Chapter 80 - 79: Going Out
Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Going Out
Li Yuan was using up his talisman-making materials faster than he’d expected. He still had some ordinary yellow talisman paper left, but the specialized materials for several types of Tier One Low Grade Talismans were nearly depleted.
Li Yuan counted the remaining Spirit Stones in his sleeve and left.
Wu’s Talisman Material Shop was the same as always. Li Yuan bought two dozen sheets of Cyan Pattern Paper, a bottle of Spiritual Ink, and a packet of medicinal powder specifically for Vein-Expanding Talismans, spending six Spirit Stones.
After leaving the talisman material shop, he turned onto the middle section of East Street to a Loose Cultivator’s stall and bought two Bone Healing Pills for injuries and one packet of Spirit Replenishing Powder.
Bone Healing Pills could mend broken bones, and Spirit Replenishing Powder could provide a boost when one’s Spiritual Power was nearly depleted. These items weren’t expensive, but he’d feel uneasy leaving for a long journey without them.
As he passed the entrance to East Street, he saw several Loose Cultivators squatting at the base of a wall, whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear? A squad from the guard team was attacked while on patrol in the south."
"Demon Beasts?"
"Not Demon Beasts. People." The Loose Cultivator who spoke lowered his voice and glanced around. "They said there were four or five of them, and their Cultivation wasn’t low. They attacked and ran, and no one even got a clear look at their faces."
"How many were injured?"
"Two were injured. One had a broken arm, and the other suffered internal organ damage. They were both carried back."
An older Loose Cultivator nearby chimed in, "It doesn’t sound like the work of rogue cultivators. They target lone Loose Cultivators. Who would be crazy enough to attack the guard team?"
"Who knows? In any case, it’s getting more and more dangerous outside lately."
Li Yuan didn’t break his stride, but he took in every word.
’The guard team’s patrol squad was attacked by people. Four or five of them. They attacked and ran.’
’Not Demon Beasts, but people.’
Li Yuan returned to his residence and bolted the door.
For the next two days, Li Yuan barely left his home.
He cultivated the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill and the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill during the day and made Talismans at night. In that time, he also took two more Vein Relaxing Pills, and his Cultivation steadily progressed.
His progress with the Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill was slow but steady. Over the two days, he managed to open another seven or eight minor meridians around his waist, abdomen, and ribs. Thanks to his previous practice with the Hundred Veins Returning to Origin Skill, his proficiency grew quickly, reaching the Skilled level.
[Microelement Meridian Introduction Skill: Skilled - (23/400)]
With each one he opened, an extremely fine, warm current was added to his Spiritual Power circuits. Though the difference was almost imperceptible once it merged with the whole, he was definitely improving.
Two days later, Li Yuan first paid a visit to Yu Talisman Master’s residence.
The courtyard gate was still closed, and no one answered.
Li Yuan stood outside the gate for a moment before turning and heading toward Talisman Master Lu’s place.
Talisman Master Lu’s door was open. On his table lay several freshly drawn Talismans, and next to them was a cloth bundle tied shut at the top.
Seeing Li Yuan enter, Talisman Master Lu pushed the cloth bundle forward.
"They’re ready."
Li Yuan untied the cloth bundle and took a look.
Inside were five Talismans, neatly stacked.
The texture of the talisman paper was clearly different from ordinary Tier One Middle Grade paper. It was thicker, tougher, and its surface had a fine, beast-hide pattern—this was beast-hide talisman paper made from the belly skin of a Split-horned Lizard.
The Spirit Patterns on the Talisman’s surface were nearly twice as dense as those on a normal Middle Grade Talisman. The patterns at several key nodes were tightly layered, faintly exuding a heavy spiritual pressure.
"I made five in total," Talisman Master Lu said, leaning back in his chair. "A lot of material was wasted while preparing the hide. The hide wasn’t large to begin with, so I only managed to cut eight sheets of talisman paper from it. I then ruined three while drawing the talismans, leaving a final product of five."
"Two Flame Talismans, two Ice Talismans, and one Vajra Talisman."
Talisman Master Lu pointed to each one in turn.
"The Flame Talismans and Ice Talismans are for offense. Their power is about forty to fifty percent stronger than an ordinary Tier One Middle Grade Talisman. The Vajra Talisman is for defense. Once activated, it can withstand a normal attack from a Tier One Top Grade Demon Beast."
Li Yuan picked up a Flame Talisman and examined it. The talisman paper felt slightly heavy in his hand. Its spiritual pressure was restrained, and the beast-hide pattern on its surface felt a little rough to the touch, but its overall quality was not bad.
"The hide was twelve Spirit Stones, the work for the five talismans is twenty, and the ink and materials come to three." Talisman Master Lu counted on his fingers. "You’ll need to add eleven Spirit Stones."
Li Yuan counted out the Spirit Stones from his sleeve and stacked them on the table.
Talisman Master Lu took the Spirit Stones and added another word of advice.
"Don’t use these talismans for everyday situations. At a critical moment... actually, it’s best not to be stingy. You never know when something might go wrong."
