Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Igniting Xiao Hei's Fighting Spirit
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In the front hall of Mirror Moon Pavilion, Yun Wu walked towards Chen Jianghe with a wide smile, his intention to build a good relationship unconcealed.
Yu Daniu had become a Deacon of the Yun Clan, so he naturally stepped down from his position as Manager of Mirror Moon Pavilion.
And Yun Wu, thanks to his brother Yun San, had filled the lucrative vacancy left by Yu Daniu this year, becoming the new Manager of Mirror Moon Pavilion.
Having entered the middle and upper echelons of the Yun Clan, Yun Wu had a clear understanding of Yu Daniu's status; it was far beyond what he could compare to.
Even his older brother, Yun San, who was also a Deacon and had once been Yun Bufan's attendant, still had a gap between him and Yu Daniu.
A clan cultivator like Yun San, who was adopted at a young age, had absolutely no chance of becoming an elder in the future.
But Yu Daniu had a chance. Although the hope was slim, it was still hope. On this point alone, Yun San couldn't compare.
"Brother Chen, are you here for an appointment, or...?"
"Greetings, Manager Yun."
Chen Jianghe first clasped his hands in a salute before saying, "I'm here to get a whole roasted egret and a braised green-scaled fish to go."
"Brother Chen, you're too kind. If you don't mind, just call me Fifth Brother," Yun Wu said with a chuckle.
"Fifth Brother," Chen Jianghe called out, going along with it.
Yun Wu was, after all, the Manager of Mirror Moon Pavilion. Chen Jianghe couldn't refuse him this courtesy. The man had come with friendly intentions; a cold rejection would be a slap in the face and could easily breed resentment.
He was about to leave Mirror Moon Lake soon; there was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
"A braised green-scaled fish is three spirit stones, and a whole roasted egret is also three spirit stones. I'll give you a discount; five spirit stones will be enough, Brother Chen."
As Yun Wu spoke, he arranged for someone to prepare the order.
Chen Jianghe expressed his thanks and took out five spirit stones, handing them to Yun Wu.
"Brother Chen, please have a seat. I'll call you when it's ready," Yun Wu said with a smile, gesturing for him to sit.
Chen Jianghe nodded, found a seat by the street in the front hall, and listened to the discussions among the cultivators at the surrounding tables.
"Did you hear? The Yun Clan is moving."
"Qiyun Mountain belongs to the Yun Clan now. That's a mountain peak with a Tier 2 mid-grade spirit vein, much better than this island in the middle of the lake."
"The White Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor was actually killed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Western Border. This is a complete windfall for the clans of the Eastern Border."
"The Yun Clan took the best forty percent of the Qiyun Mountain territory, while the remaining sixty percent was divided among the other five clans. All in all, the Yun Clan still got the lion's share."
"That's only natural. A mountain peak with a Tier 2 mid-grade spirit vein can elevate the Yun Clan to a new level."
"I heard the Yun Clan's Ninth Elder is searching for that escaped Mountain Velvet Beast. If they find it, the Yun Clan will have a chance to add another Tier 2 spirit beast, and then they could be promoted to a top-tier immortal clan."
Listening to these discussions, Chen Jianghe began to ponder.
He knew that the White Clan's Foundation Establishment Ancestor had died and that the Yun Clan had joined forces with five other Foundation Establishment immortal clans to annex the Qiyun Mountain territory.
Yu Daniu had mentioned it in his letter, along with the fact that he was also out searching for Wang Kui.
But the matter of the Mountain Velvet Beast, a Grade 3 low-tier bloodline spirit beast, escaping was not mentioned in the letter.
That was the beast a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Western Border had bought for two thousand one hundred and fifty spirit stones.
It just ran away like that!
It was a bit outrageous, but not impossible. As long as the Mountain Velvet Beast hadn't acknowledged a master and hadn't been put into a Spirit Beast Ring, it still had a chance to escape during the chaos.
If Yu Daniu's father-in-law really found it, then the Yun Clan truly would have a chance to become a top-tier immortal clan.
