Chapter 25: Talisman Tool Black Ticket, One Tribulation Long Tongue Sword
Although the plan was set and he was determined to eliminate that Cheng Guanzi.
Fang Shu would not act rashly, especially during this period when his Second Uncle Yu Le had just been forced away.
In the following days.
Fang Shu stayed in the Dojo all the time, tempering his body day and night and nourishing his Magic Tool.
Because of the resentment in his heart, his practice of Insect Skill was even smoother than before.
Even though a large amount of his Qi and Blood had been used to nourish the Long Tongue Sword, the Qi and Blood in his Physical Body did not decline, but became even more condensed.
In just half a month, his entire demeanor continued to change, the mortal aura on his body completely vanished, replaced by a fierce glint.
However, such arduous cultivation consumed a lot, and the Essence Nourishing Pills newly given by his Second Uncle had long been exhausted by him.
In recent days, he could eat food the size of a calf at every meal, and the stock of blood steamed buns in the Dining Hall was almost cleared out by him alone.
On this early morning.
Fang Shu sat cross-legged in the Cultivation Practice Hall, shaking the tendons and bones in his body, bare-chested, with muscles on his chest and back all knotted and bulging, forming shapes like ghost faces or insect faces, extremely ferocious.
When the first ray of sunlight shone in, he calmly opened his eyes, then slightly furrowed his brows.
He suddenly felt an unbearable hunger in his abdomen, as if it were burning with fire.
“Relying only on blood steamed buns is still not enough to sustain this kind of arduous practice… I can’t continue like this.” Fang Shu thought to himself.
After thinking, he unusually ended his Cultivation Practice so early, flipping up from the stone slab in one motion.
When Fang Shu picked up his robe and walked outside, his gaze suddenly glanced over and unexpectedly saw another person’s figure in the early morning Cultivation Practice Hall.
That person was standing in stake practice in the corner, with muscles even more twisted than Fang Shu’s, like old tree roots, tight and solid.
The other party had a burly build, with strong Qi and Blood, just like a wild bull, leaving a deep impression.
But after looking closely for a few moments, Fang Shu found this person somewhat unfamiliar.
The other party’s age appeared to be around twenty, which was a bit old for the Dojo.
Seeing the fatigue in his Physical Body, and the sweat and salt crystals all over, he had probably arrived at the Cultivation Practice Hall earlier than Fang Shu to temper his tendons and bones, and showed no intention of leaving yet.
Fang Shu had never seen such an arduously cultivating Daoist Child before.
That person clearly also noticed Fang Shu’s gaze.
The muscles on the other party wriggled slightly like snakes and insects, but he still kept his eyes slightly closed, ignoring Fang Shu completely, continuing his Cultivation Practice as if no one else was there.
Within one Dojo, there was such an arduously cultivating person; indeed, no cultivator in the world could be underestimated.
Fang Shu suddenly felt motivated again, wanting to stay in the hall and practice arduously some more.
However, he wisely withdrew his gaze from the other party, did not disturb him, and continued walking toward the hall entrance.
Before long.
Fang Shu arrived at the cellar where the Dojo Disciples stored their goods.
The cellar had only one entrance.
According to Li Hou Er, it was built even more securely than a prison, with molten copper and iron cast around it, and Talismans pasted on, so even a Refining Qi Immortal could not enter silently.
Guarding the cellar was an obviously aged python, which the disciples in the Dojo called “Snake Master”.
Because the Dojo Disciples all slept in the bunk room every day and ate from the big pot, even the Dojo Master’s granddaughter—Senior Sister Yu Er could not avoid it, making it inconvenient to store Pills, Magic Tools, and other goods, and very prone to theft.
So the Dojo Master set up a circle of boxes on the outskirts of the cellar bottom for everyone to store their goods.
When Fang Shu arrived here, the old python did not move at all, but his body hair suddenly stood on end!
He did not dare to be careless, immediately circulated his Insect Skill to reveal his identity, and bowed with clasped hands:
“Snake Master, Daoist Child Fang Shu, here to retrieve the item from Box Bing Number Three.”
Hearing this, the old python’s pig-nose-like nostrils twitched, and a snake tongue as thick as Fang Shu’s arm flicked out, brushing over his body and neck once, before slowly moving its fat body aside, exposing the Bing Number box.
