Following Four Directions Bridge uphill, a shimmering tributary of Still Abyss West Lake slowly came into Chen Beiwu's view.
Scattered groups of cultivators had gathered along the riverbank. Ignoring the signs around them that read "No Fishing," they secretly fished in secluded spots thick with grass.
In the Immortal Alliance Era, fishing wasn't difficult. The hard part was finding a lake imbued with Spirit Vigor.
Still Abyss River spanned three prefectures and nurtured countless Spirit Fish. Even Treasure Fish comparable to Golden Core True Persons appeared there from time to time, making it a sacred place in the hearts of countless fishing enthusiasts.
Every year, a few lucky souls in Fallen Dragon Prefecture caught Second-Tier Spirit Fish in Still Abyss River and achieved an upward leap in status.
It was just that this sacred place belonged to the Immortal Alliance. If ordinary cultivators wanted to fish there, they had to pay a hefty fee.
As far as Chen Beiwu knew, even fishing in the outer reaches of Still Abyss River-that is, at Still Abyss West Lake-cost at least one Spirit Stone per hour. It was a price beyond what ordinary people could afford, and was also why he had turned down Xu Ziqing's invitation earlier.
Of course, the bigger reason was that he didn't want to trigger a Seven-Colored Encounter (a trace) in the vast, boundless Still Abyss River, even if the chances weren't high.
Watching the figures keeping guard in the distance, Chen Beiwu thought to himself, My luck's not bad today. I can earn a little extra again.
Not every fishing enthusiast could afford the hefty fishing fees, especially in the relatively poor Far Sky County.
Some fishing enthusiasts tried to exploit loopholes by heading to remote tributaries of Still Abyss West Lake-areas where the Immortal Alliance's World Affairs Hall prohibited fishing-to fish in secret.
To curb the increasingly rampant illegal fishing, Far Sky County World Affairs Hall had introduced an Illegal Fishing Reporting Reward System a few years ago. Residents could photograph and upload other people's illegal fishing activities to receive an official reward.
The rewards offered by World Affairs Hall seemed neither too high nor too low, but Chen Beiwu was lucky enough to occasionally spot people fishing illegally whenever he passed Four Directions Bridge.
By reporting illegal fishing, he could earn about one Spirit Stone a month, equivalent to half a month's wages for his mother's embroidery work at home.
Chen Beiwu took out his phone, snapped a picture in the direction of the grass, uploaded it to World Affairs Hall's official platform, entered the time and location in detail to file his report, then turned gracefully and took a step forward.
Plop. A blob of bird droppings landed right where he had been standing a moment ago.
Chen Beiwu showed no surprise.
The Divine Ability he cultivated, Nine-Breath Qi Ingestion, was incomparably powerful. It could seize the Creation of Heaven and Earth and nurture his own Fortune, but it wasn't without drawbacks.
Every time he triggered a Fortuitous Encounter, he might run into trouble afterward.
What did that mean?
Fortune and Misfortune Rely on Each Other. While he used his Divine Ability to build up Fortune, misfortune and calamity were also brewing.
As long as his Fortune remained, things were fine. But once he turned the Fortune he had accumulated into a triggered Fortuitous Encounter, the misfortune and calamity that had previously been suppressed by his Fortune would turn into tribulations and erupt.
However, Chen Beiwu had the support of the supreme treasure Nine-Breath Chaos. Even when his Fortune had plummeted to rock bottom a few times and tribulations had erupted, the outcome had still been unexpectedly lucky.
For example, once when Chen Beiwu was having bad luck, he got into a car accident on his way out. His injuries kept him from going to school, and that very day, he learned that a brutal murder had taken place at the school: four dead and eighteen wounded. One of the dead had been the student who sat behind him.
Thinking back on it afterward, Chen Beiwu had been deeply relieved. If he hadn't gotten into that car accident, he might have been one of the victims.
