A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 168 The Art of Taming the Hawk
The distance from the mountain city to Furong City is about 250 kilometers, and the amount of pig blood consumed for teleportation is 10,000 liters.

The straight-line distance from the moon to the earth is 380,000 kilometers, and the amount of pig blood required for instantaneous teleportation is 15.2 million liters.

That's less than six hours' worth of pig blood collected on Earth.

Although it's a lot, it's worth it.

After leaving his bloodshot phantom in this desolate and lifeless land, Li Weizhou returned to Earth.

……

In the Florida afternoon, the sunlight, like melting gold leaf, spills onto the red-brick pedestrian street next to South Beach.

The shadows of the palm trees were thin and long, and the salty sea breeze swept across the open-air cafes along the street, ruffling the blonde hair of several young women.

Xiao Rui's hair had already reached her waist.

The pen tip touched the paper, and as I slowly read through the notes and wrote a few words, a familiar scent suddenly drifted behind my ear.

It wasn't the fishy smell of the sea breeze, nor the warmth of the sun; it was a crisp and reassuring scent, like the unique aroma he always brought when he returned.

Her pen suddenly stopped, and the ink droplet spread out in a small circle on the paper.

He didn't turn around, but his fingertips trembled slightly.

However, the spaceship is not expected to return for several more days.

however……

"What are you writing? You seem so focused."

Li Weizhou's voice was just half a step behind him, carrying a deliberately soft laugh.

Xiao Rui turned around abruptly, and the sunlight fell right into her eyes, seemingly brighter than the sun itself. Li Weizhou's figure was reflected in her eyes.

The top two buttons of the white shirt were undone, the cuffs were rolled up to the forearms, and he was holding two ice cream cones in his hands. The strawberry-flavored one had a slightly droopy cream top, clearly bought from an ice cream truck on the roadside.

"you……"

She opened her mouth, but the teasing remark she had prepared got stuck in her throat. Only the light in her eyes gradually brightened, like stars slowly rising in the tide.

What felt like a long wait just moments ago has suddenly shrunk to the size of a drop of undried ink on a fingertip, so light it could be blown away with a single breath.

No matter how my status changes, no matter how powerful, wealthy, or amassed a fortune I've met with in the last three days, the longing and concern in my heart only grows deeper.

Seeing the emotion on her beautiful face and the overflowing affection in her eyes, Li Weizhou smiled even more deeply, handed her the strawberry ice cream cone, and said, "Eat it first, before it melts."

Xiao Rui smiled even sweeter, took the ice cream cone, and took a big bite. As the cool sweetness spread, her eyes suddenly felt a little hot.

Actually, while she was taking notes, she couldn't help but look up at the sky.

The rocket's trajectory had long since disappeared into the clouds, but she felt she could still see a blurry shadow rushing back through the star cluster.

In fact, she already knew what waiting and longing tasted like, but this time it was especially different.

Deep down, she was still worried that the Americans might do something malicious.

Therefore, I am particularly concerned about it.

But to her surprise, her man gave her such a big surprise.

It made her feel a tingling, numb sensation in her heart...

The ice cream was sweet, but the look in her bright, big eyes was even sweeter.

Fortunately, she has a generous and straightforward personality. After being cheesy for a while, she couldn't stand it anymore and started laughing.

Li Weizhou was also happy.

Xiao Rui glared at him and asked, "Why are you back so early?"

Li Weizhou said, "I missed you."

"Stop it!"

Even so, her sweet smile deepened. After the two finished their ice cream cones, Xiao Rui raised her chin and smiled at the several dumbfounded security personnel across the street, saying, "You scared them."

Li Weizhou laughed heartily and said, "I thought Amei was already used to it."

Xiao Rui looked at Li Weizhou and said, "These past few days, old money families and Silicon Valley upstarts have been lining up to see me, wanting to invest in Shan State. Guess what they most want to invest in?"

Li Weizhou laughed and said, "You're not researching how to achieve immortality, are you?"

Xiao Rui laughed and said, "Pretty much. The streets of Naypyidaw are lined with biotechnology research companies. They've offered Xu Li, Song Jia, and Zhao Ling'er exorbitant consulting fees, and many tycoons have converted to Buddhism."

Li Weizhou was also amused and said, "Never mind them, if you want to invest, then go ahead and invest. Come on, I'll spend the whole day with you, let's go shopping."

