Land Boat, Great Talisman Sect

The next day, Jiang Yi rose early and packed his bags.

There was little trouble to it: a few changes of Daoist robes and some dry rations would suffice.

The main thing was to hide his Talisman Money securely, lest some Outer Dao Bandit Cultivator casually make off with it.

Especially now, with the year drawing to a close. According to Old Li, Outer Dao Bandit Cultivators were at their most rampant, often gathering in gangs to plunder openly.

"It really isn't easy for an outer sect Mortal Laborer to travel far from home."

Jiang Yi sighed softly. Talisman Money was merely wastepaper if he kept it in his hands; turning it into cultivation resources was the proper course.

That was why he had asked Li Ruohan for a loan. With her hundred and fifty thousand, plus his own savings, he intended to shop to his heart's content and shore up his foundations.

The resources on the outer peaks all had sources behind them, and all required connections.

Things were unsettled below the mountain, but there were more opportunities, and a better chance of getting his hands on resources.

"I wonder what realm I'll have to reach before I can own a 'storage Law Artifact.'"

Looking at the stacks of bright red Talisman Money that stuffed his saddlebag to bursting, Jiang Yi could not help developing a headache.

He pondered whether the important figures of the Dharma Lineages also carried a dozen sacks of Talisman Money when discussing deals worth millions, or even tens of millions.

Or did they trade using the legendary "Spirit Stones"?

"Poverty really does limit one's horizons. When you've never seen something, it's hard even to guess how it works."

Jiang Yi shook his head, slung the heavy saddlebag over his shoulder, and called outside, "Brother He, let's go!"

"All right! Coming, coming!"

He Laohun answered and emerged from his room, likewise wearing a bulging saddlebag around his waist.

Jiang Yi teased him:

"How much Talisman Money are you taking down the mountain this time, Brother He? It looks as though you've emptied your coffers."

"Just a few thousand. I thought I'd buy a few useful things."

He Laohun chuckled and patted his crotch with considerable pride:

"I sewed all my Talisman Money into my loincloth. I deliberately put the saddlebag on the outside to fool those Bandit Cultivators. Heh! Guaranteed foolproof!"

Unable to suppress a laugh, Jiang Yi gave him a thumbs-up:

"A seasoned old hand indeed, Brother He! You've thought of everything. My admiration!"

The two were just about to leave when the neighboring door creaked open a crack.

Widow Qin poked her head out:

"Yi, wait a moment. I have something to tell you."

Jiang Yi gestured for He Laohun to wait for him at the foot of the mountain, then walked over:

"Sister Qin, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Widow Qin fumbled about for a while, took out a plain-colored purse, and pressed it into Jiang Yi's hand without giving him a chance to object.

"Old He said you're going to Three Harmonies Ward this time? I remember an old-established shop there that makes excellent Red Crisp Candy. Bring back two jin for me."

Jiang Yi accepted the purse and immediately felt that its weight was wrong. Opening it, he found not only money for the candy, but several neatly rolled bundles of Talisman Money.

He froze briefly. Was Red Crisp Candy made of gold? Did two jin require such a fortune?

"The rest... keep it for yourself." Widow Qin turned her face away, her voice drifting softly over. "It's not often you get to travel far. If you see any suitable Spirit Materials, buy yourself some. I spent some time in Three Harmonies Ward in my younger years. They have a rich selection of Spirit Materials there."

She paused, her voice growing quieter still:

"It isn't much, Yi... please don't refuse."

Another debt of kindness.

The purse suddenly felt hot in Jiang Yi's hand, as though it held more than Widow Qin's lingering warmth. His instinct was to refuse, but his thoughts turned, and he accepted it readily.

"Thank you for your kindness, Sister Qin. I'll be sure to bring back the Red Crisp Candy!"

Only when Jiang Yi accepted it did Widow Qin let out a breath of relief and remind him:

"Off you go. Don't keep Duty Officer Yang waiting! If there are any errands along the way, just leave them to Old He. He's always been good at dealing with people."

With that, she drew back inside and closed the door.

