57: Chapter 57 The Junior Grandson Lin: Guiding Him Along the Way!

Sun Boan arrived very quickly.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, this Clan Chief appeared before Shi Jian, his clothes neat and his aura steady, showing not the slightest hint of haste.

Since reaching Foundation Establishment, Boan had become much more composed, as could be seen from every aspect of his conduct.

“Old Ancestor, you summoned me?”

Shi Jian didn't look up, his tone casual: “This seat is going on a long journey for about a few months. Take good care of the clan.”

Hearing this, Sun Boan's heart tightened, but he didn't press for details on where he was going. The Old Ancestor's whereabouts were not for him to pry into.

“Regarding clan matters, make your own decisions. You don't need to wait for my return.”

Shi Jian paused, then added: “Keep a close eye on the infiltration efforts in Fenghe County, but don't take the initiative to provoke them.”

“If they get pushy, then give them something ruthless.”

“Boan understands.”

“Additionally, assign someone to me.”

“Please give your instructions, Old Ancestor.”

“Sun Lin.”

Sun Boan was stunned for a moment.

Sun Lin was an inconspicuous member of the second-generation Disciples. He was twenty-seven years old, at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and possessed a Four-Element Spiritual Root.

His cultivation talent could not be considered top-tier.

However, this person had a strength that others couldn't match: he was the clan's Talisman Master and was also proficient in some Array Principles, Feng Shui, and the Four Phantasms.

The Way of Talismans emphasizes a calm mind and a steady hand. Sun Lin's temperament happened to be a perfect fit; he was never reckless, did exactly what he was told, and never asked a single redundant question.

Moreover, he knew many miscellaneous subjects, making him an extremely reliable young man.

“Have him pack up and wait for me at the North Gate before dawn.”

“Travel light. Just bring enough Talisman paper and Spiritual Ink. Don't make too much of a commotion.”

Sun Boan's mind raced, and he roughly guessed that the Old Ancestor didn't want this trip to be too high-profile. He immediately complied.

“Yes, I will go and arrange it now.”

“Go on.”

Sun Boan turned and walked two steps, then stopped, turned back, and bowed deeply:

“Old Ancestor, take care on the road.”

Shi Jian gave a huff but didn't respond.

After the man left, he looked down at his bear paws, flexed them a few times, and his limb joints crackled...

He hadn't gone out for many years; his bones were practically rusting.

...

At the third mark of the Hour of the Tiger, the sky was not yet bright.

Outside the North Gate of Hongtian City, Sun Lin stood quietly by the roadside, carrying a half-worn rucksack and two bulging Talisman pouches hanging from his waist.

He was not tall and had an ordinary face—the kind that wouldn't be recognized if thrown into a crowd.

Only his hands were exceptionally well-maintained, with long, clean knuckles and evenly distributed thin calluses on the pads of his fingers, worn down by years of drawing Talismans.

When he received the Clan Chief's transfer order, he was in a North Peak Immortal Cave drawing a batch of Stealth Talismans.

The Clan Chief had only said three words: “Follow the Old Ancestor.”

Sun Lin didn't ask where they were going or for how long. He put down his brush, stored the Talisman paper, organized his rucksack, and headed out.

Now standing outside the North Gate, his breathing was steady and his gaze looked straight ahead, as if he were waiting for the most ordinary of errands.

A gust of night wind blew, making the grass rustle.

Then, he felt it.

An overwhelming pressure approached silently from the darkness.

It wasn't a fluctuation of spiritual power, nor was it Killing Intent; it was something more primal—a kind of oppression from the top of the food chain that made one instinctively feel fear.

Sun Lin's back was instantly soaked in cold sweat.

He didn't move, nor did he turn his head.

Two breaths later, a giant black bear stepped out from the night.

Its four limbs hit the ground silently, without even the sound of footsteps. Despite such a massive size, its walk was impossibly light!

Shi Jian stopped in front of Sun Lin and looked down at him for a moment.

This young man's reaction surprised him slightly.

He didn't kneel, didn't tremble, and didn't even take half a step back. He just stood there straight, though there was sweat on his temples...

“Sun Lin pays respects to the Old Ancestor.”

His voice was steady; his composure was quite good.

Shi Jian gave a satisfied huff. He wasn't exceptionally brave, but he could hold his ground.

That was enough.

“Keep up, don't fall behind.”

Before the words had finished, Shi Jian had already set off on all fours, vanishing into the hills and fields outside the city.

Elder Rat flashed past Sun Lin's feet, his gray figure like a shadow, disappearing into the grass ahead in the blink of an eye.

