When Chu Mo returned to the courtyard, he happened to see a young man in bright yellow clothes pushing the door open and coming out.
"Oh?" The yellow-clad young man looked Chu Mo up and down, then smiled. "You're the new neighbor living across from me?
"Let's get acquainted. My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Yang."
"Chu Mo."
Zhao Yang acted as though they were old friends, taking hold of Chu Mo and launching into a conversation. His enthusiasm made Chu Mo somewhat uncomfortable.
A cup of tea's worth of time later, Chu Mo interrupted him helplessly. "Brother Zhao, weren't you about to go out?"
"Oh, right, right! I almost forgot I had something important to do." Zhao Yang slapped his forehead, looking rather remorseful.
Then his eyes shifted. "Brother Chu, would you like to come to the North Cliff Gathering with me?"
"The North Cliff Gathering?"
The moment Chu Mo asked, Zhao Yang perked up, tossing that "important business" of his beyond the ninth heaven. He leaned closer and explained enthusiastically:
"That's right! The North Cliff Gathering. You've only just arrived, Brother Chu, so you haven't been there yet, have you? It's a little market some Qi Refining disciples set up themselves, down below the old mountain cliff to the north.
"At first, a few senior brothers and sisters started it to trade odds and ends they had no use for. It's out of the way, so the stewards can't be bothered with it, and there's plenty of space. As more people joined, it turned into a gathering."
Zhao Yang rubbed his hands and continued, "Pills, talismans, spells, materials from other worlds-you can find all of those at the gathering. The prices are considerably lower than at the sect's Merit Hall, too. Sometimes you can even dig up a decent cultivation manual."
He waggled his eyebrows at Chu Mo. "Well? Want to come along?"
"Next time. Definitely next time." Chu Mo coughed twice and declined.
"All right, next time it is." Zhao Yang did not seem discouraged by the refusal and hurried off toward the north.
"The North Cliff Gathering..." Chu Mo murmured as he watched Zhao Yang's retreating figure. The man was so friendly that he hardly seemed like a Deliverance Sect disciple. Could someone so unguarded really survive in this sect?
Turning back to his room, Chu Mo eagerly checked the notifications on his player panel.
[Quest [Talisman Master Preliminary Test]] [Quest description: A trial given by Talisman Master Liu Xian. Produce one hundred sheets of talisman paper within one month and deliver them to Liu Xian. Upon completion, he will give you some rewards.]
This is the first quest I've ever received! Chu Mo thought excitedly. The quest system was one of the most important modules available to a player. He had thought that module was missing.
Recalling the scene earlier, he almost imagined a huge exclamation mark hovering above Liu Xian's head, positively radiating friendliness.
Brimming with excitement, Chu Mo took the instructions for making talisman paper and spirit ink out of his Storage Bag and read them carefully.
But once he finished reading, his excitement immediately ebbed away, and he cursed inwardly. Fuck. That old bastard really is after my body.
Making talisman paper was straightforward enough. It only took some effort and posed no other problems.
But the best material for spirit ink was a cultivator's blood. Using a cultivator's blood essence as a base, one mixed in a specific spirit dust while chanting the "Yangblood Curse," refining both blood vitality and spiritual power into the ink.
Moreover, this was the only method recorded. There was no mention whatsoever of demon blood or beast blood.
Chu Mo became even more convinced that there was not a single decent person in the Deliverance Sect.
At least I only have to make talisman paper for now, Chu Mo consoled himself, but his desire to find a spell grew increasingly urgent.
Maybe I should take a look at the North Cliff Gathering?
He pondered this as he took out the materials for making talisman paper.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Chu Mo placed a stack of talisman paper on the stone table and stood respectfully to one side.
After checking it carefully, Liu Xian found no issues with either the quality or the quantity and praised him repeatedly. "Good, good."
He turned to Chu Mo, looked him up and down, and exclaimed in surprise, "The second level of Qi Refining?"
"It's all thanks to your guidance, Master Liu," Chu Mo replied flatteringly. Over the past month, he had not neglected his cultivation while making talisman paper, and yesterday he had successfully broken through to the second level of Qi Refining.
"To advance so quickly with a Middle Grade mortal cultivation method... Your aptitude truly is extraordinary." Liu Xian sighed with feeling. If he had possessed such talent, he would not have been stuck in the middle stages of Qi Refining for so many years.
Chu Mo ventured, "As for this disciple's payment..." Before he came, he had been told he would receive Spell Coins.
"If I'd met Brother Jiang sooner back then and switched cultivation methods in time, I probably would have broken through to the late stages of Qi Refining long ago." As though he had not heard Chu Mo, Liu Xian continued muttering to himself while sorting through the talisman paper on the table.
After waiting for ages without receiving an answer, Chu Mo helplessly raised his voice a little. "Master Liu, this disciple has no Spell Coins left to renew the courtyard's lease."
Liu Xian stopped what he was doing and frowned slightly. "Don't keep dwelling on worldly possessions. Here, you have the opportunity to learn the craft of talisman-making. No amount of Spell Coins could buy that."
"But this disciple-"
Before Chu Mo could finish, Liu Xian interrupted impatiently. "There are plenty of sect assignments. Take any one of them, and you'll have enough for your daily expenses."
Then his tone changed, becoming earnest and instructive. "Right now, you need to study diligently so you won't be at a loss when making talismans later. You should know that the other two are already far ahead of you."
You haven't taught me anything else, either. Dark lines seemed to streak across Chu Mo's forehead.
"How about this? I'll count your assessment this month as perfect." Liu Xian tapped the stone table. "Bring me at least two hundred sheets of talisman paper next month. If there's nothing else, you may leave."
Chu Mo vaguely recognized in him a familiar face from his previous life. He was just about to say something when a special notification popped up, interrupting his thoughts.
[Quest complete. Received rewards bestowed by Liu Xian: Spell Coin x10] [You have received the quest [Second Talisman-Maker Trial]]
Chu Mo came back to his senses. In the glow of those notifications, Liu Xian's previously hateful face suddenly seemed warm and kindly.
"Yes, Master Liu. This disciple will definitely complete it," Chu Mo said hastily, suppressing his excitement. He was afraid that if he answered too late, Liu Xian might withdraw the quest.
Liu Xian wore an expression that said the young man could still be taught, then waved him away.
Once he was alone in the cave abode, he chuckled. "Another five Spell Coins saved. These newly admitted disciples really are easy to fool."
After a few years, they would become slippery old hands, and he would no longer be able to hoodwink them.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Liu Xian suddenly began coughing violently. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, scorching a black mark into the floor the instant it landed.
He hurriedly took out a blue pill and swallowed it.
A short while later, the coughing stopped. He took out his Storage Bag and gave a bitter laugh when he saw how few pills remained.
If his heart fire had not turned against him, greatly reducing his strength and forcing him to constantly suppress it with Ice Vein Pills, why would he have stooped to pocketing this paltry handful of Spell Coins?
"Time to buy more pills." Resigned, Liu Xian took out his Spell Coins and counted them. His eyes abruptly widened, and his face drained of color. "Why are ten missing?!"
Refusing to believe it, he counted again. When he confirmed that ten Spell Coins had indeed vanished into thin air, his scalp prickled with terror.
Cultivators possessed extraordinary memories. He could not possibly have misremembered his own assets. Had he been robbed, then?
If someone could silently take something from his Storage Bag, taking his life would be just as easy as turning over a hand.