Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Each to Their Own Path
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In the private room, Chen Jianghe, Yu Daniu, and Gao Peiyao chatted and laughed, the atmosphere harmonious and cheerful.
After eating his fill, Yun Xiaoniu quietly played with his puppet toys to the side, not bothering the adults.
Zhou Miaoyun, however, was unlike her usual self at their small gatherings. She listened quietly from the side, only chiming in when necessary.
Like Gao Peiyao, she was also leaving Mirror Moon Lake, yet no one seemed to care about her reasons for doing so.
Chen Jianghe naturally noticed Zhou Miaoyun's predicament but didn't say much.
Back when Zhou Miaoyun was in a position of favor, she had, intentionally or not, isolated Yu Daniu. Now, Yu Daniu had clearly become the most promising member of their alliance.
Not only had he reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he also had four sons, and with his wife pregnant again, their fifth child was due after the new year.
Yu Daniu was honest and good-natured; he wouldn't hold a grudge for Zhou Miaoyun's past actions, but he wouldn't proactively offer her help either.
Gao Peiyao accepted the two spirit stones Chen Jianghe repaid her, as well as the two Yu Daniu returned and the five he gave her as support.
Zhou Miaoyun smiled faintly, nodded at Chen Jianghe, and also accepted the two spirit stones.
As for the Water Escape Talisman, they all tacitly avoided mentioning it.
It represented the fact that their precarious mutual aid alliance still existed.
The group talked for a while longer before Gao Peiyao and Zhou Miaoyun took their leave.
But with this departure, who knew when they would meet again.
Although the mutual aid alliance hadn't been disbanded, the annual year-end gathering was canceled.
Gao Peiyao was going to take the Tiannan Sect's entrance examination. Regardless of whether she was accepted into the immortal sect, it was unlikely she would return to Mirror Moon Lake anytime soon.
As for Zhou Miaoyun, she was heading to Qinghe Market City.
If Chen Jianghe wasn't mistaken, Zhou Miaoyun's family was probably relocating to Qinghe Market City.
The Yun Clan's sphere of influence had shrunk to a two-hundred-li radius, and Shixia Town, where the Zhou Clan resided, had already become the White Clan's territory.
The White Clan had its origins as rogue cultivators, so their governance over the rogue cultivators in their territory was quite lenient.
If the Zhou Clan wanted stability, they had no choice but to leave Shixia Town and find another way forward elsewhere.
Zhou Miaoyun's talisman crafting skills would soon advance to the first-rank, mid-grade, which was perhaps the foundation the Zhou Clan would rely on to establish themselves in Qinghe Market City.
Therefore, it would likely be difficult for Zhou Miaoyun to return to Mirror Moon Lake in the future.
The year-end gathering, naturally, had no reason to continue.
From now on, their mutual aid alliance could only communicate through letters. Unless one of them was attempting Foundation Establishment, it would be difficult for them to gather again.
"Brother Jianghe, since the year-end gathering is no more, you have to come to my place for New Year's Eve. We need to keep our bond strong."
As they were parting, Yu Daniu extended a sincere invitation to Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe smiled and nodded, also asking Yu Daniu to help him find a book on the common knowledge of the cultivation world.
He estimated he would be staying with the Yun Clan for a long time, so it was natural to strengthen his bond with Yu Daniu.
Of course, this was all on the condition that he achieved some success in talisman crafting. Otherwise, as the gap in their status grew ever wider, even the best of friendships would have their limits.
That was right.
Chen Jianghe was preparing to try his hand at talisman crafting.
Yu Daniu's eight spirit stones had given him an early opportunity to attempt talisman crafting, and he couldn't let it pass.
After repaying Gao Peiyao and Zhou Miaoyun two spirit stones each, Chen Jianghe was left with ten spirit stones and one hundred and twelve grains of spirit sand.
The cost of one Spirit Accumulating Pill and one Spirit Nurturing Pill would still leave him enough spirit stones to give talisman crafting a try.
Before he transmigrated, he had been a university student majoring in painting with excellent grades. He figured he must possess at least some talent for talisman crafting.
