After more than a decade apart, Gu Hong was even more dazzling than before. The beauty mark between her brows added to her charm.
“Fellow Daoist Gu, it’s been years. I hope you’ve been well!”
Seeing Gu Hong, Li An greeted her warmly with a smile. “Come in, please—let’s talk inside.”
Inwardly, he was already pondering. Gu Hong wouldn’t have come without something important.
Once they were inside, Li An poured her a cup of tea. The two exchanged a few pleasantries.
“Fellow Daoist Li, I’ve come this time to ask a favor.”
Gu Hong finally spoke.
“Please, go ahead.”
“I would like your help crafting a Soul Suppression Talisman and a Thunderstrike Talisman.”
Hearing this, Li An was immediately surprised, and a troubled expression crossed his face.
“Fellow Daoist Gu, you overestimate me. Those two are rare Second-Grade Talismans. As of now, I can only draw First High-Grade Talismans.”
“I know. But aside from you, there’s truly no one else I can trust.”
Gu Hong spoke calmly. “Fellow Daoist Li, could you give it a try? Don’t worry, I’ll provide all the materials. You only need to focus on the talisman-making itself. Besides, I’m in no rush. Would one year be enough? If you could produce just two Soul Suppression Talismans and Thunderstrike Talismans within that time, it would be sufficient. And if you agree to help, this incomplete Second-Grade talisman inheritance will be yours.”
She produced a weathered talisman scroll.
From her perspective, Li An likely lacked any Second-Grade talisman inheritance. Naturally, he would need to learn the drawing methods for both talismans from this book.
Li An began to contemplate.
Both talismans were rather special. The Soul Suppression Talisman guarded one’s soul against demonic intrusion.
The Thunderstrike Talisman was used to attack divine consciousness.
But Gu Hong had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage and developed divine sense. At this realm, divine sense was still mostly limited to sensing and scanning—not yet viable for combat.
So she likely wasn’t planning to use these against people.
That meant… Spirit Beasts?
Could it be a Soulcore Beast?
The thought flashed through his mind. Soulcore Beasts were Second-Grade demonic beasts, and their cores could be refined into Minor Rejuvenation Pills, which could extend the life of a Foundation Establishment cultivator by decades—sometimes even a hundred years!
Their soul power, however, was immense. Most Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t withstand their soul attacks and only Core Formation experts could slay them.
Yet Minor Rejuvenation Pills had limited use for Core Formation cultivators, so they seldom bothered.
In his past life, Li An had also sought methods to extend his life, so he was well-informed on such matters.
But Gu Hong had only recently reached Foundation Establishment, she didn’t lack lifespan...
“To be honest, Fellow Daoist Li, half a year ago, my master suffered a grievous battle and had his lifespan and soul damaged. He is now on the verge of death. We must obtain a Soulcore Beast crystal and refine a Minor Rejuvenation Pill.”
Gu Hong spoke directly. “This matter is extremely secret. If I try to buy or commission the talismans elsewhere, my enemies might learn of my master’s condition. So I must find someone I can trust.”
Li An nodded, but couldn’t help smiling wryly. Now that Gu Hong had revealed such a secret, how could he possibly refuse?
Besides, he had long wanted to attempt crafting Second-Grade Talismans. With Gu Hong bringing the materials herself, this was an excellent opportunity.
As for the incomplete talisman inheritance, even if he didn’t need it, he could sell it later for a handsome price.
“I can give it a try. But aside from preparing the talisman brush and paper, several conditions must be met,”
Li An said thoughtfully.
“First, I’ll need your assistance. Creating Second-Grade Talismans requires Foundation Establishment-level spiritual power. My current spiritual energy isn’t pure enough, so I’ll need your cooperation. Second, one year is too short… I’ll need at least two.”
Gu Hong frowned slightly. “Cooperating with you is no issue, but two years…”
After a moment’s contemplation, she said, “Very well—two years it is!”
…
In the following days, Li An handed over all shop duties to his apprentice and focused solely on Gu Hong’s request.
Gu Hong had already prepared a Second-Grade Talisman Brush and dozens of sheets of Second-Grade Talisman Paper. But Li An didn’t begin drawing immediately.
