Busy days had passed since Great Yu's Capital City fell.
Though wars had continued across the Nine Provinces over the years, the overall situation had grown steadier.
There were no more large-scale campaigns like before. By comparison, the wars now were more like Great Sui sweeping away rubbish with a broom.
Though Great Yu had moved south and preserved a spark,
it could no longer reverse the tide. In the end, it was a rat's tail-it wouldn't last long.
Li Ping'an strolled through the hills behind Heaven-Reaching Peak.
Old Ox held that day's Military Dispatch and read it aloud with a series of moos.
They wandered through the woods, breathing the fresh air.
Suddenly, several peals of spring thunder rang out, and spring rain began to patter down, soaking every building and every alley in Shushan.
Li Ping'an gave a lazy yawn.
As he walked, he reached the chicken coop, duck pen, and pigsty he had built.
Fed Spirit Herbs and spirit medicines every day, these animals had inevitably developed a little spiritual awareness.
Besides, they lived on Heaven-Reaching Peak, receiving the pure essence of heaven and earth, where its nourishing power was strongest.
At the sight of Li Ping'an, they scrambled to gather around him.
After raising them for so long, he had grown attached to them and could no longer bear to eat them.
Qingfeng had even given every one of them a name.
Chicken One, Chicken Two, Duck One, Duck Two...
Li Ping'an teased the ducks and took the chickens for a stroll.
He looked less like a Shushan cultivator than an old man spending his retirement in the countryside.
The growth of the spirit wood came as something of a pleasant surprise to Li Ping'an, thanks to the Field Cultivation Technique.
Spirit wood that should have