Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Four Pieces of News
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"Aunt Yao is far away in the Tiannan Sect, so Fellow Daoist Zhou can't initiate contact with her. I predict she will write soon, asking Uncle and my father for spirit stones."
With that, Yun Xiaoniu respectfully sat back down.
"Brother Jianghe, I think the boss has a point," Yu Daniu said, looking at Chen Jianghe.
Chen Jianghe nodded.
Yun Xiaoniu's reasoning was sound. The Zhou Clan's situation was indeed as he described; they had withdrawn from Qinghe Market City because they could no longer afford to stay.
To put it bluntly, their expenses exceeded their income.
Under these circumstances, the Zhou Clan certainly wouldn't have enough to rent ten acres of spirit fields in Lotus Town.
"Let's discuss it again when Fellow Daoist Zhou writes next."
Chen Jianghe said.
The small gathering then concluded. Yu Daniu and Yun Xiaoniu walked Chen Jianghe to the entrance of the Mirror Moon Immortal Pavilion and watched him leave.
"Boss."
"Among us country folk, the eldest brother is like a father. You must show your authority as the big brother. The fifth's behavior requires no words, just a sound thrashing."
"My brother is still young, I..." Yun Xiaoniu met Yu Daniu's stern gaze and immediately nodded. "I understand, Father."
"When I was in a humble position, your uncle never looked down on me. Instead, he extended a helping hand. Now, he has done me another great favor, ensuring I will become a Deacon. You must remember your uncle's kindness."
"Yes, Father."
——
Chen Jianghe went to the Mirror Moon Treasure Pavilion. He first bought a low-grade peach wood talisman brush, then four boxes of spiritual ink and fifty sheets of high-quality yellow paper.
The total came to fifteen spirit stones.
He had seven spirit stones set aside for costs, but since he bought a whole new brush, he had to add another eight spirit stones from his own funds.
He would deduct it from his talisman-crafting profits later.
Then he bought six more Spirit Accumulating Pills. Along with the one he already had, the seven pills would be enough for him to reach the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining before he turned forty-five.
He also bought ten Spirit Nurturing Flowers for Xiao Hei.
Keeping his cultivation resources on par with Xiao Hei's was completely out of the question.
He hadn't even become a mid-grade Talisman Master, yet Xiao Hei's cultivation resources were already costing twice as much as his own.
However, he had some spirit stones saved up now, so he wasn't stingy about raising Xiao Hei.
But he couldn't spend all his spirit stones on Xiao Hei.
He was saving the spirit stones for another purpose. When the time came to leave Mirror Moon Market City, he had to be fully prepared.
And that would require spirit stones, a great many of them.
Six Spirit Accumulating Pills, thirty spirit stones.
Ten Spirit Nurturing Flowers, forty spirit stones.
After leaving the Mirror Moon Treasure Pavilion, his spirit stones had dwindled from one hundred and forty-three to sixty-five.
At least he still had some left over.
Returning to the aquaculture waters, Chen Jianghe first used a Spirit Nurturing Flower to shut Xiao Hei up.
Then, he resumed drawing spiritual talismans.
As a low-level cultivator and a Talisman Master, life was this dull and monotonous, but it was an excellent way to temper one's mind, making one more composed.
The second month of the new year.
Chen Jianghe took a Spirit Accumulating Pill to enhance his cultivation. Xiao Hei opportunistically jumped out, demanding to sync up on resources.
According to Xiao Hei, regular days were regular days, but sync time was sync time.
While it sounded unreasonable at first, upon closer inspection, it was indeed completely unreasonable.
Chen Jianghe couldn't argue with him and had to give him another Spirit Nurturing Flower. In just two months, two Spirit Nurturing Flowers had been consumed.
Eight spirit stones—that was equivalent to the annual stipend of a direct descendant of the Yun Clan.
Many cultivators bought spirit beasts, but very few truly raised them. The reason was simple: spirit beasts consumed far more spirit stones than cultivators.
