20: Li Yu

After the meeting.

Chang Wei walked out of the main hall, looking at the Talisman Cultivator Alliance members who used to treat him with respect, now ignoring him as if he were air.

Chang Wei felt indignant, then sighed.

“Alliance Leader, this is bad! Chang Ge'er suddenly screamed as if he was in immense pain, and now he has fainted.”

At this moment, a subordinate ran over in a hurry, even forgetting to change his title, and said anxiously.

“Chang Yun, what’s wrong with him again?!”

Chang Wei frowned; he felt a surge of anger whenever he heard that name now.

Chang Yun was like a source of misfortune; anyone close to him ended up in trouble.

It was true for Huang Quan, and it was true for him.

Even though Chang Yun was his nephew, he was reluctant to visit him now.

But after a moment of hesitation, he still decided to go, otherwise, it would be difficult to explain to the Family, and it would also dishearten his subordinates.

If all his subordinates left, he would truly become a lone commander, and then what talk of a king's return!

But just a quick look, only one look!

......

An hour earlier.

Looking at Zhou Yang, who had changed dramatically, Lu Ming fell silent.

If not for his unchanged aura, he would have thought Zhou Yang had been replaced.

He scanned Zhou Yang's entire body with his Spiritual Qi, yet found no flaws, which made Lu Ming curious.

“Tell me, what’s going on?”

Zhou Yang chuckled, his skin, flesh, tendons, and bones wriggled, and he reverted from a burly man to his original appearance.

“Replying to Senior Wu, this is a disguise Cultivation Technique I specifically sought out to sell Talismans under various identities.

However, I couldn't bear to spend Spirit Stones on a Spell, so I chose a Mortal martial art.”

Watching Zhou Yang grimace, Lu Ming fell into thought.

This kid had some tricks; he hadn't found any decent disguise Cultivation Techniques in the Market.

They were either incomplete or easily seen through.

He hadn't seen a single Cultivation Technique like Zhou Yang's, which achieved a complete transformation by moving tendons and bones.

Moreover, this was not a Spell at all, purely a change in bone and flesh, so no matter how much one probed with Spiritual Qi, no anomaly could be detected.

But this did not mean others couldn't discover it; Cultivators all judged by aura, and merely changing one's appearance couldn't fool a Cultivator.

However, this was incredibly useful to Lu Ming; the Blood Burning Secret Technique could change his original aura, but he lacked a disguise Cultivation Technique!

“Interesting.”

He praised, then said.

“Let me see the Cultivation Technique.”

Zhou Yang didn't expect Senior Wu to be interested in this, but he didn't dwell on it, quickly pulling out a small booklet from his Pregnant and handing it over, though he still reminded him.

“Senior Wu, this is just a Mortal martial art, and Cultivators who Cultivate it will face certain drawbacks.”

Lu Ming took it and started flipping through it. This “Tendons and Bones Shifting Art” was exactly as he had guessed, achieving disguise through changes in tendons and bones.

He also understood what Zhou Yang's mentioned drawback was.

A Cultivator's physique, having undergone the baptism of Spiritual Qi, had long since begun to cleanse the marrow and strengthen the tendons, no longer comparable to a Mortal's.

The higher a Cultivator's cultivation, the greater their physical strength, and the more harmonious the density of their bones and flesh, so attempting to achieve a complete transformation by moving tendons and bones would cause unimaginable pain.

Zhou Yang, only at Qi Refining First Layer, was already grimacing in pain, so the experience for him, now having broken through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer, was imaginable.

However...

Lu Ming smiled.

He closed the Cultivation Technique and, from the Spirit Stones he had obtained from selling Talismans this time, took out one and threw it to Zhou Yang.

“I'll take the Cultivation Technique.”

“Senior Wu, you don't need to give Spirit Stones, this isn't worth much!”

Zhou Yang quickly waved his hand, wanting to refuse.

Lu Ming ignored him and took out a stack of Talismans from his Storage Pouch, handing them to Zhou Yang.

“Be careful recently; the Talisman Cultivator Alliance is probably about to get results. It’s best to lay low for a while. If anything happens, use a communication Talisman to inform me.”

