Chapter 7: 007
Chapter 7: 007
Chapter 7
With no other options, Jian Huan ultimately had to seek help from her teacher.
Yu Qing had not yet retired for the night. He had just dealt with an internal dispute among his disciples, and upon returning, he ran into Jian Huan.
He sighed faintly.
Being a senior mentor for a year was more exhausting than his previous cultivation. No wonder those old fellows were unwilling to take up the role.
Upon seeing Yu Qing, Jian Huan quickly stepped forward to greet him, "Elder Yu!"
Yu Qing asked, "What brings you to me at this late hour?"
Jian Huan got straight to the point, "I just drew a teleportation talisman and had Brother Shen test it, but—" she paused slightly, "but he hasn't returned yet."
Yu Qing was momentarily confused by Jian Huan's implications, "Hasn't returned?"
Jian Huan appeared distressed, "Yes, it's been an hour and he hasn't returned. Elder Yu, didn't you say that the teleportation talismans we draw at our current stage can only transport someone within a hundred meters? But I've searched everywhere and can't find him. Could there be a problem with my talisman?"
After listening to her, Yu Qing pondered for a moment, turned around, and took out a talisman pen and paper from a cabinet nearby, handing them to her, "What kind of teleportation talisman did you draw? Draw another one for me to see."
Jian Huan did as instructed.
Looking at the talisman, Yu Qing suddenly laughed, "Congratulations."
Jian Huan was confused, "Huh?"
Yu Qing picked up the teleportation talisman, quite satisfied, "This talisman of yours can teleport someone ten kilometers away. For your current level of cultivation, this is quite remarkable."
From a single clue, Yu Qing could tell that Jian Huan had an extraordinary talent for sensing the lines of the talisman.
Talismans are composed of complex lines, and those without talent can easily get lost in them, like walking into a maze and being trapped inside, unable to find the exit.
But clearly, Jian Huan did not have this problem.
Yu Qing returned the teleportation talisman to Jian Huan, a smile of admiration in his eyes, "Keep practicing, you'll certainly do well in the future."
Taking the talisman, Jian Huan earnestly asked, "Then Elder Yu, what about Brother Shen?"
Yu Qing reassured her, "Don't worry, he'll find his own way back. If he hurries, you'll see him by daybreak. Go back and rest."
Jian Huan: "…"
In the wooden hut, Jian Huan was lying on her side on the bed, sleeping soundly.
Outside the window, the sky was transitioning from dark to light, the sunrise lingering on the horizon, half-hidden, dyeing the surrounding clouds with a radiant glow.
In the beautiful sunrise scene, Shen Jizhi was slowly walking from the horizon, one step at a time.
His usually neat hair bun was now disheveled, his white robe spotted and unsightly. Strands of hair hung over his forehead, framing his calm eyes, as cold as the moon the previous night.
Shen Jizhi, sword in hand, pushed open the door of the wooden hut with a creak, slowly approached, stopped by the bed, and quietly stared at Jian Huan.
In her sleep, Jian Huan suddenly felt a chill. She curled up, unconsciously opened her eyes.
In the shadow of the backlight, Shen Jizhi stood there, emanating a cold aura.
Jian Huan woke up instantly. She immediately sat up, joy evident in her eyes, "Shen Jizhi! You're finally back! I've been waiting for you all night!"
Shen Jizhi: "..."
Wait?
Wait while sleeping?
Shen Jizhi remained silent for a long time, facing Jian Huan's bright and sparkling eyes, and finally managed to utter two words, expressing his current mood: "Ha-ha."
Jian Huan knew he must be feeling upset, so she very considerately took out a Fasting Pill from her bosom and handed it to him: "Here, take this Fasting Pill to ease yourself."
Shen Jizhi lifted his eyelids, took the Fasting Pill from her palm, and put it in his mouth to swallow.
Jian Huan breathed a sigh of relief as he accepted it, but just as she was about to put the cork back on the jade bottle, she saw a hand reaching out again.
She lowered her head, looking at that hand.
The palm was wide, and the fingers were slender.
It looked nice indeed.
But—
Jian Huan lifted her head to look at him, implying something: "You usually only take a sixth."
Shen Jizhi looked at her, repeating word by word: "I ran all the way back over the mountains, I can't fly with a sword, I had to detour when I encountered a cliff... Do you know how far I ran last night?"
Jian Huan: "…"
Got it, he means he wants more.
Alright then.
So, Jian Huan poured another one for him.
But the hand didn't move away, it was still in front of her, indicating that two Fasting Pills were not enough.
Jian Huan gritted her teeth and poured another one.
Finally, the hand was withdrawn.
Seeing him swallow three Fasting Pills in one go, Jian Huan curiously asked: "So, where were you teleported to?"
After Shen Jizhi regained his spiritual power, he cast a cleaning spell on himself, and his dirty robe was finally clean again.
He sat down on the cushion and lightly answered: "A desolate mountain nearby."
Strictly speaking, it was on a tree on a desolate mountain.
He appeared out of thin air in the sky. When he fell down, his robe got caught on a tree branch.
Fearful that his robe would be torn beyond repair by the tree branch, to the point where even a spell couldn't fix it, and he would have to buy a new one, he dared not make any big movements. He could only slowly and carefully get himself down...
Forget it, he never wanted to recall anything from last night again.
Unlike Shen Jizhi, who was so introverted that he didn't want to talk, Jian Huan was in high spirits today.
Her talisman drawing was getting smoother, and with the endorsement of Elder Yu Qing last night, and Shen Jizhi's personal trial, Jian Huan could already see her prosperous future.
