Chapter 28: The Five-Lightning Banishment Talisman!

Li Yanchu quickly became proficient in the art of Telekinetic Retrieval. It was his first time encountering such a mysterious and wondrous spell, and he was thoroughly thrilled by it.

Silently, he recited in his heart,

Come!

With a soft command, A translucent, finely crafted jade pendant appeared in his hand. It was the very pendant the innkeeper of the Taiping Inn often wore. If this spell were used by thieves or rogues in the

jianghu

, it would be utterly unstoppable.

When Li Yanchu walked into the Taiping Inn holding the jade pendant, the innkeeper was in the middle of a full-blown tantrum over her missing treasure. Hands on her hips, her beautiful almond eyes were wide with fury as she let loose a stream of colorful curses.

Just then, Li Yanchu silently stepped forward and handed her the jade pendant. “Ma’am, were you looking for this?”

She was stunned for a moment, then snatched it up with joy, hugging it tightly to her chest. “Where did you find it?”

Li Yanchu replied, “Earlier, I was casting divinations at the temple and foresaw that you were at risk of losing something dear to you today. So I drew another lot, then headed into the courtyard and managed to retrieve it for you.”

Hearing this, the innkeeper was touched. She hadn’t expected that even while secluded in his Daoist temple, Li Yanchu would be thinking of her. With that, her lovely eyes brimmed with tenderness and affection.

The inn’s workers and servers let out sighs of relief. Daoist Master Yanchu truly was a living immortal. Had it not been for him today, who knew how long the innkeeper would’ve kept raging?

Still, Li Yanchu remained completely calm and composed.

During this period, Li Yanchu’s days had been relatively peaceful. Aside from cultivating Daoist arts, he spent his time practicing martial techniques.

His progress with Primordial Chaos Technique was especially rapid; he advanced straight to the final stage, the level that refined the body, transformed the muscles and bones, and cleansed the marrow.

Once Li Yanchu reached this level, he felt his physique had grown significantly stronger. Not only were his skin, muscles, and bones all enhanced, even his internal organs—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—had been reinforced to a certain extent. The most immediate result of this transformation was a noticeable increase in his strength.

At this point, the force of just one of his arms was likely close to a thousand jin.

And this was

pure

physical strength from martial cultivation, it didn’t even factor in the explosive power of techniques like the Thirty-Six Divine Astral Hands and saber techniques.

During this time, his relationship with the innkeeper had also advanced by leaps and bounds.

The Zhengyi Daoism’s tradition did not forbid marriage. In fact, back when Daoist Master Xuancheng was young, he had been even more flamboyant and carefree.

According to him, if he hadn’t been fully committed to the Dao, he would’ve long since become the favored son-in-law of some powerful official.

Back then, many young, beautiful women had fallen for him. He even used to hang around with a group of like-minded young noblemen, frequenting entertainment districts and engaging in all sorts of antics.

Back then, Li Yanchu had admired that life immensely. If even my master could pull that off, why not me?

The aura surrounding the innkeeper was dazzling and magnificent, something Li Yanchu had personally confirmed using the Qi Sight. Back when he first mastered the Qi Sight, the person whose aura had appeared most brilliant and magnificent was none other than the innkeeper.

Li Yanchu had no intention of prying into her secrets. It was just that last night, at the innkeeper’s enthusiastic invitation, Li Yanchu successfully shed his pure yang body. In other words, his so-called virgin... state.

The "battle" had been intense. Though the innkeeper appeared mature and alluring, like a perfectly ripened peach... In truth, she was still a virgin. This discovery had come as a great surprise to Li Yanchu.

He continued cultivating at the Daoist temple as usual and went to the Taiping Inn daily for meals. From time to time, he’d drink with the innkeeper, and occasionally commit a few...

mistakes

.

Afterward, she’d always turn cold and act like nothing had happened. Yet when facing her cool and distant little sister, there would be a faint touch of smugness in her eyes, like a child who had secretly eaten something delicious and was quietly showing off.

Li Yanchu’s life remained calm and steady, and he kept on cultivating diligently. Aside from alchemy, Telekinetic Retrieval, and the Qi Sight, he had also made significant progress in talisman-crafting.

