Chapter 17: Acquiring the Treasure
Looking at the few magic tools lying in the mud and then glancing at the still-warm spell jade slip in his hand, Ji Yuan subconsciously entertained a bold thought… Just this? Why bother farming anymore?
Robbing and killing bring wealth and status faster than farming ever could.
Otherwise, these spells and magic tools alone would have taken him months to accumulate.
How could they compare to this one windfall?
"Artifact Manipulation Technique, Cloud and Rain Technique, and… Fireball Technique. Damn it, I thought there’d be something good, but they’re all street vendor trash."
Qiu Qianhai happily picked up the other two jade slips, but after just a glance, he stuffed them both into Ji Yuan’s hands.
"I already know all of these."
Since Ji Yuan didn’t, he kept them. Then, the two of them shifted their gazes to the ground… the much-anticipated loot division had finally arrived.
There wasn’t much to fight over, so they simply split everything in half.
Out of a total of forty-six spirit stones, Ji Yuan took twenty-three.
As for the remaining pills, Ji Yuan got one bottle of Hundred Herbs Pills containing three pills, along with one Detoxification Pill and one Blood-Burning Pill, plus several lower-grade talismans.
The only two mid-grade talismans, the Thunderstrike Talisman and the Water Shadow Talisman, were next.
Since Qiu Qianhai already had a Water Shadow Talisman, he chose the Thunderstrike Talisman.
After dividing these, the real highlight was the magic tools.
There were two storage pouches, each about a foot square, two lower-grade magic boats, a black-gold short blade, and a bamboo rod, all lower-grade magic tools. Only that embroidery needle… Qiu Qianhai speculated that it was the remnant of a mid-grade magic tool.
Ji Yuan took one storage pouch along with Old Boatman Wu’s magic boat.
As for the magic tools, he chose the embroidery needle used for sneak attacks.
He had intended to leave both the black-gold short blade and the bamboo rod to Qiu Qianhai, but unexpectedly, Qiu Qianhai still handed the short blade back to Ji Yuan, keeping only the bamboo rod-like magic tool for himself.
With the loot divided, the two of them calmed down from their brief excitement.
Ji Yuan no longer felt the joy he had moments ago. Killing was easy, but the aftermath was troublesome.
Especially concerning Liu the Leper.
"Liu the Leper worked for the Qin family. Over the years, all his moneylending was done on their behalf, and most of the spirit stones he earned went to them. Now that he’s dead, the Qin family will definitely investigate."
Qiu Qianhai was the first to speak.
The Qin family… Ji Yuan was aware of them. They were considered the number one family in Zengtou Market.
In Zengtou Market, cultivators who reached the late stage of Qi Refining could apply for assessment to join the Water Dragon Sect. However, the Water Dragon Sect didn’t accept just anyone.
If someone was too old or had other issues, they might be turned away.
As a result, those rejected would return to Zengtou Market. But among these rejected late-stage Qi Refining fishermen, who in Zengtou Market could stand against them, as long as they didn’t provoke the Water Dragon Sect?
They gathered followers, offered protection, took lovers… and naturally formed small cultivation families.
The Qin family had risen in just this manner.
"Liu the Leper’s killings were all done in secret. It should be hard to trace this back to us, right?" Ji Yuan asked.
"Don’t underestimate local tyrants like the Qin family." Qiu Qianhai shook his head and said solemnly, "But don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for killing Liu the Leper."
"What? You?"
Before Ji Yuan could finish, Qiu Qianhai continued, "I’ve already offended the Qin family before. I don’t mind doing it again. Besides, I’m sick of staying in Zengtou Market. I was already planning to check out other markets."
"I’ll go back to Zengtou Market with you later. By this time tomorrow…"
Qiu Qianhai glanced around.
The sky had already darkened, and a light drizzle was falling over the Yunyu Marshlands.
"By then, the word in Zengtou Market will likely be that I, Qiu Qianhai, killed Liu the Leper."
Ji Yuan fell silent.
