The upheaval in the Yun Household intensified.
The current household head's elder brother had been killed at their own mine, and a large quantity of spirit stones might also have been stolen.
For a time, all the junior fisher-farmers were gripped by anxiety.
Chen Jianghe did not linger at the Cultivator Market. After purchasing two Qi-Nourishing Pills, he returned straight to his fishing boat.
Standing at the bow, he gazed out across the distant lake. Sunlight spilled over the layers of thin mist, as though coating the water in golden sand, dreamlike and illusory.
Lavishly appointed fishing boats, each a hundred feet long, sailed toward him, rippling across the lake like fish scales.
These were the senior fisher-farmers' boats, much larger than those of the junior fisher-farmers.
Most fishing boats in the Inner Waters were a hundred feet long. Compared with junior fisher-farmers, senior fisher-farmers enjoyed far better treatment from the Yun Household.
There were also guest retainers who had settled in the Yun Household's Inner Waters. Their fishing boats served as their homes and were therefore very large.
"First, the Yun Household's ancestor was wounded and might be nearing the end of his lifespan. Now their eldest master has fallen at Linyun Mine. These senior fisher-farmers must be getting restless."
At the Cultivator Market, he had heard plenty of talk about leaving the Yun Household, out of fear that a war between the two Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans would spill over into Mirror Moon Lake.
If even the junior fisher-farmers felt this way, the senior fisher-farmers were all the more anxious.
Those who became senior fisher-farmers were generally at the fourth level of Qi Refining or above, and all had hopes of reaching the late Qi Refining stage.
But those hopes depended on remaining with the Yun Household.
Only the Yun Household could provide them with a peaceful cultivation environment. Once they left, not only would they lose their steady income, but they would also have to worry about all manner of dangers.
"The Fisher-Farmer Conference is tomorrow. With these senior fisher-farmers coming, the Yun Household will have to step forward and settle everyone's restless hearts."
Senior fisher-farmers formed the backbone of the Yun Household and held considerable standing. Even direct descendants would not provoke them lightly.
As such, the Yun Household would have to disclose something about the situation to soothe the fear and unease of all the fisher-farmers.
Chen Jianghe entered the cabin, took out a Qi-Nourishing Pill, swallowed it, and began absorbing and refining its medicinal power.
Twelve hours later.
Chen Jianghe held his hands as though encircling the moon, the webs between his thumbs and forefingers meeting. He sank his qi into his Dantian, slowly concluded his practice, and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
This time, he had refined eighty percent of the Qi-Nourishing Pill's medicinal power. As expected, the higher his cultivation, the more medicinal power he could absorb and refine from low-grade pills.
This greatly curtailed the loss of medicinal power.
This single Qi-Nourishing Pill had equaled nearly two years of arduous cultivation for Chen Jianghe.
At that moment, his Dantian Qi Sea brimmed with magical power, forming a mass the size of a table tennis ball. He was another step closer to the Qi Refining Third Layer.
As long as he had enough spirit stones to take another Qi-Nourishing Pill a year later, he would be highly confident of breaking through to the Qi Refining Third Layer.
Sitting in the cabin, he glanced outside through the window.
It was the hour of the ox. The waning moon resembled a curved hook, casting a pallid glimmer as it hung alone in the night sky, without a single star for company.
The fishing boats moored in the harbor all flickered with candlelight, scattering stars across the lake and making the waning moon above seem less lonely.
The few inns in the marketplace were brightly lit. Clearly, their guests could not settle their minds as they awaited the Fisher-Farmer Conference at daybreak.
Another four hours passed.
At the hour of the rabbit, a milky whiteness gradually emerged along the eastern horizon, casting red light across ten thousand miles as the rising sun slowly emerged from the sea of clouds.
The fisher-farmers disembarked and stepped onto the harbor.
Before long, heads crowded together amid a boiling clamor of voices. The harbor was packed with people, and not just fisher-farmers.
There were also guest retainers who were ordinarily nowhere to be seen.
This Fisher-Farmer Conference had drawn as many as a thousand people, surpassing every previous gathering.
The steward of the Outer Waters arrived at the conference. Faced with so many people, his expression grew grave, and he remained silent for a long time.
