Harvest and Cultivation

"Uncle Tong! May I ask where I can get that kind of Yellow Talisman Paper, the kind used to practice Foundational Talismans...?"

Yue Shuo carefully opened the paper package and discovered a neat, smooth stack of First-Grade Blank Talisman Paper inside. His heart surged with excitement.

"Yellow Talisman Paper? There isn't any here on Market Island. Have your servant buy it on Little Hemmu Island!"

Yue Shuo froze for a moment, nearly smacking himself on the head.

He should have asked Gu Jiu earlier.

Still, without a reason, it would not have been appropriate for him to suddenly begin learning Talisman Crafting. After all, he had only been on the island for half a month.

After that, Yue Shuo followed Uncle Tong around Market Island.

The man explained things to them as they went.

Market Island was still sparsely populated and looked far from lively. When Zou Chongying asked about it, Uncle Tong's expression carried a hint of wistfulness.

"It wasn't like this before..."

"But at the end and beginning of each month, there's a black market and an auction. Of course, before you reach Qi Refining, Fourth Layer, you'd best not rush in to join the excitement!"

At the mention of black markets and auctions, it was not only Yue Shuo whose eyes lit up.

Zou Chongying and Tian Wan were curious as well.

Uncle Tong did not look like much, but his temperament was indeed gentle. After the two pestered him for a while, he pointed out the locations to all three of them.

But he advised them to stay away from those places.

"Once you reach Qi Refining Level One and receive an appointment, you'll have an income."

"If you need anything, go to the Qin Clan's shops. They have all kinds of first-grade low- and mid-grade Dharma artifacts, pills, materials, and so on..."

"Disciples of the clan get discounts when buying things. The higher your merit rank, the greater the discount..."

"Once you have Spirit Stones, don't rush to buy Spirit-Gathering Pills. Spirit pills are expensive and carry pill toxins. It's best to first buy a first-grade low-grade Dharma artifact, a Spirit-Gathering Pearl..."

Then he glanced at Zou Chongying again.

"The first few years are important. Don't rush to take patrol or expedition-type assignments..."

He turned to Tian Wan.

"If you want to learn alchemy, you'd best be mentally prepared. It burns through money like firewood. If you can cultivate a first-grade fire-element technique, and successfully master a flame-type secret art or spell at Qi Refining Level One, you can register at the External Affairs Pavilion."

"Once you become an alchemy apprentice, the Lineage will give you a certain amount of resources and support..."

Finally, he looked at Yue Shuo.

"Spirit plant masters and talisman masters are both good choices. But a person's energy is limited; you need to learn what to take and what to give up..."

Yue Shuo nodded earnestly.

After that, without giving the three any more chance to wander around, Uncle Tong offered them further guidance in cultivation.

Then he saw the three off Market Island.

They boarded the boat.

Only then did he return to the Market Island shop.

The cultivator customers who had been in the shop earlier had already left. Tong Qian looked at Qin Yan, who sat quietly behind the counter, and smiled gently.

Qin Yan did not even raise her head, nor did she ask about the three children from earlier.

After all, they were merely three newly initiated guest disciples.

Whether they possessed talent would only become somewhat clear after a year. She had merely extended a bit of goodwill in passing.

"You're going out to sea again?"

"Mm."

"The year is almost over. Can't you go after the new year?"

Qin Yan's tone was calm and flat, yet Tong Qian's brows and eyes grew even gentler when he heard it, his gaze brimming with love.

Seeing that no one stood outside the door, he stepped closer and helped Yan-niang arrange the goods on the shelves.

He lowered his voice.

"There was an incident involving pirates attacking and abducting Mortals before. It may be related to that Rogue Cultivator who settled on Fire Gourd Island."

"The people on the nearby islands have all been rather unsettled."

"Recently, the only available Qin Clan cultivator at Qi Refining, Late Stage, has been me. I accepted the assignment and have to investigate. I'll try to return as early as possible..."

"But your injuries..."

"It's fine. I've recuperated for half a month, and I'm mostly healed. If I don't move around soon, I'll rust solid."

Tong Qian struck a muscular pose.

Qin Yan was not amused. Instead, she said resentfully:

"Can't you learn from those children? Stay on the island and learn planting, Talisman Crafting, alchemy, and the like?"

