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

Li Yi turned his head. "The commander-in-chief is looking for me?"

The man with the uneven eyes nodded slightly. "This matter is somewhat related to me. Come with me."

The two walked to the small drill ground west of the government office, where the taller man sat on the steps.

Li Yi and the man with the uneven eyes sat on either side of the tall man. Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard the latter ask:

"Have you had any friction with Feng Jun, the junior officer of Erqi Village?"

Li Yi didn't mince words, "It's all about the military household quota."

The tall man glanced at his colleague and said, "I knew it."

The man with uneven eyes pursed his lips, clearly feeling helpless, and stood up, clasping his hands in a fist salute:

"Feng Jun is a brother who has followed me since I joined the army, and we have a good relationship. But he is petty and vindictive. Even though you have shared drinks with us, he probably won't let it go easily. Please be careful, Brother Li."

Li Yi felt helpless upon hearing this. "Since Brother Gongsun knows Feng Jun's temperament, why not keep a closer eye on him? If this continues, he'll probably fall from grace eventually."

The man with the small eyes gave a bitter laugh. "How could I not know? It's just that that bastard Feng Jun is impossible to deal with. He seems understanding, but he actually holds a grudge against everyone. The more I talk about it, the more impatient he gets."

Li Yi frowned. "This is getting out of hand..."

The tall man quietly pressed down on Li Yi's thigh and whispered, "Every family has its own troubles. Feng Jun's father saved the life of the boy with the uneven eyes..."

The two captains treated Li Yi with utmost sincerity from the very beginning, never regarding him as an ordinary early-stage cultivator; even they would find it difficult to kill a fox demon with just a few punches.

The man with the uneven eyes was being very sincere; rather than telling Li Yi to be careful, he was pleading for Feng Jun.

"I will keep a close eye on Feng Jun, but if he ever offends me, I would appreciate it if you would forgive him this time."

Li Yi sighed and nodded in agreement.

With one worry gone, the boy with the big eyes became much more lively and invited the two of them into the house to help Li Yi have lunch.

With a storm brewing in Qifeng County, Li Yi is open to all kinds of food. His meridians and acupoints are as clear as crystal, and with the incense and metal energy stimulating the wood energy, he is not worried about slow cultivation, but only about not having enough meat.

……

While the three were drinking, Gongsun Ling was already waiting in the inner courtyard.

As she practiced her boxing and stances, she eavesdropped on the sounds inside the house. Before long, the door was pushed open.

Gongsun Boyan's face was filled with murderous intent. "Didn't I say not to spread this? How come some lowly officer just leaked the news?"

Gongsun Ling ran up and hugged her father's arm, "Oh dear, I told him to keep it a secret."

Did you insure it?

Gongsun Ling peeked at the person beside her father, and seeing that he didn't say anything, she pouted and stuck out her tongue.

"My lord, that junior officer under my command is quite a talent. His cultivation is progressing rapidly, and he might even have a Glazed Body."

Xu Xiaofeng smiled, "You silly girl, all you know is how to find me a disciple."

Gongsun Ling smiled, revealing two dimples, and said coquettishly, "If you accept me as your nephew, I'll behave myself."

Xu Xiaofeng raised his wide sleeves and cupped his hands, saying, "I am of dull talent and fear that I may mislead others."

Gongsun Boyan pushed his daughter away, "Alright, I've inquired about Li Yi, and he is indeed a glassy body. So what? Flowing water doesn't compete for the first place."

Gongsun Ling was speechless. "I really don't know what kind of genius could catch your eye."

Gongsun Boyan cast his gaze into the distance, "There is one, but unfortunately... he's not in the Great Zhou."

The commander withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "As a member of the Gongsun family and a centurion of the garrison, you must be worthy of this uniform..."

The three people inside the house were talking about something that made Gongsun Ling's face serious, and she gradually gave up her playful mood.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After leaving the government office, Li Yi immediately went to the nearest post station to send the tiger kidney to Qishan. Then he went to Dongfang to visit Duojia Meat Shop and bought 300 catties of lean meat before hiring a carriage to return to Sanyizhuang.

Old Wang almost drooled when he saw a donkey cart full of pork.

Li Yi still felt it wasn't enough; the market was restricting the purchase of grain and meat, and the prices were high. Otherwise, he would have spent all the money he had on him before he would be satisfied.

He carried 300 catties of lean meat to the warehouse, called over Old Wang, and instructed, "Call Erhu, Xiao Guan, and Liu Zhi here."

Old Wang exclaimed "Hey!" and hurriedly ran out of the official residence, quickly gathering his men in no time.

Of the three, Li Erhu was the most familiar with Li Yi, and he stepped forward and asked, "Brother Yi, what's the matter?"

Li Yi led the man into the house and whispered:

"This morning I went to the government office and asked the centurion for a chance to go out for fresh air. The four of us will patrol together and have a chance to go into the forest and stream. Before the winter solstice, we should try to get as much meat as possible, otherwise your Qi cultivation will be delayed for another winter."

The three men exchanged glances. Liu Zhi hesitated slightly. "But we don't have a bow..."

Li Erhu chuckled, "Have you forgotten where Yi-ge and I came from? We're both hunters. We can buy some tendons at the market and make a wooden bow."

Li Yi nodded in agreement, "But bows and arrows are controlled items, and our Sanyi Manor doesn't have the authority to use them. Remember to hide them before you return to the manor."

The four of them settled the matter in a few words, set off together at noon, and returned at dusk.

Li Erhu followed Li Yi into the official residence, threw his cotton gloves on the ground, and spat:

"No, the surrounding woods are too far away, there's no suitable place."

Not only Li Erhu and others, but Li Yi was also troubled.

Although he still has two bottles of Blood Qi Pills, his cultivation consumes them too quickly, and they can only last for half a month.

If one cannot find a stable way to obtain meat, one's cultivation progress will inevitably be stalled, and one will then have to suffer the torment of being shaped by large amounts of incense and golden energy.

Since things have come to this, let's find Aunt Qin to learn to read first.

Li Yi dismissed the three men and was about to knock on the door of the east room when Qin Kaixian emerged from under the stone slab.

"Brother Li, are you planning to stockpile some meat?"

Li Yi nodded sullenly. He had confirmed with Gongsun Ling that the Great Zhou was about to launch a military campaign, and all he wanted to do was speed up his cultivation.

Remembering Qin Kaixian's skills, he suddenly looked up: "Brother Qin, do you know of any good places to go?"

Qin Kaixian chuckled, "Brother Erhu is right, the surrounding mountains and forests are far away, but..."

Recently, a local temple was set up in the city. Many people offered incense and made wishes, but Qin Kaixian was mostly powerless to help them. However, there was one wish that was also the wish of most people: to have enough to eat and wear.

Qin Kaixian pondered deeply, but using earth energy to nourish the fields was not a solution to his immediate needs.

However, he heard that there was a River God in the Great Cold Mountain, who controlled a tributary of the moat of Qifeng County.

Li Yi's mind raced upon hearing this, but unexpectedly, Old Qin's plan backfired, and he turned his attention to his colleague.

"What does Brother Qin mean?"

Qin Kaixian chuckled, "I wish to ask the Daoist of the Conferred God Bureau to send a message to Mount Dahan, requesting the River God of the Azure Dragon River to guide some water energy and fresh fish here. In exchange, I am willing to send earth energy to help Mount Dahan cultivate fertile fields and increase incense offerings."