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

Liu Zhizheng was having dinner with his wife when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He thought it was either Erhu or Xiao Guan, so he got up to open the door and was stunned to see Li Yi standing outside.

"Yi-ge'er, what brings you here—"

He seemed caught off guard, his words somewhat incoherent, and he quickly explained:

"I mean, the meals at home are a bit simple. Yi-ge'er isn't here to freeload, is he?"

Li Yi was slightly speechless. He looked around and saw a rope tied under the storage room on the west side, with a lot of frozen meat hanging on it.

As he walked inside, he tossed a jade bottle to Liu Zhi.

"Come sit at my house—remember to take this blood-activating pill every day, and don't neglect your boxing stances and techniques, lest the meat you eat turns into a pile of useless fat."

Liu Zhi hugged the jade bottle with a rather strange expression. Suddenly, he pushed the jade bottle towards Li Yi's chest, saying, "Brother Yi, take it yourself! Giving it to me would be a complete waste."

Li Yi frowned as he accepted the jade bottle. "How is this a waste? You are my brother, part of the Sanyi Manor's sentry force. Why are you being so distant?"

"It's not that I'm being formal," Liu Zhi quickly explained, his tone becoming much lower, and sighed, "It's just that it's for me to use; it's such a waste."

Li Yi was completely baffled by what he said. "What kind of waste? Did you hear somewhere that you're a stubborn rock, incapable of sensing anything external?"

The two entered the house. Upon seeing them, Liu hurriedly stood up and bowed, but Li Yi helped her to sit down.

Liu Zhi stood in front of the table, his backside facing the west room, and said hesitantly:

"It's not that I can't sense external energy, but what's the use of someone like me even if I force myself to sense external energy? It would be a waste of the resources that Brother Yi gave me. If I had those pills and meat, I would have left them to Xiao Guan or Er Hu. They would have been much more effective."

Li Yi frowned slightly, and a hint of anger could be heard in his tone.

"This isn't a business transaction, how can you judge value like this? According to you, I, Li Yi, should just associate with people of high cultivation and outstanding talent, why would I need to associate with you, Old Wang, and the like?"

Li Yi's expression changed drastically, and he raised his hand, saying, "I'm not belittling you for lacking talent. You've only been trying for a month; you still have a great chance!"

Liu Zhi's eyes were filled with emotion, but his gaze was somewhat cold.

"What you say is true, sir. Birds of a feather flock together. As the Thousand Character Classic says, 'Chickens and ducks do not fly together, and fragrant and foul things are not placed in the same container.' You should distance yourself from those useless common people and befriend your own kind; only then can you achieve more!"

Li Yi sneered, "You do know how to think of me."

With a determined heart, Liu Zhi strode to the door of the west room and flung it open.

"Please take a look, sir."

Li Yi suppressed his anger and stepped forward, his eyes widening in surprise.

The west room was crammed halfway with rice and noodles, and the frozen fish and meat that Li Yi brought from time to time were also piled up inside.

He whirled around, grabbed Liu Zhi, and demanded, "You haven't been eating any supplements at all?!"

Liu Zhi forced a smile, "Thanks to your kindness, sir, my meals are much more plentiful these days."

Li Yi's lips trembled, he released his grip, and before Liu Zhi could speak, he slapped him again.

"You idiot! How dare you be so self-deprecating?!"

Liu Zhi was slapped so hard he fell to the ground. His face stung, but he showed no shame or anger, nor did he display his usual timid and hesitant demeanor. It was as if his soul had been liberated.

He sat up from the ground, covered his face, and after a moment of calm, said:

"I am not being self-deprecating, but to be honest, my wife and I have already tested our aptitudes and found that we are both ordinary people. Even if we accumulate enough aptitude to barely enter the Dao, we will only be able to reach the level of Qi cultivation in our lifetime."

If you're lucky, you might catch up with the adults' two months of cultivation; if not, you'll spend your whole life struggling in the early stages of Qi Refining. Why waste your life like that? It's better to dedicate your time to something more meaningful.