Li Yuan stored the five Talismans separately in the inner pockets of his robe, nodded, and left.
After returning to his residence, Li Yuan organized all the pills, Talismans, and talisman-making materials he had bought, sorting and storing them by category.
Then he sat down cross-legged and resumed his cultivation.
After an unknown amount of time, a few knocks came from outside his door.
Li Yuan got up and opened the door. It was Sun Liang.
"We’re leaving tomorrow. The higher-ups sent me to inform you. We’re gathering outside the West Gate of the market square before dawn."
Li Yuan nodded.
After Sun Liang left, Li Yuan closed the door. He didn’t rush to pack his belongings but instead sat back down at his table.
He spread out a sheet of talisman paper, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink.
As he finished the final stroke on his fourth Golden Armor Talisman, Li Yuan’s fingertips paused for a fraction of a second. He had just noticed something.
Drawing this Talisman, from the first stroke to the last, had been nearly thirty percent faster than the previous one, yet the Spirit Patterns on its surface were even more uniform.
The panel appeared.
[Tier One Talisman Making Skill: Skilled (0/400)]
Li Yuan glanced at it, then dismissed the panel.
He switched to a sheet of yellow talisman paper.
The brush tip descended, and Spirit Patterns spread across the paper. Each stroke was as steady as if he had traveled this path a thousand times.
He finished the final stroke to seal it, and with a flash of Spiritual Light, a Cleaning Talisman was complete.
One, two, three...
He drew five in a row, and all were successful.
He switched to Exorcism Talismans. Out of eight attempts, six were successful.
Warning Talismans. Out of six attempts, four were successful.
Now that his Talisman Making Skill had reached the Skilled level, his success rate with basic Talismans had shot up.
Moreover, Li Yuan discovered that his proficiency with these three types of Talismans was also increasing quickly. One success was now worth three or four previous successes, and he estimated it wouldn’t be long before they also reached the Skilled level.
He organized the completed Talismans into several stacks and placed them into the different pockets of his robe.
He did a final check of his belongings—pills, Talismans, the Spirit Detecting Disc, the breath-concealing Jade Pendant, and talisman-making materials. Everything was there.
Li Yuan lay down fully clothed and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Before the sky had brightened, Li Yuan’s eyes were already open.
The market square had not yet fully awakened. The streets were deserted, with only a few Spirit Lamps still lit.
Li Yuan walked along West Street all the way to the market square’s West Gate.
Quite a few people had already gathered at the meeting point.
About forty Cultivators stood by the roadside in small groups of two and three, a much larger contingent than for any of his previous excursions. Some wore guard uniforms, some wore patrol uniforms, and others were in plain clothes.
Li Yuan scanned the crowd but didn’t see He Shou.
However, he did spot a familiar figure at the front of the crowd.
Uncle Qu.
Standing next to Uncle Qu were three other people. Their auras indicated they were at Late-stage Qi Refining. They wore matching bluish-gray robes with swords at their waists—they were Cultivators from the main Wang family.
Li Yuan walked into the group and found a spot somewhere in the middle, neither at the front nor the back.
Before long, Uncle Qu raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent.
"Everyone’s here. I’ll keep this brief."
His voice wasn’t loud, but the chatter from the dozens of people around him ceased at once.
"The mission this time is to clear out the Demon Beasts in an area near the loose cultivators’ market, open up a path, and then escort any Loose Cultivators who are willing to leave over to our side."
"We might run into Demon Beasts on the way, or we might run into other things. No matter what we encounter, follow orders."
Uncle Qu was a man of few words. He didn’t waste time on pleasantries, just laid out the facts.
Uncle Qu’s gaze swept over the few Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators from the Wang family at the front.
"We’re splitting into six squads. Each leader will take a squad and be responsible for support."
Uncle Qu took a roster from his robes and began to read out names.
When he got to the third squad, Uncle Qu’s gaze fell on Li Yuan, and his brow twitched slightly.
"Li Yuan."
Li Yuan stepped forward.
"You’re at the Qi Refining Sixth Level?"
The gazes of several people nearby also turned toward him.
"Yes," Li Yuan replied.
Uncle Qu grunted in acknowledgment.
"Not bad. You were still at the Fifth Level last time we went into the mountains."
Uncle Qu didn’t say more, simply looking down and making a mark on the roster.
"Squad Four. You lead it. You’ll have five people under you. I’ll give you their names in a bit."
Li Yuan nodded and stepped back into the ranks.
The roster was quickly finished.
There were six squads, each with five to seven members, plus Uncle Qu himself and the three Cultivators from the Wang family.
The Wang family Cultivators were not assigned to the squads; instead, they would stay with Uncle Qu to provide central coordination. Each squad leader was responsible for their own people, with unified command only being exercised for major incidents.
Li Yuan received the list of names for his squad.
There were five people: three at Mid-stage Qi Refining and two at the Qi Refining Third Level. He didn’t recognize any of the names.
Uncle Qu took the roster back and scanned the crowd.
"Each squad, meet with your members. We’ll discuss the details on the way."
"Move out."