Cultivation: I Forge Immortality with My Spiritual Eyes

More than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The weather has become increasingly unpredictable lately.

The storm raged on, thunderstorms raged for days on end, and the fog at sea grew thicker day by day.

Even at midday when the sun is at its strongest, everything is still shrouded in a white haze.

Even when Jiang Yi goes out to sea these days, he only dares to stay in the vicinity and doesn't dare to go too far.

However, the catch in the Qingluo Island area is already sparse, and with the added impact of fog and tides, even with many fishermen, the harvest is meager.

Even after a long day of hard work, there's no guarantee that you and Xiaoli will earn enough to eat.

Especially since a few days ago, the fog has rolled in, making visibility at sea even worse.

The thick fog lingered all day.

Not only is it extremely easy to lose one's course, but one may also accidentally encounter monsters, making going to sea an extremely dangerous thing.

The independent cultivators who relied on the sea for their livelihood were greatly affected, and many of them completely lost their source of income.

For safety reasons, Jiang Yi also stopped his business at sea a few days ago and stayed on the island to cultivate in peace.

Fortunately, he still has a lot of savings, so he doesn't have to worry about it for the time being, and he is able to remain calm.

It was noon that day.

The sky was overcast and leaden, and thick sea fog enveloped the surrounding area.

Inside the small courtyard on the hillside.

Jiang Yi, dressed in a blue robe and with his dark hair tied in a ponytail, was squatting under the shack, grinding several fish bones covered with teeth marks into fine powder.

More than a month later.

The ten-foot-long swordfish had already entered the bellies of the man and the cat.

Even the fish bones were riddled with holes by Xiao Li, who sucked out all the marrow inside.

With a pile of residue left, Jiang Yi simply ground it into powder, preparing to make bait.

Little Pear was curled up on his head, her body rolled up in a ball, fast asleep, her soft snores filling the air.

Having been well-fed and pampered these days, the little guy has gained quite a bit of weight and his appearance has matured.

It has a slender and well-proportioned body, and its fur is glossy and smooth, making it extremely appealing.

It hasn't grown much in size, still only about a foot long.

I was busy for about half an hour.

Jiang Yi rolled the ground bait into fist-sized balls and stacked them under the windowsill to dry.

I quickly washed my hands and was about to go into the kitchen to prepare lunch when there was a knock on the courtyard gate:

"Bang bang—! Fellow Daoist Jiang, open the door quickly!"

"They're here."

Jiang Yi recognized the voice, smiled, and stepped forward to open the courtyard gate.

Ge Dahai, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, stood at the front, his face full of wrinkles, grinning broadly.

Niu Yaojin, on the other hand, seemed hesitant and a little embarrassed to follow behind.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, are you home?"

Before he could ask a question, Ge Dahai spoke first:

"The fog's too thick to go out to sea today, and we're just killing time anyway. A few new singing girls have arrived at Wenxiang Pavilion; their voices and figures are absolutely superb. Brother, I'd like to invite you to the brothel to listen to some music and relax!"

Jiang Yi was taken aback upon hearing this, then smiled and waved his hand in polite refusal:

"Senior Ge and Fellow Daoist Niu, please go ahead. I won't go; I still have some work to do in the courtyard."

Ge Dahai was unwilling to agree, so he stepped forward, grabbed his sleeve, and earnestly advised him:

"Oh, Brother Jiang, cultivation is a long-term endeavor, and one must also pay attention to the balance between work and rest!"

A string stretched too tight is easy to break! Just go sit down, listen to a couple of songs, have a couple of drinks, it won't interfere with anything.

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate..."

Jiang Yi's eyes flashed, but he still declined.

But Ge Dahai kept pestering him, and Niu Yaojin chimed in to support him.

Unable to refuse their kind invitation, and not wanting to spoil their enjoyment.

He could only sigh and reluctantly agree.

soon.

The three chatted and laughed all the way, trudging through the thick fog to reach the market.

