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

Li Yi went to the government office for two purposes.

I would like to ask Gongsun Ling how to process tiger gall and how to preserve tiger kidneys.

Secondly, he hoped to find a task to search the border so that he could take Li Erhu and the others to the surrounding mountains and forests to hunt and supplement their meat supply.

If we could just approach Qin Kaixian directly and issue an imperial decree to collect meat, that would be perfect. As the governor of a prefecture, hunting is much easier for him than for Li Yi.

It's frustrating to have two key subordinates at your disposal but not be able to give them orders freely.

Li Yi rode his horse all the way to North Street, dismounted in front of the government office, and was about to step through the gate when he was stopped by the gatekeeper with a smirk.

"Please forgive me, sir, but the centurion said that whoever comes today must be informed."

However, Li Yi was fine with waiting for a while. He was just puzzled. After the gatekeeper turned and walked away, he simply set up a standing posture at the bottom of the steps to avoid the pain of body shaping caused by the scattered incense offerings.

After completing one cycle of standing meditation in the "Life-Refining Body Method," the gatekeeper hurriedly returned and took over the reins.

"Please come in, sir. The centurion is waiting for you in the back garden."

"lead the way."

Li Yi knew that Gongsun Ling often practiced physical training in the government office, but he did not know where the back garden was.

The gatekeeper led the people on a 100-meter walk, through the courtyard and the rear gate, and then eastward to find the back garden.

Before Li Yi could see the person, he heard a series of whistling sounds coming from inside the archway.

The doorman stopped in front of the archway, so Li Yi ignored him and took a step forward. Immediately, a huge wave of heat hit him.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Gongsun Ling lowered his stance, though a faint trace of fire energy could still be seen at the tip of his fist.

"Has Zhuangzi's side been sorted out?"

"fine."

Li Yi looked around and saw that the walls of the courtyard were covered with ivy and grapevines, as if they were using wood energy to generate fire energy.

He untied the single-sided wrapping, opened the wooden box, revealing the tiger's gall bladder and kidneys.

"Li Yi has come here to share some good things with you, sir."

Gongsun Ling leaned closer for a look, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "A demon's internal organs? What realm was it in before it died?"

"Good eye!" Li Yi exclaimed. "It's a mid-stage Qi Refining Earth Tiger Demon."

Gongsun Ling's interest waned upon hearing this. "Since it's an earth-elemental demon, its spleen and stomach are its essence. However, this tiger demon has at least a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation level, so its other internal organs are also excellent food that can be consumed directly."

Unexpectedly, even after finding Gongsun Ling, he couldn't avoid the method of directly consuming her. Li Yi was slightly unwilling, "Couldn't you refine some kind of pill? Suitable for wood and water element cultivators?"

Gongsun Ling's expression was a half-smile as she teased:

"Brother Li, it's understandable that you want to make the most of what you have, given your limited resources. However, since the tiger demon is not a wood or water cultivator, its corresponding organs are only considered ordinary, high-quality tonics."

Besides, the tiger gall and kidneys aren't fresh enough; at most, they can only make three to five Blood Qi Pills, and then you'd have to pay the alchemist a fee. It's better to swallow them raw.

Having said that, Li Yi stopped arguing and just thought that since it was all the same anyway, he might as well slice it up, grill it, and have it with his drinks.

Li Yi walked a few steps and sat down on the stone bench, clearly having a lot to say.

Gongsun Ling found it amusing and sat down beside her. "You're quite unceremonious. Fine, just tell me what you want."

Originally, if the matter of refining tiger gall and tiger kidneys failed, Li Yi only needed to ask Gongsun Ling for permission to lead people to search the border. However, he wanted to confirm some rumors circulating in the streets, so he subconsciously found a place to sit down.

As winter approached, the soldiers of the Hundred Households Garrison had nothing to do, so Gongsun Ling casually agreed to Sanyi Village's request to search the border.

"There's really no need to report this. Most military households in the garrison will find their own things to do in the winter. As long as it doesn't tarnish the reputation of the garrison, they usually don't care."

The garrison's rations consisted only of grain crops; if the soldiers wanted to eat meat, they had to use all their skills.

As a junior officer, Li Yi did receive a monthly meat ration, but it was far from enough for him.

However, that's not what he's thinking about right now.

"On my way to the government office, I heard the people complaining about grain prices. Could it be that what you said earlier, sir...?"

Gongsun Ling immediately dropped her nonchalant attitude and said seriously:

"There's still no official word on this matter in the court, but... why do you think there's such strict control in the government offices today?"

She glanced towards the inner courtyard to the south and whispered:

"Xu Gongzheng and my father had a secret meeting, probably about the war. They weren't at the commander's office or the prefect's office, but instead came here for a secret meeting, which means they don't want the news to leak out. Don't spread rumors."

Didn't you send it to me?

Li Yi inwardly scoffed, but replied earnestly, "Don't worry, I'm tight-lipped."

Gongsun Ling smiled with satisfaction. "Since you're here, why not stay with me for a while? You can throw away your mouth and just keep your brain and eyes."

This is a deliberate attempt to cultivate me, Li Yi, and to make me more familiar to the Commander and Lord Xu.

Although somewhat moved, Li Yi subconsciously resisted contact with those high-ranking cultivators, and immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"I'd better not, I'm afraid my legs will go weak in the face if I see them." Fearing the other party would insist, Li Yi quickly changed the subject. "If war breaks out, I wonder how the garrisons and barracks will be mobilized? Where will the troops be directed?"

Given that Li Yi was merely a minor officer, it was quite possible that he would be arrested as a spy for worrying about such matters.

Gongsun Ling indeed spoke up to warn him: "Brother Li, you really have no restraint when it comes to your words. If others hear this, you'll be imprisoned, which would be the least of your worries—"

She changed the subject:

"However, the fact that Brother Li is willing to tell me these things shows that you, Li Yi, trust me."

"You are just an ordinary person from a remote mountain village, so it's normal that you don't understand the general situation of the world..."

Li Yi was puzzled. How did the border war become related to the overall situation of the world?

Originally, the world was divided into nine continents, and the land under Li Yi's feet was called "Yuliang Continent".

Apart from the two martial dynasties, Da Zhou and Da Li, there was only one small country separated by the center, namely Da Yan.

If the Great Zhou were to wage war on this continent, it would have virtually no choice but to leave the Great Yan.

Li Yi's expression shifted. "The Great Yan is the only barrier between the two great dynasties. Destroying this place means there will be no buffer zone between the Great Zhou and the Great Li. Doesn't that mean..."

Good at critical thinking.

Gongsun Ling secretly praised him, then solemnly warned, "Remember, don't mention this to anyone else."

Upon hearing this earth-shattering news, Li Yi seemed somewhat distracted and unwilling to stay in the government office any longer, so he immediately got up to take his leave.

Given the current situation in Yuliangzhou, the purpose of Qifeng County's military action is no longer important.

No matter how the troops are deployed, the ultimate goal is always the same: Dali.

The Great Yan Dynasty was sandwiched between two great Wu dynasties, and its success or failure depended on the slightest decision of other countries.

Since the county town has started stockpiling grain, it might be planning to launch an attack during the cold winter to catch the Great Yan off guard. If the war goes badly, they can rely on their logistical advantage to wear down the enemy. They are truly well-prepared.

The Great Zhou's resolve to wage war seems unusually firm?

Li Yi was preoccupied and instinctively walked out of the government office, not even hearing the shouts behind him.

Gongsun Sheng, with his uneven eyes, quickly caught up and grabbed Li Yi's shoulder before stopping him.

"Why are you so engrossed? The tall guy just happened to be looking for you."