Tong Qian smiled.

He stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Yan-niang's back.

Patting her softly, he whispered, "I know Yan-niang worries about me, but I'm also grateful to the clan head for marrying you to me..."

"The Qin Clan is now battered by wind and rain. Even for your safety, Yan-niang, I must..."

Tears immediately welled up in Qin Yan's eyes.

Tong Qian hurriedly comforted her, and the atmosphere between them gradually heated up, until a familiar customer arrived and broke the ambiguous mood.

The atmosphere at the shop had been interrupted.

Yet the atmosphere among the three children on the little boat remained lively.

The three discussed what they had seen on Market Island, the possible relationship between Sister Qin Yan and Uncle Tong, and the directions their cultivation might take in the future.

"Uncle Tong said that if we want to follow the path of battle, after reaching Qi Refining Level One, we can choose the Sword-Control Formula..."

If one's talent was good enough, there might even be a chance to obtain a first-grade flying sword Dharma artifact.

That was a flying sword!

"If I want to learn alchemy, I have to master the Blazing Sun Art's secret art, Flame Palm, at the first layer. But how am I supposed to master that secret art?"

Tian Wan was so troubled that his brows were tightly furrowed. He did not have the slightest clue.

Yue Shuo, meanwhile, glanced at the technique section of the Cultivator Character Panel and looked twice at the unpracticed Blazing Sun Art.

[First-Grade Blazing Sun Art]

Cultivation requirement: Fire Spirit Root

Each level: cultivation speed +0.2, alchemy efficiency +20%... At perfection, additional alchemy efficiency +40%.

Attached secret art: Flame Palm.

Unfortunately, he had not cultivated it successfully. Otherwise, he could have tried activating the secret art and then passed the experience on to Tian Wan.

However,

His gaze lingered for a few moments on the spells and secret arts that could be activated from the several techniques he had cultivated.

Spells: Evergreen Technique, Qi-Replenishing Technique, Golden Light Slash. Secret art: Thousand Waves Slash!

The Water Spirit Formula had no spells or secret arts.

Yue Shuo pondered whether he could replace this technique with the Blazing Sun Art, which possessed a secret art.

Even as he casually responded to the discussion between the two children,

He planned to try it after returning.

Aside from Yue Shuo, Zou Chongying and Tian Wan had also realized that a cultivator who had only just achieved Spirit-Drawing Entry was nothing at all.

Both of them became even more enthusiastic about cultivation.

After returning to Hemu Island,

The three bid each other farewell and hurried back to their own courtyards.

Before leaving, Zou Chongying and Tian Wan each gave Yue Shuo a Grain-Repelling Pill. They ran off before he could refuse.

Yue Shuo looked at the pea-sized Grain-Repelling Pills in his hand, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Without being sealed in a jade bottle, these things would gradually lose their effectiveness. At the very least, they needed to be stored in a wooden box.

A wooden box could at least preserve them for two or three months.

This trip to Market Island had added quite a bit to his common knowledge of cultivation.

He returned to his small courtyard and summoned Gu Jiu.

He had Gu Jiu first find a small wooden box. Just as he was about to tell him to buy Yellow Talisman Paper and Foundational Talisman Ink on Little Hemmu Island when he had time, he paused.

If he wanted someone to buy things, he had to give them money.

Daily necessities could be collected directly by Gu Jiu. This was one of the benefits granted to Qin Clan cultivation disciples, but Yellow Talisman Paper and the like did not count as daily necessities.

Yue Shuo thought for a moment.

He merely had Gu Jiu inquire about the prices of those items and find a place where they could be regularly purchased.

After calming down, he still carried out a cultivation session.

Before cultivating, he tried deleting the Water Spirit Formula. He discovered that with sufficiently strong intent, a technique he had already begun could be erased.

Next, he tried cultivating the Blazing Sun Art.

This time, he succeeded.

[Cultivation: 135/500 (+2/time)]

[Blazing Sun Art (First Grade): 1/100 (Beginner)]

He continued restoring the Spirit Field.

And comprehending the Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique.

During the day, he completed four rounds of Wood Essence Art cultivation and one round of Blazing Sun Art cultivation.

[Wood Essence Art (First Grade): 66/100 (Beginner)]