Zhen Water and Ji Water

"Spirit items?"

Even the Four Swords of Mount Shu, wealthy men among mortals though they were, were dumbfounded upon hearing this demand.

"What sort of item could be considered a spirit item?"

Guo Tianhong stepped forward and gave a graceful bow. "We beg the Immortal Elder to take pity on us and enlighten us..."

"Spirit items are objects imbued with the numinous; they are not confined to any one form... Floating Boat Market will remain open for another three days. Whether you find one depends on your fortune. Go."

The man seemed somewhat impatient and flicked his sleeve lightly.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A clear wind howled, and fallen leaves whirled through the air.

When Li Rulong came back to his senses, he discovered that they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Zhu Zhenheng had suffered the agony of losing an arm and a friend, then gained an immortal opportunity... Only to have it snatched away again amid his surging emotions. He nearly clutched his head and wept, dropping to his knees and kowtowing repeatedly. "Immortal, have mercy! Immortal, have mercy..."

"Alas..."

Li Rulong sighed and pulled Zhu Zhenheng to his feet. "There is no use dwelling on it now. We should go seek spirit items instead... Hundred-year ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms... We can try anything."

"And those Pu Family women must have some in their hands." Guo Tianhong said sinisterly.

"Seventh Sister!"

Li Rulong hurriedly stopped her.

First, he did not wish to repay kindness with enmity. Second, they had been able to produce a token of immortal opportunity, so their backing was surely no small matter. He could not let Seventh Sister bring disaster upon herself.

Besides... Such matters were one thing to discuss in private, but there was still an outsider here!

Fang Qing rubbed his nose. "I must also go search for spirit items. The mountains are high and the waters long; until we meet again."

"Until we meet again!"

Li Rulong clasped his hands and saw him off.

Only after Fang Qing's figure had completely vanished did Liu Wansu say, "The fruit he swallowed must have been a spirit item. I wonder if there are any left?"

At those words, the eyes of the several martial heroes shifted, before they all sighed again. "His martial arts are simply too formidable..."

"Hehe... Just as expected. In their pursuit of immortality, they can kill their benefactors and sell out anything. I wonder whether, in the end, brothers will turn against one another?"

From afar, Fang Qing heard them, yet paid it no mind.

He had only regarded Li Rulong's character highly, which was why he had shown him a little more friendliness.

As for those three sworn younger siblings of his, Fang Qing truly could not stand the sight of them.

"Three days left?"

Fang Qing unleashed his movement technique and sped away.

Only after leaving all human habitation far behind did he find a cave, circulate his mana, and form a hand seal.

A faintly gleaming light landed upon the wall and swiftly vanished.

This was a little trick every cultivator knew, set up when entering seclusion. If someone intruded, it would issue a warning.

Once he had finished, he connected with the Dao-Born Pearl and returned to Jade Island.

Three-Flower Fishing Village.

At the docks, large numbers of fishing boats bustled about, while many fishermen dried their nets and sorted their catches.

Just then, a Green Leaf Boat descended from the sky and hovered in midair. Upon it stood a young man in blue robes, as elegant as jade in the wind, like one of the immortals.

"Greetings, Immortal!"

"An immortal master has arrived!"

The fishermen hurriedly knelt and bowed.

"Enough... Have there been any Treasure Fish lately?" Fang Qing asked directly.

"Reporting to Immortal Master, no one in our village has caught a Treasure Fish recently. But we heard that someone in Three-Mountain Fishing Village hooked an Autumn-Killing Bladefish!"

After a moment, an old fisherman who looked like the village chief stepped forward and answered respectfully.

"Mm, not bad."

Fang Qing asked for directions, tossed down a Silver Shell, and departed aboard the Green Leaf Boat.

His mission after leaving the sect was to purchase Treasure Fish, and for this he had received plenty of gold and silver.

Naturally, these half-demon fish were needed in large quantities, making the task extremely tedious. The contribution point reward was also meager, so few disciples were willing to run around like this and delay their cultivation.

