The night passed without a word.
The next day, Li Ping'an ran to the Spirit Fields early in the morning.
The corn seedlings had already grown, about fifteen centimeters tall.
After two uses of the Rain Summoning Technique, he returned to Da Huai Village and watered these forty acres of farmland once, gaining 100 Cultivation Points.
Heihe ran happily, following along.
Especially when it rained, it would run into the rain for a bit, then run into the sun to bask, seemingly very surprised.
Under the shade of a tree.
Li Ping'an sat down cross-legged, locked onto the Divine Beast Embryo in the System warehouse, silently chanted "Give me some Face, please, give me some Face, please, give me some Face, please" three times, and then began.
(Ding: 10 Cultivation Points deducted, Divine Beast Embryo nourished, Evolution Value +10.)
"It worked, haha."
Li Ping'an's Face lit up with joy.
(Ding: Divine Beast Embryo evolution complete, can be born at any time. Once born, it cannot be stored back into the System warehouse. Do you wish to choose to be born?)
"Little darling, come out for me!"
Li Ping'an perked up, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Moo~ Moo~"
Accompanied by two bovine moos, a small green calf, about half a meter tall, slowly appeared before him. Its eyes were large and looked quite sincere.
"It's a cow."
Li Ping'an scratched his head, feeling that he should be happy.
No matter what it was, it was a Divine Beast.
Moreover, cows are good.
When a cow grows up, it can plow the land. He believed that the speed of reclamation would be incredibly fast then.
"Woof woof~"
Heihe ran around the little green calf twice, barking happily without stopping.
The little green calf was also very sensible; it was already an animal that understood human nature, let alone a Divine Beast.
It seemed a bit weak, lay down in front of Li Ping'an, and licked its fur.
"Should I call it Niu Niu, or Qing Qing?"
Li Ping'an was a bit troubled when thinking of a name, and finally decided, "From now on, your name is Niu Niu, Niu Niu of 'Niu Qi Chong Tian' (a phrase meaning 'full of vigor' or 'soaring like a bull')!"
"Moo~" Niu Niu responded, indicating it understood.
"Heihe, what are you doing? Don't bully Niu Niu."
Li Ping'an reached out and pulled Heihe up. This little fellow was already standing on Niu Niu's back.
Niu Niu ignored it, whether it was hungry, weak, or hadn't adapted yet.
After a brief thought.
Li Ping'an broke the last first-grade Corn Essence in half and handed it to Niu Niu.
"Woof woof~"
Heihe was very greedy, its two little dog eyes staring at the remaining half of the Corn Essence, its small tail wagging like a small motor with a fan blade.
"This needs to be saved for backup; I really can't let you eat it."
Li Ping'an said.
In the end, he couldn't resist Heihe's pure, greedy little eyes and gave it two corn kernels.
Heihe swallowed them in one bite, feeling it was far from enough.
It didn't ask for more excessively, fixing its gaze on Niu Niu, who was chewing the Corn Essence.
Just then, two kernels fell off.
Heihe was quick-eyed and quick-tongued, licked them up, and ran off.
"Moo~ Moo~"
Niu Niu was displeased, got up, and gave chase. As for the final outcome, Li Ping'an didn't pay attention.
After consuming that half of the first-grade Corn Essence, Niu Niu also gained energy, and its body became a bit stronger.
With Niu Niu as a companion, Heihe became much bolder. The two of them wandered around together. Niu Niu eating grass was the Righteous Path, and Heihe pretended to eat grass quite well.
At noon.
An Ruoyi arrived as scheduled, bringing delicious stir-fried pork with chili and hot steamed buns.
Li Ping'an brushed the dust off a stone, "Thank you, Mother Tiger, for bringing the food. Sit down quickly and rest."
"At least you have some conscience."
An Ruoyi rolled her eyes at Li Ping'an, arranged the food, "Eat."
Li Ping'an looked around, not seeing the two little fellows' shadows, and called out: "Heihe, Niu Niu, come back for food! There's meat, buns, and soup!"
An Ruoyi frowned, asking warily, "Who is Niu Niu?"
Li Ping'an explained, "It's just a cow."
"I don't believe you."
An Ruoyi's Face sank. As a woman's intuition, the name Niu Niu sounded like it had a story.
"Moo~"
"Woof woof."
