Druid Fairy

Chapter 86 Achieving the Acquired Realm

In the drawing room.

The atmosphere eased, and the previous tense atmosphere disappeared.

Jiang Han looked at Li Pingfu, who remained calm and composed, then glanced at his eldest son, stroked his beard, and said with a smug look in his eyes: See, your father's judgment is not bad, this kid is indeed a martial arts talent!
Jiang Qi secretly pursed his lips, but did not argue. This time, he had indeed lost his composure because of his younger sister, and his father had put him in a difficult position.

But what does it matter, as long as my little sister finds a good man!

He looked at Li Pingfu and found him more and more pleasing to the eye, much like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

I thought I had considerable talent in martial arts, but compared to this kid, I could still feel a clear gap.

Most importantly, Li Pingfu's desire to pursue martial arts was particularly strong.

I couldn't help but sigh, "Talented people emerge in every generation."

"You have a good aptitude for martial arts. If you're willing, you can come to the Jiang family or my family's escort agency to spar with others from time to time."

Jiang Qi smiled. He had already accepted Li Pingfu in his heart, so he naturally considered his feelings. Thinking of Li Pingfu's unsatisfied expression earlier, he chuckled to himself.

Come to my escort agency, everyone here is a master, we'll give you a good "feast".

"Thank you, Brother Jiang."

Li Pingfu was immediately delighted. Jiang Qi had traveled all over the country, his moves were varied, and he was agile and cunning. Li Pingfu thought he was a "master," but his fights in Pantao Town were all small-scale and he lacked many real life-or-death moments.

Therefore, there are some moves that I have never fully grasped.

To give a very simple example, the Black Tiger Kung Fu moves are powerful and expansive, with a thunderous roar. To outsiders, it is pleasing to the eye, but in reality, it consumes physical strength and internal energy, creating many unnecessary wastes and openings.

Jiang Qi's movements were extremely small and incredibly fast. He would often change three or four moves in just a few breaths, leaving the audience breathless and concealing deadly intent.

Moreover, Jiang Qi didn't use a sword, even though his opponent was a swordsman.

If he could close this gap, Li Pingfu believed that when he fought Lin Fengwu again, he wouldn't need to use crossbows to launch a surprise attack; he could seize control of her life in an instant!

Seeing Li Pingfu's excitement, Jiang Han laughed heartily. He could tell that his son-in-law was a martial arts fanatic!
This is good; it's pure enough, with fewer twists and turns, which is also good for my daughter.

"From now on, you will be my son-in-law, Jiang Han." Jiang Han took out a bottle of pills. "This is an internal growth pill. Taking it will increase your internal strength and help you increase your chances of breaking through to the Acquired Realm."

Li Pingfu was deeply moved.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. This internal alchemy pill was refined by the famous Qi cultivator "Azure Deer Immortal". The value of one pill is beyond what gold and silver in the mortal world can exchange for, unless it is a spirit stone or a secret treasure.

He did not refuse. If Master Jiang had taken out such a precious pill for him, it would be a sign of poor judgment and create distance between them.

"Thank you very much, Master Jiang." He accepted the gift solemnly.

Jiang Ling'er covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes sparkling, looking tenderly at Li Pingfu, "Why call me 'Master Jiang'? You should call me 'Father'!"

Li Pingfu's face flushed slightly, and he felt a little awkward at this moment.

His skin was dark, so the redness wasn't noticeable, and he still calmly called out, "Father, Mother, Eldest Brother."

"Good good."

Jiang Han was overjoyed. With such a fine son-in-law, he would surely break through to the Acquired Realm and enhance the prestige of the Jiang family.

…………

Li Pingfu was invited to stay for dinner by Jiang Han to discuss their future marriage, including betrothal gifts and dowry.

Knowing that Li Pingfu came from a farming family, Jiang Han did not make things difficult for his son-in-law, nor did he ask about the income of his son-in-law's martial arts school—after all, no matter how good the income was, it could not be as rich as the Jiang family.

"After you two get married, I'll buy you a four-courtyard house in Yunshui County, how about that?" Jiang Han took a sip of tea and tentatively asked.

He seemed generous, but he also had his own selfish motives. He didn't want his daughter to live too far away after she got married, so that she could come home to visit often.

Li Pingfu hesitated for a moment.

If they settled in Yunshui County, it would be inconvenient for them to visit their parents often. Although Li Rongzhou had never mentioned separating the family, Li Pingfu didn't want to be too far away from his parents and have difficulty taking care of them.

The Jiang family was generous enough to him, their "poor son-in-law," offering him an Inner Life Pill. If he didn't agree, he would obviously be "ungrateful."