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and strode out of the Large Compound.

The saddlebag weighed heavily on his shoulder, while the purse burned against his chest, bringing him back for a moment to the first time he had left home in his previous life.

He had been met with the same hopes, felt the same apprehension, and set out for an unfamiliar world broader than his hometown.

Before long.

Jiang Yi and He Laohun reached the foot of Crimson Flame Peak and waited obediently, following Yang Xun's instructions.

Three Harmonies Ward was said to lie a full seven or eight hundred li from the Qianji Sect, requiring a boat or carriage ride.

About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, Yang Xun arrived, his steps swift as the wind and light as a drifting cloud.

He took out several old yellow talisman papers and handed them to Jiang Yi:

"These are Jia Ma. We need to catch a carriage at the Boat and Carriage Station. These will get us there quickly without wearing out our legs."

Jiang Yi took them and examined them closely. Six "jia" characters and six "ding" characters were written in cinnabar on each talisman paper, with a single "ji" character at the bottom and a trailing pattern of curling clouds.

"Jia refers to the gods of jia and ding. Bind these to both legs, and they can raise wind beneath your feet and clouds beneath your soles. Traveling eight hundred li a day is no difficult matter."

Knowing this was his first trip down the mountain, Yang Xun explained patiently:

"These are things cultivators commonly use. Jia Ma Talismans, Clean Clothes Talismans, Dust-Repelling Talismans, and the like are sold by every Dharma Lineage. Eight or nine out of ten come from the Great Talisman Sect."

Following his instructions, Jiang Yi bound the Jia Ma Talismans to his calves, then gave He Laohun two as well and asked in puzzlement:

"Could it be that only the Great Talisman Sect can make talismans?"

Logically, such widely useful "everyday talismans," essential to everyone, ought to be a compulsory subject taught by the Orthodox Lineages.

"Not at all. These talismans aren't high-grade. Anyone at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining can make them.

"But I've heard that several great figures of the Great Talisman Sect have claimed the positions of [Three Officials] and [Four Duty Stars], respectively. Thus, anyone who makes talismans must obtain the Great Talisman Sect's approval. Otherwise, the talisman paper receives no corresponding Spirit Chance and is no different from wastepaper, unable to take effect."

Yang Xun smiled, then added:

"They say the Great Talisman Sect learned this from the Immortal Dao's Doushu Sect, too. But I've never been to the Eastern Victory Continent, so I can't say whether it's true."

What domineering methods.

The corner of Jiang Yi's eye twitched. This was the first time he had heard of the deeds of a Dharma Lineage bearing the title "sect."

It meant that every cultivator in the Southern Continent who made talismans had to come under the Great Talisman Sect. Without permission, their work was useless.

"When I first heard about this, I was shaken for a long time, too. Back then, all I could think about was what immense Divine Abilities those great figures of the sects commanded, what the fabled 'fruits' were, and what 'positions' were.

"Hahaha! Seventy years of wind and frost have passed in a blink, and I haven't even had the good fortune to lay eyes on a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Come, it's getting late."

Toward the end, Yang Xun could not help sighing.

In his day, he too had possessed the soaring spirit to devote himself to cultivation, hoping to reach the top of the Twelve-Story Tower and attain the standing of a Foundation Establishment True Person.

Sadly, the years spared no one, wearing away lofty passions and aspirations.

"All right!" Jiang Yi's heart surged. The magnificent vistas of these Orthodox Lineages truly deserved the ceaseless striving of cultivators throughout the world, one wave following another.

The three of them walked briskly toward the Boat and Carriage Station.

The so-called Boat and Carriage Station resembled an ordinary relay station, a place specifically providing convenience to Dharma Lineage cultivators.

It was not "officially operated" by a Dao Lineage, however. Instead, the "operating rights" were entrusted to a Dharma Lineage.

"The Boat and Carriage Station at Northern Mang Ridge is controlled by the Illuminating Nether Sect. It belongs to the Fu Dao Clan."

