Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: A Small Gathering of Three
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Chen Jianghe usually docked at Port Two, but the annual Fishery Farmer assembly was held at Port One.
The waterway to Port One was crowded with boats, an endless procession stretching as far as the eye could see.
Chen Jianghe rowed along the waterway for four hours, arriving at Port One just as dusk was settling.
The port was a forest of masts, sails like clouds packed tightly together.
The marketplace was bustling with traffic and packed shoulder to shoulder. Vendors had even set up stalls right at the port, clearly aware that the Fishery Farmers had just been paid.
Chen Jianghe walked toward the market, stopping in front of a tavern named "Yuelai Inn" before heading inside.
This was the tavern where the three of them had agreed to meet.
When he reached the private room they had reserved on the second floor, he found Old Gao was already there, sipping tea by the window and watching the crowds pass by outside.
"Old Gao."
"Young Brother Chen, you're here."
Old Gao turned, revealing a wizened face covered in deep, crisscrossing wrinkles like a dry riverbed. His increasingly cloudy eyes were filled with the weariness of a long life.
A year had passed, and Old Gao had aged a great deal.
Old Gao himself couldn't remember his exact age, only that he had been a Fishery Farmer for the Yun Clan his entire life—at least seventy or eighty years.
By a rough estimate, he had to be over ninety.
"I can get it myself."
Seeing Old Gao about to pour him some tea, Chen Jianghe quickly stepped forward, took the teapot, refilled Old Gao's cup, and then poured one for himself.
"I'm old and useless now." Old Gao's eyes drooped as he stared out the window, lost in thought.
Chen Jianghe said nothing, also turning his gaze to the passing crowd outside.
There were Fishery Farmers like himself, wandering cultivators from outside, ordinary mortals, and vendors hawking their wares with gusto.
Old Gao's spirits were low because his lifespan was nearing its end, a common state for cultivators.
Mortals want to live.
Cultivators fear death even more.
But cultivators don't need comfort.
Qi Refining cultivators had a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years. Even if Old Gao was, on the high end, a hundred years old this year, he still had twenty years left.
But in reality, lifespan didn't work that way.
For example, mortals had a lifespan of eighty years, but how many actually lived to see eighty?
Most died in their sixties or seventies, perhaps from overwork or long-term mental exhaustion.
It was the same for cultivators. Injuries from youthful struggles, or wounds sustained for any reason, could all shorten one's lifespan.
For this reason, Chen Jianghe held one principle dear: avoid making enemies, shun conflict and strife, and never engage in any risky activities.
Looking at Old Gao's condition, he estimated the man's time would be up within a few years.
"Old Gao, Brother Jianghe, you're here so early."
Before they had finished a cup of tea, the well-built, dark-skinned Yu Daniu walked in, his voice deep and booming.
True to his name, which meant "Big Ox," he was already over six feet tall at just sixteen.
With everyone present, Chen Jianghe asked the waiter to bring the food. This was their second time gathering at the Yuelai Inn.
As they had agreed, each person would cover the cost for one year. Old Gao, being the eldest, had paid the first year. This year, it was Chen Jianghe's turn.
The budget for the annual meal was also fixed: one grain of spirit sand, equivalent to one hundred taels of silver.
One hundred taels of silver for a single meal might seem extravagant, but in the port market, it was actually quite frugal.
They had only ordered four dishes without spiritual energy and a pot of the most common immortal spirit wine.
They didn't even dare to order Mirror Moon Lake's specialty, the braised great bluefish.
Old Gao had splurged once in his youth, ordering a nearly three-jin braised great bluefish that cost two grains of spirit sand—an exorbitant price.
After several courses of food and rounds of drinks.
The three of them shared stories of what they had encountered over the past year, as well as some insights into their cultivation.
As for cultivation insights, it was mostly Old Gao guiding Chen Jianghe and Yu Daniu, since he was at the fourth level of Qi Refining, a mid-stage cultivator.
Regarding the year's events, Chen Jianghe was a homebody. His life was a straight line between his boat and the port, so he had no strange experiences to share.
Old Gao, due to his age, had grown much older this year. Melancholy, he spent most of his time cooped up on his fishing boat.
Like Chen Jianghe, he hadn't taken on any odd jobs during the fish's dormant season.
Yu Daniu, however, had a very eventful year. Perhaps wanting to supplement his family's income, he had decided to look for temporary work.
Just as he had written in his letter to Chen Jianghe, he went to work for the Lan Clan as a short-term spirit farmer. A mid-term visit home allowed him to escape the Lan Clan's vicious attack on the Fishery Farmers.
"With over two hundred Fishery Farmers, if they all fought back together, would the Lan Clan have really had the upper hand?"
Chen Jianghe was curious about the details and couldn't help but ask.
"It all happened so suddenly. Besides, most of the Fishery Farmers are in the early stages of Qi Refining. In their terror, they only thought of running, not of banding together to resist."
Although Old Gao wasn't familiar with the incident, he could imagine the scene from what Yu Daniu had described.
"The Lan Clan is one of the more prominent Qi Refining families on Mirror Moon Lake. They must have more than one late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. With a pre-planned ambush, slaughtering over a hundred Fishery Farmers would have been quite simple."
Listening to Old Gao's analysis, Yu Daniu shot him a surprised look and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it! The Lan Clan has three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and one of them is a great cultivator at the ninth level. That's why over half the Fishery Farmers were killed or wounded."
"After I came back, I heard that the Lan Clan made off with at least eight hundred spirit stones from that attack."
As Yu Daniu said this, he himself was once again stunned by the enormous number.
A glint flashed in Old Gao's eyes, replaced by a look of envy. If he had eight hundred spirit stones, he could definitely live out his full lifespan and might even break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining before he died.
Chen Jianghe was also shocked by the eight hundred spirit stones, but he quickly calmed his restless heart.
Eight hundred spirit stones was a lot, but one had to be alive to enjoy them.
How could the Yun Clan just stand by and let the Lan Clan escape with eight hundred spirit stones?
He just needed to cultivate step by step. Once he became a high-level Fishery Farmer, he would earn a better salary.
Then he could find a way to learn a trade. With a lifespan three times longer than cultivators at the same level, he could surely find a way to create another source of income.
Of course, Chen Jianghe also understood that once he mastered a trade, it would be time to leave the Yun Clan.
Staying with the Yun Clan for thirty or fifty years wouldn't be a problem.
But if he stayed any longer, his unchanging appearance would surely arouse suspicion. After all, the price of a Youth-Retaining Pill was far beyond what a mere Fishery Farmer could afford.
Once Yu Daniu finished his story about the Lan Clan, their annual gathering came to an end.
But as they were parting ways, Old Gao said something to them.
"You two are both of age now. If you're looking for some fun, you can go to the Misty Rain Pavilion."
Chen Jianghe had no interest in that. After leaving the Yuelai Inn, he went straight back to his fishing boat to rest and wait for the Fishery Farmer assembly.
As for whether Yu Daniu went to the Misty Rain Pavilion Old Gao had mentioned, he had no idea.