Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Beauty Fades, Heroes Grow Old
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Leaving the housing agency, he felt refreshed and invigorated.
Thirty-six spirit stones for a five-year long-term lease.
It was originally forty spirit stones, but the remaining half-year's rent was deducted, bringing it down to thirty-six.
Renting for five years wasn't because he only planned to stay in Qinghe Market City for that long, but because he was running low on spirit stones.
After paying the five years' rent, he was left with only twenty-three spirit stones and ten grains of spirit sand.
"We don't have to move anymore."
Chen Jianghe sent a telepathic message to Xiao Hei.
"Huh? Oh."
Xiao Hei's voice held a hint of disappointment. He clearly missed their previously fulfilling life and didn't want to just laze around in Qinghe Market City.
"Your priority right now is cultivation. I'll handle earning spirit stones. Once we're strong enough, we can go wherever we please, without worrying about being stewed into soup."
Chen Jianghe offered a word of comfort.
Returning to Qingping Lane, he arrived at courtyard number 512. He placed the array disc, and with a thought, opened the gate.
He would be living here for a long time to come.
He hung up the 'In Seclusion' sign.
He activated the defensive array.
He released Xiao Hei and Maoqiu from the spirit beast space.
Splash!
Maoqiu obediently hopped into the pool, ready to continue cultivating by absorbing the rich spiritual energy.
"Maoqiu."
"Squeak, squeak..."
Maoqiu leaped in front of Chen Jianghe and obediently cupped its paws in a salute, just like a cultivator.
Chen Jianghe couldn't help but glance at Xiao Hei.
He didn't need to ask to know that this was Xiao Hei's handiwork.
"Here are your resources for the year. Cultivate diligently." Chen Jianghe took out four Spirit Nurturing Flowers from his storage bag.
"Squeak, squeak~"
This time, Maoqiu didn't take the Spirit Nurturing Flowers. Instead, it conveyed through the spirit beast ring that it was too much; two stalks would be enough.
During this period, Xiao Hei hadn't disturbed Chen Jianghe with telepathic messages, but he had communicated quite a bit with Maoqiu.
Thus, Maoqiu also knew that Chen Jianghe was short on spirit stones and didn't dare ask for too many cultivation resources.
"Times are getting better. Just focus on your cultivation."
Chen Jianghe smiled and gave the Spirit Nurturing Flowers to Maoqiu.
"Squeak, squeak~"
Maoqiu accepted the flowers and once again gave Chen Jianghe a very human-like, formal salute of thanks.
"Spirit Nurturing Flowers are useless to me. Take them and eat them yourself."
Seeing Maoqiu about to approach, Xiao Hei waved its short little paw, motioning for it to return to the pool to cultivate.
With a 'splash', the very obedient Maoqiu dove to the bottom of the pool to cultivate.
"Xiao Hei, you're bullying Maoqiu too much." Chen Jianghe chuckled as he took out two bottles of Crimson Cloud True Dew.
"Master, don't be fooled by its act. Maoqiu's divine ability is 'Illusory Spirit,' which can make its aura appear one minor realm higher or conceal it by one minor realm. Spirit beasts like this are usually experts at acting cute and pitiful."
Xiao Hei put away the Crimson Cloud True Dew and reminded Chen Jianghe.
"Fortunately, under my training, Maoqiu doesn't dare to be too unruly. But it's in the nature of such spirit beasts, and that's hard to change."
"Just like how Master is cautious and prudent, and I have a gentle personality—these things are difficult to change."
"..."
Chen Jianghe shot Xiao Hei a look. The first part of its speech was fine, but how did it end up dragging him into it?
And gentle personality my ass.
With that, Chen Jianghe stopped wasting words on Xiao Hei, returned to his room, and sat down cross-legged.
He took out a jade bottle and poured out a True Spirit Pill.
A faint, refreshing fragrance wafted out, pleasing to the senses.
He put the True Spirit Pill in his mouth and swallowed. He felt a refreshing energy spread throughout his body, followed by a dense, sun-like energy flowing into his Shenque acupoint.
As Chen Jianghe circulated the Myriad Waters True Scripture to purify his spiritual power, the medicinal efficacy of the True Spirit Pill would overflow from his Shenque, making his spiritual power even purer.
"In the three-plus years I've spent switching cultivation techniques, not only has the spiritual power in my sea of qi and dantian increased, but it has also been purified. This must be what they call a solid foundation."
"With the help of the True Spirit Pill, I should be able to reach the eighth level of Qi Refining within four years."
He circulated the Myriad Waters True Scripture for three major cycles.
Four hours passed quietly. Chen Jianghe opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of turbid air, then stood up and walked to his desk.
