Longevity with a Turtle

Chapter 51: Chapter 50: A Letter from Zhou Miaoyun

”What a snobbish turtle,” Chen Jianghe cursed inwardly. ”When he doesn’t need me, I’m just a Two-Legged Beast. When he does, I’m suddenly his master.”

”In another two years, this batch of Little Cyan Fish will be fully grown. When that time comes, I’ll reward you with a ten-year-old Clear Spirit Grass.”

”Clear Spirit Grass?” Little Black shook his head, his expression filled with confusion.

”It contains a massive amount of Spiritual Qi...” Chen Jianghe paused. ”Well, you wouldn’t understand even if I explained it. Just know that its effects are pretty much the same as a Qi Nourishing Pill.”

”Taking three spirit-beast-level Little Cyan Fish as the baseline, for every additional one we harvest, I’ll reward you with another ten-year-old Clear Spirit Grass,” Chen Jianghe said with a beaming smile.

”Is it really as effective as a Qi Nourishing Pill?” Little Black shot him a skeptical look. He sensed that since the reward cycle had been shortened, the Clear Spirit Grass probably couldn’t compare to the Qi Nourishing Pill.

”The effects are the same. Both can help you improve your Cultivation,” Chen Jianghe said earnestly.

The Clear Spirit Grass and the Qi Nourishing Pill did indeed serve the same purpose. The efficacy of the grass was slightly weaker, but the difference wasn’t significant.

This was because Clear Spirit Grass was the main ingredient used in refining Qi Nourishing Pills. A single stalk of Clear Spirit Grass, combined with seven or eight Auxiliary Materials, could typically produce three to five Qi Nourishing Pills per furnace batch. Therefore, the Spiritual Qi contained within the Clear Spirit Grass was no less than that of a Qi Nourishing Pill. It was just that human Cultivators couldn’t consume the raw grass directly; it had to be refined into Elixirs first.

But Little Black was different.

The Yun Family Magazine explicitly recorded that Spirit Beasts could directly devour and absorb Spirit Grass and other rare botanical treasures. Most importantly, a single stalk of Clear Spirit Grass was priced at eighty grains of Spiritual Sand—less than half the price of a Qi Nourishing Pill.

One stalk of Clear Spirit Grass might not match a Qi Nourishing Pill, but the combined efficacy of two stalks would absolutely surpass it. Using the Spirit Stones required for one Qi Nourishing Pill, he could buy two stalks of Clear Spirit Grass and still have enough leftover Spiritual Sand to purchase over twenty sheets of High-Quality Yellow Paper.

As a low-level Mid-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, he had to be frugal. He needed to calculate every expense carefully, minimize costs wherever possible, and avoid playing the sucker. Moreover, reducing Little Black’s reward cycle to two years was a decision he had made after careful consideration.

Now that he had reached the Entry Level in Talisman Dao, he could easily pull in at least ten Spirit Stones a year. He was more than capable of improving Little Black’s compensation. A higher Cultivation for Little Black would ultimately bring him even more benefits.

Chen Jianghe returned to the Upturned Boat and resumed drawing Spirit Talismans. He needed to improve his Talisman Dao Skills, aiming to become a Lower-Grade Talisman Master within two years. Aside from spending three hours a day on meditation and Cultivation, he spent all his remaining time drawing Spirit Talismans. His life was much more fulfilling than before.

Time also seemed to pass much faster.

More than half a year slipped by unnoticed, and the annual Fish Sleep Stage of the Outer Waters arrived once again. While the cultivated Little Cyan Fish didn’t experience a Fish Sleep Stage, Senior Fishermen and Farmers who owned Spirit Beasts could leave the feeding duties to their pets during this time. This freed them up to take on short-term jobs.

Although Senior Fishermen and Farmers earned a decent amount of Spirit Stones, they were still bottom-rung Cultivators who had to hustle to make a living. Of course, two months of temporary work for a Senior Fisherman and Farmer didn’t just pay a measly three to five grains of Spiritual Sand. The baseline was at least fifty grains. After all, most Senior Fishermen and Farmers were at Mid-Stage Qi Refining, with a rare few even reaching Late-Stage Qi Refining.

”I only have twelve sets of talisman paper left, and my Spiritual Ink is completely gone,” Chen Jianghe noted. ”I need to make a trip to the port’s Workshop Association.”

