Preparing to Depart

I figured it would be safer to use both coercion and enticement, but I didn't have any treasures to give him, so I was stumped for a moment.

At this time, Qianqian emerged from the Yin gathering token and stood beside me.

I was startled, then asked Qianqian, "That's strange, how did you get out?

Nothing inside should be able to come out without my permission."

Qianqian giggled and said, "The man inside found a way out.

But it's a one-way path, and it only appears sometimes."

I thought to myself, this man is truly extraordinary. He discovered something that even Nangong Yiyi missed.

Qianqian held a small, dark bead in her hand and handed it to me. I asked what it was, and Qianqian said it was called a "Yin Bead."

Not understanding, I asked what a "Yin Bead" was, and Qianqian told me everything that had happened inside.

Qianqian said that the man inside told them that coercion alone couldn't last long when asking someone to do something for you.

This is because if someone is forced to do something, they will harbor resentment.

However, if some benefits are offered, the effect would be vastly different.

At this moment, Nangong Yiyi spoke from within the Yin gathering token:

"Give it to him, little brother. I wanted to come out myself, but this old man's cultivation is too low.

If he saw me, he would surely burst into tears, which would be counterproductive.

This bead was formed over many years within this Yin gathering token. Because too much yin energy was gathered and couldn't be released, this excess yin energy condensed into Yin Beads that fell to the ground inside the Yin gathering token. They are quite valuable to ghostly creatures."

After hearing Nangong Yiyi's words, I calmed myself and sent my consciousness into the Yin gathering token to take a look.

Indeed, in a corner of the ground, there were piles of small black beads.

The first time I entered the Yin gathering token, I was too nervous, and coupled with the magic arrays whirring inside, I hadn't noticed so many things on the ground.

Now, looking closely, I saw the man lying on a bed made of condensed yin energy, fast asleep. Nangong Yiyi had also used yin energy to create some tables, chairs, and benches.

At a glance, it looked like a small home, with a bed, tables, and chairs made of yin energy...

I even saw a swing, and above it, the magic arrays were "kaka" whirring, continuously producing yin energy that fell down and was absorbed by Nangong Yiyi and the man.

"Oh, right, little brother, since your consciousness is in here, I have something to discuss with you," Nangong Yiyi said.

I told her to go ahead and say it! Nangong Yiyi then took out a fan broken in two and said:

"I want to repair my 'Soul Artifact' here.

But the yin energy consumed will likely be considerable. Excluding the beads on the ground, it will probably consume one-third of the yin energy in this space."

I said it was fine, to use it if needed, as it would be a waste otherwise. Nangong Yiyi nodded at me and smiled.

"You're quite generous. This one-third is equivalent to an ordinary small yin well," the man said with his eyes closed.

Nangong Yiyi glared at the man, but he didn't even open his eyes.

"Forget it, forget it. We're all family. If you want to use it, then use it." With that, I withdrew my consciousness.

Then, I handed the bead to the old man: "This is your reward. You must guard the cave in the back mountain for me diligently."

The old man received it as if it were a treasure, wiping it and examining it repeatedly.

Then, with a look of pleasant surprise, he said, "Ah... thank you, Daoist Master, thank you, Daoist Master."

He then added, "You can count on me. I promise not to let even a single mosquito fly in."

I nodded and took out a blank Talisman Paper, injecting a bit of my spiritual energy into it.

Then, I handed it to the old man, saying, "If anything happens, destroy this talisman, and I will be able to sense it."

This was something I had discovered recently. When making talismans, if the spiritual energy injected was uneven, when the talisman was used, my body would feel the spiritual energy of the talisman scattering wildly, and then it would disappear without a trace.

Of course, only my own spiritual energy would work; others' would not.

So, I thought of this drawback today and realized it could be utilized, so I made one on the spot.

The old man took it, nodding repeatedly, saying, "Certainly, certainly."

After speaking, he tucked the talisman and the bead into the inner pocket of his vest.

I asked Qianqian to return to the Yin gathering token, then turned and walked away briskly.

As a final instruction, I warned the old man not to harm any lives, otherwise, I would return to take his life.

The old man nodded and bowed, saying, "No, no," and took out a red cloth strip from somewhere.

Waving the red cloth strip, he shouted, "Goodbye, Daoist Master."

I chuckled to myself, waved goodbye to the old man, and left the village.

I walked all the way to the village entrance, then turned back for a long look at the place I'd lived in for so many years.

My heart was filled with mixed emotions; I didn't know when I'd be able to return.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath to steady myself, then turned and walked away with long strides...

Once in town, I found a small inn and slept for the night. The next day, I went to the station and bought a train ticket to Sichuan Province, for the two o'clock in the afternoon train.

Looking at the clothes I was wearing, I felt a bit embarrassed to go visiting people like this, so I went to town and bought a new set.

The new jacket was a waterproof windbreaker, I got a pair of black jeans, and a pair of steel-toed hiking boots.

They were the kind with a steel cap on the toe. I also bought a new travel bag.

I felt one set of clothes wasn't enough, so I bought another identical set of clothes and shoes.

Then I asked the shopkeeper to pack them up for me, and I paid.

I changed into the new clothes and shoes in the fitting room, then took my backpack to an alley.

Seeing that no one was around, I put some of my things into the newly bought bag.

The bag didn't actually contain much, just the clothes I'd bought, along with some brushes, cinnabar, blank yellow paper, and a bit of dry food and water.

I'd put all the other important items into the small space, like the "Golden Light Purple Thunder Talisman" and the "Maoshan Talisman Compendium" my Martial Uncle gave me.

The talismans I'd made myself, the corpse-binding rope, and the beans – I'd put all the important ones into the small space.

Seeing the beans, I asked Nangong Yiyi, who was inside the Yin gathering token, if the beans could be stored there.

This was because the Yin soldiers within the beans needed yin energy to be nourished, otherwise their strength would decline significantly.

As long as there were ghostly creatures inside the Yin gathering token, we could communicate mentally without speaking aloud, so others wouldn't hear our conversation.

Nangong Yiyi told me to take one out for her to try. I took a bean out of the small space, and the bean in my hand instantly disappeared.

Nangong Yiyi said it was possible, so I took all the beans out and had her put them inside. Seeing this, I was a bit stunned.

Didn't she say only ghostly creatures could enter? I immediately sent my consciousness into the Yin gathering token.

I saw a small pile of beans in a small basin formed from condensed yin energy.

The small basin was placed beneath a magic array, and a continuous stream of yin energy was being absorbed by the beans.

So I asked Nangong Yiyi, "Why can the beans enter even though they aren't ghostly creatures?"

"Because there are ghostly creatures inside the beans, and soybeans are inherently yin.

These Yin soldiers have also lived inside the beans for so many years, so these are no longer ordinary beans," Nangong Yiyi said.

"Then, if these beans keep absorbing yin energy like this, won't they explode?"

Nangong Yiyi rolled her eyes at me and said, "Are you stupid? If you're full, will you keep eating?"