Chapter 14: Zhen Water and Ji Water
“Spiritual item?”
Even though the Four Swords of Shu Mountain were all wealthy magnates among mortals, they were still dumbfounded when they heard this requirement.
“May I ask what kind of object could be considered a spiritual item?”
Guo Tianhong stepped forward, bowed gracefully, and said, “We beg the Immortal Elder to take pity on us and enlighten us a little…”
“A spiritual item is simply an object imbued with spiritual anomaly;
it is not restricted to any single form… This Floating Boat Market will remain open for three more days. Whether you find one depends on your own fortune. Go.”
The man appeared somewhat impatient and lightly flicked his sleeve.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A clear wind howled as fallen leaves scattered.
When Li Rulong came back to his senses, he discovered that they had already arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Zhu Zhenheng had suffered the pain of losing an arm and a friend, and then gained an immortal opportunity… His emotions surged violently, only to have it snatched away again. He nearly collapsed in despair, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly. “I beg the Immortal to show mercy, show mercy…” “Sigh…”
Li Rulong let out a sigh and pulled Zhu Zhenheng up. “There’s no use thinking too much now. We should go look for spiritual items instead… Things like hundred-year-old ginseng or lingzhi… anything might be worth a try.”
“And those Pu women—mother and daughter—they definitely have some,” Guo Tianhong said gloomily.
“Seventh Sister!”
Li Rulong hurriedly shouted to stop her.
Firstly, he did not want to repay kindness with enmity. Secondly, for someone to be able to produce an Immortal Opportunity Token, their background was certainly extraordinary—it would be disastrous if Seventh Sister provoked them.
What was more… such matters were fine to discuss in private, but there was still an outsider present!
Fang Qing rubbed his nose. “I also need to look for spiritual items. Mountains high and waters long—farewell.”
“Farewell!”
Li Rulong clasped his fists in return.
Only after Fang Qing’s figure had completely vanished did Liu Wansu speak. “That fruit he swallowed must have been a spiritual item. I wonder if there are any left?”
As soon as those words were spoken, the eyes of the several warriors flickered, followed by another sigh. “His martial arts were simply too strong…”
……
“Heh… As expected, in the pursuit of immortality, benefactors can be killed and anything can be sold. I wonder if, in the end, even sworn brothers will turn against each other?”
In the distance, Fang Qing heard this but did not take it to heart.
He had only valued Li Rulong’s character, which was why he had appeared somewhat closer to him.
As for those three sworn siblings, he truly could not bring himself to respect them.
“Three more days?”
Fang Qing used his movement technique and sped along at full speed.
Only after he had left human habitation far behind did he find a mountain cave, circulate his true power, and form a hand seal.
A faintly glowing light landed on the cave wall and quickly vanished.
This was a small trick that all cultivators knew, used when going into seclusion. If anyone intruded, it would immediately give a warning.
After finishing all this, he connected with the Dao-Birth Pearl and returned to Jade Island.
……
Three Flowers Fishing Village.
At the docks, large numbers of fishing boats were busy, with many fishermen drying nets and sorting their catches.
At that moment, a Green-Leaf Flying Vessel descended from the sky and hovered in midair.
Upon it stood a blue-robed youth, handsome and elegant, like an immortal descended among men.
“We pay our respects to the Immortal!”
“An Immortal lord has arrived!”
The fishermen hurriedly knelt and bowed.
“That will do… Have there been any Treasure Fish recently?”
Fang Qing spoke directly.
“Reporting to the Immortal lord, no one in our village has caught a Treasure Fish recently. However, we heard that someone in Three Mountains Fishing Village caught an Autumn-Slaying Saberfish!”
After a moment, an elderly fisherman who looked like the village head stepped forward and answered respectfully.
“Mm, not bad.”
Fang Qing asked for directions, tossed down a silver shell, and drove the Green-Leaf Flying Vessel away.
His mission upon leaving the sect was to purchase Treasure Fish, and for this he had received large amounts of gold and silver.
