Conspiracy

After confirming the effects of the Qi-Gathering Pill, Xia Dong did not rest, immediately arranging his talisman-making tools upon the desk.

Xia Dong picked up his brush and dipped it in ink; the process of crafting talismans flowed like moving clouds and flowing water.

After a bout of arduous crafting, dozens of brand-new low-grade Wind-Riding Talisman were fresh off the press.

Looking at the talismans emitting a faint glow on the table, Xia Dong's eyes revealed a hint of urgency.

The Peaceful Yin Talisman Scripture stated it clearly: talismans were extremely delicate things. Especially the low-grade ones he was currently crafting, the spiritual energy sealed within them would leak outward at every moment.

The poorer the quality and the lower the grade, the faster the dissipation.

If an ordinary low-grade Wind-Riding Talisman were simply kept in one's pocket, the mana fluctuations within would dissipate completely within a month, turning it into a useless scrap of paper.

In the cultivation world, high-grade talisman masters often spent vast sums to purchase specialized nourishing arrays or used rare spirit jade to craft "talisman cases" to store their talismans and lock in the spiritual energy.

"I haven't even seen such money-burning arrays and artifacts, let alone used them." Xia Dong tucked the finished Wind-Riding Talisman securely against his body, his gaze darkening. "Since they cannot be stored, I must convert them into capital as quickly as possible."

The channels for offloading goods in the marketplace had already been handed over to Qin Wan, but one should not put all their eggs in one basket.

Moreover, his output of talismans was extremely high; relying solely on Qin Wan's line would easily attract unwanted attention.

He needed another "major client" capable of swallowing these low-grade talismans in bulk without digging into his background.

Xia Dong pushed open the stone door of the secret chamber and changed into a crisp medical officer's uniform.

He touched the thick stack of talismans in his sleeve and walked straight out of the Changchun Medical Hall.

His goal was clear.

He headed directly toward the Pingyang County station of the Eagle-Wolf Guard—he was going to find the Flag Captain Zhao Ting.

Pingyang County, Eagle-Wolf Guard branch.

Dressed in a neat medical officer's uniform, Xia Dong passed through the front courtyard's training grounds without obstruction and walked straight to the back hall.

Over the past three years, Xia Dong had treated many wounded within the Eagle-Wolf Guard, and occasionally, when unexpected situations arose, he had also stepped in to help.

Through these interactions, his robust blood energy at the "Bone Forging Realm" naturally could not be hidden from those with a keen eye.

Although Flag Captain Zhao Ting was surprised that Xia Dong had reached the Bone Forging Realm in just a few short years, once he associated it with Xia Dong's unfathomable "Dao Registry" background, it felt reasonable.

Precisely because he knew the waters behind this "Dao Registry" were too deep, Zhao Ting had maintained a "polite and permissive" attitude toward Xia Dong over the years.

He neither tried to curry favor nor dared to offend him in the slightest, treating him as if he were a bodhisattva whose true origins could not be traced.

"Brother Xia, what brings you to the back hall to see me today?"

Zhao Ting dismissed his subordinates, smiled as he welcomed Xia Dong to a seat, and personally poured him a cup of tea.

After the two exchanged a few familiar pleasantries, Xia Dong did not beat around the bush. He reached into his sleeve, took out that thick stack of low-grade Wind-Riding Talisman, and pushed them gently toward Zhao Ting.

"I have a batch of talismans here and would like to ask you, brother, to help me take a look and see if we can find a good sales channel through the garrison."

Zhao Ting first glanced at them nonchalantly, but when he sensed the pure mana fluctuations radiating from the stack, his pupils constricted sharply.

"So many Wind-Riding Talisman?!"

Zhao Ting gasped. Such low-grade talismans might be unworthy of mention in the capital or within major sects, but for the low-level Ti Cavalry of the Eagle-Wolf Guard stationed in local counties and living on the edge of a blade, these were genuine life-saving treasures.

Zhao Ting's hand, holding the teacup, paused slightly as his thoughts flashed like lightning.

Although Xia Dong hadn't mentioned a single word about the origin of these talismans, Zhao Ting was no fool. How could a medical officer at the martial Bone Forging Realm conjure so many talismans of the cultivators out of thin air?

"That's it! It must be the Qixia Immortal Sect!"

Zhao Ting exclaimed inwardly.

He knew well that Xia Dong had ties to the lineage of True Person Lone Moon of the Qixia Immortal Sect. Now that this batch of talismans had suddenly appeared, in Zhao Ting's eyes, this was clearly some powerful figure within the Immortal Sect wanting to use Xia Dong's connection to offload sect supplies into the Eagle-Wolf Guard in exchange for other cultivation resources.

