A Letter from Zhou Miaoyun

"Snobbish turtle. When you don't need anything, I'm a two-legged beast; when you do, I'm your master."

Chen Jianghe cursed inwardly.

"In another two years, this batch of small blue fish will be ready. When the time comes, I'll reward you with a ten-year-old clear spirit herb."

"Clear spirit herb?"

Xiao Hei shook his head in confusion.

"It's a kind of herb containing a great deal of spiritual energy... You wouldn't understand even if I explained all that. Just know that it has about the same effect as a Qi-Nourishing Pill."

"Starting with a baseline of three spirit beast small blue fish, I'll reward you with one additional ten-year-old clear spirit herb for every extra small blue fish."

Chen Jianghe spoke with a beaming smile.

"Does it really work as well as a Qi-Nourishing Pill?"

Xiao Hei looked at Chen Jianghe skeptically. He felt that, since the interval between rewards had shortened, clear spirit herbs probably couldn't compare to Qi-Nourishing Pills.

"They serve the same purpose. Both can help improve your cultivation."

Chen Jianghe spoke earnestly.

Clear spirit herbs and Qi-Nourishing Pills did indeed serve the same purpose. Their efficacy was just a little lower, though not by much.

That was because clear spirit herbs were the main ingredient in refining Qi-Nourishing Pills. Combined with seven or eight supplementary ingredients, one clear spirit herb could normally produce three to five Qi-Nourishing Pills in a single batch.

Thus, a clear spirit herb contained no less spiritual energy than a Qi-Nourishing Pill. Human cultivators simply couldn't consume it directly and had to refine it into pills.

Xiao Hei was different.

The Yun Household Magazine clearly recorded that spirit beasts could directly devour spiritual herbs and rare treasures.

Most importantly, one clear spirit herb cost eighty grains of spirit sand, less than half the price of a Qi-Nourishing Pill.

One clear spirit herb might not compare to a Qi-Nourishing Pill, but two would definitely surpass one in efficacy.

If he used the spirit stones intended for Qi-Nourishing Pills to buy two clear spirit herbs instead, the spirit sand left over would still buy more than twenty sheets of fine yellow paper.

As a mid Qi Refining stage cultivator at the bottom of the ladder, he had to know how to make ends meet, account for every expense, minimize his spending, and avoid being taken for a fool.

Moreover, he had shortened Xiao Hei's reward interval to two years only after careful consideration.

Now that he had gained an elementary grasp of the talisman Dao, he could earn at least ten spirit stones a year, more than enough to improve Xiao Hei's living conditions.

The higher Xiao Hei's cultivation became, the more Chen Jianghe would benefit.

Chen Jianghe returned to the Black Canopy Boat and continued drawing spirit talismans to improve his talisman Dao skills, striving to become a Low-Grade Talisman Master within two years.

Aside from the six hours he spent meditating and cultivating each day, he now devoted all his time to drawing spirit talismans.

Compared with before, his life had become much more fulfilling.

Time passed more quickly, too.

Before he knew it, more than half a year had passed, and the annual fish dormancy period had arrived in the Outer Waters again.

Farmed small blue fish had no fish dormancy period, but Senior Fisher-Farmers with spirit beasts could have their beasts feed the small blue fish during this time while they went off to find temporary work.

Although Senior Fisher-Farmers earned a considerable income in spirit stones, they were still bottom-rung cultivators who had to run about earning spirit stones.

Of course, two months of temporary work for a Senior Fisher-Farmer paid not three or five grains of spirit sand, but at least fifty.

After all, most Senior Fisher-Farmers were at the mid Qi Refining stage, with a very few even at the late Qi Refining stage.

"I have twelve sheets of talisman paper left, and I'm out of spirit ink. I'll have to visit the Harbor Cultivator Market."

As time passed, his talisman Dao skills had improved a little. At the very least, he hardly wasted any spirit ink anymore.

One box of spirit ink was enough for fifty attempts at drawing low-grade spirit talismans. He could now manage forty-seven or forty-eight, which was decent.

