16: Small town talisman maker

When Lin Feng returned to the Welcoming Immortal Inn, the sky had completely darkened.

Lin Feng pushed open the door, and Mo Fengwu was sitting cross-legged on the bed, cultivating.

Hearing the movement, she immediately opened her eyes and greeted him happily.

"Husband, you're back!"

"En." Lin Feng smiled and patted her head, "How did your Cultivate feel today?"

"I feel like the Spiritual Qi in my Dantian has grown a tiny bit stronger!" Mo Fengwu said proudly, clenching her small fists.

Although she had a Five Elements Pseudo-Spiritual Root, with Lin Feng as her automatic teller machine, she naturally had an inexhaustible supply of Medicinal Pills every day.

Lin Feng smiled and took out a brocade box from his Storage Pouch.

"A gift for you."

Mo Fengwu curiously took the brocade box, opened it, and saw a soft, light-blue armor shimmering with iridescent light lying quietly inside.

"Wow! So beautiful!" Her eyes lit up, and she carefully took out the soft armor.

The soft armor felt as light as nothing in her hand, cool and silky to the touch, with Talismans flowing on its surface, clearly not an ordinary item.

"This is the 'Flowing Water Soft Armor,' a top-tier Magical Artifact," Lin Feng explained. "After you perform a blood-bond recognition and wear it, it can protect you completely."

"A top-tier Magical Artifact!" Mo Fengwu's small mouth slightly opened, somewhat disbelieving.

This was too valuable!

"Silly girl, your safety is the most important," Lin Feng playfully flicked her nose. "Hurry and try if it fits."

Mo Fengwu nodded vigorously, and as instructed, pricked her fingertip, letting a drop of fresh blood fall onto the soft armor.

The soft armor flashed with a green light and instantly merged into her body.

Mo Fengwu felt a cool, comfortable sensation spread throughout her body, as if an invisible layer of protection had been added.

"Thank you, Husband!" She threw herself into Lin Feng's embrace, her small face filled with happiness and emotion.

Lin Feng held her tenderly for a moment before taking out his other gain from today—the Golden Bamboo Talisman Brush and the book "Elementary Talisman Dao."

"This is the Golden Bamboo Talisman Brush; I'll teach you how to draw Talismans with it later."

He then handed the booklet to Mo Fengwu, "This is a book on Talisman-making insights. It contains a lot of basic knowledge about Talismans. You can read it first to get an understanding."

Mo Fengwu took the booklet and began to flip through it curiously.

Lin Feng then silently chanted in his mind: "System, use [Fragment of Talisman Dao Insight]."

"Ding! [Fragment of Talisman Dao Insight] successfully used! The host's understanding of the Talisman Dao has greatly improved, and the success rate of making mid-to-high-grade Talismans has greatly increased!"

A cool stream of information instantly flooded Lin Feng's mind.

Countless pieces of knowledge regarding the drawing techniques of mid-to-low-grade Talismans, Spiritual Qi control, and material identification seemed to be instantly illuminated and integrated.

Some previously obscure and difficult-to-understand Talisman principles now became clear and comprehensible.

Lin Feng picked up the Golden Bamboo Talisman Brush; it felt warm and smooth in his hand, and its Spiritual Qi conductivity was excellent.

Looking at Mo Fengwu who was diligently reading the small booklet: "Phoenix Dance, read this booklet carefully. You can ask me if you don't understand anything. Starting today, I will teach you the first of the hundred arts of Cultivating Immortals—Talisman making."

"En!" Mo Fengwu nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Lin Feng picked up a piece of green bamboo Talisman paper, held the Golden Bamboo Talisman Brush, dipped it in some Low Grade Talisman ink, and began to demonstrate the drawing of the most basic "Cleansing Talisman" on the paper.

His movements were fluid and natural, the Spiritual Qi at the brush tip flowed steadily, and Talisman after Talisman took shape under his brush.

Mo Fengwu watched intently from the side, trying to memorize every detail.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper, and inside the house, the lamplight was warm, forming a tranquil and harmonious scene of one patiently teaching and the other diligently learning.

...

The next day.

Han Li once again entered the Tai Nan Valley Market.

After a night of meditation and recuperation, the sharp pain in his abdomen had finally subsided significantly, but his body was still somewhat weak.

He forced himself to rally his spirits and continued to wander among the dazzling array of stalls.

But reality remained cruel.

The Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills he fancied all had prices that made him hesitate.

As for the cheap, inferior goods, he simply couldn't bring himself to look at them.