"Really?!"

Xiao Rui's eyes lit up with surprise, and she took Li Weizhou's hand and spun around like a little girl.

Across the street, a Black female Secret Service agent couldn't help but shout, "Hey, ma'am, you're so lucky!"

Xiao Rui smiled and waved, saying, "Thank you!"

Then he pulled Li Weizhou into an alley. At the entrance of the alley was a awning with a faded sign that read "Cuban Style". Pork on a hot plate was sizzling and dripping with oil, and the sweet aroma of onions filled half the street.

The stall owner was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a faded floral shirt. Upon seeing them, he called out in Chinese with a Spanish accent, "Chinese friends? How about a medianoche (midnight sandwich)?"

Xiao Rui pulled Li Weizhou to sit down on an old wooden stool under the shed, which bore the marks of time, and said, "Two, with extra roasted pork and pickled cucumbers."

The old man chuckled in agreement, chopping the pork on the hot plate with a wooden spatula, saying as he chopped, "My granddaughter is studying Chinese at the University of Miami, and she says that you Chinese people are the most loyal and affectionate. Last time during the typhoon, it was Chinese volunteers who helped me reinforce the shed."

Li Weizhou watched him stuff the sandwich to the brim and laughed, "Aren't you worried about losing money with this amount?"

The old man waved his hand, handing over a sandwich wrapped in paper, the paper glistening with meat juices: "Making money is secondary, it's nice to have someone to chat with. Where are you from? Beijing? Shanghai?"

"Mountain City."

Xiao Rui took a big bite. The bread was toasted to a crispy brown, and the pork mixed with the aroma of garlic melted in her mouth. She praised, "Your cooking is even more authentic than what I ate in Havana."

The old man's eyes crinkled into slits as he brought over two bowls of black bean soup: "These are complimentary, to cut through the greasiness. When I was young, I worked on a ship and went to Hong Kong. I loved your soy sauce chicken, but unfortunately, I couldn't learn how to make it."

The sound of an accordion drifted from the end of the alley. An elderly couple in floral shirts gathered under a banyan tree, playing dominoes. The crisp sound of the dominoes colliding mingled with their laughter.

Xiao Rui carried the black bean soup over to take a look. An old man wearing a straw hat waved to her and said, "Girl, why don't you give it a try?" Xiao Rui actually sat down and tried to arrange the dominoes on the wooden table like they did. Although she didn't understand the rules, she was taught by the old man and did it quite well, which made the people around her laugh.

Li Weizhou leaned against the banyan tree and watched as sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on Xiao Rui's hair. When she looked up and laughed, her long hair slid down to her chest, and the sunflower bracelet on her wrist jingled with her movements.

An elderly Chinese woman in a blue cotton shirt walked over with a cane, carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly baked Key Lime pies, their bright green filling sprinkled with white coconut flakes.

"Taste it?"

The old lady handed a small piece of pie to Li Weizhou and said, "My daughter works as an engineer at the aerospace center. She said you are heroes who came back from the moon."

"You actually recognize me?"

Li Weizhou took it, and the refreshing sweet and sour taste spread on his tongue. The old lady handed another piece to Xiao Rui and said with a smile, "How could we not recognize you? Who in the whole world doesn't recognize you? We old folks who live abroad are all grateful to you. In recent years, the atmosphere has become increasingly tense, but because of your appearance, the world has rediscovered its love for peace."

Whether they were foreigners or people of Chinese descent, they all laughed upon hearing this.

The accordion playing on the street suddenly switched to "Jasmine Flower." Although the tune was slightly off, it made the elderly Chinese people in the alley hum along.

The sea breeze, carrying the sound of waves, surges in, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if accompanying the accordion music.

Xiao Rui looked at Li Weizhou and suddenly laughed, "I miss home. Let's go back to Shancheng and invite Zhao Ling'er and the others to have hot pot."

"it is good!"

……

Shan Plateau.

Jianmu (建木).

Nine feet tall, which is actually close to three meters.

The three branches spread out, and each of the hundreds of leaves was as clear and translucent as jade.

"This sacred tree is increasingly showing its extraordinary nature."