But he still slowly took out the immortal pill and placed it on the table, saying, "I have been learning martial arts since I was a child, which cost my family a lot of money. It was all earned by my parents and younger brother through frugality. Now that I have achieved success in martial arts, I should take care of my family even more."

Yunshui County is quite a distance from Pantao Town, and my parents live in Taohua Village in the countryside. If something really happens, it will be too late to regret it.

Li Pingfu always remembers those difficult years, and it was the Li family who supported each other through them.

Jiang Qi frowned and said in a deep, authoritative voice, "Li Pingfu, it's not that I don't want you to be filial to your parents, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Ling'er suddenly stood up. "Brother, stop talking! I'll live wherever Pingfu wants to live."

She was a little angry. She knew her brother was good to her and wanted to test Li Pingfu, but in fact, her feelings for him were one-sided, so she was anxious and insecure.

Now that things have finally turned around and things are looking up, he was afraid that things would fall through, so he hurriedly said...

Jiang Qi was speechless. What could he do after his younger sister had said that?
Jiang Han shook his head. Girls are outgoing, and once they grow up, they're gone!
…………

After having dinner at the Jiang family's house.

Jiang Ling'er took Li Pingfu for a stroll in Yunshui County.

Her fair face was flushed, and her eyes were smiling as if she were holding a pool of clear spring water. A great weight had been lifted from her heart, and she felt an indescribable sense of peace.

“Brother Pingfu, where would you like to go for a stroll? East Street in Yunshui County is full of snack shops and restaurants, and South Street is full of martial arts schools…” Jiang Ling’er said, counting on her fingers as if she knew them all by heart.

Li Pingfu had a place he wanted to go, so he said, "Let's go and take a look at Yunshui Academy."

"Are you going to see your brother?"

Jiang Ling'er tilted her head. She remembered that Li Pingfu had mentioned a younger brother named Li Ping'an who was studying at the academy.

The two arrived at Yunshui Academy, and after reporting their arrival, two students soon came hand in hand.

Jiang Ling'er looked around curiously, and she immediately recognized the student as "Li Ping'an" because the two brothers looked quite alike.

Because of his martial arts training, Li Pingfu was muscular and tall, with a more fierce temperament; while Li Ping'an was slender with well-proportioned limbs, walked with his eyes straight ahead, and wore a handsome, flowing scholar's robe. Because of his heroic features, he had a refined and dignified demeanor.

'These three brothers each have their own unique characteristics.'

Jiang Ling'er thought of Li Pingcan, the youngest brother of the Li family. The boy had bright eyes, looked smart, and had a sweet tongue. Calling him "Sister Jiang, Sister Jiang" made people's hearts flutter.

Every time she went to Pantao Town, she liked to bring back some local delicacies from Yunshui County for her younger brother to eat.

Li Ping'an saw Jiang Ling'er and realized that she was his future "sister-in-law." The letter delivered by Xiao Hei mentioned this matter.

He frowned imperceptibly, secretly finding fault with her.

She is fairly gentle and beautiful, and looks kind and lovely, but it's really shameless of her to stick so close to her older brother in public.

He snorted inwardly, but he knew he was being framed. He was somewhat possessive of his family and didn't like that his older brother was about to get married, which made him feel uneasy.

"Hello, sister-in-law." Li Ping'an still smiled.

"Hello, hello," Jiang Ling'er said quickly, her face blushing when she heard the words "sister-in-law."

Li Ping'an immediately made a mental note of this; this woman was not composed enough.

"Second brother, you're going to the prefectural capital for the spring examination next year, right?" Li Pingfu asked.

The Dayu Dynasty abolished the prefecture system and implemented a two-tiered system of "state-county", while "prefecture" and "state" coexisted.

To avoid being protected by fellow townsmen and engaging in misconduct such as cheating, candidates would go to the prefectural capital to take the exams.

"We are going to Songling Prefecture."

"I'll go with you then." In the past, it was always Li Rongzhou who accompanied him, but now that Li Pingfu has grown up, he is willing to go with his brother.

If Li Ping'an can pass the imperial examination and become a celestial official, his family will be considered the relatives of "civil servants," and their family's social status will be elevated.

Thinking of this, Li Pingfu felt a little nervous. "Are you confident?"

Li Ping'an raised his head slightly with arrogance, his tone nonchalant: "I'm not very confident, only about 90%."

"Haha, Li Weining, you're getting smug again."

The man beside Li Ping'an was his good friend Zhou Junzhi. Zhou Junzhi smiled and said, "The academy teachers gave Wei Ning past exam questions, and he got them all right! Wei Ning's perfect score isn't because he can only get perfect scores, but because the exam only had these questions. Even the teachers said he's sure to pass!"