She had only bought ten talisman papers before. The teleportation talisman was used by Shen Jizhi, but later Elder Yu Qing gave her the one she drew at his place.
Jian Huan touched the five teleportation talismans on her left, and the five speed talismans on her right, smiling like a cat that stole the cream.
Outside the talisman hall, someone shouted: "Junior Sister Jian!"
Jian Huan turned around and found it was Gong Feihong.
She quickly got up and went out, only to find Gong Feihong's left face swollen. She asked in surprise: "What happened to you?!"
Gong Feihong was in so much pain that he gasped: "Something happened last night, and I had a falling out with Hu Zhi."
Jian Huan was silent for a moment: "I heard there was an internal fight among the disciples last night, was it you and Hu Zhi?"
Gong Feihong hung his head in disappointment, "No, it's not that. Didn't I study beast taming? Then I met a new brother. Hu Zhi and my new brother had a few words of disagreement, and they started fighting, I went to mediate, and then..."
Jian Huan understood, patting his shoulder as a form of comfort.
She had been busy practicing her talisman skills these past ten days, even skipping lunch, so she hadn't seen much of Gong Feihong.
Gong Feihong sighed, "Brother Hu really hurt me. I only found out last night that all those heart-to-heart conversations, those lofty ambitions, were all just him catering to me. Junior Sister Jian, I should have listened to you earlier."
Jian Huan was very friendly towards her debtor, "It's okay, it's not too late to see clearly now."
Gong Feihong shook his head, "Never mind. I came to find you today to tell you that I will be leaving with a few senior brothers to gain some experience outside. Be careful here in the sect."
Jian Huan nodded.
Beast taming disciples, unlike her, as a talisman cultivator, needed to find beasts to level up. The spirit beasts raised in the sect were already tamed and weren't of much help to beast taming disciples.
After some thought, Jian Huan took out two teleportation talismans and two speed talismans from her bosom and handed them over, "I drew these, you take them, they might come in handy."
Gong Feihong accepted them, "Thank you, Junior Sister Jian."
He casually put the talismans in his bosom, not really caring about them, after all, he had bought many talismans himself.
Without Gong Feihong, Jian Huan naturally didn't want to go to the dining hall.
During her lunch break, after swallowing half a Fasting Pill, she sat in the talisman hall contemplating how to make money.
From her observations, there weren't many business opportunities in the sect.
In the Jade Clarity Sect, high-end talismans were sold in the Treasure Pavilion, and mid to low-end talismans were provided by the senior brothers and sisters of talisman cultivation.
The business opportunities should be in the city, Approaching Immortal City is the closest major city to the Jade Clarity Sect.
With this in mind, Jian Huan moved her chair next to Jiang Mian and asked, "Mian Mian, I heard your family is in Approaching Immortal City?"
Jiang Mian, who was nibbling on a brown sugar bread, looked up, "Mhm, Ah Huan, are you going to visit Approaching Immortal City? I know so many delicious places, if you like sweet food—"
Jian Huan quickly interrupted, "No, I want to know if there is a place in Approaching Immortal City that specializes in selling spiritual tools and talismans."
Jiang Mian thought for a moment, quickly stuffed the remaining brown sugar bread into her mouth, swallowed it, and leaned in to whisper in Jian Huan's ear, "There is, I think it's called the Immortal Storage Tower. My mother usually takes her tasks there. According to her, you can buy and sell anything there, but I've never been, my mother doesn't let me go."
Immortal Storage Tower?
Jian Huan pondered.
The next day happened to be the 15th, a day off for the entire sect.
After the afternoon talisman class, Jian Huan returned to her wooden hut, packed some things, changed her clothes, and headed straight for Approaching Immortal City.
Although Jian Huan had speed talismans, spirit paper cost one spirit stone per sheet, and she was reluctant to use them.
By the time Jian Huan had run and stopped all the way to the gate of Approaching Immortal City, it was already completely dark.
There were quite a few disciples in the Jade Clarity Sect, and at times, it was quite lively. However, this liveliness could not compare to the hustle and bustle of the city.
The cries of the street vendors, the laughter of the children, and the noise of the adults all mixed together and poured directly into Jian Huan's ears.
Suddenly, Jian Huan was not in such a hurry to find the Immortal Storage Tower.
She found a money changer and exchanged a spirit stone for ten taels of silver, and spent it all on food.
Although these snacks, whether fried or stir-fried, were not as beneficial to a cultivator's body as spirit food and Fasting Pills, they greatly satisfied Jian Huan's taste buds.
At the crossroad, there was an old lady drawing candy figures, with many children waiting around.
Jian Huan, munching on a meatball, was also waiting.
The old lady was drawing for her, and she had requested a dragon.
Aliali: 674546a8c4f3f33ac44c92acSuddenly, Jian Huan felt something, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked straight across the street.
After entering the Qi refining stage, Jian Huan's sight could see further than ordinary people.
Unlike the lively atmosphere on this side, the other side was very quiet, with only a red lantern hanging at the intersection.
The dim red light emitted a strange color, contrasting sharply with this side, as if it was a different world.
A man wearing a straw hat, carrying two large hemp sacks, turned from the side and stepped into the alley under the lantern, walking towards the darkness in the distance, getting further and further away until he disappeared.
And that man carrying the hemp sacks, Jian Huan recognized him.
It was Shen Jizhi, who had been running around the mountain all night last night.
He also came to the Approaching Immortal City?
What was in the hemp sacks he was carrying?
Jian Huan didn't even have time to take her candy drawing, she immediately followed him sneakily.