As time passed, his Talisman Dao Skills had seen a slight improvement. At the very least, he barely wasted any Spiritual Ink anymore. A single box of Spiritual Ink was meant for drawing fifty Lower-Grade Spiritual Talismans. He could now manage forty-seven or forty-eight successful applications out of it, which was quite respectable.

However, his Talisman Success Rate was still somewhat low, hovering around forty percent.

After using up fifty sheets of talisman paper, he had only produced nineteen Water Arrow Talismans. Ignoring the success rate, the output was still acceptable. Deducting the costs, the net profit from those nineteen Water Arrow Talismans would be fourteen Spirit Stones. For a Mid-Stage Qi Refining Senior Fisherman and Farmer, this was an excellent haul.

”CAW! CAW!”

The cry of a White Egret rang out. Chen Jianghe stepped out of the cabin, retrieved a message tube from the leg of the bird perched on the bow, and headed back inside.

If he guessed correctly, this had to be a letter from either Gao Peiyao or Zhou Miaoyun.

Yu Daniu had already sent him a letter earlier in March, informing him of the results of Yun Xiaoniu’s Spirit Root test. It was a Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root. This had kept Yu Daniu overjoyed for several days. If he hadn’t been busy visiting relatives with his wife, he would have come over to share a few drinks with Chen Jianghe.

For a Foundation Establishment Immortal Race like the Yun Family, there wasn’t much difference between a Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root and a Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root. As long as the child didn’t meet an early demise, the Yun Family’s resources could nurture them to Mid-Stage Qi Refining. If they made some contributions to the family later on, they could even become Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators.

Only someone with a Three-Element True Spirit Root, like Yun Bufan, would experience a fundamental difference in treatment compared to the other Direct Descendants of the Yun Family. Such prodigies would be cultivated with the full backing of the Yun Family’s resources.

Chen Jianghe had replied with his congratulations regarding Yun Xiaoniu’s Spirit Root, advising Yu Daniu to take good care of the boy over the next few years. Children had their Spirit Roots tested at age six, but they wouldn’t officially begin Cultivation until they turned ten, when their meridians had fully stabilized. Additionally, Chen Jianghe had comforted Yu Daniu by assuring him that his future children would likely possess Spirit Roots as well, urging his friend not to spend his days wallowing in gloom and depression over the matter.

Back in the cabin, Chen Jianghe pulled the letter from the tube and glanced at the signature. As expected, it was from Zhou Miaoyun.

In the letter, Zhou Miaoyun explained that she had only managed to find her footing in the Qinghe Marketplace in May of this year. Her father, uncles, and brothers had all become Demon Hunters, while the female family members took on jobs raising Snow Silkworms and extracting their silk. In short, they were finally able to afford the rent in the Qinghe Marketplace.

”A Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Vein,” Chen Jianghe mused. ”Even the outer residential areas of the Marketplace possess the Spiritual Qi concentration of a Tier One High-Grade Spiritual Vein. No wonder the rent is so expensive.”

A single-room courtyard cost four Spirit Stones a year in rent. The Zhou Family had rented a five-room courtyard covering a tenth of an acre, which cost eighteen Spirit Stones a year.

Without a specialized trade, it would be impossible to survive in the Marketplace. And that was just the outer residential area—if it were the inner residential area, the rent would be even more exorbitant. Of course, the Spiritual Qi in the inner residential area would be much denser, likely even richer than that on Huxing Island.

At the end of the letter, Zhou Miaoyun offered Chen Jianghe a suggestion: if he ever decided to leave the Yun Family, he should consider moving to the Qinghe Marketplace. She promised to provide some assistance if he did, and she included her current address.

In response, Chen Jianghe immediately penned a letter of gratitude, wishing Zhou Miaoyun smooth sailing in the Qinghe Marketplace and hoping for the Zhou Family’s continued prosperity. He also included a brief update on his own life and the recent happenings within the Yun Family.

As for Yu Daniu’s situation, he chose not to mention it. He had no way of knowing whether Zhou Miaoyun had written to Yu Daniu as well. If she hadn’t, bringing up Yu Daniu’s affairs might only make her feel awkward or burdened.

”Qinghe Marketplace, huh?” Chen Jianghe muttered to himself. ”With a Tier Two High-Grade Spiritual Vein and three Foundation Establishment Ancestors keeping watch, it’s definitely worth considering as my next stop.”

Safety was guaranteed, and Spiritual Qi was abundant. Qinghe Marketplace perfectly aligned with everything he was looking for.

”It’s been almost two years in the blink of an eye,” he murmured softly. ”I wonder if Peiyao has managed to join the Celestial South Sect?”