Without lingering, Lu Ming turned and left.

......

Returning to his small courtyard, Lu Ming entered the Cultivation room, eagerly taking out the booklet to study it.

If it weren't to maintain the composure of a Senior, he would have started practicing it on the spot.

“I was just planning to go to the black market, and this is like getting a pillow when you're sleepy.”

Lu Ming's gains in the past two months had been immense; not only had his cultivation successfully broken into Qi Refining Fifth Layer, but his Talismans had also greatly improved, and refining 'Geng Metal Sword Talisman' was now no problem.

Through Zhou Yang's sale of Talismans, he had also earned a large amount of Spirit Stones, and with this latest batch, he now had a total of three hundred fifty-six Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

He had planned to go to the black market in a couple of days, but he didn't expect an unexpected gain before he left.

Zhou Yang is good, his salary must be increased!

......

Chunxiang Brothel.

On the top floor, in a spacious hall.

Many of those present were richly dressed, clinking cups and exchanging toasts, attended by beautiful maidservants, a scene of extravagance.

Li Yu was currently seated at the head of the table, embracing a beautiful woman, receiving toasts from several high-ranking members of the Talisman Cultivator Alliance.

Looking at the members around him, Li Yu felt a little unhappy.

Because Chang Wei hadn't come!

“Hmph, he’s probably too ashamed to come!”

Li Yu sneered inwardly, tightening his grip slightly on the beautiful woman beside him.

Madam Yu frowned slightly but dared not say anything.

She merely cursed the Talisman Cultivator Alliance for being a bunch of crude people who didn't know how to cherish and pity women!

And those high-ranking members, being astute observers, noticed Li Yu's displeasure and, with a little thought, knew why.

One of them felt the atmosphere was a bit off and decided to offer an explanation for Chang Wei.

It wasn't that he had a particularly good relationship with Chang Wei, but rather that Chang Wei's absence shouldn't upset Li Yu and thus delay the division of power matters that were about to take place.

“Alliance Leader, something seems to have happened with Chang Wei. His nephew seems to be on the verge of death.”

Li Yu's expression softened slightly upon hearing this, but he still couldn't resist a jab.

“I think his nephew is a jinx, always causing trouble. Our Talisman Cultivator Alliance has developed slowly precisely because of such scourges!”

“Exactly, exactly, the Alliance Leader is right!”

“Only under the Alliance Leader's leadership can our Talisman Cultivator Alliance grow stronger.”

“Yes, to create new glory!”

“......”

Listening to these flattering words, Li Yu's gloomy mood vanished, and he burst into laughter, beginning to caress Madam Yu, making her playfully complain.

After a feast and everyone was thoroughly entertained.

Li Yu dismissed Madam Yu and the other maidservants.

Now, only the high-ranking members of the Talisman Cultivator Alliance remained.

Li Yu smiled slightly, and facing the hopeful and eager gazes of everyone, began to speak.

“Gentlemen, although our Talisman Cultivator Alliance has experienced some turmoil, as long as we work together, in the future, we might even become the masters of Green Bamboo Market!”

“Here, I will discuss a few points!”

......

Half an hour later.

Only when everyone's eyes began to glaze over did Li Yu finally start assigning tasks.

“Chen Xingliang, you are responsible for the Talisman Making Hall, overseeing the future production of talisman paper and the allocation of Spiritual Ink.”

“Thank you for your trust, Alliance Leader. Your subordinate will surely complete the task!”

A middle-aged Cultivator beamed with joy, respectfully saluted Li Yu, and then raised his cup and drank it all.

“Shen An, you are responsible for establishing the Talismans Hall and recruiting new Talisman members.

To grow, we cannot be confined to Green Bamboo Market; we need to Cultivate our own Talisman Masters!”

“Yu Qing, you are responsible for…”

“......”

Li Yu began to assign tasks one by one.

Those who received good assignments were beaming with joy, while those with less desirable ones were somewhat gloomy, secretly lamenting their bad luck for not getting lucrative work.

“Finally, Ding Yu, you are still responsible for the storage of Spirit Stones, especially the collection of membership fees.”