Chapter 4 - 3: Harvest

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Harvest

Early morning, three days later.

Cold mist blanketed Jingyue Lake, and a thin layer of ice had formed over the surface, making it look like a mirror—calm and peaceful.

Chen Jianghe, dressed in coarse cloth, stood at the bow of his boat. Facing the cold wind, he gazed at the Yun Family’s massive ship slowly approaching.

Dozens of massive, thousand-foot ships broke through the ice as they sailed across Jingyue Lake. There were no oars on their sides, making it a mystery what powered their gliding motion. These were the ships the Yun Family used to collect fish, and each followed a fixed route across the lake.

Chen Jianghe’s breeding waters were designated in the 501 to 600 sequence. Right now, the large ship was docked at Old Gao’s waters. Through the misty surface of the lake, he could vaguely see flashes of golden light in Old Gao’s waters. Less than half an incense stick of time later, the massive ship began to move again.

"Outer Waters, 512 Waters, Chen Jianghe."

"Here."

"Good. Begin the harvest."

The fish-collecting steward of this massive ship confirmed Chen Jianghe’s basic information before ordering his subordinates to begin harvesting the Large Cyan Fish. Chen Jianghe watched as four Cultivators flew up from the massive ship, jointly controlling a net-like Magical Artifact. He immediately knew that these four Cultivators possessed Cultivations at the Mid-Stage Qi Refining or higher. Only by breaking through to the Mid-Stage Qi Refining could one achieve Qi Manipulation Flight.

That net-like Magical Artifact was a Golden Silk Net, specially forged by an Artifact Refiner hired by the Yun Family to catch Large Cyan Fish.

"Little Black, your task is complete. Burrow into the bottom of the lake and rest for half a month. When work begins next year, I’ll reward you with a Spirit Awakening Pill," Chen Jianghe thought. With a mere thought, his Divine Sense touched the Spirit Turtle Mark on his Spirit Platform, transmitting the message to Little Black in the lake.

He didn’t know what tier of Magical Artifact the Golden Silk Net was, but he had witnessed its power before. Under the control of four Cultivators, a single cast could scoop up all the aquatic creatures in his waters into the net. They would then extract the Large Cyan Fish and release the rest of the creatures back into the lake.

Although Little Black had not yet reached the Entry Tier, it was highly intelligent. To avoid catching the eyes of the Yun Family Cultivators, it had to hide in the mud at the bottom of the lake every time they came to collect fish.

WHOOSH!

The four Cultivators took positions in the east, south, west, and north, injecting their Magical Power into the Golden Silk Net simultaneously. Suddenly, golden light burst forth as the Golden Silk Net expanded against the wind and descended into the lake, completely covering Chen Jianghe’s breeding waters.

Ten breaths later, the Golden Silk Net breached the surface of the lake, bulging with various aquatic creatures. Fish were the most abundant, but there was also no shortage of turtles, snakes, shrimp, and crabs. Of Little Black’s kind alone, Chen Jianghe saw no fewer than a hundred. Each one was as dark as ink, gleaming black under the morning sun.

Under the orders of the Chief Ship Steward, Chen Jianghe joined the harvesting team, casting the Small Water Control Technique to pull the Large Cyan Fish onto the ship. Since he only possessed First-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation, his Small Water Control Technique could only form a single Magic Power Silver Thread. Thus, he could only retrieve one Large Cyan Fish at a time.

In contrast, the four Cultivators at the Mid-Stage Qi Refining or above could pull in eleven or twelve Large Cyan Fish with every cast of their Small Water Control Technique.

Half a quarter-hour later.

All the Large Cyan Fish in the Golden Silk Net had been fully harvested, and the other aquatic creatures were released back into the lake. The Chief Ship Steward tallied the number of Large Cyan Fish and then weighed them.

"The total yield of Large Cyan Fish in Chen Jianghe’s 512 Waters is 2,081 catties, consisting of 578 fish. The average weight is—hmm?!" The Chief Ship Steward paused and shot Chen Jianghe a slightly surprised look. "Three catties and six taels."

The four Cultivators also looked at Chen Jianghe with expressions of unexpected surprise.

Looking at Chen Jianghe’s registered information, it was clear he hadn’t been breeding fish for many years. Without exception, waters that achieved an average weight of three catties and six taels and a total yield of over 2,000 catties were all managed by veteran Fishermen and Farmers with ten or twenty years of experience.

"The total yield is 2,081 catties. The base pay for the first thousand catties is ten grains of Spiritual Sand, and the commission for the remaining 1,081 catties will be rounded up to eleven grains of Spiritual Sand.