He began to draw spiritual talismans.
His cultivation technique transition was complete. From now on, he just needed to circulate the Myriad Waters True Scripture normally to purify his spiritual power.
Circulating it for three major cycles a day was the optimal cultivation time.
Therefore, he had more time for talisman crafting.
Furthermore, with his spiritual power being purer and thirty percent stronger, the number of talismans he could draw also increased.
While controlling the balance of his spiritual power, his spiritual sense could also be enhanced.
Thus, drawing talismans was also a form of cultivation.
If he extended his spiritual sense with all his might, it could now reach a distance of thirty-one feet, one foot farther than when he had just broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.
In terms of spiritual sense, he was already comparable to a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining.
He cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and calmed his spirit.
He took out all the necessary materials for talisman crafting and began drawing low-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
Three months later.
He had used up all the low-grade talisman materials on hand, producing nineteen low-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
Although his success rate for drawing low-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans hadn't improved...
...because his spiritual power was thirty percent stronger and purer, he could now draw three more times each month.
Moreover, the strength of his soul essence was also increasing.
Naturally, his mental strength had also grown more powerful.
The low-grade peach wood talisman brush could still be used eighty or ninety more times. If he were at Mirror Moon Lake, he could sell it as a brush once used by a fairy.
For now, he could only keep it and decide what to do with it later.
Next, he took out all the black porpoise hides, which he had cut into ninety sheets of spirit-blood pigskin.
"I'll start with offensive talismans."
The inscription patterns for mid-grade offensive talismans were the simplest, and they had the lowest requirement for spiritual power stability.
Besides, for the sake of profit, he had to first raise his success rate for mid-grade offensive talismans.
Five months passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Jianghe put away the wolf-hair talisman brush, the spiritual ink, and the remaining fifty-five sheets of spirit-blood pigskin.
Crafting a mid-grade talisman consumed nearly twice the spiritual power of a low-grade one.
The mental toll had also increased significantly.
He could only draw seven times a month. His success rate had gradually risen to thirty percent, and with thirty-five sheets of spirit-blood pigskin, he had successfully created ten mid-grade Water Arrow Talismans.
The price of a mid-grade Water Arrow Talisman was five spirit stones each. The buyback rate was eighty-five percent, so ten talismans netted him forty-two spirit stones and fifty grains of spirit sand.
As expected.
The profit from drawing mid-grade talismans at the beginning was lower than that from low-grade ones.
But as long as he could raise the success rate to forty percent, his profits would surpass those of low-grade talismans. If he reached fifty percent, his annual spirit stone earnings would reach a new peak.
Moreover, with a fifty percent success rate for mid-grade offensive talismans, he could then attempt to draw mid-grade protective talismans and mid-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans.
At that point, his income would increase once again.
He checked the time.
It was almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yu Daniu and the others should be arriving in Qinghe Market City soon, so it wasn't a good time to continue drawing talismans.
He left his room, taking Xiao Hei and Maoqiu with him.
Then he headed to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to sell the talismans he had.
Nineteen low-grade Five Elements Escape Talismans sold for a total of forty-eight spirit stones and forty-five grains of spirit sand.
Ten mid-grade Water Arrow Talismans sold for a total of forty-two spirit stones and fifty grains of spirit sand.
In total, he earned ninety spirit stones and ninety-five grains of spirit sand.
His spirit stone reserves were healthy again, reaching one hundred fourteen spirit stones and five grains of spirit sand.
But he had to admit, drawing mid-grade talismans was currently a losing venture.
Five months of crafting mid-grade talismans had yielded less profit than three months of crafting low-grade ones.
Of course, the reason his profit from low-grade talismans was so high was also due to the thirty percent boost in his spiritual power.
After selling the talismans, he went down from the second floor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to the first-floor river corridor.
He had been in Qinghe Market City for over four years, but he had never truly taken the time to look around.
"Senior Chen?"
A crisp and lively voice reached his ears.
Chen Jianghe looked toward the sound and saw Jiang Ruxu, the young woman who had once been his guide. More than four years had passed, and Jiang Ruxu had blossomed into a graceful and beautiful young woman.
Her figure was curvaceous, her skin like jade, and her delicate features were adorned with a bright, cheerful smile. Though her looks were slightly inferior to Gao Peiyao's, she possessed a beauty full of youthful vitality.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang." Chen Jianghe smiled and greeted Jiang Ruxu as she trotted over.
"Senior, have you settled in Qinghe Market City?" Curiosity shone in Jiang Ruxu's lively eyes.
"Yes, you could say I've settled down."
Chen Jianghe nodded.
