Time passed quickly. Winter passed and spring came, summer passed and autumn arrived. It advanced at an unprecedented, steady pace.
On the bustling docks of Clear River city, the endless autumn rain scattered thousands of ripples in the river, but it was unable to extinguish the lively atmosphere. A dragon boat was docked in the rippling waters. A man stood at the bow of the boat. At first glance, he seemed like a regular farmer, and his skin was tanned and rough after being worn down by the sun and wind. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice the glint in his jet-black eyes.
The boat would sail against the flow. Li Long gazed in the direction that the Clear river surged towards as he thought of many things.
It had already been over a decade since he left his hometown. Even during the new year, he had never returned. It was not because he did not want to return, but because he always had endless farm work to do. The fruits that were about to ripen were waiting to be picked, and the medicinal fields and gardens basically needed to be watered every single day.
The Clear River prefecture had suffered multiple catastrophes, but large swathes of land filled with spiritual qi had been emptied out. A few destroyed sects and medicinal gardens still remained, but they were all taken care of by the disciples of the school of Agriculture. They basically could not leave for even a moment. This was a rare opportunity for cultivation for him.
Under these circumstances, it was basically impossible for him to spend his time and travel several thousand kilometers just to return home once. All he could do was ask people to send some silver notes back home from time to time as a form of filial piety.
Right now, his face was tanned and skinny, and his clothes were old. He seemed like a lump of soil that had just been dug out of the ground. His entire body gave off a rustic aura. As a result, when the rain gradually grew heavier and he returned to the cabin, the people around him had to maintain some distance from him.
Many years ago, he had gone from the Crouching Ox village to Qingyang city to learn from a master exactly to rid himself of his identity as a farmer. In the end, he ended up becoming a farmer through and through. It was indeed rather funny. However, the leader of the school of Agriculture, Earth Elder Huang, had praised his appearance as a "skeleton of earth and wood". He said he was a genius of the school of Agriculture, so he wanted to pass on the position of school leader to him.
It was exactly because of all the hard work he had put in that his cultivation had skyrocketed. In over a decade, he had gone from an uncultured member of the jianghu to the primary disciple of the school of Agriculture. A tenth layer Qi Practitioner. Originally, he planned on breaking through to Foundation Establishment after a few more years of arduous cultivation in a single stroke.
A letter from home had been sent from the Crouching Ox village to Qingyang city before being sent to the headquarters of the Iron Fist in Clear River city through the Iron Fist's line of communication before being passed on to him. After learning of his father's death, he hurriedly packed his luggage and set foot on the road back to his hometown.
Before departing. In addition to entrusting large tracts of land to his fellow apprentices to take care of, he also paid a visit to his only fellow countryman, Li Qingshan. He asked if he wanted to pass on a message or anything else.
Li Qingshan thought for a while and remembered the name "Village Chief Li". Then, he told Li Long to restrain his grief and didn't show any sadness on his face. After so many years. The death of a mortal who was unrelated to him and had even offended him was naturally difficult to move. He did not like to put on an act.
Li Long didn't blame him. He had been away from home for so many years. During several critical moments, he had helped her for free, which was how she got to where she was today. Even though she had already become so powerful, she could still be described as treating him as an equal.
Even to herself, the old face showed signs of blurring. Only when she heard the news of his death did it suddenly clear up. She did not feel particularly sorrowful either.
In the end, Li Qingshan did not pass on any messages. This was within Li Long's expectations. Ever since he had severed ties with his brother and sister-in-law, his connection with the Crouching Ox village had become so thin that it was almost non-existent.
This man seemed different from regular people ever since he was young. Only when the witch filled his stomach with talisman water did he become a little more normal. However, he did not like to play with people his age either. He would go to the Crouching Ox hill to graze cows and play the flute whenever he was free. He seemed eccentric, strange, and unreasonable. Everyone treated him as an anomaly. Although they did not directly reject him, they did not develop any deep feelings for him either.
Only many years later did he suddenly realise just how extraordinary he was, which served as an explanation for his miraculous rise to prominence later on.
The ship pulled out the anchor and sailed against the flow. The prefectural city of Clear River gradually grew further away. Li Long embarked on his journey back to his hometown.
The ship passed through Jiaping city. The city that had once been slaughtered by the rock demons had now regained its vitality. It was said that even the Hawkwolf Guard on the mountain had been restored.
The ship continued onwards until it arrived at the dock where they had originally set off from. He disembarked and fished out a seal, summoning a fine horse. This was a mount he had bought for the convenience of travelling around. After travelling for another day, the familiar old city walls appeared in the distance. Only then did he suddenly realise that his hometown was not as far away as he had imagined it to be.
… …
Iron Fist School. Two brawny men dressed in black, along with a pair of majestic stone lions, stood guard in front of the door. Passersby all made a wide detour around them.
The man on the left gazed at the sky and grumbled, "This rain sure is never-ending. Achoo, gatekeepers sure are unlucky in this weather!"
The man on the right shuddered. "It's much better than summer. As long as we stand here for an hour, we'll feel like we've been fished out of the water. Who told us to join the sect too late, and our martial arts are too lacking? Let's find a brothel later and have a proper drink to warm ourselves up. "
"Once I become an innate master, I'll be sleeping in a brothel."
"Just by you?"
