Pigsty LV1

"What?!"

After Ji Yuan heard Qiu Qianhai describe Maple Leaf Island's situation yesterday, he had already wondered whether something might have happened to these two neighboring households of his.

But it had only been a guess at the time. Who would have thought it would come true today...

After coming ashore, Lin Hu carefully led Wu Qin onto the bank. Only then did Ji Yuan notice that she seemed to have been injured on the back, with blood faintly seeping from around her waist as well.

Lin Hu put away the fishing boat, then nodded bitterly at Ji Yuan.

"I'll come to Brother Ji's house and tell you in a while."

Ji Yuan hesitated briefly, but still nodded. "All right."

GOOGLE Search TWKAN

"..."

After settling Wu Qin at home, Lin Hu came over to Ji Yuan's house. He did not enter; the two simply sat in the front yard.

There was still lingering fear in Lin Hu's eyes. He said he had come to talk to Ji Yuan, but more than that, he simply wanted to find some peace of mind.

"For the first few days after we got there, things were all right with Huang Laotou leading us. We ran into danger several times, but managed to avoid it."

"At the time... the chaotic battle hadn't started yet, and Huang Laotou still treated us as his own people."

As Lin Hu spoke, a trace of regret flashed through his eyes. His hands resting on his knees clenched tightly into fists.

"Later, for some reason, the people from Taian Ward suddenly banded together and started killing anyone from Jingde Ward they could catch. Naturally, we from Zengtou City thought we could reap the benefits, so we planned to sit atop the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

"When the people from Jingde Ward realized it, they suggested to the people from Taian Ward that they kill us from Zengtou City first, lest we reap the benefits... so they joined forces."

"We weren't fools either. We followed Taian Ward's people in killing those from Jingde Ward. In short, it turned into a chaotic melee. By the end, everyone had killed until their eyes were red. No one cared where the other side came from anymore. Whoever they saw, they killed."

"Our group was weak, so we thought of escaping first."

"We dodged left and right, but we were still targeted by someone at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining."

By the time Lin Hu said this, even his voice was trembling.

Ji Yuan did not know how to comfort him, so he could only sigh. "In Cloud-Rain Marsh, the big fish eat the little fish. But isn't it the same on shore? Cultivation has always been a process of fighting heaven, fighting earth, and fighting people."

"Brother Ji is right... That bandit cultivator's Spirit Vessel was better than ours, and we were about to be caught. At the critical moment, Huang Laotou actually threw me back onto my parents' ebony boat."

As Lin Hu spoke, he slammed a heavy fist into his thigh.

"That dog bastard!"

"..."

Lin Hu did not speak of what happened afterward, but Ji Yuan could guess.

"Did Huang Laotou survive?"

"I don't know." Lin Hu shook his head. "After my parents held that bandit cultivator back, we fled for our lives. We never saw Huang Laotou along the way again. It would be best if he died. Best if he died without even a corpse left behind."

Indeed, though Ji Yuan did not say it aloud, he also felt that there was something wrong with Huang Laotou.

He was not honorable.

Though it was every man for himself, doing it so openly—selling out his companions to save himself... Ji Yuan would have to stay far away from him in the future and avoid becoming entangled with him.

Of course, that was assuming he had a future.

Lin Hu went back. Despite his fury, he retained some measure of reason and did not force his way into Huang Laotou's courtyard.

According to Water Dragon Sect's rules, as long as one paid the Immortal Residence Fee, the house fell under Water Dragon Sect's protection. If Lin Hu dared barge in... he would have to fight Water Dragon Sect.

If he won, then naturally there was nothing to say. Forget tiny Zengtou City—even the Water Dragon Sect's sect master could be dealt with however he pleased.

But if he lost, then sorry, Water Dragon Sect would teach him how to behave.

After Lin Hu left, Ji Yuan remained seated where he was for a while. The deaths of Lin Youwei and his wife had given him quite a shock.

Fight for immortal fortune: succeed, and you succeed; fail, and you perish.

If it were merely a matter of competing for resources, that would be one thing. But he also had to guard against people like Huang Laotou at his side... venturing out was simply too dangerous.

Even if he had finally advanced to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining, so what?

Like the original owner's parents, and Lin Youwei, they had all been at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. Yet when it was time to die, didn't they still die?

Forget it. Farming was more important!

With that thought, Ji Yuan got up and locked the courtyard gate. Then he went to the back yard and looked at the line floating above the Pigsty.

[Pigsty: LV0]

He had already prepared all the Spirit Stones and everything else. With a thought, Ji Yuan watched as the 0 rolled into a 1.

