Chapter 11: Water Drop Finger
Clearly, Luo Tong knew something about Ji Qingyun’s death... most likely, it had been Liu the Leper’s doing.
Ji Yuan had not expected Luo Tong, with whom he had not been particularly close in his memory, to treat him so well.
However, with Luo Tong being at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement… Ji Yuan was still far from that level, so he did not mention that he had already reached the fourth layer.
And Luo Tong did not notice either.
“Uncle Luo, rest assured, I understand.”
Ji Yuan nodded.
“Mm, you’re a smart one… smarter than your father.”
Luo Tong sighed, then reached out and patted Ji Yuan on the shoulder again.
“Alright, you head back first. If you have any trouble raising this Spiritual Pig, feel free to come and ask me anytime.”
Just when Ji Yuan was about to leave with the little piglet, Luo Tong still shoved a chunk of Spiritual Pig meat, weighing four or five jin, into his hands.
Telling him to go back and nourish his body properly.
After some time, Ji Yuan sat at home looking at the seven Semi-Spiritual Fish in the [Fish Pond], the six Green-Yellow Chickens in the [Chicken Coop], and the single Spiritual Pig in the [Pigsty], feeling that his future was full of promise.
This little world was now his own.
The taste of Spiritual Pig meat was always fragrant.
The last time Ji Yuan had eaten it was when Ji Qingyun had still been alive.
Today, he had stewed some Spiritual Pig soup and stir-fried some meat for himself.
After nearly a month of eating nothing but Spiritual Eggs, Ji Yuan finally had a satisfying meal.
The battle on Maple Leaf Island continued, and Ji Yuan’s life became a little more complicated.
In addition to raising chickens, feeding fish, and cultivating, he now had a new chore—raising pigs.
Fortunately, this Spiritual Pig ate almost anything.
When there was nothing else, he could just pick a handful of wild grass by the shore, crush a Fragmented Spirit Stone into it, mix it a bit, and the pig would eat it happily.
The [Pigsty] effect was excellent.
The Spiritual Pig’s body visibly grew larger almost before his eyes.
In just seven short days, it had already grown to over a hundred jin.
Thankfully, Ji Yuan kept it in the backyard where no one usually visited, otherwise, anyone who saw it might have felt a bit of fear.
Seven days later, Ji Yuan harvested another Cold-Blooded Perch.
This one had also evolved from a Seven-Star Perch, which meant another trip to Zengtou Market.
This time, Ji Yuan specifically brought six Spiritual Eggs with him.
He only took one day’s worth of harvest, not more.
Knowing Luo Tong’s temperament, if he brought too many, Luo Tong would definitely refuse, and besides, it would be hard to explain.
As for the Spirit Stones earned from selling fish… Ji Yuan had long made up his mind. After cultivating for quite a while, it was time to learn a more advanced technique.
Magical tools were too expensive.
The income from one Spiritual Fish wasn’t enough to buy even one.
Moreover, magical tools had to be used together with the "Object Manipulation Technique", which meant even more expenses.
For Ji Yuan, the most cost-effective choice right now was to learn a powerful spell.
Arriving at the Fish Market, with his mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, selling a Spiritual Fish was no longer anything rare.
After receiving the Spirit Stones, he went to Luo Tong’s shop.
Luo Tong thought Ji Yuan had come to borrow Spirit Stones and had already prepared them.
But instead, Ji Yuan handed over six Spiritual Eggs.
“These are from the Green-Yellow Chickens I raised myself, not bought from outside. I specifically brought them for Uncle Luo to try.”
“What are you doing? Spiritual Eggs are such good things. You should keep them for yourself to eat and cultivate,” Luo Tong naturally refused, continuing to cut meat.
“Really, I have six Green-Yellow Chickens at home. They lay Spiritual Eggs every day. I’m already sick of eating them.”
After saying this, Ji Yuan placed the eggs on the counter and ran off immediately.
“I still have things to do. I’ll come visit Uncle Luo next time.”
After Ji Yuan left, Luo Tong stopped cutting meat.
There was no one to give the cut meat to anyway.
Looking at the Spiritual Eggs on the counter, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“This kid really has the same temperament as Qingyun.”
“But these Spiritual Eggs… where in the world can you find Green-Yellow Chickens that lay Spiritual Eggs every day?”
