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Chapter 6: Big Boobies — Growing Big and Small, How Wonderful

Qianxuan Pavilion.

At the third quarter of the chen* hour, the old man on the first floor responsible for purchasing low-grade talismans saw a young customer enter the pavilion, cradling a small demon beast in his arms.

*t/n; one of the 12 Earthly Branches used in the traditional Chinese time system, around 8:30 AM.

It's him?

There had been a private fight in the city last night, and he had thought this person would surely be dead... It seemed the Liu family had not sent anyone to trouble him yesterday after all, otherwise he would not be appearing here safe and sound.

The old man instinctively raised his sleeve to cover his face, not wanting the young talisman cultivator to see him.

Coming over so early in the morning—he must be trying to sell those few talismans while the young master of the Liu family was away.

Unfortunately, he had no desire to offend Young Master Liu...

"You must be the distinguished guest my master mentioned!"

A young girl in a goose-yellow dress came bouncing down from the second floor, her two braids flying behind her, her bright eyes darting several glances at the small snow-white beast in Chen Moqing's arms.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Ning Lili— just call me Lili," The girl smiled warmly, "Please follow me; my master has been waiting for you since early morning!"

Chen Moqing nodded in thanks, "This one is Jiang Yu."

The old man's eyes went wide instantly.

That- that's not the manager—

The lively young girl led Chen Moqing toward the second floor, and the old man hurried after them, only to see that their footsteps did not stop on the second floor—they went straight up to the third.

The old man stood rooted to the spot.

The third floor— that was a place only cultivators at the Foundation Building stage or above could set foot in!

Just who was this person, to actually receive an audience with the manager?!

In the elegant top-floor chamber, thin white fragrant mist drifted past a screen painted with flowers and birds, and several talismans floated in the air.

Ning Lili's face was practically pressed against the talismans, her mouth slightly agape.

Every single one of them is a perfect-grade specimen! How were they refined?!

Bai Yue grabbed Ning Lili by her little braid and pulled her back with an expression of resigned helplessness, then looked toward the young talisman cultivator sitting composed across from her, "How many times did you refine them, young friend?"

Chen Moqing: "Seven times. Two Lightning Strike Talismans, one failure."

He casually rested his palm on the back of the small snow-white beast, stroking its fluffy fur.

Cang Shun narrowed his eyes slightly, lying draped across his knees, relaxing the tension in his spine.

From a fluffy ball, he became a flat little round pancake.

Bai Yue remarked with admiration, "Young friend truly has exceptional talent."

A talisman of seventy-percent quality was already considered top-grade; the higher the rank of the talisman, the harder it was to achieve top grade—even she could not guarantee that every talisman she refined would consistently reach that standard.

Out of seven attempts, four had yielded ninety-nine-percent quality, which was an already astonishing success rate—not to mention that two of the remaining attempts were not failures at all, but had produced first-grade Lightning Strike Talismans of equally fine quality.

Bai Yue glanced at Ning Lili, the meaning in her eyes unmistakable— look at others and learn!

Ning Lili touched one of the Thunderbolt Talismans and turned to look at Bai Yue, her own eyes equally unmistakable— Master! I want this one and this one!

"......"

The transaction was concluded swiftly. Bai Yue purchased four second-grade Thunderbolt Talismans, two first-grade Lightning Strike Talismans, and two Fire Blaze Talismans for a total of fifteen thousand two hundred spirit stones.

Ning Lili clutched the talismans, the corners of her mouth nearly splitting to the sky— but before she could rejoice for long, she heard Bai Yue's unhurried voice: "Carefully sense the talisman script channels within them and the flow of spiritual energy. I expect no fewer than a thousand words of insights and reflections, this master will be examining you this afternoon."

"......"

The smile faded from Ning Lili's face. Bai Yue's lips curved ever so slightly, "Young friend Jiang Yu, would you be willing to join our Qianxuan Pavilion?"

"Our Qianxuan Pavilion is the foremost talisman-refining organization in the Dongzhou Prefecture; this is merely the branch in Qingzhu City. Should you be willing, I can recommend you directly to the main pavilion."

"I am grateful for the kind offer," Chen Moqing said, "but this junior already has a sect."

