Talismans

"Flood dragon pearl?!"

Liu Zhijian raised his head and studied the pearl, which shone with a faint, clear light. The angler's heart within him blazed. "If there's a flood dragon pearl, there must be a flood dragon!"

"That's the fish I'm after!"

"Could there be one right here in the White Dragon River?!"

Deng Gang, who had been sitting beside him silently pretending to be an expert, also watched with burning eyes.

Seeing everyone's eager reactions, Zhao Changfan nodded in satisfaction. He carefully put away the Wave-Subduing Flood Dragon Pearl and said with a smile, "The Wave-Subduing Gang has held sway over the White Dragon River for more than a century. Naturally, we have something to rely on."

"This flood dragon pearl is one of them!"

The people in the cabin watched Zhao Changfan put the pearl away, reluctant to look away.

The scholar in blue was once again the one to speak. "I never imagined you had such a treasure, Gang Leader."

"However, there are so many people here, and only one flood dragon pearl."

"Once the deed is done, how will it be divided?!"

Those words struck at the heart of the matter.

Some were already itching to make a move and seize it.

"Hehe, Young Master Lin, your vision is too narrow."

Zhao Changfan was indeed a man of substance. He said mildly, "When all is said and done, this flood dragon pearl is only an inanimate object."

"I brought it out today merely to earn everyone's trust."

Granny Jiu slammed her walking stick down hard and said coldly, "Boy of the Zhao Household, stop keeping us in suspense. Whatever mystery there is, speak plainly."

"Please be patient, Granny."

Zhao Changfan apologized sincerely and explained in detail, "To tell you the truth, everyone, this flood dragon pearl is merely the key to a treasury."

"Beneath the Wave-Subduing Gang's headquarters lies the burial place of a flood dragon!"

"You should know that there's a reason this great river is called the White Dragon!"

"Even if that flood dragon wasn't a dragon's descendant, it had been touched by dragon Qi."

"But it was later slain by an immortal from the mountains!"

"My Zhao Household spent a century on it, generation after generation pressing forward, before we finally retrieved this one flood dragon pearl!"

"Even now, the flood dragon's remains and a treasure pool of dragon blood are still in that cave abode. There's even an immortal cultivation method carved into the stone wall!"

At that, no one present could remain seated.

"An immortal cultivation method!"

The blind old Daoist looked agitated. He shook the cloth banner in his hand, and insects could faintly be seen flying about as a foul stench spread. In a trembling voice, he asked, "Is there any Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for entering the Dao?!"

Zhao Changfan froze for a moment, his face full of confusion. "May I ask, Old Daoist Zhong, what is Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi?"

Old Daoist Zhong snorted coldly and shook his head without speaking.

The middle-aged swordsman, however, remained composed. "So the lord and his wife of Danzhou City destroyed the Wave-Calming Gang for the flood dragon's legacy too?!"

"Exactly!"

Zhao Changfan gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "Besides the flood dragon's remains, there's a treasure pool of flood dragon blood in that cave abode."

"Dragon Saliva Grass grows beside the blood pool."

"My Zhao Household harvests it once every three years and sends it to Rejuvenation Valley to be refined into pills."

"Somehow, word got out, and that adulterous couple learned the truth. They took advantage of the chaos to kill my parents and clansmen and seize the Flood Dragon cave abode by force."

"Unfortunately for them, they don't have the flood dragon pearl."

"Right now, they're probably at their wits' end over that cave abode!"

Everyone understood at once.

Though the story was full of twists and strange turns, its logic flowed smoothly.

Liu Zhijian, however, had a bad feeling about it.

He had thought this was a jianghu vendetta. How had it turned into a cultivation adventure in the blink of an eye?

According to his ten years of webnovel reading experience, there was probably a great conspiracy hidden in all this.

A thought occurred to Liu Zhijian, and he quietly urged Deng Gang to leave with him.

But Deng Gang shook his head and refused. His eyes burned as he pleaded, "Brother Liu, I don't want any flood dragon pearl, much less a cultivation method. All I want is that flood dragon blood! Please help me, Brother Liu. Once it's done, I'll reward you handsomely!"

Faced with the first friend he had made in this world, Liu Zhijian ultimately could not bring himself to refuse.

He could only sigh and nod his agreement.

