45: Chapter 4 Small Group Meetings

The next day.

After seeing off Xiao Muting, Chen Xuan grasped a Spirit Stone to cultivate.

His cultivation level was too low right now, making it unsuitable to head into dangerous areas.

He needed to wait until at least the Qi Refining Mid-Stage to have the power to protect himself.

At this moment, only ten percent of the mana dissolved in his body remained. Even with the help of Spirit Stones, it would take more than three months to enter Qi Refining Stage 3.

If he relied on the thin Spiritual Qi here on the lake, it would probably take two to three years to promote to Stage 3.

This was the Canglan Art; a robust Foundation required massive resources to fill.

Chen Xuan now began to miss those Medicinal Pills that boosted cultivation.

If he had pills, one could be worth months or even years of hard work, greatly accelerating his cultivation progress.

When the circulation of his internal cycle ended, he used the Canglan Art to absorb the water Qi of heaven and earth, and Chen Xuan slowly finished his session.

Practicing the Canglan Art required Spiritual Qi and water Qi, making it most suitable to cultivate atop a Spiritual Vein.

For now, this was the condition he had; he had no choice.

Before noon, once Chen Xuan finished his mundane tasks, he steered his wooden boat toward Yunhe Tower in the market.

Before long, Chen Xuan arrived.

The other three had already arrived.

Everyone was surprised by Chen Xuan's late arrival.

The reason was that Chen Xuan admired Zi Ling; he would always arrive early for meetings, arrange the food and such, and take care of things for Zi Ling.

But today, he was lax.

It was truly out of character.

"Fellow Daoist Yun, I didn't expect you to arrive so late today." Wang Ni spoke up.

Wang Ni was a Low Grade Artifact Refiner and also a fisherman. She was at Qi Refining Stage 3. Her parents had been killed by rogue cultivators in the Long Sea, and after being saved by someone from the Xiao Family, she had become a fisherman ever since.

"That's right, you used to be quite proactive." He Jia glanced at Chen Xuan, speaking again with a meaningful tone.

He Jia was a fisherman at Qi Refining Stage 2; his parents were also fishermen, a true-blue family of fishermen.

"Alright, now that you're here, just order the food." Zi Ling spoke.

Zi Ling was a fisherman and a Low Grade Talisman maker at Qi Refining Stage 3. She lived with her mother and sold Talismans and spirit fish at a stall in the small market within Biling Lake.

This woman had above-average looks and a decent figure; in the eyes of Yun Qi in this life, she was naturally the stunning Fairy Zi Ling.

But to Chen Xuan, who had seen countless women in his past life, she was nothing special!

Cut!

Chen Xuan looked around, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Ordering food required paying on the spot; so, they hadn't ordered for so long just waiting for him to pay the bill?

If that was the case, this small group could disband.

"Did you misunderstand something?" Chen Xuan looked at Zi Ling.

This woman was clever; today, Yun Qi's state was off, and even his gaze had become sharp—he was nothing like the honest person he used to be.

She immediately retorted coquettishly: "Little Brother Yun Qi has always been generous and kind-hearted."

After saying this, three pairs of eyes in the room turned toward Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan sneered: "If you can't afford this meal, I can treat you."

Hearing these harsh words, the three of them immediately flushed red.

Especially when He Jia and Wang Ni looked at Zi Ling together, it made the latter so ashamed she wanted to crawl into a hole.

Chen Xuan was not wrong; the prices at Yunhe Tower were not cheap. A meal cost at least five Spirit Crystals, which was half a Spirit Stone.

For fishermen like them who depended on the Xiao Family, that could be considered an exorbitant price.

Fortunately, they had Chen Xuan, the sucker, paying the bill, so every gathering was a lovely feast.

It was just that they were used to taking advantage, and suddenly Chen Xuan began to resist, leaving the few of them at a loss.

After all, they were a group huddling together for warmth; if Chen Xuan was unwilling, no one else could say otherwise.

Especially Zi Ling, who had received so many gifts, and now had no reaction at all, completely leading him on.

Furthermore, rumors in the market said her mother was preparing to marry her off to Xiao Ye of the Xiao Family.

Wasn't this burning the bridge after crossing it?

Wouldn't Chen Xuan's years of dedication just make him a total clown?

The atmosphere froze just like that. The three looked at each other, and finally, the eldest, Wang Ni, spoke up: "Fellow Daoist Yun, what are you saying? In that case, let's split the bill."

She looked at the shopkeeper not far away and said: "Bring the menu."

Even after ordering the food, none of them had the leisure to chat as they usually did.

Especially Zi Ling; a battle was raging in her heart!

In the past, this guy would be like a pug, obediently listening after just a little coaxing.

Today, the simp had bitten his master!

Thinking of this, the arrogant Zi Ling flushed even redder, as bright red as roasted pig skin.

Clearly, she was supposed to be the "little princess," but at this gathering, the focus had subtly shifted to Chen Xuan.

The feeling of being the center of attention had vanished.

It was truly annoying and hateful; Zi Ling couldn't help but pout, feeling aggrieved.

They had known each other since Chen Xuan's family moved to Biling Lake to work as fishermen many years ago.

Their parents had always taught Chen Xuan to let her have her way.

But she hadn't expected that after not seeing him for just a short month, the Chen Xuan who had conceded to her since childhood, fought to pay for things, and bet everything on marrying her in the future, would stop paying!

How could this be!

Thinking of this, Zi Ling's eyes grew moist!

Especially when she thought about having to discuss collecting bait with him later.

For a moment, she felt even more flustered and annoyed.

Chen Xuan certainly didn't have that much inner drama; he immediately began to communicate with Wang Ni and He Jia.

"The fishing ban period is coming up soon, and we should prepare to find some other work to earn resources for our cultivation." Wang Ni was the oldest and was mature and steady.

The other three asked: "We wonder what leads you have, Sister Wang?"

In the past, Wang Ni always guided everyone; she was older and knowledgeable, knowing a little bit about everything.

"For the past few years, we have usually gone to the underwater mineral veins to mine spirit ores and Spirit Stones. It's highly dangerous with average returns, and one or two out of ten people often die." Wang Ni shook her head and looked at everyone solemnly: "We cannot do this this year."

"I heard about a type of aquatic spirit plant. If you plant it in spirit water in winter, you can harvest it in early spring. It's just quite time-consuming, and you have to take care of the spirit plants at the right times. The harvest is only average, three Spirit Stones."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt hesitant.

Average returns, laborious and exhausting—how would they cultivate their cultivation?

Chen Xuan shook his head directly.

A mere three Spirit Stones? Even a dog wouldn't want that!

"Is there anything else?" Chen Xuan asked.

He Jia saw Chen Xuan looking over and immediately shook his head; Chen Xuan also shook his head.

He couldn't just divine a way to take them to catch spirit fish, could he...

Finally, everyone looked at Zi Ling.

A mission token appeared in her hand, and she said solemnly once more: "There is."

"This is a commission from the Xiao Family, and we can earn five hundred Spirit Stones!"

"But the prerequisite is that our items must win the competition."

"See for yourselves."

The few of them took the token one by one and spread their Mental Energy to check:

[Bait Commission: The fishing competition will be held in three months. We need famous bait, such as Halberd-Light Worm, Azure Sea Little Green Dragon, etc.]

[The more quantity the better, at least one jin. Ranking will be based on total quantity and quality. The first place prize is five hundred Spirit Stones!]

[The second place prize is three hundred Spirit Stones!]

[The third place prize is two hundred Spirit Stones!]

[The mission deadline is within two months. It must be live specimens or prepared bait!]

[Everyone, please participate actively!]