Jiang Ling'er was surprised; she hadn't expected Li Ping'an to be so powerful!

These senior scholars at the academies are all mature and reserved, and they don't like to speak too confidently. Their high regard for Li Ping'an shows he truly has real talent!

Then she became happy again. She now considered herself a member of the Li family, and the more prosperous and thriving the Li family was, the happier she was.

…………

Li family.

Quiet room.

Li Pingcan was constantly radiating light, and the proficiency of [Increase Resistance] slowly and steadily increased by "+1" on the panel. The mana cost for each skill was different.

For example, apart from the [Hallucinogenic Mushroom], the other mushrooms in the spore series have very low blue energy requirements. For instance, with Li Pingcan's current energy and spirit, he can generate a thousand [Fluorescent Mushrooms].

Skills such as [Moonlight] and [Animal Talk] generate "passive" traits, and using them does not consume "mana".

However, the essence of these thousand fluorescent mushrooms can only be used forty times to unleash elemental skills.

Of course, not all elemental skills only consume mana. For example, Li Pingcan does not have the "fire" attribute. When he is at full mana, he can only use Fire Control twenty times.

Depending on the type and number of skills, roughly eight uses of the [Earth Shaping] technique are equivalent to the power of one use of the Immortal Technique [Earth Stabilization].

The Left Protector only used magic three times in the battle, and the types and varieties were not as rich as Li Pingcan's.

“There’s still a long way to go.”

After Li Pingcan snapped out of his thoughts and finished his training for the day, he connected with the mushrooms and found the house in complete disarray.

Seeing his youngest son approaching, Li Rongzhou held up a draft of a house plan and asked, "Can'er, what do you think?"

"Does the house need to be renovated?"

Li Pingcan quickly realized that this was preparation for his elder brother's wedding; they couldn't let a young lady from the county town live in a dilapidated house in the countryside.

Speaking of the Li family's residence, it has been renovated several times, gradually expanding from a dilapidated thatched hut to a spacious area.

He glanced at the floor plan and thought, "Good heavens, the Li family has really upgraded their equipment this time. They've suddenly acquired seven or eight acres of land, increasing their property seven or eight times over."

"Where would you need such a large mansion?" Li Pingcan exclaimed in surprise.

Li Rongzhou laughed and said, "Building a house in the countryside doesn't cost much. If you're going to build one, build a big one with multiple houses and yards. We can even dig a fish pond and make it look like a wealthy family. Besides, once you all have children, the population will grow and the place will become more lively."

He paused for a moment and then said, "We still need to find a few maids."

Jiang Ling'er is getting married, so she'll definitely bring her maid with her.

Li Pingcan thought for a moment and then became serious: "Then I'll choose the maids." He had hallucinogenic mushrooms, which could reveal the secrets and true thoughts of ordinary people, making it more efficient to select loyal servants.

The father and son discussed it for a while.

Seeing that no one was around, Li Rongzhou whispered, "I've made up my mind. You'll live alone in a courtyard, and dig a secret room downstairs. We'll hide all the things in our house that we don't want anyone to see there."

With a large population, there will inevitably be a lot of gossip, but for a family to grow, it can only adapt to this change.

Li Pingcan wholeheartedly agreed, thinking that if he could cultivate array formations in the future, no one would be able to discover the Li family's secrets.

…………

The wedding took place as scheduled.

Because of the different interpersonal relationships of the two parties, the wedding banquet was divided into a "groom's banquet" and a "bride's banquet". The bride's banquet was held in the house in Yunshui County that Jiang Han bought for the young couple, while the groom's banquet was held in Peach Blossom Village.

Jiang Han had been a prominent figure in Yunshui County for many years, with extensive connections and deep social networks. Not only did many influential figures attend the event, but even Liang Xianguan sent a gift.

Regardless of any previous animosity between Lingshan and the Jiang family, this gift was a great honor for the Jiang family, bringing the wedding banquet to a climax.

Li Pingfu, dressed in a wedding gown, looked even more handsome in his bright red attire. As he rode a tall horse to pick up his bride, he drew exclamations of amazement and praise from the onlookers, who exclaimed, "Young Master Jiang has such a good appearance!" and "Master Jiang has such good taste!"

When receiving guests, Li Pingcan remained calm and composed. He knew that these people were there for the Jiang family and had nothing to do with him, so he was neither humble nor arrogant.

This changed the minds of many who felt sorry for Jiang Ling'er and thought she had married down.

The Jiang brothers, Qi and Shan, served as greeters. By the end of the day, their faces were stiff from smiling, and they felt even more tired than after practicing martial arts.

