After the Fisher-Farmer Conference ended, Chen Jianghe bought all his daily necessities and returned to his Aquaculture Waters.
With Yun Bufan having made an appearance, all the fisher-farmers and retainers seemed to have swallowed a pill of reassurance, returning to their usual routines.
The Yun Household had a legacy stretching back several centuries and deep reserves. Even if its Foundation Establishment Ancestor suddenly died, it could still buy Yun Bufan twenty years.
A young Foundation Establishment Ancestor with limitless potential would be the sea-calming needle for everyone in the Yun Household.
"Only thirty-two grains of spirit sand left again."
Chen Jianghe keenly felt how quickly he was spending spirit sand, but he could not go without buying Qi-Nourishing Pills. If he cultivated solely by absorbing the thin spiritual energy in the Outer Waters...
Who knew what year of the monkey and month of the horse he would finally reach the late Qi Refining stage?
He merely had a long lifespan; he was not immortal.
All sorts of accidents could occur along the path of cultivation. Quickly improving his cultivation and gaining more means of protecting himself without drawing attention was very necessary.
A few days later, the Yun Household delivered Big Blue Fish fry and the rice bran used to feed them.
Chen Jianghe cast a Water-Avoidance Spell and dove to the bottom of the lake.
As though sensing Chen Jianghe, Xiao Hei swam toward him from far away, circling him affectionately with beady eyes narrowed and bubbles spilling from the turtle's mouth.
The turtle's ink-black shell gleamed with a dark sheen and had grown another size since their last meeting.
"Open up, Xiao Hei. Time for your feeding reward."
The moment he took out the Qi-Nourishing Pill, its rich medicinal fragrance spread through the current, attracting a large school of Big Blue Fish fry.
Xiao Hei snapped open the turtle's mouth and swallowed it, as though afraid it would be snatched away a moment later.
"Woo~ woo~ woo~"
"Work hard, and there'll be plenty of rewards. Hurry and absorb and refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill's medicinal power."
"Woo, woo!"
At the word "rewards," the worker turtle grew excited, paddling those four short limbs merrily.
"Once I have spirit stones to spare, I must buy a Spirit Beast Ring. Being able to communicate mind-to-mind would not only help us build a bond, but also let me assign work more effectively."
But when he thought of how a Spirit Beast Ring cost twenty spirit stones, it suddenly felt within sight yet beyond reach.
Twenty spirit stones could buy ten Qi-Nourishing Pills, enough to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining. When would he ever have twenty spirit stones to spare?
Zhou Miaoyun had said that every senior fisher-farmer raised a water-type spirit beast, so the pay for raising Small Blue Fish should not be low.
Otherwise, how could they afford a Spirit Beast Ring?
They also needed to buy Spirit-Opening Pills to awaken the beasts' intelligence, as well as Spirit-Nurturing Pills to draw qi into their bodies and open up a qi sea and dantian.
Five double-hours later, Xiao Hei's shell had taken on a faint luster. The turtle's beady eyes held more intelligence, and the spiritual energy around the turtle's body had grown denser.
There were faint signs of it transforming into magical power.
This was a sign of being about to enter the ranks of spirit beasts.
"Xiao Hei absorbs more of a Qi-Nourishing Pill's medicinal power than I do at Qi Refining, second layer. Hardly any of its medicinal power was lost."
This single Qi-Nourishing Pill was fully worth two years of Xiao Hei's cultivation.
"Could spirit beasts be better at absorbing pills' medicinal power than cultivators?"
He could not communicate mind-to-mind with Xiao Hei yet, so he could only make wild guesses.
Judging by Xiao Hei's current condition, the turtle would enter the ranks of spirit beasts in another two years at most.
"Woo~ woo~ woo~"
The increase in cultivation from swallowing the Qi-Nourishing Pill left Xiao Hei so excited that the turtle circled in front of Chen Jianghe, waving claws and bobbing the head.
A smile appeared at the corners of Chen Jianghe's mouth at the sight. The more intelligent Xiao Hei became, the higher the value of his Big Blue Fish yield would be.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
He had the Spirit-Turtle Mark on his spiritual platform, and he shared Xiao Hei's lifespan. Logically, they were already bound by an even more profound contract.
