Azure Cloud region remained as peaceful as ever. The Li family children, scattered throughout the land, were all diligently cultivating.
After Li Dalong and Li Yaowen sent out the letter warning of the impending war, all the Li family descendants felt a sense of urgency. They knew that the day to return home was fast approaching.
In front of the screen, Li Wei was still dealing with the children who had gotten themselves into trouble: Li Tianqi, who was courting death at Black Tortoise Sect; Li Tianshuang, who was already fighting two Demon Kings in the Swamp Forest; and Li Tianming, who had the absurd idea of assassinating a Golden Core cultivator and almost got himself killed...
These little rascals gave Li Wei more headaches than any of his other descendants.
Fortunately, Yuexian had stewed chicken soup today, which gave Li Wei some comfort.
Placing the bowl outside the door, Li Wei smiled and looked toward the Jun Prince's Mansion!
He saw, Li Kuangren finally emerging from seclusion within the Mansion!
[Year 100]
[Your descendant, Li Kuangtu, has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, purging his Metal spirit root. His aptitude is now a single Water spirit root!]
[Your descendant, Li Kuanghua, has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, purging her Earth spirit root. Her aptitude is now a dual Water and Fire spirit root!]
[Your descendant, Li Kuangren, has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, purging his Earth and Wood spirit roots. His aptitude is now a dual Metal and Water spirit root!]
With the abundant resources provided by the Jun Prince's Mansion, their breakthrough to Foundation Establishment took longer. Li Kuangren even received special attention from the Jun Prince's Mansion.
Feng Qingyang observed them from afar.
He initially wanted to offer them some praise.
But seeing his daughter excitedly rush over to find Li Kuangren upon learning of his breakthrough, Feng Qingyang's face darkened. He let out a cold snort and turned away, refusing to look at this irritating scene. He even wished he could put up a sign at the entrance that read, "Li Kuangren and dogs are not allowed."
Especially that Li Changsheng.
Nine years old this year, he already reached Li Kuangren's chest. This boy was extremely handsome and had been clever since childhood. He was exceptionally talented, well-behaved in all aspects, and incredibly thick-skinned. As soon as he saw the three elders emerge, he directly reached out his hand.
He had originally intended to ask the three elders for gifts, just like his maternal grandfather had taught him to do whenever he met an elder.
But what good things could Li Kuangren and the others possibly have?
They originally had some decent treasures, but after going to the Thunderfire Cave, those damned demon cultivators either tricked them or stole from them, emptying their pockets long ago.
After a difficult search...
Li Changsheng looked at his elders in surprise, their expressions troubled. He stared at the three fingernails that had been placed in his hand one after another, stunned for a long time, then burst into tears. "I'm sorry," he sobbed, "I didn't know our elders were so poor. Wait here, I'll go get all the good things I have and bring them to you!"
A moment later, Li Changsheng returned with a pile of gifts he had received from others during festivals and gave them to the three elders, who looked embarrassed.
[Your descendants Li Kuangren, Li Kuanghua, and Li Kuangtu have received gifts from their descendant Li Changsheng: three mid-grade Spirit artifacts, one high-grade Spirit Weapon, forty 'ninth and eighth-grade' talismans, and various pills...]
"Father, Uncle, Aunt, just wait!"
Seeing his elders staring at the pile of gifts with bewildered expressions, Li Changsheng became even more convinced that they were all incredibly poor. No wonder he rarely saw them around. They were probably out robbing houses to support the family, just like his maternal grandfather had said. Thinking of this, his eyes reddened, and he declared through gritted teeth, "I'll go to my grandfather's treasury and bring you all the good stuff inside!"
This made the three elders' expressions change.
Li Kuanghua quickly stopped Li Changsheng. "Little Changsheng," she said, "our family elders have told us that we cannot steal from our own family."
"I know the Jun Prince's Mansion is wealthy, but we Li family members have high aspirations despite our poverty. We must never steal. We only ask for things directly."
"Then... what about these things..." Li Kuangtu looked at the gifts from his younger relative in his hand.
He remembered the elders saying that as long as the origin of the items was legitimate and their conscience was clear, they could accept anything. Although it was embarrassing to ask for things from younger relatives, it... wasn't entirely unacceptable.
Li Kuanghua frowned and handed the items back to Li Changsheng. "We'll accept your good intentions," she said, "but please keep your gifts."
"Oh."
Li Changsheng nodded firmly, his gaze resolute. Just as he reached out to take the items back, his aunt had already put them away. His little face scrunched up in confusion. He felt that something was wrong with what his aunt had said. After a while, he started crying and ran to find his mother.
It seemed his childhood had just received a crucial lesson from his elders.
"Kuanghua, you've learned bad habits from those demon cultivators." Li Kuangren's face darkened as he looked at his sister. He missed her innocence and kindness when they first met. His sister used to be a pushover, but now she was always scheming to take advantage of others.
Li Kuanghua widened her still innocent eyes and said with a well-behaved smile, "Elder Brother, I heard the elders say that we'll be venturing out into the world with them. We can't go empty-handed, can we? We'll just return double the amount to Changsheng when we come back."
"Alright."
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