Chapter 89 - 85: Cruel Truth

Chapter 89: Chapter 85: Cruel Truth

It was Cold Dew, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Chen Jianghe consumed a Qi Storage Pill and circulated the Returning Origin True Water Technique to absorb and refine its medicinal efficacy.

The medicinal efficacy, which had previously seemed rather potent, now felt somewhat ordinary to him. After cultivating to Sixth-Layer Qi Refining, the Qi Storage Pill’s effect on improving his Cultivation had noticeably declined. He was now capable of absorbing ninety percent of the pill’s medicinal efficacy, yet the results were only about eighty percent of what they used to be.

Five hours later, he completely refined the Qi Storage Pill’s medicinal efficacy. He circulated the Returning Origin True Water Technique for another Circulation. Only after the Spiritual Qi returned to his Dantian and transformed into Magical Power did he slowly conclude his practice, open his eyes, and exhale a breath of stale air.

"After breaking through to Late-Stage Qi Refining, I must find a new Cultivation Technique to switch to as soon as possible," Chen Jianghe said, deeply feeling the uselessness of the Returning Origin True Water Technique.

It wasn’t that it failed to amplify his Magical Power. After cultivating to Sixth-Layer Qi Refining, he could clearly feel that the Returning Origin True Water Technique moved Spiritual Qi too sluggishly. Furthermore, circulating Magical Power through a Grand Circulation consumed too much time. However, as a Water Element Basic Technique, it was already quite impressive that the Returning Origin True Water Technique allowed a Cultivator to reach up to Seventh-Layer Qi Refining.

"I don’t necessarily need the ownership rights to the Cultivation Technique; I just need to be able to cultivate it myself. I can reasonably purchase a Water Element Cultivation Technique that provides a ten, or even twenty, percent amplification," he mused.

A Cultivation Technique that amplified Magical Power by ten percent cost eight hundred Spirit Stones, while the oath-bound price was two hundred Spirit Stones. One that provided a twenty percent amplification cost one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones, with an oath-bound price of four hundred and fifty. When the time came, if he had enough Spirit Stones, he could buy the latter.

After all, the more abundant his Magical Power, the more times he could paint Spirit Talismans. Moreover, if he ever ended up in a battle, he would be able to last longer.

With these thoughts in mind, he cast a Water Avoidance Curse, jumped into the lake, and dove toward the bottom.

Ever since learning that Little Black possessed a Third-Grade High-Class Bloodline purity, Chen Jianghe hadn’t dared to let him show his head above the water even once. He was terrified of being discovered. If exposed, Little Black would undoubtedly be snatched away, and he himself would certainly not survive the ordeal. Consequently, he told Little Black to slack off a bit on raising the fish, no longer requiring him to work as hard as before.

After all, his primary source of Spirit Stones was no longer fish farming, but painting Spirit Talismans. Raising two or three Little Cyan Fish Spirit Beasts per cycle was more than enough.

"Little Black, come out."

Upon reaching the lakebed, Chen Jianghe didn’t see any trace of the turtle. However, relying on his Spirit Platform Mark’s connection, he knew Little Black was deeply buried in the gravel below. Soon, amidst a flurry of bubbles surging from the sand and gravel, Little Black’s body—which was now larger than a millstone—emerged.

"How did I do? I’m very obedient, right? As soon as I finish feeding the fish, I hide in the sand." Kicking off with his stubby legs, Little Black stood upright on the lakebed. He pointed a claw at himself, his Doudou eyes squinting and his large mouth stretched into a wide grin.

"Very good. Here’s a reward of two Spirit-Encompassing Flowers."

Chen Jianghe straightforwardly took out the two stalks and handed them to him. He had now changed his method of raising Little Black. He no longer fed him just one stalk at a time. Now that he had some surplus resources on hand, there was no need to make Little Black suffer; he directly fed him two stalks at once.

Feeding him twice a year meant four Spirit-Encompassing Flowers annually. He refused to believe that Little Black wouldn’t reach Late-Stage Tier One before they left the Yun Family.

"Master, you’re treating me better and better." Taking the Spirit-Encompassing Flowers, Little Black didn’t swallow them immediately. Instead, he expressed his gratitude.

This took Chen Jianghe somewhat by surprise. He had actually learned how to be grateful?

"Master, I can’t feed the fish to support you anymore. Am I being useless?"

For over half a year, under Chen Jianghe’s orders, Little Black had been raising the Little Cyan Fish in a free-range manner. He only fed them once every few days and no longer "walked" them to build their stamina. With his workload decreased and his treatment improved, Little Black felt a sense of guilt toward Chen Jianghe.

"Support me?" Chen Jianghe felt those words were a bit misguided, but the intention behind them was good, which left him extremely satisfied.

