Black Crystal Mystic Tortoise

The oars dipped, carrying the boat out of the harbor. Chen Jianghe turned a deaf ear to Wang Kui's furious threats behind him.

Chen Jianghe did not have thirty grains of spirit sand.

Even if he had, he would not have lent them to Wang Kui. That would not be spending money to avert disaster and settle trouble.

It would be inviting a whole string of troubles upon himself.

Before transmigrating, he had encountered something similar in college. A roommate had repeatedly tested his limits with all sorts of unreasonable demands. Once you gave in, endless troubles would come knocking.

When you later refused one of his demands, all affection and goodwill would be severed, and you would never speak again for the rest of your lives.

Nor should you imagine that what you had given before would earn you anything in return.

There was only one way to deal with such people: refuse firmly, without letting them harbor the slightest hope of gaining anything from you.

Although Chen Jianghe was only a First Layer of Qi Refinement cultivator, Wang Kui could do nothing to him at Mirror Moon Lake.

Fighting in any form, for any reason, was forbidden in Mirror Moon Lake's waters. Both parties who violated the rule would have their Dantian Qi Sea shattered, their cultivation crippled, and their legs broken before being expelled from Mirror Moon Lake.

At least on the surface, even direct descendants of the Yun Household could not violate this rule. Otherwise, they would receive the same punishment as the fisher-farmers.

As for leaving Mirror Moon Lake?

Barring anything unexpected, he had no plans to leave for the next thirty to fifty years.

Even if he really did leave Mirror Moon Lake, he would only consider it once he could protect himself.

Thus, Wang Kui posed no threat to him.

After returning to Five-One-Two Waters, Chen Jianghe went into the cabin to cultivate.

He was in no hurry to give Xiao Hei the Spirit-Opening Pill. Fishing boats were passing frequently along the lake channels during this period, so he would wait until the Yun Household delivered the fry after the new year before taking action.

Time raced past like a white steed flashing through a crack. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

The new year came, and Chen Jianghe was another year older-seventeen.

The Yun Household also delivered fry to each stretch of water, and the fisher-farmers began another year of raising fish.

The Yun Household's indifference toward the hundred-odd fisher-farmers who had died so horribly showed that the outer waters never lacked junior fisher-farmers.

Working as a junior fisher-farmer for the Yun Household paid rather little, but it offered stability and opportunities for advancement.

Most importantly, within Mirror Moon Lake's waters and harbor, they enjoyed the Yun Household's protection and could rest assured of their lives.

Sometimes, while sitting at the bow basking in the sun, Chen Jianghe saw many unfamiliar faces rowing past along the lake channel in front of his waters.

Presumably, the outer waters had their full complement of junior fisher-farmers again.

That day, Chen Jianghe released the Big Blue Fish fry into the lake, then stripped off his coarse clothes and leaped into the water from the bow.

The fry had been distributed, and the fisher-farmers had all begun raising them. Fishing boats were now scarcely seen on the lake channels.

It was time to give Xiao Hei the Spirit-Opening Pill.

Chen Jianghe cultivated the Origin Returning True Water Art and had a strong affinity with water. As a fisher-farmer, he was also a very good swimmer.

The Origin Returning True Water Art was commonplace among water-element cultivation arts, but it included several minor water-element spells.

There were seven or eight in all, including the Minor Water-Control Technique, the Water-Avoidance Spell, the Water Arrow Technique, and the Lesser Cloud-and-Rain Art.

He cast a Water-Avoidance Spell. Water-element magical power flowed from his Dantian through his Shanzhong and Tiantu acupoints, emerging from his Baihui acupoint to form a close-fitting barrier around his head, leaving both his vision and breathing unaffected.

This was because his cultivation was too low and his magical power too meager. Otherwise, with the Water-Avoidance Spell, he would not have needed to undress at all; the lake water would not have been able to wet his clothes.

In the lake, he was a fish in water, swimming freely and swiftly, darting through the water like a sharp arrow.

"Xiao Hei, time for your reward."

Through the Spirit-Turtle Mark on his Spiritual Platform, Chen Jianghe sent Xiao Hei a signal with his Divine Sense.

