"This is..."
Seeing the clear text before him, Zhao Huai looked somewhat surprised.
It was not as though he had never looked through this Sheepskin Scroll before, but since he could not understand it at all, he had given up struggling with it.
Now that he possessed the Heavenly Heart Wisdom Eye talent, even these obscure words had indeed become simple.
"Three Thousand... Thunder Talisman Secrets?"
Zhao Huai looked at the first line on the Sheepskin Scroll and slowly read it aloud.
The scroll was covered in dense tadpole-like script. One careless glance and he could misread it. Fortunately, Zhao Huai had the support of a Firm Dao Heart; his mind was clear and limpid, and his spiritual power was relatively strong.
Thus, even with an invisible force protecting the Sheepskin Scroll, he could read its contents without obstruction.
After reading for an hour, Zhao Huai had gained a preliminary understanding of what the Three Thousand Thunder Talisman Secrets were about.
It turned out to be a textbook on the art of crafting talismans, one specializing in Thunder Dao Talismans. It could be said that the varieties of Thunder Dao Talismans within were all-encompassing, leaving no stone unturned.
For instance, there were top-tier talismans specifically meant to slaughter demons and monsters over a wide area: the Nine Heavens Yin Thunder Talisman, Terrifying Extinction Thunder Talisman, and Myriad Thunder Radiant Cry Talisman. There were also suppressive talismans for guarding a residence and warding off misfortune: the Universe Suppression Thunder Talisman, Black Wood Dao Thunder Talisman, and Dragon Thunder Dao Reverse Talisman.
There were also some more basic spells, such as the Five Elements Thunder Talisman, Yin Yang Thunder Talisman, Five Thunder Righteous Method, and so on.
Zhao Huai's eyes were dazzled by what he saw.
He grew ever more curious about what sort of person the owner of this Mysterious Ring had been.
The Three Thousand Thunder Talisman Secrets were good stuff, the unnamed Treasure Sword was handy enough to use, and he did not yet dare take the pills at random. The wealth left behind was proving quite useful to him. It deserved a thumbs-up.
The other party must have been an impressive figure within an immortal cultivation sect. Otherwise, they would never have possessed such wondrous things.
This Mysterious Ring could also serve as a Storage Ring, allowing him to carry things around. It was quite useful to Zhao Huai.
Zhao Huai had always longed for immortal cultivation sects.
But if he could have entered a sect to cultivate, who would choose to open a small pawnshop alone and cultivate idly by themselves?
In the first year after he headed south and settled down, it was not as though he had not visited those so-called immortal cultivation sects. They simply refused to take him in.
For one thing, he was too old. Entering a sect at twenty meant starting cultivation too late. They believed that even if he bloomed late, he would still need nearly fifty years to reach the consummation of Qi Training. That was far too slow.
Furthermore, they all said his spiritual roots were too poor and his upper limit too low. At most, he would probably only reach Foundation Establishment, so he was not worth nurturing.
From that day onward, Zhao Huai became much more laid-back.
Fine then. Immortal cultivation had so much bullshit to it. Rather than joining some sect and taking their abuse, he might as well slowly upgrade his Destiny. What goddamn bad luck.
At first, his cultivation speed truly had been slow. He had already practiced outer sect martial arts to their peak, yet his Qi Training efficiency remained at the level of the second or third layer.
At that level, he was at most comparable to those civilian escort guards who had been guaranteed a position. It would be passable for opening a children's martial arts school.
You wanted to cultivate immortality? Were you even worthy? Keep dreaming! Yet no one could have imagined that the Mysterious-Grade Destiny, Diligent Achiever, which Zhao Huai had obtained by chance, would directly triple his cultivation speed. His rate of realm advancement rose with the tide.
In one year, all he needed to do was sleep in every day, water the flowers, listen to music, gaze at Tofu Xi Shi whenever he had nothing to do, and casually practice a little. His cultivation soon reached the Qi Training Ninth Layer.
What wonderful days those were. Yet Zhao Huai discovered another problem.
What the immortal cultivation sects had said back then was true. His upper limit really was somewhat low. He had remained at the Qi Training Ninth Layer for so long, yet still had not broken through to Foundation Establishment.