His success rate was still somewhat low, however, remaining at around forty percent. He had used fifty sheets of talisman paper and obtained only nineteen Water Arrow Talismans. Leaving aside the success rate, the result was acceptable.

After deducting costs, those nineteen Water Arrow Talismans would net him fourteen spirit stones in profit, which was already excellent for a mid Qi Refining stage Senior Fisher-Farmer.

"Caw~ Caw~"

A white egret's cries rang out.

Chen Jianghe stepped out of the cabin, removed the letter tube from the leg of the white egret that had landed on the bow, then turned back inside.

Unless he was mistaken, this should be a letter from either Gao Peiyao or Zhou Miaoyun.

Yu Daniu had already written to him in the third month earlier that year, informing him of Yun Xiaoniu's spiritual root test results.

A five-element mixed spiritual root.

This had delighted Yu Daniu for days. Had he not needed to accompany his wife on visits to relatives, he would have come over to share a few drinks with Chen Jianghe.

For a Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan like the Yun Household, there was little difference between a five-element mixed spiritual root and a four-element false spiritual root.

As long as they did not die prematurely, both could reach the mid Qi Refining stage under the Yun Household's nurturing. If they made some contributions as well, they could become late Qi Refining stage cultivators.

Only someone with a three-element true spiritual root like Yun Bufan would receive fundamentally different treatment from the other direct-line descendants in the Yun Household.

The Yun Household would spare no effort or resources in nurturing him.

Chen Jianghe had also written back to congratulate Yu Daniu on Yun Xiaoniu possessing a spiritual root, telling him to take good care of Yun Xiaoniu over the next few years.

Children were tested for spiritual roots at six, but only began cultivating at ten, once their meridians had become stable and sturdy.

Chen Jianghe had also reassured Yu Daniu that he thought his other children would have spiritual roots as well, telling him not to spend every day gloomy and unhappy over his children.

Chen Jianghe returned to the cabin, took the letter out of its tube, and glanced at the signature. Sure enough, it was from Zhou Miaoyun.

The letter said that Zhou Miaoyun had only established a foothold in Qinghe Market in the fifth month of this year. Her father, uncles, and brothers had all become Demon Hunters, while the women helped others raise snow silkworms and reel silk.

In short, they could now afford the rent in Qinghe Market.

"A second-tier superior-grade spiritual vein, and even the residential area on the market's outskirts has the spiritual energy concentration of a first-tier superior-grade spiritual vein. No wonder the rent is so expensive."

Even a small courtyard with a single room cost four spirit stones a year in rent.

The Zhou Household had rented a small, five-room courtyard covering four-tenths of a mu for eighteen spirit stones a year.

Without a craft, one really couldn't survive in the market. And this was only the outer residential area. Wouldn't the inner residential area be even more expensive?

Of course, the spiritual energy in the inner residential area would be even denser, probably surpassing even that of Heart of the Lake Island.

At the end of the letter, Zhou Miaoyun offered Chen Jianghe a suggestion: if he wanted to leave the Yun Household in the future, he could choose to go to Qinghe Market.

She could offer him some help.

She also gave Chen Jianghe her current address.

In response, Chen Jianghe wrote a letter thanking her, wishing her all the best in Qinghe Market and the Zhou Household ever-growing prosperity.

He also wrote about the recent circumstances of both the Yun Household and himself.

As for Yu Daniu's situation, he left it out. He did not know whether Zhou Miaoyun had written to Yu Daniu.

If she hadn't, wouldn't writing about Yu Daniu's situation only upset her?

"Qinghe Market?"

Chen Jianghe murmured to himself, "With a second-tier superior-grade spiritual vein and three Foundation Establishment Ancestors stationed there, it's certainly worth considering as my next stopping place."

Safety was assured, and spiritual energy was plentiful.

Qinghe Market matched exactly what he had in mind.

"Almost two years have passed in the blink of an eye. I wonder whether Peiyao has joined the Tian Nan Sect?"

(End of chapter)