A clan with four Foundation Establishment cultivators would be a major immortal clan, ranked high throughout the entire Tiannan region.
"Now that the Yun Clan has Qiyun Mountain, it's quite possible they'll move there and then expand Mirror Moon Market City to cover the entire lake island."
The more Chen Jianghe thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
But the Yun Clan probably wouldn't move in the short term, because Mirror Moon Market City had a large-scale Tier 2 defensive formation.
At this stage, it would likely be difficult for the Yun Clan to gather enough spirit stones to invite a formation master from the Tiannan Sect to set up another one.
Just as Chen Jianghe was lost in thought, Yun Wu approached, carrying two hollowed-out boxes.
"Brother Chen, your spirit food is ready."
"Thank you for the discount, Fifth Brother. I'll be taking my leave."
"Take care. Come again when you have time."
Chen Jianghe left Mirror Moon Pavilion, but he had no intention of coming back on his own initiative. Unless necessary, he would definitely not visit Mirror Moon Pavilion again.
The prices here were too high.
Five spirit stones were gone in the blink of an eye.
He now only had four spirit stones left.
With a thought, he placed the roasted egret and braised green-scaled fish into his storage pouch and left Mirror Moon Market City empty-handed.
It felt much more convenient.
Upon returning to his aquaculture waters, Chen Jianghe eagerly jumped into the lake, dived to the bottom, and called Xiao Hei out from deep within the gravel.
"Xiao Hei, come out and try something new."
The gravel at the bottom of the lake churned, and a large amount of bubbles surged up. Immediately after, Xiao Hei's millstone-sized body emerged.
"Something new? Is it a new spirit herb? Master, you're the best." Xiao Hei looked at Chen Jianghe excitedly, filled with anticipation.
"No, we're not eating grass today."
"Huh? Then what are we eating?"
"Take a guess," Chen Jianghe said with a slight smirk and a raised eyebrow, a grin on his face.
"It couldn't really be the immortal fish and the big white bird, could it!"
Xiao Hei's eyes widened in surprise, unable to believe it.
Before, he had thought Chen Jianghe was just tricking him and teasing him for fun.
Chen Jianghe circulated his magical power, expanding the Water Repelling Charm to a radius of ten feet. Then, with a thought, the two hollowed-out boxes appeared.
They emitted a fragrant, heart-refreshing steam.
With a gentle point of his finger, a stream of magical power shot out, opening the two boxes and revealing the roasted egret and braised green-scaled fish.
"Wuwu~"
Xiao Hei cried out in shock.
It retreated a few steps, then moved forward again in disbelief to inspect them closely, before crying out in alarm and retreating again.
"It's the green-scaled fish and the big white bird! How can this be? My dad said that once they cultivated into immortal beasts, they would go to an immortal island. How could this happen?"
Xiao Hei's terrified voice echoed in Chen Jianghe's mind.
"What immortal beasts? What immortal island? It's all fake. Do you see now? If you don't cultivate diligently and make yourself stronger, you'll end up on the dinner table as soon as you're discovered. One of them is roasted, the other is braised."
"As for you... you'd probably be stewed into a soup. Cultivators are very fond of turtle soup, you know."
Chen Jianghe's words reached Xiao Hei's mind, making it feel a wave of terror. Even its shell began to tremble.
"But you don't have to be too scared. As long as you're obedient, be a good little turtle, and cultivate hard, not only will you not be stewed into soup, but you'll also get to eat lots of delicious things."
"Here, try some."
"I'll be obedient! I'm the most obedient! I'll work the hardest! Don't make me into soup!"
Xiao Hei's head shook like a rattle drum. The thought of eating the green-scaled fish made it shrink back in fear.
It didn't even dare to eat ordinary green-scaled fish, let alone an "immortal beast" that had returned from the "immortal island."
"Just try it. It's delicious, and it helps with cultivation," Chen Jianghe said, picking up a piece of fish in front of Xiao Hei, putting it in his mouth, chewing with relish, and then swallowing it.