Not only were senior fisher-farmers present, but even the guest retainers had come. This Fisher-Farmer Conference was already beyond the authority of an Outer Waters steward like him to preside over. Everyone watched him, and when he said nothing, the whispered discussions below grew even more numerous.
Among them were no shortage of alarming claims.
Ordinarily, the steward of the Outer Waters would already have dragged the speakers out and docked three to five years of their pay as a warning to the others.
Before long, a handsome young man of striking bearing walked over to the steward of the Outer Waters and patted his shoulder.
"Young master!" Recognizing the newcomer, the steward of the Outer Waters felt a weight lift from him and hurriedly bowed respectfully.
Then he straightened his back, his furrowed brow relaxed, and his eyes gleamed as he swept his gaze over all the fisher-farmers and guest retainers, continuing to preside over the Fisher-Farmer Conference.
The newcomer was none other than Yun Bufan, the youngest son of the Yun Household's head.
"The Qi Refining, Seventh Layer! He truly deserves to be called the Yun Household's Qilin Child. He's no more than twenty-five, yet he's already broken through to the late Qi Refining stage."
"A three-element true spiritual root faces no bottlenecks before Foundation Establishment. In another ten years at most, this young man will surely reach the ninth level of Qi Refining."
The moment Yun Bufan appeared, the senior fisher-farmers and guest retainers began discussing him in hushed voices.
"The Yun Household's intention in having this Qilin Child oversee the Fisher-Farmer Conference couldn't be clearer."
"Indeed. If all goes smoothly, this Qilin Child will surely break through to the Foundation Establishment realm within twenty years at most."
"Two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one household-that's a sign of a lineage's rise to greatness."
"It's just a pity that the Yun Household's ancestor is gravely wounded and nearing the end of his lifespan. Otherwise, with two Foundation Establishment cultivators in one household, they would rank among the notable Foundation Establishment Immortal Clans throughout the Tian Nan Region."
"Looking at things now, the rumors might be true. The Yun Household's ancestor really was ambushed by the Bai Household of Qiyun Mountain."
The Bai Household and the Yun Household were hereditary enemies. Once Yun Bufan successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, the Yun Household would have two Foundation Establishment Ancestors, and that would spell the Bai Household's doom.
"I don't think the Bai Household of Qiyun Mountain acted alone."
"..."
Zhou Miaoyun, Chen Jianghe, Yu Daniu, and Gao Peiyao had gathered together, and they too heard those discussions.
"As long as the Yun Household's ancestor can live another twenty years, Yun Bufan will be able to achieve Foundation Establishment and ensure that the Yun Household remains free of upheaval for two hundred years."
Zhou Miaoyun stared intently at Yun Bufan, the focus of everyone's attention. She was full of confidence that this Qilin Child of the Yun Household would achieve Foundation Establishment.
The Yun Household's continued prosperity would benefit not only her plans for the future, but her lineage even more.
The Zhou Household was no great cultivation aristocratic clan. The entire lineage had fewer than ten cultivators, and the strongest was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
Once the Yun Household declined, small cultivation aristocratic clans like the Zhou Household would become the favorite targets of bandit cultivator gangs.
They were far more profitable to rob than rogue cultivators.
Chen Jianghe glanced at Zhou Miaoyun, then at Yu Daniu and Gao Peiyao. Seeing that both were looking at Yun Bufan with envy and admiration,
he knew they shared Zhou Miaoyun's thoughts.
What a clever move by the Yun Household. All they need is for Yun Bufan to appear at the Fisher-Farmer Conference. Even without saying a word, he can steady the fisher-farmers' frightened hearts.
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
The halo of Yun Bufan's talent shone far too brightly.
As the youngest son of the Yun Household's head, he had no shortage of cultivation resources and could cultivate straight through to the ninth level of Qi Refining.
As for the Foundation Establishment bottleneck?
A three-element true spiritual root naturally faced one too, but it was nowhere near as solid and unbreakable as those faced by a five-element mixed spiritual root or a four-element false spiritual root.
Even without a Foundation Establishment Pill, other spirit medicines could serve as substitutes.
And the chances of successfully achieving Foundation Establishment were very high.
Of course, Chen Jianghe hoped all the more that the Yun Household would weather this crisis. Right now, he needed a stable cultivation environment.
(End of chapter)
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