Jiang Qihe had little fondness for Lu Yujiao, a rather arrogant and domineering personal disciple of the Yuxu Sect's Lingle Peak.
Hearing her shamelessly claim that a talisman clearly crafted by the talisman master behind Shi Yu was made by herself, Jiang Qihe couldn't help but let a flicker of sneering disdain pass through his eyes.
This young lady truly had nerve, speaking so righteous and self-assured. When questioned, instead of feeling ashamed, she turned her anger onto the person questioning her. One had to wonder where she got her confidence.
But... what had he just heard?
“—I had no idea that a Blaze Talisman created by my own hand had somehow become your work.”
The smile froze on Jiang Qihe's lips. He stood dazed for a long moment before turning a somewhat bewildered gaze toward Shi Yu, who had just spoken, completely unable to process it for a second.
Was this spirit talisman, which was significantly more powerful than an ordinary one, actually crafted by Shi Yu's hand?
How... how was that possible?
How old was Shi Yu? Merely fifteen or sixteen years old, having stepped into the Qi Refining Realm just a few months ago, and currently only at the second layer of the Qi Refining Realm.
Logically speaking, to study the Talisman Dao, one needed at least a cultivation of the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm as a foundation before even starting.
Firstly, upon reaching the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm, the spiritual energy within one's body would be sufficient to support practicing the drawing of source runes. Secondly, and even more importantly, source runes inherently contained truths of the Great Dao; without a cultivation foundation, it was difficult to comprehend and trace them, making it extremely easy to suffer backlash.
It was not that there were no Talisman Dao geniuses who studied the craft right from the start of their cultivation, but those invariably came from prestigious sects with deep heritages and meticulous guidance from grandmasters, allowing disciples to practice safely without worrying too much about backlash.
He had always assumed that there was another talisman master behind Shi Yu, and that Shi Yu was merely dispatched by that “talisman master” to run errands like purchasing and selling goods. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that the one crafting the talismans was Shi Yu herself.
Jiang Qihe could not help but doubt the truth of Shi Yu's words.
It was not that he did not want to believe Shi Yu, but this was simply... a bit too unbelievable.
The youth stood there as a light breeze fluttered her clothes. Though her face was somewhat ordinary, she naturally possessed an air of refined, spiritual grace.
Looking at Shi Yu's exceedingly calm face, Jiang Qihe's doubts began to waver once more.
Could it really be that Shi Yu crafted the talismans? If so, the background of this Young Master Shi was truly unfathomable.
Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd—whether they were Yuxu Sect disciples or rogue cultivators drawn by the commotion—had already begun whispering among themselves, their gazes darting back and forth between Shi Yu and Lu Yujiao.
At first, Lu Yujiao had felt a wave of panic at being exposed, but upon seeing that the person speaking was merely a young fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, her fluster instantly subsided.
She felt the youth looked vaguely familiar, and after a moment's thought, recognized that Shi Yu was the one who had snatched the last bottle of Qingming Dew at Tongyi Pavilion, causing her breakthrough to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm to be delayed for quite a while.
Enemies really do cross paths.
“It's you,” Lu Yujiao said, her eyes glinting with coldness while a slight smile played on her lips. “Do you know that while you can eat whatever you like, you shouldn't just say whatever you please?”
Having practiced the Talisman Dao herself, she understood all too well how difficult it was.
Lu Yujiao refused to believe that this somewhat green and youthful boy before her could possess such attainment in the Talisman Dao as to craft a spirit talisman far more powerful and radiant than ordinary ones.
He was merely young and ignorant, spouting wild nonsense.
Fearing that Shi Yu would be dragged into this muddy water for no reason, Chen Er endured the pain and spoke up: “Young Master, this matter has nothing to do with you. Please leave quickly.”
Shi Yu pushed through the crowd and stepped forward, only now seeing how badly beaten Chen Er was.
She sighed softly, ignoring Lu Yujiao, and turned to Jiang Qihe beside her. “Manager Jiang, do you happen to have any healing pills on you?”
She had only just refined her cauldron and hadn't had the chance to start a fire yet, so aside from some Dew-Condensing Pills, she carried no other pills on her.
“Of course.” Jiang Qihe nodded, taking two steps toward Chen Er. He sent his spiritual sense into his mustard-seed bag, intending to pull out a Tier-1 Rejuvenation Pill.
But after a brief thought, what he actually pulled out was a bottle of Tier-2 Vitality-Restoring Pills.
Shi Yu's eyes swept over the Vitality-Restoring Pill, pausing briefly. She thought to herself that Manager Jiang was certainly generous.
