Druid Fairy

Chapter 9 The Devastation of a Family
The sun sets in the west.

Li Rongzhou, looking disheveled and carrying half a basket of firewood, limped back to Peach Blossom Village.

An elderly villager passing by asked in surprise, "What's going on?"

"I tripped and fell while chopping wood."

Li Rongzhou smiled wryly, "Look, even most of the firewood has been spilled, so we can't supplement our household income anymore."

"Oh, why did you do this? You insisted on sending the eldest son to learn martial arts and the second son to study. Isn't that a waste of money?" the village elder muttered.

There are no secrets in the village. The news that Li Rongzhou was looking into martial arts masters for his son had already spread throughout the village, and most people just wanted to watch the excitement.

Li Rongzhou smiled but did not agree. As a former small landlord, he had a longer-term vision and did not want his children to toil in the fields for a lifetime.

Even he himself only regarded farming as a transition, and he may not have been without ambition to advance further in martial arts.

Seeing that the young outsider was stubborn and unyielding, the village elder shook his head and left.

In his view, with this spare money, it would be better to have more children, who would grow like weeds and there would be no worry about arable land.

Of those who study books and practice martial arts, how many can truly succeed?
If that doesn't work, we'll have to farm to fill our stomachs.

Li Rongzhou's actions are truly a waste of his family's wealth!
…………

Li family.

The houses were tightly shut.

Li Rongzhou showed no signs of limping as he, along with Qin, spread the washed gold dust on a dark blue cloth.

"rustle!"

It glitters and shines, like a golden beach, its luster dazzling and truly beautiful.

"Get rich!"

The couple felt their hearts pounding wildly; even the large sum of money they had carried with them when they fled the famine hadn't made them feel this tense and excited.

After all, the "huge sum" was accumulated through the hard work of two generations of the family.

But this "gold" was secretly mined in the wild!
The two of them sat close together, staring intently at the gold dust, happier than mice stealing honey.

A moment of excitement.

Li Rongzhou said in a low voice, "There is some gold dust in that stream. I brought these back, and they need to be purified and refined before they can be circulated."

Unfortunately, it was not a complete mineral vein, and the riverbed was partially exposed after the earthquake, so its value was limited.

Refining placer gold erases all traces of its origin.

Finding gold is not difficult, but erasing traces is. The Li family did not have deep roots in Peach Blossom Village, so naturally they could not find a reliable alchemy workshop.

Qin asked softly, "Does my husband have any thoughts?"

"I plan to go to the black market in Pantao Town."

Li Rongzhou already had a plan.

Back when he was at the White Crane Martial Arts School, his master had taken him to the black market. The black market was essentially just a legitimate means for local powers to evade taxes, and it wasn't as mysterious as it was portrayed in the stories.

As long as he follows the rules, doesn't possess a huge treasure, and doesn't conceal his face, he won't be in too much danger.

Compared to some "businesses" that rake in huge sums of money, his small amount of placer gold "inherited from his ancestors" is nothing to mention.

"What happened today must not be known to any third party."

Li Rongzhou looked at his wife with a serious expression, and she nodded solemnly in return.

This is the Li family's second biggest secret.

The biggest secret, of course, is the youngest son's extraordinary talent!
…………

"But I already know!"

Besides eavesdropping on Little Mushroom, Little Black also told Li Pingcan the whole story and received many Spiny Fruits as a reward.

Feeling sorry for his father, Li Pingcan excitedly raised his chubby fist, feeling satisfied.

Finally, I was able to help my family!
There's no need to worry about my older brothers' education anymore.

"However, this gold dust is ultimately a windfall, not a sustainable and righteous path." If one could learn the [Plant Growth] stimulant, wouldn't that be a more legitimate way to make money than secretly panning for gold, and wouldn't that provide a continuous source of income?

Unfortunately, his age limits his "blue bar," which in turn limits the skill refresh cap and prevents him from planting trees to increase his druid experience points and level up!
"Father, you still have to plant trees well!"

"If the father doesn't work hard, the son will only suffer in vain!"

…………

Work at sunrise and return at sunset.

For several days in a row, taking advantage of the off-season for farming, Li Rongzhou went to the mountains to chop firewood.

In the courtyard, Li Pingcan trained Xiao Hei while simultaneously improving its various skills.

"Unleash 'Dancing Wind'".

"Cast 'Animal Conversation'".

"Cast 'Earth Vein Sensing'".

With his current mana pool, casting twenty or so minor spells a day is no problem.

With the blessing of [Earth Vein Sensing], one can clearly hear sounds from underground: tender shoots breaking through the soil, earthworms swimming across the land, roots accumulating power... all these sounds paint a unique picture.

"Tap Tap!"

The dense footsteps responded to Li Pingcan's senses like drumbeats.

"The debt collectors have gone to Granny Wang's house again!"

As if confirming his thoughts, Granny Wang's mournful cries mingled with the rude curses and shouts of the debt collectors, and the sounds of beating and smashing with sticks were incessant.

Ever since Wang Po's youngest son's debt of two hundred taels of silver came to light, these debt collectors have been coming to intimidate Wang Po's family almost every day.

The noise was quite loud. Qin frowned and covered her youngest son's ears, saying, "Don't listen, it's dirty to hear."

Li Pingcan nodded obediently, then immediately used [Spore Growth] and [Spore Sensing] to set up surveillance, calmly watching the show.

Wang Pozi's house was in a mess. After the debt collectors left, an even more intense argument broke out.

The three daughters-in-law could no longer bear it and were about to return to their parents' home with their children. The four older brothers also wanted to sever ties with their younger brother, who was beaten and bruised all over. It seemed that the family was about to fall apart.

Granny Wang lay limp on the ground, her eyes lifeless, her mouth moving as if she were muttering something.

Little Mushroom leaned closer to listen, and Li Pingcan's cheeks puffed up like steamed buns in anger.

"It's all that vile woman Qin's curse that ruined me! Otherwise, how could I have been crawled on by insects and fallen into the latrine? How could my son have lost the bet?!"

Even when faced with a critical situation, they still haven't changed their bad habits!
You deserve to lose your family fortune!
Li Pingcan felt no sympathy for Wang Pozi's plight. In fact, even without his father's miraculous intervention, it was only a matter of time before Wang Pozi's family was pursued for debt.

However, the blatant gambling tactics also evoke feelings of shared misfortune and resentment.

This debt of two hundred taels originally amounted to only twenty taels!
"Although Wang Pozi's family has five adult sons, they can only act arrogantly in Peach Blossom Village."

"Ordinary farmers are like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; they are utterly helpless against gangs."

Just like my second brother said, if you're weak, you'll be bullied wherever you go!

At this moment, Li Pingcan's ambition for great power burned like oil poured on a raging fire!

…………

The story of Wang Pozi's family's ruin had been circulating in the village for a long time. It gradually subsided after the village chief mediated and Wang Pozi's family paid a price of 180 taels of silver.

Having collected enough gold dust, Li Rongzhou went to the black market in Pantao Town and exchanged it for five taels of gold.

With this windfall, their living conditions improved significantly. Everyone could eat an egg, and there was plenty of rice. Every few days, they could even have some meat. Li Pingfu exclaimed, "Life is like a god's!"

On this day, Li Rongzhou bought plenty of wine and meat and hosted a banquet at home for martial arts master Zhou Enxian.

Li Pingcan curiously sized up this martial artist at the Qi and Blood Realm.

He was broad-shouldered and muscular, with piercing, sharp eyes, and his breathing was like thunder as he walked.

It looks really impressive!

(End of this chapter)