Fang Shu deftly stepped forward, opened the box and took the item, retrieving a package in just two breaths.
Apart from Box Bing Number Three, the other boxes also had no locks, just secured with a wooden note.
But no one in the Du Gu Guan dared to casually rummage through things, not even stay too long.
Otherwise, once swallowed by Snake Master, if discovered early, the Dojo Master could still drag them out from Snake Master’s belly, at most with their five features melted by stomach acid.
If discovered late, suffocation would be better; the worse was not suffocating, but having to experience alive the agony of stomach acid digesting their flesh from outside in.
Moreover, the cellar was the most remote place in the Dojo, underground, so even if the swallowed person wailed fiercely inside Snake Master, it would be hard to hear outside.
After taking the goods, Fang Shu nimbly jumped back and hurriedly left the place.
Next.
He first found Li Hou Er, inquired about the place where the other party’s father often set up stall, then left the Dojo and headed toward the Paper Workshop and the stall area.
After running into Talisman Master Li Yuan, he asked the other party for advice on which reliable old-name Pawn Shops were in the Marketplace.
Upon hearing the words “Pawn Shop”, Talisman Master Li Yuan knew Fang Shu had probably run out of Pills and wanted to pawn some goods for money.
Indeed, it was as the other party thought; Fang Shu truly could not tolerate the slow-grinding, possibly harmful Cultivation Practice method.
He now urgently needed Pills, so he had no choice.
“Sigh, you child.”
Talisman Master Li Yuan moved his lips, seeming to want to say something, but it turned into:
“That’s fine too, good Cultivation Practice is better than anything.
You can go to ‘Luo Bao Zhai’, ‘Zhou Family Shop’… check out these places.
I’ll write you a note, saying you’re my nephew. They might still rip you off, but not too badly.”
The other party took out a Talisman Brush from his sleeve, licked it with his tongue, took a rough yellow paper, wrote on it, and handed it to Fang Shu.
“Thank you, Uncle Li.”
Fang Shu received the introduction note and immediately bowed in thanks.
After bidding farewell, he found those shops but did not immediately show Li Yuan’s note.
He first only brought out Magic Tools and such, and without using the note, asked prices at two Pawn Shops.
Then, he took out the note and inquired at the other two Pawn Shops.
After this, Fang Shu selected the shop named ‘Luo Bao Zhai’ for formal pricing.
This shop was a bit like an antique store; the old steward inside did not ignore people, but did not stand high behind the counter looking down on customers.
Seeing Fang Shu and that he had no intention of browsing and leaving.
The other party stopped flipping the account book and said indifferently:
“Young Brother, how many rounds have you done? Have you decided what to buy or sell?”
Fang Shu hesitated, still did not take out Talisman Master Li Yuan’s note, but slightly bowed, flipped his palm, revealed a copper bell, and said:
“A family heirloom, please appraise it, old sir.”
This item was the “Soul Suppressing Bell” that had played a big role when he slayed the monster.
It could clear the mind and calm the spirit, dispel illusions, and to some extent drive away monsters.
Back then, without the Soul Suppressing Bell’s aid, even if Fang Shu succeeded in the fox old man’s monster shop, his gains probably would not have been great.
“Got it, another family heirloom.”
The old steward muttered, gestured for Fang Shu to place it on the counter first, then leaned over the surface, squinting to examine it.
“Eh!” The other party’s eyebrows twitched, suddenly saying:
“It’s really a family heirloom Talisman Tool.”
The so-called Talisman Tool referred to something between a Talisman and a Magic Tool.
It was often made by predecessors storing their own Magic Power inside, converted into something like a Talisman that required no Magic Power activation, only triggered by Essence Blood or incantations to unleash power.
Compared to Magic Tools, it needed no Magic cooperation or Magic Power infusion; compared to Talismans, it could be reused until the internal Magic Power was depleted, and occasionally replenished.
But with so many conveniences.
Its biggest flaw was that after a Magic Tool was Sacrifice and Refined into a Talisman Tool, its power greatly diminished; a Second Tribulation Magic Tool could only become a First Tribulation Talisman Tool, and a First Tribulation one would become a subpar Talisman Tool.