Too bad I can only draw out a trace of Nine-Breath Chaos's power for now. Chen Beiwu lowered his head and glanced at the bird droppings on the ground.
With a supreme treasure in his possession, he wasn't going to stand by and watch his tribulations gradually brew and grow along with his Fortune.
After years of exploration, he could now draw on the power of Nine-Breath Chaos to turn the disasters and tribulations he had accumulated into a bit of bad luck and release them-in other words, to turn tribulations into minor disasters. That was why Chen Beiwu had encountered the excrement-angry little bird today.
"Hey, fellow cultivator, need a Cultivation Loan?"
A flyer suddenly appeared from beside him. Its eight enlarged, bold characters stood out: "Easy loans, lending you a path to immortality!"
"No need." Chen Beiwu waved his hand, not even looking up, and walked straight away.
He needed a lot of Spirit Stones to buy Frostfall Pills, but he wasn't desperate enough to touch a Cultivation Loan.
These days, every cultivator knew one thing: within the Immortal Alliance, you could touch anything-but never a Cultivation Loan.
The interest rates on Cultivation Loans were terrifying, starting at 10%. If a borrower had poor credit, the rate could soar to 25%.
Most importantly, unlike the Spirit Beast Loan that the Immortal Alliance offered to encourage talented students, Cultivation Loans compounded interest, with both the principal and interest counted together. Ordinary people who borrowed one could never pay it off. Even after they died, their descendants might still have to keep repaying it.
In a single phrase, a Cultivation Loan was this: one loan passed down through three generations; even when the borrower died, the loan remained.
Unless a borrower was lucky enough to break through a realm in a short time, a Cultivation Loan was a bottomless pit.
That was why some cultivators in the Immortal Alliance directly called Cultivation Loans Undissolved Bone. The meaning was that these loans devoured people without spilling blood, squeezing out even their bone marrow.
But in order to embark on the path of cultivation and attain longevity, countless cultivators in the Immortal Alliance took a chance on Cultivation Loans every year, only to end up with their families destroyed and homes ruined.
Chen Beiwu returned to the entrance of the residential complex and happened to see a striking figure stepping out of the elevator.
She wore a long dress, its hem swaying in the breeze. Beneath it, her long, slender legs showed faintly, their cool, fair sheen catching the sunlight, as if she were a classical beauty who had stepped out of a painting.
"Long time no see, Beiwu." Chen Qin paused slightly and greeted him.
Then she seemed to realize something was off. Her eyes fixed on Chen Beiwu's flowing, lively hair, and she looked somewhat dazed.
Seeing this, Chen Beiwu lowered his head to check his clothes. "Sister Qin, what's wrong? Is there a flower on my face?"
He called Chen Qin Sister Qin not because she was three years older than him, but because her family lived right across from the Chen Household. They had known each other since infancy, so it would be no exaggeration to call them childhood sweethearts.
At his words, Chen Qin came back to herself. Her voice rose involuntarily as she exclaimed in surprise, "You've broken through to Late Qi Refining?"
"Mm, I only broke through recently." Chen Beiwu nodded, his expression complicated.
Fate played cruel tricks. If not for the burden of her family, Sister Qin might have been a Late Qi Refining cultivator by now, given her aptitude.
They had both failed to break through to Foundation Establishment.
His mother had chosen to give up the path of cultivation and leave the opportunity to the next generation, while Aunt Chen had chosen to keep going all in by taking out a Cultivation Loan.
As a transmigrator, Chen Beiwu could understand Aunt Chen's longing for cultivation and immortality. Unfortunately, her gamble had failed. A few days later, she died from her serious injuries, leaving Sister Qin with a mountain of debt that was difficult to repay.
Under the weight of that mountain, Sister Qin had dropped out of school early. Once a promising cultivator with hopes of Foundation Establishment, she had become a musician at Elegant Rhyme Pavilion, essentially cut off from the Immortal Dao.
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