Xiao Hei slowly crawled over.
It looked at Chen Jianghe with a dazed expression. Under his repeated temptation, Xiao Hei cautiously bit off the head of the green-scaled fish.
"Mmm~!"
Xiao Hei's beady eyes instantly widened, as if it had discovered a new world. Then, they filled with a misty haze.
It swallowed the entire green-scaled fish in one gulp.
After gulping it down, it opened its mouth wide and went for the roasted egret. In a few quick bites, the entire roasted egret was also in its belly.
"Leave some for me!"
"That was five spirit stones!"
Chen Jianghe was still wondering why Xiao Hei was crying while eating the fish when, before he could react, he saw it devour the entire roasted egret as well.
"What's wrong with you? One moment you're crying, the next you've eaten everything!"
"Wuwu~~ I'm furious! I'm so angry!"
Xiao Hei's tearful voice echoed in Chen Jianghe's mind.
"What's been passed down for generations is that becoming an immortal beast means you can ascend to an immortal island! How did it turn into ending up on a dinner table?"
"Wuwu~ It's too delicious! Why is it so delicious?"
"Wuwu... Is there any more, Master?"
Chen Jianghe looked at this creature that didn't even spit out the bones and resentfully dispelled the Water Repelling Charm.
Braised green-scaled fish, roasted egret... that was five spirit stones!
He himself couldn't bear to eat it.
He bought it, only to have a single bite himself before this timid turtle finished it all.
"I really want to stew you into soup."
Chen Jianghe left the lake bottom, fuming.
After Chen Jianghe left, the mist in Xiao Hei's eyes evaporated, and its gaze became resolute.
"I can't end up on a table! I must become stronger! I must become a true immortal beast! And I want to eat more green-scaled fish and big white birds~"
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Chen Jianghe returned to the lake surface, boarded his black-canopied boat, and prepared to continue drawing talismans.
In his mind, Xiao Hei should now have felt the cruelty of cultivation. It should start cultivating diligently and be mentally prepared to leave Mirror Moon Lake.
Although, if Xiao Hei were truly discovered, it would certainly be raised and nurtured with all resources to become a Tier 2 spirit beast.
The one who would truly suffer then would be him, but Xiao Hei didn't know that!
He stopped thinking about it. His most urgent tasks now were to cultivate and to draw talismans to accumulate wealth.
The fifth month of the new year.
Chen Jianghe took a Spirit Accumulating Pill and fed Xiao Hei two Spirit Nurturing Flowers.
After refining the medicinal power of the Spirit Accumulating Pill, he continued to draw talismans.
In the seventh month, a letter arrived from Gao Peiyao, saying she wanted to have a small gathering in Qinghe Market City during the Mid-Autumn Festival of the following year.
This was because she had accepted a sect mission for the next year: to serve as an assistant manager at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Qinghe Market City for two years.
In other words, an assistant to the manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Qinghe Market City.
So she invited Chen Jianghe, also mentioning in the letter that she had invited Yu Daniu and Zhou Miaoyun.
"Go to Qinghe Market City?"
Chen Jianghe frowned. He wasn't particularly eager to go.
Before reaching the late stage of Qi Refining and accumulating a certain amount of life-saving resources, he didn't want to go anywhere.
But it wouldn't be right to refuse her outright.
He decided to discuss it with Daniu first.
Just then, a streak of sword light shot across the sky, flying towards Area A, Water Zone Six, and stopped above the black-canopied boat.
"Is Fellow Daoist Chen present?"
It was the voice of Talisman Master Chu Lang.
Hearing the voice, Chen Jianghe walked out of the cabin, looking at Talisman Master Chu Lang with a puzzled expression, wondering what he was doing here.
It wasn't yet time for the New Year's Eve profit sharing.
Moreover, this year was the last time they would share profits. Talisman Master Chu Lang, who usually never came looking for him, had appeared now. Why?
"Does Talisman Master Chu have business with this junior?"