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墨書 Inktalez
The Spirit Talismans currently being learned are low-level Spirit Talismans, which are of little use to cultivators. They include the Exorcism Talisman, Town-Protection Talismans, Golden Protective Talisman, Cure Talisman, and Swift Movement Talisman.
These talismans are seen as unnecessary by cultivators but are greatly beneficial to ordinary people.
For example, the Exorcism Talisman can expel Evil Spirits; the Town-Protection Talismans can drive away Yin Spirits and Demons that cause trouble in households; the Golden Protective Talisman can release righteous golden light to ward off monsters at critical moments; the Cure Talisman can eliminate diseases when burned and consumed; and the Swift Movement Talisman allows one to walk thousands of miles without fatigue when affixed to the leg. All of these are authentic talismans from the orthodox school of Taoism, and they must be infused with spiritual power by cultivators above the Cautious Phase to be truly effective. Currently, they lack sufficient power and are only learning the drawing methods.
The saying goes that mastering one thing leads to understanding many others. Learning these low-level talisman techniques lays a foundation for later creating Mid-Level Spirit Talismans that will be genuinely useful for cultivators. Li Hong thought of a way: if he mastered these authentic Spirit Talisman drawing methods, he could walk in the Mortal Realm without worrying about food and clothing. Just taking out one could potentially exchange for hundreds or thousands of silver coins—this thought he dared only keep to himself; if Spirit Stone knew he had such limited aspirations, it would surely scoff at him.
With his mind filled with thoughts of silver coins, Li Hong became particularly diligent in his studies. Drawing a few worm-like shapes was not difficult at all. He quickly memorized these low-level Spirit Talisman designs.
However, for Chuxiong, drawing talismans was incredibly challenging. He never liked writing with a pen, let alone drawing strange, hard-to-remember squiggly shapes. This caused him great distress.
Seeing that he was struggling, Li Hong took out a motivational tactic and said with a smile, "Think about it: learning these low-level Spirit Talismans may not be very useful for us, but each one can be exchanged for a lot of shiny silver coins in the Mortal Realm. You need to work hard for the sake of silver."
Thus, Chuxiong muttered to himself while looking at the talisman book: "Silver... shiny silver..." as he frowned and awkwardly tried to draw according to the book.
Li Hong walked over to him and pointed at one of the curves in the Town-Protection Talismans, saying, "This part is too slanted; it should be straight."
Chuxiong roared in frustration, throwing down his pen and crouching on the ground while shouting, "I hate drawing talismans! It's over! I can't finish my homework; I'm going to be punished by Master!"
Li Hong pulled him up and said, "Forget it; let's go have breakfast first. After breakfast, we still have some time. I'll help you think of a solution."
Chuxiong looked troubled and surprisingly said for the first time, "I don't want to eat."
After much persuasion from Li Hong, he finally moved his feet. The two headed toward the Dining Hall.
Now that new disciples from Nine Vermilion Peaks were gradually emerging from seclusion, many came to eat. Sometimes if they arrived late, there would be no food left. The Dining Hall was much livelier than when they first entered.
Having been there for a while, Li Hong was also aware of some unwritten rules at Nine Vermilion Peaks. It turned out that those who worked as cooks, managed storage rooms, and cleaned were disciples under Master Uncles and Shibo who took turns on duty. Generally, a disciple under one Master Uncle would be responsible for one task for a month before switching with another disciple under a different Master Uncle. Therefore, almost every disciple of Jiu Zhu Peak had to take turns doing menial tasks—except for the Chief Disciple.
Becoming the Chief Disciple is a glorious thing. The next Elder Brother is usually chosen from among them, holding a higher status and only needing to perform light and respectable tasks, such as delivering messages to other branches. However, this also brings trouble. Some Master Uncles and Shibo's disciples are dissatisfied and tend to ignore them, watching coldly from the sidelines, gossiping and mocking whenever a mistake occurs. There are all kinds of people in the world.
Li Hong and the scowling Chuxiong entered the Dining Hall, where no fewer than three hundred people were already seated. Upon seeing Li Hong enter, some greeted him warmly: "Good morning, Senior Brother." Others turned their heads away with a cold snort, pretending not to see him.
Li Hong naturally smiled back at those who greeted him, while he ignored the indifferent expressions of others. He walked through the hall filled with various complex gazes until he reached the end.
