Morning.
An old man in red stopped in front of Lin Zhao’s stall and smiled, “Young friend, did you draw these talismans yourself?”
This elder was a Nascent Soul sword cultivator.
Lin Zhao stood up and cupped his fist respectfully, “Yes, just some clumsy drawings, I’ve made the senior laugh!”
“Such a strong aura of the military, how could they be clumsy? Young friend, you are too modest.” The old man smiled and cupped his fist, saying, “This old man is the ancestor of the Fei Yun Sect, Qin Fei. I am quite fond of the military talismans drawn by young friend, and wish to befriend him. Would young friend be willing to accompany me to the Fei Yun Sect as a guest? Our Fei Yun Sect will surely offer a grand hospitality.”
“Huh?”
Lin Zhao frowned and said, “Senior, I just want to sell talismans.”
After all, he needed to earn money to buy a sword blank of Immortal Sword rank for Miss Leng. This was what Lin Zhao truly yearned for.
“Don’t worry.”
Qin Fei smiled and said, “After you ascend the mountain with this old man, our Fei Yun Sect will buy all your talismans, as many as you have!”
Lin Zhao’s heart stirred. Was this a big business opportunity? Even if he could refuse, his money pouch couldn’t, could it? Moreover… the Fei Yun Sect was, after all, the foremost righteous sect of Cui Wei Mountain. And this ancestor was just a Nascent Soul sword cultivator. They were all Nascent Soul, so who was afraid of whom? At worst, he could use his invincible skill and escape on his sword. There wouldn’t be many people in this world who could catch up to the speed of his flying sword Hong Ye.
“Since that is the case, I shall trouble Senior!”
“Good, good!”
Qin Fei nodded with a smile, “Young friend, please this way!”
For a moment, passersby on the mountainside cast envious glances. The ancestor and the sect leader of the Fei Yun Sect personally invited Lin Zhao up the mountain. This young man selling talismans was destined for great heights.
…
On the mountainside.
The youth Chen Changsheng still knelt in the middle of the mountain road. As Qin Fei and Lin Zhao passed by, the youth said with a sonorous voice, “Chen Changsheng of Cui Wei Mountain wishes to become a disciple of an immortal, and pleads for spiritual medicine to cure my gravely ill mother. Chen Changsheng is willing to work as a beast of burden, and will never go back on his word!”
Qin Fei merely glanced and paid no mind. There were many people like him on the mountainside of Cui Wei Mountain.
However, a personal disciple of the Fei Yun Sect ancestor, dressed in red, was moved. He said to the ancestor in his mind, “Master, this Chen Changsheng seems to have good aptitude… may this disciple take him up the mountain?”
“Hmph!”
Qin Fei said coldly, “If you are going to do something, be discreet. Make sure no one finds out and tarnishes the reputation of our Fei Yun Sect.”
“Yes, please rest assured, Master!”
After everyone ascended the mountain, Liu Yu stayed behind alone. This sixth-realm sword cultivator looked at the youth, crouched down, and said in a deep voice, “My name is Liu Yu. I am a personal disciple of Qin Fei, the ancestor of the Fei Yun Sect, and currently a Purple Mansion realm sword cultivator. Chen Changsheng, would you be willing to become my disciple and learn swordsmanship with me on the mountain? As for your mother’s illness, spiritual medicine will naturally be provided for treatment.”
The youth Chen Changsheng’s eyes lit up and he said, “Willing, of course I’m willing!”
“Good.”
Liu Yu nodded with a smile, “Let’s go, follow me up the mountain to perform the ceremony of discipleship.”
“Yes, thank you Immortal Master, thank you Master…”
As the youth rose, his eyes were already filled with hope.
…
In the living room of the Fei Yun Sect.