Standing beside Li Weizhou, Zhao Jiugu exclaimed with excitement, "It's unbelievable that such a small divine tree could so drastically reduce the frequency of geological disasters in Shan State and Yunnan Province. However, the three countries probably guessed that this place is extraordinary, after all, the commotion before was too great. They clamored to launch nuclear missiles to destroy this place. There's nothing we can do, the earthquakes here have all gone to their side."

Australia is located in the heart of the Indian Ocean and has historically experienced very few earthquakes. The continent is one of the oldest on Earth, with a stable crust and a lack of active major fault lines. But in the last two years, earthquakes have started to occur…”

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "That's good, everyone gets a share. By the way, I see so many villas built around here, what, are there people who also want to get a share of the spoils and live forever?"

Zhao Jiugu laughed heartily upon hearing this, "This has nothing to do with us. It's Ms. Xiao who developed the entire surrounding area into high-end villas, renting them out globally. The rents are outrageously high, yet demand still exceeds supply. However, Ms. Xiao doesn't charge rent. Mr. Li, guess what she wants?" Li Weizhou said, "It can't be... a pig farm, can it?"

Zhao Jiugu laughed heartily, "Exactly! The rent is all paid with live pigs. Now, the entire Southeast Asian peninsula is full of pig farms. And in Africa, large-scale pig farms have also been built. Mr. Li, you are amazing. With your own efforts, you have fed so many people and reduced so much war."

Li Weizhou chuckled to himself, thinking that those people probably just wanted him to eat pig's blood for the rest of his life, and they would give him as much as he wanted.

What if one day he stops eating pig's blood and starts eating human blood? That would be terrible...

Of course, there was no need to say this aloud, lest it frighten people. He asked, "Hasn't a sanatorium been built here in China?"

Zhao Jiugu chuckled and said, "I don't know about that, maybe there is... I'm in a hurry to find Mr. Li this time because of something."

Li Weizhou said, "Old Zhao, please speak."

Zhao Jiugu said seriously, "Mr. Li, may I ask if it is possible to bring back more lunar soil from the moon? I mean, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of tons."

Li Weizhou asked, "For helium-3?"

Zhao Jiugu's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "That's right. There is no helium-3 element on Earth itself. Mr. Li, you know how much energy and electricity our 1.4 billion people need to live, produce, and develop. But we are an oil-poor country. Photovoltaic and wind power are too limited by weather. Controlled nuclear fusion is the only way out. And helium-3 is the key."

He looked up at the drifting clouds above the Jianmu tree and sighed, "The data from the lab has long been clear: the fusion of helium-3 and deuterium is so clean that there is almost no neutron contamination, and its energy density is tens of millions of times that of uranium. But there is very little helium-3 on Earth; it wouldn't even last three months. Only the moon has reserves in the lunar regolith, amounting to hundreds of millions of tons—fuel that the solar wind has been spreading for billions of years."

Thanks to the minerals you brought back, our fusion reactor prototype has been running stably for nearly 300 hours, but we're still short of "fuel." For a commercial reactor to run, for electricity meters in every household to no longer be affected by coal price fluctuations, and for warships and aircraft to switch to clean energy, without millions of tons of lunar regolith as a foundation, we can't extract enough helium-3; everything is just empty talk.

He turned to look at Li Weizhou, his gaze intense, and said, "In our original plan, nuclear fusion was to achieve a net energy gain this year, 2027. Commercialization would not be possible until 2050. However, because of your existence, everything is being brought forward significantly. If you can bring back a large amount of lunar soil, then commercial operation can be achieved within three years."

Li Weizhou thought for a moment and said, "A million tons... that's not impossible, but..."

Zhao Jiugu clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white. His Adam's apple bobbed twice before he spoke: "Mr. Li, if you have any difficulties, please feel free to bring them up, and we'll work together to find a solution!"

Li Weizhou chuckled and said, "It's not difficult, but you'll have to prepare a few intelligent automatic excavators for me, otherwise I won't have time to dig up a million tons of lunar soil by myself."

Zhao Jiugu was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Great! Great! No problem, no problem!!"

……

Time flies like an arrow; in the blink of an eye, half a year has passed.

Li Weizhou did not waste his time, but he was not particularly busy either.

Even when busy, I maintain a relaxed and leisurely mindset.

