National Division

Chapter 20 Xue Zhihua: ...There are such loyal and brave men! (Please continue reading!)

"That's enough, that's enough."

After Shen Bin forced out three or four drops, Wu the Cripple hurriedly said, his old eyes filled with admiration, "This mixture of cinnabar and water is enough to draw thirty talismans, that's enough."

To deal with demonic talismans of the second realm, you don't actually need that many.

What's rare is this childlike innocence.

Wu the Cripple thought to himself.

Shen Bin's face was pale and his spirits were somewhat dispirited.

Although it was only three or four drops of essence blood, it was undoubtedly the essence of a congenital martial artist's spirit and energy.

"Mr. Wu, I'm counting on you for everything," Shen Bin said.

Wu the Cripple nodded emphatically and said, "This humble Taoist priest will draw a few more talismans for Lord Shen to use in the future."

As Wu the Cripple spoke, he turned and left.

At this moment, Shen Xian stepped forward and called out, "Father."

Shen Bin was weak when he turned his head and saw Shen Xian. He said, "Why aren't you staying at home? What are you doing here causing trouble?"

Shen Xian asked, "Father, are you alright?"

Shen Bin didn't want to argue with Shen Xian at the moment, so he asked, "What did Qingyang Temple say?"

"Don't even mention it, it's absolutely chilling," Shen Xian said.

By this point, they felt an intense aversion to the Taoist priest, as well as to Magistrate Lu, who secluded himself in seclusion and detached himself from worldly affairs—they were all birds of a feather!
Shen Bin said, "I'm used to it now, but you still have to go to Qingyang Temple to study. Don't hold a grudge because of this."

Shen Xian: "..."

“Qingyang Temple is the largest private Taoist temple in Anzhou. If you study the Taoist scriptures, you will be better able to take the imperial examinations and become an official in the future,” Shen Bin said.

Shen Xian frowned slightly, but did not refute.

Without Butcher Zhang, you can't eat hairy pigs, right?

Shen Xian put the matter aside for the time being and said, "Father, I sent Ah Xin home to get some ginseng soup. It's not too late for us to rest for a few days before we leave."

Zhao Lang also said, "Brother, we absolutely cannot go today. After the talisman is drawn, it is more important to take care of our health first."

Shen Bin said, "The county should send people to investigate the case as soon as it occurs. This is the law of this dynasty. It is not too late to recuperate in Dongliu Township."

Shen Xian said, "There's no rush. Besides, drawing talismans takes a lot of time, and Father also needs to familiarize himself with their application."

Shen Bin nodded and said, "We'll go to Dongliu Township to investigate first. Xian'er, go home and take good care of the family."

There are also Lin's uncles and nephews at home, who also need to be taken care of.

After waiting for a while, the group saw Wu the Cripple return, carrying a stack of talismans in his hand, his face clearly showing signs of fatigue.

"How is it?" Zhao Lang asked impatiently as he approached.

Wu the Cripple looked tired as he said, "I have done my mission well. Not a drop of my essence was wasted. I made thirty talismans: ten demon-suppressing talismans, ten revealing talismans, and ten blazing fire talismans."

"A Fiery Talisman?" Shen Bin held the talisman on it, which from a distance resembled a divine bird. He remembered that this item was not in the previous talisman book, and he couldn't help but ask with a puzzled expression, "What is this Fiery Talisman?"

Wu the Cripple smiled and said, "This was drawn by the old Taoist on his own initiative. Young Master Shen is fighting against demons with his mortal body. How could he not have a demon-slaying weapon? Young Master Shen can rest assured that although this talisman has no spiritual power fluctuations, it is no worse than a real immortal talisman because it is made from the essence blood of a congenital martial artist."

"How do we activate it?" Shen Bin asked.

Wu the Cripple said, "Since it is the essence blood of Young Master Shen, then Young Master Shen must use his true qi to activate it. The auras of the two are almost identical."

Shen Bin took the talisman and tried to activate it with his true energy.

"boom……"

A ball of flame rose in their palm, startling everyone.

Oh no, you're serious.