Lin Zhao skipped pleasantries and took out a large pile of talismans. He had accumulated quite a few before, so there were plenty of Clear Heart Talismans, Rain Prayer Talismans, Courageous Talismans, Swiftness Talismans, and Immobilization Talismans. He only brought out four Sword Mirror Talismans, each of which was sky-high in price. As for advanced talismans like Thunder Talisman, Spear Forest Talisman, and Iron Cavalry Killing Array Talisman, he did not bring them out, for fear of scaring the people of the Fei Yun Sect.
Even so, upon seeing the four golden Sword Mirror Talismans, Qin Fei could barely control his emotions. These Sword Mirror Talismans were genuine treasures in the martial world, and only sects with sufficient background would have one or two. The last time he saw a Sword Mirror Talisman was in the imperial palace of the Xu Dynasty, a talisman treasured by the Imperial Advisor Zhao Qian. Moreover, the spiritual energy and the power of the talisman core of that Sword Mirror Talisman could not compare to the four Sword Mirror Talismans before him.
The most valuable aspect of the Sword Mirror Talisman was its ability to store a portion of sword dao power, and to suddenly unleash power far exceeding one’s own to combine attacks and slay strong enemies when needed!
In addition, those Swiftness Talismans and Immobilization Talismans were also extremely rare and exquisite talismans in the human martial world. It could be said that Lin Zhao’s price was still a bit low!
Lin Zhao calculated briefly and smiled, “Putting it all together, it’s 127 Jin Zizhi coins.”
“……”
Several elders of the Fei Yun Sect were dumbfounded, not expecting these items to be so expensive. Those who didn’t recognize the value among the dependents repeatedly shook their heads. This brat was clearly a charlatan, and deceiving people all the way to the Fei Yun Sect, his end was near!
Unexpectedly, the ancestor Qin Fei was the most discerning. He nodded with a smile and said, “It is indeed worth the price. Someone, go fetch 127 Jin Zizhi coins from the treasury and present them to Young Hero Lin!”
Not long after, Lin Zhao’s bag once again contained 127 unbound Jin Zizhi coins. Having money felt truly good. Lin Zhao even wanted to take out more talismans to sell to the Fei Yun Sect. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be the richest man in the Hundred Flowers World? But then he thought, how much foundation could the Fei Yun Sect have? These 127 Jin Zizhi coins had already made the sect leader and elders show pained expressions. If he brought out more, they might not be able to afford it. Moreover, the higher the grade of the talismans he brought out, the greater their murderous intent would be.
This Qin Fei looked very much like an old immortal who had attained enlightenment on the mountain, but when faced with advanced talismans like the Thunder Talisman and the Iron Cavalry Killing Array Talisman, whether his resolve would waver was uncertain. To test others’ humanity with his own safety would be too foolish.
“Young Hero Lin.”
Qin Fei cupped his fist gently and said, “The Fei Yun Sect has an impertinent request, and we hope Young Hero Lin will agree to it…”
“Oh?”
Lin Zhao smiled, “Senior, please speak freely.”
“Good.”
Qin Fei’s posture was extremely low, saying, “The Fei Yun Sect admires the young hero’s talent in drawing talismans. This old man also personally believes that the young hero is the foremost talisman master in the world. Therefore, the Fei Yun Sect wishes to hire the young hero as our top guest elder, with a status equal to that of the sect leader. Annually, you can draw a maximum of one hundred Jin Zizhi coins from the sect’s treasury, and you will have absolute authority within our Fei Yun Sect. The condition is also very simple: you will prioritize selling the talismans you draw to the Fei Yun Sect. We of the Fei Yun Sect do not wish to place too many restrictions on the young hero. What do you think?”
“Ah?!”
Lin Zhao was stunned for a moment, and quickly cupped his fist respectfully towards Qin Fei, saying, “Senior, please forgive my inability to comply. Lin Zhao is accustomed to freedom. I am merely a passerby in this world, and may depart at any moment. I truly do not wish to delay your esteemed sect. Thank you for your kind intentions, and please rest assured, if Lin Zhao draws new talismans, I will return to the mountain and prioritize selling them to the Fei Yun Sect.”