Indeed, Qiu Qianhai might genuinely be considering moving to another market. But he could have left quietly instead of taking the blame for this.
Besides, since he was planning to sneak through the markets, he would most likely have to pass through the Yunyu Marshlands.
A fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator like him, trying to cross the vast Yunyu Marshlands to another market… the dangers were obvious.
"Are you sure about this?"
Ji Yuan asked.
"What’s there to be unsure about?" Qiu Qianhai replied with a carefree laugh.
Ji Yuan nodded, then took out all the talismans and pills he had just acquired from the storage pouch. After thinking for a moment, he also took out ten spirit stones.
"What are you doing?"
Qiu Qianhai’s expression changed slightly.
"Stop asking so many questions. Just take what I’m willing to give you. You’ll need these far more than I will out there."
Ji Yuan patted Qiu Qianhai’s shoulder. "Stay alive. When we both reach the late stage of Qi Refining, we’ll wipe out the Qin family together."
Hearing this, Qiu Qianhai couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
"Alright. We’ll destroy the Qin family and join the Water Dragon Sect together."
"Alright."
Ji Yuan agreed with a smile.
Qiu Qianhai no longer refused.
After putting away the items and thinking for a moment, he said, "I’ll head back to pack up and leave right away. I might not come to see you again."
"If I return to Zengtou Market someday, I’ll leave a seashell at your doorstep. By then…"
Qiu Qianhai stood up and looked around. "This island has no name. From now on, let’s call it Autumn Rain Island. I’ll wait for you here on Autumn Rain Island when the time comes."
"Alright."
Finally having found a reliable friend, Ji Yuan felt somewhat reluctant to part ways so soon.
But thinking it over, this seemed to be the nature of the cultivation path.
No matter who it was, they could only walk alongside you for a part of the journey.
On the long road to immortality, most of the time, one walked alone.
Qiu Qianhai left.
After a bloody fight, Ji Yuan now had a magic boat and magic tools. He took out Old Boatman Wu’s magic boat, refined it briefly, then tossed it into the water.
It expanded with the wind into a slender white boat.
Not knowing its name, Ji Yuan simply called it White Boat.
The White Boat had a slender body with a pointed spike at the bow, adding a bit of extra speed.
Ji Yuan estimated that the White Boat was probably close to the level of a mid-grade magic tool.
It made sense, after all.
A rogue cultivator like Old Boatman Wu, who made a living in the Yunyu Marshlands, couldn’t afford to have a poor magic boat.
This White Boat should serve him well for quite some time.
Returning to the shore, Ji Yuan saw no one around. He stored the magic boat back in the storage pouch and silently returned home.
Upon returning, the first thing he did was activate the effects of all his buildings. He then changed into clean clothes and finally allowed himself to relax.
Sipping the hot tea he had prepared in the morning, Ji Yuan began reviewing today’s battle.
After careful reflection, Ji Yuan realized that surviving today had been entirely due to resources.
This wasn’t really a fight; it was a contest of resources.
Whether it was the Water Droplet Finger that countered Liu the Leper’s magic tool, the life-saving Golden Body Talisman, or the final game-changing Thunderstrike Talisman.
Just those two mid-grade talismans alone were beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.
So, the reason he won today was simply because he had more resources. Old Boatman Wu had even more… but had been too stingy to use them.
He had likely assumed that Liu the Leper would finish Ji Yuan off, after which he could team up with Liu the Leper to take down Qiu Qianhai with minimal losses.
But unexpectedly, Liu the Leper had failed.
Thus, having resources wasn’t enough—you had to be willing to use them.
As for killing Old Boatman Wu in the end, Ji Yuan had long been prepared for that.
After experiencing Old Huang’s betrayal, Ji Yuan barely trusted anyone now, and that was only because he and Qiu Qianhai had killed together.
Trust a rogue cultivator like Old Boatman Wu? Impossible.
Therefore, in the cultivation world, while combat awareness was important, the most crucial thing was still resources.
With that thought, Ji Yuan looked at his Panel.
It was time to upgrade his Cave Dwelling.