Old Tree Spirit

I drew quite a few of every kind: Sword Talismans, Fire Talismans, Explosion Talismans, and Water Talismans.

But Water Talismans did not have much power. After testing one, I found it was not even as powerful as the lightning ball I had thrown earlier.

So I decided to draw fewer Water Talismans in the future. I looked into the principles behind them.

They basically gathered water molecules from the air, compressed them, and sprayed them out. Their attack power was quite ordinary.

I took the Maoshan Talisman Compendium out of my small space and flipped through it.

It said that the Water Talisman had been invented by a Maoshan senior, intended for saving lives when one was outside without a water source.

But the compressed stream of water had a little bit of force, so it had been classified among offensive talismans. Once I saw that, I understood.

I froze, staring at the Maoshan Talisman Compendium in my hands. Oh no.

I had forgotten to return this book to Martial Uncle. I told Nangong Yiyi about my discovery.

"It's fine. He must have meant to leave it with you, or he would have taken it back long ago.

"Someone with his cultivation couldn't possibly forget something so important," Nangong Yiyi said.

Then she added, "But you mustn't take this book out and let outsiders see it in the future.

"Otherwise, it'll definitely bring trouble. If I'm not mistaken, this book is very important to Maoshan."

Thinking about it, I realized she was right. I even felt a little touched by Martial Uncle's gesture.

Martial Uncle had truly laid his heart bare for me! Thinking that, I put the book back into my small space.

What Nangong Yiyi did not know was that this book truly was important.

But without Maoshan's cultivation methods, it was impossible to draw the talismans recorded inside.

I did not mention it. Instead, I drew some more Blood Stopping Talismans, Miasma Breaking Talismans, Soul Suppressing Talismans, Corpse Suppressing Talismans, Evil Dispelling Talismans, Soul Scattering Talismans...

Since these talismans were not commonly used, they had fewer uses and were not consumed much, so I only drew a few of each.

After finishing everything, I packed up my tools.

Then I closed my eyes and recovered the spiritual power I had used up while drawing talismans. I did not stop until my body had returned to peak condition.

Seeing that it was still early, I estimated there were another three or four hours before nightfall.

I told Nangong Yiyi that I would sleep for a while and asked her to wake me when it got dark. She nodded.

I found a wooden board and tossed it onto the ground, then fell into a deep sleep just like that. I did not know how long passed...

I felt someone gently push my shoulder. I woke up bleary-eyed and saw that the sky had already darkened slightly.

"Those little rats have started moving. Even though I've concealed my aura, they still don't dare come over," Nangong Yiyi said.

"Sis, go into the Yin gathering token first. Let me deal with these things."

"Oh? You're not scared? Your Martial Uncle said that the first time you ran out of the village,

"you had snot and tears streaming down your face, and your pants were soaked between the legs."

My face reddened, but I put on a fierce front as I replied, "Th-that was when I was fresh out of the gate. I didn't understand anything, so of course I was a little pathetic."

Martial Uncle really is something. He tells everyone everything. Does a dignified seven-foot man like me not have any pride?

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. I'll go into the Yin gathering token first. If you can't handle it, I'll step in."

I nodded, and Nangong Yiyi entered the Yin gathering token.

I tossed a few rotten pieces of wood onto the campfire, took out some rations and water, and ate and drank my fill.

Then I lit a cigarette and sat there with one leg crossed over the other, waiting for those things to appear.

Compared to before, I should have been terrified and trembling like a leaf.

But when I compared my current self with my former self, I realized that people really could grow.

Before long, I saw several ghostly things emerge again, appearing and vanishing intermittently.

I sneered inwardly. Still pulling this trick? Times have changed.

The night was still long, and I was full and content, so I wanted to see what they were up to.

I sat where I was without moving, watching them as if I were watching monkeys.

These ghostly things would sometimes reveal only a face, sometimes appear before me in full form and stare at me expressionlessly, and sometimes cackle strangely from somewhere else.

I watched with great interest, lit another cigarette, and clapped as I repeatedly said:

"Good, good! Not bad at all. Keep going, keep going!"

"Kid, you're actually not afraid of us?" asked a little old man who had appeared in physical form.

I froze. What... why does he look like that?

Before me stood a little old man less than a meter tall, wearing a tiny straw hat. His arms and legs were as thin as corn stalks.

He wore a filthy little vest and leaned on a small wooden stick.

Even more ridiculous, his nose was especially long, while his eyes were as tiny as soybean grains.

He had a little tuft of goatee on his chin, and the skin all over his body was green.

"What the hell are you?" I asked the strange-looking thing before me.

"This old man is a hundred-year Old Tree Spirit, taking human form to come into this world and save all living beings."

After stroking his beard and saying this, the little old man stood sideways with a mysterious, unfathomable expression on his face.

The little old man amused me so much that I burst out laughing.

"Hey... brat, what are you laughing at? And why are you on this old man's territory?"

I froze. "Your territory? This is our village. The place you're standing is my home. Since when did it become your territory?"

Without waiting for the little old man to answer, I said impatiently:

"Alright, alright. If there's nothing else, get the hell out of here. Don't force me to get rough."

"Hey... you yellow-mouthed brat! How dare you speak to this old man like that? Are you tired of living?"

The little old man stomped and hopped about as he spoke, looking utterly comical with every bounce.

My face slowly darkened as well. "Oh... and what exactly do you intend to do?"

"Looks like you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Then this old man will have to show you a little color.

"Left and right protectors, seize this brat for me."

I took a look. The protectors he spoke of were two wandering ghosts he had dragged out from who knew where.

With their meager cultivation, even Qianqian could clean them up.

The two ghostly things bared their fangs and brandished their claws as they lunged at me. The little old man stood there with his arms folded, looking certain of victory, letting out an occasional cold laugh.

With a raise of my hand, a lightning ball gathered in my palm. I could not even be bothered to aim before throwing it straight at the two wandering ghosts.

Two screams rang out one after the other, and then they turned into wisps of black smoke and vanished without a trace.

Smiling, I said to the little old man, "Well? Use whatever other tricks you have. Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

The little old man threw away the branch in his hand, then dropped to his knees with a thud, his body shaking like a sieve.

He shouted, "Spare me, Daoist master! This little demon was only passing through." With that, he got up and tried to leave.

"Stop."

The little old man halted mid-step as he was walking away, then turned his head and asked me:

"Does Daoist master have anything else? I'm just an ordinary little tree demon. Please show mercy, Daoist master, and spare this little demon."

"I never said I wanted your life. Since you're already here, I'll give you a task. That will be the price for living here," I said.

"I wonder what task Daoist master wishes to assign? I've never killed anyone. All these years, at most I've only scared people."

"There's a cave on the mountain behind the village. Go guard it, and don't let ordinary people enter. Agree, and I'll spare you.

"If you refuse... heh heh." I looked at the little old man with a sinister smile.

The little old man nodded frantically, repeatedly saying yes. I was a little worried that he would run off once I left. After all, I had only threatened him; I had not offered him any benefit.