Fifth Elder Yun Zhonghou

Whoosh!

Through his inner vision, the area around his Sea of Qi acupoint appeared hazy, like a void of primordial chaos. Gray-white mist churned as though boiling, and eighteen strands of pale green spiritual energy coiled like snakes within his Sea of Qi.

His black jade-like spiritual root sank deep into the bottom of his Sea of Qi, converting the spiritual energy flowing into it into magical power, which gathered in his egg-sized Dantian.

"My magical power has increased by nearly twice what I had at the second layer of Qi Refining."

Chen Jianghe felt the surging power within his Dantian. With a thought and a turn of his wrist, four silver threads wound around his slender fingers.

"Good. My mental strength has improved too. I can try practicing the Water Escape Technique now."

He ended his cultivation, rose, and went to the bow.

The sky was dark, with no bright moon in sight. Only a few flickering stars hid among the black clouds.

The oars swung, propelling the boat out onto the lake.

Practicing the Water Escape Technique at the port posed many inconveniences. His own Aquaculture Waters were far more convenient.

There were still ten days until the Fisher-Farmer Conference, enough for him to try practicing the Water Escape Technique.

Once he learned it, he would have a means of escaping with his life. There was no time to waste.

Several hours later, he returned to his Aquaculture Waters.

First, he recalled the essentials of the Water Escape Technique recorded in the Origin Returning True Water Art. "Water conceals my body, water carries away my form, Water Mother of Myriad Spirits..."

The Water Escape Technique used water to conceal the practitioner's body as they moved.

It incorporated the Water-Avoidance Spell and the Minor Water-Control Technique, consuming a great deal of magical power. Thus, one had to reach the third layer of Qi Refining before practicing it.

After committing the essentials to memory, he began trying to practice the Water Escape Technique under cover of night.

His five fingers formed the seal for the Water-Avoidance Spell. His fingertips trembled slightly, forming pale blue spiritual patterns. Suddenly, magical power surged from his Dantian into his palm. A cloud of mist rose beneath his feet, and fine droplets flowed upward along his trouser legs, weaving a translucent membrane of water around him.

He leaped into the lake and was abruptly swept into an undercurrent. His body blended into the lake water, and silvery bubbles formed from magical power burst beside his ears. It felt as though heavy forces were pushing against his back, instantly stirring rings of ripples.

When he surfaced and opened his eyes, he was already a hundred meters from his fishing boat.

"All these years, apart from cultivating, I've spent my time studying the Minor Water-Control Technique. That's why I succeeded on my first attempt."

Though he was somewhat unpracticed, he had succeeded on his first attempt. What more could he ask for?

He only needed more practice to master the details and rhythm of the Water Escape Technique, and he would be able to travel two li in a single escape.

However, the Water Escape Technique consumed too much magical power.

Chen Jianghe's first attempt alone had consumed twenty percent of the magical power in his Dantian. Even after becoming proficient, traveling two li would probably consume thirty percent.

This matched what was recorded in the Origin Returning True Water Art: the magical power of the third layer of Qi Refining allowed three uses of the Water Escape Technique.

Of course, things would be different if he cultivated an advanced water-element cultivation art.

The Origin Returning True Water Art was the most ordinary water-element cultivation art and provided no increase in the amount of magical power.

An advanced water-element cultivation art, such as the Yun Household's Origin-Congealing True Water Scripture, could increase magical power by around thirty percent.

Thirty percent more magical power than cultivators at the same cultivation level was a deadly advantage in battle.

That was the benefit of practicing an advanced cultivation art.

Unfortunately, only the Yun Household's direct descendants could practice the Origin-Congealing True Water Scripture. Even collateral descendants could only practice inferior cultivation arts.

Having just begun learning the Water Escape Technique, Chen Jianghe felt an urgent need for further means of preserving his life, but also found it fun.

For nine days straight, he either practiced the Water Escape Technique or recovered his magical power.

Since he was not wealthy enough to recover his magical power with spirit stones, nor could he afford Qi-Restoring Pills, he had only practiced five times over those days.

Thanks to his mastery of the Minor Water-Control Technique, he could now travel one li with a single use of the Water Escape Technique. His progress was swift.

The moon hung in the starry sky, reflected in the shimmering lake.

Chen Jianghe restored his magical power to its fullest before taking up both oars and rowing toward the port.

