A Handsome Haul

After returning to the Linghua, Zhao Yi and Li Hai ordered the islanders to set sail, then went back to the cabin.

Clatter!

A heap of spirit stones, jade bottles, and Dharma Weapons spilled onto the table.

Zhao Yi sat down in a chair and closed his eyes to rest, while Li Hai began taking inventory.

Amid the rustling sounds, Zhao Yi slowly sank his awareness into the Jade Tablet in his dantian.

[Sect: Linghua]

[Fortune: 4]

[Registered in the Jade Register: 4]

[Expendable fortune: 7]

The sect's fortune had increased by another three points, exactly one point per year.

Then he checked the fortune of the four of them. Why four? Wang Ping was too young and had yet to formally begin cultivating, so he was not on the register.

After some thought, he gave Liu Yu two points of fortune and Wang Qing one. Both would be able to cultivate a little faster, especially Wang Qing, who might otherwise easily be held back by the spirit beasts.

After the additions, their fortune stood as follows.

[Name: Liu Yu]

[Fortune: 10]

[Spiritual root: lower-grade water spiritual root]

[Realm: perfection of meridian opening]

[Name: Wang Qing]

[Fortune: 9]

[Spiritual root: lower-grade wood spiritual root]

[Realm: great completion of meridian opening]

His awareness slowly withdrew. Li Hai had nearly finished taking inventory as well.

"Eldest Senior Brother, we obtained eight Dharma Weapons, forty-two spirit stones, sixteen Essence Qi Pills, twelve Essence Origin Pills, one bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills, and three Red Ginseng Pills in total."

Li Hai pointed at the sorted piles as he spoke to Zhao Yi.

"Mm. Keep all the Essence Qi Pills."

"All right, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Leaning back in his chair, Zhao Yi tilted his head up, his face so full of concerns that he could not hide them.

Li Hai did not understand why. Seeing this, he simply sat down on the other side, drew his sword, and slowly wiped it clean, utterly focused on every movement.

After an unknown length of time, Zhao Yi finally spoke. "Li Hai, how many cultivators do you think are on Kongqing Island right now?"

A sharp gleam flashed through Li Hai's eyes at those words. After a little thought, he said, "Eldest Senior Brother, I don't know, but according to Yuan Zifeng, there are at least three cultivators at perfection of meridian opening on Kongqing Island right now."

"Do you think we should turn around and head straight for Kongqing Island?"

"Eldest Senior Brother, the two of us won't be enough. We would at least need Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother with us. With the four of us joining forces, we should be able to do it."

Zhao Yi nodded and said no more. Li Hai sat to one side and continued wiping his sword.

"When we get back, go see your second senior brother and ask him to give you the sword we got from Ghost Shark Daoist. That sword is better than this one."

"Really? Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother! I've had my eye on that sword for ages!"

Li Hai spoke with delight.

Three days later, Zhao Yi and the others returned to Linghua Island. Liu Yu and Wang Ping came out to welcome the two of them, and all four returned to the mountain together.

The three sat down in the mountainside pavilion, while Wang Ping bustled off to brew tea.

"Senior Brother, did this trip resolve the siege of Black Wind Island?"

Zhao Yi nodded. Li Hai then took the large cloth sack off his back, set it on the table, and poured its contents out with a clatter.

Amid a series of clacks, Liu Yu picked up the jade bottles that had fallen to the ground, his heart aching, and shot Li Hai several glares.

"Second Senior Brother, it's all here. Eight upper-grade Dharma Weapons, forty-two spirit stones, twelve Essence Origin Pills, one bottle of Qi-Replenishing Pills, and three Red Ginseng Pills."

After a brief pause, he continued, "Second Senior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother said you should give me Ghost Shark Daoist's sword."

Liu Yu nodded. "Indeed, your swordsmanship is the best on our island. I originally planned to give it to you once you reached great completion of meridian opening. Since that's the case, come to my place tomorrow morning and get it!"

Before long, Wang Ping came out carrying a teapot. When he saw the things laid out on the table, he could not take his eyes off them.

"Wang Ping, stop drooling over them. You're too young. You can't even hold a wooden sword steady yet. Give it another few years."

Seeing Wang Ping's expression, Zhao Yi teased him with a smile.

In an instant, Wang Ping's little face flushed red, and he glared at Zhao Yi, puffing with indignation.

"Ha ha!"

Zhao Yi laughed even louder and went further still, giving Wang Ping's little head several rubs.

After pouring the tea, Wang Ping sat down too, listening to the three discuss their trip to Black Wind Island.

"We killed ten cultivators on this trip. Li Hai did very well. It was his first time killing anyone, yet he was clean and decisive, with steady hands and a calm mind. He was much better than we were back then."

