Chapter 345 (2): Six Talismans from the Noble Scholar, Petrifying Ghosts and Suppressing Swords

Chapter 345 (2): Six Talismans from the Noble Scholar, Petrifying Ghosts and Suppressing Swords

After pondering for a moment, Zhong Kui made up his mind and said in a solemn voice, "I'll draw a Five Lightning Talisman for you, the type that the heavenly masters from Mount Longhu are extremely skilled at. Lightning techniques are paragon among the myriad techniques, and Mount Longhu enjoys a position of orthodoxy among the various broad and shallow schools of lightning techniques.

"My teacher visited Mount Longhu several times during his travels, and he met the Great Heavenly Master one time and was fortunate enough to learn a Five Lightning Talisman—Five Dragons Holding Jewels. This talisman contains thunder and lightning, and its aura is so powerful that it soars through the sky..."

However, he quickly noticed the strange expression in Chen Ping'an's eyes.

"Hey, come on, can't you let me rest for a moment first?" Zhong Kui asked in a pitiful voice. "I'm completely beat after drawing three high-grade talismans in a single go. How was I supposed to know you'd take out another three pieces of high-grade talisman paper? I would have piped down a little if I had known this earlier."

Chen Ping'an smiled and sat down. "Take your time, have some wine, and relax. I won't pester you."

Zhong Kui breathed a sigh of relief. He drank a large mouthful of wine before grabbing the golden talisman paper on top and neatly placing it on the table.

There was rumbling thunder and flashing lightning on the tip of the Wind and Snow Awl as it hovered a foot above the talisman paper, and the arcs of purple and white lightning radiated with a vast heavenly might as they lit up a small area in the air.

The water goddess was extremely startled by this.

After drawing the Five Dragons Holding Jewels Talisman that contained astonishing might, Zhong Kui continued by drawing a guidance talisman as per Chen Ping'an's request.

He then plonked down on his chair and dazedly stared at the final azure-colored talisman paper on the table.

Chen Ping'an nodded in understanding, and he reached over to grab the final piece of talisman paper. He smiled and said, ''Alright, I won't frighten you anymore. The previous two talismans were already enough."

There was a serious expression on Zhong Kui's face as he grabbed Chen Ping'an's arm, the one in which the young boy was holding the azure talisman paper with two fingers. "I definitely have to draw this talisman. However, I need to prepare for a while so I can draw the talisman carefully. Otherwise, if I stuff up, I'll scold myself even if you don't rush over to pummel me."

"Can you succeed?" Chen Ping'an asked.

"Why can't I succeed?" Zhong Kui retorted. "Of course I can succeed. However, it will be an absolute waste of this precious talisman paper if I draw an ordinary Dry Well Talisman that can only restrict the bonded flying swords of cultivators under the Nascent Tier."

"Zhong Kui, you're far better at drawing talismans than me," Chen Ping'an praised.

"You're a pure martial artist, so do you think I should be happy that I'm better at drawing talismans than you?" Zhong Kui asked in slight exasperation.

Chen Ping'an was rendered speechless. After remaining silent for a moment, he decided that he wouldn't disturb Zhong Kui's rest anymore. He allowed the noble scholar to nurture the aura of righteousness in his body.

However, he also made a decision in his mind.

Zhong Kui took a deep breath before turning to the water goddess and saying, "Tell all of the spirits and ghosts to leave Green Roving Residence. You can allow them to return after I finish drawing this talisman."

Even though the water goddess wasn't sure why Zhong Kui was requesting this, she still used her position as the deity of Burial River and her unique mystical power as the owner of Green Roving Residence to instantly expel all of her stewards and maidservants from the residence.

Zhong Kui stood with one hand behind his back and one hand holding the Wind and Snow Awl. Gusts of righteous wind swirled in his sleeves.

Green Roving Residence suddenly started to tremble violently in the next moment, with the underground water veins becoming turbulent and chaotic.

The water goddess immediately felt difficulty breathing, so she stepped back in retreat and tried to get as far away from Great Subduing Academy's Noble Scholar Zhong Kui as possible. However, she still felt extremely uncomfortable, so she eventually decided to leave the hall altogether. Only then did she feel slightly better.

She bit her lips and appeared dazed.

Zhong Kui was definitely more than just a noble scholar!

While Zhong Kui drew the talisman, he also recited, "Flicking the sleeve and raising the sword, making the rivers clear and shattering the mountains, the seas of the nine continents do churn in turbulence."

When talismans were created, the talismanic core would usually be concealed within the talisman. Now, however, it surprisingly materialized in midair, assuming the form of a sword immortal in white as tall as a finger. The mini sword immortal hovered above the talisman and thrust its sword forward in a lively manner, causing sword qi to furiously surge forth.

Zhong Kui was slightly pale as he put the Wind and Snow Awl away. He drank a large mouthful of wine, and there was a wide smile on his face even though he was completely exhausted. "This talisman can also be regarded as one that I invented. It's my proudest creation, and I've named it the Sword Suppressing Talisman.

