Apparently, regarding the death of Ji Qingyun, Luo Tong knew something... most likely it was the work of Liu Lai'er.
Ji Yuan didn't expect that Luo Tong, who wasn't that close in memory, would be so good to him.
It's just that this sixth level of Qi cultivation... Ji Yuan was still far from it, so he didn't tell Luo Tong that he was already at the fourth level.
Luo Tong hadn't noticed.
"Uncle Luo, don't worry, I understand."
Ji Yuan nodded.
"Hmm, you're a smart person... smarter than your father."
Luo Tong sighed, then reached out and patted Ji Yuan's shoulder.
"Alright then, you should head back first. If there's anything unclear about raising the Spirit Dolphin, feel free to ask me at any time."
Just as Ji Yuan was preparing to leave with the piglet in hand, Luo Tong still stuffed that four or five-pound piece of Spirit Dolphin meat into his hands.
Telling him to go back and properly nourish himself.
For a while, Ji Yuan looked at the 7 and a half Spirit Fish in the [Fish Pond] at home, 6 green and yellow chickens in the [Chicken Cage], and the Spirit Dolphin in the [Pigsty], and just felt hopeful for the future.
This was his little world now.
The taste of Spirit Dolphin meat was always fragrant. The last time Ji Yuan ate it was when Ji Qingyun was still around, and today he made Spirit Dolphin soup and stir-fried Spirit Dolphin meat himself.
After nearly a month of eating Spirit Eggs, Ji Yuan rarely had such a satisfying meal.
The battle on Maple Island was still ongoing, and Ji Yuan's life had become a bit more complicated. Besides raising chickens and feeding fish, he now also had a task of raising pigs.
But fortunately, this Spirit Dolphin ate anything, in the worst case, he'd pluck some wild grass from the riverside and crush a Broken Spirit to mix with it a bit, and it would eat it with relish.
The [Pigsty] was remarkably effective.
The size of the Spirit Dolphin was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just seven days, it had grown to over a hundred pounds.
Luckily, Ji Yuan was raising it in the backyard, usually no one came to visit, otherwise, people might feel a bit intimidated seeing it.
It was seven days later that Ji Yuan harvested another piece of Coldblooded Bass.
This time, it was again evolved from a Seven-star Bass, and he had to go to Zengtou City. This time, Ji Yuan specially brought 6 Spirit Eggs.
It was a day's production, so he didn't take too many.
Knowing Luo Tong's nature, if he brought too many, he surely wouldn't accept, and it would be hard to explain having too many.
As for the Spirit Stones from selling fish... Ji Yuan already had an idea. After cultivating for so long, it was time to learn a more advanced technique.
Magical Artifacts were too expensive, the income from a Spirit Fish couldn't afford it.
Plus, using Magical Artifacts required the Artifact Manipulation Technique, which was another expense.
For now, learning a more powerful technique seemed to be the most cost-effective choice for Ji Yuan.
Coming to the Fish Cage, with Ji Yuan's mid-stage Qi cultivation, selling a Spirit Fish was no longer a rare affair.
After getting the Spirit Stones, he came to Luo Tong's stall. Luo Tong thought Ji Yuan was there to borrow Spirit Stones and had already prepared for that.
But Ji Yuan handed over six Spirit Eggs instead.
"Raised by my green and yellow chickens, not bought from outside, specifically brought for you to taste, Uncle Luo."
"What are you doing, these Spirit Eggs are good stuff, you should take them home to eat and cultivate." Luo Tong naturally refused, busy cutting meat.
"Really, I have 6 green and yellow chickens at home, laying Spirit Eggs every day, I'm sick of eating them."
After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he placed the Spirit Eggs on the counter and quickly ran off.
"I have something to do, I'll come by to see you next time, Uncle Luo."
After Ji Yuan left, Luo Tong stopped cutting meat. There was no place to put it anyway, but as he looked at the Spirit Eggs on the counter, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.
"This kid's nature is exactly like Qingyun's."
