A Card In Hand

Chapter 75: No Comparison, No Hurt!

Uncle Niu and his family, if they intended to contract these war beasts, it would take them perhaps ten days or even a month, and even then, they might not succeed in contracting.

Li Ao skipped over this process entirely, as he was leaving in a few days for the Upper Capital and saw no need to complicate matters unnecessarily.

Using the contracting power drawn from the Celestial Formation by Li Ao, a radiant light soared into the sky, instantly ensuring a successful contract for everyone, including the little ones who, ignorant of matters, simply stretched out their hands as the adults had instructed.

Although these little ones couldn’t summon an enhanced war beast, this wasn’t important to Li Ao.

What Li Ao wanted was for them to grow up healthier and safer.

With the protection of an enhanced war beast, their chances of accidents and diseases would be greatly reduced.

The light was blazing.

Soaring into the sky.

The massive reaction from the entire family of Uncle Niu contracting their war beasts startled the villagers, who were already quite attentive to this family’s various activities.

Consequently, the neighbors rushed over to see what was happening.

Now that the contracts were successfully made, everyone felt more confident. Uncle Niu and the others looked expectantly at Li Ao, hoping he would take charge.

“It’s fine, let’s take this opportunity to show our strength! We have the power, and we’re not afraid to let others know! We want to tell them that our family is rising, and if they support us, we can help them prosper too!”

Encouraged by Li Ao’s words.

Aunt Niu Shui, excited, was the first to open the gate, her face glowing as she stepped out of the yard.

Following her, Uncle Niu and the others waved at the neighbors before finding places to stand, then concentrated on connecting mentally with their war beast cards, eager to summon their contracted war beasts.

They did this not only to demonstrate their power to the neighbors but also because they were equally curious and eager to see what their war beasts looked like.

Moo Moo Moo~!

With a flicker of light.

A massive, robust bull, entirely dark and immensely sturdy, was successfully summoned by Uncle Niu.

The great-horned bull contracted by Uncle Niu was extraordinarily tall and strong, its body as hard as iron, with two massive horns thrusting skyward. With a combat power of 96, it was the strongest among all the family’s contracted war beasts, even slightly stronger than a rock bear.

With the enhancement from the great-horned bull, not only were Uncle Niu’s internal injuries healed, but he also gained a ‘Iron Bull’s Body’ from the war beast.

This Iron Bull’s Body.

Significantly enhanced Uncle Niu’s physical fitness and provided him with stronger defense.

Usually stern and silent, Uncle Niu now couldn’t stop smiling, his spirits lifted as if he had become a different person.

The once bent spine was now straight as a rod.

“Great!”

Seeing such a powerful war beast with Uncle Niu, the neighbors couldn’t help but applaud in unison.

“Is this the old great-horned bull?”

Some of the younger villagers who hadn’t seen it before asked eagerly.

“No, but it’s stronger than the old one!”

“Uncle Niu is amazing!”

Aunt Niu Shui had contracted a ground-splitting cow, a female.

This robust Split-Earth Ox, being equally colossal and burly, holds the status of a high-tier Black Iron level, boasting a combat power of 69. Having bonded with it, Aunt Niu Shui now ranks as the second most powerful in her family.

Of course.

Aunt Niu Shui was already formidable, her physique incredibly robust.

Shi Pan, the elder brother, had a Rock Turtle as his bonded beast, also of high-tier Black Iron level, with a combat power of 62.

Mu Dun, the younger brother, bonded with an Ironclad Beetle, precisely on the threshold of the high-tier Black Iron level with a combat power of exactly 60.

While the modest combat power might seem trivial for a summoner, it represents a monumental leap from their previous physical capabilities, which barely scraped a combat power of around ten.

In the Ironclad Bloodline’s branch at Silverlight City, a combat power of 60, if backed by influential connections, could earn one a position among the lower echelon of family warriors.

The neighbors applauded vigorously, foreseeing the rise of Uncle Niu Huang’s family and hoping to bask in their reflected glory.

