Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: A Letter from Peiyao
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"Fellow Daoist Zhuang, you're quite lucky. You got the Bixia Town location, only thirty li from Mirror Moon Lake!"
Chu Lang looked enviously at the old man opposite him and sighed helplessly. "But I got the Shixia Town location, which is a full three hundred li from Mirror Moon Lake."
Mirror Moon Lake was different now. When Mirror Moon Market City opened next year, it would surely become a gathering place for rogue cultivators from a thousand li around.
At that time, it would be best for a family's territory to be as close to Mirror Moon Market City as possible.
Being close to the water, one gets the moon first. They could receive more support from the Yun Clan and get a head start on various market resources.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, you're getting caught up in appearances. What does it matter how good the location the Yun Clan assigned is? Don't we both still have to stay on the island in the lake's center?"
The old man, surnamed Zhuang, gave a wry smile.
"That's different. Your family is only thirty li from Mirror Moon Lake. In the future, you might become closer to the Yun Clan, and your descendants might have a chance at Foundation Establishment..."
Chu Lang's words trailed off. Hearing someone call his name, he looked over and saw Chen Jianghe outside the Listening Rain Pavilion, quickly beckoning him over.
"My apologies for disturbing you, Talisman Master Chu."
Chen Jianghe said apologetically, smiling and nodding at the old man surnamed Zhuang beside him.
"We agreed to meet here. How could it be a disturbance?"
Talisman Master Chu said with a laugh, "Let me make an introduction. This talented young man is the Chen Jianghe I mentioned before, Fellow Daoist Chen. He is the brother of Manager Yu from the Mirror Moon Immortal Pavilion."
"Fellow Daoist Chen, this is Fellow Daoist Zhuang Yanfeng. Fellow Daoist Zhuang is also a guest elder of the Yun Clan and a high-grade Alchemist."
"An Alchemist!"
Chen Jianghe was startled. He looked at the old man before him, his eyes instantly filling with respect.
This was the first time he had met an alchemist since he'd transmigrated, and a high-grade one at that.
"This junior, Chen Jianghe, greets Alchemist Zhuang."
"I heard from Fellow Daoist Chu that young friend Chen is self-taught in the art of talismans and has even become a low-grade Talisman Master. Truly a prodigy."
Zhuang Yanfeng's deep eyes sized up Chen Jianghe before he offered a kind smile and a word of praise.
For a low-grade Talisman Master like Chen Jianghe, there was no need for him to engage in empty flattery.
Even Yu Daniu wouldn't be worthy of his notice.
In the world of cultivation, the value of a high-grade Alchemist far exceeded that of a high-grade Talisman Master.
However, Yu Daniu's father-in-law, Yun Xiaoqian, was someone he had to take seriously—a core figure in the Yun Clan.
"This junior was just fortunate. I'm not worthy of senior's praise." Chen Jianghe naturally understood that Alchemist Zhuang was just being polite.
He didn't say much more to Alchemist Zhuang. Given his current cultivation and status, speaking too much would only cause annoyance.
He immediately took out eleven spirit stones and looked at Chu Lang. "Talisman Master Chu, this is this year's profit from talisman crafting."
Chu Lang glanced at the eleven spirit stones and knew that Chen Jianghe must have been experimenting with talismans of other elements.
Otherwise, there would have been more.
With the oath they had sworn during their deal, he didn't have to worry about Chen Jianghe skimming profits.
He accepted the eleven spirit stones with satisfaction, his gaze toward Chen Jianghe growing even warmer.
There were returns in the very first year of their arrangement. Just as Chen Jianghe had said, dealing with him brought immediate benefits, with no need to wait.
Chu Lang was not a lone wolf; he had his own family. While he cultivated at Mirror Moon Lake, his family's younger generation was in Shixia Town, three hundred li to the north.
These eleven spirit stones were enough to cover the allowance for one of his descendants for four years.
And in the nine years to come, the amount would only increase.
"Fellow Daoist Chen is Manager Yu's sworn brother, so you must know that Mirror Moon Market City is opening next year. At that time, although guest elders still can't trade with outsiders, private transactions with high-level Fishery Farmers will be permitted."
"If you need high-grade spirit talismans then, Fellow Daoist Chen, you can buy them from me at a ten percent discount."