Seven days later, at the Wave-Subduing Gang's headquarters on Wave-Subduing Island.

Quite a few of the extraordinary people Zhao Changfan had recruited were killed or wounded while fighting off the city lord's guards.

Those who made it into the cave abode were either highly skilled or as cautious as Liu Zhijian.

The blind old Daoist was the first to rush into the cave abode, muttering to himself. As though he had spotted some treasure, he charged toward the southeastern corner in wild delight, only to be killed by a brilliant flash of water that came from nowhere.

The middle-aged swordsman was killed by Granny Jiu while trying to seize the old Daoist's cloth-banner Law Artifact.

With two Law Artifacts in hand, Granny Jiu brazenly attacked Zhao Changfan, attempting to seize the flood dragon pearl.

To her surprise, the hunched old servant beside Zhao Changfan was also a deeply hidden expert. He took a wound in exchange for her life and beat Granny Jiu to death.

Liu Zhijian had taken no part in the fighting. His face was ashen as he did his best to protect the gravely wounded, unconscious Deng Gang.

Not far away, the scholar in blue stood holding a black wooden sword, a smile on his face.

Just moments ago, it was this scholar in blue who had suddenly thrust his sword at Liu Zhijian.

Liu Zhijian had been caught off guard and was about to die a violent death.

Deng Gang, who stood beside him, let out an angry shout and smashed the wooden sword aside with both fists, saving Liu Zhijian by the narrowest of margins but suffering grievous injuries himself.

Once Liu Zhijian reacted, he activated the wooden-stick Law Artifact in his hand and sent the scholar in blue flying.

But he did not dare give chase. He only turned back to protect Deng Gang.

Only five people remained in the Flood Dragon cave abode, each on guard.

"Good, good, good!"

Zhao Changfan cared nothing for whether the others lived or died. He laughed aloud and said, "Everyone, wait until I use a Secret Method to open the cave abode's restrictions, then we'll divide the treasures!"

Yet inwardly, he sneered.

The treasures all belonged to his Household. How could he hand them over to others?!

Once he used the flood dragon pearl to activate the immortal array, he could easily kill them to silence them and have the flood dragon's secret hoard all to himself.

Zhao Changfan used his family's Secret Method to activate the flood dragon pearl and, sure enough, passed safely through the cave abode's array. He cast a wary glance at the scholar in blue, then turned back and warned, "Uncle Luo, stay close to me!"

"Yes."

The hunched old servant was badly injured. After coughing several times, he even coughed up blood. He staggered behind Zhao Changfan and drove a fist into the center of his back.

The blow was so heavy that the fist punched through Zhao Changfan's chest.

A smile still on his face, Zhao Changfan fell to the ground with a thud and made no further sound.

"Haha, a truly loyal servant of the Zhao Household."

"You struck so hard that the Zhao Household's junior died without any pain at all. You really let him off easy."

In a corner of the cave abode, a spiritual light dispersed, revealing a man and a woman in splendid clothes with extraordinary bearing.

"City Lord Du, Madam Hua..."

The hunched old servant picked up the flood dragon pearl, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow. "I've done what I promised you. Where is my granddaughter?"

The woman in palace dress chuckled and stepped aside, revealing a little girl lying asleep on the ground.

The hunched old servant hurried over. After examining her carefully, he placed the flood dragon pearl on the ground, carefully picked up the little girl, and turned to leave.

Liu Zhijian sighed.

It was not hard to guess that these two had to be the city lord and his wife.

Zhao Changfan was young after all.

For all his scheming, the one thing he had failed to account for was the oriole lurking behind the mantis stalking the cicada.

"An invisibility talisman..."

"Interesting."

The scholar in blue studied the two orioles with great interest and asked, "Isn't the Hua Household famous for refining pills? How is it that you also know talismans? It looks quite extraordinary. Could it be an heirloom of City Lord Du's family?"

Hua Yuhe's relaxed expression vanished at once. "Who are you?" she asked warily.

Someone who could remain so leisurely in these circumstances was either a fool who did not know the difference between life and death or a formidable person brimming with confidence.

Clearly, the scholar in blue was no fool.

The scholar in blue lightly flicked the black wooden sword in his hand, and it rang like metal. He spoke slowly. "Lin Muyang, inner disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect, greets my fellow Daoists!"