The village guards swallowed their envy.

The two sisters-in-law couldn’t summon beasts themselves.

The beasts Li Ao had prepared for them were integrated directly with their bodies.

Now, their physiques were several times more robust than before, with visibly thicker waists, arms, and thighs.

After integrating with their beasts, they were even more robust than Aunt Niu Shui had been.

This transformation would surely not appeal to the beauty-conscious female summoners, but for these rural women, it was a dream come true.

Appearances didn’t matter.

Being able to work hard and bear sons, that’s what they considered the ideal physique.

Women from the village gathered around, admiring and envying their robust builds, wishing they too could have such sturdy bodies.

The energized youngsters ran around excitedly.

“Step aside, let the adults attend to serious matters!”

Aunt Niu Shui hurried them away.

“Aunt Niu Shui, your family is going to prosper!” the neighbors remarked enviously, lamenting their lack of a foster child like Li Ao.

Back then.

Some had quietly mocked Aunt Niu Shui.

They thought that even if Li Ao grew up to be successful and became a summoner, he would surely return to the family in Silverlight City, and all their efforts in raising him would be in vain.

But contrary to their expectations, Li Ao made a name for himself without any intention of returning to Silverlight City and even brought back beast cards for Aunt Niu Shui’s family to bond with.

Li Ao’s actions were beyond what anyone had anticipated.

Such beasts couldn’t even be bought with money!

So filial!

Li Ao was truly a paragon of filial piety!

“Going forward, we will need everyone’s support! The family has appointed me as the captain of the guards here at the farmstead, and I won’t have time to manage this, so I’ve decided to leave everything in Uncle Niu Huang’s hands! Whoever among you supports him, I promise to provide each family with a beast card in three years!”

“We’re all from the same village. As I rise, you should support our family, and I’ll ensure you too have a day of transformation!”

“Of course, if you don’t support us, then consider that I never said anything!”

“What I, Li Ao, promise, I definitely deliver!”

“You’ve all heard it, you can all bear witness together!”

“Those who wish to support our Uncle Niu Huang, come and sign up. This afternoon, our family will continue to treat everyone to a meal, with plenty of meat and wine. I want to make sure everyone eats their fill for a month!” Li Ao stepped forward to officially bolster Uncle Niu Huang’s prestige.

Endorsed by a Summoner.

With the evident transformation of Uncle Niu Huang’s family as an example, everyone felt it was worth believing.

Besides, even if there was no war beast card reward after three years, just having Li Ao provide meals for a month was not a bad deal!

Uncle Niu Huang had always been respected, spending his days patrolling the village with the youth.

All he lacked was a war beast.

Now that the Great Horned Ox had returned, there was no question about his ability to manage the squadron for Li Ao.

If not supporting Uncle Niu Huang, who else in the village could replace him? Who else had the credentials?

It was a simple matter of self-interest, and the neighbors quickly understood.

The youth were the most excited.

Who didn’t want a chance to turn their life around?

Clinging to Li Ao was far better than flattering the high and mighty families of Silverlight City! Those from Silverlight City were aloof, nowhere as reliable as Li Ao!

“I’ll sign up!”

The first to raise his hand was Tie Hammer, who had carried Li Ao on his shoulders the day before: “If I can’t meet the requirements in three years, let my son make the contract. Either way, I, Tie Hammer, trust Li Ao completely, and fully support Uncle Niu Huang!”

“Anyone who isn’t supported by Uncle Niu Huang shouldn’t even be mixing with us at the new Guangwu Villa!” Neighbors followed in a surge, each expressing their support.

“We absolutely support your family’s Uncle Niu Huang, Aunt Niu Shui!”

“Here’s some vegetables I just picked!”

“And this is my chicken!”

“These are my pancakes; I made them especially for Li Ao this morning, I remember how much he loves them…”

Li Ao, standing on the back of a rock bear, seized the moment to announce another decision, which was to reward the guards supporting Uncle Niu Huang with a silver star every month as a personal reward!