"What about me? Li Qingshan was even worse off than me in the past. He couldn't even afford to visit a brothel! Now I've heard that all the brothels in the entire Clear River prefecture belong to him. And that Li Long used to be a member of our Iron Fist. I've heard that he's already reached several dozen layers of the innate realm now. "
"There are only ten layers to the innate realm. How can there be several dozen layers?"
As they spoke, a dark, skinny man directly made his way towards the entrance. His gaze drifted around. As he looked at the familiar gatehouse, he sighed endlessly.
It was only because Qingyang city was relatively remote and close to the Boundless mountains that the two daemons occupied that the war with the daemons in the past did not affect this place too much.
"Who is it!?" "Country bumpkin, do you really think you can just stare at the Iron Fist? Don't look around here. Piss off, piss off!"
"I'm Li Long. I'm a disciple of Liu Hong, sect master Liu. Go back and report this!"
Li Long did not recognise the two gatekeepers either. He only knew that they were new disciples he had accepted after he left. They stood there rather awe-inspiring, but their martial arts were not even second or third-rate. All they could do was scare the common people, or they would not have been sent here to guard the gate.
"You said you're Li Long?"
The burly man widened his eyes. Although they had never met before, the name was like thunder to their ears. He was a powerful figure who had emerged from their Iron Fist of Qingyang city. He was a great master who had reached several dozen layers of the innate realm. The Iron Lion Liu Hong would brag about him whenever he drank.
However, from his attire, he did not seem like the rumored "Li Long" at all. Why did he seem like he had just returned from the underground?
The two of them dared not tarry. They knew that certain masters of the jianghu liked to put on an act, so they immediately went in to report this. A while later, a dignified, middle-aged man in embroidered robes walked out with the wind. However, he was not Liu Hong. When he saw Li Long, he was taken aback. He went up and grabbed his hand. "Junior brother, it really is you!"
"Senior brother Wang Lei." Li Long recognised him as well.
As it turned out, the Iron Lion Liu Hong had already passed the position of sect master of the Iron Fist to his first disciple, Wang Lei. He had left the city to live out the rest of his life.
Wang Lei patted Li Long's shoulder and showed a sorrowful expression. "Junior brother, I am sorry for your loss. Uncle is already so old …" He said some comforting words, but Li Long could see that there was not much sincerity in it. It was just some pleasantries.
Li Long said, "Life and death are decreed by fate. Riches and honor are determined by the heavens."
Wang Lei gave an order. On one hand, he sent someone to invite Liu Hong, who was retiring outside the city. On the other hand, he gathered all the disciples of the Iron Fist and lined them up from behind the screen wall to the entrance of the main hall.
"Junior brother, please!" Wang Lei waved his hand and walked in front, putting on the posture of a sect master. He emphasized the word "junior brother", meaning to say that he did not forget that he was still his "senior brother".
The two of them had never been on good terms. Over a decade ago, Wang Lei had often been dissatisfied with Liu Hong's special treatment of Li Long. Afterwards, when he took over the position of sect master of the Iron Fist, he gradually calmed down. Now that he saw Li Long's dejected appearance, he could not help but feel rather delighted. He told Li Long about the changes in the Iron Fist after he left, about how he had led the good men of the Iron Fist to achieve great things, taking control of the entire Qingyang city.
Of the original four organisations, two had been personally destroyed by Li Qingshan. The Drawn Reins village had always remained closed off, and it became even more so after Huang Binghu left. The Iron Fist had become the only organisation in Qingyang city, so Wang Lei was obviously very awe-inspiring as the sect master. With a single call, countless people responded to him. Even the district magistrate had to respect him. He had many wives and concubines in the inner courtyard.
He thought, What kind of cultivator are you outside? You might not even be as happy as me being the local tyrant of Qingyang city.
All Li Long could do was nod. The Qingyang city of the past was like the entire world to him, but now, it was just an inconspicuous, tiny city. There were no fertile fields rich with spiritual qi either. If it were not for Liu Hong's presence, it would have been impossible for him to stop.
The two of them sat down in the central hall. Wang Lei asked with a smile, "Junior brother, you haven't married or had children in the past few years you've been outside? Then what do you usually do? "
"There's so much farm work that I can't finish. Where would I find the time to marry and have children?" Li Long said. There had once been a disciple of the school of Music who was interested in him, but he was too busy to care about anything else, so he left it unsettled in the end.
Wang Lei raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Farm work! Don't tell me cultivators have to farm? "
Li Long smiled. "I'm a disciple of the school of Agriculture. What else can I do if not farm?"
Wang Lei furrowed his brows and shook his head. "What's the point of cultivating anymore?"
"I found it boring in the beginning, but as time went on, I found it rather interesting." Li Long said. Working on the soil, watching the fruits ripen and spiritual herbs grow, receiving the feedback from the earth and plants at the same time, allowing his cultivation to rapidly increase. It was an indescribable joy.
Wang Lei curled his lip to express his confusion. He felt like Li Long was just being stubborn.
In his eyes, a farmer was only slightly better than a beggar. He would be better off directly killing him than making him farm for a decade. Sure enough, it was better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox. His awe-inspiring master of the Iron Fist was obviously the head of a chicken. He was still much better than Li Long, who was the tail of an ox.
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