From Family Fisherman to Water Virtue Immortal

The seawater was icy cold, lapping noisily against the shore. Three corpses floated in the water, their blood staining the sea red. 

The white jade vessel, still encased in its golden barrier, cautiously approached. 

Li Quanqing, ever cautious, didn't dismiss the defensive talisman in his hand. 

He manipulated the Green Carp Sword, swiftly decapitating the three bandit cultivators and severing their limbs, then piercing their hearts to ensure they were truly dead. 

"These guys were pretty rich!" 

The flying sword darted around, retrieving their storage bags and scooping up all their magical tools. 

Among the loot were a mid-grade magical tool, the Mystic Turtle Shield; the Blood Shark Blade; a low-grade tool, the Bone Nether Needles; and even a low-grade spirit vessel. 

There were also over 120 spirit stones, various pills and spiritual materials, and five storage bags. 

Li Quanshu frowned as she looked over the haul. "Something's not right. How could rogue cultivators be this wealthy? Even late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators don't have this much!" 

Li Quanqing stroked his chin. "Senior Sister, are you saying they're part of an organization?" 

These bandits seemed to have specifically targeted members of the Li family, so it was a possibility. 

Li Quanshu didn't shy away from getting her hands dirty. She cut open the bandits' clothing and made a discovery. 

More or less, each of the bandits bore some beast-like features gills on their chests, scales on their skin. 

"No wonder they could lurk underwater so silently. They're half-beasts!" 

The two of them suddenly understood. 

A thousand years ago, a large number of land-based cultivators had heeded the call of the cultivation world to pioneer the Eastern Sea, engaging in a bloody war with the demon beasts. 

Naturally, there were human traitors among them some who interbred with demon beasts, others who were transformed by demon blood, giving rise to many strange half-beast clans. 

These half-beasts harbored deep malice toward humans. 

"Half-beasts have infiltrated our Li family's waters and are causing trouble. Could a beast tide be imminent?" 

Li Quanshu's brows furrowed, a wave of worry rising in her heart. 

The Qingyu Archipelago was relatively close to the human border. To the east, tens of thousands of li deep, lay the territory of the demon beasts. 

For the cultivation world, a thousand years was too short a time. Humans had yet to occupy even a tenth of the Eastern Sea. 

Li Quanqing, who wasn't very familiar with these matters, seemed unfazed. He happily divided the spoils. 

Li Quanshu, knowing she hadn't contributed much, reluctantly accepted only ten spirit stones as a token. 

"Are the two of you members of the Qingyu Li family?" 

It was only then that the patrol team from Baoqing Market finally arrived. 

Li Quanqing and Li Quanshu presented their identity tokens from the Artifact Refinement Hall and were warmly welcomed. 

"Another bandit attack?" 

The patrol team leader, a formidable man wielding a long halberd and at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, frowned as he muttered to himself. 

Li Quanshu, ever attentive, caught the implication. "Have other family members been attacked?" 

The man nodded. "Bandits have been appearing frequently around the market for the past month. Five family members have been killed so far, all while exploring remote sea areas or hunting demon beasts in groups." 

He examined the three corpses and suddenly understood. "This is the first time we've seen the culprits' true faces. So it's half-beasts causing trouble!" 

Hearing this, Li Quanqing couldn't help but pat his chest. The outside world was far too dangerous. It was better to return to his fishpond and stay hidden. 

"The two of you have made a great contribution to the family. Once we report this to the Second Elder, there will surely be rewards." 

The patrol leader smiled. The person in charge of Baoqing Market was none other than the family's Second Elder. 

The next morning. 

Li Quanqing pushed open the window and looked outside. The sun had just risen, but the market streets were already bustling with activity. 

Baoqing Market covered a vast area, stretching dozens of li. The island was lush with vegetation, and shops lined the streets in orderly rows. 

It was said that over six thousand Qi Refinement cultivators resided here permanently, along with an even larger number of mortals. 

Outside the island's protective formation, cultivators of all kinds gathered from across the seas. 

Some rode spirit vessels, cutting through the waves; others rode various spirit pets, strutting proudly; and some even descended from the sky using magical tools, their auras unfathomable. 

The crowd was bustling but orderly, queuing up under the watchful eyes of the patrol team to enter the market on foot. 

With two Foundation Establishment families overseeing the area and a second-grade protective formation in place, no one dared to cause trouble. 

