Chapter 239: Toward the Whale Borrowing Another Two Hundred Years

Zhao Laoye sent Yun Yi to Gao Ming because Gao Ming could transport him to the Abyssal Night Sea to hunt for food. Granting Yun Yi a mid-level explorer designation for this single trip would have been a hassle. As for a high-level designation, that wouldn't be an investment; it would actually harm him.

However, contacting Gao Ming posed no such problem. As a courier, Gao Ming doesn't explore for treasures himself; he simply transports goods for different teams. This meant that even though he wasn't authorized to search for treasures, he had free rein to move anywhere within the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven. He functioned as a transit agent within the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven. Therefore, turning Yun Yi into a temporary transit agent and bringing him to the edge of the Abyssal Night Sea was a simple matter.

Zhao Xing dispatched a straw-man clone to deliver a batch of spirit fish to Yun Yi. The clone didn't say another word. Yun Yi had expected Yuan Ranghou to speak with him, but nothing was said. This left him confused, eating fish aboard the ship. He wasn't alone in his bewilderment; seven or eight other individuals were also on board.

Yun Yi observed the scene inside the hall. Aside from himself, the only other person dining at a separate table was an eccentric individual named Li Fuhan. He was considered eccentric because of his extremely peculiar way of eating fish. Li Fuhan eschewed chopsticks, opting instead for a knife, fork, and silver needles. He also ignored the bowls provided by Gao Ming, instead using a container that resembled a pestle or a small bucket. Li Fuhan also carried a box, to which he appeared to be adding ingredients. He ate the fish with extreme meticulousness, even crushing the bones to extract the marrow. No part, not even the bone fragments, went to waste; he wrapped them in paper and stored them in his box. All of this greatly piqued Yun Yi's curiosity. He appeared to be a physician, but Yun Yi thought, "Surely no physician is this peculiar..."

Zhao Xing was also observing Li Fuhan. "It seems that even after living for a long time, people's small habits remain unchanged." He mused, "Li Fuhan, the wandering physician, I expected you to visit the Southern Barbarian battlefield, but I'm surprised you're arriving so late. Fortunately, I haven't missed it, or perhaps my luck has turned around?"

Li Fuhan was destined to become the Grand Physician, the highest-ranking official in the Great Zhou Medical Bureau. Although this was only a second-rank position, the Grand Physician controlled all valuable medicinal ingredients across the land and, despite being only a second-rank official himself, was capable of treating first-rank powerhouses. Li Fuhan hailed from the capital, and at this moment, he was merely an eighth-rank wandering physician. Due to the emergence of numerous insect and blood shamans with their bizarre methods on the Southern Barbarian battlefield, many physicians had flocked there from across the land. However, when Li Fuhan arrived with his Grand Physician mentor, they coincided with a three-month truce. Li Fuhan had originally intended to return, but his mentor was visiting an old acquaintance in the Ten Suns Grotto-Heaven, so they temporarily settled in Yangcheng. Li Fuhan was naturally aloof and not part of the military, so Zhao Xing had genuinely struggled to locate him previously. Had it not been for the eruption of spiritual essence in the Grotto-Heaven, Zhao Xing might have completely missed his chance to encounter Li Fuhan.

"Emperor Wu once tasked Li Fuhan with treating Liu Tianning's madness, and under his care, Old Liu did indeed experience periods of lucidity." Zhao Xing recalled. "His 'Reviving Sacred Hand' and 'Ghost Gate Needle' techniques later reached perfection. He also revised the 'Classic of Medicine' and developed numerous advanced medical practices, notably the 'Blood Plague Classic,' which was highly effective against the insect and blood shamans of the Southern Barbarian tribes during Emperor Wu's campaigns. There's also his 'Classic of Medicine: Chapter on Life Souls,' which he developed based on Old Liu's specific condition..."

It's not that a high cultivation level grants immunity to illness; parasitic 'sleep worms' can even affect one's life soul, let alone the physical body. While high cultivation generally prevents minor ailments, any problem that does arise tends to be a severe illness.

"However, Li Fuhan has a peculiar habit: when treating patients, he often disregards their comfort, preferring potent medicines for maximum efficiency. His motto is, 'It's better to live a difficult life than to die easily.' If the final outcome is healing, but there's a choice between a highly efficient, painful process and a less efficient, painless one, he will invariably choose the former. Anyone seeking treatment from Li Fuhan must be mentally prepared; for him, scraping bones to heal wounds is basic practice," Zhao Xing muttered to himself. "I'll consider this an insurance policy and hope I never have to use his services."