"You flatter me, Eldest Senior Brother. I was just forcing myself to hold up. Oh, right, you also said you would teach me the Treading the Waves technique when we got back."

"Treading the Waves? What's that about?"

Liu Yu asked in confusion.

Li Hai briefly told Liu Yu what he had seen, and Liu Yu looked at Zhao Yi in surprise as well.

"Senior Brother, did you develop it during your three years of dedicated cultivation?"

Zhao Yi nodded and smiled faintly, saying calmly, "Mm. It's a technique for applying force that I developed, as well as a little trick I use to train my mind. It isn't complete yet. I reckon I'll be able to perfect it once I reach three origins perfection. When that happens, I think I'll be able to tread the waves all the way from Linghua Island to Jade Pearl Island."

"As for now, I can only walk a few li across the water before falling in. If I'm fighting someone, with our qi intermingling, I can't even last more than a few steps."

"This time was just a coincidence. That cultivator's cultivation was low, and his courage had been shattered, which was why I caught up and killed him so easily. A seasoned old cultivator would definitely have seen through me."

"It's still an extraordinary technique!"

Liu Yu said excitedly, "If all of us on the island learn this technique, we'll be better able to protect ourselves when fighting enemies at sea."

"It's not that simple. The very first requirement is cultivation at perfection of meridian opening. The true qi of someone at great completion of meridian opening wouldn't sustain them for more than a few steps."

"Well, since you're all so interested, I'll organize it when I have time. Liu Yu, you can try learning it first."

Liu Yu nodded.

"The affairs of Black Wind Island and Kongqing Island have come to a close for now. We don't need to spend any more thought on them. From here on, focus on cultivating. Liu Yu, keep looking after the spirit fields and medicinal fields."

He glanced at Li Hai. "Li Hai, take the Essence Origin Pills. When you patrol the sea tomorrow, make a trip to Jade Pearl Island and give them to Wang Qing. Tell him to cultivate diligently and not spend too much energy on beast taming."

With that, he lifted his cup and took a sip of tea, then set it down. "Li Hai, when you get to Jade Pearl Island tomorrow, ask Wang Qing how many spirit fish there are on the island, and how big they have to grow to count as adults. If they only ever grow to three inches long, catch two and eat them there together. Come back and tell me how they taste and what effects they have. We've kept investing in spirit fish farming these past few years and spent around a hundred spirit stones on it. It's time to see the results."

Li Hai nodded.

At that, Zhao Yi waved his hand and walked back to the Daoist temple.

Li Hai promptly said to Liu Yu, "Second Senior Brother, I'm going to the back mountain to practice my swordsmanship. Don't forget to give me the sword tomorrow!"

Then he left the pavilion as well.

Only Liu Yu and Wang Ping remained.

Liu Yu looked at Wang Ping with a faint smile and lifted his chin to signal him. "Put away the teapot and cups, then read the Complete Explanation of the Fubo Dao Text five times and copy it twice. Finish before dinner. After dinner, I'll test you on your lessons."

"Ah!"

Wang Ping's little face scrunched up, and he slumped over the table.

"Time still counts while you're lying there."

Wang Ping sprang to his feet.

"Ah..."

He quickly gathered up the teapot and cups and ran off.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and harvest season came around again. In the spirit fields at the foot of the mountain, Zhao Yi's heart blossomed with joy. He glanced at Liu Yu, Li Hai, and Wang Ping on either side of him, waved his hand, and bent down to begin harvesting.

Once it was finally dried and weighed, the harvest came to 243 jin, which was fairly decent. After all, Liu Yu had planted fifty stalks of the lower-grade spirit medicine, vitality-strengthening grass, in the richest part of the spirit fields. Seventeen had survived in the end. They had been growing for a year now and still needed another four years to mature.

One mu of spirit fields planted with spirit rice could yield around a hundred jin, worth fifty spirit stones. After costs, the profit would be over thirty spirit stones. If planted with the most common spirit medicine, vitality-strengthening grass, one mu could hold six hundred stalks, which could sell for three hundred spirit stones. Moreover, vitality-strengthening grass produced seeds once mature. Those seeds could be used for the next planting, and any left over could be sold. One jin of seeds was worth twenty spirit stones, and one mu could produce three jin of seeds. By that calculation, growing vitality-strengthening grass would earn a few dozen more spirit stones than growing spirit rice.

It was simply too risky, and few people knew how to grow spirit medicines. Even Liu Yu, who had grown ordinary medicinal herbs for years, had lost more than half the vitality-strengthening grass he planted, which showed just how great the risk was.

On the twenty-third day of the tenth month, year 5497 of the Yuangguang Calendar, they set off for Little Wave Island!