Chapter 3

As the words left his mouth, Li Xiangdong felt an immense sense of relief, as if a heavy burden that had long weighed on his heart had suddenly been lifted. So, he walked with an unprecedented lightness, and the girl who had once made his heart flutter was now completely dead in his heart.

As for Ling Shuang'er, how she chose to live was her own business. If she enjoyed the attention of men and the thrill of being pursued, then let her enjoy it to her heart's content. He, for one, was done with her and her mess.

Leaving the school gate, Li Xiangdong, who rarely took the bus, instead hailed a taxi and headed straight for the outskirts of Huanghai City.

Li Xiangdong's family originally lived in the compound of the Municipal Bureau. Ten years ago, the bureau demolished the compound and built a residential complex with funds raised from the residents. They bought a unit there, but it was usually rented out to supplement their income, and they didn't live there.

However, they had an old house in Longtou Village, which was left by his grandfather. He and his mother lived there.

Longtou Village is located about 30 kilometers northeast of Huanghai City. It was originally a small village primarily dependent on agriculture, with a pleasant environment surrounded by mountains and water. Despite its underdeveloped economy, it was still a good place.

In the past ten years, with the rapid economic development and urbanization in the country, major cities have expanded rapidly. As a result, small villages like Longtou Village have gradually been incorporated into the direct jurisdiction of the provincial capital.

Now, Longtou Village has become a true suburban area. Due to its beautiful mountains, clear water, and scenic views, it has become a well-known vacation and leisure area for city dwellers.

In recent years, many developers have built high-end resorts and luxury villa complexes in and around Longtou Village. The villagers no longer rely primarily on agriculture but have shifted to service industries, working in the resorts or as domestic help and security in the luxury villa complexes.

Unlike other newly incorporated urban-rural fringe areas, the environment in Longtou Village has not deteriorated due to the expansion of the provincial capital. Instead, it has become a well-known scenic resort area due to the presence of wealthy residents.

The ancestral home left by Li Xiangdong's grandfather is located on the northern edge of Longtou Village, at the foot of Longtou Mountain, with the Yudai River in front. The location is very pleasant, with mountains and water.

It must be said that Li Xiangdong's ancestors had good foresight in choosing this location. Li Xiangdong loves this place. The ancestral home is very large, with a three-section courtyard. Apart from the somewhat old rooms and relatively outdated modern living facilities, everything else, in his opinion, is no less impressive than the luxury villa complex just across the street.

Upon entering the courtyard gate, there is an ancient and elegant small garden. Although it lacks pavilions and terraces, it is very tastefully designed, with peach and jujube trees planted along the walls.

The main house is the first row of buildings, which serves as the living room and kitchen-dining area.

Behind the main house is the middle courtyard, which also has a small garden with three ancient ginkgo trees, a Chinese yew, and a red pine.

Li Xiangdong and his mother usually live in the house in the middle courtyard. The back courtyard is a small garden where they grow vegetables for their own consumption, and the old house at the back is used as a storage room.

When the development around Longtou Village was underway, a wealthy businessman once offered several hundred thousand yuan to buy their old house, but Li Xiangdong refused. How could he sell their ancestral home for just 600,000 yuan? That amount wouldn't even cover the value of the ginkgo trees in their courtyard.

Li Xiangdong returned to the old house, pushed the door open, and found no one inside. It was a weekend, and his mother was not at home.

He called his mother and learned that she was giving private lessons this weekend and wouldn't be back.

Li Xiangdong's mother is a teacher at the 28th Middle School in the provincial capital, teaching Chinese. She is quite well-known. When Li Xiangdong was at the police academy, she stayed in the school dormitory, as the 28th Middle School is far from their home, and she only returned on weekends.

However, on weekends, there are always students who want her to give them private lessons. Considering that she wanted to save up for her son's marriage, she worked hard and gave private lessons when she had free time, often not returning home on weekends.

It was better that she wasn't home, as he had things to do today. Li Xiangdong was preoccupied with thoughts of how to improve himself as quickly as possible, especially following the instructions given by the "bracelet" to break the restrictions in his body.

On his way back, Li Xiangdong reviewed the methods left by the "senior" in his mind to break the restrictions.

According to the "senior," his current weak physical condition is mainly due to the seal on his bloodline. However, breaking that seal is not a simple matter.

The senior explained that if Li Xiangdong wanted to achieve great things and restore the glory of his family, he would need to practice martial arts. However, many of the family's martial arts techniques have been lost, and even if they still existed, his current physical condition would make it impossible for him to practice them.

Therefore, to practice martial arts, he first needed to improve his physical condition. However, with his bloodline sealed, how to improve his physical condition was a difficult problem.

Over the years, Li Xiangdong had consistently exercised, but no matter how hard he tried, his frail body remained unchanged, which had once made him lose hope.

If the senior hadn't been accidentally awakened by him, he would probably have remained in that state for the rest of his life. However, after learning the cultivation methods from the senior, he felt a renewed sense of hope in his life.

However, the cultivation methods the senior told him were quite unconventional, not the traditional martial arts cultivation he was familiar with, but rather the path of a spellcaster.

Li Xiangdong still believed in martial arts, as they still exist in modern society regardless of its development. However, spellcasting is considered a form of black magic and is strictly prohibited by the state. He had also seen many cases of fraud under the guise of spellcasting, so he was not very confident about the path of a spellcaster.

But then again, if a "bracelet" could talk, what else couldn't be believed? So, Li Xiangdong gritted his teeth and decided to give it a try.