Heihei was very well-behaved.
It opened its doggy eyes and tilted its little head.
Alright, you win.
Li Ping'an found a stone and sat down, sulking slightly.
An Ruoyi glanced at the spread-out corn cobs and pondered, "Ping'an, if you can plant them, then plant them. If you can't, you can do other things. Why are you buying so much corn?"
"To feed the dogs. I'm planning to set up a breeding farm," Li Ping'an said, changing the subject. "What's the situation at the East Border?"
Upon his question,
An Ruoyi sighed softly, "The battle is brutal."
"The battlefield is still Stone Forest Valley, where your parents led troops to fight the enemy years ago. Many people have already died."
Hearing this, Li Ping'an felt a little uneasy.
Stone Forest Valley was where his parents died in battle.
He knew who the enemy was, but the matter was also a bit strange. He could seek revenge, but he would definitely not fight for the Holy Martial Empire.
An Ruoyi murmured softly, "The current battle situation is a bit strange; many people are discussing it."
"How strange?" Li Ping'an inquired.
An Ruoyi's red lips moved slightly, "Qinwu Nation is coming aggressively. Our Holy Martial Empire's Crown Prince is personally commanding the army. There's clearly hope for victory, yet he insists on sending the army to their deaths."
"Many generals and commanders are extremely dissatisfied, but the Crown Prince is acting unilaterally, and the Imperial Advisor is backing him."
"Our army could advance, but they insist on keeping the battlefield in the Stone Forest Valley area. I heard people say that the stones there are already blood-red."
Hearing these words,
Li Ping'an recalled the war five years ago.
That year, he was thirteen. The border could have been peaceful, but it was because the Holy Martial Empire's Crown Prince provoked trouble, igniting the war.
The battle situation at that time was also full of oddities.
His father, Li Changfeng, was enfeoffed as a King with a different surname, and his abilities were naturally beyond doubt. At that time, he severely damaged the Qinwu Empire.
Originally, the army could have advanced eastward, conquering cities and seizing territory, but Crown Prince Yan Beixuan insisted on coming to supervise the army, issuing one order after another, always keeping the main fighting point in Stone Forest Valley.
Finally, his parents died in battle!
This was clearly the Crown Prince's fault, yet the Holy Martial Empire covered up the truth.
Li Ping'an inquired, "Do you know what caused this war?"
An Ruoyi sighed, resentfully saying, "Isn't it that big idiot, the Crown Prince, who clamored for the Qinwu Empire's princess to be his maid and demanded five cities from them?"
"Would they agree to such conditions? Naturally, it sparked the war."
"What's even more infuriating is that the war could have ended quickly, but the Crown Prince insisted on fighting for a longer period, saying it was for 'training' the troops!"
Li Ping'an rubbed his temples. Both wars were instigated by the Crown Prince, and both times he deliberately kept the main fighting and bloodshed in Stone Forest Valley.
Could it be that there's some secret in that area?
It's not simple.
This matter is definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface.
An Ruoyi continued, "Oh, by the way, Ping'an, there's something I think I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Li Ping'an asked.
An Ruoyi began, "When I went to the East Border, I heard some rumors that Stone Forest Valley holds an unknown secret."
"The current battle situation is the same as five years ago. Especially Lord Zhendong and his wife, they didn't die on the battlefield, but were killed by the Imperial Advisor because they knew that secret!"
Imperial Advisor?
Li Ping'an's fists tightened slightly as he asked, "Is this news reliable?"
"I don't know." An Ruoyi shook her head and continued, "These are all rumors, but they're spreading very widely. The Crown Prince executed over five hundred people just to suppress the momentum of this rumor."
"My father already knows and has arranged for several trusted aides to go to the East Border to find the source of the rumors and confirm their authenticity."
Li Ping'an chuckled, "He's truly going to a lot of trouble."
An Ruoyi pouted her red lips, "What trouble? He's half your father too."
"Just rest assured, once the whole truth comes out, if it really was the Imperial Advisor and the Crown Prince who did it, I'll get revenge for you!"
Li Ping'an said, "No, this is a man's business. You should focus more on Cultivating. I want to get revenge myself."
An Ruoyi said, "Just by you farming? Save your breath."
"Farming can be awesome too, alright?" Li Ping'an rolled his eyes at An Ruoyi in exasperation, then quietly took out a first-grade corn essence. "Here, take this back. You and my father-in-law can share it."
"This corn is so special." An Ruoyi took it into her hand, then suddenly showed surprise. "This, what kind of corn is this? Such pure Spiritual Qi!"
Li Ping'an said, "It's a first-grade corn essence. This is a good thing; it greatly benefits Cultivators."
"Originally, I was going to eat it myself, but I don't have a Spiritual Root, so eating it would be a waste. It's better to feed it to my Mother Tiger wife."
"Hmph~" An Ruoyi snorted lightly, "Where did you get it from?"
Li Ping'an pointed to the distant mountains, "An accident, a coincidence, a stroke of luck. I just found it in the mountains."
An Ruoyi broke the corn in half, only taking one half and saying she'd leave the other half for Li Ping'an for emergencies.
Li Ping'an didn't say much. After An Ruoyi left, he looked at Heihei, who was full of longing, and gave it to him again.
After all,
This was his Divine Beast. Although a bit annoying, he couldn't treat it differently.
The sooner it grew up, the sooner he would have another helper.
"Woof woof~"
Heihei was very happy, even gnawing on the corn cob until nothing was left.
Its body glowed faintly, and it grew a bit bigger, becoming plump and looking quite imposing.
"Little fellow, you've already eaten more than one corn essence yourself. What abilities have you gained?"
Li Ping'an asked with a laugh, completely in jest.
However,
Heihei's subsequent performance brought a huge surprise.
"Crunch~ Crunch~ Crunch~"
Heihei charged out like a black blur, diving into the cornfield, and with a 'swish swish swish', it knocked down a patch of well-growing corn.
The speed was incredibly fast, leaving afterimages!
Li Ping'an's eyesight was very strong now, and he caught Heihei's movements. It didn't use its mouth or its claws.
It was entirely the powerful Qi emanating from its body that destroyed the corn, which could also be called a Spiritual power fluctuation!
"Damn it, come back!"
Li Ping'an roared. Those were all the crops he had painstakingly planted!
"Woof woof~"
Heihei wagged its tail, strutting back with disdainful, swaggering steps, waddling back.
Li Ping'an grabbed Heihei, giving its doggy butt two slaps. "Why do you have to ruin the corn? I told you to guard the house, and you learn to tear it apart first?"
"Ow~ Whine~"
Heihei flattened its ears and drooped its front paws, like a baby who had done something wrong.
However, it truly seemed to have unlimited potential.
Just the speed and ability it showed now were already very promising.
Clearing land continued, another five acres.
After finishing these tasks, he had accumulated 30 Cultivation points.
Li Ping'an took Heihei for a stroll and didn't continue clearing land. Anyway, he had run out of seeds, and for the next three days, it would be enough for Cultivating the Divine Beast Embryo.
As long as the heavens gave Face, he would be able to water them with the Rain Summoning Technique in three days, easily gaining more Cultivation points.
The next three days were very peaceful.
An Ruoyi came every day to bring fragrant hot meals and even spent a night with Li Ping'an in the wild.
Only, nothing wonderful happened.
His Cultivation points were used up, and the second Divine Beast Embryo also gave a surprise, its evolution value increased to 90.
If it didn't disappoint tomorrow, then he would have a second Divine Beast...