Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Making Promises
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After the Fishery Farmer Assembly ended, Chen Jianghe bought all the necessary daily supplies and returned to his farming waters.
With Yun Bufan's appearance, all the Fishery Farmers and guest retainers seemed to have their minds put at ease, returning to their usual rhythm of life.
The Yun Clan had a heritage spanning several hundred years and possessed a deep foundation. Even with the sudden death of their Foundation Establishment Ancestor, they could still buy twenty years for Yun Bufan.
A young Foundation Establishment Ancestor with limitless potential was the stabilizing pillar for everyone in the Yun Clan.
“I'm down to just thirty-two grains of spirit sand again.”
Chen Jianghe was keenly aware of how quickly his spirit sand was being consumed. But he had to buy the Spirit Nurturing Pills; he couldn't just rely on cultivating by absorbing the thin spiritual energy in the outer waters.
Reaching the late stage of Qi Refining would take who knows how long.
He was long-lived, not immortal.
All sorts of accidents could happen on the path of cultivation. It was essential to be able to quickly raise his cultivation level and increase his means of self-preservation without drawing attention.
A few days later, the Yun Clan delivered the Great Bluefish fry, along with the rice bran to feed them.
Chen Jianghe cast a water-repelling spell and dived to the bottom of the lake.
As if sensing him, Xiao Hei swam towards Chen Jianghe from a great distance. It circled him affectionately, its beady eyes squinted, blowing bubbles from its mouth.
Its ink-black turtle shell glowed with a faint light, and it had grown a size larger since he last saw it.
“Xiao Hei, open up. Time for your reward.”
The moment he took out the Spirit Nurturing Pill, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out, spreading with the current and attracting a large school of Great Bluefish fry.
Xiao Hei snapped its mouth open and swallowed it, as if afraid it would be snatched away if it were a moment too late.
“Ooo~ ooo~ ooo~”
“Work hard, and there'll be plenty of rewards. Hurry up and absorb the medicinal power of the Spirit Nurturing Pill.”
“Ooo ooo!”
Hearing the word "reward," the working turtle became excited, its short limbs paddling joyfully.
“Once I have some extra spirit stones, I must buy a Spirit Beast Ring. It allows for mental communication, which not only helps build a bond but also makes it easier to assign work.”
But the thought that a Spirit Beast Ring cost twenty spirit stones made it feel hopelessly out of reach.
Twenty spirit stones could buy ten Spirit Nurturing Pills, enough to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. When would he ever have twenty extra spirit stones?
Zhou Miaoyun had said that all advanced Fishery Farmers raise a water-element spirit beast, so the pay for raising Little Bluefish should be quite high.
Otherwise, how could they afford to buy a Spirit Beast Ring?
They would also need to buy Spirit Awakening Pills to help the beasts gain intelligence, and Spirit Infusing Pills to guide Qi into their bodies and open their Qi sea and Dantian.
Ten hours later, Xiao Hei's shell was glowing with a faint luster. The intelligence in its beady eyes was more pronounced, and the spiritual energy around its body had grown denser.
There were faint signs of it converting spiritual energy into magical power.
This was a sign that it was about to advance in rank and become a spirit beast.
“Xiao Hei's ability to absorb the medicinal power of the Spirit Nurturing Pill is even greater than mine at the second level of Qi Refining. Almost none of the pill's power was wasted.”
This single Spirit Nurturing Pill was equivalent to two years of cultivation for Xiao Hei.
“Could it be that spirit beasts are better at absorbing the medicinal power of pills than cultivators?”
He couldn't communicate mentally with Xiao Hei right now, so he could only guess wildly.
Judging by Xiao Hei's current state, it would become a spirit beast in two years at most.
“Ooo~ ooo~ ooo~”
The cultivation boost from swallowing the Spirit Nurturing Pill made Xiao Hei so excited that it circled in front of Chen Jianghe, waving its claws and shaking its head.
Seeing this, a smile touched Chen Jianghe's lips. The more intelligent Xiao Hei became, the higher the yield of Great Bluefish would be.
