Starting as a Talisman Master

As night deepened, the sound of crisp hoofbeats broke the silence of the mountains on the desolate ancient road.

Zhou Jinyan rode a tall horse, covered in dust, heading towards Qingqueshan Market.

He looked up at the sky and silently estimated the distance. At this speed, in a few more hours, he would be almost at the outskirts of the market town by dawn.

"We're almost there."

Zhou Jinyan let out a long breath, patted the bulging storage bag at her waist, her round face full of undisguised joy, and the fatigue from days of travel seemed to have faded a bit.

Some time ago, he stumbled upon a very hidden ancient cave dwelling in the deep mountains.

Unfortunately, the place was shrouded in a dilapidated ancient array, abandoned for who knows how many years. With his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn't even get inside, let alone break the array.

After much thought, his first thought was to rush back to the market and bring Lu Chi, who was skilled in talismans, along to explore the cave together.

However, some unexpected twists and turns occurred on the way back.

Zhou Jinyan reached into his robes, pulled out a dusty gray earth-walking spirit rat, and casually placed it on the saddle.

"You little rascal, you have a really good nose, but you're too greedy."

He stretched out his chubby finger and flicked the rat's forehead lightly. Although he seemed to be complaining, there was not much annoyance in his eyes.

It turned out that on his way back to the market, the treasure-hunting spirit rat suddenly became restless and found several ancient medicinal herbs for him in several remote mountain streams and poisonous forests.

Zhou Jinyan was the type of person who couldn't resist money, and when good things were offered to him, he was unwilling to let them go.

They immediately followed this little ancestor, digging and collecting herbs all the way, and in order to obtain those spiritual herbs, they stayed in the mountains for several more days.

As the night breeze blew, he calmed down a little, and belatedly felt a pang of heartache and lingering fear.

He lifted the rat by the scruff of its neck, and with a stern face, reprimanded it in a low voice:

"Eat, eat, all you do is eat. Don't run around like this again next time. In the cultivation world, opportunities are all about being one step ahead. If we delay for a few days because we're greedy for these few spiritual herbs, and someone else manages to snatch that cave first, I'll be heartbroken."

The clever mouse squeaked as if it understood, then hugged a spirit fruit and continued to gnaw on it happily.

Zhou Jinyan looked on helplessly, shook his head, stuffed it back into his arms, and was about to shake the reins to speed up.

Just then, from the bend in the ancient road ahead, came the sound of gentle hoofbeats.

Immediately afterwards, a rider came from the opposite direction.

Under the dim moonlight, Zhou Jinyan squinted and subtly surveyed the group.

The newcomer was a young man dressed as a wandering knight-errant, wearing a gray-black outfit and a bamboo hat, with an unfamiliar face.

"Traveling in the middle of the night, it turns out he's just an ordinary wandering knight."

Zhou Jinyan immediately felt much relieved.

Although this area is close to the market, not all people traveling in the mountains and fields are cultivators. It is not surprising to occasionally encounter some martial artists who travel at night or herb gatherers.

To be on the safe side, he secretly circulated his cultivation technique, gathering all his spiritual power into his body without revealing a trace.

The two riders, one in front and one behind, drew closer and closer on the narrow ancient road.

Zhou Jinyan habitually put on that harmless smile, and was about to just walk past her, casually saying a greeting.

But at that moment, the boy opposite suddenly pulled on the reins.

The black horse slightly raised its front hooves and came to a steady stop in the middle of the ancient road.

Under the shadow of his straw hat, Lu Chi looked at Zhou Jinyan, who was deliberately concealing his spiritual power and pretending to be an ordinary merchant. His hand holding the reins tightened slightly, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

He originally did not want to show up.

The matter of tonight has just been resolved, and he is still in the process of extricating himself. To reunite with an old acquaintance at this time would only add another layer of entanglement, which is by no means a wise move.

But the next moment, Lu Chi's gaze fell on the direction Zhou Jinyan was riding forward, and his eyes darkened slightly.

The other party was clearly heading towards Qingqueshan Market.

With the Shen and Luo families having just lost figures like Luo Wenshan and Shen Yuanheng, the atmosphere inside and outside the market is bound to be tense. If Zhou Jinyan were to rush in at this time, she could easily get caught up in it.