Barring any surprises, he would likely spend more time in Qinghe Market City than he had at Mirror Moon Lake.
"Qinghe Market City is a wonderful place. I'm sure you'll be very satisfied living here long-term, Senior."
"If there's anything you're unfamiliar with, Senior, you can still ask me! No extra charge, hehe~"
"Oh? Such a good deal? Then I must thank you."
"I'm not a guide anymore, so according to the market city's rules, I can't charge a fee."
"You're not a guide anymore?"
Chen Jianghe looked puzzled. Logically, for a low-level cultivator like Jiang Ruxu, securing a subsidized position as a guide in Qinghe Market City was extremely fortunate.
After all, every subsidized position in Qinghe Market City was a scarce resource.
"I..."
Jiang Ruxu lowered her head, biting her lip, a flicker of disgust in her eyes. After a few moments of silence, her cheerful expression returned.
"That's right. I'm learning alchemy now."
"Alchemy?"
Only then did Chen Jianghe notice that Jiang Ruxu, now a grown young woman, had already reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.
She had met the minimum requirement to become an alchemist.
However, alchemy required a lineage, which was completely different from the path of talismans. Even with a lineage, one might not be able to get started.
Typically, one needed a master to guide them.
"Did you take a master to learn?"
"Senior is truly a senior, you guessed it in one go. I've taken Senior Zhuang as my master."
"What are the terms?"
"Eighty percent of the profits from all the pills I refine for the next sixty years. Senior, don't think that eighty percent is a lot. The path of alchemy is very difficult to access, and I have a master teaching me personally. It's a great opportunity."
Hearing this, Chen Jianghe fell silent.
For a low-level cultivator, opportunities to access the path of alchemy were few and far between. Forget eighty percent; even at ninety percent, it was a chance to turn one's life around.
Even if one couldn't succeed, they could pave the way for their descendants to do so.
Furthermore, alchemists rarely took on disciples; their skills were usually passed down within their families. Only solitary alchemists, especially those nearing the end of their lifespan, might consider taking an apprentice.
Of course, there were also many alchemists who would rather let their alchemical legacy die with them than take on a disciple.
But Jiang Ruxu's situation seemed a bit off.
If that Senior Zhuang were near the end of his life, why would he demand eighty percent of her alchemy profits for the next sixty years as an apprenticeship fee?
But if it were for the benefit of his clan...
...there would be no need for this. He could just pass it down to his own clan's descendants!
Chen Jianghe didn't press for details. After all, he and Jiang Ruxu weren't even casual friends; she had simply been his guide once.
This was only their second meeting.
After bidding farewell to Jiang Ruxu, Chen Jianghe returned to his small courtyard to await the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival the next day.
The next day.
Chen Jianghe arrived early at the Qinghe Restaurant next to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. He was now considered a resident of Qinghe Market City.
As such, he could be considered the host.
So, he gritted his teeth, splurged one spirit stone, and booked a private room on the second floor.
There was no choice; any expense less than one spirit stone wouldn't get you to the second floor, let alone a private room.
About an hour passed.
Chen Jianghe spotted Zhou Miaoyun's figure on the second-floor terrace. Though her attire was no longer as eye-catching as before, having switched to plain-colored clothes.
Her hair had become streaked with gray, her beauty had faded, but her aura remained the same.
He called her up to the second floor of the Qinghe Restaurant.
They began to talk on the terrace.
Waiting together for Yu Daniu and Gao Peiyao.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, you... your..."
The moment she saw Chen Jianghe, Zhou Miaoyun was stunned, her gaze fixed on him in disbelief.
Foundation Establishment?
Definitely not.
She could sense that Chen Jianghe's spiritual power fluctuations were only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, so why did his appearance remain unchanged, exactly the same as when she had left Mirror Moon Lake?
In contrast, she herself was old and faded, her face covered in wrinkles. A crone past sixty, her beauty was gone.
"I had a fortunate encounter and consumed a Beauty-Retaining Herb."
Chen Jianghe said.
He didn't mention the Beauty-Retaining Pill.
The Beauty-Retaining Pill was a second-tier spirit pill and was incredibly valuable.
It usually only appeared at auctions, and whenever it did, it would be madly fought over by female cultivators.
A Beauty-Retaining Pill, with a true value of only six hundred spirit stones, would typically sell for around fifteen hundred spirit stones once it hit the auction block.
Therefore, he couldn't have obtained one. Besides, every Beauty-Retaining Pill that went to auction had a known destination.
He could only settle for the next best thing and use the Beauty-Retaining Herb as an excuse.