Soon,
Heihe and Niu Niu ran back.
An Ruoyi's red lips moved slightly, a bit embarrassed, "It really is a cow."
"Of course it is."
Li Ping'an pouted, "Look at you, I, Li Ping'an, am such a good, honest person, yet you still think of me as someone disreputable."
"Oh, please."
An Ruoyi glared, "Which day we meet do you not try to lay hands on me? Say you're honest, only a ghost would believe it."
Then,
She also said, "It's fine if you raise a dog, but why do you raise a cow?"
"Sigh~"
Li Ping'an sighed softly, "You don't know, as soon as Niu Niu was born, its mother was eaten by a tiger."
"I pitied it, heavily wounded the tiger with a Demon Slaying Talisman, and saved it. I thought I'd raise it until it grew up, and it could also help plow the fields."
Women, you know, are often sentimental.
An Ruoyi whispered, "This little calf is truly pitiful, but are you really going to make a big splash in farming?"
"Indeed."
Li Ping'an nodded, "I know, it might make you feel embarrassed, but a diligent person is not embarrassing!"
"Mother Tiger, don't stop me. If there are other opportunities in the future, I will definitely have more choices."
An Ruoyi nodded, "Alright, as long as you're happy."
Life is but a hundred years.
If Li Ping'an could never Cultivate, what could be more important than his happiness?
Three days later, it was time to water again.
After a busy period, he received 100 Cultivation Points. In a few more days, he would be able to fertilize, which would be a considerable harvest.
Heihe and Niu Niu were both very strong.
They had already shown the extraordinary nature of Divine Beasts, scaring away all the wild beasts in the surroundings; none dared to approach.
At noon.
An Ruoyi didn't come.
While Li Ping'an waited, Huang Jinye, a guard from the City Lord's Mansion, rode up on horseback, "Your humble subordinate greets the Son-in-Law."
Li Ping'an asked suspiciously, "Why are you here? Where's Mother Tiger?"
Huang Jinye spoke, "The Young Miss has left."
Left?
Li Ping'an frowned, his heart pounding. Before he could feel sad, Huang Jinye continued, "This morning, she was noticed by an Immortal and taken to an Immortal Sect to Cultivate."
"Originally, the Young Miss was going to bid farewell to the Son-in-Law, but that Immortal had urgent matters, saying that he would bring the Young Miss back later. The Young Miss left you a letter."
Li Ping'an let out a long breath, "Phew~ You scared me."
He took the letter, unfolded it, and read, 'Ping'an, Husband, since our marriage, this should be the first time I've called you Husband, right?'
What 'should be', it clearly was.
Li Ping'an continued to read, 'Please forgive me, I always felt a bit awkward before and couldn't say it.'
'Seeking an Immortal fate and entering an Immortal Sect has always been my greatest desire. Previously, I simply wanted to achieve success in Cultivation. After marrying you, I had another idea.'
'I heard there are many Spirit Pills and wondrous medicines in the Immortal Sect, among which are miraculous drugs that can cleanse one's marrow, refine one's body, and condense a Spiritual Root. I will get some for you.'
'Don't work too hard when farming, pay more attention to your body. Wait for me to return and bring you into the Immortal Sect too.'
That was all the content.
But how could that Immortal Sect be a benevolent place?
Li Ping'an folded the letter and put it into his pocket, quietly storing it in the System warehouse, where it would be safest.
Seeing that Li Ping'an had finished reading the letter, Huang Jinye spoke, "Son-in-Law, the City Lord has instructed you to return to the City Lord's Mansion quickly; he said there's something important."
"What important matter?" Li Ping'an asked.
"Unclear, just remember to return quickly."
Huang Jinye didn't linger and rode away on his horse.
After he left.
Li Ping'an called Heihe and Niu Niu over, "I need to go back to the city. You two guard this place well, don't run around."
"If there's a situation, handle it if you can. If you can't, find a place to hide, understand?"
"Woof woof~"
"Moo~"
They both nodded to show they understood. Heihe was even riding on Niu Niu's back, very stable.
Li Ping'an displayed his movement technique to its fullest and quickly departed.
Tiankui City, South City Gate.
Today, Zhang Tiepeng was on duty. Seeing Li Ping'an return, he stepped forward and stopped Li Ping'an, "You stop right there. There's something I need to ask you..."