"But these Spirit Eggs... there's no way there are green and yellow chickens that lay Spirit Eggs every day."
Shaking his head, Luo Tong eventually accepted Ji Yuan's gesture.
He also knew Ji Yuan's words were just excuses, those Spirit Eggs had to be what Ji Yuan had been saving up, unwilling to eat. Most likely it was to repay the favor for the Spirit Dolphin that he received.
Ji Yuan himself didn't know what Luo Tong was thinking, even if he did, he would just say... I'm telling the truth, Uncle Luo!
He then headed to the largest building in Zengtou City, the "Hundred Treasures Pavilion" with a Water Dragon Sect background.
It was like an official mega-mart he was familiar with, where one could find Talisman, Magical Artifact, Elixir, anything, as long as you could afford the Spirit Stones.
Upon entering, he went straight to the Magic Technique Area.
There was an old man with a white beard and hair in a Water Dragon Sect uniform on duty, who was originally resting with eyes closed. Seeing someone come in, he raised his eyelids to glance.
"What do you need?"
Ji Yuan started by cupping his hands in salute.
"Greetings, senior."
Then he said, "The junior wants a technique for attack, the more powerful the better, preferably with low consumption, um... and if it could be a bit cheaper, that would be great too."
The white-haired cultivator laughed out loud upon hearing this.
"Young man, are you here to buy a technique or make a wish?"
Embarrassed, Ji Yuan smiled and asked, "May I ask if there is such a technique?"
The white-haired cultivator closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then suddenly opened them.
"There is."
Ji Yuan's eyes lit up, but he quickly calmed down, asking hesitantly, "May I ask what are the drawbacks of this technique?"
Having wished, Ji Yuan naturally didn't think there could be such a free lunch.
Such a technique must have significant drawbacks.
If not, wouldn't everyone in Zengtou City have it?
"This technique is called 'Water Drop Finger', the effect is roughly as you said, the only drawback being that every time it's cast, the ten fingers will endure unbearable pain, it truly harms oneself before the enemy."
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan gave it some thought, and understood a bit.
"If I practice Body Refinement, could it lessen the pain somewhat?"
"Certainly, but you, a fisherman, do you have time to practice Body Refinement? Body Refinement requires practical hard work, it needs to be done intensely to succeed."
Ji Yuan showed an extremely conflicted expression, finally asking, "I still want to try, may I ask senior, how many Spirit Stones does this technique cost?"
"You... alright, 10 Spirit Stones, buy the first level and practice. If you achieve success, then consider the second level."
The white-haired cultivator was sincere.
After paying the Spirit Stones, Ji Yuan bowed deeply to this senior, before placing his fingers on the Jade Scroll provided by the old man.
As a stream of strange memory flowed in, Ji Yuan reacted for a moment, and then got up to leave.
'Water Drop Finger', as the name suggests, condenses Water Spiritual Qi into the fingertips to be released. Due to its small attack range, it naturally has low consumption. Additionally, the concentrated attack method makes each hit very powerful.
Ji Yuan comprehended it carefully, estimating that once mastered, the effect would be similar to Six Meridians Divine Sword.
Pointing anywhere and striking, making it hard for the enemy to defend.
As for the side effects... it's fine, he'd just continue raising pigs.
Finally, when Ji Yuan was strolling through the streets of Zengtou City, his gaze casually swept over the grass-root stalls on both sides, before suddenly pausing.
The vendor was another mid-stage Qi cultivator with a long face. Although he looked tired, there was more delight on his face.
The item Ji Yuan had his eyes on was a Dharma Ship displayed at his stall.
That Dharma Ship he had seen many times and was quite familiar with, it had a peculiar name.
It was called... Mantis Boat.
Its stern slightly flawed, the Dharma Boat stained with blood.
The long-faced cultivator saw Ji Yuan paused in front of his stall and immediately introduced:
"Fellow Daoist, are you interested in this Dharma Ship? It's top quality, fast, and ensures safety."