Chapter 443: There's a Thief

As Chu Liang felt the golden talismanic script in his palm, he found it strange and peculiar.

It didn't seem to contain much spiritual energy at first glance, but that was likely due to his low cultivation level. The talisman itself, however, held unimaginable mystical abilities.

Simply put, it had the power to grant life.

"This Talisman of Life Restoration was the final insight gained by the Celestial Talisman Master in the last moments of his life. It contained the complete essence of the Great Dao of the talismanic script for time. Today, it has finally found a successor," the elder said with a smile. "I hope you will make good use of it, and perhaps... even complete it."

"Complete it?" Chu Liang asked, surprised. "It's still incomplete?"

"The Celestial Talisman Master wished to create a celestial talisman that transcended life and death, one capable of reviving his loved one. But, alas, he lacked the strength..." the old man explained. "The Celestial Talisman Master of every generation since then has shared this same grand aspiration, but none have been able to break free from the constraints of the heavens and the earth."

Transcending life and death...

When Chu Liang heard this, he chuckled. If this was something that even the previous generations of Celestial Talisman Masters couldn't accomplish, how could he possibly dare to think that he could do it?

Moreover, the Great Dao of Talismanic Scripts originated from the forces of heaven and earth, a method of channeling these powers into oneself. How could one possibly break free from the constraints of the heavens and earth?

He raised the Talisman of Life Restoration again and asked, "Esteemed senior, since this talisman can grant life to anything, could it bring you to life?"

He wasn't asking to revive the Celestial Talisman Master, but rather, he wanted to grant the fragment of divine intent a chance to live a life of its own.

"Oh?" The elder chuckled softly. "You're the first to think of that, but I am merely a wisp of divine intent, without a body of my own. I was never alive, so how could I be brought to life?"

"I see..." Chu Liang murmured. He wasn't trying to do a good deed, but having acquired the Talisman of Life Restoration, he simply wanted to test its power.

But there wasn't anything convenient at hand.

First, it would be ineffective if used on objects with too much spiritual energy. The higher the spiritual nature of the item, the greater the power required, and at his current level, it would easily exceed his limits.

Secondly, he didn't dare experiment with important items, such as the enchanted tools and flying swords he often used. If something went wrong, the loss would be significant.

Especially with something like the Large-Headed Doll. If it gained divine intelligence and developed a consciousness, how could it ever be content to work peacefully again?

After some thought, he decided to take out a berry.

He slowly executed the Talisman of Life Restoration with his right hand, gradually merging it with the berry. A faint golden glow immediately enveloped it.

Whoosh—

Moments later, a surge of life energy burst forth from the berry.

Plants were always beings with life energy. If not, there wouldn't be so many plants that managed to cultivate and attain the status of demons. The "Life Restoration" part in the name of the talisman referred not just to the restoration of life but, more importantly, to the awakening of or the development of the target's consciousness.

As Chu Liang stared at the berry in his palm, a sudden message popped into his mind.

—

What the fuck are you looking at?

The berry wasn't speaking, of course. But since it had developed a consciousness through Chu Liang, he could easily sense the messages it was sending. If it had been anyone else, they would have probably just noticed the fruit twitching slightly.

This little thing is quite fierce...

Chu Liang was just about to smile when the berry spoke to him again.

—

Wipe that wicked grin off your face! I'm warning you, don't even think about eating me! I'm poisonous!

It even sensed my bad intentions? Wait, how did it figure that out?

Chu Liang asked, "Don't you know I gave you life?"

The berry gave a blunt response.

—Well, thank you. So you won't eat me now, right?

"..."

Logically speaking, since I gave it life, I should be like its dad, right? But why isn't this fruit showing a bit of respect or gratitude? An unfilial fruit?

...

Mount Shu, Cloud Horizon Peak.

The intricately carved bronze stove hissed with steam as red-hot coals radiated warmth into the crisp air. Shang Ziliang, with a gleam in his eye, sliced a perfect square from the large slab of meat beside him and carefully laid it over the fire to grill.

"The weather's getting colder; it's the perfect time to enjoy something hearty," he said, his face lighting up with satisfaction. "This is premium flying-deer meat from the Western Regions, a gift from one of my father's associates."

"Exactly!" Lackey A, seated on his left, chimed in with enthusiasm. "Deer meat is known to boost yang qi. We're so lucky to be following you, Boss. We get to enjoy this feast!"

As the deer meat was about to be cooked, Lackey B promptly held up a plate for Shang Ziliang to serve the meat on.

"These past few days have been draining. I really need to recharge," Shang Ziliang sighed, cutting a fresh piece. "Big Bro is always on the move, Lin Bei's busy with his breakthrough, and I'm stuck managing the business, running between the fruit garden and Red Cotton Peak..."

"Tell me about it!" Lackey A nodded vigorously. "Managing the fruit garden alone is exhausting. With our business expanding, we should ask Big Bro to hire more help."

Meanwhile, Lackey B quietly transferred a chunk of grilled meat onto his sauce plate.

"Hiring isn't that easy," Shang Ziliang replied. "I talked to Big Bro about it. We have to hire disciples from Mount Shu as it's hard to trust outsiders. But at the same time, we can't expect Mount Shu disciples to work all day either. Finding reliable people is tough."

He glanced over and noticed that the plate was empty, so he cut another piece of meat and carefully placed it on the grill.

"True!" Lackey A agreed. "Before, it was manageable with just our core group, but now the workload is too much. Just in the fruit garden, without a dozen hands, it's impossible to keep up. Every day, berries are either stolen or eaten. We're lucky the losses aren't too bad yet—otherwise, the business would be dying."

Lackey B once again held up the plate for Shang Ziliang to fill with freshly grilled meat.

"

Haaaaa!

" Shang Ziliang sighed again. "I've been neglecting my cultivation lately. Everyone at Mount Shu envies our wealth, but no one understands the pressure I'm under."

"Couldn't agree more!" Lackey A chimed in. "The members in our core group keeps leaving. If we don't get more people, we won't be able to keep everything running. This is becoming urgent!"

Lackey B, looking just as eager, dipped his freshly grilled meat into the sauce, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and quietly savored each one.

"Exactly!" Shang Ziliang said with newfound resolve. "We have to convince Big Bro to hire more people, or we'll never be able to keep Red Cotton Peak and Silver Sword Peak running. I'll talk to him as soon as he's back from the hidden realm!"

He glanced at the plate and noticed it was empty again. He then cut a large piece of meat and placed it on the grill.

"You're right!" Lackey A agreed eagerly. "There are plenty of senior brothers at Mount Shu who would jump at the chance to help. Some have even asked me in private. Big Bro really doesn't need to worry so much."

The "worries" Lackey A referred to were Chu Liang's concerns that involving too many Mount Shu disciples might interfere with their cultivation.

Lackey B again handed over the plate for Shang Ziliang to serve the grilled meat.

"That settles it!" Shang Ziliang said, smiling confidently. "But first, let's enjoy this meal... huh?"

When he reached to cut another slice of meat, he realized there was nothing left but a bare pile of bones.

He turned to the plate, but it was empty, with not even a scrap of meat left.

"Where's the meat?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at the two lackeys.

"I don't know!" Lackey A stammered as his eyes grew wide.

Lackey B, wiping grease from his mouth, looked equally shocked and gasped, "There's a thief?"