Preparing to Set Off

I thought it would be safest to use both threats and incentives, but I had no treasures to give him. For a moment, I was at a loss.

At that moment, Qianqian emerged from the Yin gathering token and stood beside me.

I froze, then asked Qianqian, "That's not right. How did you get out?

Without my permission, the things inside shouldn't be able to come out."

Qianqian covered her mouth and smiled before saying, "The man inside found a path that leads out.

But that path only allows exit, not entry, and it appears and disappears from time to time."

That man really was extraordinary. Even Nangong Yiyi hadn't discovered something he managed to find.

Qianqian held a small jet-black bead in her hand and passed 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 the man inside had told them that constantly threatening someone when asking them to do something would not last.

Because even if someone did something under duress, they would still be harboring resentment.

But if you gave them some benefits, the effect would be vastly different.

At that moment, Nangong Yiyi spoke from inside the Yin gathering token.

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

If he saw me, he would definitely burst into tears and snot, and that would only backfire.

This bead was produced inside the Yin gathering token over all these years. Too much yin energy had gathered here, with no way to release it.

So the excess yin energy condensed into Yin Beads, one after another, and fell onto the ground inside the Yin gathering token. They are good stuff for ghosts."

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

Sure enough, countless black beads were piled densely in the corner of the ground.

The first time I entered the Yin gathering token, I had been too nervous. On top of that, the formations inside had been clattering away, so I hadn't noticed there was so much stuff on the ground.

Looking carefully now, I saw the man lying on a bed condensed from yin energy.

His eyes were shut as he slept soundly. Nangong Yiyi had also condensed some tables, chairs, and stools from yin energy.

At a glance, it looked like a little home—beds, tables, chairs, and stools all condensed from yin energy...

I even saw a swing. Above it, the formations were running with a clack-clack-clack.

The yin energy they produced fell continuously, absorbed into Nangong Yiyi's and the man's bodies.

"By the way, little brother, since your consciousness is in here, your sister wants to discuss something with you," Nangong Yiyi said.

I said, "What is it? Go ahead." Nangong Yiyi took out a fan broken cleanly into two pieces and said,

"I want to repair my Soul Artifact here.

But it will likely consume quite a lot of yin energy. Not counting the beads on the ground,

it will probably use up one-third of the yin energy in this space."

I said it was fine, that she could use it. Leaving it there would only be a waste. Nangong Yiyi nodded at me with a smile.

"You really are generous. That one-third is worth an ordinary little yin well," the man said with his eyes still closed.

Nangong Yiyi glared at him, but he did not even open his eyes.

"Forget it, forget it. We're all on the same side. Let her use it." With that, I withdrew my consciousness.

Then I handed the bead to the little old man. "This is your reward. Help me keep a close eye on the cave at the back of the mountain."

The little old man accepted it as if he had obtained a priceless treasure, wiping it again and again and looking it over and over.

Then, with delight all over his face, he said, "Ah... Thank you, Daoist master. Thank you, Daoist master."

He continued, "Just watch. I guarantee not even a mosquito will be allowed to fly in."

I nodded, took out a blank sheet of Talisman Paper, and infused it with a little of my Spiritual Energy.

Then I handed it to the old man. "If anything happens, destroy this sheet of Talisman Paper, and I'll be able to sense it."

I had only discovered this recently. When making talismans, if the Spiritual Energy infused into them was uneven,

then when that talisman was used, my body would sense its Spiritual Energy running wild everywhere before vanishing without a trace.

Of course, it only worked with my own Spiritual Energy. Someone else's would not do.

That was why I realized today that this flaw could actually be put to use, so I made one on the spot.

The little old man took it and nodded repeatedly, saying that he definitely would.

After saying that, he stuffed the talisman and the bead into the inner pocket of his little vest.

I had Qianqian return to the Yin gathering token, then turned and strode away.

Before leaving, I reminded the little old man that he was not to harm anyone's life, or I would return and take his.

The little old man bowed and scraped, saying he would not, he would not. He even took out a red cloth strip from who knew where.

As he waved the red strip, he shouted, "Goodbye, Daoist master!"

I could not help laughing. I waved to the little old man, then left the village.

When I reached the village entrance, I turned back and took one deep look at the place where I had lived for so many years.

My heart was a tangled mess, and I did not know when I would be able to return.

I closed my eyes and steadied myself, then turned and strode away...

After reaching 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, departing at two in the afternoon.

Looking at the clothes I was wearing, I felt a little embarrassed about going to their place dressed like that, so I bought a new outfit in town.

A new waterproof outdoor jacket, a pair of black jeans, and steel-toed hiking boots.

The kind with a steel cap over the toes. I also bought a new travel bag.

Feeling that one outfit was not enough, I bought another identical set of clothes and shoes.

Then I had the owner pack them up and paid.

I changed into the clothes and shoes in the fitting room, then carried the backpack into an alley.

After checking that no one was around, I put some things into the newly bought bag.

There was not much in it, really—just the clothes I had bought, along with some writing brushes, cinnabar, blank yellow paper, a little dry food, and water.

I put all the other important things into my small space, such as the Golden Light Purple Thunder Talisman and the Maoshan Talisman Compendium Uncle-Master had given me.

The talismans I had made, the corpse-binding rope, the beans, and other important things had all been put into the small space.

When I saw the beans, I asked Nangong Yiyi inside the Yin gathering token whether those beans could be placed inside.

The Yin soldiers within the beans needed yin energy to nourish them, or their strength would decline severely.

As long as there were ghosts inside the Yin gathering token, we could communicate through our minds without speaking aloud, so no one else could hear our conversation.

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

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

Hadn't they said only ghosts could enter? At once, I sent my consciousness into the Yin gathering token.

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

The basin had been placed beneath the formations, and the endless flow of yin energy was being absorbed by the beans.

I asked Nangong Yiyi, "Why can the beans come in even though they aren't ghosts?"

"Because there are ghosts inside the beans, and soybeans are yin in nature.

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

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

Nangong Yiyi rolled her eyes at me. "Are you stupid? Once you're full, would you keep eating?"