Druid Fairy

Chapter 51 Detecting Spiritual Roots
"father!"

Li Yuan was shocked. His father had worked hard in the fields in his early years and his back and legs had always been bad. How could he withstand a hard kick in the waist!

He moved incredibly fast, lunging to block the kick, taking the full force of it, wincing in pain and groaning in agony.

Li Pingfu quickly pulled open Li Yuan's shirt at the chest. Good heavens, there was a dark bruise and blood all over his body. The force with which he kicked him was truly vicious!
Fortunately, he always carried medicated oil with him, and he forcefully pushed away the bruises and looked at Uncle Li Fang.

Li Fang was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and he stood there dumbfounded.

"You bastard! You're such a bad person!"

Li Qian was so angry that her head was practically steaming. She bared her teeth and tried to rush up and bite someone, but Li Pingcan quickly grabbed her. This little girl was like a little bear, and she was really strong. If Li Pingcan hadn't practiced martial arts, no one her age would have been able to hold her back!
Li Erni bypassed the constables, lowered her head, wiped away her tears, and supported her father.

The villagers of Peach Blossom Village murmured and complained, a sentiment echoing through the village.

"Even if they are government officials, they can't hit people!"

“Li Fang didn’t do it on purpose. We farmers cherish our crops.”

"If you ask me, this kicking of the nine bushels has almost turned it into seven bushels, that's outrageous!"

……

The constable sneered, "Where the emperor is far away, troublemakers are more likely to emerge!"

He didn't speak, but arrogantly swept his eyes around. When they met the constable's gaze, the people of Peach Blossom Village lowered their heads one after another.

Seeing this, he coldly said, "Not wanting to pay taxes is to show contempt for the celestial officials and disrespect for the imperial court, and according to the law, one should be executed!"

Disrespect for the imperial court—such a serious accusation was slapped on their heads, and suddenly no one spoke. Their previous courage vanished, and they all stood there anxiously.

The old village chief said tremblingly, "Sir, Peach Blossom Village is loyal to the imperial court and its people are all obedient subjects."

The officer ignored the old village chief and pointed at Li Fang's nose, saying, "Then don't imitate this damned old man, and behave yourselves!"

Back beside the official measure, he used all his strength, kicking away half of it with each kick!
This is blatant revenge.

Li Pingcan frowned. As the saying goes, it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings. For these kinds of police officers, even the smallest amount of power can be used to set off a raging fire.

The autumn tax season is probably the most lucrative time of the year, so they have to find plenty of excuses to make a killing!

"Yuanyuan, go tell your father to send some more rice." Li Pingcan whispered to Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan nodded obediently, hugged her best friend Li Qian, and ran home like a little bird.

The rice from Li Fang's family was weighed out by the bushel, but each time half was taken away, and it soon wasn't enough to meet the autumn tax quota.

The officer looked at Li Fang with a half-smile, "If you can't pay the full amount of taxes, go dig for minerals in the mountains. Don't worry, digging for a year or two will be enough to offset your taxes."

Li Pingcan was horrified. Every year, countless people die in the mines in the mountains. They are often the places where captured villains go. How could an honest man like Uncle Li Fang come back alive?

Li Fang's knees buckled, and he knelt down, kowtowing and begging. Besides the furious Li Yuan and Li Qian, the dozen or so members of his family, including his elderly parents, also knelt down, wailing and crying.

Li Fang is the pillar of the family. If he is taken away, the sky will fall on the family!
The police officer felt a sense of satisfaction in punishing troublemakers. His expression was indifferent. "Kneeling won't help. You have to pay the difference. Let's see who tries to evade taxes!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Rongzhou brought over rice, making up for the missing portion. He smiled and said, "Shangguan, what are you saying? Even if someone else is missing, the imperial court's grain will not be lacking."

He then took out two taels of silver and slipped it into the constable's hand, saying, "Sir, you've worked hard. Have some tea to soothe your throat."

"Well, at least some of them are sensible."

The constable glanced at Li Rongzhou, his greed growing. He thought that Li Rongzhou must be quite wealthy to be able to casually take out two taels of silver to help others with their affairs. He had to find a reason to extort a large sum of money from him to make up for Li Rongzhou's hard work in collecting taxes.

Why did you have to stand up for others and lose money like that?

"Which family are you from?"

"Li Rongzhou, a commoner."

The constable flipped through the register and immediately saw the words "Talent Exemption for Scholars." Upon seeing Li Ping'an's age, he broke into a chrysanthemum-like smile: "Brother Li, I've long admired your name." He carefully counted the money, reluctantly adding one tael of silver, and then stuffed the three taels into Li Rongzhou's hand, saying righteously, "Serving the court is not hard work; it's my duty. How could I possibly charge you for your tea?"

Li Rongzhou maintained his humble demeanor and smiled, saying, "Your Excellency is an upright man, and I admire you greatly."

……

Li Pingfu quietly pulled up Uncle Li Fang's arm, "Uncle, don't worry, this calamity is over."

Li Fang felt as if she had been reborn, her face filled with gratitude.

"Thank you, really, without your family, I don't know what I would have done this time..."

If you were caught, it would be a near-death experience, and you would never see your parents and children again in this lifetime!

He grabbed Li Yuandao and said, "Yuanzi, Pingfu is your elder brother for life, and you must never betray him! The younger members of the family must all acknowledge your Uncle Rongzhou!"

He then looked at Li Pingcan. If it weren't for Li's youngest son holding his little girl back, who knows what kind of trouble they would have caused.

He might be able to come back even if he were taken to work in the mine, but his daughter is still so young.

"Pingcan, thank you, Uncle! Qian, come and kowtow to your brother."

Li Pingcan quickly stopped him, making up an excuse: "Uncle, I'm young and can't handle kowtowing. It would diminish my good fortune."

"what……"

Li Fang was speechless, unsure how to express her gratitude, and could only wipe away her tears with emotion.

…………

"Alas, Uncle Li Fang is also an innocent victim."

Back home, Li Pingcan sighed, his heart heavy.

Li Fangshu was too honest and simple-minded, and didn't understand the unspoken rules of officialdom; he was just upset that the grain had fallen to the ground.

If their family hadn't been scholars, they might have faced bullying as well. Of course, with his father's wisdom in dealing with people, he would have nipped the problem in the bud.

Looking back now, my second brother's ambition to become a celestial official was quite farsighted.

"Dad, why did you accept those three taels of silver later?" Li Pingcan asked his father.

“If we don’t accept the money, how can the officers feel at ease? Only by accepting this money can we truly settle this matter,” Li Rongzhou said, sipping his tea.

Li Pingcan always trusted his father's words, but this time he misjudged the situation, and the matter was not over yet.

In the winter of that year, a major event occurred in Peach Blossom Village that shocked the entire village.

"Li Fang's youngest daughter has tested positive for a spiritual root! And it's a top-grade spiritual root!"

This news spread like wildfire through every villager's home, causing the entire village to erupt in excitement, far more so than when Li Ping'an became a scholar.

"Li Fang's suffering has finally come to an end. His daughter has become an immortal, and the whole family has risen to prominence!"

"I knew Li Qian was going to amount to something!"

"How enviable! Why doesn't my daughter have the same good fortune as an immortal!"

…………

Li Fang, who was at the center of the conversation, stood honestly in front of Li Rongzhou, took out one hundred taels of silver, and said:

"Brother Rongzhou, this is the money that the messenger personally came to compensate me for. I'll give it all to you!"

(End of this chapter)