He wandered for half a day, still empty-handed, not a single Spirit Stone spent.

Han Li felt increasingly frustrated.

Without strength and resources, it was truly difficult to move an inch in this Immortal Realm.

He even saw the green-robed young man who had bumped into him yesterday from afar. The other party was accompanying a slender, veiled young lady, picking out something in what looked like a rather high-end shop. The two were chatting and laughing, their demeanor intimate.

This made Han Li feel even more uncomfortable, as if he had been shown off to again in an invisible way.

He shook his head, casting aside these distracting thoughts, and continued walking aimlessly.

Unconsciously, he arrived at the same street corner as yesterday.

As if destined, it was just like in the original novel.

However, due to Lin Feng's intervention, everything had changed.

He immediately saw that elegant figure—Han Yunzhi.

Her stall was tidier than yesterday, but the two fierce-looking strong men were nowhere to be seen.

Han Li's gaze fell on the few Talisman brushes remaining on the stall.

Xiao Shan's experience earlier made him even more eager to master some means of self-preservation.

Among Gold Light Master's Relics, there were methods for making two Low Grade Talismans—the Fireball Talisman and the Earth Wall Talisman.

If he could learn to draw Talismans, it would undoubtedly greatly increase his chances of survival.

He walked over, his gaze lingering on a blackwood Talisman brush that looked fairly pleasing to the eye.

"Fairy, how much is this Talisman brush?" Han Li asked, his voice a bit hoarse.

Han Yunzhi looked up, saw the dark-skinned, ordinary-looking Han Li, paused slightly, then offered a polite smile.

"Fellow Daoist, this is a 'Blackwood Brush,' made from a hundred-year-old blackwood supplemented with ordinary wolf bristles. It's suitable for drawing most Low Grade Talismans, and it costs ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Ten Spirit Stones...

Han Li's heart tightened; this was almost half of his meager fortune.

He looked at his empty Storage Pouch, then at the Talisman brush, and gritted his teeth.

"Fairy, you see... I don't have many Spirit Stones on me. Can it be cheaper?" Han Li asked, a bit embarrassed.

Han Yunzhi looked at Han Li's somewhat haggard face and simple clothing, remembering the generosity of that Senior yesterday, and her heart stirred slightly.

"If Fellow Daoist is sincere, then I'll sell it to you for nine Spirit Stones," she said softly.

Han Li's face lit up with a hint of joy upon hearing this.

"Then many thanks, Fairy!"

He quickly took out nine Spirit Stones and handed them to Han Yunzhi.

Then, he pointed to the cheapest yellow Talisman paper on the stall.

"For this Talisman paper, give me... give me twenty sheets."

This type of Talisman paper cost one Spirit Stone for five sheets, so twenty sheets would be four Spirit Stones.

After buying the Talisman brush and Talisman paper, Han Li had only ten Spirit Stones left.

He carefully put the Talisman brush and Talisman paper into his Storage Pouch, feeling their weight; this was the hope he had exchanged for almost half of his possessions.

"Many thanks, Fairy." Han Li thanked her again and turned to leave.

Looking at Han Li's slightly thin back, Han Yunzhi sighed softly.

Both were Cultivators, yet their circumstances were so different.

As dusk deepened, Han Li did not linger but left Tai Nan Valley directly, returning to the secluded small forest outside the valley.

Night fell again, and the chill grew stronger.

Han Li spread out his beast hide and lit a small bonfire to ward off some of the cold.

He took out the newly bought blackwood brush and yellow Talisman paper, and then retrieved the two Talisman diagrams he had obtained from Gold Light Master's Storage Pouch.

By the faint light of the fire, he began to study them carefully.

The Dao of Talisman making was profound and extensive, far from as simple as he had imagined.

Just the first step of Spiritual Qi control felt incredibly difficult for Han Li.

He tried to inject Spiritual Qi into the brush tip, but either he used too much force and the Talisman paper directly turned to dust, or his Spiritual Qi was insufficient and the strokes were interrupted.

He wasted three sheets of Talisman paper in a row without even drawing a single complete Talisman.

Sweat beaded on Han Li's forehead, and his heart was filled with frustration.

But he did not give up.

He took a deep breath, and his eyes became resolute.

To survive, to have the power to protect himself, this small difficulty must be overcome!

The diligent worker once again picked up the Talisman brush, fully concentrated, and began another attempt.

.........

If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comment section. As a newcomer, I'm afraid of touching on some sensitive points~