Longevity with a Turtle

Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Lann Family Remnant

Not long after Chen Jianghe sent his letters, he received replies.

Replies from Gao Peiyao and Yu Daniu arrived almost simultaneously. The White Egret that delivered the messages had likely brought back the replies right away.

There was a specific method to how the White Egrets delivered messages: they carried outgoing letters on their left leg and incoming ones on their right.

He first opened Gao Peiyao’s reply.

’The Red Flame Flood Dragon Technique, the High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Profound Celestial Dragon Pattern Rope... It really is that Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator from the Lann Family.’

The letter contained information from the Yun Family, revealing the Magical Artifact the attacker used and the unique aura of their Cultivation Technique.

It was rather strange.

The Lann Family had started as Spirit Farmers, and its members all practiced Wood Element Techniques. The only exception was the current Patriarch, who cultivated a Fire Element Technique.

Legend had it that when Lann Family Patriarch Lann Tianxiang was young, he stumbled into the meditation grounds of a Foundation Establishment Ancestor at the moment of their passing. There, he obtained the Superior Fire Element Technique, the Red Flame Flood Dragon Technique.

He also acquired a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Profound Celestial Dragon Pattern Rope. This was common knowledge among the great Qi Refining Families of Jingyue Lake.

Therefore, the one who attacked the Yun Family’s Port No.2 was undoubtedly the last scion of the Lann Family, Lann Tianxiang.

The Profound Celestial Dragon Pattern Rope could be replicated, but the unique aura of the Red Flame Flood Dragon Technique was nearly impossible to fake.

’In the eyes of High-Tier Cultivators, human lives are truly treated like dirt.’

The port’s marketplace was the first to be attacked, giving the mortals there no chance to escape. Over a thousand people died in the inferno, burned to cinders.

The scent of roasting meat Chen Jianghe had noticed had come from this.

Afterward, Lann Tianxiang attacked the Workshop Association, killing dozens of Fishermen and Farmers. Over a dozen disciples from the Yun Family’s branch lineages and three stall owners also died by his hand.

’Has this guy Fallen into Demon!’

Reading Gao Peiyao’s reply, Chen Jianghe was horrified and filled with dismay. The man was more depraved than any Tribulation Cultivator.

First, he had tricked and slaughtered over a hundred Fishermen and Farmers, and now he was at the port, harming innocents.

How was that any different from a Demon Cultivator?

’He escaped!’

Reading the end of the letter, Chen Jianghe’s expression changed drastically.

With three of their Elders stationed at Linyun Mine, the Yun Family’s home base was left vulnerable, and their Foundation Establishment Ancestor could not intervene.

Two Elders at the Ninth-Layer Qi Refining were completely unable to stop Lann Tianxiang, allowing him to flee once more.

Lann Tianxiang’s escape wasn’t just a lingering threat to the Yun Family; it put all the Fishermen and Farmers of Jingyue Lake in danger.

Who knew when that monster would attack a port again?

The man had clearly abandoned all restraint and given up on ever reaching Foundation Establishment; otherwise, he wouldn’t be slaughtering innocents so wantonly.

Next, Chen Jianghe opened Yu Daniu’s letter.

It was two pages long.

The first part was similar to Gao Peiyao’s letter, though described in much greater detail.

He had personally witnessed seven Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivators fly out from Huxing Island to fight Lann Tianxiang.

Only two of them could fight Lann Tianxiang head-on; the others hovered nearby, looking for a chance to land a cheap shot.

In the end, Lann Tianxiang used some unknown Secret Technique. One of his arms exploded into a mist of blood that filled the air, and he vanished within it.

’From Daniu’s description, it sounds like the Blood Escape Technique used by Demon Cultivators in the novels from my past life.’

In any case, Lann Tianxiang’s escape left him with the unsettling feeling of a crisis hanging over his head.

’Huh? No Talent for the Talisman Dao!’

The second page of the letter was filled with nothing but disappointment and sorrow.

Yu Daniu had received Zhou Miaoyun’s Talisman Dao legacy, which covered techniques for Tier One Middle Grade talismans and below. He had also used the two Spirit Stones from Gao Peiyao to purchase Talisman-Making Materials.