Just as they entered the street, they bumped into Shi Dazhuang and Hei Pi and his group.

The two groups had barely met when Blackie immediately blocked their way, staring intently at Jiang Yi, and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Oh, isn't this our Fellow Daoist Jiang? It's been quite a while. I thought you were hiding in your shell and too afraid to come out."

"The winds and waves have been strong lately, Fellow Daoist Jiang, please be careful, lest your boat capsize and you never return."

Jiang Yi glanced at him indifferently, about to speak.

Ge Dahai had already stepped between the two, and bowed to Shi Dazhuang, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Shi, we are all fellow Daoists from Qingluo Island. We'll run into each other all the time, so why ruin our harmony? If there are any grudges, it's not appropriate to let them escalate here."

"Alright, we still have to give Master Ge face."

Shi Dazhuang glanced at Jiang Yi indifferently, cupped his hands and smiled at Ge Dahai, said nothing more, and led Hei Pi and the others past.

This unexpected incident greatly dampened the enthusiasm of the three.

Without lingering any longer, they headed straight for Wenxiang Tower.

The building is exquisitely decorated, with pink gauze curtains hanging above the door, from which the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments can be faintly heard.

As soon as I stepped inside, a woman with a graceful figure and charming eyes quickly came to greet me.

She took Ge Dahai's arm, her eyes sparkling, and said:

"Master Ge! It's been quite a while since you last visited. I thought you'd forgotten about me!"

Ge Dahai took the opportunity to touch her hand, and coughed lightly, saying:

"Well, I brought two friends along today to show our support. Please find us a quiet private room so it won't be too noisy."

The madam smiled and readily agreed, leading the three upstairs to a private room by the window.

Not long after they sat down, several young and beautiful ordinary women filed in.

Each of them had a graceful figure and a soft, supple body. They approached the three men, bringing with them a rich fragrance, and diligently poured wine from a wine pot.

"Hehe, fellow Daoists, please don't be so reserved. Come, let's have a drink first!"

Ge Dahai, beaming with pride, had one arm around the woman and raised a glass in invitation with the other.

Jiang Yi smiled and raised his glass to drink with him.

Niu Yaojin, on the other hand, was a little reserved and became uneasy as the woman beside him teased him, his face turning bright red.

Time passed slowly.

The three of them drank and chatted about recent events.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

The pink-clad woman serving Ge Dahai already had flushed cheeks and her eyes were brimming with tears. She occasionally twisted her body to avoid him.

After a moment, she finally couldn't help but whisper angrily:

"Immortal Master, please stop touching me. Let me play a tune to liven things up."

Ge Dahai, unusually, blushed, awkwardly withdrew his hand, and cleared his throat repeatedly:

"Play, play, play it well."

The woman covered her face with her sleeve and chuckled softly. She picked up her guqin, stood up, walked to the side, and gently plucked the strings with her slender fingers. The clear and melodious sound of the guqin flowed out.

The three continued to drink and chat to the sound of the piano.

Soon after, Niu Yaojin put down his wine cup and sighed:

"This awful weather, I don't know when it will end. I'm stuck on the island every day, and I haven't made any money at all."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and whispered to Jiang Yi:

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Jiang, the Wang, Liu, and Luo families are recruiting people to mine on Black Reef Island. Would you like to join us?"

Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he swirled his wine glass as he said:

"They're still hiring? It seems that mine is quite large. Have you inquired about it, fellow cultivator? What's the process for mining there? How many spirit stones can you earn?"

Seeing his interest, Niu Yaojin perked up and counted on his fingers:

"The work in the mine is nothing more than going down into the mine to quarry stones. It's tiring, but as long as you complete your quota, you can get one spirit stone a day. Many familiar fellow cultivators have already signed up. If you want to go, you'd better hurry, because you never know when they will stop recruiting."

"I can earn one spirit stone every day..."

Hearing this, Jiang Yi became even more interested.

Although mining is hard work, it is a safe transitional measure.

