Druid Fairy

Chapter 63 Traveling with Spirit Beasts

"Unleash 'Elemental Gathering', refine in an instant!"

The water flowed silently into his body, and Li Pingcan instantly felt his understanding of [Water Manipulation] improve. His level of proficiency remained unchanged, but his manipulation of the water became increasingly smooth and natural.

It seems that the five elements can raise the upper limit of corresponding elemental skills.

He looked at the panel and saw that in the [Element Collection] section, the number after "Water" had increased from "0" to "3"!
"Lady White is so generous! Even though I failed, she still gave me three water spirits."

The five elements are born from heaven and earth, belonging to the category of celestial treasures, and the White Lady possesses only a few of them.

Grandpa Peach Tree only has one "Earth Spirit".

However, judging from the aura she exudes, Lady White is a more powerful "spiritual beast" than Grandpa Peach Tree.

Animals, when they become spirits, seem to be purer than humans. Whether it is pure goodwill or pure evil, they express it clearly and directly, without any scheming or intrigue.

This is probably because they have long lifespans and don't rush into things.

Time can wash away hatred and resentment. Even after suffering, looking back after thousands of years, the pain will fade away with time, and one can calmly say, "It was just a little hardship."

"For me, contact with human cultivators is more dangerous than contact with spirit beasts."

Human life is short and filled with complex desires, unlike the pure nature of other living beings. The effect of "animal affinity" is greatly reduced for mortals, and should have no effect on cultivators.

Even though Lady White Snake was imprisoned, she was still willing to be the guardian of the people of Longquan Town, which shows her kindness.

Li Pingcan pondered. As a druid, he seemed to be able to bypass human cultivators and obtain cultivation resources from spirit beasts... thus acting more discreetly and steadily.

Of course, the resources of spirit beasts are definitely not as suitable for him as those of humans, such as Taoist techniques and spiritual arts, but they seem to be enough for early development.

He had been worried about how to obtain resources after becoming a cultivator, as a leaky member of the Great Yu Dynasty's immortal official system. Now, a broad road tailor-made for him was unfolding before him.

Travel with spirit beasts!
Li Pingcan felt a surge of energy, his mind cleared, and he suddenly felt carefree and at ease.

…………

Back to the White Lady's Cave.

"Why have you been gone so long?"

Li Yuan greeted Li Pingcan with an expression that said, "I knew it would be like this," and said, "You've been eating dry rations all day, haven't you? You can't even poop. If you keep eating like this, you're sure to get hemorrhoids!"

Li Pingcan looked at Li Pingfu, speechless. "Brother, you can only come up with such an excuse!"

Who knows what kind of rumors will spread when we get back to the village.

Li Pingfu gave him a look that said, "It's good enough that you have a suitable excuse!"

The two brothers exchanged glances, and Li Pingfu, knowing that his younger brother's trip had gone smoothly, felt relieved.

The worship ceremony has ended.

The brothers and other townspeople boarded a boat and went ashore, the bustling townspeople all wearing expressions of satisfaction and relief.

On the blue waves, the boatman rowed the boat, the wooden boat swaying gently, the bearings of the oars and the hull making a creaking sound.

Everyone suddenly fell silent, enjoying the tranquil, peaceful atmosphere. In this serene setting, the old man sitting at the bow of the boat spoke kindly to his grandson:
"A long, long time ago, there was a kind white snake..."

The melodious tone tells ancient stories, flowing through the long river of time and being passed down from generation to generation.

…………

The night market in Longquan Town remains bustling.

Green tiles and red lanterns, colorful flags fluttering in the breeze, shadow puppet shows performed, snacks hawked, and porcelain and jewelry brought by merchants from all over the country.

Li Pingcan bought gifts for his parents and second brother, Xie Yuan.

I bought a small knife for my father, ink for my second brother, and jewelry for my mother and sister, which are both women's favorites.