Mastering a craft would provide him with an additional source of income.
Even if his talent for it wasn't high, he could rely on his long lifespan to grind his way to the first-rank, high-grade.
Chen Jianghe left the market and walked toward the trade fair next to it.
Because the vacancies for junior Fishery Farmers had been filled, and with Port Two and Port Three still closed...
...the trade fair at Port One was unusually bustling.
What was once only a dozen or so stalls had now grown to over forty.
With practiced ease, Chen Jianghe found the pill stall he always frequented. The owner, once a woman who still possessed a certain charm, now had a weathered face etched with dense wrinkles.
Although Qi Refining cultivators had a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years, if they failed to reach Foundation Establishment, their appearance would age rapidly after sixty.
In just five or six years, they would look like a mortal in their sixties or seventies.
After so many years, the variety of spirit pills at the old woman's stall had increased, and among them was the mid-grade Spirit Accumulating Pill that Chen Jianghe needed.
"One Spirit Accumulating Pill."
"Five spirit stones."
"Alright."
The transaction was complete. Chen Jianghe took the sandalwood box containing the Spirit Accumulating Pill and left without another word.
His promise to Xiao Hei for a Spirit Nurturing Pill was for the next year, so there was no need to buy it now.
Afterward, he walked over to a stall selling talisman-crafting materials.
On a piece of coarse cloth lay a thick stack of yellow paper and several exquisite jade boxes.
This yellow paper was talisman paper, specially used for drawing spiritual talismans. It was made from the shavings of spirit wood or spirit bamboo and could bear spells at the early Qi Refining level.
The jade boxes likely contained the spiritual ink needed for drawing talismans.
"How much for the talisman paper and spiritual ink?"
Chen Jianghe asked, looking at the stall owner.
"Premium yellow paper is two grains of spirit sand per sheet. Spiritual ink is one spirit stone per box," the middle-aged man said flatly, glancing up at Chen Jianghe.
"I'll take twenty sheets of premium yellow paper and one box of spiritual ink."
Chen Jianghe took out one spirit stone and forty grains of spirit sand and handed them to the middle-aged man.
After taking the spirit stones, the middle-aged man counted out twenty sheets of premium yellow paper, wrapped them up, and handed them to Chen Jianghe along with a sealed box of spiritual ink.
"Fellow Daoist, you must be looking to test your talent for talisman crafting."
The middle-aged man took out a talisman brush and said, "If you haven't bought a brush yet, I have a second-hand peach wood one here that I can sell to you cheap."
Chen Jianghe examined the brush in the man's hand. It had a peach wood handle and white bristles—it should be a low-grade peach wood talisman brush.
Its overall appearance was rather refined, but the brush tip was too old, and the bristle loss was quite severe.
It would probably be useless after just a few more uses.
"How much?"
Chen Jianghe asked. He had originally planned to buy a second-hand brush anyway, since he was just testing his talent for talisman crafting.
Besides, he knew the prices of talisman brushes.
A brand-new, low-grade talisman brush could be used to draw about a thousand talismans and was worth ten spirit stones.
This peach wood brush before him had a clean handle, and its few remaining bristles were smooth and sleek.
But at most, it could only be used another seventy or eighty times before it was completely worn out. Though he called it second-hand, it had clearly passed through more than one owner.
"Actually, this brush was once used by a fairy. You can tell from its appearance that she took excellent care of it. It's in superb condition. Seeing as you're new to talisman crafting, I'll give it to you for three spirit stones."
The middle-aged stall owner put on an expression of someone parting with a cherished item and pushed the brush toward Chen Jianghe.
"..."
Chen Jianghe was speechless.
A worn-out brush that had passed through who knows how many hands was being peddled as a premium, single-owner brush used by a fairy.
What?
In the cultivation world, could something just being used by a fairy also be a reason to jack up the price?
"One spirit stone."
"Deal."
"..."
Chen Jianghe paid another spirit stone and left the trade fair with the "single-owner fairy brush" that now belonged to him.
(End of this chapter)