Weirdness Grading and the Blazing Flames Talisman

"Cough, cough."

Jiang Yan coughed heavily.

"Jiang Yan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Nothing. I just think you look a bit old for your age."

Before this, he never would have imagined that Ren Tao was still under sixteen.

"What's the big deal? Don't you think I have a manly aura?"

Jiang Yan: "..."

Letting that topic slide, Ren Tao thought for a moment and then said, "The Patrol Team is really dangerous. That Cat-Faced Man monster today was probably a Severe Sha."

Severe Sha?

Jiang Yan asked Ren Tao, "I've heard that above Slayer-level monsters are Ranked Monsters. Is that right?"

Ren Tao was silent for a moment, thinking carefully before speaking. "I've heard people say before that above 'Sha' there's actually another rank. The official term for it is 'Blood Sha.'"

"Fierce Sha, Severe Sha, Blood Sha—they correspond to the second martial realm, the Body Refining Realm."

"Sha, Blood Sha!"

Jiang Yan closed his eyes, memorizing these two words.

Instantly, the comparison between martial realms and monster ranks became clear.

Martial Apprentice corresponds to Slayer level, Body Refining corresponds to Blood Sha level, and Innate corresponds to Ranked Monsters.

"So that means I can barely handle a Fierce Sha?"

Thinking that he had only just become a Martial Apprentice.

"Maybe I can't even handle the lowest-ranked monster, a Fierce Sha," he thought to himself.

And so, the new patrol team members gradually began to adapt to patrol life. During the day, they followed the veterans to learn the ropes, and at night, they returned to train hard in the Chopping Iron Four Forms.

Ten days later, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Jiang Yan stepped out of his room with his longsword strapped to his back and headed to the square with Ren Tao. Today was their last day of training; tomorrow, the veterans wouldn't bother guiding them anymore.

In the square, the patrol members who had been on night duty had already finished their inspections under the Rune Soldiers and were now eating.

Jiang Yan and Ren Tao didn't lag behind. They grabbed flatbread stuffed with pickled vegetables and a small piece of dried meat, washing it down with hot porridge, warming their entire bodies.

After the meal, Jiang Yan and Ren Tao parted ways. Jiang Yan found Shan Renhu on his own, stood beside him, and clasped his fists. "Brother Shan."

Shan Renhu nodded at Jiang Yan without speaking. Soon after, Meng Sheng and Qian Peng also walked over, and the group exchanged greetings.

"Everyone's here." Shan Renhu took three Yellow Talismans from a small pouch at his waist and handed one to each of them.

"This is a Blazing Flames Talisman. Keep it safe and don't lose it."

Jiang Yan carefully examined the Yellow Talisman in his hand. It was still covered in incomprehensible tadpole-like lines, but they were much simpler than the Spirit Testing Talisman he'd seen a few days ago.

Staring at it for too long gave him a strange, nauseating feeling.

Holding it in his hand, he could feel a burning heat.

"As I've told you before, below the Body Refining Realm, people generally don't have the power to fight monsters. But patrol members are only a bit stronger than ordinary people. When they encounter a monster, they basically have no way to fight back."

The three nodded. They already knew this.

"We ordinary people rely mainly on talismans to deal with monsters. An ordinary person using the power of a talisman is like a child wielding a sharp blade against an adult—the outcome becomes uncertain."

"Otherwise, if the patrol team ran into a monster and had no way to deal with it, they'd just be waiting to die, and everyone would have been dead long ago."

Shan Renhu said seriously, "So make sure you keep this talisman safe. If you lose it, the team won't give you a replacement."

"Talismans are for saving your life. Unless they're used up fighting a monster, if you waste them on purpose, the team won't immediately give you new ones."

Shan Renhu thought for a moment and then added, "Tomorrow, you'll be formally assigned to your groups. At that time, each of you will also receive a Whistling Arrow. When you encounter a monster, call for help first. Don't try to be a hero."

"Next, I'll show you how to use the Blazing Flames Talisman."

Shan Renhu took out another Blazing Flames Talisman and slapped it onto the spear in his hand. The talisman paper automatically wrapped around the spear shaft.

From Jiang Yan's perspective, strands of runic patterns spread out, quickly covering the entire spear. At the same time, ethereal flames began to burn.

"It looks like fire, but its power is about the same as the Inner Qi inside a Body Refining Realm martial artist."

"That's why we can use talismans to deal with monsters."

Body Refining Realm, Inner Qi!

Jiang Yan memorized these two words again.

Shan Renhu lifted the spear and thrust it forward, as if wielding a spear of flame. The air itself seemed to warp from the heat.

After a simple demonstration, Shan Renhu removed the Blazing Flames Talisman.

The method of removal was even simpler—just pinch the Yellow Talisman and peel it off. Simple and crude.

After the demonstration, he glanced at the sky and led the three of them toward the pond.

Shan Renhu went over the matters requiring attention during patrols just as he always did, most of his words mere repetition.

Yet Jiang Yan and the other two listened earnestly. Over these past days, they had come to realize that Shan Renhu was indeed a straightforward man, sharing the greater part of his experience with them.

They talked as they walked, and soon reached the edge of the pond.

"What I could tell you, I've already told you. You'll get familiar with it soon enough; the rest can only come from experience."

"One last thing—I'm sure you all know that Weirds are ranked, but that's just us Humans forcibly grading them according to our own martial realms. It's not always accurate. Quite a few Body Tempering martial artists have died at the hands of Blood Sha Weirds, so never let your guard down."

Jiang Yan and the other two nodded silently.

"Brother Shan, I have one more question I'd like to ask."

"Oh? Go ahead."

"Why does a gang like Dahe Gang patrol the villages?"

Shan Renhu paused for a moment, glanced at Jiang Yan, then at Meng Sheng and Qian Peng. Seeing that they too were looking at him with curiosity—

"Three country bumpkins, don't even know that," he cursed inwardly.

"Actually, these five villages didn't exist originally. After Dahe Gang started mining in the area, countless people came here to make a living, and the villages gradually formed on their own."

"Every year they pay tribute to Dahe Gang, and they also supply the mining area with grain, vegetables, and daily necessities, seeking Dahe Gang's protection. Otherwise, do you think Dahe Gang would be bored enough to send out a Patrol Team to guard these villages?"

"Things aren't peaceful around Guihua City either. The authorities only registered these villagers' household records; they haven't formally taken over management here yet."

He paused here, then lowered his voice. "Actually, there's one senior in our Patrol Team who's a martial artist sent by the authorities. That senior arrived at the beginning of the year, and the talismans we use were made by him."

"So my guess is, the authorities are probably about to formally take over here. We might lose our jobs."

Jiang Yan blinked. He had originally speculated that Dahe Gang's influence was overwhelming, that they'd simply seized a place and played local tyrant. Now it seemed the authorities simply hadn't bothered with these few small villages.

But if the authorities really did send someone to manage these villages, they probably wouldn't actually lose their jobs, would they?

He shook his head, setting the thought aside. It was too early to worry about that now.

If he really did lose his job, that would be wonderful. The Patrol Team was far too dangerous—he had no intention of staying on it forever.

"By the way, Brother Shan, if the authorities take over here, what do you plan to do?"

"Me? I plan to find a way out of Dahe Gang, settle down in this village, marry a local girl, and have a big, fat son!"

I humbly request the recommendation tickets in the hands of the esteemed seniors.