Chapter 51: Let's Go
Lu Wan?
Wasn't she just seen at Zengtou Market today? Why didn't she say anything in person and instead had someone deliver a letter... Ji Yuan suddenly thought of something.
He calmly took the letter from Lin Hu's hand and reminded him, "Remember not to tell anyone about this."
"Don't worry, Brother Ji, I understand. I won't even tell Wu Qin."
Lin Hu nodded vigorously.
"Mm."
After seeing Lin Hu off, Ji Yuan returned to his room and unfolded the letter.
The handwriting was delicate, accompanied by a faint scent of pear blossoms.
"Qiu Qianhai is currently hiding near Qingbo Pond. The Qin family has already discovered his location and dispatched Qin Wei, a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, along with two other guards of the same level. He seems to have other grudges with the Qin family, far more complex than with Liu the Leper. If you decide to go, please be cautious."
As expected.
Ji Yuan wasn't surprised that Lu Wan knew about Qiu Qianhai's whereabouts, as she was now part of the Qin family.
Given her talent in talisman drawing, the Qin family wouldn't treat her poorly.
What puzzled Ji Yuan was why she would share this information with him.
He still remembered that when Qiu Qianhai had just fled to Yunyu Marshlands, and he met Lu Wan at Zengtou Market, she had advised him to stay away from Qiu Qianhai.
But now... she was proactively informing him of Qiu Qianhai's location.
This seemed inconsistent.
After some thought, Ji Yuan considered that this might be Lu Wan testing him.
She wanted to see if he truly walked the path of the Dao alone or if he had emotions and attachments.
That was a favorable interpretation.
A less favorable one was that she had genuinely defected and surrendered to the Qin family.
He was the token of her allegiance.
She might be collaborating with the Qin family to set a trap, aiming to capture both him and Qiu Qianhai in one fell swoop.
Of course, this possibility was minimal.
Lu Wan wasn't that type of person, and on the surface, he had no enmity with the Qin family.
As for Liu the Leper's death, even if the Qin family knew about it now, they would likely weigh the pros and cons.
Or perhaps she intended to provoke a conflict between him and the Qin family, hoping he would weaken their strength?
Or maybe it wasn't that complicated.
She simply knew he had a good relationship with Qiu Qianhai and decided to inform him.
There were many possibilities, but the good thing was that he finally knew Qiu Qianhai's location.
Should he go to Qingbo Pond to find Qiu Qianhai?
He definitely had to go.
If he had transmigrated decades or centuries ago, Ji Yuan's mindset might have changed, becoming like many cultivators who disregarded their friends.
But now, having transmigrated for just half a year, Ji Yuan, who grew up under the red flag and received nine years of compulsory education, couldn't do such a thing.
"To repay a peach with a beautiful jade" was Ji Yuan's current mindset.
The Qin family had only dispatched three cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refinement... Under the Yin Ghost Formation, Ji Yuan believed that even if he couldn't kill them, he could at least ensure his own safety.
Moreover, he had long planned to visit Qingbo Pond. He hadn't forgotten that it was known for its Cold Iron Sand.
Perhaps the opportunity to upgrade his [Fish Pond] was there!
Having made up his mind, Ji Yuan casually burned the letter.
He focused his mind into his storage pouch, analyzing his current situation.
He had accumulated quite a few spirit stones... Not that he was saving them, but he had a surplus.
Even though he used spirit stones for daily cultivation, he still had 79 left.
As for talismans, for someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining like Ji Yuan, mid-grade talismans were no longer of much value.
They could only serve as basic attacks.
He had two high-grade talismans: one Water Escape Talisman for fleeing and one Golden Seal Talisman for offense.
He had experienced the power of the Golden Seal Talisman firsthand, which was why he bought it.
Regarding pills, he had several Qi Gathering Pills for cultivation, five Vitality Pills for emergencies, and twenty Returning Spirit Pills for restoring spiritual power during battles.
The Returning Spirit Pills weren't particularly potent, but since they could restore spiritual power, they were sold at a high price.
One Returning Spirit Pill cost five spirit stones.
Even so, Ji Yuan occasionally bought a few and had accumulated twenty.
His magical tools were still the same as before. Even if he bought more, he couldn't manage them all.