Suddenly, he thought of something.
He had a Spirit Turtle Mark on his spiritual platform and shared Xiao Hei's lifespan. Logically, they were already bound by a much more profound contract.
Did that mean that once Xiao Hei became a spirit beast, he would be able to communicate with it mentally through the Spirit Turtle Mark on his spiritual platform?
If they could communicate, he could save the spirit stones for a Spirit Beast Ring.
I suppose I'll just have to keep it a secret.
Xiao Hei's duty was to raise bluefish, not to fight.
Besides, combat situations were rare, and Chen Jianghe wasn't the type of person to show off.
He was low-key and kept his talents hidden, making it unlikely for him to get into fights with others.
“Xiao Hei, your fish-farming skills still need improvement. You have to work hard. Once we earn enough spirit stones, I can reward you with even better pills, understand?”
“Ooo ooo~”
“Mm, very good. When I reach the late stage of Qi Refining, I'll let you eat Spirit Nurturing Pills like candy.”
“Ooo ooo~”
Xiao Hei pestered Chen Jianghe, its initial excitement turning into impatience, its cries growing sharper.
“Hehe, I almost forgot the important part.”
“Work hard, improve your fish-farming skills, and increase the Great Bluefish yield. In four years, I'll reward you with another Spirit Nurturing Pill.”
“Ooo~ ooo~ ooo~”
Xiao Hei let out a joyful cry and escorted Chen Jianghe all the way to the lake's surface before quickly diving back to the bottom to start working hard.
“It hasn't become a spirit beast yet, so its intelligence is still lacking. Making bigger promises is useless; it can only see the immediate reward.”
Chen Jianghe leaped onto his fishing boat and entered the cabin. He needed to properly plan his future for the next fifty years.
Zhou Miaoyun and Gao Peiyao both had their own plans.
Yu Daniu had also started trying to draw spirit talismans.
As long as he lived, his cultivation would slowly increase, but the shortcut offered by pills had given him other ideas.
Being able to raise his cultivation quickly meant gaining the power to protect himself sooner.
But buying pills required spirit stones.
He currently earned nearly one spirit stone a year, which was already far more than other junior Fishery Farmers.
But it wasn't enough.
He wasn't the only one who needed pills for cultivation; there was also Xiao Hei's reward. In that case, his meager annual income was like a drop in the bucket.
Becoming an advanced Fishery Farmer might change his situation, but he would have to wait until Xiao Hei became a spirit beast to see if it could significantly increase the average weight of the Great Bluefish.
However, even if he met the requirements to become an advanced Fishery Farmer after Xiao Hei became a spirit beast, he would still need to lie low for a while.
He had come to the Yun Clan at fourteen. It had only been eight years. If he were to be promoted to an advanced Fishery Farmer in another two years, it would be too fast.
From what he knew, the fastest junior Fishery Farmer to be promoted had taken twelve years. That person had been hailed as the most talented farmer, enjoying a moment of glory in the Yun Clan, even earning the respect of the direct descendants.
In the end, he was recruited by the Yun Clan as a live-in son-in-law, married a woman from a branch family who had no spirit roots, and spent the rest of his life as an unpaid Fishery Farmer.
Chen Jianghe had a limitless future; naturally, he was unwilling to become the Yun Clan's live-in son-in-law.
Therefore, in his plan, taking twenty years to become an advanced Fishery Farmer was the most appropriate timeline.
“If possible, maybe I could also try my hand at my old major.”
Before he transmigrated, Chen Jianghe had been a university student majoring in painting, and his grades had always been excellent.
Trying to draw spirit talismans might uncover some unexpected talent for the Dao of Talismans.
This way, he wouldn't be idle during his next fifty years with the Yun Clan.
If he could cultivate his talisman skills to a medium grade, he would have a trade to support himself in a market city after leaving the Yun Clan.
“I'll give it a try once I break through to the middle stage of Qi Refining.”
Chen Jianghe made up his mind.
Until he broke through to the middle stage of Qi Refining, all his resources had to be focused on raising his cultivation level.