But after more than three months, Yu Daniu hadn’t even scratched the surface of the Talisman Dao. He couldn’t even successfully draw the most basic of Inferior Spirit Talismans: the Clothes Cleaning Talisman.

This was no longer a question of having good or bad Talent; it was a matter of having no Talent for the Talisman Dao whatsoever.

A Cultivator talented in the Talisman Dao, even without a formal legacy, could get started within three months on raw ability alone, drawing simple Inferior Spirit Talismans like the Freshwater Talisman, Flame Talisman, or Clothes Cleaning Talisman.

With a legacy to guide him, if Yu Daniu had even decent Talent, he could have started drawing Inferior Spirit Talismans in about ten days.

After six months to a year of practice, he should have been able to draw common Lower-Grade Spirit Talismans—Attack Spirit Talismans like the Water Arrow Talisman, Fireball Talisman, and Earth Spike Talisman.

Even with poor Talent, he should have been able to draw an Inferior Spirit Talisman after three months.

Judging from his letter, Yu Daniu had already given up on the Talisman Dao.

The end of the letter was filled with words expressing his disappointment, bitterness, and profound sense of inadequacy.

He asked for Chen Jianghe’s advice: should he voluntarily leave the Mutual Aid Alliance?

As for Gao Peiyao’s two Spirit Stones, Yu Daniu stated clearly in the letter that he would find a way to pay her back in the future.

Yu Daniu came from a mountain village and already struggled with low self-esteem. He had considered backing out when the Mutual Aid Alliance was first formed.

It was Zhou Miaoyun’s Talisman Dao that had given him a shred of confidence.

But now, his lack of Talent in the Talisman Dao was the final straw.

He felt closest to Chen Jianghe.

Ever since the initial pact between the three of them, he had gotten along best with Chen Jianghe.

This was because Chen Jianghe, like him, had been brought here by the Yun Family and was also an orphan.

This shared background gave Yu Daniu’s insecure heart a sense of camaraderie.

’His Spirit Root Talent is poor, he has no knack for raising beasts, and now his attempt at the Talisman Dao has failed... Sigh... ’

Chen Jianghe was in a bind.

He truly didn’t want Yu Daniu to quit. If he did, the alliance would become unbalanced, and sooner or later, they would all be isolated and forced out.

But forcing him to stay would only crush his spirit further.

’If I had enough Spirit Stones, I could help Daniu buy a Spirit Beast Circle, but...’

Chen Jianghe thought of the Spiritual Sand in the pouch he carried, which was dwindling by the day. Only thirty grains remained.

’Daniu can’t quit the alliance. Not now.’

With Jingyue Lake in turmoil, if the great ship of the Yun Family were to capsize, Yu Daniu would be walking to his death by leaving the alliance.

Sticking together, they might have a chance of survival.

After eight years of knowing him, Chen Jianghe had a good impression of Yu Daniu. He was arguably his only friend in this world.

Chen Jianghe immediately wrote a reply to Yu Daniu, telling him not to rush into a decision and to wait two more years, no matter what.

Perhaps their situation would change in those two years.

He knew full well that nothing was likely to change in two years, but for Yu Daniu’s safety, it was the only argument he could make.

Whether Yu Daniu listened was another matter, but at least Chen Jianghe had done all he could and honored their friendship.

CAW CAW~~

The duck-like cry of a White Egret sounded from close by. Chen Jianghe stepped out of his cabin to see a White Egret perched on the bow.

”CAW~”

Its gaze and its cry were both filled with disdain.

Chen Jianghe wasn’t offended. He took the letter, gave the bird two Large Cyan Fish each weighing about a pound, and went back into his cabin.

It was Zhou Miaoyun’s reply.

In her letter, she wrote that she didn’t know much about the incident at the port. Her designated waterway, number 312, was too far from Port No.2. She had only heard some faint noises and seen the fuzzy glow of fire.

However, Zhou Miaoyun asked Chen Jianghe to meet her at Port No.1 in three days’ time, mentioning that she had written to Gao Peiyao and Yu Daniu as well.

’An early meeting... Is it to gather news about Port No.2, or is it because of Daniu’s lack of Talent for the Talisman Dao?’