This whole mess is ridiculous. I thought I would have to endure humiliation and hardship, take one step at a time, risk my life in a life-or-death struggle to gain an opportunity, a magic weapon, and a pill, just like Han the Demon, being hunted down and forced to flee, growing stronger and then fighting back, every step filled with blood and tears.

But who would have thought...

Although he still can't compare to those imperial princes and princesses, or holy sons and daughters who grew up bathed in nectar and holy water, Li Weizhou didn't rely on his parents and relied entirely on his own hard work to achieve what he has today, which is already quite remarkable.

As Qingmu Peak extends its outer range, container villas appear in the mountains and forests.

They are all three-story villas that have been built on the other side of the world, complete with decoration. Just looking at their designs, they are simply too beautiful.

But those who have actually lived there know that the living experience is very poor because the ventilation and air quality are bad, the heat insulation is negative, the sound insulation is even worse, and it is prone to dampness and mold, and its sturdiness is also poor.

In short, besides looking good, it's nothing special.

These shortcomings that are insurmountable on Earth are easily resolved in the spirit world.

Gentle Breeze Array, Soundproof Array, Heat Insulation Array, Solid Array, and Illumination Array for Lighting, etc., are all very simple and practical level one magic arrays.

Using a single dragon-patterned bamboo as the array's core, these low-level arrays can power tens of thousands of container villas, operating continuously year-round.

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows are bright and clear, and the decoration style is very different from that of the spirit world, but it is definitely comfortable and interesting, making people's eyes light up.

Not to mention the rogue cultivators outside, even Tao Ling'er screamed and cried when she saw it, insisting on having a house like this.

Looking at the strange sight, Master's wife Tian Ru asked Li Weizhou, "Is this a house in the mortal realm?"

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "Not really. I liked tidying up my house when I was in the lower realm. It's just that I didn't know how to use formations back then, so the arrangement was quite unsuccessful. Now that we have formations, many of my ideas can be realized."

Zhou Yueniang, Situ Qingyue, and the others smiled without saying a word.

Tian Ru's expression turned rather unpleasant. She stared at Li Weizhou with unfriendly eyes and said, "You, a sect leader, want to be a craftsman?"

Tao Ling'er looked at Li Weizhou nervously and said, "Junior Brother, Mother is worried about you. Don't let your playthings distract you from your studies."

Li Weizhou smiled and waved his hand. In an instant, the place where they were located changed dramatically. Thousands of giant trees that were originally quiet and docile instantly turned into giant demons, wielding thorny clubs and smashing them down.

Tao Ling'er screamed in fright and drew her Chenyan Sword. Her master's wife, Tian Ru, was much calmer, but her eyes were also filled with shock.

Just as the troll's club was about to strike, Li Weizhou had a thought, and all the illusions vanished, revealing the astonished faces of the crowd.

Tian Ru stared blankly at Li Weizhou and said, "You..." She was speechless for a moment.

She had been in charge of the Five Elements Grand Array before, but even with her mastery of the array, she couldn't have done it so easily, casting the array at will.

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "Master's wife, if you want to master the great formation to a subtle level, you have to do these things that seem useless but can actually hone your skills and deepen your understanding and comprehension of the Dao."

Tian Ru suddenly asked, "How many houses like this have you built?"

Li Weizhou thought for a moment and said, "Twenty or thirty thousand sets, I guess. These things don't require much effort; they can be done casually. But the different formations in different places require some study and deliberation, which is quite interesting and yields great rewards."

"..."

Tian Ru asked one last question: "What is your current cultivation level...?"

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "Sixth level of Spiritual Awakening, still a bit short of Senior Sister's level."

Tao Ling'er first threw her head back and laughed loudly: "Hahaha! Junior brother, you still want to surpass me? How dare you..."

He immediately realized what was happening, stared wide-eyed at Li Weizhou, and asked, "How much... do you have?"

Zhou Yueniang comforted him, saying, "When he opened the Hidden God Palace and received the blessing of Heaven, he absorbed and stored a lot of pure spiritual energy from heaven and earth, which is why his cultivation was faster at the beginning, and it got better later."

Tao Ling'er beat her chest in regret, crying out, "I shouldn't have missed the blessing of Heaven back then! Ahhhhh!" She then turned to Situ Qingyue and asked, "You've reached the sixth level too?"

Situ Qingyue paused for a moment, then said softly, "Seventh level."

