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

What a touching sentiment.

"I can hear you... Um, hello, my lady." Li Yi's response was somewhat awkward.

Zhang Junyi's lips curled slightly. He hadn't expected Li Lang to be so reserved. But now was not the time for politeness, so he cut to the chase:

"I am the daughter of Zhang Ling, the military advisor of Qifeng County. My half-brother Zhang Lingbao and I entered Qishan to cultivate Taoism. Ten days ago, we were ordered to capture the demon, but Zhang Lingbao tricked us and left me alone to resist the mountain king. Later, I was ambushed, which led to this situation."

Li Yi frowned upon hearing this. "Is the Mountain Lord in the Great Cold Mountain? Besides, if I take you down the mountain to go home, you're too weak and frail. Wouldn't that be like a lamb being led to the slaughter?"

"That's right." Zhang Junyi nodded. "That Mountain Lord, along with Zhang Lingbao and myself, are all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and they operate deep within the Great Cold Mountain..."

Zhang Junyi spoke with the air of a scholar, recounting his experiences in a few words and explaining the whole story.

It turned out that she had been ambushed and injured by Zhang Lingbao, and was unable to escape the territory of Dahan Mountain. She was then subdued by him, and Li Yi knew everything that followed.

"Since he didn't kill you on the spot, there should still be time to prepare. We—"

Before Li Yi could finish speaking, Zhang Junyi hurriedly interrupted him, "Zhang Lingbao was injured at the time. After he recovers, he will definitely come to see my daughter's miserable state. If he discovers Li Lang's talent then..."

Without her saying anything more, Li Yi understood what was going to happen.

Zhang Lingbao wanted his sister to be confined to the Great Cold Mountain for life. If she discovered that the slave trader had chosen a suitable husband for her who could cultivate Taoism, the couple would have no chance of survival.

Li Yi suddenly felt a bit weak, and the blue aura in the acupoints at the corners of his eyes was almost gone. No wonder the girl spoke so hurriedly.

"So, I'll behave myself these next few days and put on an act for your half-brother?" He couldn't help but speed up his speech.

"No, Li Lang, you have already broken through your mortal body and are clearly different from the villagers; although Zhang Lingbao cannot tell how many acupoints you have opened, he can tell that you have entered the Dao."

Zhang Junyi's mind raced. "Zhang Lingbao's injuries are not minor; he should need to rest for a few more days. I would be grateful if, while you are nourishing my acupoints with Qi, you could also help me open up my spiritual acupoints. All I need to do is..."

Her thoughts abruptly stopped. The girl turned around and looked into Li Yi's innocent eyes. Knowing that her Five Elements Qi had been exhausted, she sighed softly.

Fortunately, the most important message has been conveyed, and Li Lang must understand the unspoken meaning.

Li Yi naturally understood that as long as Zhang Junyi recovered, he should not be afraid of Zhang Lingbao.

However, since he had only recently opened his spiritual acupoints, his five elements of Qi were scarce, making it extremely unlikely that he could break through the restrictions within Zhang Junyi's body.

It seems that our hopes still lie in the Investiture of the Gods.

When my father returns, I will ask him to go up the mountain with me the next day.

Firstly, they sought out suitable creatures to bestow titles and enjoy incense offerings; secondly, they captured wild animals to ensure the energy needed for absorbing qi and opening acupoints.

We will advance on both fronts and do our best.

Unfortunately, I wanted to continue asking about cultivation, such as how many spiritual acupoints are opened in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the differences and wonders between martial arts and Qi cultivation, and so on. There were too many questions.

After exchanging thoughts, Zhang Junyi and Li Yi seemed to have developed a tacit understanding. Seeing what the latter was thinking, she looked at him with a very lively gaze, as if to say, "Take it slow."

Li Yi's eyes followed the girl to the corner of the yard, where she picked up a pile of firewood. He quickly went over to lend a hand.

The rice porridge was bland, and Li Yi wanted to add some fragrance for his beloved, but unfortunately the lard was in the east room, and he dared not risk offending the lady.

He sat down and watched the girl eat her porridge, feeling resentful.

The custom of buying wives in Lijia Village is considered outrageous by outsiders, but it is perfectly normal for the villagers.

Although Li Yi is only twenty years old, he grew up in the information age and knows how difficult it is to change other people's perceptions.

The environment here is isolated and travel is inconvenient. To break the human trafficking, one must cut off their desire to continue their family line.

Either build roads, develop the village, and encourage girls to move into the mountains on their own initiative.

Both methods were like a pipe dream, but there was a strange trick that was the easiest for Li Yi—supernatural and bizarre methods.

