The banquet lasted for an hour.
After it ended.
Chu Daniu had drunk a little too much and was already pleasantly tipsy.
"Brother Li, back when we were seeking immortality, you took great care of me."
He threw an arm around Li Chang'an's shoulders and walked out of the tavern with him.
"From now on, if you ever need help with anything, just tell me. As long as I can do it, I'll definitely help!"
"Alright."
Li Chang'an replied with a smile.
Before long, the four of them exchanged farewells and returned to their respective homes.
For some time afterward.
Li Chang'an kept honing his talisman-making craft.
He grew increasingly adept at drawing High-grade Talismans, and his success rate gradually rose.
During this time.
Clear River Market was far from peaceful.
Several murders occurred, all committed by Rogue Cultivators.
Panic spread throughout the Marketplace.
Quite a few cultivators with substantial wealth began considering leaving Clear River Market to find a safer residence atop a Spiritual Vein.
This enraged the Zheng Family.
Not only did they intensify their patrols, but they also issued Bounty Orders, vowing to find the Rogue Cultivators responsible for the killings!
"Rogue Cultivators!"
Li Chang'an felt a faint sense of danger as well. He had no desire to be targeted by Rogue Cultivators.
His strength was still far too weak.
At the early Qi Refining stage, he was nothing more than a tiny shrimp in the Cultivation World.
Fortunately.
He had already drawn a complete set of High-grade Talismans. Compared to before, his strength had improved enormously.
A few days later.
A new piece of news spread through the Marketplace.
"The Rogue Cultivators are a gang. Their late-stage Qi Refining leader has already been executed by the Zheng Family, leaving only a few mid-stage and early-stage Qi Refining members in hiding."
This news put Li Chang'an somewhat at ease.
In the days that followed, the Rogue Cultivators indeed quieted down, and Clear River Market returned to peace.
Without realizing it.
Two months passed.
Li Chang'an's talisman-making craft had been honed to near perfection.
"Drawing High-grade Talismans, I basically won't make mistakes anymore."
No one could guarantee a hundred percent success.
His current skill could already be considered the peak of a low-grade first-tier Talisman Master.
"Unfortunately, there's no further Legacy."
Li Chang'an let out a sigh.
He had thoroughly mastered everything contained within the Jade Slip.
These days, he had been paying close attention to news concerning Talisman Inheritances in the Marketplace.
Yet.
Let alone Talisman Inheritances, there was scarcely any news even of ordinary craft legacies.
"Forget it. Some things cannot be forced."
Li Chang'an was fairly satisfied with his current situation.
He slowly set down the Talisman Brush in his hand, rose to his feet, and stretched lazily.
Ever since obtaining the Talisman Inheritance, he had scarcely rested. He had worked day and night, neglecting food and sleep as he studied and refined his talisman-drawing skills.
"The path of cultivation should be like a drawn bow—there must be tension and release, work and rest."
Li Chang'an decided to relax. He could not remain taut for too long.
Cultivators were people too, not Puppets.
He fetched several biographies of powerful cultivators and read of those experts' past lives, reinforcing his faith in cultivation.
The night deepened, and it was once again midnight.
[Divination Result Refreshed] [Today's Divination Result: Auspicious] [You intend to relax your mind, so you go fishing at Bright Moon Lake. Unexpectedly, you obtain a mid-grade first-tier Talisman Inheritance from the belly of a fish.]
"Mid-grade Talisman Inheritance?"
Li Chang'an's spirits soared.
Just when he was worrying about having no further Legacy, the Hexagram Image gave him guidance!
It had come at exactly the right time!
"Bright Moon Lake isn't far from Clear River Market. Cultivators often go there to fish."
Information about Bright Moon Lake surfaced in Li Chang'an's mind.
From the Marketplace to Bright Moon Lake.
The round trip took only a quarter of an hour.
"Looks like it's time to test my fishing skills."
The next day, at dawn.
Li Chang'an brought a fishing rod, prepared some bait, and set off to fish.
Before long.
He arrived at the shore of Bright Moon Lake.
Looking into the distance, the lake's surface was calm and unruffled, with several cultivators fishing there.
Li Chang'an chose an unoccupied spot, scattered a handful of bait first, then cast his hook.
Afterward.
He sat as still as an old monk in meditation, gripping the fishing rod without moving.
About a quarter of an hour later, the first fish bit.
"Splash..."
Li Chang'an snatched it out in one motion.
He flicked out a thread of Spiritual Energy, cut open the fish's belly, and inspected it carefully.
He found nothing unusual.
He remained patient and waited quietly for the next fish.
Over the following hour.
He caught five fish in succession, but none of their bellies contained a Legacy.
A moment later.
Another fish took the hook.
As usual, Li Chang'an cut open its belly, then his eyes suddenly lit up.
"A Jade Slip!"
Inside the fish's belly was, astonishingly, a Jade Slip.
He took out the Jade Slip and gave its contents a cursory scan.
"A mid-grade first-tier Talisman Inheritance!"
Li Chang'an immediately became overjoyed. It had fallen into his lap without the slightest effort.
After a while.
He put away his fishing gear, carried his fish basket, and started down the road back to the Marketplace.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would return to the Marketplace in half a quarter of an hour.
However.
Halfway there.
He suddenly heard a sharp rushing whistle from not far away.
"Something's wrong. It sounds like someone is fighting!"
Li Chang'an's heart tightened. The sound was rapidly closing in on him.
He swiftly activated a Qi Concealment Talisman.
Suppressing his aura to the lowest possible level.
Then he darted into a nearby thicket and remained perfectly still, like a stone.
A few breaths later.
A blood-covered figure sped past the thicket.
It was Chu Daniu!
His aura was weak, and he had clearly suffered serious injuries.
Behind him, two vicious-looking cultivators pursued him relentlessly.
"Heh heh heh!"
"Chu Daniu, stop resisting!"
"Hand over your valuables and your Spirit Wine Inheritance, and we brothers might consider sparing your life!"
The two men let out strange laughs. Both their auras had reached the peak Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
Chu Daniu, meanwhile, had only recently advanced to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
Even one against one would have been troublesome, let alone one against two.
"How unlucky can Da Niu be, running into Rogue Cultivators?"
Li Chang'an frowned slightly.
Those two cultivators were both on the Bounty Orders issued by the Zheng Family.
He observed them for a moment and found no one else behind them.
So he activated the Light Body Talisman, Wind Speed Talisman, Divine Steps Talisman, and other talismans. His body became light as a wisp of breeze as he silently followed behind them.
A few more breaths passed.
Chu Daniu's aura grew weaker and weaker, and his body swayed.
With a bang.
He toppled headfirst to the ground.
"No..."
Chu Daniu's face was ashen, for there was still some distance to the Marketplace.
But his injuries were too severe.
He could no longer make it back.
"Is my path of cultivation going to end here?"
Chu Daniu was filled with grief.
He had finally obtained a craft.
Just when life was about to get better and better, he had stumbled here instead.
"Heh heh!"
"Chu Daniu, hurry up and hand over all your treasures!"
The two Rogue Cultivators closed in, their laughter like the cries of night owls, unbearably grating.
Chu Daniu had already fallen into despair.
But at that moment.
Two streaks of Golden Light flashed, slicing across the two Rogue Cultivators' necks.
"Enemy attack!"
The two reacted instantly.
But before they could do anything, two heads rolled from their necks.
Blood gushed out as the two headless corpses collapsed together.
They were dead!
Chu Daniu's eyes widened, unable to believe it.
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