Shen Xian raised an eyebrow, feeling utterly shocked.

He knew that martial arts did exist, because he was a martial artist himself, albeit only a third-level Karami.

But he was actually half-believing in the immortal way.

As a materialist, I have never been averse to ghosts and gods. Rather, if you call out ghosts and gods and demonstrate their supernatural powers, then I will acknowledge their existence.

Then, defining it as a powerful being and exploring the source of its power still aligns with materialism. "Therefore, there are indeed ghosts and gods in this world."

A surge of emotions welled up in Shen Xian's heart.

It can be said that by now, we have completely accepted this fact.

The bad news is that the Crane Guardian Taoist of Qingyang Temple does indeed possess supernatural powers.

Good news, he can also cultivate.

If he wasn't mistaken, the millstone in his mind, where the yin and yang energies circulated, was a treasure similar to a spiritual artifact.

A smile appeared on Wu the Cripple's thin face as he said, "Fire Talisman, it's a Fire Talisman."

Zhao Lang and Li Yan were equally amazed when they saw this.

He thought to himself, "Wu the Cripple actually managed to draw it. Does he really have some skill?"
"How do I put it away?" Shen Bin asked, feeling quite curious.

Seeing that everyone around him was being baked by the intense heat of the flames and was retreating, he felt no heat at all.

"Young Master Shen, just put away your inner energy," Wu the Cripple said with a smile.

Shen Bin withdrew his true energy and, as expected, saw the flames ignited by the Fiery Talisman extinguished, which secretly amazed him.

"Actually, this is activated by essence blood. Since the essence blood belongs to Shen Shaofu himself, it can be activated with true qi. However, the essence blood is limited. Once it's burned up, the talisman is ruined." Wu the Cripple stroked his beard and explained with a hint of pride.

Zhao Lang said, "I see."

Li Yan said, "The Taoist arts and supernatural powers are indeed wondrous."

Shen Xian, who was not far away, also understood it, or rather, no one present understood it better than him.

If we compare essence and blood to fuel, then true qi is like oxygen or ignition, and the Fiery Talisman becomes it.

Wu the Cripple then introduced the usage of the Manifestation Talisman and the Suppression Talisman. They all follow the same logic: true qi is used to activate them. The former empowers the user, while the latter suppresses demons.

After listening to his story, Shen Xian also found it quite interesting.

Before we knew it, it was noon.

Shen Bin said, "It's getting late, let's set off now."

Zhao Lang and Li Yan nodded.

Just then, Ah Xin returned from the Shen family and said, "Young master, the ginseng has been brought."

Shen Xian said, "Take it here. Go back and tell Uncle Lin and Miss Yu that I need to go on a business trip with my father, and I will leave the affairs of the family to them for the time being."

Ashin nodded and hurried off again.

Shen Bin said, "Xian'er, don't be silly. You should go back too. Demons are dangerous, so don't be silly."

Shen Xian said sincerely, "Father is currently suffering from a great loss of health. How can I let you go alone? This ginseng is just what I need to bring. I'll make soup for Father."

Since you've become someone's son and are supported by them, it's only right that you fulfill your filial duties.

Shen Bin was about to say something more when Zhao Lang advised, "Brother, Xian'er is not young anymore. It wouldn't hurt to broaden his horizons."

Shen Bin pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "Let's go."

As they talked, they led a few constables towards Dongliu Township.

Xue Zhihua, who had concealed her presence and was secretly observing everything, watched the father and son of the county magistrate of Guhe County.

"I never imagined that such a small county as Guhe would have such loyal and brave men, and that they would be a father and son. It is truly a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery."

Xue Zhihua murmured to herself, then flashed away, using her movement technique to follow after them.

Such loyal and upright people are probably few and far between in the world; we cannot let them die.

Moreover, Princess Qing and her daughter will arrive in Guhe County the day after tomorrow, so she will first cleanse the county of its demonic atmosphere.

No wonder Her Highness the Princess and Sister Nanzhu sent her out to travel. If she were in the capital, everyone would be scheming and petty, how could she possibly meet someone like this?

……

……

(End of this chapter)