Ordinary people have to resort to deception, but Li Yi possesses the Investiture of the Gods.

"It seems there's another reason to deify them..."

Li Yi sat by the window, continuing to absorb Qi and nourish his acupoints, but stopped again in less than half an hour.

"It turns out that there is also a consumption of Qi after opening the acupoints, but it is not as intense compared to other methods, and I didn't eat enough beforehand."

With nothing else to do and before Li's father returned home, Li Yi thought he should comfort Li's mother and inquire about the village's situation. So he went into the east room.

At first glance, Li's mother was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, with her left foot on the ground, sewing a bellyband out of red cloth.

Hearing the noise, she looked up at Li Yi with a smile and invited him to sit down beside her.

Li Yi glanced at the red cloth, then asked, "Mother, you're not angry anymore?"

"I'm angry," Li's mother said calmly. "That young wench is no easy task. Were those old women in the village easy to deal with when they were young?"

Xiaoxiao added, "You should play the wicked mother and make sure your wife is well taken care of. The two of you should spend more time together and get along harmoniously; only then will you be happy."

Li Yi felt quite ashamed, thinking to himself that his adoptive mother was quite wise.

Unfortunately, this wisdom stemmed from the distorted way of survival of Lijia Village.

"Mother, I haven't been in the village for long. Could you please tell me what to be careful about?"

Suddenly, Li's mother put down her work, looked at Li Yi, and said, "Yi-ge'er is quick-witted and talented; he'll definitely become a general someday!"

He sighed deeply and said, "If your father and I were still alive, our child would be about your age. With you as the older brother to help, life would definitely be prosperous."

Li Yi didn't know much about the children whose adoptive parents had died young, only that they hadn't survived to be born, which meant that the adoptive mother could no longer have children. Upon hearing this, he fell silent.

Li's mother wasn't exactly heartbroken, just sentimental. She smiled and let it go, then began to explain the village's relationships to her adopted son:

"There's not much to say about the village, they're all hunters; your dad is quite capable, no one's too busy to mess with our family."

The village head usually doesn't manage much affairs. Besides dealing with human traffickers and the county clerk, he organizes hunting trips in the spring and autumn.

Then there's Quan Ge'er's gang; all the village lads listen to him, he's a master hunter—

"By the way, five miles east of the waterfall is the forbidden area of ​​our Li Family Village. I've heard that monsters roam there. Your father knows more about these things; ask him when he gets back."

Li Yi overheard the gist of the story: the village head was in charge of the village's survival and held considerable prestige; the village wasn't really divided into factions, the old people played with the old people, and the young people played with the young people.

Damn it, this outrageous village is surprisingly harmonious.

"How many families in that village have bought girls in recent years?"

Li's mother looked at him strangely, but still answered truthfully, "Four or five families, the rest are all old-fashioned dishes."

Li Yi nodded thoughtfully and explained, "It's nothing, just asking out of curiosity."

"That would be best." Li's mother suddenly remembered something else, "The neighbor's little tiger will be old enough to be sent to the army next year. Yi-ge, you are capable, so it wouldn't hurt to help him out then."

"Understood."

Li Yi casually agreed.

During the Wu Dynasty of the Great Zhou Dynasty, men served in three types of military service. After reaching adulthood, they served a year at the border and were called "Shu Zu" (戍卒). They served a year in the interior and were called "Zheng Zu" (正卒). After that, they served one to two months each year and were called "Geng Zu" (更卒).

Qifeng County was located on the western border of the Wu Dynasty. All soldiers in this county were considered garrison soldiers, and there was a border pass further west.

Who knows where Little Tiger from next door will be? If we're really together, we'll help him out.

"When will Father arrive home?"

"If it's early, it'll be another hour or two; if it's late, it'll be two or three days," said Li's mother. "But the colder it is, the earlier we'll get home."

In the mid-autumn season, the nights are naturally chilly. Sure enough, Li's father arrived home in the evening, carrying two pheasants in his hands and a pig's leg, a row of pig ribs, and a piece of pigskin on his back, which had been bled.

Li's mother beamed with joy as she went to receive the pheasant, saying, "A good harvest today."

Mr. Li nodded, "We divided it with Da Huzi, but there's still some we can't get back. We'll go get it tomorrow."

Li Yi helped unload the pork, followed his father into the main room, and hurriedly pleaded:

"Father, I want to go into the mountains tomorrow too."

Mr. Li was quite surprised, but remembering that his adopted son had already been serving in the military for a year, he did not refuse outright.

"Running uphill is no fun."

Li Yi remained expressionless and said in a low voice:

"Father, I've mastered the breathing technique."