This decision was even more effective because, unlike beast cards which would only be visible in three years, this bonus could be received monthly.

The reserve members of the farm guard were so excited they nearly cried on the spot, for they could finally earn some money.

Working hard without pay.

Not to mention feeling unrecognized and undervalued.

Now, not only were they earning money, but they were also recognized by Li Ao, the captain of the guard, skipping over the long queues and the desperate gifting and pleading which had driven them to despair.

A simple declaration of support for Uncle Niu Huang promised them a brighter tomorrow, and how could they not be thrilled?

The neighbors roared with excitement, each rushing to enter the courtyard to help out, afraid of falling behind.

Seeing this scene.

Uncle Niu Huang took a deep breath.

As naive and honest as he was, he knew this was Li Ao campaigning on his behalf.

Yet, the excitement in his heart he couldn’t voice; he could only pat Li Ao on the shoulder, his myriad emotions condensed into one phrase: “I’ve got things to do!”

“Li Ao, here I come!” Far away, Fuxi was riding his metallic rhinoceros, galloping towards them.

In stark contrast to the joyful and laughing atmosphere around Li Ao.

He had been quite miserable these past two days.

Returning home.

Fuxi thought he would receive attention from his family.

Perhaps a new mission to test him, a responsibility to bear, or even a reward of a better battle beast to enhance his combat power… But nothing at all!

Just last night, his great uncle called him over, merely asking a couple of questions about the future family head, Tie Zheng, before dismissively waving him away.

Fuxi felt incredibly stifled.

Although he wasn’t as prominent as the powerful Tie Zheng, he was still a promising newcomer with a combat power of 404, with limitless potential. Couldn’t they see that?

No wonder Li Ao didn’t want to show off. He must truly detest speaking with these condescending people!

Thankfully, the genuine happiness of his father and mother was real.

They distributed money to the servants.

And held a feast, inviting relatives from various branches of the family to celebrate.

However, the sneering and insincere comments from his cousins during the feast dampened Fuxi’s spirits like a bucket of cold water dumped on his head.

On the surface, Yuan Chi always defended Fuxi.

Acting every bit the protective big brother.

But the more he did so, the more Fuxi couldn’t stand his pretentiousness.

If it weren’t for the presence of the elders, Fuxi could hardly restrain himself from flipping the table… Look at yourself. What do you look like?

Tie Zheng, the future family head of the main house, is modest and low-key. What’s the point of playing these games?

If it weren’t for Li Ao exposing you, I would still think you were a real big shot! Don’t you feel disgusted saying such hypocritical things?

Fuxi forced a smile, extremely frustrated.

What was even more frustrating was that he couldn’t escape the banquet.

Thinking seriously the next day, Fuxi decided to stop dealing with his family.

They had little skill but were always infighting, making the whole family toxic.

Rather than dealing with these oddly spoken folks, he might as well find Li Ao, who was at least straightforward.

Arriving at the rural farmhouse, the joyous atmosphere there pierced his heart sharply.

Without comparison, there would be no harm!

Li Ao is so lucky!

If possible, Fuxi really wanted to immediately switch places with Li Ao.

“What’s wrong? Who bullied you?” Li Ao noticed that Fuxi, the boss, was troubled.

“Ah, you don’t know!”

Fuxi spilled his frustrations to Li Ao like pouring beans out of a bag, finally waving his hand disheartenedly: “That family, I used to be too dull to notice the problems, but now I don’t want to go back! By the way, Li Ao, how about we go to the capital earlier?”

“Let’s wait two more days, I just have some things to handle!”

Li Ao asked Fuxi to wait two more days.

“What things?”

Fuxi was curious.

“Secret!”

Li Ao smiled mysteriously.

Now Fuxi was really troubled.

He hated nothing more than people who had secrets but wouldn’t share them.

Are you trying to keep me from sleeping at night?