"It’s fine, I’ll support you from now on. However, you must work hard on your Cultivation and be obedient. In a while, we’re going to move to a very distant place, and we might encounter danger. Only by becoming strong can you protect me."

"Ah? Danger! Master, how about I don’t eat these Spirit-Encompassing Flowers? You can have them all. Once you become strong, you can protect me."

Upon hearing the word "danger," Little Black immediately felt as if the Spirit-Encompassing Flowers in his claws were burning hot, and he tried to return them to Chen Jianghe. Was this some kind of joke? He was just an underage little turtle; how could he bear such immense pressure? All he wanted was to peacefully feed fish in the lake.

Chen Jianghe scolded, frustrated by his lack of ambition. "You... useless thing! As a Spirit Beast with a Third-Grade High-Class Bloodline, you possess incredible nobility! How can you be so cowardly and afraid of death?

"You need to cultivate diligently and strive to become a Tier Two Spirit Beast. That way, you can protect me better.

"By slacking off like this, have you forgotten your original aspiration for Cultivation? You are meant to be a little turtle that lives for thousands, even tens of thousands of years! You are the glory of the Black Crystal Profound Turtle clan. You’re destined to start your own branch in the genealogy!"

Chen Jianghe spoke with earnest significance, looking at Little Black with an encouraging gaze.

"But... there’s danger!" Little Black’s massive body took a step back, indicating he couldn’t handle it.

"Once your strength increases, there naturally won’t be any danger."

"But there will be danger before my strength can even increase! Can we just not move? Things are great here—there’s no danger, and you can support my Cultivation," Little Black said, his Doudou eyes brimming with contentment for his current life.

"Fine, then we won’t move. After all, when we are discovered, I’m not the one who will end up on a dining table." Chen Jianghe shrugged, adopting an expression of indifference. "When that time comes, I’ll just go back to raising my fish. Why bother trudging over long distances and facing potential danger?"

"End up on a dining table? What do you mean?" Little Black shot him a perplexed look, urgently transmitting his voice through their Spirit Platform. He had a premonition that this was some kind of crucial keyword.

"It’s nothing major. Weren’t you envious that the Cyan-Scaled Fish and White Egrets get to go to the Immortal Island? Once you’re discovered by outside Cultivators, you’ll also get to go to the Immortal Island—and then you’ll become a delicious, tender delicacy on a Cultivator’s dining table."

As Chen Jianghe’s voice echoed in his Spirit Platform, Little Black froze in place, dumbfounded. Unbelievable shock filled his Doudou eyes.

"Two-Legged Beast, don’t lie to me. I’ll get angry," Little Black’s trembling voice entered Chen Jianghe’s mind. He stared at him with an extremely serious gaze, clearly showing how terrified he was.

"How is that possible? The legends of the Immortal Fish and Big White Birds ascending to immortality have been passed down through generations of our Black Crystal Profound Turtle clan. How did they suddenly turn into ending up on a dining table from your mouth? I don’t believe you. Two-Legged Beast, you’re joking, right? Quick, tell me you’re joking!"

Little Black felt as though the worldview he had built since childhood was collapsing. Cyan-Scaled Fish and White Egrets were revered as Immortal Fish and Immortal Birds by ordinary aquatic creatures like them. How could they be ingredients?

"You don’t believe me?"

"I don’t believe you," Little Black’s resolute voice entered his mind.

"Alright then. In a while, I’ll bring you a Roasted Whole Egret, and, uh, maybe a Braised Cyan-Scaled Fish too."

"Hmph, I’ll be waiting."

Looking at Little Black’s skeptical little eyes, Chen Jianghe said nothing more. He floated back up to his boat.

It wouldn’t do to not give Little Black some pressure. When he eventually left Jingyue Lake, Little Black would be his trump card. Slacking off in Cultivation and being too afraid to leave Jingyue Lake? That was completely unacceptable!

No matter what, he had to nurture Little Black to Late-Stage Tier One before leaving Jingyue Lake. Even if he had to forgo buying Magical Artifacts, he would make sure Little Black reached Late-Stage Tier One. A Late-Stage Tier One Little Black was far more valuable than a High-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact. Furthermore, with him being a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator and Little Black being a Late-Stage Tier One Spirit Beast, they would at least have some self-preservation ability when wandering the Celestial South Domain’s Cultivation Realm.

Once his mind was settled, he discarded all distracting thoughts, gathered his Heart and Mind, took out all the necessary materials for Talisman Painting, and began painting Spirit Talismans.

Time flowed on, and over three months passed.

As usual, Chen Jianghe instructed Little Black to hide deep at the bottom of the lake, never expose himself above the surface, and ideally stay far away from the surface and the lake channels. If a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator happened to sail by and spotted Little Black with their expanded Divine Sense, it would spell disaster.

