Talisman Master Zhao Lin

He Song opened his eyes.

His gaze immediately settled on the paper crane before him.

Though the paper crane was made of paper, it contained spiritual power. It looked unremarkable, but there was more to it than met the eye.

The paper crane came from one of the three basic spells, the Sound Transmission Technique.

Of course, actual voice transmission was rather impractical. But if one folded a sheet of written paper into a paper crane, infused it with spiritual power, and attached the aura of the person one wished to find, the crane would reach that person at incredible speed.

Paper cranes created through the Sound Transmission Technique moved incredibly fast, and intercepting one was harder than climbing to the heavens.

Moreover, since the crane was made from a sheet of written paper, once the crane arrived, so too did the contents of the letter.

In this way, it could be considered a form of long-distance communication.

He reached out and took the paper crane, a thread of spiritual power appearing at his fingertips.

The moment it sensed the spiritual power at He Song's fingertips, the previously lifelike paper crane suddenly turned into an ordinary folded crane, losing all its former speed and agility.

The next moment, a sheet of paper covered in writing appeared in He Song's hand.

"Fellow Daoist He, I do not know when I shall return from this journey, and fortune or misfortune is impossible to predict. I had originally intended for you to take over my position, but my superiors would not permit it. Left with no choice, I could only recommend another Qi Refining stage 4 cultivator who is usually on good terms with me."

"But rest assured, Fellow Daoist. His name is Zhao Lin, and he is a good friend of mine. Before leaving, I asked him to look after you well. His temperament is similar to yours—both of you are quite cautious. I trust you will not find it difficult to get along."

"Besides that, Zhao Lin is proficient in the Talisman Dao. If you need anything, you may seek him out."

"Meng Guan."

He Song's gaze swept over the lines of writing on the paper in his hand, and he remained silent.

Meng Guan had left.

After handing over his duties and packing up his belongings, he had departed Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market overnight.

As for why he had left in such a hurry—

He had not even allowed He Song and Wei Fan to hold a farewell banquet for him.

He Song had some guesses as to the reason.

First, the sooner he reached the Red Spirit Gold Mine, the sooner he could begin earning Spirit Stones.

Second, farewells were too painful. Rather than making all three of them suffer, it was better to leave without saying goodbye and spare them some of the bitterness of parting.

Third—

He Song set down the letter and considered it for a moment before ultimately deciding not to throw it away.

He folded the letter and placed it in the quiet room.

Keeping it on his person made it too easy to damage. He Song did not possess such a high-end item as a Storage Pouch, so he could only leave it in the quiet room for now and move it later once he obtained one.

With that thought in mind, He Song looked out the window.

By then, dawn had broken, though the sun had not yet fully risen.

Wisps of morning mist shrouded the surroundings, greatly obstructing his view.

Yet voices could already be heard outside. The cultivators of Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market were about to begin another day of their lives.

He rose.

He cooked.

After finishing breakfast, He Song first went to the Stall Area to select some talisman ink. Carrying the ink in hand, he headed to the residence of Zhao Lin, the man mentioned in Meng Guan's letter.

He Song naturally would not abandon the connections Meng Guan had left behind for him.

As a Spirit Plant Farmer, he would likely spend a long time working under Zhao Lin in the future.

Thus, now that Meng Guan had only just departed and his tiger's might still lingered, Zhao Lin would hardly refuse him face.

After all, Meng Guan had given Zhao Lin his position and had specifically instructed him to look after He Song.

If Zhao Lin simply turned a blind eye to that, others would immediately begin questioning his character.

Meng Guan had been at Qi Refining stage 6 before he left.

Zhao Lin, meanwhile, was now at Qi Refining stage 4.

Though both were in the Qi Refining Middle Stage, one had only just entered it while the other had cultivated there for many years. Naturally, they could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Coupled with the doubts people might cast upon his character, Zhao Lin likely would not sit comfortably in that position either.

Therefore, Zhao Lin would most likely not make things difficult for him. He might even take extra care of him because of Meng Guan.

Thoughts flashed through He Song's mind along the way, but his feet did not slow. Before long, he arrived at Zhao Lin's residence.

Just like He Song—

Zhao Lin also lived in one of the Immortal Market's rental houses.

Zhao Lin's home was not far from He Song's.

It was only a few minutes away.

Standing outside Zhao Lin's door, He Song knocked lightly.

Knock, knock, knock~

As the knocking sounded, an unusual noise immediately came from within the previously silent house.

Yet after some time, a wary voice finally called out.

"Who is it?" Inside the house, Zhao Lin held several Thick Earth Talismans in his hand, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Last night—

An old friend who had treated him rather generously had suddenly left, handing the Spirit Medicine Pavilion position over to him at the same time.

It had allowed him, once merely a humble Spirit Plant Farmer, to rise in a single step to the heavens and obtain the post of Spirit Medicine Pavilion manager.

One had to know that although Spirit Plant Farmers were also personnel of the Immortal Market, they held no authority. All year round, they were nothing more than farmers.

But the position of Spirit Medicine Pavilion manager was entirely different.

As the Spirit Medicine Pavilion manager, Meng Guan was responsible for bringing in Spirit Plant Farmers and distributing spirit seeds.

Who could become a Spirit Plant Farmer.

Who could obtain better spirit seeds.

Meng Guan alone had the final say in all these matters.

Now that Meng Guan had yielded his position to him, those duties naturally fell onto his shoulders.

Although the monthly salary of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion manager was not high, when the gray income was included, the earnings far surpassed what he could make by farming for an entire year.

However, wherever there were people, there was a jianghu.

Many people had their eyes on the lucrative position of Spirit Medicine Pavilion manager.

Now that he had suddenly risen to the post, who knew what those people might be thinking.

Furthermore, he had only just broken through to Qi Refining stage 4 and did not possess the true combat strength of a Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator.

Thus, when someone suddenly knocked on his door, Zhao Lin's first thought was to pull out the Thick Earth Talismans on him to protect his life.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao Lin, I am He Song. Old Meng should have mentioned me to you before leaving last night. I have come to visit you today and hope you will open the door so we may meet."

Outside the door, He Song called out loudly, talisman ink in hand.

The talisman ink was naturally the customary gift for their first meeting.

He Song was fairly reassured by the connections Meng Guan had left behind.

On the way here, He Song had already prepared himself to get along with Zhao Lin for a long time.

The room fell silent for a moment.

He Song sensed a gaze sweep over him from the shadows.

Only then did the door before him open.

"So it is Fellow Daoist He. Brother Meng did indeed instruct me about you last night. Please, come in." A trace of embarrassment appeared on Zhao Lin's face as he hurriedly invited He Song inside.

The door closed.

They entered the house.

Inside—

Beside a cluttered desk—

He Song and Zhao Lin sat down, host and guest respectively.

Before long, Zhao Lin placed a cup of hot tea beside He Song.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist He. Since you are Brother Meng's friend, you are naturally my friend as well. If anything comes up in the future, simply let me know." Though it was their first meeting, Zhao Lin was quite warm and enthusiastic.

It seemed there had indeed been no falsehood in his friendship with Meng Guan.