Several dishes of exquisite pastries were arranged at the edge of the table, among them a plate of osmanthus cakes. Noticing that the snow-white beast on his knee had cast a seemingly casual glance in that direction, he picked up a piece and placed it on his palm, then continued: "I wonder whether Manager Bai has any third-grade Spirit-Guarding Talismans here?"

Third-grade? Those used for Core Formation?

While Bai Yue was considering, she shook her head: "Young friend Jiang, you have come a step too late. Our branch pavilion had only one Spirit-Guarding Talisman, and it was claimed at an auction half a month ago by the Tingyu Sect for eighty thousand spirit stones."

Before Chen Moqing could reply, a low male voice overlapping with a soft "mew" sounded at his ear: 【Has spirit stone value really depreciated this much by now?】

【You should just sell my fur instead.】

Chen Moqing picked up another osmanthus cake and fed it to this Demon Emperor, unsurprised by the price.

Although the cultivation path of a body cultivator was comparatively more arduous than that of a sword cultivator, it was considerably more prosperous. The talismans, elixirs, and other treasures they refined typically commanded no small price, and those with special functions were marked up by a substantial margin.

Ning Lili looked at the several new talismans in her hands, then poked Bai Yue's arm. Bai Yue gave her a helpless glance and spoke again:

"I may as well tell young friend Jiang a little more. Qingzhu City has three major powers: the Liu family, Qianxuan Pavilion, and then the Tingyu Sect— a third-tier talisman cultivator sect bordering Qingzhu City."

"Half a month ago, the young sect master of the Tingyu Sect and the second young master of the Liu family butted heads at the auction, and in a moment of impulse he paid a high price to claim that Spirit-Guarding Talisman. Regretting it afterward, he had his sect pressure us into neither refining nor selling Spirit-Guarding Talismans for half a year."

"Although Qianxuan Pavilion is the foremost talisman-refining organization in the Dongzhou Prefecture, the Tingyu Sect is itself a subordinate sect established in the Dongzhou Prefecture by an upper prefecture sect. Should young friend Jiang encounter them in the future, it would be best to avoid any conflict."

"Thank you for the warning," Chen Moqing accepted her goodwill, then spoke again: "What if I wished to purchase the talisman formula and materials for a third-grade Spirit-Guarding Talisman?"

Refining talismans required a formula, and a third-grade talisman was already of middle rank—it not only consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, but also required supplementary special materials. The formulas he had previously mastered were mostly oriented toward offense, and his knowledge of support-type talismans was not deep. However, he knew that formulas and materials would be considerably cheaper than finished talismans.

Bai Yue said: "Is young friend intending to purchase it for your honored master?"

"No," Chen Moqing said, "I will refine it myself."

Ning Lili let out a surprised "ah," thinking to herself that this was far too fanciful—unless he possessed twelve talisman spiritual roots and was a talisman cultivator of Chen Moqing's caliber.

Bai Yue was also silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking: "If young friend needs it for your own Foundation Building, I happen to have a second-grade Spirit-Enhancing Talisman here that I can give you as a gift."

"It is not that I look down on young friend, it is simply that for someone at the Qi Refinement stage to refine a third-grade talisman would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens, and the slightest misstep could result in a spiritual energy backlash, damaging one's spiritual roots and making future cultivation a stumbling, arduous road."

Chen Moqing smiled with composure: "I have heard that in the Dongzhou Prefecture there was once a great talisman cultivator master who, at the Golden Core stage, refined a fifth-grade talisman— a feat of breathtaking brilliance that fills one's heart with admiration."

"Cultivation itself is already a path of ascending to the heavens. What does it matter if a mayfly's body crashes against the abyss of the sky? Even should one die, the soul-lamp still lights the way for those who come after."

Cang Shun raised his eyes.

A human cultivator— how full of vigor and spirit he was when he spoke those words, like an unstoppable, forward-charging blade.

Ning Lili was briefly taken aback, and noticed that her master's expression had changed.

A light flickered in her master's eyes that she did not know how to describe—shock, astonishment, joy... like an aged person in their twilight years who had just reunited with a long-lost old friend.

It was the first time she had ever seen her master like this.

"...So there are still those who come after and remember her."

Bai Yue's fingers rested on the rim of the teacup, unaware even as the tea within overflowed and reached her fingertips.

She slowly set down the teacup; its porcelain base met the table with a soft knock, and then she smiled.

