The processing Ye Yu spoke of was to reduce the purity of the gold, down to placer gold, or even lower.
He set up an iron pot, placed a block of gold of very high purity inside, heated it to molten gold at high temperatures, and then fused it with sand and stones to form low-purity placer gold!
Although the value of the gold was reduced through this processing, its safety was greatly assured.
Looking at the rough, uneven, and unsightly placer gold in the iron pot after it cooled, Ye Yu smiled with great happiness.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingyi was preparing lunch for her brother and herself.
Seeing her brother look over, Ye Qingyi showed a well-behaved expression on her face, looking very cute.
Ye Yu couldn't help but pat his sister's head and smile.
Although their lives were hard, they found joy in their freedom.
Thinking of this, Ye Yu's expression became even gentler. He then sat down to the side, picked up the bowls and chopsticks from the table, and prepared to start eating.
...
On the other side.
Inside the room, Wu Tao, who was lying on the bed, once again examined his body.
His physical condition was still dire, frighteningly so.
He didn't know what went wrong this time. Not only did the teleportation have issues, but to make matters worse, he encountered a spatial storm at the end.
This series of events had destroyed more than eight or nine of his protective treasures!
Having just escaped, the blood clan's several peculiar curse divine abilities were now acting upon him like a fatal illness.
If it weren't for his profound cultivation, which allowed him to forcefully suppress them, he would have been instantly backfired and killed by these strange curse divine abilities.
But even so, these peculiar curse divine abilities were still wreaking havoc in his body, threatening his life!
These peculiar curse divine abilities were continuously damaging his meridians!
Fortunately, through the control of several secret techniques, the recovery was faster than the damage. Given enough time, he would eventually recover.
Currently, within Wu Tao's body, one force was constantly destroying, while another force was constantly repairing.
This process was naturally extremely painful. Not only could he not mobilize any spiritual energy, but his body could also not move easily.
In order to free himself from this feeling of powerlessness as quickly as possible, Wu Tao used some secret techniques that he shouldn't have. However, the price for doing so was that he would have no spiritual energy whatsoever for the next two to three years.
Not only that, but he could also not use any magical treasures or divine senses.
This approach did indeed greatly improve his control over his body.
According to his own estimation, he might be able to move freely again in a few more days.
However, his most serious problem now was not this, but that his lifespan was not long!
Under normal circumstances, Wu Tao had reached the late stage of Core Formation in just over a hundred years, so his time should have been ample!
To completely recover, it would likely take more than a decade.
It seemed he had to endure this fragile period until he possessed the ability to protect himself before he could take any action. For now, he had to be low-key, extremely low-key!
...
A month later!
Ye Yu, wearing a coarse linen short shirt and carrying a bamboo basket filled with live fish, had a small bag tied around his waist!
He docked his small boat next to a pier built by the Sea Dragon Gang.
As soon as Ye Yu finished mooring his boat, a small ruffian from the Sea Dragon Gang immediately came over to demand money!
As soon as he smelled the fishy odor emanating from Ye Yu, his face immediately showed disgust, and he said irritably, "Pier fee is five copper coins a day!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Yu obediently paid the money.
It was possible to not dock at the Sea Dragon Gang's pier, but if he were discovered, not only would his boat be burned, but he would also be beaten severely.
The Sea Dragon Gang controlled the piers used by fishermen to enter and leave the town.
It was precisely by controlling these piers that the Sea Dragon Gang members could exploit these homeless fishermen!
It was truly too difficult for the powerless fishermen to live freely.
The fish market was set up not far from the pier!
It was just dawn, and Ye Yu, carrying his basket, found an empty spot and squatted down to set up his stall.
Although there was a valuable piece of placer gold in the bag on his waist, for safety reasons, he still had to sell fish to avoid arousing suspicion.
Before any customers arrived, a burly man with a full beard and muscles, a head taller than ordinary people, walked up to Ye Yu's stall with a few followers!
"Master Long!"
Ye Yu cursed inwardly but outwardly bowed and scraped, reaching into his waist and handing over ten copper coins.
"Master Long is a minor leader under the 'Sea Dragon Gang.' When selling fish in the fish market, one must give a portion of the proceeds to the Sea Dragon Gang. This is another means of exploitation."
"Heh heh, Ah Yu, you're paying much more readily this time compared to before?"
"You used to haggle with me for half a day to save a few copper coins. Today, you're surprisingly straightforward..."
