Chapter 11: Selling Talismans (Part One)

Li Wei’s words were merely casual; naturally, he wouldn’t stand up for Yao Qian—she wasn’t someone close to him. He reminded her, “Be more cautious from now on.”

A sweet smile spread across Yao Qian’s face. “I understand. Thank you both, senior brothers.”

The stall owner raised an eyebrow. “You’re actually thanking me?”

Yao Qian replied, “Didn’t you sell it to me at a discount?”

The stall owner laughed heartily. “I also sell talismans here. Next time, when you’ve got twenty spirit stones, come buy some real talisman manuals. For what you said today, I’m willing to personally demonstrate the art of talisman drawing for you.”

Li Wei nodded slightly. “Senior Brother Liu’s skill in talisman making is impeccable.” Although Senior Brother Liu’s cultivation wasn’t high, his talent in talisman crafting was exceptional; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived so many years of scheming and trickery. Everyone depended on his talisman-making skills.

Yao Qian’s eyes sparkled with stars. “Thank you, Senior Brother.” Inwardly, she thought that charging twenty spirit stones for teaching a talisman was extortionate. One spirit stone could be exchanged for 500 to 1,000 spirit pearls, so twenty spirit stones equated to more than a decade’s income in her sect. Of course, the Infinite Sect only gave apprentices three years’ worth of spirit pearls, then no more.

Li Wei and Senior Brother Liu looked at the innocent and sweet appearance of the young girl and thought quietly, no wonder many preferred to find girls among new apprentices—it turned out girls were quite adorable.

Yao Qian was not truly grateful to Senior Brother Liu; she was simply reluctant to offend him, unsure if he might harbor ill intentions later. She was quite thankful to Li Wei; without his guidance, she and Xiu’er wouldn’t have known when they’d find the market.

At that moment, Jin Xiu’er happily brought over a bundle of insect eggs. She had spent a hundred spirit pearls as well. Li Wei saw the half-dead eggs and didn’t bother commenting—what mattered was that they were happy. He said, “It’s getting late. Let me escort you back to the Inner Affairs Hall.”

Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er simultaneously replied, “No need, Senior Brother. We know the way.”

Jin Xiu’er had grown up in the Miao Village; she was familiar with all kinds of mountain paths. Yao Qian, on the other hand, had spent most of her time cultivating on Green Bamboo Peak and had only descended the mountain under the guidance of her clan’s elders. She had never walked these paths herself. In her previous life, she was hopeless with directions, unable to tell north from south. But joining the Infinite Sect had cured her navigational shortcomings.

The Infinite Sect offered no modern tools or anyone to cater to her; if she didn’t learn to find her way, she risked getting lost on the mountain paths and losing her life. So, as Li Wei led them, both girls memorized the route.

Li Wei paused and smiled gently at them. “You’re quite clever.” He appreciated their habit of recording the path from the first day, knowing that in the sect, one must rely on oneself. As long as they didn’t die early, their future achievements wouldn’t be low.

With Li Wei accompanying them, Yao Qian and Jin Xiu’er left the market. Once outside, they bid him farewell, eager to return to their cave dwellings before nightfall, lest they be caught by the shadow soldiers.

Yao Qian handed two Spirit Travel Talismans to Jin Xiu’er. The latter was thrilled and slapped them on her legs, instantly feeling as if the wind lifted her feet. Their speed more than doubled, quickly shaking off any possible followers.

Back at the cave dwelling, Jin Xiu’er excitedly asked, “Qianqian, how many talismans do you actually know how to draw?”

Yao Qian answered, “I know six talismans—the Six Techniques of the Green Wood Valley: Dust Repelling, Path Guidance, Spirit Travel, Three Suns, Five Thunders, and Sweet Dew.” These six were spells all Green Wood Valley disciples learned. Dust Repelling, Spirit Travel, and Sweet Dew were easy to understand.

Dust Repelling was for cleansing; Spirit Travel for quick movement; Sweet Dew for healing. Three Suns was also a type of healing talisman, saturated with Yang energy to counteract evil spirits. The Path Guidance talisman functioned like a compass—unless magnetic fields were disturbed, it helped the bearer find directions.

Among them, the Five Thunders talisman was the only offensive spell, though Green Wood Valley’s Five Thunders was not the true divine thunder technique. It was cultivated by collecting thunder energy during storms and thus much weaker than genuine Divine Thunder arts.

Yao Qian had seen the Grand Elder use it and could only compare its damage to that of a fireworks explosion. Of the six, Five Thunders was the least familiar to her due to its limited power. She asked Jin Xiu’er, “Want to learn? I can teach you.”

Jin Xiu’er shook her head. “No, thanks. My cultivation isn’t high; learning these spells won’t help much. I’m most afraid of learning spells anyway. Given my comprehension, even if I learn them, they won’t be powerful. I plan to focus on cultivation, accumulate contribution points, and then learn swordsmanship.” Her talent for swordsmanship far surpassed her aptitude for spells—that was the true path to survival.

Yao Qian didn’t pressure her. Although her own comprehension was good, her sword skills were average. Even with the help of the Heavenly Evolution Stele, her understanding of talismans was superior, showing how much talent mattered. “I’ll cultivate for a while first. Once the Golden Silkworm Gu is nurtured, I’ll begin the Yi Wood Divine Needle Technique.”

