Application of Talismans

Successfully drawing the first Cleanliness Talisman greatly boosted Xu Qian's confidence. Although the success rate was still pathetically low, and using his Sword Intent Seed to assist left him utterly exhausted every time, he had finally taken a solid first step, however stumbling, on the path of talismans.

Looking at the prison guard uniform, made spotless by the Cleanliness Talisman, a thought flashed through Xu Qian's mind like lightning—this thing could not only improve personal hygiene, but also be used to... gain favor?

In a place like the Heavenly Prison, with its extremely poor sanitary conditions, personal cleanliness was a major challenge. The guards dealt with filth and gore all day, inevitably picking up all sorts of smells and stains, even breeding lice and fleas. Baths? That was a luxury. Clean clothes? They only had one or two sets, and couldn't wash them promptly when they got dirty.

What if he could solve this problem for them without anyone knowing...

Xu Qian's eyes lit up. This was practically a divine artifact delivered to his doorstep for building relationships at zero cost (ignoring his mental strain)!

No sooner said than done!

He waited until the dead of night and gritted his teeth to draw several more Cleanliness Talismans. This time, he was more careful, trying to control the output of his Sword Intent Seed. Although the success rate was still not high, he managed to accumulate three or five finished talismans.

The next day, an opportunity presented itself.

Zhang Meng was on patrol with him. As they walked, Zhang Meng habitually scratched his back again, muttering, "This is weird, why has my body been so itchy these past few days? Could I have gotten 'Glorious Worms' again?" (A nickname the Heavenly Prison guards used for lice).

Xu Qian chuckled inwardly but maintained a serious expression, "Maybe the weather is damp. Brother Meng, stand still here for a moment, I'll brush off some dust for you."

As he spoke, he subtly took out a Cleanliness Talisman, hidden in his palm, and pretended to brush dust off Zhang Meng's back. The instant his palm touched the man's clothes, a barely perceptible trace of true qi was injected into the talisman!

"Pfft~"

An almost inaudible sound, and the talisman dissolved into nothingness in his palm.

A gentle, cleansing power instantly swept over Zhang Meng's back and entire body.

Zhang Meng felt an indescribably comfortable coolness spread across his back, and the annoying itch vanished instantly! He squinted comfortably, twisting his neck, "Hey! Brother Qian, your slap is miraculous! It stopped itching right after you patted me! That feels great!"

Xu Qian gave a simple, honest smile, "Maybe I just happened to slap the lice off."

Zhang Meng didn't suspect anything, only thinking that his Brother Qian was amazing even at brushing off dust!

With his first attempt a success, Xu Qian's confidence grew.

Over the next few days, he began his "secret cleansing operation."

When Old Zhou dozed off in the duty room, he "casually" "tidied up" the jacket draped over his chair, and a Cleanliness Talisman silently took effect.

When a few colleagues he got along with complained about body odor, he casually put an arm around them, and the talisman's power was subtly released through contact.

He even found an opportunity while Zhou Kang was giving a lecture to "accidentally" flick some dust (actually talisman ash) onto Zhou Kang's trouser leg, seizing the chance to activate a Cleanliness Talisman hidden at his fingertip.

The effects were immediate.

Zhang Meng was the first to notice the change. He scratched his head significantly less often. One day, he even said to Xu Qian in surprise, "Brother Qian, isn't it strange? I haven't felt itchy for days! Did those 'Glorious Worms' move out collectively?"

Xu Qian's expression remained unchanged, "Perhaps Brother Meng's qi and blood are vigorous lately, so the lice dare not come near."

Zhang Meng agreed wholeheartedly, becoming even more convinced that Brother Qian possessed some kind of mysterious aura.

Then came the other colleagues. They noticed that their prison guard uniforms, which were almost stiff enough to stand on their own, seemed less greasy and stiff. Wearing them felt more comfortable, and while there was still an odor, it was no longer the strong, nauseating, fishy smell.

"Huh? Old Li, you smell a bit lighter today?"

"Really? Aren't you the same? Maybe the weather's drier lately?"

"Could be..."

Everyone discussed it, attributing it to the improved weather.

Even Zhou Kang vaguely felt that his jacket, which he hadn't changed in nearly half a month, seemed... less grimy? He even subconsciously sniffed his sleeve, frowning slightly, somewhat puzzled, but didn't think much of it, considering it his own imagination, or perhaps... his wife had been washing clothes more vigorously recently? (Even though his wife didn't wash his prison guard uniforms).

Xu Qian watched all this, his merits hidden.

His "secretly delivering cleanliness" operation yielded surprisingly good results. It improved the immediate environment (at least the people around him smelled better) and invisibly strengthened his relationships with his colleagues and Zhou Kang.

Zhang Meng became even more devoted to him, believing that following Brother Qian meant even the lice wouldn't bite him.

His other colleagues also found him more agreeable. They thought that while this kid was a bit stubborn (referring to his excessive diligence in cleaning), he wasn't a bad person and was quite "lucky" for his roommates (meaning Zhang Meng no longer had lice).

Although Zhou Kang didn't understand the reason, he felt more at ease seeing his subordinates in better spirits. He became even more satisfied with Xu Qian's "sensibility" and "diligence."

[Hehe, I didn't expect this Cleanliness Talisman to have such a useful application!] Xu Qian thought gleefully. "It seems that with maxed-out auxiliary skills, I can get by anywhere!"