Immediately afterward, the Spirit Stones in his hand turned to powder, and the requirements for upgrading the Pigsty to Level 2 popped up on his panel.

[Pigsty: LV2]

[Spirit Effect: Produces half a tael of Blood Essence daily; enhances the effects of flesh and blood]

[Upgrade Requirements: Low-Grade Spirit Stone ×50, Rotbone Flower ×3, inscribe Filth-Expelling Runes]

Blood Essence!!

This was the core material for refining Qi-Blood Pills, and Qi-Blood Pills were excellent healing Cultivation Pills for the Qi Refining stage.

Their effects were far better than those of Hundred-Herb Pills.

Hundred-Herb Pills were extremely effective for injuries suffered during the Early Qi Refining stage. But once someone in the Late Qi Refining stage was injured, taking Hundred-Herb Pills would yield very little effect.

The healing pills they mostly used were Qi-Blood Pills.

A Level 2 Pigsty produced half a tael of Blood Essence every day. Ji Yuan remembered that Blood Essence sold in Zengtou City for twenty Spirit Stones per tael.

Half a tael meant ten Spirit Stones.

An income of ten Spirit Stones every day. If he upgraded the Fish Pond to Level 2 as well, it would produce one drop of Water Splendor Dew every day, which would be another source of Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan did not even dare imagine what kind of life he could live by then. Perhaps... he would no longer have to eat eggshells?

Perhaps he could even change up the way he cooked Spirit Eggs?!

As for now, that was definitely impossible. No matter how small a mosquito's leg was, it was still meat.

Every day, Ji Yuan ground the Spirit Egg shells into powder before swallowing and refining them.

After the [Pigsty] upgrade was complete, Ji Yuan took three Spirit Eggs and the one remaining Spirit Stone he had left and headed for Zengtou City.

He first found the familiar chicken cultivator and sold three Spirit Eggs, exchanging them for one Spirit Stone and five Spirit Fragments.

Finally, with those two and a half Spirit Stones, he arrived at the spirit pig shop run by the pig cultivator in Zengtou City.

The Rogue Cultivator who dealt in spirit pigs in Zengtou City was named Luo Tong. He was also Ji Qingyun's friend. Ji Yuan had even learned from Huang Laotou that Ji Qingyun's original Spirit Vessel was now in Luo Tong's possession.

When he arrived, before Ji Yuan could open his mouth, Luo Tong—a burly man wearing a bloodstained apron—glared at him and said, "What's with you, kid? It's been so long, and you still haven't come to visit your Uncle Luo."

"Have you forgotten all about me?"

Ji Yuan hurriedly smiled. "How could I? It's just that recently..."

"Not enough for the Immortal Residence Fee? Here, I have some. Take it and pay it first." Without allowing any argument, Luo Tong handed him three Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan looked up at the bearded man, warmth rising in his heart.

In this deceitful Zengtou City, there were few outsiders who treated him so well.

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Luo, but I got lucky last time and found an injured Spirit Fish. I've already made up the Immortal Residence Fee."

"That's good, then. If you're short, just tell Uncle Luo."

Luo Tong did not waste words. After putting away the Spirit Stones, he lifted a four- or five-pound piece of spirit pig meat from the chopping board. "Here, take this meat home and eat it. Build yourself up."

"No, no. I came to see Uncle Luo today because I have something to ask."

"Oh? What is it?"

"..."

After Ji Yuan explained the matter, Luo Tong went to the back yard. Finally, he brought out a piglet in a cage.

"Spirit Stones?! If you still acknowledge me as your uncle, take them back. Mention Spirit Stones again, and I'll slap you so hard you'll turn into a spirit pig."

Faced with such an "unreasonable" uncle, Ji Yuan had no other choice. He could only accept the favor for now, thinking that when he came next time, he would bring a few more Spirit Eggs to repay the kindness.

But what he had not expected was that after giving him the spirit pig, Luo Tong pulled him into the inner room and lowered his voice.

"I bought your father's Willow Leaf Boat. Once you advance to the Middle Qi Refining Stage, bring ten Spirit Stones to me, and I'll return the Willow Leaf Boat to you."

Ten... Even the cheapest Spirit Vessel cost at least twenty Spirit Stones, and those were all damaged vessels. These ten Spirit Stones were practically the same as giving it away for free.

Before Ji Yuan could speak, Luo Tong reached out and patted his shoulder.

"As for anything else, wait until you can reach the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. If you can't... then settle down and fish in peace, sigh."