Given this, he decided to make another trip to Zengtou Market to buy two more high-grade talismans.
Even though it was already late, Ji Yuan didn't mind.
At the late stage of Qi Refinement, he had no restrictions in Zengtou Market.
Upon arriving at the backyard, he saw the Green-Yellow Chickens running around and the half-grown Spiritual Pig. In the front yard, there was a pond full of Semi-Spiritual Fish.
Previously, when he went out, he was only gone for a few days, so it didn't matter if these creatures weren't fed.
But this time might be different.
Regardless of whether he could save Qiu Qianhai, the journey would undoubtedly take a long time, at least ten days.
Leaving them unfed for over ten days was unacceptable.
After some thought, Ji Yuan decided to deal with these creatures first.
The Green-Yellow Chickens had been laying eggs for a long time; it was time to replace them.
The Semi-Spiritual Fish were easier to handle; he could buy new ones upon his return.
Moreover, Ji Yuan had some ideas. Regarding the [Chicken Coop], could he raise a few genuine spiritual birds to lay eggs?
Instead of these half-baked Green-Yellow Chickens.
The spiritual energy provided by the Spiritual Eggs was no longer sufficient for his cultivation needs.
Without hesitation, under the White Water Flying Sword, the Semi-Spiritual Fish and Green-Yellow Chickens were all killed.
Even the Spiritual Pig, which he had raised for only a few days, was slain with a single sword strike.
With no one to care for them in his absence.
It seemed he truly needed to find a method to refine puppets soon. However, he heard that the art of puppetry was somewhat related to weapon refining.
Damn, he was stretched too thin.
That night, Ji Yuan went to Zengtou Market. He first sold the Semi-Spiritual Fish at the Fish Market, paid next month's Immortal Residence Fee in advance, and then sold the Green-Yellow Chickens to the chicken-raising cultivator.
The chicken-raising cultivator was heartbroken to see Ji Yuan kill all the Green-Yellow Chickens at once, as if his own beloved children were slaughtered.
It wasn't until Ji Yuan said he would buy from him again next time that his mood improved.
After handling these matters, Ji Yuan went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and bought a high-grade Demon Suppression Talisman and a high-grade Iron Wall Talisman.
With four high-grade talismans in hand, even if he encountered cultivators at the late stage of Qi Refinement, Ji Yuan was confident in a fight.
He spent a total of 58 spirit stones, leaving some for the Yin Ghost Formation and restoring his spiritual power.
After leaving Zengtou Market, Ji Yuan didn't return home.
Instead, he followed the waterway map straight to Qingbo Pond.
Even with the Black Wind Boat at full speed, it wasn't until noon the next day that he saw a peculiar body of water deep within Yunyu Marshlands.
The waters of Yunyu Marshlands were typically green, but the area Ji Yuan saw was an unusual light blue.
The outer area was this light blue, and a few miles inward were numerous densely packed islands, with the inner waters appearing deep blue.
As he approached, Ji Yuan felt the temperature drop by several degrees.
This was Qingbo Pond, filled with cold spring water.
The deeper one went, the colder it became.
It was said that the core area could freeze a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator to death.
Besides being rich in Cold Iron Sand, this place also housed some spiritual fish and monsters that thrived in cold, dark waters.
Their strength was significantly higher than similar creatures outside.
Additionally, there were fishermen here digging for sand.
With the Water Dragon Sect's massive purchase of Cold Iron Sand in recent years, more and more fishermen came to dig, almost forming a small market.
Ji Yuan also heard that most of those digging here were fugitives from various markets in Yunyu Marshlands.
Hmm... like Qiu Qianhai.
So it made sense for him to be here.
Upon entering this dangerous area, Ji Yuan slowed his boat.
Although he didn't summon the Dragon Armor Shield, he held a Thunderstrike Talisman in his left hand and a Golden Armor Talisman in his right, both concealed within his sleeves.
He didn't rush into the depths of Qingbo Pond but first navigated the outer areas to scout the situation.
However, before he had gone a few miles, he suddenly sensed a magical duel in the center surrounded by several small islands. Judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations, it involved two mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.
Ji Yuan intended to avoid this area, but just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
That person laughed maniacally and said:
"Old Dog Lin, it seems your sixth-level Qi Refinement is nothing but paper-thin!"