He placed his hands on the chair to prop himself up; half his face was red and swollen, and he mumbled indistinctly:

"I acknowledge Yi-ge's sincerity, but this is truly how my life will be."

The adults, Xiao Guan, and Er Hu are all destined to become generals; how can they associate with a mere common soldier?

Chickens and ducks don't flock together, and fragrant and foul things don't fit in the same container—this is the truth! I only hope that when that time comes, I can rely on my brothers to accumulate some wealth so that my wife and I can live out the rest of our lives in peace.

Li Yi glanced back at the half-room of stored grain. This was the savings Liu Zhi had accumulated for his family, a small guarantee for him after he gradually drifted apart from his brothers.

Perhaps because she somewhat agreed with Liu Zhi and understood his thoughts, her anger gradually subsided, and a sense of helplessness welled up in her heart.

Liu Zhi is now convinced of his principles, but there are some things Li Yi can't bring himself to say, let alone guarantee.

He cast an apologetic glance at Liu, slammed the jade bottle on the table, and scolded:

"I don't care what you did in the past. From today onwards, you will receive one Blood Qi Pill every day. If you dare to hoard it again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

boom!

Hearing the sound of the door slamming outside, Liu slowly embraced Liu Zhi.

"Your father is doing this for your own good; it's something most people would envy. Why must you turn against him and break off all ties?"

"It's just to help Yi-ge make a decision."

Liu Zhi went to the yard, picked a piece of frozen meat, put it on his face, and couldn't help but spit out a curse:

"Damn, did Yi-ge'er's slap hurt that much?"

Liu chuckled, looked down at the jade bottle standing on the dining table, and held it up to her husband.

"So, are we going to eat or not?"

A fierce glint appeared in Liu Zhi's eyes. He snatched the jade bottle, poured out a piece, and put it in his mouth.

"If you don't eat now, Yi-ge'er will beat me into a pig's head!"

Liu couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, pushing her husband to stay in the courtyard.

"Alright, I heard that the Blood Qi Pill works very quickly, so hurry up and practice your skills so as not to waste its effects."

Liu Zhi exclaimed "Eh!" and then suddenly said:

"After I enter the Dao, I will accumulate military merits and try to exchange them for some blood-activating pills for my wife."

Liu chuckled, "Then I'll be waiting."

Liu Zhi said no more. Since he couldn't persuade Yi Ge'er, he would devote himself to trying external methods. If he couldn't obtain enough resources to help his wife enter the Dao, he would never live alone after his death.

He made up his mind silently, without uttering a sound. Before long, shouts came from the courtyard.

When Li Yi returned to his official residence, he was no longer angry, but rather felt helpless.

Putting yourself in Liu Zhi's shoes, there's nothing wrong with what he did. At most, it was just concealing the truth, and hoarding a little grain wasn't a big deal.

He calculated his military merits. Nine days ago, he exchanged "Lingmingqing" for fifty third-rank military merits. He spent ten points that day and received another twenty points from the Commander and Commander Meng, for a total of sixty points.

A few days ago, I went to the prefect's office from time to time to supplement my magical skills, and I gained another twenty points.

In the past two days, there has been no sign of any Danmu cultivators exchanging for Lingmingqing; the army is scheduled to set off the day after tomorrow, and it seems unlikely that they will be able to gather 100 third-grade military merits before departure to exchange for the "Jiamu Shaoyang Scripture"...

Li Yi thought for a moment. He had been serving in the garrison for more than a month, and he might have some guaranteed merits. So he planned to go to Liu Cao or Gongsun Ling tomorrow to check if he had any first- or second-rank military merits under his name, so that he could exchange them for more Blood Qi Pills.

If there really wasn't any, Liu Zhi himself still had some third-rank military merits, enough to exchange for several bottles of Blood Qi Pills. Even if he didn't want to spend them, he would be ordered to.