Beyond his investments, Zhao Xing also dedicated himself to cultivation. He diligently refined his Straw Man Technique and heavily focused on another method: the Turtle Coin Divination. The spirit turtles found in the Abyssal Night Sea were of significantly higher quality than those in the Canglan River. Once Zhao Xing had some free time, he began his turtle-slaying endeavors.

On May 19th, he slew eighty-two turtles.On May 20th, he slew one hundred fifty-seven turtles.On May 21st, he slew two hundred fourteen turtles.Starting from the fourth day, the number of turtles slain dramatically increased.On May 23rd, he slew one thousand seven hundred eighty-two turtles.On May 24th, he slew two thousand two hundred forty-five turtles.On May 25th...

Why did the number of slain turtles continue to rise? Primarily, when Zhao Xing exchanged resources with other exploration teams, turtle species frequently appeared on the exchange lists. As the saying goes, "What the superior likes, the subordinates will inevitably follow!" Liu Tianning's disciple was no longer causing trouble, only requesting turtles? And these could be exchanged for resources? That's simple! Everyone, go catch them! Catch as many as possible!

In fact, Pei Yuanchang, the direct grandson of King Lingshuang, became the primary force behind turtle capture. Unsure where he heard it, Pei Yuanchang learned that Zhao Xing had a peculiar fondness for slaying turtles. He even specifically prepared a sea vessel to hunt for spirit turtles on Zhao Xing's behalf. Consequently, Zhao Xing never lacked for turtles. Still, the sight was quite perplexing to observers.

For the first two days, as Zhao Xing slew turtles and refined their shells, those aboard the Myriad Law Pagoda Ship found nothing particularly unusual. However, days later, Zhao Xing was still at it, appearing to grow more addicted with each kill. Even Princess Youruo found herself drawn to the spectacle.

"Do you have some vendetta against turtles?" Princess Youruo inquired, watching Zhao Xing deftly pull out a turtle's head. *Slice.* With a swift motion, the knife descended, severing the turtle's head in two. "Were you bitten by a turtle as a child?"

"No, Honored Mentor," Zhao Xing replied, looking up. "I'm cultivating."

"Oh? Is it a divination technique?"

"Honored Mentor, your discernment is truly sharp."

Princess Youruo was slightly surprised. "Turtle shell divination is an ancient method from before the Yin Dynasty. You're quite knowledgeable. However, for those not serving as official prognosticators in our dynasty, it's difficult to achieve significant mastery; at most, one might reach a high-tier level. You're likely wasting your effort."

"Honored Mentor, I am merely a low-ranking sixth-grade cultivator," Zhao Xing chuckled. "If I can master a high-tier technique, how could that be considered a waste of effort?"

"Doesn't your mentor admonish you?" Princess Youruo asked, knowing Liu Tianning had very high standards for his disciples.

"He has," Zhao Xing nodded. "However, my progress with the Straw Man Technique has been steady, so he no longer discourages me."

Princess Youruo watched for a bit longer, then said, "If you only need turtle shells, you can find me on Violet Cloud Island when you visit the East Sea in the future. I happen to have some in my collection."

"What sort of collection, Honored Mentor?" Zhao Xing's eyes lit up.

"I likely have quite a few of the Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Turtle caliber," Princess Youruo said languidly. "Those aquatic tribal leaders send me these useless trinkets every year; it's utterly unoriginal."

Princess Youruo was a direct descendant of the Primordial Lord Bixia. Her mother was the Sect Master (or Dean) of the Azure Water Sect and the beloved daughter of Emperor Jing. This lineage held significant sway over the aquatic people of the East Sea territories. Consequently, Princess Youruo didn't even spare a glance for the spiritual treasures filling the Myriad Law Pagoda Ship. She had simply seen too many oceanic treasures in her lifetime.

"Thank you, Honored Mentor," Zhao Xing said, delighted.

"Carry on with your work," Princess Youruo said, waving a hand. She quickly grew bored of watching.

"Farewell, Honored Mentor."

After seeing Princess Youruo off, Zhao Xing resumed slaying turtles. While Princess Youruo was merely surprised, others were genuinely unnerved. As Liu Chengan, son of King Xin, and Wu Zhengting, another princely heir, passed by, the sight of the turtle slaying sent a chill down their spines.

"Good morning, Brother Wu, Brother Liu," Zhao Xing greeted, straightening up and smiling.

