Chapter 25 - 24: Fishermen and Farmers Flee

Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Fishermen and Farmers Flee

’Twelve Spiritual Sand.’

Yu Daniu’s heart sank. The two Spirit Stones he’d gotten from Gao Peiyao, plus the more than fifty grains of Spiritual Sand he had saved, were almost completely depleted in just over three months.

Trying to learn the Talisman Dao was easier said than done.

In practice, it was a craft that consumed an enormous amount of Spirit Stones. It would be one thing if he succeeded, but if he failed to even get started, everything he had spent would be for nothing.

"Take this Spirit Stone."

Chen Jianghe took out a Spirit Stone and held it out to Yu Daniu.

It was one of the stones Zhou Miaoyun had just given him.

"Brother Jianghe, this... I can’t. I have enough Spiritual Sand to buy daily necessities."

Yu Daniu waved his hands in refusal.

He was short on Spirit Stones, but he knew Chen Jianghe was too. They were precious Cultivation Resources, and he couldn’t accept.

Chen Jianghe had already helped him more than enough.

"The Yun Family is in turmoil, and the port isn’t safe either. Prices have probably skyrocketed. Just take it. You can pay me back in the future."

Without waiting for Yu Daniu to argue, Chen Jianghe simply tossed it to him.

He had thought it through before lending the Spirit Stone to Yu Daniu.

Zhou Miaoyun had given him two Spirit Stones. Added to the thirty grains of Spiritual Sand he had left, it was enough to buy one Qi Nourishing Pill.

The remaining thirty grains of Spiritual Sand would be just about enough to get him through the end of the year.

But he had taken a Qi Nourishing Pill just four months ago, and the Pill Poison hadn’t been fully purged from his system yet. It wasn’t wise to take another one for Cultivation so soon.

By the end of the year, the Pill Poison would be gone, and he could buy and consume another Qi Nourishing Pill then.

Therefore, he only needed to keep one Spirit Stone for himself. Once the Yun Family collected the fish and he received his annual income, he could figure out how to buy a Qi Nourishing Pill.

"I..."

Yu Daniu was deeply moved. He could feel Gao Peiyao’s coldness from their earlier conversation, yet Chen Jianghe didn’t look down on him for his lack of worth and continued to speak up for him.

"We shouldn’t linger at the port. We need to hurry to the market, buy what we need, and get back to our waters."

Chen Jianghe clapped Yu Daniu on the shoulder. This wasn’t the time for emotional, sappy words.

「At the market.」

From a distance, he saw Gao Peiyao and Zhou Miaoyun standing at the entrance of a Yun Family shop.

It was a shop run by a disciple from a collateral branch of the Yun Family, primarily selling Spirit Marrow Rice. It was the only shop in the mortal market that sold items related to Cultivators.

’Buying Spirit Marrow Rice?’

Chen Jianghe didn’t go over to greet them. Instead, he led Yu Daniu into another, ordinary rice shop.

Spirit Marrow Rice was infused with Spiritual Qi and sold for eight grains of Spiritual Sand a catty.

Not only could it be absorbed for its Refinement properties, but it was also extremely filling; a single catty could stave off hunger for ten days.

Most importantly, it had very little waste content, which meant one would need to relieve themselves much less frequently.

Chen Jianghe wasn’t bothered by such things.

After they bought all the necessities, they had the shop’s assistant make six trips with a handcart to get everything loaded onto the boat.

While loading the boat, Chen Jianghe noticed they weren’t the only ones stocking up on massive quantities of supplies.

Even if chaos were to erupt across the eight-hundred-li expanse of Jingyue Lake, it would start on the fringes. The waters of Jingyue Lake itself were the Yun Family’s lifeblood; it was unlikely that turmoil would break out here.

Many of the Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers had realized this as well.

"Daniu, don’t take any more risks trying to gather information. You can’t provide value if you’re not alive."

"Mm, I know, Brother Jianghe."

The fishing boats pushed off, each heading back to their own section of the water.

Chen Jianghe looked at the mountain of goods piled in his boat’s hold. It had all cost him a total of twenty-six grains of Spiritual Sand.

The prices were more than triple what they normally were.

Still, Chen Jianghe could understand.