Moreover, Sacrifice and Refining this item drew on the refiner’s Essence Blood essence and more, harming body and life, and not something done quickly.
Therefore, unless Immortal Path hopeless and lifespan short, plotting for offspring, Immortals would never Sacrifice and Refine such Talisman Tools.
This made Talisman Tools on the market quite rare and not cheap.
After all, this thing was too convenient to give to mortal relatives and offspring.
After careful examination, the old steward kept clicking his tongue:
“It’s a Talisman Tool that can be passed down generations, with the use of repelling demons and evil.
For us Immortals, it might not be much, as there are many similar Talismans and Magic Tools, but placed in a mortal family, it can prevent monsters from confusing the whole clan, quite useful.”
Fang Shu smiled upon hearing this: “Old sir has a good eye.”
The other party muttered a bit, continued looking at the Soul Suppressing Bell, head not lifted, saying:
“This item’s condition is good; though a subpar Talisman Tool, it can be pawned as a First Tribulation Magic Tool.
How many days do you want to pawn it? Longer days, fairer price; shorter, cheaper.”
Then Fang Shu spoke:
“No need for live pawn, dead pawn is fine.”
This made the old steward’s action pause, lifting his head to look at Fang Shu.
Clearly, Fang Shu choosing “dead pawn”—directly selling the Soul Suppressing Bell to the shop, giving up redemption rights—surprised Luo Bao Zhai’s old steward.
The other party couldn’t help muttering: “Is it really your family heirloom?”
Fang Shu nodded candidly upon hearing.
But what he did not say in his heart was:
This Soul Suppressing Bell was a treasure handed down in the Fang family; what did it have to do with him, Brother Shu!
Anyway, the Fang family had been dismantled by him; the damned died, the ones to split went separate, even the ancestral hall was gone, scattered, no way to use this to suppress the clan.
Among the Long Tongue Sword, fox fur, and this Soul Suppressing Bell, the first two were of great use to him, so he could only sell this one.
Luo Bao Zhai’s old steward pondered, then frankly said:
“Since you choose dead pawn, and this thing sells easily, this old man happens to have offspring in the mortal world, and you look pleasing… so this price!”
The other party stretched out fingers, five of them, waving in front of Fang Shu.
Five thousand Talisman Money, about the price of a proper First Tribulation Magic Tool.
But seeing this, Fang Shu furrowed his brows slightly; this price was just average, not the most worthwhile.
So he slowly said:
“If old sir is sincere, this junior won’t just patronize once. Moreover, many items in old sir’s shop are just what this junior needs.”
This made the old steward instantly interested.
“No problem, no problem!” The other party hurried out from behind the counter, hesitated, stretched out six fingers, then changed to seven.
This person said: “If you spend it all in our shop, I’ll price it at seven thousand!”
After thinking, Fang Shu finally nodded.
Immediately, the old steward picked up the copper bell, hung it at his waist, then pulled Fang Shu to introduce the goods in Luo Bao Zhai.
“Young fellow, come look, we have everything; see these top-quality beads.”
The other party enthusiastically said:
“These are freshly harvested alive from First Tribulation monsters, Second Tribulation, Third Tribulation monsters. Not good enough? We have human beads too!”
Only to see beads like ones soaked in a pickle jar, half-dead staring at the two who lifted the lid.
Seeing Fang Shu unmoved, the old steward kept muttering:
“Many Immortals buy our shop’s goods for collection. Then look at these…”
“These are top-quality tiger bone Essence Nourishing Pills, much fiercer than ordinary Essence Nourishing Pills!”
“And this, just taken back Spirit Ear Magic Tool, condition a bit damaged, but effect not bad.”
…
Pills, Talismans, Magic Tools, scriptures, and more.
The other party dragged Fang Shu around a big circle, also broadening Fang Shu’s horizons.
What broadened his horizons even more was the old steward, seeing him unmoved, suddenly pulled him out of the shop to the next door.
The other party said: “This shop’s owner owes me goods money; young fellow, you didn’t like the others, but you should like these goods.”
Only to see the neighboring shop mainly selling paper figures, many paper figures scantily clad, lips red and skin white.