"Is this the strength of our family?" 

Li Quanqing looked at the family emblem on the patrol team's armor and felt a surge of pride. 

Just wearing the green fish-dragon robe made him the most striking figure on the street. 

Knock knock! 

The door was tapped, and a girl's voice came through. "Junior Brother, are you up yet?" 

As soon as he opened the door, Li Quanshu tossed him a bag. "Here, your Blood Shark Blade and the other miscellaneous items sold for 108 spirit stones." 

"Senior Sister, you're so efficient!" 

The boy happily accepted the bag. 

Li Quanshu's father managed a family-owned shop in the market and had plenty of connections. 

Li Quanqing checked the storage bag. After last night's battle, his spirit stone reserves had officially surpassed three hundred. 

Truly, crime paid well. 

"Do you want to explore the market? It's lively." 

The girl twirled a strand of her hair. She had grown up here and knew the place well. 

But Li Quanqing declined. The clam seeds were still with him, and he needed to return them to the fishpond as soon as possible. 

Moreover, the family fleet returning to Qingyu Island only departed in the morning, and time was tight. 

They left the family-owned pavilion where they had stayed the night, escorted by the patrol leader they had met earlier. 

The Second Elder, upon learning of their contributions, rewarded each of them with two hundred family contribution points. 

As branch family members, they didn't have the privilege of meeting this powerful elder in person. 

At the market dock, thousands of spirit vessels were moored, alongside various painted boats and towering ships, their lights dazzling and the scene quite spectacular. 

Two large spirit vessels were anchored in the deep water, towering like mountains. One belonged to the Qingyu Li family, and the other to the Pearl Island Xie family. 

"Let's go!" 

Li Quanqing took out the spirit vessel he had acquired from last night's spoils. Now, he finally had his spirit vessel. 

This low-grade spirit vessel was sea-blue and translucent as if blending seamlessly with the ocean. 

The boy quite liked it. 

Woo-woo! 

The large spirit vessel sounded its familiar horn, slowly setting sail. Thousands of vessels followed, creating an awe-inspiring sight. 

Now that he had money, Li Quanqing didn't hold back. 

He inserted spirit stones into the vessel's grooves and leisurely enjoyed the magnificent scenery along the way. 

Smooth and safe, the two of them returned to Qingdu Island. 

Li Quanqing retrieved his fishing boat from the dock and headed straight for his fishpond. 

Though he had been away for less than two days, he was eager to return. 

"Little fishies, did you miss me?" 

Li Quanqing opened the formation and chuckled. 

What greeted him was a dense barrage of water arrows, filling the sky and spitting noisily. 

Crack! Crack! 

In one corner of the fishpond, over twenty Ironbone Crabs, trapped in the formation, waved their large claws in dissatisfaction. 

Before leaving, Li Quanqing had forgotten to release them from their confinement. 

"Come on, it's just two days without food. Is this necessary?" 

The boy wiped the water from his face. After feeding the fish, he took out the clam seeds to inspect them. 

[Disgusted] Moonlight Clam: "Ugh, this water is so dirty! I'll filter it, filter it, filter it~ Purify the sea!" 

[Maturity: 9%] 

[Despairing] Moonlight Clam: "It's endless! This work is endless! Working overtime every day, just drown me in seawater already!" 

[Maturity: 8%] 

Is the water really that dirty? 

Li Quanqing scooped up a handful. The water was a murky blue-green, with remnants of fish food and suspicious particles floating in it. 

Uh… yeah, it's not exactly clean. 

He felt a bit embarrassed. Well, the fishpond was small, and there were too many things living in it. 

The Moonlight Clams required a specific environment water that wasn't too deep and exposure to moonlight every night. 

Li Quanqing used the Stone Spirit Seal to raise the terrain, piling up mud to form thick-bottomed, thin-topped pillars in the fishpond. 

It looked like thirty stone lotuses blooming, each cradling a quiet Moonlight Clam as it filtered the seawater. 

Crack! 

A newly matured Ironbone Crab climbed up a reef to the top of a stone pillar, curiously poking at the clamshell, a glowing orb swaying above its head. 

Li Quanqing reached out and grabbed the mischievous crab. 

Mine now! 

[Harvested one Qi Refinement stage Ironbone Crab. Reward: One bottle of Ironbone Pills!]