"Since the average weight is three catties and six taels, you get an extra reward of sixty grains of Spiritual Sand.

"That makes a total of eighty-one grains of Spiritual Sand."

The Chief Ship Steward took out a Storage Pouch, extracted eighty-one grains of Spiritual Sand, and looked at Chen Jianghe with an appreciative gaze. "I am Yun Bufan. You have a great talent for raising fish. I hope to see you in the Inner Waters in the future."

"Thank you, Steward Yun.

"I will definitely keep working hard to add fuel to the family’s glory and produce even more Large Cyan Fish."

Chen Jianghe hurriedly expressed his gratitude, his words brimming with passionate enthusiasm.

Yun Bufan nodded in satisfaction and departed with the four Cultivators on the ship, heading to the next set of waters to collect fish. Chen Jianghe watched the massive ship disappear into the morning mist before returning to his own cabin.

"Eighty-one grains of Spiritual Sand. That’s eleven more than I expected," he thought. He took out a coarse cloth pouch from his chest, carefully placed the Spiritual Sand inside, and tucked it back in. Precious wealth like Spiritual Sand needed to be kept close to the body.

"To think the steward collecting fish this time is actually a descendant of the Yun Family. No wonder he’s so young. Yun Bufan?!" he thought in surprise.

There were dozens of fish-collecting stewards in the Outer Waters, but none were permanently assigned to a single sequence of waters. This was the Yun Family’s way of preventing the stewards from extorting the profits of the Fishermen and Farmers, a measure taken for the family’s long-term development. After all, the Yun Family’s growth relied heavily on the Fishermen and Farmers who raised the Large Cyan Fish.

Judging from Yun Bufan’s appearance, Chen Jianghe figured the man was, at most, only a few years older than himself. Of course, this was the Cultivation Realm, where age could not be judged by appearance. For instance, a Foundation Establishment Ancestor could live over a hundred years yet still retain the appearance of someone in their twenties or thirties. Similarly, Qi Refining Cultivators who had taken a Youthful Pill would maintain the exact look they had when they consumed the pill, right up until the moment they died of old age.

As for Yun Bufan’s comment—"I hope to see you in the Inner Waters in the future"—Chen Jianghe had absolute confidence that he would enter the Inner Waters.

There were three ways to enter the Inner Waters. First, break through to the Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivation and become a Guardian Guest Elder of the Yun Family. Second, achieve an annual yield of 3,000 catties of Large Cyan Fish in the Outer Waters, with an average weight exceeding four catties, to become a Senior Fisherman and Farmer. Doing so would grant permission to enter the Inner Waters to raise Little Cyan Fish. Third, attain the Tier One Middle Level in any of the top ten popular crafts among the Hundred Cultivation Skills—such as Array, Pill, Artifact, or Talisman making—to become one of the Yun Family’s Hundred Arts Guest Elders.

The closer one got to Huxing Island, the denser the Spiritual Qi became. The Inner Waters of Jingyue Lake were home not only to Senior Fishermen and Farmers raising fish but also to many Cultivators possessing specialized skills. For Cultivators, living on land or on water, inside a house or on a fishing boat, made no difference. Their only requirement was Spiritual Qi.

"Entering the Inner Waters? It should take me about twenty years," Chen Jianghe thought, setting a goal for himself.

He didn’t know if Little Black’s transformation into a Spirit Turtle and advancement to the Entry Tier would drastically change the yield of his Large Cyan Fish. Even if it did push his yield to the standard of a Senior Fisherman and Farmer, he wouldn’t reveal it within the next twenty years.

Yun Bufan’s words of praise today had served as a slight wake-up call for Chen Jianghe. A talent for raising fish was still a talent. Being too conspicuous, even without actively showing off, would attract attention. The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind.

If the Yun Family were to conduct a deep investigation, they would inevitably discover Little Black hiding at the bottom of the lake, which might lead them to uncover his secret. He possessed the "Lifespan of a Spirit Turtle" Golden Finger, giving him a lifespan comparable to a Foundation Establishment Ancestor. As long as he managed his affairs steadily, becoming a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator was only a matter of time. Only by cultivating to the Late-Stage Qi Refining would he have the power to protect himself in this cruel Cultivation Realm.

With his mind settled, Chen Jianghe stepped out of the cabin and grabbed his oars, rowing toward the port. He had agreed with Old Gao and Daniu to gather at a tavern in the market at the end of every year, to drink, chat freely, and exchange the gains they had made over the year. Furthermore, the annual year-end convention for the Fishermen and Farmers was also held at the port.