“Fellow Daoist Gu, for me to borrow your spiritual energy, we must be in perfect sync—no mental defenses. Can you manage that?”
Inside the room, on the bed, the two sat facing each other.
Gu Hong nodded and extended her delicate hands, pressing her palms to his.
Li An’s expression was calm. At first, he didn’t transfer spiritual energy directly but instead guided it gently through his palm like a trickling stream.
Gu Hong felt a tingling sensation in her hand and instinctively wanted to laugh, but held it back, her expression rather endearing.
Her initial tension faded under Li An’s soothing spiritual current, and she relaxed.
Then suddenly, she felt Li An’s spiritual energy surge like a river flowing into her body.
Her body stiffened slightly.
“Relax,”
Li An said in a low voice.
…
Before drawing talismans, Li An had to familiarize himself with Gu Hong’s spiritual energy—its quality, its rhythm—so he could properly channel it during the drawing process.
Also, learning the incomplete Second-Grade talisman techniques would take time.
That process alone took half a year.
Half a year later, one early morning—
After breakfast, both feeling refreshed, Li An finally laid out a sheet of talisman paper.
The black Second-Grade Talisman Brush felt cold and heavy in his hand. The black paper, crafted from Second-Grade materials, had a distinct texture and seemed naturally etched with mysterious patterns.
Second-Grade Talisman Paper was extremely valuable. Each type of talisman required specially crafted paper. For Soul Suppression and Thunderstrike Talismans, one sheet could cost twenty spirit stones if purchased.
A money-burning endeavor!
Standing before the table, Li An dipped the talisman brush fully in spirit ink and placed the tip on the paper.
Gu Hong stood behind him, her hands pressed to his back. Her Foundation Establishment spiritual power flowed like a gentle stream into his arms.
After half a year of coordination, their teamwork was seamless.
Li An guided the spirit ink, crafting the talisman—
The brush traced strange and profound symbols, each stroke seeming to stir the soul.
Crack!
A soft sound rang out—the talisman paper tore apart.
The first attempt failed, costing half an hour.
They had expected this. Without hesitation, they moved on to the second attempt…
That day, they used five sheets of talisman paper—all failures.
In truth, with Li An’s spiritual strength, he could attempt ten Second-Grade Talismans a day, but he didn’t want to reveal that, so he proceeded slowly.
In the blink of an eye, over half a month had passed.
All sixty sheets that Gu Hong had prepared were used up—still no success.
Fortunately, over the past six months, Li An had been ordering materials from the Clear Sun Sect under various customer names, gradually amassing enough supplies to make their own Soul Suppression and Thunderstrike Talisman paper.
While the market price per sheet was twenty spirit stones, making their own reduced the cost to six or seven per sheet.
Li An also taught Gu Hong how to make talisman paper. That took another two months, and finally, they produced one hundred sheets.
The two resumed their work.
On the sixty-seventh sheet, Li An suddenly said,
“Let’s switch. You take the lead this time.”
Gu Hong, behind him, blinked. “Hm?”
“No matter how I channel your spiritual power, I can’t do it perfectly. You take the brush. I’ll control it.”
He let her step forward and hold the brush. Standing beside her, he gently clasped her delicate hand with his right, and wrapped his left arm around her slender waist.
Gu Hong blushed slightly.
Though the two had shared plenty of casual contact by now, in the quiet of the study, her heart couldn’t help but stir.
“Focus.”
Li An’s voice was firm and steady.
Gu Hong took a deep breath, then began drawing under his guidance.
Sure enough, though she was clumsy at first, with Li An’s help she improved quickly, and soon exceeded what he had done alone.
This was largely due to her greater sensitivity to her own spiritual energy.
With Li An’s hands-on guidance, progress was swift.
Finally, a few days later—on the ninety-third sheet, every stroke fell into place.
A Second-Grade Soul Suppression Talisman… was complete!
“It worked! It worked!”
Gu Hong was dripping with fragrant sweat. After all their effort, their first talisman had succeeded.
Overwhelmed with joy, she grabbed both of Li An’s hands, her face glowing with excitement.
…
(End of Chapter)