"Morning," Liu Chengan and Wu Zhengting replied, feeling their scalps tingle. Zhao Xing's toothy grin, knife in hand, was unnervingly terrifying.

"Liu Tianning's Myriad Law Palace, with its numerous clones, feels eerie." "How does his disciple also share such a peculiar habit?" Liu Chengan whispered telepathically after they had passed.

"That's why they're master and disciple," Wu Zhengting replied, recalling Zhao Xing's smile. "Both of them are quite unnerving."

Yet, some people enjoyed watching Zhao Xing slay turtles. Ji Zixuan, for instance. Every day, she would spend time with Zhao Xing, quietly observing him slaughter turtles.

"Senior Brother, are you tired? Do you need me to help?" Ji Zixuan asked, rolling up her sleeves. She seemed genuinely interested in the task, not merely seeking to please Zhao Xing.

"Do you think I'm doing this for entertainment?" Zhao Xing retorted with a smirk.

"Senior Brother's actions surely hold deep meaning," Ji Zixuan said, squatting down. "I merely wish to assist you."

"You can't help, and I can't teach you this particular skill." If this life unfolded as it did in his previous one, Ji Zixuan, the Phantom Assassin, would become his adversary. Teach this divination technique to Ji Zixuan? What a joke! An assassin who can divine would be a perpetual nuisance, even if they couldn't kill.

"Oh, well, Senior Brother, can I at least watch?" Ji Zixuan asked with persistent determination.

"Suit yourself," Zhao Xing said. He pointed, and the turtle's flesh rapidly withered, its essence and blood impregnating a dark, glistening turtle shell. Through Zhao Xing's turtle shell refining method, it had already absorbed the vital essence of thousands of its kin. After repeated impregnation, the turtle shell had turned a purplish black, and the patterns on its surface glowed faintly. The power of the Turtle Coin Divination relied heavily on external objects. Zhao Xing was refining turtle shells merely for practice; for long-term use, he would require the shells of the "Ten-Thousand-Year Mystic Turtle," as mentioned by Princess Youruo.

"The Turtle Divination technique is somewhat arduous, requiring the slaying of turtles for practice, but the Coin Divination technique is much simpler. However, it requires ancient Divine Court artifacts like 'Prosperity Coins' and 'Purple Gold Ancient Coins,' which are hard to come by." Such items are not sold in the military world and are generally unavailable through official Great Zhou channels. To find them, one would have to seek them out from families with ancient inheritances. A short lineage wouldn't suffice. "The best approach would be to attempt grave robbing—unearthing an ancient grand tomb might yield a good number of ancient coins and currency."

Prosperity Coins and Purple Gold Ancient Coins are, in themselves, 'fortune coins'! They are unique in that while they contain fortune, it cannot be directly absorbed. Nevertheless, possessing Prosperity Coins and Purple Gold Ancient Coins can temporarily enhance one's fortune. Such treasures are rarely sold by any family. Who would ever sell their own fortune?

Zhao Xing inadvertently glanced at Ji Zixuan, and an idea struck him. "Junior Sister, have you ever heard of Prosperity Coins or Purple Gold Ancient Coins?"

Upon Zhao Xing's question, Ji Zixuan pondered. "I've heard of them. Legends say that the ancient Divine Court used fortune to forge various coins. This method replaced the national fortune's blessing and was used as rewards for officials. Therefore, in ancient fortune dynasties, being dismissed from office also implied confiscation of property, as the bestowed Prosperity Coins needed to be reclaimed. Similarly, there are 'Law Coins'," Ji Zixuan continued, showcasing her knowledge. "'Law Coins' is a collective term for magical currency, also known as 'Law Vouchers' or 'Law Notes.' For instance, the Li Dynasty once issued 'Thunder Law Vouchers.' Officials merely had to carry them to cast thunder spells and instantly gain corresponding magical realms. However, this method was overly simplistic and often led to widespread corruption, with these corrupt individuals frequently possessing formidable power and immense fortune. It pales in comparison to more recent fortune dynasties, where a single imperial decree can both bestow and revoke such blessings," Ji Zixuan remarked.

Zhao Xing smiled noncommittally. He had no intention of discussing institutional matters with her. "Then have you ever actually seen any of these items?"

Ji Zixuan shook her head. "No, these items are either lost or are hoarded by the royal family... Senior Brother, are you looking for such items?"

"Just asking casually," Zhao Xing replied evasively.

From June