followed Liu Zhongliang into the official residence of the Second and Third Villages.

"This Li Yi is really greedy. He's a minor officer, after all. It's one thing for him to enjoy it himself, but he also brings three peasants to freeload. His behavior is really... despicable."

Liu Zhongliang said with a smile, "It's just adding three pairs of chopsticks, let's eat. We're all working under Commander Gongsun, it's not good to make things awkward."

Feng Jun was furious. "I just can't swallow this! Relying on his connections, he acts recklessly in the office, showing no respect for us at all. We're respectful, but he isn't."

Feng Jun is used to being arrogant and domineering...

Liu Zhongliang felt rather helpless and advised, "Li Yi is appreciated by Inspector Liao, which is something that ordinary cultivators cannot compare to. His shameless invitation to his subordinates is just a way of showing consideration for them."

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to make a move, Feng Jun had no choice but to suppress his anger and force a smile.

"Brother Liang is right, I was just being stubborn."

"That's more like it; harmony brings wealth."

Liu Zhongliang saw Feng Jun off with a smile, but as soon as he closed the courtyard gate, his smile vanished, and he shook his head inwardly.