Before long, a tortoise the size of a washbasin swam toward him. Its shell was as black as Kunlun ink jade, its short limbs paddled up bronze ripples, and its enormous head stretched forward, its soybean-sized eyes shining green.

"Gurgle~ Gurgle~~"

Xiao Hei swam up to Chen Jianghe, circling excitedly and making trembling sounds. "Don't rush. I said I would reward you, and I will."

With a thought, Chen Jianghe transmitted his voice through his Spiritual Platform.

Judging by Xiao Hei's behavior, he should possess some intelligence, but not enough to sense spiritual energy.

Chen Jianghe had also looked into Xiao Hei's species.

Black Crystal Mystic Tortoise sounded imposing, but it was actually the most common tortoise in Mirror Moon Lake.

Their intelligence was average, and they could not absorb spiritual energy. Consequently, their flesh contained no spiritual energy either, leaving them unqualified even for the dining table.

However, Black Crystal Mystic Tortoises had one distinctive trait: an extremely long lifespan. An ordinary family could keep one and have it see off more than a dozen generations.

One could outlast a Foundation Establishment Ancestor until he died of old age.

"Open your mouth."

Chen Jianghe ordered Xiao Hei to open his mouth, then took out the Spirit-Opening Pill he had prepared and fed it straight to him.

"Huff~ Huff~"

Xiao Hei swallowed the Spirit-Opening Pill, his short limbs paddling furiously as he circled excitedly around Chen Jianghe.

He seemed to be expressing his delight.

Spirit-Opening Pills could awaken intelligence in beasts, but they needed time to work. It would take roughly two to three months before results appeared.

Black Crystal Mystic Tortoises had poor innate foundations, worse even than Big Blue Fish. Even after their intelligence awakened, they cultivated very slowly.

Chen Jianghe reckoned Xiao Hei's cultivation speed would not even match his own with his Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Root.

Without pills, it would take at least three to five years for him to enter a rank and become a spirit beast.

Chen Jianghe could not afford to buy a Spirit-Nurturing Pill.

One Spirit-Nurturing Pill cost three spirit stones, which would take him at least five years to save. By then, even if Xiao Hei had not entered a rank, he would be close.

Giving him a Spirit-Nurturing Pill then would seem somewhat wasteful.

"Xiao Hei, if the Big Blue Fish you raise over the next five years are all as big as last year's, I'll reward you with a Qi-Nourishing Pill."

After some consideration, Chen Jianghe decided that using a Qi-Nourishing Pill to motivate Xiao Hei offered better value.

Spirit-Nurturing Pills were expensive.

If Xiao Hei had already entered a rank five years later, he would have no use for a Spirit-Nurturing Pill.

Qi-Nourishing Pills cost two spirit stones each.

If Xiao Hei had still not entered a rank and become a spirit beast after five years, a Qi-Nourishing Pill would be quite capable of helping him advance into one.

That would save one spirit stone.

Even if Xiao Hei had entered a rank, a Qi-Nourishing Pill could still improve his cultivation, making it excellent value.

At present, Chen Jianghe was merely a junior fisher-farmer at the First Layer of Qi Refinement, with no other source of income. He had to save wherever he could.

Besides, Xiao Hei could earn him at least four spirit stones over five years. Rewarding him with a Qi-Nourishing Pill worth two spirit stones was perfectly reasonable.

Once Xiao Hei entered a rank and broke through the limit of his lifespan, Chen Jianghe would be the ultimate beneficiary.

"Gurgle~ Gurgle~~"

Xiao Hei understood what Chen Jianghe meant. The green light in his beady eyes immediately brightened, and he opened his broad mouth, making excited sounds and blowing bubbles.

Quite satisfied with Xiao Hei's response, Chen Jianghe patted the Black Jade-like shell and imitated Yun Bufan's tone at the Fisher-Farmer Conference. "Just do as I say, and there'll be plenty of rewards in the future. I'll make you the first spirit tortoise among your kind, bringing honor to your ancestors, with a family tree all to yourself."

"As long as you do what I say, there will be plenty of rewards in the future. I'll make sure you become the first spirit tortoise of your kind, bringing glory to your ancestors and earning a family genealogy all your own."

(End of chapter)