Chapter 51: The Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman!

Though Li Yanchu appeared to be wandering leisurely, he was in fact subtly activating Qi Sight at several key locations. With the Qingyi Temple Festival approaching, the eccentric and mysterious figures hiding in Wei City were bound to make a move again, and Li Yanchu hoped to uncover some clues in advance.

Unfortunately, after circling around for quite some time, he found nothing unusual. After all, the Qi Sight was not omnipotent. It was merely a Daoist method for observing qi, and many countermeasures existed to conceal one’s presence from it. Thus, it could only serve as a supplementary tool.

After returning to Qingyun Temple, Li Yanchu began preparing to draw a talisman. This time, he intended to craft the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman.

It was a divine combat talisman, usable by disciples who had mastered the Deity Summoning Art. With it, one could summon the protection and might of Spirit Officer Wang, a divine general and guardian deity of Daoism.

According to folk legend, Spirit Officer Wang was the chief among the Thirty-Six Divine Generals of Celestial Court[1], known for his red hair, full beard, armored form, and the whip he wielded. The Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman could invoke his divine power.

Li Yanchu drew one hundred talismans in total, and from the stack, carefully selected the one with the strongest spiritual resonance.

“Decree of Bestowal!”

Li Yanchu’s gaze was resolute. Mimicking the familiar voice of the Great Dao, he spoke. And sure enough, the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman began to change, and a look of joy surfaced in his eyes. However, this time, the tidal surge of the Dao's presence lasted several full breaths before slowly dissipating.

Seeing this, Li Yanchu cast a Qi Sight spell on himself.

Merit points left: 1,130.

Originally, after slaying numerous evil spirits, Li Yanchu’s accumulated merit points had exceeded 2,000. But this single act of enhancing the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman had consumed a full 1,000 points of merit!

Li Yanchu was momentarily stunned. This outcome had truly caught him by surprise.

That’s a full one thousand points of merit!

However, after carefully examining the Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman, his eyes lit up with wild joy. The moment his fingertips touched the yellow talisman, he felt waves of divine Dao aura flow into his body, nourishing his spirit and soul!

For cultivators, essence, qi, and spirit were vital, especially the soul, which formed the foundation for many advanced paths of cultivation. At the Qi Cultivation stage, the strength of one's soul was typically about the same across practitioners. Some might have slightly stronger innate souls, but the difference was minimal.

Yet this talisman could directly strengthen the soul. Even if it was just a subtle improvement, the talisman could be worn long-term, day after day. For any cultivator, this was an incredibly rare and precious treasure.

“This Spirit Officer Summoning Talisman is absolutely divine!” Li Yanchu exclaimed in delight.

This talisman now carried the essence of divinity. It was righteous and radiant, suffused with pure yang qi of the Dao. Not only could it be used to invoke a deity into one’s body, but it also provided immense benefits to its bearer.

“So in the end,

pay-to-win

really is the most satisfying path. Training the Deity Summoning Art by myself is just way too slow,” Li Yanchu sighed.

He then proceeded to enhance another talisman, this time a Five-Lightning Banishment Talisman.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This lightning talisman possessed immense destructive power. Not only could it ward off evil and calamity, but it could also command lightning and invoke the Five-Lightning Spell with devastating effect. The last time he had managed to slay the long-haired female ghost in the Feng residence, it had been entirely thanks to a Five-Lightning Talisman.

Then, Li Yanchu enhanced another one and wore it on his body. As a result, his accumulated merit points now stood at only 810.

In the courtyard, the sound of sword practice rang out; Bai Hongtu was training. At this moment, Li Yanchu pushed open the door and stepped outside.

Bai Hongtu’s fingers formed a sword seal. His movements were as fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water, and he was strikingly elegant. His every move and every stance radiated the presence of a grandmaster of the Sword Dao. It

looked

impressive, at least.

Seeing this, Li Yanchu’s lips curved into a faint smile. Bai Hongtu’s Daoist arts were indeed solid; but when it came to martial skills, they were rather mediocre. They were all flair, and not much function. Of course, this was a common shortcoming among sons of noble families: they valued appearances over practicality.