Having weathered the initial growth period of the peach trees, the past five years have been relatively smooth, with a significant increase in peach production. They also have the medicinal herbs from the fields they hired Zhou Yu to cultivate, which they sell, leading to a steadily improving family economy. Li Pingcan has no expenses; his accumulated New Year's money over the years, plus the twenty taels of silver his mother secretly slipped him and a gold leaf from his father, make him a veritable "little tycoon."

"Brother, what did you buy?"

Li Pingcan was gathering intelligence on the "enemy's situation." If his older brother bought something too bad, he would definitely complain. If he bought something too good... that wouldn't do either!
“Similar to you.” Li Pingfu carried a roasted chicken wrapped in lotus leaves in his left hand and various gift packages in his right. “The thought is what counts. If you buy anything too expensive, your mother might say you’re ‘wasting money.’”

Li Pingcan nodded, deeply understanding this sentiment.

Once, on his mother's birthday, he spent two taels of silver to buy a very expensive orchid. Instead of receiving praise from his mother, he was scolded and sulked for a while.

Looking back now, I realize that my mother wasn't unhappy; she just felt bad that the gift was expensive and impractical. That's what people who live practically are like.

Hearing the conversation between the two Li brothers, the teenagers, who were having a great time, also flocked to the night market to pick out a suitable gift for their parents, siblings, and other family members.

…………

The next morning, as dawn broke, the Weiyuan Escort Agency set off back to Pantao Town.

This is a different road than the one we came by.

Compared to the official road, this road does not require going around distant mountains or crossing mountain villages, making travel faster.

The road is a bit narrow, but judging from the fallen grass and trees on both sides, it is clear that people often walk on it and it is a mountain path.

Li Pingcan tilted his head slightly, and the perspective of the soaring black crow shifted. Sure enough, he saw a mountain village with smoke rising from its chimneys not far away, and the words "Bafang Village" were carved on the erected boulder.

There are mountain people walking, chopping firewood, and boiling water, as well as lookout towers built of trees, offering a wide view of the wind and grass in the distance.

"Where did such a big crow come from? What bad luck!"

On the lookout tower, someone cursed under their breath and threw a stone at the bird. Little Black squawked loudly, defecated on the man's head, and then swaggered away.

It's still runny...

Li Pingcan silently withdrew his gaze and looked at the "tollbooth" not far ahead.

Fang Lin stopped the caravan, whispered a few words to the local mountain people, slipped them some silver, and then waved to them, allowing the carriages to proceed smoothly.

No wonder there were no shortcuts when I followed Zhou Enxian last time. It's all about human relationships and social skills. Li Pingcan has reason to believe that if the price or relationship isn't right, these mountain people can immediately turn into bandits, grabbing their knives and slashing without any restraint.

'But the mountain people have lived in the mountains for generations; could they possibly have clues about the 'Golden Spirit' or the 'Fire Spirit'?'

Li Pingcan pondered.

The spirits of the five elements are often born in places rarely visited by humans.

He also consulted the White Snake, but the White Snake was trapped at the bottom of the lake and knew nothing about it.

Ultimately, you have to rely on yourself.

night.

The caravan was encamped in the wilderness, a campfire flickering, and a large pot hanging above them was simmering marinated and dried chicken pieces. Zhang Hua, the masked man, picked a handful of wild water celery and dandelions by the stream and added them to the soup to enhance its flavor.

On the return journey, there was no need to rush, so we had the leisure to cook soup, drink the soup and eat the meat while chatting.

"Little Black, where did you get this crystal from?"

Li Pingcan used the excuse of needing to urinate to go to a secluded spot, where he looked at the faint glimmer of light around Xiao Hei's mouth.

Xiao Hei has always loved shiny things, most of which are worthless but very pretty.

However, when he saw clearly what he was holding in his mouth, his smile suddenly froze.

What Little Black is carrying in its mouth is not a crystal, but a cluster of fluorescent mushrooms!

(End of this chapter)