Pigsty LV1

"What?!"

After Ji Yuan heard Qiu Qianhai explain the situation on Maple Leaf Island yesterday, he had already been wondering whether something might have happened to these two neighboring households of his.

But that had only been speculation. Who would have thought it would come true today...

After coming ashore, Lin Hu carefully helped Wu Qin up as well. Only then did Ji Yuan notice that she seemed to have been injured on the back. Even around her waist, blood was faintly seeping out.

Lin Hu put away the fishing boat, then gave Ji Yuan a bitter nod.

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

Ji Yuan hesitated briefly before nodding. "All right."

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

Lin Hu still had lingering terror in his eyes. He had said he came to talk to Ji Yuan, but more than that, he wanted to find some peace of mind.

"For the first few days after we got there, things were still fine with Huang Laotou leading us. We ran into danger several times, but we avoided it every time."

"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 united. They started slaughtering anyone from Jingde Ward they caught. Naturally, we people from Zengtou City thought we could pick up a bargain, so we planned to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

"When the people of Jingde Ward discovered that, they suggested to the people of Taian Ward that they kill us people from Zengtou City first, so we couldn't profit from their fight... So they joined forces."

"We weren't fools either. We followed the people from Taian Ward and killed those from Jingde Ward. In short, it became one massive melee. By the end, everyone had killed until their eyes were red. No one cared where the other side came from anymore. If they saw someone, they killed them."

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

"We weaved left and right, but in the end, a Sixth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator still set his sights on us."

By this point, even Lin Hu's voice was trembling.

Ji Yuan did not know how to comfort him, so he could only sigh. "In Cloud-Rain Marsh, it's the big fish eating the small fish. But isn't it the same on land? Cultivation is a process of fighting heaven, fighting earth, and fighting people."

"Brother Ji is right... That bandit cultivator's spirit vessel was better than ours. We were about to be caught, when, at the critical moment, Huang Laotou actually threw me back onto my parents' ebony boat."

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

"That dog-bastard!"

Lin Hu did not say 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 again along the way. He'd better be dead. Better yet, dead without even a corpse left behind."

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

He had no sense of decency.

Though it was every man for himself, Huang Laotou had made it so blatant, selling out his companions to save his own life... Ji Yuan needed to stay far away from him in the future and avoid having anything to do with him.

Of course, that was assuming Huang Laotou even 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 the Water Dragon Sect's rules, as long as one paid the Immortal Residence Fee, the house was under the Water Dragon Sect's protection. If Lin Hu dared to break in... then he would have to fight the Water Dragon Sect.

If he won, then naturally there would be nothing to say. Forget tiny Zengtou City—even if it were the Water Dragon Sect's sect master, he could deal with him however he pleased.

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

After Lin Hu left, Ji Yuan remained seated where he was for a while longer. The deaths of Lin Youwei and his wife had more or less shaken him.

To fight for an immortal opportunity—succeed, and one lived; fail, and one died.

If it were merely fighting for resources, that would be one thing. But he also had to guard against people like Huang Laotou at his side... Venturing outside was still far too dangerous.

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

Like the original owner's parents and Lin Youwei, he too had been at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. Yet when death came, didn't they still die?

Enough. Farming was more important!

With that thought, Ji Yuan rose and went to lock the courtyard gate. Then he came to the backyard and looked at the line of words floating above the pigsty.

[Pigsty: LV0]

He had prepared all the Spirit Stones and other materials. With a thought from Ji Yuan, he watched as the 0 rolled over and became a 1.

Immediately afterward, the Spirit Stones in his hand turned to powder. Then the upgrade requirements for a Level Two pigsty popped up on his Panel.

[Pigsty: LV2]

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

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

Blood Essence!!

This was the core material for refining Qi-Blood Pills, and Qi-Blood Pills were exceptional 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 at the Early Qi Refining Stage. But once one was injured at the Late Qi Refining Stage, taking Hundred-Herb Pills would yield meager results.

The healing cultivation pills they used more often were Qi-Blood Pills.

A Level Two 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 a day—and if he upgraded the fish pond to Level Two as well, it would produce one drop of Waterbloom Dew daily. That would be another stream of Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan did not even dare imagine what kind of life he would be living then. Perhaps... he would never have to eat eggshells again?

Could he even change the way he ate Spirit Eggs, steaming or boiling them instead?!

As for now, that was definitely impossible. However small a mosquito's leg, it was still meat.

Every day, Ji Yuan ground the Spirit Egg shells into powder, swallowed them, and refined them.

After the [Pigsty] finished upgrading, Ji Yuan took three Spirit Eggs, along with the one Spirit Stone he had left from before, and headed to Zengtou City.

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

Then, carrying those two and a half Spirit Stones, he went to 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, and Ji Yuan had learned from Huang Laotou that Ji Qingyun's former spirit vessel was now in Luo Tong's possession.

When he arrived, Ji Yuan had not even had time to speak before Luo Tong—a burly man wearing a bloodstained apron—glared at him and said, "What's wrong with you, brat? 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..."

"Don't have enough for the Immortal Residence Fee? Here, I have some. Take these and pay it first." Without another word, Luo Tong handed him three Spirit Stones.

Ji Yuan looked up at the bearded giant, warmth welling up in his heart.

In this Zengtou City full of schemes and deception, there were few outsiders who treated him so well.

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

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

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

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

"Oh? What is it?"

After Ji Yuan explained the matter, Luo Tong went into the backyard. Finally, he brought out a piglet in a cage.

"Spirit Stones?! If you still acknowledge me as your uncle, take them back. If you mention Spirit Stones again, 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 the next time he came, he would bring more Spirit Eggs to repay Luo Tong's kindness.

But what he did not expect 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 Spirit Stones... Even the cheapest spirit vessels cost twenty Spirit Stones, and those were all damaged ones. Ten Spirit Stones was practically 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 reach the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. If you can't... then just fish in peace, sigh."