Chapter 263 (2): A Talisman

Chapter 263 (2): A Talisman

In the Osmanthus Palace located atop the mountain on Osmanthus Island, there was a young osmanthus guest standing on top of the roof. He gazed up at the surroundings, and an old woman was standing next to him with a worried expression.

The young boy was wearing a bright yellow changshan, and this changshan didn't appear especially eye-catching at first glance. Similar to Chen Ping'an's Sword Nurturing Gourd, however, a powerful person had also applied a high-level illusion technique to this changshan. If someone were able to see through this illusion technique and observe the changshan carefully, they would discover the unique nature of this outfit.

The changshan wasn't woven from silk or satin, but from countless yellowing bamboo strips that were intricately linked together. This was divine craftsmanship, and the thin bamboo strips were surprisingly tough as well. When wearing this changshan, one would feel warm in winter and cool in summer. The wearer would also feel as if they were in an exquisite blessed land. This was extremely beneficial for cultivation, and it was this that reflected the wealth and might of immortal forces.

The bright yellow changshan was named "Refreshing," and it was a renowned immortal robe produced by the Bamboo Sea Small World's Azure Divine Mountain. It was once the treasured possession of a ruler from a large empire in Middle Earth Divine Continent, yet it had gone missing for a long time after the empire was destroyed. Unexpectedly, it was now being worn by this young boy.

Speaking in the official dialect of Eastern Treasured Vial Continent that he wasn't fluent in, the young boy asked, "Grandma Liu, even the hundred li inch movement talisman of that Golden Core Tier sword cultivator was ineffective, so will my thousand li inch movement talisman be very risky as well?"

The old woman sighed and replied, "In reality, the cultivation base of that old flood dragon isn't very terrifying. It's only at the peak stage of the Nascent Tier. However, they've received assistance from a powerful person, and this trench has become like a small world. In this sense, that old flood dragon has transformed into the sage of this small world. He's the one guarding it, and his combat power is equivalent to that of cultivators at the Unpolished Jade Tier. At the same time, he has the advantage of time, geography, and popular support."

"Then what should we do?" the young boy asked with a frown.

"There's no need to be overly worried, Young Master," the old woman replied with a smile. "Even if it means sacrificing myself, I'll still help you leave this Flood Dragon Trench. However, you should remember to return following the same path and head to the colorful building atop the mountain cliff where the embroidered ball was tossed from. Tell them your name, and they definitely won't dare to neglect you.

"At that time, you can enjoy a smooth trip back to Pure White Continent. You can inform the patriarch about this, and divine punishment will naturally befall this place in due time, obliterating the Flood Dragon Trench and transforming it into flat land. That will be good revenge for this old lady."

"Grandma Liu, just how significant is life and death? How can you dismiss it so easily?" the young boy grumbled. "I don't want you to die here; we still need to return home together."

The old woman's expression remained calm, and there was a kindly look on her face as she looked at the young boy and said with a faint smile, "I am not resigned to my death. However, I can't sob and put on a worried expression in front of you all the time, can I? With my elderly age, I truly can't bring myself to act like this."

The old woman suddenly remembered something, and she glanced at the jade thumb ring on the young boy's hand and said in a soft voice, "Young Master, remember to take good care of this minimization treasure passed down by our ancestors. Don't be careless and take out treasures from it in front of other people. And when traveling around the outside world, don't try to rashly examine the character of other people either. The human mind is often unable to withstand scrutiny."

The dry and wrinkled face of the old woman appeared slightly adrift after she said this. After all, every old woman in the world had once been a young girl.

The young boy in the bamboo changshan pointed at the lone boat in the sea and remarked, "Grandma Liu, look at that young boy with the bamboo pole on his shoulder. He's around the same age as me, isn't he? How impressive, courageous, and dashing! He's far more impressive than me. When I return, I'm definitely going to ask a masterful painter to illustrate this scene."

Grandma Liu shook her head and chuckled, "Don't try to emulate that young boy's rashness. Young Master, you're not just the esteemed son of a wealthy and powerful clan. If anything untoward were to happen to you in this region between Eastern Treasured Vial Continent and Southern Whirl Continent, then that would truly be an incredibly troublesome matter."

"Grandma Liu, I've already gone through a lot of examinations and training. Don't treat me like a child all the time, okay?" the young boy replied in exasperation.

The old woman smiled and remained silent.

Those examinations and training adventures had indeed seemed perilous, but had there not been some grand elder watching over him every time?

In reality, their journey this time was a long one that had started with a trip from Pure White Continent to Complete Reed Continent. Afterward, they had traveled south to the Eastern Treasured Vial Continent, where they had visited Divine Edict Sect, Lake View Academy, and the Cloud Forest Jiang Clan.

