Starting as a Talisman Master

With his mind calmed down, Lu Chi's gaze naturally fell on the old talisman brush in his hand, but his brows furrowed slightly.

This ordinary bamboo talisman brush, when bearing the exquisite fine-tuning of the Great Completion Realm and the violent aura of demon blood, already emitted a faint tremor of being unable to bear the burden, and the tip of the brush also showed a slight, imperceptible stagnation when absorbing and releasing spiritual energy.

"This skill... is ultimately not keeping up with my current mastery of talismanic arts."

Lu Chi rubbed the slightly warm pen tip with his fingertips, pondering to himself.

If you want to do something well, you must first have the right tools. If you use such ordinary brushes to draw high-level talismans for a long time, you will eventually risk ruining the brushes and destroying the talismans.

Perhaps I could ask Brother Han for help… His mind raced.

The Han family originally made their fortune through weapon crafting and mining, and their "Hundred Refinements Pavilion" was a well-known name in Qingque Mountain Market.

Now that he had already established this relationship with Han Jingxing, why not go with the flow and ask the Han family to tailor-make a genuine "magical artifact pen" for him?

"Since we are going to have someone tailor-make a magic weapon, we can't be careless. We must first figure out the proper shape and design."

Lu Chi suppressed the urge to immediately knock on the Han family's door and carefully put away the old talisman brush.

For some time afterward, he lived a secluded life, leading a very regular existence.

While repeatedly deducing the blueprints of the new talisman brush in his sea of ​​consciousness, he also used the method of "combined brushes" to draw a large number of high-grade talismans to enrich his collection, and incidentally pushed the other few talisman techniques that he was good at to "mastery".

In his spare time, he would tend to the spiritual plants in his small spiritual field in the backyard, or ignite the dark blue flames to refine a few batches of low-grade pills, quietly honing his nascent alchemy skills.

As for daily meditation and breathing exercises, although they were not neglected, the time spent on them was greatly reduced.

There was no other reason than that his low-grade spiritual root was simply too mediocre.

Even though he switched to the righteous and peaceful "Taiyuan Xuanshui Jing", his cultivation progress was still slow by simply sitting and absorbing the free spiritual energy.

Instead of wasting a lot of time struggling, it would be far more effective to draw a few high-level talismans, exchange them for spirit stones, and directly purchase and consume pills that improve cultivation.

Wealth, companionship, law, and land—only with wealth can one pave a smooth road.

Time slipped away quietly in this methodical and arduous practice.

Early that morning, as Lu Chi was putting the talismans he had recently accumulated into his storage bag, a knock came from outside the courtyard.

Pushing open the door, a cultivator dressed in the robes of a Qixia Sect disciple was bowing and waiting. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Master Lu, Elder Mu has prepared tea at the Moon Concealment Pavilion. He said there is a joyous occasion that concerns the future of the pavilion, and he asks you to make a trip to East Street."

'That old scoundrel personally sent someone to invite me; I'm afraid the banquet will be anything but pleasant,' Lu Chi thought to himself.

However, he had just finished preparing the shipment for the month and had been planning to visit Moon Concealment Pavilion anyway, so he replied indifferently, "Since the elder has summoned me, I will go with you."

He straightened his blue robe and followed the disciple through the bustling street, stepping straight into the gate of Moon Concealment Pavilion.

Lu Chi walked alone past the sandalwood screen in the front hall and entered the side hall for receiving guests. A figure was sitting upright on a guest chair, drinking tea with his head down. It was Liu Qing, whom he had not seen for many days.

Liu Qing maintained a slightly distant stance, raised his hand slightly, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and greeted him in a dry and stiff tone: "Fellow Daoist Lu."

Lu Chi noticed the apprehension in the other person's eyes. This person was no longer as arrogant as before. Lu Chi found it amusing, but on the surface, he simply nodded slightly with a normal expression: "Fellow Daoist Liu."

Liu Qing didn't mention the awkward incident at the tea party that night at all, as if it had never happened. He asked in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist Lu, were you also summoned here by Elder Mu?"

Lu Chi nodded and sat down calmly.

The old thief summoned him and Liu Qing, two talisman masters, not for a casual reunion or to exchange goods.

With a soft creak, the heavy, carved wooden door to the inner room was pushed open from the inside.