Brother Chef stood up to greet them as they arrived: "The two junior brothers are here; we still have some buns and noodles left. Hehe, if you come any later, we’ll have to clean up."
Li Hong exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile, then scooped the last of the noodles from a large porcelain jar into a big bowl. He also took several buns and placed them on a plate, stacking it on top of the bowl as he carried it outward.
Just as he turned around, he bumped into someone. With a crash, the already precariously balanced plate fell to the ground and shattered, sending several buns rolling far away.
A lazy voice yawned: "Watch where you're going! Serves you right!"
It was Chuxuan. Without even looking at Li Hong, he pushed him aside and coldly huffed: "Good dogs don’t block the way; what are you doing standing there? Hurry up and pick up those buns! You’d probably eat what you dropped on the floor anyway; truly a bumpkin!"
Li Hong shouted back: "I am your senior brother; is this how you speak to your senior?"
Chuxuan sneered: "What makes you think you're my senior brother? Take a good look at yourself in the mirror first. I can’t be bothered to argue with you." He pointed at Brother Chef and barked: "You! Get me some porridge and some exquisite side dishes." When Brother Chef stood there motionless, Chuxuan glared: "Did you hear that? I’m the Chief Disciple; better be smart about it. Go now!"
The plump Brother Chef didn’t dare cause trouble; he mumbled a couple of words before turning to head into the kitchen.
Li Hong thought that since there were many people around, it would be better to endure for now. Seeing several buns still on the ground, his habit made it hard for him to waste food, so he bent down to pick them up. He placed each bun into his robe until he reached for the last one when someone else quickly snatched it up first, squeezing it hard until it became a messy lump.
A loud shout rang out: "Brat, you’re really something!" With a slap, the smashed bun hit Chuxuan squarely in the face.
Chuxuan yelped in surprise, covering his face as he jumped up and cursed: "You damn bear! How dare you lay hands on me! Just wait until I teach you a lesson." He grabbed a large porcelain jar and hurled it at Chuxiong.
Chuxiong nimbly dodged. The jar smashed against the opposite wall, shattering into pieces that scattered everywhere.
The space was cramped, and Li Hong couldn't dodge in time. Sharp fragments grazed his cheek, leaving several deep cuts. The fiery pain on his face made him touch it, only to find it covered in blood, which instantly ignited his anger.
He shouted, "Bastard! If you have the guts, come outside and fight me!"
Someone was quicker and angrier than him. Before he finished speaking, Chuxiong lunged forward with a whoosh, aiming a punch at Chuxuan's head. Chuxuan stumbled back, grabbing a large porcelain jar from the edge of the long table and swung it towards Chuxiong. Chuxiong kicked up, and with a clang, the porcelain jar was reduced to just the rim held in Chuxuan's hands.
The two exchanged punches and kicks in the small hall, smashing tables and jars all over the place. Chuxiong grew more spirited as he fought, while Li Hong realized he couldn't get involved.
A howl of pain echoed as Chuxiong landed a punch on Chuxuan's nose, causing blood to spurt everywhere. Chuxuan staggered and took several more punches.
Li Hong watched with amusement. Chuxiong had been holding back his anger while drawing talismans, and now he finally found an outlet for it... He remained a bystander, hoping Chuxiong would hit him a few more times.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Turning around, he saw a crowd gathered at the entrance of the hall, with onlookers shouting excitedly, "They're fighting! The disciples are fighting each other!" Someone was snickering.
This immediately alerted Li Hong that things were getting out of hand! Thinking of Spirit Stone's dark face made Li Hong's scalp tingle. He hurried forward to intervene, shouting, "Stop! Everyone stop fighting!"
Chuxuan yelled like a madman, "Get lost!" He kicked towards Li Hong.
Li Hong had no choice but to dodge. Just as he intended to rush in to break it up, someone flew in and tightly grabbed his arm, coldly saying, "Old Six, it wouldn't be good for you to take sides."
Li Hong struggled hard but couldn't break free. Turning around, he saw his second senior brother Chu Qiu had arrived at some point, looking at him with a forced smile while tightly gripping his arm.
Li Hong protested, "Second Brother, let go! I'm not taking sides. I'm trying to separate them."
"With so many people watching here, who doesn't know you and Old Seven have always teamed up to bully Old Eight?" Chu Qiu turned to ask the disciples outside, "Did everyone see that?"