After the wedding banquet ended.

Looking at the deserted Jiang residence, Madam Jiang felt as if the lively atmosphere no longer concerned them, and she couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Han said unhappily, "Why are you crying? This is such a good day, and it's bad luck!"

However, he also felt empty inside. Sigh, no matter how good the in-laws are or how outstanding the son-in-law is, it's still hard to marry off a daughter.

…………

Compared to Yunshui County, which is characterized by its emphasis on personal relationships and social connections.

The banquets in Peach Blossom Village are much more down-to-earth.

A continuous banquet, the sound of firecrackers, a bright red sedan chair, and children like lucky dolls excitedly cheering and running, clamoring to see the "bride".

"No wonder he married a lady from the county town, wow, what a grand affair!"

"I could tell at a glance that Li Pingfu is a promising kid!"

"Look how successful he is, why doesn't your daughter marry him?"

"How do you know I didn't ask? He's only interested in martial arts..."

"Stop arguing, the bride is coming!"

Li Family Residence.

Li Pingfu's brothers, Xie Xiaodao, Li Yuan, Li Chao, Miao Kai, and others, all arrived and witnessed this scene with excited expressions.

Jiang Ling'er stepped over the brazier and, together with Li Pingfu, bowed to Li Rongzhou and Qin Shi, who were seated at the head of the table.

Qin Shi was radiant and beaming with joy, her happiness beyond words.

Li Rongzhou was also very satisfied with his daughter-in-law—he had met her before and knew that she had a gentle personality and did not look down on the Li family.

Xie Yuan was busy running around like a swallow, and finally had a moment to spare. She watched Li Pingfu and Jiang Ling'er bow to each other as husband and wife, and a look of envy flashed in her eyes.

After the wedding ceremony, a banquet is held, and the lively day comes to an end.

…………

That night.

In Li Pingcan's courtyard, two red lanterns flickered, and the new young girl stood on the threshold, dozing off.

Perhaps due to the parents' preference, when the house was renovated, they made sure to make the younger son's yard more spacious.

Just then, the window creaked open, as if a thief had sneaked into the room.

Li Pingcan, who was grinding his skill level, opened his eyes and said helplessly, "Brother, why are you here if you're not going to consummate your marriage with your bride? Why didn't you come through the front door but through the window?"

Caught red-handed, Li Pingfu was somewhat embarrassed. "Your sister-in-law has gone to sleep."

He didn't use the main entrance because he didn't want to disturb the young maid; in short, he hadn't yet gotten used to the young maid serving him, this change in social class.

He took out the internal growth pill, "Little brother, this pill can help you break through to the acquired realm."

Li Pingfu believed that he had enough talent and hard work to break through to the Acquired Realm without needing external help. He wanted to give the good pills to his younger brother.

The reason he hadn't taken it out before was because he hadn't completed his engagement with Jiang Ling'er. If something went wrong, it would be troublesome if he couldn't repay the pill.

"Such a powerful pill?" Li Pingcan exclaimed in surprise. If this internal growth pill were on the black market, it would probably cause a bloody battle.

This elixir was probably made from precious medicinal herbs.

Li Pingcan thought about it and did not refuse his elder brother's kindness.

As the strongest fighter in the family and the one with the potential to cultivate immortality, making the most efficient use of resources is the most effective approach.

Using martial arts as a means of protection in the path of cultivation is much safer than being a fragile immortal.

Li Pingcan accepted the pills and suddenly asked, "Big brother, do you like Sister Jiang?"

He didn't want his elder brother to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of the family's development, to "live off" the Jiang family's connections.

Li Pingfu recalled Jiang Ling'er's delicate face, which could be both charming and sullen, and his heart softened. He said indifferently, "It's alright."

What does "okay" mean?

Lee Pyeongchan was speechless. Did he like it or not? Was it even okay?

But feeling the warmth in his elder brother's heart, he couldn't help but shake his head.

You say it's okay, but you feel warm inside. I think you're just a repressed pervert!
After seeing Li Pingfu off.

Li Pingcan held the inner-generating pill in his hand, feeling its rich essence and power, and then swallowed it.

After that, he practiced the Five Spirits Play in the courtyard.

As the medicinal power gradually refined, a warm current rose within his body. With each repetition of the practice, his movements became faster and faster, and the five forms of the Five Spirit Beasts changed one after another, becoming incredibly lifelike!

"Crack!"

Li Pingcan's internal energy roared as he broke through the second level of the Divine Fiend Realm, and his remaining energy continued to push towards the Acquired Realm!
(End of this chapter)