Mu Changfeng walked out slowly with his hands behind his back, his steps slightly slow but extremely imposing.

Beside this Qi Refining Level 8 Grand Elder of the Qixia Sect walked a gaunt, gray-haired, unfamiliar old man.

Lu Chi glanced around, and when his gaze landed on the well-dressed, gaunt old man, his eyes fixed on him.

"It was him," Lu Chi thought to himself.

Following closely behind the two were Qin Suniang and Cao Zhen.

Qin Su Niang, who was always charming and smiling, now had a pale and unsightly face.

Cao Zhen, standing to the side, had a grim expression, clearly having experienced an extremely unpleasant exchange in the inner hall.

As soon as Mu Changfeng stepped out of the inner hall, he caught a glimpse of Lu Chi and the other person standing in the side hall.

The old face, full of wrinkles, showed little expression as she opened her mouth to speak. Qin Suniang suddenly coughed lightly: "Elder Mu, I am the current acting sect leader of Qixia Sect. It would be best if I explained the various matters of the sect to the two talisman masters myself."

Mu Changfeng turned his head and gave Qin Suniang a cold glance, letting out a muffled snort. He didn't argue further, but simply put his hands behind his back and stood aside with an indifferent expression.

Qin Suniang took a deep breath, barely suppressing the gloom in her eyes, and turned around to solemnly introduce the gaunt old man beside her to Lu Chi and Liu Qing:

"Master Lu, Liu Qing's younger brother. This senior is the renowned Master Wei Hong from our Qingque Mountain Market."

Hearing her solemn introduction, the gaunt old man Wei Hong merely raised his chin slightly, put his hands behind his back, and looked self-satisfied.

However, an eerie silence fell over the side hall.

Lu Chi's expression remained calm, without even raising an eyebrow.

He had worked as a low-level talisman repairman at the Luo family's talisman shop for three years, so how could he not recognize this former talisman master whom the Luo family had hired at great expense? He knew exactly what the other party was capable of and what his talisman-drawing habits were like, so naturally he felt no respect whatsoever.

As for Liu Qing, he blinked, his eyes revealing an extremely pure bewilderment.

He glanced left at Lu Chi, who seemed lost in meditation, and right at Wei Hong, whose chin was practically pointing to the sky. After a long pause, he stammered, "Oh... so it's Master Wei. I've heard so much about you..."

Those two "I've long admired you"s were utterly dry and emotionless, as if the words "Who are you?" were blatantly plastered on their foreheads.

Wei Hong's self-satisfaction instantly froze, and the corner of his lips twitched slightly. He tightened his grip behind his back, feeling as if a breath was stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Seeing that the distinguished guest he had painstakingly invited was being treated coldly, Mu Changfeng frowned, his gaze swept over everyone, and his voice turned cold.

"Fellow Daoist Wei is a renowned high-grade talisman master in the market. He used to be based at the Luo family's talisman shop and was famous throughout the region."

"I went to great lengths to persuade him to grace my Moon Concealment Pavilion with his presence. How dare you juniors treat him with such disrespect? Do you not even know the slightest bit of etiquette regarding seniority and hierarchy?"

Qin Su Niang couldn't help but chuckle to herself, and even the anger she had suffered in the inner hall earlier dissipated considerably.

But on the surface, she still maintained a gentle and mild demeanor: "Elder Mu, please calm down, and Master Wei, please don't take offense."

"Brother Liu Qing is new to Qingque Mountain and is not familiar with our renowned masters, so saying 'I have long admired you' is a bit too formal. As for Master Lu, although he is in the market, he is a newly promoted master and has always secluded himself to cultivate and does not concern himself with worldly affairs."

"Ignorance is no excuse. It's perfectly normal not to recognize Master Wei immediately. Why should Elder Mu get angry with a young man?"

Wei Hong's stiffness eased slightly, and he snorted coldly, stroking his long, gray beard as he looked down at Lu Chi and Liu Qing.

"It is no problem that you do not know my name. I have been studying the Dao of Talismans for decades. What kind of amazing talents have I not seen? Of course I will not bother with such formalities with two young children."

Lu Chi was not angry upon hearing this; his fingertips curled slightly, and he felt a sense of vigilance instead.

They've come with ill intentions.

It seems I won't be able to enjoy this tea in peace.