"Activate 'Elent Gathering' and refine instantly!"
The Water Spirit silently rged into his body, and Li Pingcan imdiately felt his understanding of [Water Manipulation] improve by a level. While his skill proficiency didn't increase, his control over water flow beca noticeably smoother and more natural.
It seed the Five Elents' energy could elevate the potential of corresponding elental skills.
He checked his status panel. Under the [Elent Gathering] section, the number behind "Water" had risen from "0" to "3"!
"The White Lady is truly generous! Even though I failed, she still gave three Water Spirits."
The Five Elents' energy was naturally ford, a type of heavenly treasure. The White Lady likely had very few to spare.
Even Grandpa Peach Tree only possessed one "Earth Spirit."
However, judging by the aura they emitted, the White Lady was clearly a more powerful "spirit beast" than Grandpa Peach Tree.
Spirit animals seed purer than humans—whether in their kindness or malice, they expressed everything directly without scheming or deception.
This was probably because they lived extraordinarily long lives and didn't care about short-term gains.
Ti could wash away hatred and grievances. Even after enduring suffering, looking back after centuries, past pains would beco fleeting mories, allowing them to calmly say, "It was just a bit of hardship."
"For , interacting with human cultivators is more dangerous than dealing with spirit beasts."
Human lives were short and filled with complex desires, lacking the purity of spirit creatures. The [Animal Affinity] effect was already weakened against ordinary people and likely useless against immortal cultivators.
Yet despite being imprisoned, the White Lady still chose to protect Dragon Spring Town's residents—a clear testant to her virtuous nature.
As Li Pingcan pondered, he realized that as a Druid, he might bypass human cultivators entirely and obtain cultivation resources from spirit beasts... allowing for a more low-key and steady approach.
Of course, spirit beasts' resources wouldn't be as suitable for him as human cultivation thods like spells and techniques. But for early-stage developnt, it seed sufficient.
He had been worrying about how to gather resources as an unregistered immortal official under the Great Yu Dynasty's system. Now, a tailor-made path lay before him.
Traveling with spirit beasts!
Li Pingcan's spirits lifted, his thoughts clearing as he suddenly felt boundless freedom.
…………
Returning to the White Lady's cave.
"Why did you take so long?"
Li Yuan approached Li Pingcan with an "I knew it" expression, saying, "Eating dry rations, huh? Can't even take a proper shit. Keep eating like this, and you'll definitely get hemorrhoids!"
Li Pingcan glanced at Li Pingfu, speechless. Brother, is this the excuse you ca up with?
By the ti they returned to the village, who knew how this story would spread.
Li Pingfu shot him a look in return—be grateful there's any excuse at all!
After exchanging glances, Li Pingfu confird his younger brother's success and relaxed.
The worship ceremony concluded.
The brothers and other townspeople boarded boats to return ashore. The bustling crowd wore expressions of contentnt and relief.
On the erald waves, boatn rowed steadily. The wooden vessels rocked gently, oars creaking against the hull.
A sudden hush fell over everyone as they basked in the peaceful, tranquil atmosphere. An elderly man at the bow began telling his grandson a story in a kindly voice:
"Long, long ago, there was a kind white snake..."
His lodious voice carried the ancient tale across the river of ti, passing it down through generations.
…………
Dragon Spring Town's night market was as lively as ever.
Green tiles and red lanterns adorned the streets, with colorful flags fluttering. Shadow puppeteers perford, vendors hawked snacks, and rchants from distant lands displayed porcelain and jewelry.
Li Pingcan bought gifts for his parents, second brother, and Xie Yuan.
For his father, a small knife; for his second brother, ink; for his mother and younger sister, jewelry that won favored.
After surviving the initial growth period of the peach trees, the past five years had been prosperous. The peach harvest had multiplied, and the dicinal herbs cultivated by hired farr Zhou Yu brought additional inco, steadily improving the family's finances.
Li Pingcan rarely spent money, saving years' worth of New Year's gifts. Combined with the twenty taels of silver his mother secretly gave him and a gold leaf from his father, he could rightfully be called a "minor tycoon."
"Big brother, what did you buy?"
Li Pingcan probed for "intel." If Li Pingfu's gifts were too shoddy, he'd definitely criticize. If they were too extravagant... that wouldn't do either!
"Similar to yours." Li Pingfu carried a lotus-leaf-wrapped roast chicken in one hand and various gift packages in the other. "The thought counts. If you spend too much, Mom will scold you for 'wasting money.'"
Li Pingcan nodded in agreent, recalling an incident.
Once, for his mother's birthday, he spent two taels on an expensive orchid. Instead of praise, he received a scolding and sulked for hours.
Now he understood—his mother wasn't ungrateful, just practical. She valued thoughtful gifts over costly ones.
Hearing the Li brothers' conversation, other excited youths also dove into the night market to pick gifts for their families.
…………
The next dawn, as faint light erged, the Weiyuan Escort Agency set off back to Flat Peach Town.
They took a different route this ti.
Unlike the main road, this path cut through the mountains, bypassing distant detours for faster travel.
The trail was narrower, but the trampled grass on either side indicated frequent use.
Li Pingcan tilted his head slightly, switching to his raven's perspective. Sure enough, he spotted a mountain village with rising smoke not far ahead. A giant rock at its entrance was carved with "Eight Directions Village."
Villagers went about their daily tasks—gathering firewood, fetching water—while a wooden watchtower provided a broad view of the surroundings.
"Where did this huge crow co from? Such bad luck."
Soone on the watchtower cursed and threw a stone at the bird. Little Black cawed loudly, dropped a watery ss on the man's head, and flew off triumphantly.
Li Pingcan sighed and shifted his gaze to the "toll station" ahead.
Fang Lin halted the convoy, exchanged quiet words with the villagers guarding the path, slipped them so silver, then waved the group forward.
No wonder there were no shortcuts during Zhou Enxian's training trip—everything relied on connections and bribes. Li Pingcan suspected that without proper paynt or relationships, these villagers could instantly turn into bandits, attacking without hesitation.
'But mountain villagers have lived here for generations... could they have clues about "tal Spirits" or "Fire Spirits"?'
Li Pingcan pondered.
The Five Elents' spirits often erged in secluded places.
He had asked the White Lady, but confined to the lake, she knew nothing.
Ultimately, he had to rely on himself.
Night fell.
The convoy camped outdoors around a flickering bonfire. A large pot hung over the flas, simring with salted, dried chicken chunks. Ghost-Faced Kid Zhang Hua gathered wild celery and dandelions by the stream, adding them to the stew for extra flavor.
With no need to rush on the return trip, they leisurely enjoyed the al while chatting.
"Little Black, where did you find that crystal?"
Using a bathroom break as an excuse, Li Pingcan slipped away and noticed a faint glint in Little Black's beak.
Since childhood, the raven had loved shiny objects—mostly worthless but eye-catching.
But when he saw what it held, his smile froze.
Little Black wasn't carrying a crystal—but a cluster of Glowshrooms!
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