Repulsion Field

"Old Master, what did you want to see me about?"

As soon as Chen Yulou stepped into the room, he saw Old Master Chen lying in a rocking chair, holding a long-stemmed pipe and wearing a stern expression.

"Luo Laowai asked you to go to Old Bear Ridge. What do you think?"

Old Master Chen glanced at his good-for-nothing son, took a deep drag on his pipe, and asked.

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

Chen Yulou had come to ask for his father's opinion, so he didn't hide anything and answered plainly.

"Mm. Looks like what happened a year ago really did teach you something."

Old Master Chen nodded, his tone softening a little.

"These past few years, you've nearly squandered the whole family fortune. I haven't said anything, since you were doing good deeds."

"But if you put yourself in danger for people who have nothing to do with you, that's just foolish."

"However..."

As he said this, Old Master Chen sat up and stared into Chen Yulou's eyes, his voice low and serious.

"Our family's granary is almost empty, too. I imagine you still want to go."

"I..."

Chen Yulou looked conflicted and faltered.

"Don't say another word. I've handed the family over to you, so do as you please."

"But there's one thing."

"You must come back alive. I won't have the Chen family line die out."

Old Master Chen cut him off and continued.

"Do you remember Daoist Simu, who saved your life a year ago?"

"Of course. You told me about him. But aren't people from the Daoist sects all prejudiced against tomb raiders like us?"

Chen Yulou nodded, looking puzzled.

"You were unconscious with a strange corpse poison in your system. Ordinary glutinous rice and snakebite medicine were useless, so I had no choice but to forcibly invite Daoist Simu over. He was the one who saved you."

"Afterward, I apologized and gave Daoist Simu a box of gold bars. He accepted it, and we settled the matter."

Chen Yulou listened closely. He'd been unconscious at the time and hadn't known any of this.

"Over the past year, I've helped him quite a bit, both openly and behind the scenes."

"If you ask him for help, he definitely won't agree. But if you ask him for something to protect your life, he'll give it to you."

"Understood?"

Old Master Chen narrowed his eyes at Chen Yulou.

"Understood. I'll set out this afternoon."

Chen Yulou nodded, though inwardly he couldn't help marveling. The old really were wiser.

"Take Hua Maguai with you. He knows where Daoist Simu lives. Go on."

Old Master Chen was beginning to tire, so he waved him away.

At Daoist Simu's residence, Simu had traveled through most of the night and was catching up on sleep in his room.

Lu Yan was in his own room, thinking about what he should do if he changed his plans.

With no one around, Jiale had gone off to spend time with Qingqing, joining Master Yixiu on a trip up the mountain to gather herbs.

By dusk, the clouds on the horizon were tinged a tempting golden yellow. Only then did Lu Yan come out of his room.

"Big Brother Lu, you're awake!"

"Dinner's almost ready. I was just about to come wake you."

Jiale had already prepared the food and was setting out the bowls and chopsticks.

"Mm. Go wake your master."

Lu Yan nodded. He hadn't slept, but couldn't be bothered to explain.

After thinking it over all day, Lu Yan had figured out what he needed to do. The people of Huaxia had never lacked patriots willing to fight back; the problem was that they were far too weak in the early stages. Lu Yan's task was to make up for that, then guide events in the right direction.

He still needed a few key people to put his plan into action. There was no need to rush.

"Ah..."

Just then, Daoist Simu yawned as he came out and greeted Lu Yan. "Daoist Lu, good morning."

"Daoist Simu, it's almost evening."

Lu Yan shook his head helplessly as he replied.

"Haha, I've been sleeping rough for so many days that I lost track of time."

Simu chuckled and shook his head, then hurried toward the washroom.

By the time Lu Yan and the others finished dinner, night had fallen.

Simu and Lu Yan were sitting at the table, drinking tea and chatting.

"Daoist Simu, the Godly Travel Talisman and Vajra Talisman you mentioned last time are remarkably powerful. I'm curious how they work."

Lu Yan picked up his teacup and took a small sip, pretending to ask out of curiosity.

"Haha, there are countless kinds of energy between heaven and earth, broadly divided into the five elements. The Godly Travel Talisman borrows the energy of wind, while the Vajra Talisman borrows the energy of metal. The key lies in the talismanic script."

Daoist Simu laughed heartily and explained with pride.

The energy between heaven and earth was thin these days. Simu had decent talent and trained hard without pause, yet had only reached the seventh level of Qi Refining. His senior brother, Lin Jiu, was more gifted, but had only reached the ninth level and still hadn't established his foundation.

And this young Lu Yan had already reached the realm of a formal mage. The aura he gave off was even stronger than that of the Foundation Establishment elders Simu had met. How was Simu supposed to feel about that?

Now that Lu Yan was asking him about talismans, Simu couldn't help feeling a little smug. It was, after all, the Maoshan Sect's specialty.

"Where did the talismanic scripts come from?"

Seeing Simu's expression, Lu Yan understood his childish streak and didn't mind. He continued asking.

Simu pondered for a moment before explaining, "In ancient times, there were countless demon beasts. Many could control fire and water, or command thunder and wind. The earliest talismanic scripts came from the innate Dao patterns on their bodies. Later, many human sages gained insights into the Great Dao and refined them, generation after generation, into what we have today."

"I see."

Lu Yan nodded in understanding. It was much as he'd expected. The runic arrays in the Wizard World had probably originated in much the same way.

"Daoist, I have the Earth Rock Technique, which forms a layer of stone armor over the body, making it impervious to blades and spears. I also have the Lightness Technique, which uses the wind to lighten your body, letting you move as swiftly as the wind."

"Why don't we trade?"

Lu Yan watched Daoist Simu's expression and made a tentative offer.

"No. Yours aren't as good as mine. You're trying to take advantage of me."

Simu thought it over and shook his head.

Those two talismans weren't exclusive to the Maoshan Sect. Most people in the orthodox Daoist sects knew how to draw them, so sharing them wouldn't be a problem. But what Lu Yan had offered was clearly less valuable than what Simu had.

Besides making the user impervious to blades and spears and granting them the aid of the wind, the Godly Travel and Vajra Talismans could also make them immensely strong and greatly improve their reflexes. They were true lifesaving treasures. If they weren't so difficult to draw, the Daoist sects wouldn't have fallen into decline.

"Fine. Then I'll add another spell called the Repulsion Field. It creates a field around you. Weaker attacks that enter it are deflected outright, while stronger ones are knocked off course."

"What do you think, Daoist?"

Lu Yan kept his expression calm, as though the offer he'd just made had come from someone else, and continued.

"What determines how strong this field is?"

Simu's eyes lit up at that, and he asked eagerly.

"It depends on the strength of your magical power. The stronger your power, the stronger the field. With your abilities, Daoist Simu, you could use it to deflect bullets from foreign guns. The spell can also be inscribed on a magical artifact and activated when needed."

Lu Yan thought to himself that the fish had taken the bait, and grinned inwardly, though his face remained expressionless.

"Is that really true?"

Simu stood up in excitement, leaned forward, and stared at Lu Yan.

"Of course. But maintaining the Repulsion Field constantly consumes magical power. The stronger the attack, the faster it drains your power."

Lu Yan nodded without hesitation.

"So, Daoist, do we have a deal?"

Lu Yan smiled faintly at Simu. Inwardly, he thought, Once I get this started, I have plenty of good things for you to trade for. Just watch me strip the Maoshan Sect bare.