But for Fang Qing, it was the perfect chance to use public resources for private gain.

When he reached Three-Mountain Fishing Village, the fortunate fisherman had not yet sold the fish or eaten it.

Fang Qing was overjoyed at the sight. He immediately threw down one hundred and twenty Silver Shells and bought the Autumn-Killing Bladefish.

Floating Boat Market.

Beneath the archway, the man opened his eyes and saw Fang Qing again. "You?!"

"Greetings, Immortal. May I ask whether this fish can serve as spiritual resources?"

Fang Qing displayed the Autumn-Killing Bladefish in his hand. Naturally, it was already dead, and even its head had been cut off.

Only over half of its silver-glinting body remained, emanating a sharp aura like a long saber of shining silver.

"Oh? A [Zhen Water] spirit item? That is rather rare... You may enter the market."

Surprise appeared on the man's face as he nodded.

"What is a [Zhen Water] spirit item?" Fang Qing asked curiously.

"[Zhen Water] lies in the positions of Chen and Si. Water returns to the southeast, and it is also known as [Great Sea Water]."

The man answered briefly and waved his hand, clearly too lazy to say more.

"[Zhen Water]? [Great Sea Water]? So a [Zhen Water] spirit item simply means seafood? Why make it sound so mysterious? For the sake of grandeur?"

Fang Qing grumbled inwardly, but he still bowed respectfully and entered Floating Boat Market carrying the Autumn-Killing Bladefish.

Floating Boat Market truly was not large. There were only a handful of shops, while several oddly dressed people of varied appearances had set up stalls.

After observing for a while, he found that most transactions were barter, and these cultivators did not seem particularly advanced in cultivation.

Fang Qing had seen great Foundation Establishment cultivators within the Azure Sea Sect. Though these cultivators gave him a sense of danger, they still seemed somewhat inferior to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"It looks like... this is on the level of a Qi Refinement trade fair over at the Azure Sea Sect. Not bad, not bad. It suits me perfectly."

With a thought, he began watching transactions and stepping forward to haggle.

After half an hour, he had gained some understanding of the value of the Autumn-Killing Bladefish in his hands.

"It is actually... worth quite a lot?!"

"At the Azure Sea Sect, only early-stage Qi Refinement cultivators would care about this sort of half-demon fish..."

"Wait, the spiritual energy in this world seems somewhat thin, and spirit items must likewise be scarce? So there is a premium?"

"But their Dao arts are quite exquisite... When that gatekeeper flicked his sleeve earlier, a strange scene of clear wind and falling leaves appeared. I could not understand it..."

With these thoughts in mind, Fang Qing finally came before a stall.

The stall was extremely crude, resembling a fortune-teller's stand. A yellow banner hung above it, bearing the words: "Spirit Testing, Fortune Telling."

An old blind man sat behind the stall. Where his eyes should have been were two black, hollow pits, making him look especially terrifying. Before him sat a dark yellow bone bowl.

"Greetings, Elder."

Fang Qing sat down and offered a bow.

"Hehe... It is rare to see a mortal come here. Looks like this old blind man is meant to open for business today."

The old blind man smiled, revealing a mouthful of ugly yellow teeth. "Just call me Old Blind Man. Want to cultivate immortality? First, you must test your spirit and read your fate..."

"May I ask... what is the fee? I only have this [Zhen Water] spirit item left."

Fang Qing placed the Autumn-Killing Bladefish on the stall.

Though it meant nothing to him, he naturally had to pretend that he treasured it dearly.

Old Blind Man reached out and felt it, then nodded. "This portion of spiritual resources will buy you one reading of your fate and aptitude. Any questions you have may also be asked of Old Blind Man. To be frank, within Floating Boat Market, no one can surpass Old Blind Man when it comes to reading faces and telling fortunes."

Fang Qing gave no response. After all, every melon-seller praised his own melons.