Big shots would certainly never handle such dirty, laborious work themselves.

So, they found him?

"Is this testing the waters?" Zhao Ting's heart suddenly grew hot.

If this sales channel opened up and they began to trust him.

Who knew how many high-grade pills and artifacts might flow through his hands in the future.

The massive benefits behind this were too much for Zhao Ting to resist.

In the past, Zhao Ting might have worried about inviting disaster, but his state of mind was no longer what it used to be.

Last month, while surrounding and suppressing that demon snake at Tiger Hill, he had been soundly defeated and nearly lost his life. But as the saying goes, one must break to build; amidst the stimulation of life-and-death combat and the subsequent healing and quiet recovery, he had unexpectedly turned a misfortune into a blessing, successfully condensing his divine sense and breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, officially stepping into the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

This breakthrough completely ignited the ambition that had long been extinguished in Zhao Ting's heart.

In the cultivation world, the golden age for Foundation Establishment was before sixty. Once past the age of sixty, blood energy would decline; even with a Foundation Establishment Pill in hand, the success rate of a forced breakthrough would be appallingly low, often requiring several or even a dozen Foundation Establishment Pill to have a glimmer of hope.

Zhao Ting had calculated his own age and aptitude; originally, he had thought that at best, he would reach the late stage of Qi Refining in this lifetime.

But now, he had entered the mid-stage of Qi Refining ahead of schedule.

As long as he could gather enough cultivation resources in the next twenty years, he might just be able to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining before sixty and gamble on the path of Foundation Establishment!

"In the face of the Immortal Path and longevity, I don't care how deep the waters behind Xia Dong run. Even if it's a bottomless abyss, I'm wading through it today."

When Zhao Ting looked at Xia Dong again, the "politeness" on his face instantly transformed into an extremely sincere warmth.

"Brother Xia! We are brothers, and your business is my business!" Zhao Ting swept the stack of Wind-Riding Talisman into his sleeve and patted his chest in assurance. "The quality of this batch of talismans is excellent. Rest assured, brother, leave them to me. I will settle the payment for you immediately using the cultivation resources and spirit stones from the branch treasury, at ninety percent of the market price."

As for the remaining ten percent price difference, and how much profit Zhao Ting would make by reselling them at a premium on the black market later, Xia Dong naturally would not ask.

"Then many thanks, brother." Xia Dong smiled and cupped his hands, then cut to the chase, "I would also like to trouble you to help me exchange for some Foundation Building Pill."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ting shook his head and kindly advised: "Brother, you are now at the perfection of the Bone Forging Realm, just one step away from entering the Internal Strengthening Realm. Although the Foundation Building Pill is pure, its medicinal power is mild. It's fine for tempering the skin and forging bones, but it's like scratching an itch through a boot when it comes to strengthening the internal organs; it won't have much effect."

Xia Dong naturally understood this, so he took the opportunity to ask: "Then in your opinion, brother, what kind of medicinal pill should I use?"

Zhao Ting pondered for a moment, then said solemnly: "Once a martial artist enters the Internal Strengthening Realm, the focus of cultivation shifts from external to internal. You need extremely potent and vital energy and blood to wash and refine the organs. Within our Eagle-Wolf Guard, there is a secret medicine called the Purple Blood Organ-Nourishing Pill. This pill is refined by extracting the essence blood of the Purple Blood Beast and combining it with dozens of rare spiritual herbs. It will be of great benefit to your organ refinement."

"It's just that this Purple Blood Organ-Nourishing Pill is highly sought after and cannot be bought through ordinary channels." Zhao Ting lowered his voice, "But rest assured, brother. As long as the subsequent sales channels open up, I will definitely be able to secure such pills for you from the Thousand-Household Office in the Prefecture City. When the time comes, you can just bring spirit stones to exchange with me."

"It's a deal. Then I will have to trouble you, brother." Xia Dong readily agreed.

The two conspired a bit more about the details of future transactions before Xia Dong took his leave.

After seeing Xia Dong off, Zhao Ting did not immediately take the talismans to cash them in. Instead, he used his connections to secretly inquire whether the Qixia Immortal Sect had recently experienced any "theft of talismans" or "looting of secret vaults."

The result was that the Qixia Immortal Sect was calm and peaceful, with no reports of any such incidents.

Seeing this intelligence, Zhao Ting was completely reassured.

"No news of theft. It seems their accounts are kept very clean, and they are able to suppress the matter..."

Zhao Ting felt at ease.

Linyuan Prefecture had not been peaceful lately, and a trump card like the Wind-Riding Talisman, which could be used to escape at critical moments, was of great use to low-level cultivators and martial artists alike.

After all, martial artists could also trigger the effects of the talismans by using their own essence blood.