Master Long, with a fake smile, squatted down, opened the fish basket, and glanced at the fish Ye Yu had brought.
They were all ordinary catches, not worth much.
Weighing the copper coins in his hand, Master Long stood up, waved to his subordinates, and walked directly away from the stall, heading towards the next one.
Seeing that he had finally gotten away with it, Ye Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
To save time, Ye Yu sold all his fish at half price, and they were quickly gone.
"Sigh... In this wretched place called Tianshui County, twenty-odd large fish only sold for over forty copper coins, and I was exploited by the Sea Dragon Gang for fifteen copper coins."
"The remaining thirty-five copper coins aren't even enough to buy half a jar of coarse salt. If it weren't for meeting that immortal a few days ago, life would truly be unbearable..."
Ye Yu sighed, put away his empty fish basket, and slowly walked towards the town.
He needed to find a way to exchange the priceless piece of placer gold he held for a large amount of copper coins.
The black market!
Ye Yu took out the man-made placer gold hidden in the lining of his bag and sold it to a black market dealer who specialized in collecting gold and silver grains.
Zeyu Lake was vast, and occasionally poor fishermen were lucky enough to find placer gold the size of sand grains.
However, no one had ever found placer gold the size of Ye Yu's thumb!
Under the curious gaze of the black market dealer, Ye Yu, wearing a mask and a change of clothes, looked nervous, even subtly reaching for a dagger hidden on his person.
However, the black market dealer, who had always valued integrity, did not lose his credibility over such a small piece of placer gold.
After some haggling, Ye Yu exchanged this piece of placer gold for eight hundred copper coins.
Exiting the black market and coming to a secluded corner, Ye Yu quickly discarded his disguise and put on his old, worn linen clothes!
After glancing around the streets and alleys and confirming he wasn't being followed, Ye Yu deliberately took a large detour and went to the liveliest market in town.
The market was very bustling and crowded.
Shops and stalls lined both sides, with people coming and going, and signs hanging outside.
Rice shops, tea houses, storytellers, opera houses, salt merchants, pawnshops, cloth shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, rouge shops...
Because of the fishy smell on Ye Yu, many people avoided him, cursing him as a smelly fish ghost!
After browsing for a long time, Ye Yu bought over three catties of fatty meat and a pot of over a catty of strong liquor.
The meat was to improve their living conditions. The reason for buying fatty meat, which was more expensive, was that fatty meat was not only fragrant but could also be rendered for oil, making it a multi-purpose purchase!
The strong liquor was potent enough to drive away the dampness from his body.
These two items cost Ye Yu nearly a hundred copper coins!
...
Normally, it would take Ye Yu a month to earn these hundred copper coins!
The hardship of the fishermen's daily lives was evident!
Next, Ye Yu went to the salt shop to buy a jar of fine salt. To the surprise of the shop assistant, he produced three hundred copper coins to pay.
In the Great Jin Dynasty, there were coarse salt and fine salt.
Coarse salt was not only coarse but also bitter, with many impurities.
However, it was relatively cheap, costing only a hundred copper coins for a jar!
Fine salt was relatively better.
However, it was simply expensive, and ordinary households could not afford it!
Finally, Ye Yu also bought several bolts of cloth at the cloth shop, spending the remaining four hundred copper coins!
Returning triumphantly, Ye Yu, for safety reasons, hid all these valuable items in the grass of a shallow beach, and then turned back.
As expected, Master Long of the Sea Dragon Gang searched Ye Yu thoroughly but only found some tea leaves!
...
After nightfall, Ye Yu rowed his boat and retrieved the items hidden in the grass.
Spring turned to winter, and then back to spring. A year passed by slowly.
As spring returned to the earth, all things were reborn.
On an island in Zeyu Lake.
The iron pot on the stove was steaming, and pork bones were boiling inside.
Ye Qingyi was adding firewood and looked back at her brother with a serene smile, as radiant and beautiful as blooming flowers.
Because she had eaten well and dressed warmly for over a year, Ye Qingyi had transformed from a thin, dark-skinned girl into a plump, fair-skinned, tender lass!
Meanwhile, Ye Yu was brewing tea for Wu Tao!
Over the past year, because he was willing to spend money on himself and eat better, his body had developed further, he had grown taller, and his face had gained more color.
He was now a young, spirited lad!
Ye Yu carried the teapot with the brewed tea to Wu Tao's room.
The room was currently flashing with golden light. Seeing this, Ye Yu's face couldn't help but reveal a hint of joy.