Old Blind Man sneered and pointed to his eyes. "You do not believe me? In my younger days, Old Blind Man traveled the Western Extremity and entered the Secret Treasury Domain. I left my pair of eyes there, but brought out this bone-bowl artifact. It tests spirits and judges fates with unfailing accuracy..."

"What is the Secret Treasury Domain?"

Fang Qing did not understand, so he asked directly.

Old Blind Man paused, then smiled bitterly. "The Secret Treasury Domain lies west of Ancient Shu. You need only know that it is a place of great darkness and great terror..."

After a pause, he continued, "Demanding your entire spirit fish is a little excessive, but you must understand that you are merely a mortal. Carrying a spirit item is like carrying gold through a bustling market. If you do not spend it all, Old Blind Man fears that the moment you leave this market, calamity will befall you!"

That warning was true enough. Fang Qing nodded. "Then that is the price."

"Excellent. Place your hands above the spirit bowl."

Old Blind Man had Fang Qing extend both hands, then lifted the yellow bowl.

Gurgle, gurgle!

Looking at the bone bowl again, Fang Qing felt somewhat disgusted.

But with a thought, gurgling sounds arose from within the bowl. Water actually surged forth, as though a tiny spring had appeared inside it, continually spouting a fountain.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Beyond that, a clear breeze drifted over and coiled around the bone bowl.

"Mm, your fate is [Ji Water], and your qi forms the Leopard Pattern... The tiger follows the wind, and so does the leopard!"

Old Blind Man pronounced his judgment. "[Ji Water] favors wind. It is the water of a veiled spring, and may also be called leaping spring water, with the alternate name [Fountain Water]. Those with this fate possess Eloquence's Edge and are destined to be persuasive speakers..."

"When the gentleman transforms like a leopard, his markings become splendid... If you wish to nourish your fate, you must read more, study literature, and cultivate the literary qi within yourself..."

Fang Qing's heart trembled as he thought again of Three-Water Hollow and the Fang Family...

He steadied himself. "So... I have the aptitude to cultivate immortality?"

"Of course you do. If you cultivate [Ji Water] and supplement it with literary qi, using literature and wind to nourish your fate, they will complement one another perfectly... Beyond that, [Zhen Water], [Shen Water], and [Bi Water] cultivation methods will also work. Generally speaking, all Water Virtue cultivation methods are suitable... Of course, the prerequisite is first swallowing a mouthful of Water-element True Qi to enter the Dao."

Old Blind Man sighed. "True Qi is precious. One spirit item is far from enough... This old Daoist does have several qi-gathering methods that I can give you to compensate for the value of the spirit fish. But for the final step of gathering qi, you must have a cultivator use mana to 'merge the qi.' Whether you can accomplish that will depend entirely on your fortune."

Disappointment appeared on Fang Qing's face, but inwardly, his heart stirred.

"I possess mana. Perhaps I can complete the final step without needing another cultivator's help?"

"This Old Blind Man seems rather honest. I can ask him more about the cultivation world."

After thinking it over, he asked, "Can I only cultivate Water Virtue methods? I wonder whether [Ji Water] is powerful?"

"Haha, what matters most between cultivators is cultivation. If your realm is high, you will naturally sweep through all before you... But there are indeed mutual restraints among the various orthodoxies. The Golden Fire Orthodoxy is the manifest Dao of this age, so simply avoid it..."

Old Blind Man laughed heartily.

"Fire restrains water?! That is not right, is it? Why are Gold and Fire the manifest Dao?"

Fang Qing's eyes widened. This was clearly different from what he had learned at the Azure Sea Sect; it completely overturned the natural order.

"You do not follow the Immortal Calendar? [Ox Metal], [Tail Fire], [Kangjin], [Wing Fire]... The twelve [Year Guardians] take turns governing heaven and earth. All belong to the Great Sun and the Golden Fire Orthodoxy, which has produced unimaginable mighty beings. Therefore, the Golden Fire Orthodoxy is the manifest Dao!" Old Blind Man's voice carried a trace of tremor.