"Using the boundless sword intent of an ancient sword immortal, this talisman can suppress the bonded flying swords of all cultivators under the Upper Five Tiers. This talisman paper is far too high quality, and the talisman that I drew is also quite impressive.

"However, you were simply interacting with friends in Green Roving Residence, so I naturally didn't invade your personal privacies to observe the situation! If it weren't for the fact that it would be careless to hand you this talisman paper in front of outsiders, my yin soul would have already left this place long ago."

Zhong Kui smiled and replied, "Teacher is truly noble and unsullied, and your moral integrity is even higher than mountains and longer than rivers. I'll remember this valuable lesson!"

The mountain master paid no heed to this, and he asked, "Why aren't you accepting the talisman paper?"

Zhong Kui could only tell the truth and reply, "Apart from the calligraphy brush that has a strong affinity with me, my friend also gifted me an azure talisman paper."

The mountain master frowned and put his azure talisman paper away, appearing a little displeased as he asked, "Why did you calmly accept such a valuable gift?"

Zhong Kui was rendered slightly speechless, and he carefully mulled over this for a moment before replying, "I don't know why, but it felt like the correct choice to accept it. Please punish me, Teacher."

The mountain master also fell silent for a short moment before saying, "You don't need to hide that pot of fine wine from Green Roving Residence. Since you've made a good friend, is this not a cause for a drink to celebrate? However, keep in mind that drinking is okay, but you can't let it delay your trip to Peace and Tranquility Mountain. Also... don't let this happen again."

Zhong Kui scratched his head in puzzlement. His teacher wasn't possessed, was he?

His teacher was famous for being stubborn and pedantic, and he would always follow the rules and abide by etiquette no matter the situation. He was also extremely good friends with that mountain master from Complete Reed Continent who would either remain calm and uninvolved, or become incredibly ferocious and destructive once he made a move.

With a snap of his fingers, the wandering yin soul of the mountain master instantly returned to his physical body located extremely far away.

The mountain master felt a slight sense of melancholy.

Looking at his disciple interact with that young boy, he was involuntarily reminded of his own youth. Back then, he had mingled with many descendants of scholars who had lived in the sagely residences, and he had also mingled with many descendants from wealthy clans and powerful sects. Most of them had been around the same age as him, and many of them had felt a sense of jealousy—whether strong or slight—toward that person with the surname Qi.

This was because they admired that person who called himself A'Liang the most.

However, A'Liang loved to tell others that Little Qi was his friend, so if anyone dared to bully Little Qi, he would pummel them until even their ancestors started to roll in their graves.

————

In Green Roving Residence, the water goddess' first remark after Zhong Kui left was truly quite astonishing. "I know that you've met the Scholarly Sage before. Moreover, it definitely wasn't a fleeting moment where you simply walked past each other in a chance encounter!"

Chen Ping'an was unfazed, and he replied, "How come I'm unaware of this myself?"

The water goddess snickered and said, "You're still trying to lie? Zhong Kui might not recognize your status and see through your knowledge, but that's because he doesn't belong to the Scholarly Sage's scholarly lineage. He doesn't belong to the scholarly lineage of Mountain Cliff Academy's Qi Jingchun!

"But who am I? I'm someone who has read all of the Scholarly Sage's works without skipping over a single word! I've read the Scholarly Sage's works countless times. Moreover, I'm well aware of just how divinely impressive the Scholarly Sage was when he attended the debate between the three teachings those two times!

"One who is filled with knowledge naturally behaves with elegance. One's aura of righteousness will naturally manifest differently depending on what books one reads. And just who am I? I'm the water goddess of Burial River, after all, and observing the auras of other people is my strong suit!"

Looking at the supremely confident water goddess, Chen Ping'an smiled and asked, "So what?"

The water goddess' air of confidence instantly fell apart, making her appear completely deflated as she asked, "You've genuinely never met the Scholarly Sage before?"

"I've met him before," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.

The water goddess rested her arms and head on the table, with a deep sense of grief lingering in her eyes. However, she suddenly leaped up and exclaimed, "What?! You've met him before?!"

Chen Ping'an raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for the water goddess to speak quietly.

The water goddess dazedly stared at the young boy who had indeed met the Scholarly Sage before.

Holy moly, how can there be such a handsome little brother in the world?

Perhaps I should get him drunk and... become sworn brothers with him? That way, won't I also have a modicum of connection with the Scholarly Sage?

She wiped her mouth and started to stupidly chuckle to herself, thinking that her schemes were indeed unparalleled in their effectiveness. This was as expected of someone who had read the works of the Scholarly Sage countless times. She hadn't read those sagely books in vain, and definitely wouldn't embarrass the Scholarly Sage!

Chen Ping'an was starting to regret the fact that he had revealed his acquaintance with the Scholarly Sage.