Most of the disciples remained silent, but a few shouted loudly in agreement: "Yes! Chu Hong is definitely taking sides; pfft!"
"You!" Li Hong was furious. A surge of internal energy suddenly shot through his arm and flicked towards Chu Qiu.
Chu Qiu was caught off guard as Li Hong's internal energy surged into his hand, rushing through his meridians. Suddenly, half of his body felt numb and weak, causing him to involuntarily drop his hand. His face turned a ghastly shade of white.
Li Hong had no idea he had suffered a hidden loss. Seeing Chu Qiu suddenly drop his hand, he thought he had a moment of conscience. Without thinking further, he rushed between Chuxuan and Chuxiong, forcefully pushing them apart: "Stop fighting!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Don't block me; I'm going to beat this bastard to death today!"
At that moment, a loud shout rang out: "Let them fight! If they kill each other, so be it!" Spirit Stone appeared at the entrance of the Dining Hall.
Everyone quickly stepped aside. Spirit Stone, furious, approached with eyes blazing and shouted, "You all keep fighting! Hit him until he's dead! You're really giving me face!"
Silence fell.
********
Inside the Three-Story Pavilion, Spirit Stone was so angry that his hands trembled.
Chuxiong kept his head down obediently, his clothes torn, a large bruise on his forehead, and a cut on his lip. Chuxuan was in worse shape; blood flowed from his nose—his nose was broken and crooked, causing him to shiver in pain and break out in cold sweat.
While he secretly felt pleased, thinking about Chuxiong and Li Hong made him anxious. He lifted his shirt and knelt down: "Master, it's all my fault; I didn't manage my junior brothers well. Please punish me."
"It was you who instigated this; now you're pretending to be a good senior brother!" Chuxuan shouted, hissing in pain as it aggravated his injury.
"Master, it is indeed Old Six's fault. Earlier, I saw Old Six taking sides, and it was Old Six who first insulted Old Eight. Only then did Old Seven, under his provocation, lose control and act. Many disciples present can attest to my words," Chu Qiu said. He appeared respectful and spoke slowly as if being fair, but what he said was far from the truth!
Just as Li Hong wanted to defend himself, he suddenly realized this played right into Chu Qiu's trap. If he distanced himself from the situation, Chuxiong would likely face trouble; it would be better to take the blame. He loudly declared, "It is indeed the disciples' fault; please punish us!"
Upon hearing this, Spirit Stone seemed to calm down. His eyes shifted coldly as he said, "Old Six, you are grounded for a month; you are not allowed to leave your residence. Old Seven, you will be punished to draw one hundred talismans without making a single mistake. And you, Old Two, go back and copy the *Tao Te Ching* ten times. While copying, think carefully about why you are doing this. Hmph, do you think I'm an idiot who can be easily fooled? Now go back. Old Eight, stay behind."
Li Hong was almost stunned; Spirit Stone was surprisingly perceptive.
Chu Qiu's expression suddenly darkened. He didn't dare to argue, simply muttering an acknowledgment before lowering his head and walking out.
As he exited the Three-Story Pavilion, Chu Qiu coldly snorted, not even glancing at Li Hong and the other person, and with a flick of his sleeves, he strode away.
Li Hong stared at his retreating figure in a daze. This senior brother had seemed fine when he first entered, treating him relatively kindly. When did he suddenly change? Why was he targeting him? This was truly perplexing.
Just then, Chuxiong tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault for being impulsive."
"It's fine, we'll talk about it later." Knowing that Spirit Stone had sharp ears, Li Hong didn't want to say much. After taking a few steps, they suddenly heard a scream from inside the Three-Story Pavilion: "Ah—it's killing me!"
Spirit Stone's loud voice followed: "You know what pain is now! Don't you love fighting? Can't you handle this little bit of pain? What if I were to break your arms and legs next time?" Then came another long wail from Chuxuan that made Li Hong's hair stand on end. Chuxiong could no longer contain his laughter.
They both understood that Spirit Stone was definitely using "heavy hands" to help Chuxuan realign his nose bone, which explained the terrible screams. They exchanged glances and quickly slipped away, running back to the Small Pavilion in one breath, unable to stop laughing until tears streamed down their faces.
Li Hong couldn't help but think that Spirit Stone could be quite amusing at times.
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