The allure of a Third-Grade High-Class Bloodline Young Beast was even greater than that of a Foundation Establishment Pill. No matter how good the Yun Family’s moral character was, they would go mad with greed. Yu Daniu wouldn’t be able to protect him, and Chen Jianghe might even be subjected to a Soul Search. It was common knowledge in the Cultivation Realm that Black Crystal Profound Turtles were ordinary aquatic creatures with a First-Grade High-Class Bloodline. If one suddenly turned into a Spirit Beast with a Third-Grade High-Class Bloodline in his hands, it was absolutely impossible that they wouldn’t string him up for interrogation and subsequently perform a Soul Search.

Arriving at the Jingyue Marketplace, he followed his routine and first visited the Jingyue Treasure Pavilion to sell the Spirit Talismans he had painted this year.

He had painted thirty-five Five Elements Escape Talismans this year. Recycled at an eighty-five percent rate, they yielded eighty-nine Spirit Stones and twenty-five grains of Spiritual Sand. Deducting the costs, his profit was eighty-two Spirit Stones. He and Talisman Master Chu Lang would each receive a share of forty-one Spirit Stones. Afterward, he used the cost funds to purchase four boxes of Spiritual Ink and fifty sheets of High-Quality Yellow Paper. The remaining two Spirit Stones and twenty-five grains of Spiritual Sand were saved for the cost of a Talisman Pen.

Following that, he headed over to the Magic Artifact Counter. However, the shopkeeper present wasn’t the fat man from before, but a tall Female Cultivator with a Fourth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation. She was likely a member of the Yun Family.

"Fellow Daoist, what Magical Artifact do you need to purchase?" Seeing the Senior Fisherman’s Uniform on Chen Jianghe, the woman added, "Senior Fishermen and Farmers can enjoy a five percent discount."

"A Storage Pouch."

"Storage Pouches are quite scarce and highly sought after. Right now, our counter only has three in stock, with spatial capacities of one cubic meter, four cubic meters, and six cubic meters respectively. Which one would you like, Fellow Daoist?"

"The one-cubic-meter one."

A Storage Pouch with one cubic meter of space was sufficient for his current needs. Buying a Storage Pouch first was a decision made after careful consideration. As his Cultivation improved, the resources he needed were increasing. He couldn’t keep carrying a rough cloth sack on his back forever. Not only did it easily expose his wealth, but it was also extremely inconvenient.

For instance, on this trip, he needed to bring back a Roasted Whole Egret and a Braised Cyan-Scaled Fish for Little Black. Without a Storage Pouch, it would be highly impractical. Furthermore, his Talisman Dao Skills were improving. It wouldn’t be long before he could attempt painting Middle-Grade Spiritual Talismans. Once he became a Middle-Grade Talisman Master, his annual income would reach another level. He wouldn’t be as strapped for cash as he was now.

Moreover, buying a Storage Pouch wasn’t exactly spending Spirit Stones; it was just saving them in another form. Storage Pouches were extremely scarce and popular, meaning they could be sold at any time. Because Storage Pouches experienced premium pricing based on market fluctuations, he paid ninety-eight Spirit Stones for it.

As Special Spiritual Artifacts, Storage Pouches did not require refinement. They only needed a single drop of blood and a Divine Sense Mark to be usable. As long as the owner didn’t erase the Divine Sense Mark, no one else could open it—unless there was a massive disparity in Realm, allowing it to be forcefully broken open. Also, if the original owner of a Storage Pouch died, it would naturally become an ownerless object, allowing any Cultivator to open it.

Chen Jianghe channeled his Magical Power and squeezed a drop of blood from his fingertip, letting it fall onto the Storage Pouch. Immediately after, he placed the Storage Pouch against his glabella and imprinted his Divine Sense Mark on it.

The next moment, he sensed a hazy space roughly one cubic meter in size within the three-inch Storage Pouch. With a stir of his Heart and Mind, a rough cloth sack appeared within that hazy space. This made him instantly realize how useful it was; he could store and retrieve items with a mere thought. The ninety-eight Spirit Stones were well spent.

Leaving the Magic Artifact Counter, he moved on to the medicinal materials counter and purchased seven Spirit-Encompassing Flowers for Little Black. He only had three stalks left from his previous purchase, which wouldn’t be enough to cover the upcoming year’s consumption.

After finishing his purchases, he left the Jingyue Treasure Pavilion and headed to Fushou Street to hand over the forty-one Spirit Stones to Talisman Master Chu Lang as his share.

"I’m down to just nine Spirit Stones again. It seems that until I become a Middle-Grade Talisman Master, it will be very difficult to save up any Spirit Stones," Chen Jianghe sighed helplessly.

Following that, he strode toward the Jingyue Immortal Tower, ready to let Little Black experience the cruelty of the Immortal Dao.