“……”
Qin Fei hesitated for a few seconds, then cupped his hands, “Since that is the case, we will not force the young hero.”
“Good, then I will descend the mountain now.”
Lin Zhao smiled, “I still have a long journey ahead.”
“Good, I will personally escort Young Hero Lin!”
After some pleasantries, Lin Zhao finally descended the mountain alone, enjoying his freedom.
…
In the living room.
An elder gritted his teeth and said, “This Lin Zhao is at most a Purple Mansion realm sword cultivator, with such thin sword intent. Why must the ancestor be so polite to him? We should simply confine him to the mountain and let him continuously write talismans for our Fei Yun Sect. This way, we would even save a large sum of Jin Zizhi coins. Why must we demean ourselves to him like this?”
Qin Fei narrowed his eyes, “A good horse cannot be forced. Don’t you understand this simple principle? Rather than tearing each other apart, it’s better to sow goodwill.”
“Yes.”
The elder nodded and smiled, “The ancestor is wise!”
…
On the way down the mountain.
Lin Zhao’s gaze flickered, and he saw a familiar figure in the distance. It was Chen Changsheng, being led up the mountain by a disciple in red from the Fei Yun Sect. Had he succeeded in becoming a disciple?
That’s great!
But just as Lin Zhao was happy for Chen Changsheng, the disciple in red suddenly moved and led Chen Changsheng into a dense forest. It was the direction of the back mountain valley. This was not right. The disciples of the Fei Yun Sect were all on the mountain, why would they go to the back mountain? Could there be something fishy? Thus, Lin Zhao stepped on his flying sword Hong Ye, suppressed his sword intent, and silently followed.
In the back mountain valley.
Liu Yu led Chen Changsheng along a narrow mountain path. The further they went, the more Lin Zhao’s brows furrowed. This back mountain was somewhat unusual. He could smell a demonic aura. Having dealt with demons in the Snow Region Heavenly Pool for a long time, Lin Zhao was too familiar with this scent. He could be certain it was a demonic aura. However, Cui Wei Mountain was full of human cultivators, so why was there a demonic aura?
“Master…”
Although Chen Changsheng was naturally slow-witted, he seemed to have sensed something amiss, saying, “Aren’t you supposed to take me up the mountain to become a disciple? Why are you taking me to the back mountain?”
“It’s all the same.”
At this moment, Liu Yu’s expression had become quite ferocious. He took out a key and opened a mechanism on the mountain wall. A foul wind immediately assailed them. Before Chen Changsheng was a fierce-looking demon fox, a third-realm demon fox, but it had not taken human form. Its spiritual energy enveloped it, and at its feet lay the skeletal remains of humans. This was using human flesh and blood to nurture the demon fox’s spiritual energy, and then Liu Yu would absorb the spiritual energy from the demon fox for his own use. This was the so-called “Fei Yun Sect nurturing spirit beasts.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
Liu Yu’s expression was ferocious, and he smiled, “It will only hurt for a moment. Soon, your flesh and blood will become nourishment for the spirit beast that Master is nurturing. And this nourishment will eventually be refined by Master. At that time, you, Chen Changsheng, will become a part of Master, wouldn’t that also be a contribution to the sect?”
“Master, I… I don’t want to be your disciple anymore!”
The youth was so terrified that his soul had flown out of his body. He turned to leave, but how could he escape? Liu Yu’s fingers, like eagle claws, grabbed his shoulder, and he was directly thrown towards the demon fox in the cage.
…
The Upper Realm, the Sea of Heavens.
The seawater suddenly surged. Then, a sword energy split the sea surface, and the sea was instantly stained with blood. An immensely huge dragon corpse floated to the surface, its death appearing miserable. It had been beheaded, and this was a thirteenth-realm dragon-subordinate.
“Snap!”
A light and airy figure stood on the dragon’s head. It was the thirteenth-realm Great Sword Immortal Yan Beichen. He smiled at the fourteenth-realm sword cultivator hovering in the wind and said, “Is there something?”