Zhou Family Training Grounds.
"Pingfu Ge, say sothing else? Let hear that duck call! Quack!" Li Yuan draped his arm over Li Pingfu's shoulders with a mischievous grin.
Li Pingfu glared at him but kept his lips tightly sealed, refusing to utter a single word. The reason was simple - he had hit puberty, and his once clear voice had turned shrill and high-pitched, earning him the nickna "Duck Call" from his friends.
Seeing the usually proud and fiery Li Pingfu acting so "timid," Li Yuan burst into laughter while holding his sides, only stopping when Li Pingfu punched him hard on the shoulder.
Damn, Pingfu Ge's punches feel like hamrs now!
After their playful scuffle, Li Pingfu took out three packets of dicinal herbs from his robe. These were basic nourishing decoctions called Four Seasons Soup, relatively affordable but still costing him a full three hundred copper coins. His entire New Year's money savings had been wiped out, and he'd had to take on several odd jobs for over half a month to gather the remaining sum.
He presented the Four Seasons Soup to Li Yuan. During the incident with Li Fang, it had been Li Yuan who had discreetly fetched the village head when things turned dangerous, accidentally encountering Li Rongzhou and explaining the situation.
True friendship shines in adversity.
Li Pingfu deeply cherished this brotherly bond and was determined to repay it through actions, not just words.
"Ge! For ?! You're the best! I promise I'll never laugh at your duck call again!" Li Yuan exclaid in delighted surprise. His recent martial training had hit a rough patch, and he desperately needed this boost, so he accepted without hesitation.
"ntion 'duck call' one more ti and I'll punch you for real!" Li Pingfu growled in his deepest voice, which still couldn't mask his high-pitched tone, sending Li Yuan into another fit of laughter.
What's so damn funny?!
Furious, Li Pingfu gave Li Yuan another hamr-like punch, making the latter yelp in pain.
Thanks to his voice change, Li Pingfu had naturally beco more silent and low-key recently. Within just half a month, he'd blended into the crowd of training youths, no longer drawing attention.
.........
"These boys will beco martial brothers from the sa school in the future," Zhou Enxian mused with a smile, stroking his beard as he watched the youths interact warmly. He felt deeply gratified.
Even if they gave up martial arts later, these relationships would form valuable connections when they grew up.
At this thought, Li Fang's face suddenly flashed through his mind.
Zhou Enxian's expression darkened imdiately.
Since the poisoning incident, Li Fang had stopped coming to the training grounds, effectively dropping out.
Li Dahu had stord over once, suspiciously inspecting the Zhou family compound before leaving in a foul mood.
"Could they really have lost that Purple-Gold Blood Centipede?"
After so consideration, Zhou Enxian made an educated guess.
He had originally avoided searching for the centipede precisely because he knew Li Wang's thods.
But seeing Li Wang's purplish complexion and pale lips - clear signs of severe internal injuries likely caused by a broken contract - which could shorten one's lifespan.
"The wheels of justice turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine."
"If Li Wang falls, young Li Fang and Li Yuan won't be able to uphold the family. anwhile, Li Pingfu broke through to the at Realm at twelve, even slightly surpassing my own achievents at that age. His future looks promising."
"Fortune turns like a wheel - it seems to have rotated to Old Li's family now. That old village head has stood firm for so many years - his vision remains sharp as ever!"
With these thoughts, Zhou Enxian had the village kitchen prepare a feast and happily brought it to the Li family for drinks. They poured out their grievances and drank to their hearts' content.
.........
Spring passed into sumr.
The weather grew increasingly hot. The leaves of the newly planted peach trees wilted, while insects shrieked incessantly in the grass.
Li Rongzhou, his bronze upper body glistening with sweat, looked up at the blazing sun with a grim expression.
"This year might bring a drought we haven't seen in years."
But compared to the "Immortal's Calamity" four years ago when the river reversed its flow, even this impending drought seed mild.
After surviving that ordeal, no hardship seed insurmountable - just ant more labor fetching water from distant streams.
...
Returning ho at dusk.
"Dad, you're back!"
Li Pingcan had grown accustod to his father's sweaty odor and didn't mind it. He asked, "When are we planting more peach trees?"
"How could we possibly plant more? You trying to work your old man to death?!" Li Rongzhou flicked his youngest son's forehead, both exasperated and amused.
Can'er was remarkably gifted. Despite his young age, he not only showed promise in martial arts but also grasped academic concepts instantly, often deducing new knowledge from what he learned, making Li Ping'an frequently feel inadequate.
Most impressively, the boy wasn't impulsive. Even when facing difficult tasks, he tackled them thodically until success ca naturally.
Such maturity was rare even in adults, let alone a four-year-old.
Like all fathers hoping their sons would excel, Li Rongzhou had high expectations for Li Pingcan.
But why did the boy have to be so obsessed with planting trees?!
If not for the scorching sumr heat keeping Can'er indoors, he'd probably still be digging holes on the mountainside with him!
What kind of strange hobby was this?
"Ouch!"
Li Pingcan rubbed his forehead.
He couldn't help it - reaching Level 3 required a full 500 tree-planting experience points.
Even with the batch of peach trees his father planted in spring plus his own daily efforts, he hadn't even reached halfway.
"So hard to be taken seriously when you're small!"
Apparently, he couldn't rely on his father for tree-planting level-ups - he'd have to manage on his own.
How he wished he could grow to sixteen imdiately and plant trees all day.
"Enough playing. Everyone wash up for dinner," Lady Qin called.
Peasant households didn't observe aristocratic dining etiquette, so the family chatted about their day over the al.
But with the usually talkative Li Pingfu staying quiet due to his voice change, the atmosphere felt sowhat subdued.
After swallowing a mushroom, Li Pingcan reported, "Dad, Hundred Legs can now produce a drop of venom every half month."
These past months had been spent relentlessly grinding skill levels.
[Nature's Gift] had reached Level 8, and Hundred Legs, blessed by this mysterious boon, had doubled its venom production speed.
His intimacy with the centipede had also risen from the initial 60 points to 96, nearly maxed out for an upgrade.
"Haha!" Li Rongzhou laughed heartily. "That Li Wang raised his Purple-Gold Blood Centipede for ten years, yet my son surpassed him in just four or five months!"
No matter how civil they'd appeared before, Li Rongzhou hadn't forgotten the minor slight he'd suffered - he wasn't one to repay injustice with kindness.
With the doubled output of Purple Centipede Paste, the three of them could practice martial arts without restraint.
Just as they were clearing the table, loud commotion erupted outside as if villagers were arguing about sothing.
"I'll go see what's happening."
After instructing his wife to lock the gate, Li Rongzhou headed toward the noise with Li Pingfu.
Li Pingcan tossed a mushroom at his father and brother's departing figures.
Through the mushroom's perspective, he saw villagers gathered in a circle under the dimming sky, furious and gesticulating wildly.
"Those damned Peach Leaf Village bastards damd up our water source upstream! The stream's run dry!"
"With peach trees withering, they're trying to kill us!"
"This is beyond insulting! Grab your tools, folks - let's teach them a lesson!"
Li Pingcan's small face tensed.
Although withering peach trees he'd already planted wouldn't deduct experience points, this orchard represented his father's hard work and their family's main inco source!
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