Caw caw~~
A familiar, piercing cry sounded.
Chen Jianghe knew a letter had arrived. He walked out of the cabin, took the letter, and opened it. It was from Zhou Miaoyun.
Just as Yun Xiaoniu had predicted, Zhou Miaoyun was asking him and Yu Daniu for help.
"Fifty spirit stones?"
Chen Jianghe turned the letter to dust and shook his head. From the moment Gao Peiyao and Zhou Miaoyun left Mirror Moon Lake, the mutual aid alliance had existed in name only.
Back then, knowing little of the immortal path, they had believed Mirror Moon Lake was the entire cultivation world, and so all their vows were based on their time there.
Helping Gao Peiyao and giving her spirit stones was a matter of friendship, and also because he valued her talent and background.
"Twenty spirit stones should be enough."
Chen Jianghe pondered for a moment and decided to lend her twenty spirit stones.
Twenty years ago, Zhou Miaoyun had lent him two spirit stones and a Water Escape Talisman—resources worth five spirit stones.
For the Zhou Miaoyun of that time, five spirit stones wasn't a large sum; she could produce it easily.
Because back then, Zhou Miaoyun was already a low-grade Talisman Master.
Repaying her with twenty spirit stones was not a small amount, especially since he had already returned the two spirit stones he owed.
His mind made up, Chen Jianghe went to Mirror Moon Market City to find Yu Daniu and ask his opinion.
Before he could ask, Yu Daniu brought up the matter of Zhou Miaoyun borrowing spirit stones.
"One hundred spirit stones. Does she really think I'm the head of the Yun Clan?"
Yu Daniu laughed, exasperated. "Ten spirit stones is the absolute most I can spare right now."
Chen Jianghe nodded without saying much.
Asking for one hundred spirit stones was indeed a bit outrageous.
That Yu Daniu was willing to offer ten spirit stones showed he still remembered the friendship from when they first tried the path of talismans.
Of course, Yu Daniu's claim that ten spirit stones was his limit was complete nonsense.
Chen Jianghe took out twenty spirit stones and asked Yu Daniu to have someone deliver them to Zhou Miaoyun.
Yu Daniu was now at the seventh level of Qi Refining and was about to become a Deacon, meaning he had one foot in the Yun Clan's decision-making circle.
In truth, one needed to be at the eighth level of Qi Refining to serve as a Yun Clan Deacon, but Yu Daniu's father-in-law had become an elder.
Furthermore, his father-in-law's branch was short a Deacon, giving Yu Daniu an opportunity. Coupled with the advice Chen Jianghe had given him, his appointment as a Deacon was now set in stone.
All that remained was the official announcement during the Yun Clan's Mid-Autumn Festival meeting.
Two months later, another letter arrived from Zhou Miaoyun. In it, she expressed her gratitude to Chen Jianghe, stating that their Zhou Clan had rented ten acres of spirit fields in Lotus Town and had managed to establish a foothold.
She also added that if Chen Jianghe ever visited Qinghe Market City in the future, he was welcome to be a guest at the Zhou residence in Lotus Town.
Chen Jianghe replied with a letter of congratulations.
The ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival.
Yun Xiaoniu came to Area C, Water Region 12, bringing four pieces of news.
The first, of course, was the good news that Yu Daniu had successfully become a Yun Clan Deacon. From now on, Yu Daniu was one of the upper echelons of the Yun Clan.
A live-in son-in-law had become a high-ranking member of a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan. Within Mirror Moon Lake, Yu Daniu had become a legend.
The second piece of news was that the Yun Clan had paid a great price to trade with the Beast Taming Immortal Zhou Clan for a second-rank spirit beast core. They gave it to the Yun Clan Ancestor's spirit pet, a long-armed ape, helping the combat pet successfully advance to a second-rank spirit beast.
The Yun Clan now possessed two Foundation Establishment Ancestors and a second-rank spirit beast comparable to a Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
They had now joined the ranks of the upper-tier Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans in the eastern region of the Tiannan Domain.