Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Stabilizing the Situation
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The Yun Clan's troubles intensified.
The current clan head's older brother was killed at their own mine, and a large amount of spirit stones may have been stolen.
For a time, all the junior Fishery Farmers were filled with anxiety.
Chen Jianghe didn't linger at the market assembly for long. After buying two Qi Nourishing Pills, he returned directly to his fishing boat.
Standing at the bow, he gazed out at the distant lake. Sunlight scattered across the layers of thin mist, as if coating the water's surface in golden sand, creating a dreamlike, illusory scene.
One after another, luxurious fishing boats, each ten zhang long, sailed over. On the lake's surface, they looked like a surge of fish scales.
These were the boats of the senior Fishery Farmers, much larger than those of the junior ones.
The fishing boats in the inner waters were mostly ten zhang long. Compared to junior Fishery Farmers, the senior ones enjoyed far better treatment from the Yun Clan.
Moreover, there were also guest elders who had taken up residence in the Yun Clan's inner waters. The fishing boats served as their homes, which was why they were so large.
"First, the Yun Clan's ancestor was injured and might be nearing the end of his life. Now, the clan head's elder brother has fallen at the Linyun Mine. It seems these senior Fishery Farmers can no longer sit still."
At the market assembly, he'd heard many people talking about leaving the Yun Clan, worried that a war between the two Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans would spread to the Mirror Moon Lake region.
If the junior Fishery Farmers were like this, the senior ones were even more panicked.
Those who became senior Fishery Farmers generally had cultivation levels at the fourth layer of Qi Refining or higher, and all held the hope of reaching the late stages of Qi Refining.
But this hope was predicated on being with the Yun Clan.
Only the Yun Clan could provide them with a peaceful cultivation environment. Once they left, not only would they lose their stable source of income, but they would also have to worry about all sorts of dangers.
"The Fishery Farmers' Assembly is tomorrow. With all these senior Fishery Farmers showing up, the Yun Clan will have to step forward to calm everyone's restless hearts."
The senior Fishery Farmers were the backbone of the Yun Clan and held a high status. Even direct descendants of the clan wouldn't dare to provoke them lightly.
Thus, the Yun Clan had no choice but to reveal some information to soothe the fearful and uneasy hearts of all the Fishery Farmers.
Chen Jianghe entered the cabin, took out a Qi Nourishing Pill, and swallowed it, beginning to absorb and refine its medicinal power.
Twelve hours later.
Chen Jianghe formed a circle with his hands, the web between his thumbs and forefingers crossed. He sank his qi into his dantian, slowly withdrew his energy, and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
This time, taking the Qi Nourishing Pill, he managed to refine eighty percent of its medicinal power. As expected, the higher his cultivation, the more medicinal power he could absorb and refine from a low-grade pill.
This greatly reduced the loss of medicinal power.
This single Qi Nourishing Pill was equivalent to nearly two years of arduous cultivation for Chen Jianghe.
At this moment, the sea of qi in his dantian was brimming with spiritual power, about the size of a ping-pong ball. He was another step closer to the third layer of Qi Refining.
As long as he had enough spirit stones, he was confident he could break through to the third layer of Qi Refining after taking another Qi Nourishing Pill in a year.
Sitting in the cabin, he glanced outside through the window.
It was the hour of the Ox. A crescent moon, like a curved hook, hung alone in the night sky, casting a pale, faint glow, with not a single star to keep it company.
The fishing boats docked at the harbor, however, were all flickering with candlelight, dotting the lake's surface like a field of stars, making the crescent moon in the sky seem less lonely.
The few inns in the market were brightly lit. Clearly, their guests were too unsettled to rest, all eagerly awaiting the Fishery Farmers' Assembly at dawn.
Another four hours passed.
It was the hour of the Rabbit. The eastern sky gradually turned a milky white, then flushed red for thousands of miles as the morning sun slowly emerged from a sea of clouds.
The Fishery Farmers disembarked and gathered at the harbor.
Before long, the harbor was packed with a bustling, clamoring crowd. It wasn't just the Fishery Farmers.
There were also guest elders, whom one rarely saw on a normal day.
This Fishery Farmers' Assembly had drawn a crowd of nearly a thousand people, surpassing the attendance of any previous assembly.