By the time he reached the port, a milky white glow had appeared on the eastern horizon. Before long, red light blazed, staining ten thousand li of white clouds crimson.

"Brother Jianghe, over here!"

The square was crowded with people, their shoulders rubbing together. Yu Daniu waved and called out to Chen Jianghe.

Chen Jianghe squeezed through the crowd toward Yu Daniu. Perhaps everyone had heard that the Yun Household planned to make changes to the Outer Waters. Not only the junior fisher-farmers but even the senior fisher-farmers had arrived.

There were also retainers skilled in the various crafts, as well as guard retainers.

But a careful count revealed that only a few dozen senior fisher-farmers remained, along with just five or six skilled retainers. It was nowhere near as flourishing as before.

It seemed even more of those skilled retainers had fled.

Thinking about it, that made sense. The Yun Household's craft retainers possessed skills of at least first-tier middle grade. They could make a living even in the Market Ward.

They would merely have to pay a few more spirit stones.

If the Yun Household were stable, they would naturally be willing to stay. But the Yun Household was now like a lone boat sailing through wind and waves, liable to capsize and sink at any moment.

Why would they still care about that handful of spirit stones?

"Daniu."

Seeing that Zhou Miaoyun and Gao Peiyao were also there, Chen Jianghe nodded to them in greeting.

Zhou Miaoyun and Gao Peiyao both valued Chen Jianghe's talent highly, and each nodded in response.

Then the four of them settled down to listen to the jumble of voices around them, hoping to glean useful information.

"That Lan Household remnant struck again. He ambushed and killed over a dozen direct descendants of the Yun Household. Even a steward at the seventh layer of Qi Refining was killed."

"Lan Tianxiang was seriously wounded by a Yun Household elder when he launched a sneak attack on Port No. 2. How could he strike again so soon? I think someone might be acting under Lan Tianxiang's name."

"You mean someone is taking advantage of the situation to rob the Yun Household's descendants, fellow Daoist?"

"That must be it."

"I heard this major change to the Outer Waters has something to do with the Yun Household losing so many direct descendants."

"What connection could there be? Surely they aren't going to nurture us junior fisher-farmers as direct descendants."

"Haha, you jest, fellow Daoist."

"If you ask me, it should have something to do with too many senior fisher-farmers fleeing the Inner Waters."

"You're absolutely right, fellow Daoist."

"..."

Half an hour later.

The steward of the Outer Waters stepped onto the Terrace. Looking at the disorderly crowd, he raised a hand and pressed it downward, signaling for silence.

The people below stopped whispering among themselves and quieted down.

Everyone thought the steward of the Outer Waters was about to speak. Instead, they saw him respectfully invite an elderly man onto the Terrace.

And following behind this elderly man was Yun Bufan.

This showed that the elderly man held an extremely high position in the Yun Household. Otherwise, even the Qilin Child would not have accompanied him.

A brief murmur passed through the crowd when the elderly man appeared.

As it turned out, he was one of the two elders who had escaped from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor at Linyun Mine: Fifth Elder Yun Zhonghou.

He was over eighty years old, a great cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Yun Zhonghou looked at the people below. His aged face was somewhat stern, and his eyes were not clouded but shone brilliantly.

"I will preside over this year's Fisher-Farmer Conference. I won't waste words on useless talk. Now that our Yun Household's ancestor has been gravely wounded, some fisher-farmers and retainers have grown restless and wish to leave the Yun Household to seek refuge.

"There is no need to sneak away. Our Yun Household will not stop anyone."

"However, there is no need for excessive concern. Our Yun Household has a legacy spanning hundreds of years and deep reserves. In another ten years at most, we can help our Qilin Child, Yun Bufan, successfully establish his foundation. When that time comes, our Yun Household will remain the bedrock of Mirror Moon Lake, continuing our glory for another two hundred years!"

Yun Zhonghou swept his burning gaze across the crowd. Every word he spoke rang out with weight, carrying the Yun Household's centuries of accumulated strength.

"Junior fisher-farmers, stay."

"Senior fisher-farmers or retainers who wish to leave the Yun Household and flee elsewhere for refuge may go. Those who wish to remain with the Yun Household may return to the Inner Waters. As long as our Yun Household still stands, the Inner Waters will not suffer any attack."

(End of chapter)