Compared to a Tier-1 pill, the price of a Tier-2 pill was dozens of times higher. A single Vitality-Restoring Pill had healing effects far superior to a Tier-1 Rejuvenation Pill and sold for at least twenty spirit stones.
Extracting a smooth, lustrous Vitality-Restoring Pill from the jade bottle, Jiang Qihe leaned down and gently handed it to Chen Er.
Regardless of whether the one crafting the talismans was Shi Yu herself, Jiang Qihe didn't mind staying on good terms with her and maintaining this relationship.
Overwhelmed by the favor, Chen Er hesitated briefly before swallowing it. In an instant, he felt a warm current spread from his throat, and his injuries improved immediately.
Seeing this, the surrounding onlookers exchanged glances.
Chen Er was merely a minor outer disciple who had come from the Mortal Realm, possessing neither talent, strength, nor family background. How could he possibly deserve such treatment from Manager Jiang? Taking out a Vitality-Restoring Pill was undoubtedly because of the youth standing behind him.
Everyone stared at Shi Yu, whispering among themselves.
“This young brother looks unfamiliar. Does anyone here recognize him?”
“Never heard of him, but seeing how attentive Manager Jiang is toward him, could that talisman really have been made by him?”
“I thought Lu Yujiao from the Yuxu Sect was extraordinarily gifted and making rapid progress in the Talisman Dao? This situation is truly baffling.”
“Look at Lu Yujiao's fierce yet anxious posture—she's definitely feeling guilty.”
Sect disciples often held arrogant disdain toward rogue cultivators. Over time, many rogue cultivators had harbored resentment. Although they didn't really believe the talisman was made by Shi Yu, they certainly wouldn't pass up an opportunity to mock a Yuxu Sect disciple.
Listening to those discussions, Lu Yujiao dug her fingernails into her flesh. If anyone had dared to speak ill of her right under her nose in normal times, she would have long stepped forward to teach them a lesson.
But now, lacking confidence, she swallowed her anger and pretended not to hear a word.
However, Lu Yujiao had plenty of admirers within the Yuxu Sect. Hearing the teasing remarks of those rogue cultivators, several disciples who idolized their senior sister glared over angrily: “What kind of status does he have to even be compared to Senior Sister Lu?”
“Watch your mouth! How dare you casually slander a personal disciple of our Yuxu Sect?”
A bold rogue cultivator laughed and remarked, “Since both of them claim to have made the talisman, shouldn't they compare and verify to see who is telling the truth and who is lying?”
Someone chimed in, “If you ask me, why not have a competition? Draw a talisman right here on the spot, and we'll know who's telling the truth and who's fake.”
Lu Yujiao's heart thumped wildly in her chest.
How could they compare? Even if that boy named Shi Yu couldn't draw it, she wouldn't be able to either!
Fortunately, her admiring junior brother snorted coldly, “Senior Sister Lu is exceptionally talented and her good name is widely known. Why should she lower her status to prove herself just for a crowd of onlookers like you?”
With this excuse set up, Lu Yujiao felt a rush of joy in her heart. Clearing her throat, she said, “Everyone knows the truth in their hearts. I, Yujiao, study the Talisman Dao to pursue the Great Dao, not to compete with others. Nor am I willing to draw a talisman on the spot to prove myself, which would sully the purity of my Talisman Dao.”
Saying that, she glared at Chen Er with disgust, nearly believing her own words: “This talisman was made by me, and he stole my talisman.”
Standing to the side, the Yuxu Sect outer elder had witnessed the whole farce. His heart had favored the personal disciple of Lingle Peak from the start, so he now waved his hand and said, “Since that's the case, there's no need to say any more.”
The elder looked at Chen Er and was about to speak when he heard the young boy beside them speak up.
“It doesn't matter if you're unwilling to prove yourself through drawing a talisman,” Shi Yu said, her eyes drifting past Lu Yujiao to land on the outer elder.
The remaining Blaze Talisman retrieved from Chen Er was currently held in the outer elder's hand.
Shi Yu said, “Elder, you need only inject four streams of spiritual energy into the four corners of this spirit talisman simultaneously, and the truth will be revealed.”
The outer elder hesitated a moment.
Lu Yujiao could refuse to prove herself on the pretext of preserving her Dao.
But as an outer elder, since this matter concerned a disciple's innocence and dismissal, and with so many eyes watching, he naturally couldn't brush it off as lightly as Lu Yujiao did.
Though he didn't know what would happen if he injected four streams of spiritual energy into the four corners of the spirit talisman as Shi Yu suggested, given the circumstances, he had no choice but to do as Shi Yu said.
Rate on N.U.