Sun Lin slightly adjusted his breathing, surged his spiritual power, and followed.

...

The Qingfeng Mountains were located at the border of Baiyun Prefecture and Qingzhou County, about eight hundred miles from Hongtian City. With Shi Jian's speed, they could arrive in two days.

If he flew on a demonic cloud, it would take less than half a day, but that would be too conspicuous.

Shi Jian was in no hurry.

Along the way, they took wilderness paths, avoiding towns and markets, resting during the day and traveling through the night.

When the night faded and dawn broke.

Shi Jian stopped in a valley. Sun Lin followed closely; even though he was so exhausted his lungs felt like they would burst, he didn't utter a single complaint.

He found a flat rock to sit on, pulled a waterskin from his rucksack to take a few gulps, and after calming down slightly, he took out Talisman paper and Spiritual Ink and began to draw Talismans, appearing extremely diligent...

Shi Jian lay by the stream drinking water, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

“What are you drawing?”

“Breath-Concealing Talismans.”

Sun Lin didn't look up, the Spiritual Ink flowing like water as his brush tip moved: “The Old Ancestor's Demonic Qi is too strong; ordinary means can't hide it. But by layering three Breath-Concealing Talismans and pairing them with an Aura-Obfuscation Technique, it can at least deceive the senses of most Qi Refining Cultivators.”

He paused and added: “If a Foundation Establishment grand Cultivator deliberately investigates, it won't hide us for long, but it can buy time to retreat.”

Shi Jian didn't speak.

He noticed that Sun Lin's order of drawing Talismans was deliberate.

First, he drew Breath-Concealing, then Warning, and finally Stealth. Using the three types of Talismans together formed a simple but practical concealment system.

No one had taught him to do this; he had figured it out himself.

“Your Talismans, did Wanqing teach you?”

“Grand Aunt Wanqing taught me for a period, after which I self-studied the Basic Chapter of the Talisman Way and a few miscellaneous records scavenged from the markets. Thus, my learning is quite eclectic; I hope the Old Ancestor doesn't find it laughable.”

Sun Lin lifted his brush and spread the finished Talismans on the stone surface to dry.

Four-Element Spiritual Root, fifth level of Qi Refining, twenty-seven years old.

In any Family, this would be a marginalized Disciple.

If one's cultivation talent was insufficient, they were destined not to go far; reaching the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining would likely be their ceiling...

But he hadn't let himself waste away.

He had turned to learn the Way of Talismans and had done so quite decently. Even knowing his future was dim, he still constantly tried to persevere.

Shi Jian made a mental note of Sun Lin; he could be a useful talent in the future.

“The position of the Talisman Eye on that Breath-Concealing Talisman is slightly off.”

Sun Lin's hand paused. He looked down at the Talisman he had just drawn, his brow furrowing.

“When the Spiritual Ink reached the third stroke's turn, your strength veered half a point to the right.”

Shi Jian's tone was casual, as if he were speaking of a trivial matter: “When the Talisman Eye is slightly shifted, the breath-concealing effect is discounted by at least twenty percent.”

Sun Lin was silent for three breaths. He took a new piece of Talisman paper, set his brush, and deliberately adjusted at the turn of the third stroke...

“Don't just deliberately adjust it; there's a problem with your brush-holding posture.”

Shi Jian yawned: “The pressure point of your middle finger is too far forward, causing uneven strength during the turn. Move it back two points, and it will naturally become smooth.”

Although he was not an expert in this field, he had, after all, organized the many Legacies of the Sun Clan back then. Providing a bit of simple guidance was no problem.

Sun Lin did as instructed.

This time, the moment the Talisman took shape, the spiritual light was a sliver brighter than before.

Sun Lin stared at the Talisman in his palm for a long time, then looked up at the massive creature lying by the stream, something else appearing in his eyes.

He had lived for twenty-seven years, and this was the first time he had been taught to draw Talismans by a bear.

It was also the first time he felt a sense of being valued.

“Thank you for the guidance, Old Ancestor.”

“Hmph, a small matter.”

Shi Jian closed his eyes, his tail lightly sweeping the ground.

In his heart, however, he was calculating: This kid is actually good material. It doesn't matter if his cultivation talent is poor; Talisman Masters don't rely on Spiritual Roots to survive—they rely on Heart-Nature and Comprehension Ability.

Another useful chess piece.

Feed him a few sweets first and give him a bit of a boost, and he will naturally be wholeheartedly devoted in the future...