Talismans

"I'd better have Dad prepare it, so no one gets suspicious."

Qi Condensation Pills were generally associated with breaking through to the Xiantian Realm.

As far as everyone else knew, Fang Yuan was trying to repair his Dantian. He absolutely couldn't take a Qi Condensation Pill, or his body would burst.

After thinking it all through, Fang Yuan opened the door. A round, chubby face greeted him, wearing a broad smile.

"What brings you here?"

Fang Yuan was rather surprised, but still smiled and invited Fang Man inside, then had a maid serve them tea.

"Didn't Brother Yuan ask me to look into that talisman last time? I've got a few leads now."

Fang Man gulped down the tea like an ox, moistened his throat, and spoke.

Fang Yuan's eyes flickered as memories surfaced in his mind.

Before the trial to enter the Azure Cloud Sect, he had once gone out adventuring with Fang Man and stumbled across a stone covered in runes.

Traditional talismans had strict requirements for what they could be inscribed on. Usually, specially treated yellow paper was used.

A talisman carved into stone was clearly unusual.

Moreover, the place where they found it happened to be not far from the Fang Family's Spirit Vein.

Fang Yuan had specifically sent people to investigate. Sure enough, they found several similar stone talismans nearby.

The art of talismans was extremely mysterious.

Some talismans prepared in advance could unleash tremendous power in an instant, even borrowing the power of heaven and earth.

"I heard that a big shot recently arrived at the Wang Clan's residence, and he might be a cultivator," Fang Man said.

Cultivators were few and far between in the Great Zhou Dynasty, making them a rare group among practitioners.

And only cultivators had the ability to make talismans.

"I'll bring this up with the family head. Thanks for your hard work," Fang Yuan said with a smile.

When it came to the family's Spirit Vein, its very foundation, no amount of caution was excessive.

"What are you saying?" Fang Man waved his hands repeatedly. "If Brother Yuan asks me to do something, I've got to give it my all."

"That pack of bastards from the Wang Clan are all rotten to the core. I bet they're cooking up another nasty scheme."

Of the Three Great Families, the Wang Clan had been established in Prefecture City the longest. Before the Fang Family rose to power, they had always held the top spot.

"Since you're already here, stay for a meal. It's about time."

Fang Man had meant to decline, but under Fang Yuan's gaze, he could only stay, grinning.

"This soup's something special."

Before long, the dishes were served.

As the Young Master, Fang Yuan had a private kitchen. The meat they prepared was all high-quality demonic beast meat, rich in vital energy.

"It's got a five-hundred-year-old lingzhi in it. The Grand Elder gave it to me."

Fang Yuan picked up his spoon and took a small taste. The soup, made with an old tortoise and lingzhi, was indeed delicious.

"Five-hundred-year-old lingzhi is a rare treasure. I'll have to shamelessly drink a little more," Fang Man said with a grin.

A five-hundred-year-old lingzhi had potent medicinal properties and was excellent for strengthening the body and restoring vitality. Even Xiantian Realm experts coveted one.

It was worth about as much as a two-bedroom house with a courtyard on the outskirts of Prefecture City.

"If Fang Hui knew we were eating the lingzhi his father gave us after he got beaten up, I wonder what he'd think." Fang Man's expression turned strange.

That reminded Fang Man that Fang Hui's older brother, Fang Yuan'er, still had a duel coming up.

"I've never liked that kid Fang Yuan'er. In a couple of days, I'll go camp outside their house and beat the two brothers black and blue."

Only Fang Man would think of going to camp outside someone's house.

Fang Yuan knew Fang Man wanted to stand up for him, but he didn't consider the two brothers a threat.

Besides, Fang Yuan'er was genuinely strong. Among the younger generation of the Fang Family, only Fang Yuan could reliably keep him in check.

"Don't you have faith in my strength?" Fang Yuan asked with a smile.

Fang Man was the type to take on Fang Yuan'er even if he knew he couldn't win. Fang Yuan didn't want that to happen.

"Of course I do!" Fang Man hurriedly waved his hands, afraid Fang Yuan would misunderstand.

"Leave this to me. Don't get involved."

Fang Yuan slowly rose to his feet and patted Fang Man on the shoulder, his words confident and commanding.

At that moment,

images flickered through Fang Man's mind.

He had gotten a late start; his talent hadn't shown itself until he was twelve.

On top of that, he'd lost both his parents as a child and been bullied more times than he could count. The figure standing before him now had been the one to protect him.

For a moment, the figure from his childhood and the one standing before him now gradually became one.

"Young Master, something's wrong! Miss Ke'er is challenging Young Master Fang Yuan'er to a fight!"

Xiao Zi hurried over. Her words snapped Fang Man back to reality, while Fang Yuan frowned slightly.

"That girl—she's still so quick to act without thinking about the consequences."

Fang Yuan glanced meaningfully at Fang Man. He looked embarrassed, lowering his eyes as a bitter smile spread across his face.

"Brother Yuan, I swear I had nothing to do with this."

Fang Yuan didn't dwell on it. He turned and headed straight for the Martial Arts Arena, with Fang Man close behind.

"You're no match for me."

On the platform in the Martial Arts Arena,

two young figures faced each other. The man wore a white robe and had sharp brows and bright eyes. With his hands behind his back, he spoke with utter arrogance.

"Make your move!"

The girl was lovely, her long black hair cascading down to her waist. Her eyes were clear as a pool of autumn water, and she had a cool, reserved air about her, speaking only when necessary.

"I won't hit a woman."

Fang Yuan'er didn't even look at the girl. He gazed down at the crowd milling below the platform, savoring their awe.

"Fang Ke'er's the prettiest girl in our family. I wouldn't have the heart to hit her either."

"And what does that make our little princess, Fang Qingyun?"

Some of the male disciples weren't paying attention to the fight at all. Instead, they started discussing the women of the family.

Their comments drew disdainful looks from some of the female disciples.

"Do you think Fang Ke'er challenged him out of nowhere to stand up for the Young Master?"

"Why even ask? Of course she did."

There was a heavy note of jealousy and envy in the disciple's reply.

Everyone knew that Fang Ke'er rarely spoke to anyone in the family and treated people coldly. She was a true ice beauty.

But Fang Yuan was the one exception.

This left many of Fang Ke'er's admirers beating their chests in frustration.

They might have dared to compete with other men.

But Fang Yuan was a once-in-a-century genius of the Fang Family, the family head's son, and a man of noble status. There was simply no comparing themselves to him.

"Could the Young Master really be badly injured? Does Fang Ke'er have to fight in his place?"

Many disciples who didn't know the whole story began to speculate.

"I doubt it. The Young Master is such a peerless talent. How could he fall so easily?"

A pretty female disciple spoke up in disagreement.

"I think Fang Ke'er just can't stand Fang Yuan'er's arrogance."

Among this generation of the Fang Family, Fang Yuan had won the favor of many women and clearly enjoyed great prestige. Many people voiced their support for him.

"You're telling me you care about talent?"

One disciple, unwilling to accept it, could only mutter under his breath.

"You're just judging by his looks. Pah!"

After all, Fang Yuan held great prestige among his peers, and most people didn't think he'd fallen from grace.

Still, they were deeply concerned about how strong he was now.

"Look, Fang Ke'er's making her move!"