Calabash Fairy

Four hundred li south of Baimajian.

The terrain here is flat, the spiritual energy is thin, and there are no great demons. It looks like just a very common vast grassland in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

But what no one knows is that deep beneath this grassland lies a forgotten space...

At this moment, amidst the darkness and the ruins littered with the remains of powerful demonic beasts, a massive figure that had been lying prone on the ground slowly rose to its feet.

If the demons who originally lived in this region were to see this, they would surely recognize it as the strange-looking, four-thousand-year-old demon from before.

However, in addition to the deer antlers, scales, and horse legs that were originally covered in black scales, a pair of eagle wings had appeared on his back at some point.

"Heh...heh..."

As the figure emitted increasingly heavy, low breaths, a dark, demonic mist continuously rose around him.

Its form began to change rapidly amidst a series of teeth-grinding, violent cracking sounds.

First, its enormous eagle wings suddenly tucked into its back. Then, its scales, horse legs, and other features began to change rapidly, gradually shrinking and disappearing into its body as it shrank.

When the demonic mist dissipated, there were no more strange monsters left on the spot. Only a burly, black-haired youth slowly rose up, his light blue eyes gradually regaining their clarity.

"Secret Technique Backlash... Hundred Beasts Sect... Qilian..."

"...I am no longer human...but a demon..."

...............................

Within the Qingfeng Secret Realm.

Fang Yan stood in front of the stone table, holding a jade talisman brush stained with vermilion incense ink, his eyes tightly closed.

In his mind, a majestic and complex golden rune was being drawn and deduced again and again.

The talismanic arts recorded in the Fu Shui lineage are all-encompassing.

Even among immortal sects, various talismans are quite rare, but in the talisman water inheritance, they are as vast as the ocean and countless.

Besides the most important runes, the most basic tools in talisman drawing, much like the alchemy furnace in alchemy, are the talisman brush, talisman ink, and talisman paper.

Some special talismans require special spiritual materials to be refined into talisman ink and talisman paper in order to unleash their power.

Just like the incense and spiritual ink he used to draw talismans, it was made by mixing special incense ash from the mountain god temple, which was imbued with divine aura, with other spiritual materials.

After a while, Fang Yan suddenly opened his eyes, held his breath and concentrated, and then circulated his purple-gold spiritual power.

With his talisman brush, he wrote a complex rune on the yellow talisman paper in one go.

As he finished writing, a golden light flashed across the talisman.

Seeing this, Fang Yan knew that the talisman was complete. He smiled and placed the talisman brush in his hand on the brush rest next to the stone table.

"Although my talent for talisman making is not as good as my talent for alchemy, I have achieved something by now."

[Incense Charm: This talisman can store the power of incense offerings from the gods to deter evil spirits in the surrounding area. Once the power of the incense offerings is exhausted, the talisman will self-destruct.]

Incense talismans are quite common among deities and immortals, often bestowed upon devout believers to protect them from evil spirits.

Fang Yan reached out and picked up the talisman. As a stream of spiritual energy flowed into it, the talisman flashed with golden light once more.

The next moment, the incense smoke, drifting like smoke and mist in the Qingfeng Secret Realm, was drawn in and quickly poured into the talisman, disappearing into the vermilion runes.

Soon, the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea passed, and as the incense in the talisman filled to the brim, the vermilion runes on it became even more vibrant.

"In this way, as long as there are incense talismans for protection, the villagers at the foot of the mountain can leave Xiahe Village and go elsewhere to get supplies."

The most prominent feature of talismans is their wide range of applications.

...........................

Two years ago, a large academy was built on an open space next to the river in Xiahe Village.

Despite numerous setbacks, with the strong support of several respected elders in the village, his two brothers, and Xu Hu, Yang Dongdong was able to successfully establish the academy.

He had thought this matter would be extremely difficult, but Yang Xiaoshan saw it very clearly.

If we were to ask them to send their children to the academy on the grounds of being reasonable, even though life in the village is much better now, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the villagers.

However, as long as the villagers can see some tangible benefits and uses, it will not be difficult to get them to support the establishment of the academy.

Therefore, what is taught most in the academy nowadays is not the classics of sages, but all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge that are very practical in Xiahe Village.

The methods for identifying herbs, making medicines, and raising silkworms were all compiled based on the experience and knowledge contributed by the village elders.

Of course, not every family is willing to send their child to study here, but Yang Dongdong is already very happy to have taken the first step.

At this moment, outside the academy.

Xu Hu was standing under the shade of a tree, looking gently at the young men and women who kept glancing over from inside the house.

"You've raised these two children very well."

Hearing the old man's laughter behind him, Xu Hu quickly turned around and saw Yang Sheng and Wang Shi walking slowly towards him.

"Village Chief, Uncle Wang."

Yang Sheng nodded with a smile, and even Wang Shi, who was always serious, softened his expression and nodded slightly.

Three years have passed, and Wang Shi has a few more strands of white hair at his temples, but Yang Sheng's appearance has not changed at all, and even his steps have become more and more steady.

"Dongdong said that the two kids are the most sensible and hardworking in the whole school."

Xu Hu sighed softly:

"These two children are actually very good, it's just that..."

"I think I should leave. If I stay here, they won't be able to concentrate."

Yang Sheng nodded with a smile and said:

"Perfect timing, we also have something to discuss with you, let's go together."

...............................

In the Yang family courtyard, Yang Sheng locked the gate and led the two men, who looked serious, into the house.

"Village chief, did you summon me here because the village's salt reserves are almost depleted?"

"Exactly."

Yang Sheng remained expressionless and looked at Xu Hu, saying:

"Actually, the iron ore in the village has been completely used up. Fortunately, the farm tools made over the years have been repaired and can be used for many more years."

"But this salt is the most troublesome thing..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Hu fell silent for a moment, after all, this was a mountain where monsters existed.

The divine artifacts of yesteryear have all been destroyed. If they were to leave the protection of the Mountain God and the territory of Qingfeng Mountain, who knows what might happen...

Just then, Yang Sheng slowly walked to the offering table, solemnly picked up the two folded talismans that emitted a faint fragrance of incense, and presented them to Xu Hu.

"This is a talisman bestowed by the Mountain God. As long as you keep it on your person, you will not be afraid of evil spirits and can leave the village with peace of mind to go to Salt Field Village to collect salt."

"Although Lao Li has passed away, the villagers of Yantian Village back then all know very well how to mine salt fields."

"But we can only feel at ease if we entrust the important task of leading the team along this route to you..."

Xu Hu looked at the two talismans Yang Sheng had handed him, solemnly accepted them, and then respectfully bowed to the gourd statue on the offering table before saying:

"Please rest assured and leave it to me, Village Chief!"