Tian Ru and Tao Ling'er fell silent. This family was really... progressing at a frighteningly fast pace.

After a moment of silence, Tian Ru sighed, "No wonder everyone says that those who open the Hidden Divine Palace in the lower realm will surely become a great power in the spirit world, as long as they don't die young. It's truly enviable."

She was indeed exceptionally intelligent, and quickly realized: "You're planning to recruit new disciples from the outer sect?"

Li Weizhou nodded and said, "We do have that plan, but we won't be so hasty."

He then gave a general outline of the plan, concluding, "It's such a waste to leave so many resources idle. Besides, cultivation requires resources. If Senior Sister had enough top-grade spirit crystals to cultivate, she would probably have already reached the Spirit Origin Realm."

Tian Ru chuckled and said, "Apart from the holy lands and aristocratic families in Zhongzhou, no other family's disciples have such conditions."

Li Weizhou said, "Therefore, we must proceed step by step. First, we'll establish the academy, select promising talents, and then arrange for them to enter the outer sect. I've been out several times these past few days, visiting the Azure Scale Serpent, Broken Snow Cliff, and Black Wind Lake. There are countless people risking their lives for cultivation resources. What most of them dream of is simply having a stable spiritual vein for cultivation and obtaining a good cultivation technique. And we have these precious resources right from the start. In fact, if we entered other sects, obtaining these cultivation resources would require tremendous effort and sacrifice to acquire them step by step."

It is thanks to the care and support of our master, mistress, and senior sister that we were able to obtain these resources so easily. If outsiders knew, it would drive those rogue cultivators who risk their lives for even a little bit of resources to the brink of madness with envy and jealousy.

Therefore, I must make good use of the resources left by my ancestors to strengthen the Five Elements Sect as soon as possible and restore its former glory.

Of course I know it's a bit early to think about these things, but preparation is key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. This is a long process that could take decades or even centuries, and it always needs a beginning. Rather than waiting for the future, it's better to start as soon as possible.

"I am deeply grateful to my master and mistress for entrusting me with the foundation of the Five Elements Sect. How could I dare to be disrespectful?"

Tian Ru's expression was complicated and difficult to understand. She looked at Li Weizhou and said, "Weizhou, you probably don't know. In the past, neither Master nor Mistress dared to hope that the Five Elements Sect could be revived. Your master was seriously injured before, and it was unknown whether he could recover. Your senior sister and I... dared not think about what the future would be like."

It was your senior sister who gritted her teeth and decided to use the last two top-grade spirit crystals for one last gamble. Unexpectedly, she brought you all back. Your master's wife only hopes that you can grow up safely and steadily, and that the Five Elements Sect won't die out in our hands. You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself.”

Tao Ling'er, her eyes also red, said, "Back then, Father went into seclusion for several years without a word. Mother's heart was entirely focused on Father. I was so afraid something had happened to him, and Mother was also..."

Zhou Yueniang tugged at her hand and comforted her, "It's all over now, everything will be alright."

Feng Biwu said softly, "Speaking of which, it can be said that you, Senior Sister, personally saved Master, Master's wife, and the Five Elements Sect."

Tao Ling'er was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then her somewhat square face lit up as she looked at Feng Biwu and said, "Really? Really!! Wow, I'm so amazing! Mother..."

She turned to look at Tian Ru.

Tian Ru said with a smile, "Yes, yes, it's all thanks to you. You saved your father and mother, and you also saved the Five Elements Sect."

Tao Ling'er was overjoyed and pulled Xi Mei around in circles.

After smiling, Tian Ru said to Li Weizhou, "Now that you are the sect leader, you can do whatever you want. But you must remember two things: First, never neglect your own cultivation, that is the most important thing. Second, remember that rogue cultivators cannot be trusted, especially those powerful rogue cultivators, none of them have clean hands. And those scions of small and medium-sized aristocratic families are even less trustworthy, their own families will always come first in their hearts."

Li Weizhou smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master's wife, I know everything. I wouldn't say I'm an expert in the art of training eagles, but I do know a little bit about it. Furthermore, unless there are very good prospects, I don't plan to take on any inner disciples for the next thirty years. I'll only bring it up again when Yue Niang and the others have reached the Spirit God Realm."

……

(End of this chapter)