Of course, this type of half-demon fish required large quantities each time, was extremely troublesome, and offered very few contribution points.
Very few disciples were willing to run around like this and delay their cultivation.
But for Fang Qing, it was the perfect opportunity to mix public duty with private benefit.
When he arrived at Three Mountains Fishing Village, that lucky fisherman had not yet sold or eaten the fish.
Fang Qing was overjoyed and immediately tossed out one hundred and twenty silver shells, buying this Autumn-Slaying Saberfish.
……
Floating Boat Market.
Beneath the archway, the man opened his eyes again and saw Fang Qing. “You?!”
“Greetings, Immortal. May I ask whether this fish can serve as spiritual capital?”
Fang Qing displayed the Autumn-Slaying Saberfish in his hand.
Naturally, it was already dead, with even the fish brain removed.
Only most of the silvery, gleaming body remained, carrying a sharp aura, like a bright silver long blade.
“Oh? It’s actually a Zhen Water spiritual item? That’s rather rare… You may enter the market.”
There was a hint of surprise on the man’s face as he nodded.
“What is a Zhen Water spiritual item?”
Fang Qing asked curiously.
“Zhen Water is positioned at Chen and Si;
water returns to the southeast. Its other name is Great Sea Water.”
The man answered briefly, then waved his hand, clearly unwilling to say more.
‘Zhen Water? Great Sea Water? So a Zhen Water spiritual item just means a marine product? Why make it sound so mysterious? For the sake of prestige?’
Fang Qing complained inwardly, but still bowed respectfully and carried the Autumn-Slaying Saberfish into the Floating Boat Market.
This Floating Boat Market truly was not large—only a handful of shops, with people of various appearances and strange attire setting up stalls.
After observing for a while, he discovered that most transactions were barter, and that these cultivators did not seem to have very high cultivation levels.
Fang Qing had seen Foundation Establishment great cultivators in the Azure Sea Sect.
Although these cultivators gave him a sense of danger, they still seemed somewhat inferior to Foundation Establishment cultivators.
‘It looks like… it’s on par with the Qi Refining trading meets over at the Azure Sea Sect. Not bad, not bad—very suitable for me.’
With that thought, he began to watch transactions and step forward to haggle.
After half an hour, he had a fairly clear understanding of the value of the Autumn-Slaying Saberfish in his hands.
‘It’s actually… quite high?!’
‘In the Azure Sea Sect, this kind of half-demon fish would only catch the eye of early-stage Qi Refining cultivators…’
‘Wait, the spiritual energy of this world seems somewhat thin, and spiritual items are likewise scarce? So there’s a premium?’
‘But the Dao techniques are quite exquisite… That gatekeeper’s sleeve flick earlier, with the clear wind and falling leaves— I couldn’t comprehend it…’
With these thoughts, Fang Qing finally arrived at a stall.
This stall was extremely simple, resembling a fortune-telling booth.
A yellow banner hung there, bearing the words “Spiritual Testing, Fortune Telling.”
Behind the stall sat a blind old man.
Where his eyes should have been were dark, hollow voids, making him look particularly frightening. In front of him sat a dark yellow bone bowl.
“Greetings, old sir.”
Fang Qing sat down and gave a bow.
“Heh heh… It’s rare to see a mortal come here. Looks like today is the day this old blind man finally opens shop.”
The old blind man chuckled, revealing a mouthful of ugly yellow teeth. “Just call me Old Blind Man. Want to cultivate immortality? You must first test your spirit and read your fate…”
“May I ask… what is the fee? I only have this one Zhen Water spiritual item.”
Fang Qing placed the Autumn-Slaying Saberfish on the stall.
Although it meant little to him, he had to act as though he cherished it dearly.
The old blind man reached out and felt it, then nodded. “This portion of spiritual capital will let me calculate your destiny and aptitude once… and you may also ask whatever questions you like. To be frank, within this Floating Boat Market, when it comes to physiognomy and fortune telling, no one surpasses this old blind man.”