Did that mean that once Xiao Hei became a spirit beast, they could communicate mind-to-mind through the Spirit-Turtle Mark on his spiritual platform?
If they could communicate, he could save the spirit stones needed to buy a Spirit Beast Ring.
If he could avoid revealing it, then so be it. Xiao Hei's job was to raise blue fish, not fight.
Besides, battles were difficult to encounter, and Chen Jianghe was not the ostentatious sort.
He kept a low profile and his edge sheathed, so situations where he fought with others would rarely arise.
"Xiao Hei, your fish-raising skills still need improvement. You need to work hard. Only once we've earned spirit stones can I reward you with better pills. Understand?"
"Woo, woo~"
"Mm, very good. Once I reach the late Qi Refining stage, I'll give you Qi-Nourishing Pills to eat like candy."
"Woo, woo~"
Xiao Hei kept pestering Chen Jianghe, the turtle's initial excitement turning into anxiety, with cries growing shriller.
"Heh, I forgot the important part."
"Work hard, improve your fish-raising skills, and increase the value of our Big Blue Fish yield. In four years, I'll reward you with another Qi-Nourishing Pill."
"Woo~ woo~ woo~"
Xiao Hei cried happily, escorting Chen Jianghe all the way to the lake's surface before swiftly diving back to the bottom to begin working hard.
"Without becoming a spirit beast, you still lack intelligence. Painting a bigger pie in the sky is useless. You can only see the rewards right in front of you."
Chen Jianghe leaped onto his fishing boat and entered the cabin. He needed to carefully plan his prospects for the next fifty years.
Zhou Miaoyun and Gao Peiyao both had plans of their own.
Yu Daniu had also begun attempting Spirit Talisman Drawing.
As long as he stayed alive, his cultivation would slowly rise, but the shortcut offered by pills had given him other ideas.
If he could improve his cultivation quickly, he would gain the ability to protect himself a day sooner.
But buying pills required spirit stones.
He now earned nearly one spirit stone every year, already far more than other junior fisher-farmers.
But that was not enough.
He was not the only one who needed pills for cultivation; there were also Xiao Hei's rewards. With that, his meager annual income was rather like trying to put out a cartload of burning firewood with a cup of water.
Becoming a senior fisher-farmer might change his circumstances, but he needed to wait until Xiao Hei became a spirit beast before he could judge whether the turtle could greatly increase the Big Blue Fish's average weight.
However, even if he met the requirements for promotion to senior fisher-farmer after Xiao Hei became a spirit beast, he would still need to lie low for a while longer.
He had arrived at the Yun Household at fourteen, and only eight years had passed. Being promoted to senior fisher-farmer two years from now would be a little too fast.
As far as he knew, even the junior fisher-farmer who had been promoted fastest had taken twelve years. That man had been hailed as the most gifted fisher-farmer at aquaculture and enjoyed a period of glory in the Yun Household, with even its direct-line descendants treating him with considerable respect.
In the end, the Yun Household had recruited him as a live-in son-in-law. He had married a woman from a collateral branch who had no spiritual root and spent his entire life working as an unpaid fisher-farmer.
Chen Jianghe had boundless prospects, so naturally, he was unwilling to become a live-in son-in-law of the Yun Household.
Thus, in his plans, taking twenty years to become a senior fisher-farmer was most appropriate.
"If possible, perhaps I could also try my major."
Before transmigrating, Chen Jianghe had been a university student majoring in painting, and his grades had always been excellent.
By trying Spirit Talisman Drawing, he might uncover an unexpected talent for the Talisman Dao.
That way, he would not be left idle with nothing to do over his next fifty years in the Yun Household.
If he could cultivate the Talisman Dao to middle grade, he would also have a trade with which to earn a living in a Market Ward after leaving the Yun Household.
"I'll give it a try once I break through to the mid Qi Refining stage."
Chen Jianghe made up his mind.
Until he broke through to the mid Qi Refining stage, all his resources had to go toward improving his cultivation.
(End of chapter)
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