He felt that he still lacked a Foundation Establishment Pill. With one, he should be able to accomplish twice the result with half the effort.
But Foundation Establishment Pills were not easy to buy on the market. They were a case of a price without supply, highly sought after. Anyone without a powerful background simply could not buy one.
Perhaps he could place his hopes on this bottle of pills? Zhao Huai decided that in a few days, he would have them examined and find out exactly what pills were inside.
Though his mind was occupied with thought, Zhao Huai's hands did not remain idle.
After reading through the Three Thousand Thunder Talisman Secrets once, he had already memorized its contents.
Next came the practical work: turning the talisman knowledge in his mind into usable, genuine talismans.
Zhao Huai took out a stack of blank yellow paper and, following his memories, began tracing patterns onto it with a brush.
It seemed simple in his head, but only when he began drawing did he realize just how difficult these bizarre symbols were to draw. Especially the top-tier talismans—he simply could not draw them at all. They required immensely powerful spiritual force! Therefore, Zhao Huai decided to start with the simplest ones.
The Fire Thunder Dao Talisman, one of the most basic Five Elements Thunder Talismans.
Fire Thunder Dao Talisman: Fire that drives out demons, thunder that draws objects. With Thunderclap Wood as its base and cinnabar ink as its inscription, the two joined as one and brought out the best in each other. A basic thunder talisman.
"The requirements are pretty high. Thunderclap Wood can ward off evil, but it isn't cheap. A single piece costs ten taels of silver on the market."
Zhao Huai was slightly astonished.
Engraving thunder talismans was actually an extremely costly undertaking. The materials alone were likely more than ordinary people could afford.
From this, he concluded that immortal cultivation truly was a money-devouring business.
But it did not matter. Your brother had plenty of money.
After preparing the materials and going through attempt after attempt, failure after failure, Zhao Huai soon drew his first thunder talisman.
His martial talent was now extraordinarily high. No matter how difficult the cultivation art, mental formula, or skill, he could learn it quickly. In the end, he had the Heavenly Heart Wisdom Eye to thank.
Zhao Huai picked up the thunder talisman he had just drawn, intending to test the power of the Fire Thunder Dao Talisman.
But unexpectedly, a knock sounded outside the door.
"Knock, knock."
The knocking was light, its rhythm slow.
When Zhao Huai heard it, suspicion rose in his heart. It was already dark—who could be looking for him at this hour?
Although he had good relationships with neighbors both near and far, none of them would come knocking at such a time.
Outside the window, the sun was sinking behind the western hills. Lanterns had lit up before shops large and small, and the air was thick with the warm bustle of everyday life. At the Vegetable Market Entrance, households were lighting their stoves, smoke curling from their chimneys. All kinds of steaming snacks sent their fragrance drifting through the streets as the night market opened one stall after another.
Zhao Huai came to the door, undid the bolt, and swiftly opened it.
But the person he saw upon opening the door left him dumbfounded.
A graceful beauty stood outside, smiling at him.
Yu Qinghan held a small wooden food box in both hands. She wore an elegant long dress, a smile lingering on her lips, her phoenix eyes narrowed into crescents.
"Miss Yu, why are you here?"
Zhao Huai rubbed his eyes, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing, his tone full of surprise.
The two of them had agreed earlier that they would meet on their wedding day. Yet only an afternoon had passed, and she had already come to see him, even bringing luggage. What was she trying to do?
"Young master, have you eaten?"
Yu Qinghan blinked her lovely large eyes expectantly.
"Uh, not yet."
Zhao Huai scratched the back of his head and answered awkwardly.
He had spent so long drawing talismans that he had forgotten everything else, naturally including eating.
Yu Qinghan smiled. "I heard that Tofu Xi Shi's tofu in East City was quite good, so I bought some to try. I made it into a dish, then troubled the matchmaker to find out where you lived. I happened to bring some over."
"How about we eat together?"
Hearing this, Zhao Huai smiled as well.
Eat tofu? That sounded great.
He really did like tofu.
Before you continue