The Beauty-Retaining Herb was one of the main ingredients for refining the pill. It was a first-tier, high-grade spirit plant, valued at two hundred spirit stones.
It could delay a cultivator's aging by twenty years.
Even the Beauty-Retaining Herb was difficult to purchase at the spirit materials counter of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Chen Jianghe didn't want to dwell on this topic, so he asked about Zhou Miaoyun's niece and Yu Daniu's eldest son.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, did you take your niece to Mirror Moon Market City?"
Zhou Miaoyun looked at Chen Jianghe's unchanged face, her eyes filled with envy. Female cultivators were women too; they all wished for eternal youth. Otherwise, the appearance of a Beauty-Retaining Pill wouldn't cause such a frenzy.
But upon hearing Chen Jianghe mention her niece, her eyes lowered, and she sighed.
"Sigh... my niece wasn't fortunate enough. Fellow Daoist Yu's sister-in-law thought she would hinder Xiaoniu's cultivation and politely refused."
"Sister-in-law? Yun Huixiang."
Chen Jianghe frowned. What did Xiaoniu's marriage have to do with Yun Huixiang? How could she get involved and mess things up?
"When you went to Mirror Moon Market City, Daniu must not have been there."
"Yes, Fellow Daoist Yu was in seclusion. I only met his wife, his sister-in-law, and Xiaoniu."
"What was Xiaoniu's opinion?"
"Xiaoniu listens to his mother. But Fellow Daoist Yu's wife was swayed by her sister, who said my niece was a vixen who would jeopardize Xiaoniu's cultivation prospects."
"Sigh..." Zhou Miaoyun sighed helplessly.
Nowadays, the Yun Clan's power was growing by the day. Many cultivator clans wanted to curry favor with them, and the Zhou Clan wasn't the only one with their eyes on Yu Daniu's son.
Chen Jianghe said no more.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, how are your talisman skills coming along?" Zhou Miaoyun asked curiously.
"I've just started drawing mid-grade talismans. I should be able to become a mid-grade Talisman Master within the next two or three years." Chen Jianghe said modestly.
He was already a mid-grade Talisman Master; he just hadn't drawn other types of talismans yet.
Yet, hearing this, Zhou Miaoyun still felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
She, a mid-grade Talisman Master, couldn't survive in Qinghe Market City. She ended up leaving, going to Lotus Town, and finally returning to the Mirror Moon Lake region.
And yet Chen Jianghe, a cultivator who had just reached the level of a mid-grade Talisman Master, was able to live a comfortable life in Qinghe Market City.
At that moment, she felt a certain disgust for her own clan.
If her clan hadn't been a burden, with her talisman skills, she could not only have lived comfortably in Qinghe Market City...
...but she might have even been able to buy a Beauty-Retaining Herb, or even a Beauty-Retaining Pill.
But it was all too late.
She had now become a slave to her clan, forced to continue drawing talismans to earn more spirit stones for them.
Forced to nurture the clan's younger generation.
If she had known it would come to this, she would have found a way to have a child with Yu Daniu back then.
Then, she would have her own flesh and blood within the Zhou Clan, and wouldn't have to use all her resources to raise her brother's descendants.
Just then.
From a distance, Chen Jianghe saw Yu Daniu in front of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, with Yun Xiaoniu by his side.
Immediately, Chen Jianghe descended from the Qinghe Restaurant and walked toward Yu Daniu.
"Daniu, Xiaoniu."
Chen Jianghe called out.
Daniu spun around abruptly. Seeing Chen Jianghe, he rushed forward in a single bound and gave him a bear hug, full of longing, yet his words were a complaint.
"Big Brother, you were gone for years, and you didn't even see me before you left. How cruel of you."
"We are cultivators with long lifespans. We'll have many opportunities to meet in the future." Chen Jianghe said with an apologetic smile.
"Nephew greets Uncle."
"Yes, good, good." Chen Jianghe patted Yun Xiaoniu's shoulder.
"It's been years since we last met. Uncle's appearance is unchanged, but my father seems like a hero in his twilight years." Yun Xiaoniu remarked with a sigh.
Only then did Yu Daniu realize. He looked sharply at Chen Jianghe; indeed, his face was unchanged, his skin firm and smooth, without a single wrinkle.
"Big Brother, you..."
"Come on, let's go to the restaurant first. I'll explain later." Chen Jianghe laughed, clapping Yu Daniu on the arm.
"Father, Uncle, wait a moment."
Yun Xiaoniu stopped Yu Daniu and Chen Jianghe, pointing to the side.
There, standing in the crowd, was a woman of stunning beauty. Her almond eyes shimmered as she looked their way, her cherry-red lips curved in a smile as she walked slowly toward them.