Jin Xiu’er had been eager to practice the Yi Wood Divine Needle Technique since morning, but after obtaining new insect eggs at the market, she was impatient to hatch her little pets and postponed her cultivation. Besides, they couldn’t find a place rich in Yi Wood energy yet. “I want to raise the insects first. Let’s focus on cultivation for a month.”

Yao Qian nodded. “Agreed.”

They set the time. Yao Qian returned to her cave dwelling to study the talisman manual she had bought today. The Infinite Sect’s inheritance was vastly superior to Green Wood Valley’s. Even this manual for low-level disciples contained many talismans Yao Qian had never heard of.

The thick manual illustrated at least a thousand talismans. Naturally, she wouldn’t try to master them all. She focused on the three highest-priced talismans she had seen at the market: Five Thunders, Three Suns, and Golden Light.

She already knew how to draw the first two, but Infinite Sect’s versions were probably different from Green Wood Valley’s. As for the Golden Light talisman, famous for protection, it was a direct inheritance of the great sect—small sects and clans couldn’t learn it. Even those rare few who mastered it kept it secret.

Since it was a great sect’s direct transmission, no fool would reveal it to outsiders. Upon seeing the Golden Light talisman in the manual, Yao Qian resolved to buy the book even if she had to spend all the sect’s money.

Starting with the Three Suns talisman she knew best, she carefully traced the patterns using her divine sense within the Heavenly Evolution Stele’s space. The manual was crudely printed; despite her efforts to distinguish every stroke, after hours of work, her divine sense was nearly exhausted, yet she hadn’t completed a single full pattern.

Still, she was undeterred—this was normal. Previously, her cultivation had consisted of repeated experiments within the Stele, slowly accumulating experience until she fully understood the technique. Only then would the Stele begin improving the cultivation method. The Golden Tome was a special case, directly entering the mind sea and modified by the Stele.

From a convenience standpoint, direct modification was better. But personally, Yao Qian preferred thoroughly mastering something herself before gradual adjustment—it gave her a great sense of accomplishment.

She withdrew her divine sense from the Stele but continued meditating to recover it, preparing to further refine the advanced version of the Three Suns talisman. Thus, every day besides cultivation, she focused on studying the Three Suns talisman.

After half a month, she successfully completed the refined Three Suns talisman. It took longer than before but was at least halfway done. Yao Qian was thrilled; she had doubted her understanding of the Stele’s functions but now knew she had underestimated it.

She rose, took a deep breath, washed her face, tidied the stones piled at her cave entrance, and prepared to go out for a walk.

Her nerves had been tense for fifteen days; she needed a break. Was today the first day of the lunar month? Surely the market would be open. She planned to sell all the Three Suns talismans she had stored. Though her talismans were weaker than the Infinite Sect’s, they were affordable and reasonably effective—surely someone would buy them.

Yao Qian donned the sect’s uniform and adjusted her appearance slightly with cultivation. Her disguise technique was a minor skill involving subtle facial muscle movements—most cultivators wouldn’t notice, and those who could probably wouldn’t come to this small market.

This time, she confidently paid ten spirit pearls to enter the market. Choosing a less crowded spot, she neatly arranged the talismans she had drawn on a blue cloth, carefully marking their prices.

There were few talisman vendors in the market. Among the myriad skills of cultivation, talisman drawing was relatively accessible, requiring little equipment but high comprehension. Many could learn spells but failed at talisman drawing, so the market’s talisman sellers were well-known.

A newcomer always drew attention, but upon seeing the weak talismans on her stall, people quickly looked away, noting she was a novice. Such newcomers appeared yearly, but most didn’t persist.

Previously, such a newcomer might have been robbed right as they left the market, but with the sect’s tight security, no one wanted to be the first to attract trouble and become a permanent target of the senior brother’s wrath.

Yao Qian was prepared for provocation but was surprised by how smoothly her stall operated—though business was slow. No one came all morning. Her talismans were cheap but weak; buyers with money generally sought more powerful talismans.

Sighing silently, Yao Qian looked up at the sky. She didn’t want to wait any longer; if they wouldn’t sell, so be it—she could use them herself.

Just as she prepared to pack up, a melodious voice sounded beside her: “How much for these spirit talismans?”

Startled, Yao Qian looked up to see a boy with a youthful face but mature eyes standing before her. She straightforwardly said, “Fifty spirit pearls each.”

Her talisman paper was top-grade, purchased by the Grand Elder, costing five thousand spirit pearls per cut, enough for about a hundred talismans. Including the ink, she needed to sell each talisman for seventy to eighty spirit pearls just to break even. But her talisman level was low; no one would pay that much, so she had to lower the price.

The boy bit his lip. “That’s too expensive. If you’d sell them for ten spirit pearls each, I’d buy five.”

Yao Qian’s eyes widened. She packed up the talismans, preparing to leave. She had already discounted them, and he still offered ten? This wasn’t about price—it was about dignity!

Seeing her pack up to leave, the boy hurriedly called out, “Wait! Weren’t you going to sell talismans? Why are you leaving?”

Yao Qian coldly snapped, “Go away!”