At this, Chu Lang chuckled and glanced at Zhuang Yanfeng before continuing, "If you need high-grade spirit pills, you can also look for Fellow Daoist Zhuang."
"Yes, that's fine. But I can only offer a five percent discount off the market price," Zhuang Yanfeng said.
Chen Jianghe knew that Talisman Master Chu was helping him open up private trade channels. He quickly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your consideration, Talisman Master Chu and Alchemist Zhuang."
"This junior won't disturb you any longer."
Chen Jianghe cupped his hands in a salute and tactfully withdrew.
Following the riverside promenade, he left Mirror Moon Market City and steered his boat directly back to his own aquaculture waters.
"Master~"
The moment he returned to Water Area C-12, Xiao Hei sensed him and swam under the boat, sending a message through their spiritual connection.
It called out obediently.
A shiver ran down Chen Jianghe's spine. His back suddenly felt cold, and he had the strange feeling that he was about to have his blood drawn.
"What is it?"
Chen Jianghe replied flatly.
Xiao Hei showed no dissatisfaction with Chen Jianghe's indifference and continued to send messages in a docile tone.
"Master, you've brought back the Spirit Nurturing Flower."
"You can give it to me now. I already finished refining the last one a long time ago."
Sitting at the bow, Chen Jianghe took a deep breath. He knew that sweet-sounding "Master" didn't come for free.
It was indeed after the Spirit Nurturing Flower.
But he had only bought one Spirit Nurturing Flower, intending to give it to Xiao Hei when he himself took the Spirit Accumulating Pill.
That way, their resources would be synchronized.
Although he had spirit stones and could buy many Spirit Nurturing Flowers, Yu Daniu had told him to save his spirit stones before the market city opened and not to spend them recklessly.
Otherwise, he would miss out on the opportunities available at the opening.
So, it wasn't that he was being stingy.
"I couldn't get one. I'll buy it for you next time," Chen Jianghe said, trying to fob it off.
"Hehe, I can smell it. Master, hurry up and give it to me~"
Xiao Hei sent the message, then bumped the bottom of the boat hard with its head, causing the black-canopied boat to rock a few times.
"You can smell it?"
Chen Jianghe took out the sandalwood box and sniffed it carefully. Not a trace of the Spirit Nurturing Flower's scent escaped.
Then, he opened the sandalwood box. Only then did the fresh, fragrant scent of the Spirit Nurturing Flower drift out, filling the entire boat.
"Master really did buy me a Spirit Nurturing Flower! I knew Master was the best." Xiao Hei excitedly swam from under the boat to the bow, cautiously poking half its head out, its beady eyes narrowed.
"..."
Chen Jianghe looked at the open sandalwood box in his hand, then at the outwardly obedient Xiao Hei.
He'd been tricked by a turtle!
"Here."
With a dark expression, Chen Jianghe circulated his spiritual power and sent the Spirit Nurturing Flower into the lake. Xiao Hei swallowed it in one gulp and swam back down to the bottom.
"It ate another one of my Spirit Nurturing Flowers and didn't even know how to say thank you."
Chen Jianghe grumbled under his breath.
Afterward, he calmed his mind and, with serene composure, began to breathe in the surrounding spiritual energy, circulating the Guiyuan True Water Art to refine it. The energy was converted into spiritual power by his spiritual roots, filling the sea of qi in his dantian.
He began his meaningful life of cultivation.
Three months passed.
The Grain Rain season arrived once more.
With the cry of an egret that sounded like a duck's quack.
Chen Jianghe received two letters. One was from Yu Daniu, and the other from Zhou Miaoyun.
Yu Daniu's fifth child had also been tested and found to have spiritual roots. Like the second child, it was a four-element pseudo-spiritual root.
With this, all five of Yu Daniu's children had been confirmed to have spiritual roots: two with four-element pseudo-spiritual roots and three with five-element mixed spiritual roots.
This elevated his status within the Yun Clan yet again.
It completely solidified his position as the Manager of the Mirror Moon Immortal Pavilion.
At the same time, Yu Daniu's letter once again mentioned the opportunities that would arise when Mirror Moon Market City opened, urging him to prepare his spirit stones.
After finishing Yu Daniu's letter, Chen Jianghe opened the one from Zhou Miaoyun.
The next moment, he froze.
It was a forwarded letter, signed by Gao Peiyao.