The Deacon of the outer waters arrived at the assembly. Seeing so many people, his expression grew grave, and he remained silent for a long time.
Not only were the senior Fishery Farmers present, but even the guest elders had come. This assembly was now beyond what a mere Deacon of the outer waters could preside over.
Everyone's eyes were on the Deacon. Seeing him say nothing, the whispered discussions below grew louder.
Among them were more than a few alarmist rumors.
Normally, the Deacon would have already singled them out and docked three to five years of their pay as a warning to others.
Before long, a handsome and spirited young man walked up to the Deacon's side and patted his shoulder.
"Young Master!"
The Deacon recognized the newcomer and, as if a great weight had been lifted, hurriedly bowed in respect.
Then, he straightened his back, his worried frown smoothed out, and his eyes glinted sharply as he scanned the crowd of Fishery Farmers and guest elders, ready to continue presiding over the assembly.
The newcomer was none other than the Yun Clan head's youngest son, Yun Bufan.
"Seventh layer of Qi Refining. Truly worthy of being called the prodigy of the Yun Clan. He's not even twenty-five, yet he's already broken through to the late stages of Qi Refining."
"With a three-element True Spirit Root, he has no bottlenecks before Foundation Establishment. In ten years at most, this young man will definitely reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining."
The moment Yun Bufan appeared, the senior Fishery Farmers and guest elders all began to murmur among themselves.
"The Yun Clan had this prodigy preside over the assembly. Their intention is obvious."
"Indeed. If all goes well, this prodigy will surely break through to the Foundation Establishment stage within twenty years."
"Two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one family. This is a sign of a clan's great prosperity."
"It's just a pity the Yun Clan's ancestor was gravely injured and is nearing his end. Otherwise, with two Foundation Establishment cultivators, they would be a prominent Immortal Clan in the entire Tiannan region."
"Looking at it now, the rumors might be true. The Yun Clan's ancestor was ambushed by the White Clan of Qiyun Mountain."
The White Clan and the Yun Clan were mortal enemies. Once Yun Bufan succeeded in Foundation Establishment, the Yun Clan would have two Foundation Establishment Ancestors. That would spell the end for the White Clan.
"I don't think it was just the White Clan of Qiyun Mountain acting alone."
"..."
Zhou Miaoyun, Chen Jianghe, Yu Daniu, and Gao Peiyao were gathered together and also heard the discussions.
"As long as the Yun Clan's ancestor can live for another twenty years, Yun Bufan will be able to reach Foundation Establishment. That would surely guarantee the Yun Clan's stability for the next two hundred years."
Zhou Miaoyun stared intently at the center of attention, Yun Bufan. She was full of confidence that this prodigy of the Yun Clan would achieve Foundation Establishment.
A prosperous and enduring Yun Clan was not only beneficial to her future plans but also to her own family.
The Zhou Clan was no great cultivation family. The entire clan had fewer than ten cultivators, and the one with the highest cultivation was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining.
If the Yun Clan were to decline, a small cultivation family like the Zhou Clan would become a prime target for rogue cultivator gangs.
They were far more profitable to rob than lone rogue cultivators.
Chen Jianghe glanced at Zhou Miaoyun, then at Yu Daniu and Gao Peiyao. He saw that they were all looking at Yun Bufan with gazes of envy and admiration.
He knew they shared Zhou Miaoyun's thoughts.
"A clever move by the Yun Clan. Just by having Yun Bufan show up at the Fishery Farmers' Assembly, they can quell the panic in the farmers' hearts, even if he doesn't say a word."
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
Yun Bufan's aura of talent was simply too powerful.
As the youngest son of the Yun Clan's head, he had no shortage of cultivation resources and could easily cultivate all the way to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
As for the Foundation Establishment bottleneck?
A three-element True Spirit Root naturally had one, but it was nowhere near as solid and unbreakable as those of five-element Miscellaneous Spirit Roots or four-element Pseudo Spirit Roots.
Even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, other spiritual medicines could be used as a substitute.
And the success rate for reaching Foundation Establishment was very high.
Of course, Chen Jianghe also hoped the Yun Clan would overcome this crisis. Right now, he needed a stable environment to cultivate.