Chapter 479 - 448: Could It Be That He Is the Valley Master?

Chapter 479: Chapter 448: Could It Be That He Is the Valley Master?

’I wonder what their chances of success are for Nascent Soul Formation,’ Chen Che thought.

The Star-Picking Sect and the Primordial Sect, sworn enemies for hundreds of years, had joined forces to explore the Undersea Palace. Now, both sides had coincidentally chosen to enter seclusion for a breakthrough, maintaining a very fragile balance.

Once that balance was broken, the two great powers would inevitably go to war again.

When that time came, it would be a war that swept across dozens of major provinces, and no one would be able to escape it.

Unfortunately, while Chen Che wanted to keep an eye on things, he couldn’t get involved.

For him, the best outcome would be for both sides to fail their Crossing the Tribulation simultaneously. This way, both sects would lose their strongest combatants. At that point, not only would they lose the ability to wage war externally, but their internal control would also weaken.

In that case, the Primordial Sect would be stretched thin and would no longer be able to suppress Jinyun Valley.

This wasn’t just him daydreaming.

Throughout history, countless Cultivation Forces had all followed this same pattern of development.

...

「Backyard」

Chen Che stepped forward, and the Grand Array before him parted to form a path.

"Mr. Che."

Meng Qingxuan was in the courtyard playing with the Dragon Turtle. Seeing Chen Che, she immediately greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Is this fellow still behaving?" Chen Che asked.

About half a year after hatching, the little turtle had already grown to the size of a millstone. Originally, Chen Che had planned to carve out a deep pool in the back mountain to raise it, but that was the territory of the Demon Birds, and the little turtle was bullied terribly.

If he hadn’t arrived in time on a few occasions, the little turtle would have long since become food for the other Demon Birds.

So, he ended up raising the little turtle in the courtyard.

"Not really. This Dragon Turtle isn’t as gentle as I thought. It has a fierce temperament. In just a few days, it’s eaten all the fish in the pond, including many rare Spirit Fish offered as tribute by the vassal families," Meng Qingxuan said, sounding a little helpless.

Of course, that was just in the water. When facing them, the Dragon Turtle was still quite well-behaved. Right now, it was lying motionless by the edge of the pond, sunning its back.

Chen Che looked up and saw that the pond, which had once been full of Spirit Fish, was now completely empty.

"At its size, it’s no longer suitable to be raised in the Valley. It will only limit its growth. In my opinion, we can already consider releasing it into the Black Water River," Meng Qingxuan suggested.

"Alright."

Chen Che nodded. After all, as a Beast Master, her suggestion was quite practical. Besides, she had been studying the Beast Taming Treasure Manual left by True Master Chilong, so she should know what she was talking about.

Then again, the Little Chick had also been raised free-range.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible to keep it in the Valley, but that would only wear away the Dragon Turtle’s wild nature, eventually turning it into a mere ornamental Demon Beast.

Only in the harsh environment of the wild could a Demon Beast’s potential be maximized. Just like the Little Chick—if it had been raised in a cage like a canary, it would never have become the sky-lord of the Primordial Sect’s territory.

Arriving at the bank of the Black Water River, Chen Che placed the little turtle in the water.

At the same time, he took out a Jade Bead.

"Don’t leave the Black Water River Basin lightly. This is a Sui Water Bead. If you encounter danger, just crush it, and I’ll be able to sense it. If you get injured, you can also come straight back to the Valley to recover."

As a Dragon Turtle, its intelligence was much higher than that of ordinary Demon Beasts, so they could communicate simply.

BLUB!

The little turtle blew a string of bubbles, as if to curry favor.

Then, it nodded again before disappearing into the water, glancing back reluctantly as it swam away.

’This Black Water River probably won’t be able to sustain it for more than a few years. I should connect all the waterways under Jinyun Valley’s jurisdiction,’ Chen Che mused, stroking his chin.

At first, it was just a sudden idea, but the more he thought about it, the more necessary it seemed. With the number of Cultivators under Jinyun Valley increasing year by year, they would sooner or later face a time when resources became scarce.

Although they could still manage for now, it would be too late to start looking for a solution when that time actually came.

For mortals, this would be a monumental project, but for Cultivators, it was relatively simple.

’After I get back, I’ll hand over the matter of dredging the rivers to Ding Fei. I’ll have him involve the vassal families within the basin and discuss it thoroughly... It would be best if we can create a network of waterways that connects to every family.’

’...extending all the way to the Black Tortoise Calm Sea, creating a grand canal.’

After all, land transport was much slower than water transport and had many more restrictions.

Once the canal was completed, they would have a waterway leading directly to the Black Tortoise Calm Sea. This would not only boost the development of the various vassal families but also give back to Jinyun Valley in turn, while also providing more employment opportunities for Cultivators.