The mortals who risked their lives to arduously transport these goods to the port deserved to be paid that much.

He just wondered if the Yun Family shop had raised the price of their Spirit Marrow Rice.

Zhou Miaoyun, on the other hand, was making a killing in these turbulent times. Spirit Talismans were considered war materials, and they were consumables on top of that.

From what Zhou Miaoyun had said at the Yuelai Inn, it wasn’t hard to guess that the price of Spirit Talismans must have soared.

Compared to normal, prices had likely risen by twenty or even thirty percent.

’Once I become a Senior Fisherman and Farmer, I have to learn a trade. I’ll start by trying the Talisman Dao. I used to be a top student in painting, so I should have some Talent for it.’

’If that doesn’t work out, I’ll try the Alchemy Dao.’

He had a long life ahead of him; it would be a real waste not to master at least one trade.

Besides, the most important things on the path of the Immortal Dao were wealth, companions, techniques, and location.

Wealth meant Spirit Stones and all kinds of Cultivation Resources.

The higher one’s Realm, the more Spirit Stones they consumed and the greater their need for Cultivation Resources.

Without a trade, how could he ever afford them?

「Three months later.」

The dog days of summer arrived.

The heat was oppressive. The Golden Crow seemed to be spitting fire with abandon, baking the sky until not a single cloud remained.

Chen Jianghe walked to the bow of his boat, flicked his wrist to cast a Magic Power Silver Thread, and pulled out a two-catty Large Cyan Fish.

He untied a letter from the White Egret’s left leg.

’Daniu went to the port again.’

Chen Jianghe’s brow furrowed, but after a moment’s thought, his expression smoothed out.

He understood why Yu Daniu did it. In an alliance, one had to provide value—either potential value in the future or tangible value in the present.

Relying solely on the help of others was not a long-term solution.

Yu Daniu was risking a trip to the port to gather information because he didn’t want to put Chen Jianghe in a difficult position; he wanted to prove his own worth to their small alliance.

As he read the contents of the letter, Chen Jianghe’s expression shifted.

’Over a hundred Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers and more than a dozen Senior Fishermen and Farmers have left the Jingyue Lake waters!’

’If chaos breaks out at Jingyue Lake, the surrounding areas will be the first to fall into disarray. Aren’t these Cultivators afraid of the Tribulation Cultivators out there?’

Chen Jianghe read on.

Yu Daniu had stayed at the port for five days this time and learned that most of the Fishermen and Farmers who had left were disciples from various families.

They belonged to Qi Refining Families from either the Jingyue Lake region or the surrounding territories.

Upon reading this, Chen Jianghe understood.

A Qi Refining Family had limited resources; they couldn’t possibly be distributed equally among all the family’s disciples.

The more talented naturally received more, while the less talented got less.

This was why many disciples from such families came to work for the Yun Family as Fishermen and Farmers, supporting themselves while they accumulated Cultivation Resources.

Zhou Miaoyun was a prime example.

After finishing Yu Daniu’s letter, he wrote a reply.

He no longer tried to stop Yu Daniu from gathering information. Everyone had to make their own choices, and besides, it was the only way for Daniu to provide value.

He simply urged Daniu to be careful in his reply.

「Another five months passed, and the year’s end was approaching.」

Another letter arrived from Yu Daniu.

’Hm? So many Senior Fishermen and Farmers have left!’

In the past five months, almost no Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers had left, but on the other hand, more than twenty Senior Fishermen and Farmers had departed.

At this rate, the number of Senior Fishermen and Farmers in the Inner Waters had been cut in half.

’A Senior Fisherman and Farmer at the Late-Stage Qi Refining Realm would be considered a top-tier fighter even in a Qi Refining Family. It’s no surprise they’re leaving.’

Having already cultivated to the Late Stage of Qi Refining, they certainly wouldn’t choose to stay at Jingyue Lake and go down with the Yun Family’s sinking ship.

Besides, the Yun Family wasn’t the only Foundation Establishment Immortal Race that based its power on aquaculture.

’Daniu’s letter mentions that at the upcoming Fisherman and Farmer assembly, the Yun Family plans to make major changes to the Outer Waters. He says it might be a great opportunity for the Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers.’