Just as Fang Shu chuckled, thinking the old steward wanted to trick him into buying paper figures to play with.
The other party suddenly stopped, grabbed a paper figure’s face, and pulled out a tongue from it.
A living tongue.
The old steward familiarly said:
“Second-hand beauty paper, check the quality, thick lips long tongue, served only three buyers. Of course, if you want to use her for other things, that’s fine too.”
This made Fang Shu’s eyelids jump.
He stared closely at that “beauty paper”, seeing it was indeed just a paper figure.
But its tongue was very lifelike, flirtatiously twirling on the old steward’s finger, even specially processed to split and close, making one’s scalp tingle.
The old steward saw Fang Shu’s finally fluctuating expression, chuckled lightly, suddenly patted the paper figure’s face.
As a result, inside this paper figure was not hollow, but solid…
“Don’t like this half-human half-paper stuff?”
The other party calmly walked to the side, pointing at a row of goods in the hall:
“Here we have flesh screens, beauty pots, gentle chairs, human chess meat backgammon… eat, drink, play, all there!”
The old steward’s words momentarily made it unclear if this shop was a paper shop or a meat shop.
But after gaining a lot of knowledge.
Fang Shu did not linger long in the “human-as-tool” paper-meat shop; following his pre-planned list, he splurged heavily in the old steward’s Luo Bao Zhai.
In one go, he bought three thousand whole in Pills, mainly Essence Nourishing Pills, mixed with others like blood circulation and bruise dispersal, and Bigu ones.
Then he bought around two thousand in Talismans, including Breath Concealing Talisman, Silent Step Talisman, Fire Incineration Talisman, and more, mostly subpar Talismans but complete varieties.
For this, Fang Shu said he was going to the wilderness.
As for the remaining two thousand, he planned to keep it, return to the Dojo and spend there, to try the so-called Ant Spirit Paste!
But the old steward was naturally dissatisfied with Fang Shu only spending five thousand but wanting to take two thousand away.
The two stalemated for a long time; since Fang Shu truly would not yield, and the other party had already packed all the goods for Fang Shu.
This fellow had to concede, agreeing to give Fang Shu another fifteen hundred money, plus five hundred in Pills.
Fang Shu stopped while ahead, agreeing to this method.
When taking the money at parting, he found the other party rummaging from a drawer sheets like banknotes, black-red in color, almost making Fang Shu think mortal banknotes could be sold in the Immortal Cultivator Marketplace.
Fang Shu asked and learned these were merely similar in function to mortal banknotes.
They were called “Black Tickets”, jointly provided by the major merchants in the Marketplace.
They came in two kinds: one unnamed, usable as Talisman Money, redeemable anytime at Marketplace merchants; the other also unnamed, but redeemable not for money, but for goods boxes stored in merchant vaults.
This Black Ticket facilitated trade and storage of treasures for Essence Refining Immortals who could not yet use storage Magic Tools.
Fang Shu felt disappointed in his heart, had to bid farewell and leave.
With a good amount of provisions obtained, he returned to the Dojo and threw himself back into tempering his Physical Body and Sacrifice and Refining his Magic Tool.
One day, two days, three days… without rest every day.
In a blink, another month passed.
During this time, Second Uncle Yu Le really sent another bottle of Essence Nourishing Pills via someone. This slightly eased Fang Shu’s mind, knowing his Second Uncle was still fine.
And on this day.
He sat cross-legged in the Cultivation Practice Hall, his chest and abdomen burning like fire again, with constant nausea.
But Fang Shu firmly suppressed the discomfort in his chest and abdomen.
Unbeknownst to others, the Dao Talisman in his mind trembled lightly, with text emerging:
【The Long Tongue Sword, refined by Secret Mouth-Sword Technique, now with abundant Qi and Blood, has become a First Tribulation Magic Tool!】
The Magic Tool section of the Dao Talisman finally became:
【Magic Tool: Long Tongue Sword (First Tribulation Essence Refining Magic Tool）, fox fur（ subpar）】
Noticing this, Fang Shu’s gaze blurred momentarily, then a mix of joy and killing intent surged in his mind!
This also stirred his chest’s Qi and Blood to roll ceaselessly.