As he was thinking, Chen Che and Meng Qingxuan started heading back to the Valley, but they happened to run into a middle-aged Cultivator. The man was wearing a high-quality Daoist Robe and was accompanied by a beautiful woman holding a child’s hand.

"Chen Che?"

A voice full of shock and doubt rang out. The middle-aged Cultivator then strode closer. "It really is you! Where have you been all these years? Why haven’t you come home?"

Chen Che paused for a moment, then immediately recognized the man.

It was his cousin, Chen Jiang, the eldest son of his uncle, Chen Shan.

The last time they had formally met, Jinyun Valley was still under Ye Jingzhou’s rule. Chen Jiang’s family had come to borrow a Spirit Field from him, and things had gotten unpleasant after he refused. Now, in the blink of an eye, seven or eight years had passed. His cousin was thirty and had a family of his own.

"Brother Jiang, who is he?" the beautiful woman asked.

"Have you forgotten? I told you before. I have a cousin in the clan who had a bit of a falling out with our family and left home in a fit of anger. I saw him once or twice in the Market years ago, but then he disappeared without a trace."

Chen Jiang explained, then turned to Chen Che.

"We’ve been looking for you these past few years."

Chen Che found this a bit amusing. "Looking for me?"

"Our family went too far back then. Are you still angry? My parents are always talking about it, saying you’re the one they’ve wronged the most all these years. They even said they wouldn’t be able to rest in peace if they couldn’t find you."

"..."

"How have you been getting by on the outside? I’ve made some small achievements in my Cultivation and have reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. I’ve also become a Big Leader in the Fishing Gang... If things aren’t going well for you, I can arrange a job for you at the fish market."

Chen Jiang took Chen Che’s hand, his words filled with sincerity.

This was the complete opposite of the tense standoff from a few years ago, and Chen Che was caught off guard. Glancing at the beautiful woman and Chen Jiang’s clothes and appearance, he had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

The saying goes that wealth fosters a conscience while poverty breeds malice. Now that his cultivation had improved and he was living comfortably, he was clearly starting to regret his past actions.

Suddenly encountering the cousin who had run away, he sincerely hoped the other could return so they wouldn’t sever their familial ties. After all, in this world, Cultivators placed great importance on blood relations.

Going from a mere farmer to a Big Leader of the Fishing Gang could be considered defying heaven and changing one’s fate.

Therefore, he naturally wanted to give a hand to his long-’lost’ cousin.

"Thank you for your kindness, cousin, but I’ll have to pass..." The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched.

"It seems you’re still angry about what happened back then..."

Chen Jiang’s expression darkened, but he wasn’t surprised. He handed over a Beast Hide Bag, saying, "Here are the earnings from the Spirit Field, principal and interest included. I started saving it up bit by bit years ago, just waiting for the day I could return it to you in person..."

Chen Che looked at the bag, amused.

As he was now, how could he possibly care about such things?

"Big Leader!"

"We have news from downriver! We’ve found that Spirit Fish..."

Just then, a shout came from a large boat on the water.

"If you’re not willing, so be it. I’m working for the Fishing Gang now. If you ever run into trouble you can’t solve, just mention my name."

With that, he shoved the Beast Hide Bag into Chen Che’s arms, and in a flash, he flew to the boat with the woman and child.

"In the end, they still care about family," Meng Qingxuan murmured with a smile. She was, of course, aware of the old feud between the two families.

"Mm."

Chen Che accepted the Beast Hide Bag and nodded slightly.

Qi Refining Cultivators had mortal eyes; they couldn’t recognize a Golden Core True Master.

...

On the boat, the beautiful woman holding the child’s hand watched Chen Jiang, who was still waving wistfully at the shore. After a long moment, she couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "What’s your cousin’s name?"

"His surname is Chen, of course, and his given name is Che. The same name as the Valley Master..." Chen Jiang said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "This cousin of mine, he was timid as a child. But after he fell into the water once, he became aggressive and pugnacious. Back then, Jinyun Valley hadn’t opened its gates wide yet, and it was harder than ascending to heaven for a mortal to practice Cultivation."

"When I first heard the Valley Master’s name, I almost thought it was him... But then I thought, my cousin holds grudges over the smallest things and is extremely petty. If he were the Valley Master, he would have shown up at our door to cause trouble long ago."

"After all, to take his family’s little plot of land for my Cultivation... what my parents did was truly unfair. That’s why he left home... Look how thin he is, no different from back then. I guess things haven’t been going well for him these past few years."

The woman listened to Chen Jiang ramble on for a while, then gazed at the now-empty riverbank and suddenly spoke:

"Is it possible... that he *is* the Valley Master? And that he simply spared us and didn’t come looking for trouble?"

"..."

Chen Jiang shivered in fright, and all the words he was about to say suddenly caught in his throat.