Still, Bai Hongtu wasn’t doing too badly. Ever since that day he swore off wine, he really had stopped spending nights in entertainment districts and brothels or indulging in drink and pleasure. He still occasionally visited those places, but only to listen to music without touching a drop of alcohol. With nothing else to do, he often followed Li Yanchu around, always ready to take part in some grand mission.

Li Yanchu had heard that Bai Hongtu even asked Head Constable Feng whether there were any gangs in Wei City abusing their power and oppressing the people. He had pounded his chest and declared he would

act on behalf of the heavens

. In this, he was unexpectedly aligned with Fang Qinglan.

However, ever since Fang Qinglan’s relationship with Li Yanchu had eased, her ambitions had shifted. With Head Constable Wang now personally stationed at the Lady Qingyi Temple, she was in charge of the city’s security. She hadn’t been seen around much lately, and the innkeeper lady was secretly delighted by this, as she now had Li Yanchu all to herself.

As for Bai Hongtu, she didn’t bother hiding her disdain. He was a rich young master, with no serious purpose, tailing Li Yanchu all day long. She had quite a few complaints about him.

Even Li Yanchu, who used to share all three meals with her, had stopped doing so, mainly because Bai Hongtu acted like he was part of the family and never treated himself as a guest.

The innkeeper finally gave up and avoided him altogether.

Out of sight, out of mind

. In her view, this noble brat would surely return to Jinchuan after the Qingyi Temple Festival. He couldn’t possibly stay in Wei City forever.

Bai Hongtu had once dragged Li Yanchu to the Lady Qingyi Temple, and he’d been thoroughly thrilled by the experience. During the Qingyi Festival, noble ladies, wealthy heiresses, and even courtesans would all make their way to the Lady Qingyi Temple to pay their respects. For Bai Hongtu, who had been heavily restricted back in Jinchuan, this was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity!

“Yanchu, come on. It’s my treat! Let’s go eat at Wangyue Pavilion!” Bai Hongtu said grandly.

Li Yanchu glanced at him and exposed him bluntly, “You just want to drag me to the Lady Qingyi Temple, don’t you?”

The temple was conveniently located near Wangyue Pavilion.

Bai Hongtu chuckled sheepishly, “Just stopping by to make an offering, that’s all. I mean, since we’ve come all the way to Wei City, we’ve

got

to visit the famed and efficacious Lady Qingyi Temple, right?”

Li Yanchu rolled his eyes. “You just want to ogle those young noble ladies.”

Bai Hongtu protested, “So what? Just because you’ve set your eyes on beauties like the innkeeper and Miss Fang, doesn’t mean I can’t find myself a noble young lady here in Wei City!”

Li Yanchu remained unfazed and smiled, “With your background, why bother with all this trouble? If you really wanted to meet those ladies, just reveal your identity, and most of their families would jump at the chance.”

Bai Hongtu nearly stomped his foot. “Come on! With a face like mine, do I even

need

to flash my status? All I have to do is show up at the temple, and I bet countless ladies will be swooning with infatuation!”

Li Yanchu waved him off. “Then go on your own. I just walked around there earlier.”

Hearing this, Bai Hongtu blinked. “What? You’ve already been there?”

Li Yanchu nodded. “That’s right. While you were still asleep.”

Bai Hongtu’s face flushed red. He had promised himself to wake early every day to practice martial arts, cultivate the Dao, and refine his character... But today, he’d slept in again, mostly because yesterday’s courtesan had been a little too enthusiastic. As a result, Bai Hongtu had overslept.

Unlike Li Yanchu, whose qi and blood were powerful and whose body was like tempered steel, Bai Hongtu was just an ordinary martial practitioner.

“In that case, just come with me again,” Bai Hongtu insisted.

“What?” Li Yanchu blinked in surprise.

Bai Hongtu spoke righteously, “Tell me, would you say we’re good friends?”

Li Yanchu thought for a moment, then nodded. “We are.”

Bai Hongtu put on a wounded expression. “You actually had to think about it?”

Hearing this, Li Yanchu fell speechless.

1. In Chinese mythology, the Celestial Court represents the divine bureaucracy that governs the cosmos. ☜