Fang Qing neither agreed nor disagreed—after all, sellers always praised their own wares.
The old blind man sneered and pointed at his eyes. “You don’t believe me? When this old blind man was young, I once ventured to the Western Extremes and entered the Secret Treasury Domain. I lost these eyes there, but I also brought out this bone bowl artifact. Testing spirits and judging fate—never inaccurate…”
“What is the Secret Treasury Domain?”
Fang Qing did not understand and asked directly.
The old blind man froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly. “The Secret Treasury Domain lies west of the Land of Ancient Shu. You only need to know that it is a place of great darkness and great terror…”
He paused, then continued. “Asking for your entire spiritual fish is indeed a bit much. But you must understand— you are merely a mortal holding a spiritual item, like carrying gold through a bustling market. If you don’t spend it all, this old blind man fears that the moment you leave the market, calamity will befall you!”
This warning was genuine. Fang Qing nodded. “Let’s go with this price.”
“Very well. Place your hands above the spirit bowl.”
The old blind man had Fang Qing extend both hands, then lifted the yellow bowl.
Gurgle, gurgle!
Fang Qing looked at the bone bowl and felt a bit uncomfortable.
But as his thoughts moved, gurgling sounds arose within the bowl.
Water actually surged forth, as if a tiny spring had appeared inside, continuously bubbling upward.
Whoosh!
In addition, a gentle breeze arose, circling around the bone bowl.
“Mm, you are of Ji Water destiny, with qi forming the pattern of a leopard… Tigers follow the wind, and leopards also follow the wind!”
The old blind man pronounced his fate. “Ji Water favors wind. It is the water of veiled springs, and can also be the water of surging springs, also known as Fountain Water. Those with this destiny gain advantage through speech, and are skilled in eloquence…”
‘When a gentleman changes like a leopard, his patterns grow brilliant…’ If you wish to nourish your destiny, you must read more books and study literature, using cultured qi to nurture yourself…”
Upon hearing this, Fang Qing’s heart trembled violently, and he thought of Three Waters Hollow and the Fang family…
He steadied himself. “So… I have the aptitude to cultivate immortality?”
“Naturally you do. If you cultivate Ji Water and supplement it with cultured qi and literary temperament to nourish your destiny, the two will complement each other… Besides this, Zhen Water, Shen Water, and Bi Water techniques will also work. Overall, any Water Virtue techniques are suitable… Of course, the premise is that you first consume a breath of water-aspect true qi to enter the Dao.”
The old blind man sighed. “True qi is precious. One spiritual item is far from enough… This old Daoist does have a few qi-gathering methods that I can give you to compensate for the value of the spiritual fish. However, the final step of qi gathering requires a cultivator’s true power to ‘merge the qi.’ That will depend entirely on your fortune.”
Fang Qing showed disappointment on his face, but inwardly his heart stirred.
‘I possess true power—perhaps I can complete the final step myself, without needing another cultivator?’
‘This old blind man seems rather honest. I can ask him more about the cultivation world.’
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Can I only cultivate Water Virtue techniques? And is Ji Water even powerful?”
“Hahaha, among cultivators, what truly matters is Dao attainment. With a high realm, you are naturally unstoppable… However, among the great Dao lineages there is indeed mutual generation and restraint. Metal and Fire lineages are the manifest Dao of the present age—you should avoid them.”
The old blind man laughed loudly.
“Fire restrains water?! That’s not right, is it? And why are Metal and Fire the manifest Dao?”
Fang Qing widened his eyes.
This was clearly different from what he had learned in the Azure Sea Sect—completely overturning established principles.
“You don’t read the Immortal Calendar? Ox Metal, Tail Fire, Neck Metal, Wing Fire… The twelve Wardens of the Year alternate, governing heaven and earth. All ultimately belong to the Great Sun and the Metal–Fire Dao lineages. They have produced existences of unimaginable power. Therefore, Metal and Fire Dao lineages are the manifest Dao!”
The old blind man’s voice carried a trace of trembling.