In the end, they had arrived at Old Dragon City and continued south to Parasol Leaf Continent. They visited both Parasol Leaf Sect in the north and Jade Tablet Sect in the south, and the young master had almost entered the Cloud Cave Blessed Land.

Their journey had been smooth sailing and trouble-free. All this time, however, the old woman was unable to understand why she had been tasked with guarding the young master by herself. Wasn't this too careless? A Qi refiner at the Nascent Tier wasn't weak, but just how lofty was Young Master's status?

Take for example the dire situation they were currently facing in the Flood Dragon Trench. If there were an Unpolished Jade Tier sword cultivator guarding the young master, the young master wouldn't even need to bat an eyelid. He definitely wouldn't need to feel afraid either. Instead, he could simply spectate the battle from afar.

————

Outside an ordinary courtyard located halfway up the mountain on Osmanthus Island, there was a young beautiful girl inside a small pavilion. She was wearing a top and a long skirt, and a colorful robe was tied around her waist. There was fury on her face as she confronted this mysterious calamity, and she felt extremely angry at Old Dragon City's Fan Clan.

Chen Ping'an had written several treasure pagoda demon-suppressing talismans and Yang energy illumination talismans on golden talisman paper before, and he had never once encountered such a situation.

Unexpectedly, however, Chen Ping'an was delighted by what he saw.

Chen Ping'an forcefully summoned a new breath of True Qi, willing to suffer internal injuries and rock his soul in the process. His arm pressed down, and the Wind and Snow Awl continued to approach the azure talisman paper.

People were allowed to help, but they had to first guarantee that they wouldn't make the situation worse.

In front of the abandoned temple in Yellow Court Nation, that group of youths in colorful robes and on majestic horses had attempted to perform a good deed in a passionate and righteous manner. However, they had almost ruined the big plans of those righteous Qi refiners, and they had almost allowed the sinister fox demon to flee.

This was an example of performing a bad deed with good intentions.

If he could guarantee that he wouldn't make the situation worse, however, then Chen Ping'an felt like he definitely had to do something.

Back in the city god temple in Colorful Garment Nation's Blusher Prefecture, the prefectural overseer's youngest daughter who had silver bells tied to her wrists and ankles had also stepped forward to provide help. She had restrained herself at the right moments, and she had always acted within her abilities. Thus, she had been able to help Chen Ping'an and alleviate the pressure on him. This was very good.

He remembered another ferry — Ceremony Mountain's kun ship.

This Osmanthus Island was something that his good friend Fan Er would inherit after he came of age.

Meanwhile, there had once been two young girls on the kun ship whom he had interacted with for many days and nights, Chun Shui and Qiu Shi. They were both very lovely girls. Chen Ping'an had always believed that with their young age, they would definitely see each other again in the future, no matter how many dozens of years passed, and no matter how far away they were now...

Chen Ping'an continued to exert more and more force on his fingers and arm. At the same time, he calmed his breathing and rapidly channeled the Eighteen Stops Technique. The pure and formidable breath of True Qi in his body needed to be quick and stable.

Having stable Qi would lead to a composed soul, and having a composed soul would lead to an effective talisman.

Thinking back to the past, everything ultimately came down to being stable and composed. When molding pottery and firing pottery, he had also needed to stabilize his mind in order to stabilize his hands.

The tip of the Wind and Snow Awl finally came into contact with the azure talisman paper.

A small speck of light instantly burst apart.

It was as if a bright moon were rising above the sea.

Chen Ping'an was unfazed by this, and his mind was completely focused on drawing the Lock Slashing Talisman. He needed to engrave eight entire characters on the azure talisman paper — concentrate on the task at hand, decree of the rain gods[1].

At this moment, the young boy was sitting cross-legged in the small boat and completely immersed in the act of drawing the talisman, losing his sense of self.

Chen Ping'an didn't appear anything like a pure martial artist as he held the brush and wrestled with the ancient talisman paper. He didn't appear like a sword cultivator either. Instead, he appeared like a scholar who was copying texts amid mountains and water.

He would worry about the success of this talisman after he was finished drawing it.

This attitude was identical to the attitude that he had held toward the Mountain Shaking Fist. Whether the fist technique was powerful or not, he would worry about this after he finished practicing it one million times.

If Chen Ping'an didn't do something today, he would feel like he was letting down his fist technique, his sword training, the wine that he had drank, and all the people that he had become acquainted with.

1. Eight characters in Chinese... (作甚务甚,雨师敕令) ☜