Chapter 58: Continuous Inscription of Talismans

“This time, it truly was an unexpected windfall.”

Back at home, Chen Yushu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. He hadn’t expected that just by running into Shi Hao, he would make another tidy profit. Thirty taels of silver was no small sum. And what’s more, if all went well, he could continue earning money endlessly by making talismans.

“It seems this boy not only has an unusual constitution, but is also blessed with extraordinary luck,” Chen Yushu muttered to himself, though he did not dwell on the matter.

He stoked the fire and began preparing his meal.

Afterward, he turned his attention to the twenty portions of medicinal ingredients he had bundled for his Blood-Nourishing Decoction.

“Nourishing Essence Soup can greatly enhance one’s vitality, allowing me to practice the King of Medicine Stance nine times in a row. This Blood-Nourishing Decoction, though, is as cheap as it gets. I don’t expect it to reach even half the effect of Nourishing Essence Soup. As long as it lets me practice the stance one extra time, it’s not a loss.”

With these thoughts, Chen Yushu took out his medicine cauldron and began decocting the herbs.

After finishing his meal, he first practiced the King of Medicine Stance once.

King of Medicine Stance +1

Just as he finished, the Blood-Nourishing Decoction was ready. After letting it cool a bit, he downed it in one gulp.

His entire face contorted from the bitterness.

It was unbearably bitter.

He gulped down several mouthfuls of cool water to suppress the taste. Silently reminding himself that good medicine is always bitter, he sat quietly and waited.

One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths...

Only after an incense stick’s worth of time did he feel a surge of warmth welling up inside him.

The Blood-Nourishing Decoction was beginning to take effect.

“Indeed, you get what you pay for. The moment you drink Nourishing Essence Soup, it works instantly—you can immediately practice the stance and consume the medicinal power. But this Blood-Nourishing Decoction takes more than an incense stick’s time to show any effect, and its medicinal power is much gentler.”

Chen Yushu compared them silently. When his whole body began to heat up, he started practicing the King of Medicine Stance again.

From the very first movement, his breathing rhythm changed, lending each action a unique grace.

As he moved, heat rose from his body, and fine beads of sweat began to break out, strand by strand, all over his skin.

From the first to the thirty-sixth movement, he pressed on. As he finished the final stance, the steam billowed up violently, leaving him drenched in sweat.

King of Medicine Stance +1

“I almost couldn’t keep going.”

Chen Yushu’s face was slightly pale, his energy greatly depleted. Fortunately, as he stopped practicing, waves of warmth slowly flowed out to fill the emptiness inside him, helping him recover.

“This Blood-Nourishing Decoction does work. It just takes longer to kick in, and its medicinal power is released much slower than the Nourishing Essence Soup. Judging by this session, the effects should be enough for one or two rounds of stance practice...”

Chen Yushu compared the two in his mind and finally felt reassured.

One or two times was already quite a lot, considering how cheap it was.

By drinking two portions of decoction a day, he could practice the King of Medicine Stance two or three more times daily—nearly doubling his training efficiency.

“Based on my original calculations, it would take about two months to reach the Small Accomplishment stage in the King of Medicine Stance. But now, it seems I could achieve it in just one month?”

Chen Yushu did the math, growing a little excited. Even though the decoction tasted dreadful, the results made it bearable.

Not to mention, if he had enough silver, he could always use Nourishing Essence Soup, further boosting his cultivation speed.

Thinking of this, Chen Yushu’s spirits soared.

Night had fallen completely.

Under the dark sky, only a crescent moon hung above, casting a faint sliver of light.

Chen Yushu didn’t linger in the courtyard. He went straight into his study.

It was time to draw talismans.

He would, of course, draw the Talisman of Household Protection, since it was the only one he had mastered so far.

Shi Hao was also in dire need of spiritual talismans. For every one he drew, he could earn five taels of silver. Why not?

“Let’s begin!”

Standing before his desk, Chen Yushu spread out a sheet of talisman paper and weighed down one corner with a paperweight.

He took a deep breath, quickly entered a meditative state, and picked up his brush, its tip soaked in talisman ink, bringing it gently down onto the paper.

With the first stroke, it felt as if the entire atmosphere around him changed.

A sensation of immense heaviness pressed down on him, making his arm and his whole body feel oppressively heavy.

Everything around him seemed to resist him, as if trying to prevent him from completing the talisman.

But Chen Yushu remained calm.

He knew this was normal.

Drawing a talisman is a process of harmonizing with the world, letting one’s energy flow with the heart. Each stroke was not just ink on paper, but also infused with his essence and a certain mysterious force from heaven and earth.

Though slow, his brush never faltered.

One symbol, two symbols, three symbols...

Until all five runes of the Talisman of Household Protection were complete.

Buzz!

A hint of spiritual light burst from the talisman, as the particles of special vital energy in the air rushed toward it.

After a while, the spiritual glow faded.

The talisman was complete!

Talisman of Household Protection +1

The first spiritual talisman of the day was done.

“Continue!”

Chen Yushu paused only briefly before drawing the next talisman. First one, then another, and another...

Half an hour passed.

When he finished the seventh talisman, he stopped for a moment, feeling his mental energy slightly depleted.

Only after resting for another half hour did he begin the second round, then the third.

“Three rounds of talisman drawing. Now I have twenty-one spiritual talismans on hand. That should be just enough.”

Looking at the hefty stack of talismans beside him, Chen Yushu couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

He was truly content.

According to his agreement with Shi Hao, each talisman sold for five taels; twenty talismans meant a hundred taels of silver—a great fortune for him.

It was more than enough to repay Qiao’er’s debt and still have plenty left over.

If he used it to buy Nourishing Essence Soup, that would be thirty or forty portions—enough for him to use one a day for more than a month in luxury.

He glanced at his attribute panel:

Talisman Crafting: Entry (1/100), Talisman of Household Protection: Entry (26/100)

“Even after drawing twenty-one spiritual talismans, only the experience for the Talisman of Household Protection increased, while the prerequisite ‘Talisman Crafting’ skill didn’t increase at all. Could it be that I need to draw a new type of talisman?”

Pondering this, Chen Yushu took out the book “Talismanic Arts of the Rising Sun.”