Previously, the talismans he drew looked exactly like those in the manuals, but they were completely mundane and utterly ineffective. They were no better than the talismans sold by con men on the street. But now that he had reached the Qi Cultivation stage, the talismans he drew began to carry a faint spiritual resonance.

Spread out before him were several types he had made himself: Thunder Division Guardian Talisman, Five-Lightning Banishment Talisman, Six Ding and Six Jia Protective Talisman[1], Demonslayer Talisman, and more.

He picked up one of the Demonslayer Talismans and carefully attuned himself to it. Sure enough, it held a trace of Daoist resonance. Though its power was still limited, it was enough to expel minor evil influences.

Ever since he had learned about the Elixir of Immortality from Head Constable Wang, a faint unease had taken root in Li Yanchu’s heart. The monk who had arrived at the invitation of the Wuling Wanderer had ended up dead outside Wei City, apparently mauled by some unknown beast.

But Li Yanchu doubted it was that simple. If word of the Elixir of Immortality being in Wei City had leaked out, then it was likely that more than just one group of powerful figures had already been drawn here.

Though Li Yanchu had never lost a fight so far, he was well aware that his current strength was far from the top of the

jianghu

. And when it came to eccentric masters, demonic monks, and sorcerous Daoists, there was no telling what he might be up against. So he

had

to grow stronger, for the sake of self-preservation.

Originally, he had considered using edict infusion on a pair of lightning-struck wood knuckle dusters, or on that sharp butcher's knife. But then Head Constable Wang had delivered the Jiaoslayer on behalf of the magistrate's office, and it was razor-sharp and brimming with murderous qi.

Lightning-struck wood, after all, wasn’t very durable. It had nearly shattered the last time he fought a vengeful spirit. Meanwhile, his store of merit had to be carefully reserved for enhancing major tonics and Qi-Booster Pill, and he was running quite low.

So Li Yanchu had remained undecided. That was, until he discovered he could now draw talismans imbued with spiritual resonance.

And that sparked a new idea,

Why not enhance a talisman with the Decree of Bestowal?

He had a wide variety of talismans at his disposal, but the real problem was that his merit was far too limited. Plus, he didn’t know how much merit a single edict infusion would consume. Thus, when it came time to choose which talisman to empower, he was extremely cautious.

In the end, Li Yanchu chose the Five-Lightning Banishment Talisman, also known as the Five-Lightning Talisman. It was one of the most powerful talismans in all of Daoism.

The Five-Lightning Talisman was a powerful Daoist talisman capable of suppressing heretical cults, evil spirits, and malevolent forces; it could even destroy demons and monsters entirely.

Holding the Five-Lightning Banishment Talisman in his hand, Li Yanchu softly uttered, “Decree of Bestowal!”

In an instant, the talisman, that originally contained only a faint trace of spiritual resonance, underwent a profound transformation. Strands of awe-inspiring lightning aura began to leak from it, and it was impossible to look at directly.

Lightning was the purest yang force under heaven and earth, and it was the natural nemesis of all evil spirits and unclean things. The Five-Lightning Talisman could channel lightning spells to suppress and destroy such entities.

Li Yanchu still wasn’t entirely sure how powerful it would be in practice, but the restrained yet overwhelmingly potent lightning aura it now radiated filled him with joy.

However, this infusion completely drained his merit, leaving him utterly broke.

“Still not enough merit,” Li Yanchu sighed.

Wei City had been unusually quiet lately. No news of hauntings or spiritual disturbances. Even if he wanted to earn more merit, there was nowhere to start.

Despite now possessing both the Jiaoslayer and the Five-Lightning Talisman, two devastating weapons, Li Yanchu still felt unsatisfied.

Fortunately, the

Yellow Court Classic

didn’t just record Daoist cultivation methods, it also included a wide range of spells. Now that he had reached the Qi Cultivation stage, his options had greatly expanded.

And so, Li Yanchu once again began carefully selecting new spells to study.

1. The Six Ding and Six Jia are a group of deities who rule over the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. They are later associated with the Sixty Tai Suis. ☜