Yang Xun led Jiang Yi and He Laohun into the Boat and Carriage Station, where people bustled to and fro, all cultivators dressed in gray or black Daoist robes.

"The boats and carriages are divided into 'Land Boats' and 'Cloud Boats.' One crosses mountains and ridges, while the other rides clouds into the heavens. We're taking a Land Boat this time.

"The seating is further divided into three classes. To buy second- or first-class tickets, you must have your identity checked to see whether you belong to a Dharma Lineage.

"Those of the Outer Dao mostly have 'unregistered status,' so they aren't allowed those seats."

Jiang Yi wore an odd expression. So the Outer Dao were not merely parasites, but also "blacklisted individuals"?

"Stay here and don't wander about. Wait while I get the tickets."

Jiang Yi and He Laohun nodded in agreement.

The former could not help looking around, his eyes full of a newcomer's wonder, like a country bumpkin entering a city for the first time.

"Keep your wits about you, Yi. The Boat and Carriage Station is a mixture of fish and dragons. Plenty of Outer Dao folk disguise themselves and sneak in specifically to pilfer and steal."

He Laohun warned him.

"I know. I'll keep a close eye on my saddlebag."

Naturally, Jiang Yi dared not be careless. He had long heard that among the Outer Dao's "twenty-nine lineages" was Thousand Gates, skilled in techniques of making things disappear.

Before long, Yang Xun returned with the tickets. He led the two aboard a Land Boat as wide as a restaurant and explained:

"With the year's end approaching, tickets are in high demand. I could only buy two second-class tickets. The remaining one is third class."

Before Jiang Yi could speak, He Laohun cheerfully held out his hand:

"It's Yi's first trip down the mountain. He ought to see some sights. I'll go to the third-class carriage. It's not a long journey anyway."

Yang Xun nodded and handed him the third-class ticket stamped with a red seal.

Only after He Laohun had gone some distance did he say to Jiang Yi:

"The third-class carriage is crowded and noisy, and it's close to where the livestock are carried, so the smell is unpleasant. Second class is more spacious, and drinking water and meals are provided."

Jiang Yi said little. He Laohun was merely accompanying them along the way, after all, and Grandpa was paying for the tickets. What place did he have to offer an opinion?

This arrangement was appropriate enough.

A short while later, Jiang Yi followed Yang Xun down the passage and into the second-class carriage.

It was indeed spacious and tidy. The seats were upholstered in thick leather, with ample space between them and small tables set beside them.

Through the window, he could see distant mountains rolling beneath a blanket of white snow.

Not long after sitting down, Jiang Yi felt a slight vibration beneath his seat, and the Land Boat began moving.

Though it had no wheels, the long, dragonlike carriage, broad as a building, wound among the mountain ridges at tremendous speed.

"Land Boats and Cloud Boats are nothing much. If you succeed in cultivation someday and visit Tiantong Marketplace, established by the Illuminating Nether Sect, you may see a great True Person's Great Wei Treasure Palace moored among the cliffs. Now that is truly magnificent."

With no outsiders present, Yang Xun smiled kindly:

"I've never had the fortune to witness a great True Person traveling in splendor myself. I hope you'll have the chance, Jiang Yi... eh!"

Yang Xun broke off abruptly. Through the Land Boat's open window, he heard rumbling thunder resound, followed by air surging outward and sweeping over them like waves.

All the cultivators in the second-class carriage looked out curiously.

Jiang Yi likewise looked toward the sound and saw the distant sea of clouds suddenly part down the middle as an enormous object slowly descended.

It was an octagonal flying tower, its tiers rising one above another, roughly four stories high, turning as it floated through the air. Streams of clear radiance flowed around it like water, dyeing the surrounding clouds in magnificent rosy hues.

How majestic!

"This is... which True Person's conveyance?"

All the cultivators were startled, but Yang Xun was even more astonished, for he recognized the flying tower's origins.

"The Great Talisman Sect! That's the Great Talisman Sect's Exquisite Dharma Tower!"

Could it be that, after seventy years without seeing a great Foundation Establishment True Person, he would have the good fortune to encounter one today?