If it really comes to that, in the readers' vote for the best Xianxia novel, "Starting Cultivation from a Talisman Master" will be at the top! Whether Zhou Jinyan is being interrogated or someone accidentally finds out that he had dealings with her, it will add variables.

Rather than letting him unwittingly fall into the trap, it's better to stop him in front of everyone to avoid further complications later.

Thinking of this, Lu Chi raised his hand and lifted his bamboo hat, dispelling the deliberately feigned worldly aura from his body, revealing his originally refined and calm face, and said in a light tone:

"Brother Zhou, it's so late, are you still heading to the market?"

"Lu...Lu Chi?"

Zhou Jinyan was both surprised and delighted. She quickly pulled on the reins and came closer, looking Lu Chi up and down several times. "Why did you come out of the mountains in the middle of the night?"

"I'm out of town on some personal business," Lu Chi said casually, offering a reason.

Zhou Jinyan nodded upon hearing this, without asking any further questions, and her expression suddenly changed.

He turned his head with extreme vigilance, peering furtively into the dark forest on both sides of the ancient road, even straining his ears to listen for the sounds of the wind rustling through the grass.

Seeing his alarmed expression, Lu Chi lowered his eyes and his nascent divine sense, like invisible ripples, instantly swept out in all directions.

"Brother Zhou, there's no need to look. There's no one else here. Feel free to speak your mind."

He was indeed somewhat surprised.

Zhou Jinyan was originally a spirit farmer who lived by tending the spirit fields. He cherished his life and rarely went out into the market.

Without sufficient benefits dangling in front of him, given his nature, he would never risk encountering a bandit and traveling alone in the desolate wilderness at night.

Now that the other party has not only come out of the mountains, but is also rushing to the market in a dusty and weary state, it is clearly no ordinary matter.

"Actually, it's like this..."

Zhou Jinyan lowered her voice and recounted in a concise manner how she had accidentally obtained a treasure-hunting spirit rat, and how, guided by this little creature, she had discovered a cave dwelling of an ancient person shrouded in a broken array deep in the mountains.

After he finished speaking, he subconsciously touched his chest, as if to make sure that his little darling was still there.

Lu Chi listened quietly, but didn't speak immediately.

Such news of ancient cave dwellings and treasure-hunting spirit beasts is an extremely rare opportunity for any cultivator. Anyone else would be keeping it a secret, never uttering a single word.

Zhou Jinyan, however, was preparing to go back to find him.

He remained silent for a moment, then his gaze fell on the little creature in Zhou Jinyan's arms, who was happily munching on a spirit fruit, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

It can explore ruins and detect the fluctuations of formations.

Such treasure-hunting spirit beasts are something that even those deeply rooted cultivation families or sects might not be able to raise.

Zhou Jinyan usually kept a low profile, making a living by tending a few acres of spiritual fields, but unexpectedly stumbled upon such an opportunity.

As for that cave dwelling of the ancestors, shrouded in the remnants of the battle formation...

Lu Chi withdrew his gaze, not immediately expressing his opinion, but gently tugged the reins, urging his black horse to continue forward, indicating to Zhou Jinyan that they could talk as they went.

Zhou Jinyan nodded quickly and urged his horse to follow.

"Where exactly is that place?"

Lu Chi asked.

"It's in that direction."

Zhou Jinyan raised his hand and pointed to a range of mountains under the night sky, lowering his voice to say:

"That place is very remote, almost to the edge of Dongyue County. It's deep in the mountains and the roads are treacherous. Few people go there on ordinary days. Even those wandering cultivators might not even look at such a place."

"On the edge of Dongyue County..."

Lu Chi's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly matched that location with the terrain in his memory.

That place was quite far from Qingque Mountain Market, and it would be rather troublesome to make a special detour there on ordinary days. However, considering his route to the Qixia Sect's mountain gate, it was actually on the way.

The cave itself, being a remnant of the previous generation and protected by a broken array, may contain cultivation techniques, spiritual materials, and the like.

If it were just an ordinary cultivator, they would probably think twice before entering such a place. But now that he has obtained the inheritance of the Dao of Arrays and has top-grade talismans by his side, it is worthwhile for him to take a look.

Lu Chi no longer hesitated, turned to look at Zhou Jinyan, and said in a calm tone: "In that case, I'll trouble Brother Zhou to show me the way, and I'll go with you."