Luo Tong shook his head, but in the end, he still accepted Ji Yuan’s gesture.
He knew full well that Ji Yuan was making excuses.
These eggs were clearly something Ji Yuan had saved for a long time and had been reluctant to eat.
Most likely, this was Ji Yuan’s way of returning the favor for the Spiritual Pig.
Ji Yuan, of course, had no idea what Luo Tong was thinking. Even if he did, he would have simply replied… “I’m telling the truth, Uncle Luo!”
He then turned and headed to the largest building in Zengtou Market—"Hundred Treasures Pavilion", backed by the Water Dragon Sect.
In terms Ji Yuan was familiar with, it was like an officially-backed giant supermarket.
Whether it was talismans, magical tools, pills, or anything else, as long as you could pay the Spirit Stones, you could pretty much buy it here.
After entering, he headed straight to the spell section.
On duty was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in the Water Dragon Sect’s official uniform.
The old man had been dozing with his eyes closed but raised his eyelids to glance at Ji Yuan when he noticed someone approaching.
“What do you need?”
Ji Yuan first cupped his fists in greeting.
“Greetings, Senior.”
Only then did he speak, “This junior wishes to buy an offensive spell. The stronger the attack, the better. Preferably one with low energy consumption, and… if the price could be a little cheaper, that would be perfect.”
The white-haired cultivator burst out laughing upon hearing this.
“Young man, are you here to buy a spell, or are you making a wish?”
Ji Yuan scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled awkwardly. “Then may I ask, Senior, is there such a spell?”
The white-haired cultivator closed his eyes and thought for a moment before suddenly opening them.
“There is.”
Ji Yuan’s eyes lit up, but he quickly calmed down. He cautiously asked, “Then may I ask, what’s the drawback of this spell?”
Since he was essentially making a wish, Ji Yuan didn’t believe there would be such a perfect deal.
A spell like that surely came with significant drawbacks.
Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone in Zengtou Market have one by now?
“This spell is called 'Water Drop Finger'. Its effect is exactly as you described. The only drawback is that every time you cast it, you’ll experience excruciating pain in all ten fingers—truly a case of harming yourself before harming your enemy.”
After hearing this, Ji Yuan pondered for a moment and understood a little.
“Then, if I practice body refinement, would that reduce the pain?”
“That’s certainly possible. But you, a fisherman, do you have the time to practice body refinement? Body refinement isn’t like Qi Refinement. You have to put in real, hard physical effort—relentless training is the only way.”
Ji Yuan put on an extremely conflicted expression before finally asking, “I… I still want to try. May I ask, Senior, how much does this spell cost?”
“You brat… Fine, 10 Spirit Stones. You can buy the first layer to practice with. If you manage to master it, then think about the second layer later.”
The white-haired cultivator was a straightforward man.
Ji Yuan paid the Spirit Stones, bowed deeply once again, and finally pressed his finger onto the jade slip the old man handed him.
As a flood of unfamiliar information entered his mind, Ji Yuan paused for a moment before rising to bid farewell.
"Water Drop Finger", as the name suggested, allowed the user to condense water spiritual energy into their fingertips and shoot it out. Because its attack range was small, its energy consumption was naturally low.
Coupled with the concentrated attack method, each strike carried extremely high damage.
Ji Yuan carefully savored the details. He figured that once he mastered it, its effect would likely be similar to the Six Meridian Divine Sword.
Point and shoot—striking wherever he aimed, catching enemies completely off guard.
As for the side effects… it wasn’t a big deal. He could just continue raising pigs to recover.
As Ji Yuan walked through the streets of Zengtou Market, his gaze casually swept over the roadside stalls, only to suddenly stop in his tracks.
At one of the stalls stood a long-faced cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement. Though the man looked tired, his face was filled with joy.
What caught Ji Yuan’s eye was the magical boat displayed at the stall.
He had seen this magical boat many times and was quite familiar with it. It had a rather odd name.
It was called… Mantis Boat.
Its stern was slightly chipped, and its hull stained with blood.
Seeing Ji Yuan stop in front of his stall without leaving, the long-faced cultivator quickly introduced it:
“Fellow Daoist, interested in this magical boat? This is top-quality—fast and guaranteed to keep you safe.”