Just as he was about to ask a few more questions, Ge Dahai interrupted him with a frown:

"My two fellow Daoists," I said, "I've come here today to invite you for drinks and music. Why are we talking about these wretched things? Let's drink!"

Jiang Yi and Niu Yaojin smiled helplessly and could only pick up their glasses and continue drinking.

The three of them stayed at Wenxianglou until evening.

After listening to the music and drinking the wine, the food and drinks, along with the tips, cost a total of five spirit stones, all paid for by Ge Dahai alone.

Before leaving, he also took the girl who had been serving him with him.

They said they felt sorry for him because of his pitiful background and wanted to learn more about him in private to see if there was anything they could do to help.

Jiang Yi smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying it.

He left the market with Niu Yaojin and hurried towards his residence.

While passing by the surrounding rice paddies, they happened to run into Qin Ruyi, who was busy working in the fields.

The two stopped and greeted her.

Qin Ruyi saw that there were two people, turned around and smiled.

After a brief chat, he looked at Jiang Yi and said:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, the jade belt root you gave me last time, I tried to cultivate it for a while, and now it has sprouted new buds."

Jiang Yi cupped his hands and smiled:

"Qin Xianzi's skills are indeed extraordinary. I, Jiang, will pay a visit another day to see them."

Qin Ruyi was about to say something when she suddenly raised an eyebrow and smelled a lingering fragrance of cosmetics.

The smile faded from her face, and she frowned, saying:

"Where did you two fellow Daoists just go? The smell on you is too strong."

"Yeah?"

Jiang Yi raised his sleeve and smelled it, his eyes darting around before he said without hesitation:

"It was Fellow Daoist Niu who insisted on taking me out for drinks. I couldn't refuse, so I went along for a while."

Niu Yaojin stared in disbelief, turned to look at Jiang Yi, his lips moved for a long time, then he silently threw the pot away.

"It was Senior Ge who insisted on dragging us there. I didn't want to go, but I couldn't refuse his earnest invitation..."

Qin Ruyi frowned even deeper and snorted softly:

"That old Taoist priest is no good person. It would be best if you two avoided associating with him to prevent him from leading you astray."

The two nodded quickly and then joined in with a few harsh criticisms.

They then hurriedly said goodbye and returned to their respective courtyards.

Just as I entered the courtyard.

Little Pear darted over and meowed all around my feet.

She wanted to pounce on him, but the strong smell of perfume made her sneeze repeatedly.

Jiang Yi was amused by its silly appearance, said a comforting word, and then turned and went into the kitchen to cook porridge...

"..."

late at night.

All was silent, and thick fog drifted with the wind.

in the bedroom.

Jiang Yi sat cross-legged on the water-bearing stone, holding a dull, cracked bead in his hand.

In recent months, he has been practicing his cultivation day and night using pearls from oysters, and his practice has made steady progress.

By the day before yesterday, the spiritual essence contained in the pearl had been completely drained, turning it into an ordinary object devoid of any divine power.

Without the blessing of this item, the speed of cultivation immediately slows down, and every bit of progress becomes extremely difficult.

The root cause is that the spiritual energy in this courtyard is too thin, which has caused considerable trouble.

Jiang Yi's previously dismissed idea of ​​moving to the Cave Mansion area quietly resurfaced, and became even stronger.

a long time.

He sighed softly, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and slightly closed his five fingers.

With a "crack," the pearl shattered into countless tiny powders, which scattered without a trace in the wind...

Silent all night.

The next morning.

The sky was overcast, and the thick fog had not yet dissipated.

Jiang Yi had just finished his cultivation and gotten up when Niu Yaojin knocked on the door outside the courtyard:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang! Are you up yet? They're still recruiting at the docks today, shall we go and take a look?"

After a moment's thought.

Jiang Yi picked up a small pear, stuffed it into his chest, stepped forward, opened the courtyard gate, and began to talk to Niu Yaojin.

Not long after.

Two figures trudged through the morning mist, hurrying towards the dock...