"Do not worry about the formula. I can gather all the materials for you without taking a single spirit stone. However, the pavilion's current stock is incomplete, and in the short term I can only assemble two sets."

Two chances was truly too few for a third-grade talisman—even with her mid-Golden Core cultivation, refining a third-grade talisman required preparing at least three sets of materials. This was precisely the rarity of middle-grade talismans, far beyond what lower-grade ones could approach.

"There has been no movement from the Liu family yet, but just to be safe, young friend Jiang is welcome to move into our Qianxuan Pavilion for the time being. I still carry a measure of influence around here. They will not do anything to you."

Chen Moqing's voice was clear and mild: "I trouble the manager to search diligently on my behalf. This is your payment."

His slender fingers lifted from the snow-white beast's spine, extended slightly, and brilliant talisman script swirled around them, coalescing in the blink of an eye into a translucent talisman with flickering flecks of lightning at its center.

Bai Yue suddenly sat up straight.

"A trivial matter," she said, grabbing Chen Moqing's hand with both of hers, steady and assured, "leave it to me!"

Cang Shun: "???"

Cang Shun raised a paw and was about to swat that hand away, but Bai Yue was quicker— she had already drawn her hand back a step ahead of him.

Ning Lili stared with her mouth agape.

That was...

A fourth-grade talisman formula?!?!

...

The guest had departed, leaving the elegant chamber with only half a cup of cooling tea.

Bai Yue channeled her divine sense into the talisman formula, and in an instant fierce lightning surged through it.

A fourth-grade Thunderstrike Talisman formula!

—Should it be successfully refined into a talisman, it could unleash the power of an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator!

Ning Lili said blankly: "Master, is he really only at the Qi Refinement stage?"

"That's right," Bai Yue said with certainty, "Someone who can produce a fourth-grade talisman formula with such ease, and yet possesses talent of this caliber, traveling alone through the lower prefectures... he is most likely... a person who has met with misfortune as well."

"Then why didn't he ask Master to help him refine the talisman? Why take such a great risk himself?"

Bai Yue rapped her on the head: "He also doesn't want me to offend the Tingyu Sect. Far more thoughtful than you."

Ning Lili covered her head with practiced resignation: "Does Master believe in him?"

Bai Yue was silent for a moment, then spoke again: "They all say the sword is the foremost of all weapons and sword cultivators the foremost among all cultivators— piercing the heavens with the sword, heedless of cultivation stage. But the talismans refined by talisman cultivators are, in truth, equally unconstrained by stage. The path of the talisman way is one of lifelong pursuit and deep study; even the smallest mayfly can shake the heavens."

"Your grand-master once refined, at the Golden Core stage, a fifth-grade talisman whose power could rival that of a Deity Transformation cultivator. I have chased her footsteps my entire life, yet after two hundred years, it remains beyond what my own talent can reach."

"If he can truly refine a third-grade spirit talisman at the Qi Refinement stage, it would be for our lineage of talisman cultivators like the great sun rising at dawn."

As Bai Yue said this, a glow suffused her face.

"Having beheld such a precious jade, how could one's heart not rejoice."

Ning Lili heard her master's murmur, and her eyes suddenly grew hot.

Her master had once been a genius of the sect, achieving Core Formation before the age of a hundred, with every prospect of becoming the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the Dongzhou Prefecture... yet afterward, for reasons unknown, the grand-master had passed away, and the master had been expelled from the sect. Her original foundation was damaged, her cultivation stagnant; now, two hundred years later, she remained at the Golden Core stage.

Ning Lili said loudly: "Master! I can do it too! One day, I will refine a fourth-grade Soul-Ferrying Talisman!"

A fourth-grade Soul-Ferrying Talisman could stabilize the spirit platform of a Golden Core cultivator. Once Master's cultivation reached the great perfection of Golden Core, with the aid of such a talisman, Nascent Soul would be well within reach!

Bai Yue said languidly: "And that's all the ambition you have."

Ning Lili: "?"

"You have eight talisman spiritual roots. Even among the upper prefectures, you would not lose to the proud children of any great sect."

Bai Yue raised her hand and let her palm slowly come to rest in her disciple's hair.

"Of course, this master does not demand that you must ascend to the Great Path. To live out your life in peace and happiness is more than enough."

She gazed into her disciple's clear, pure eyes and sighed softly: "And what does it matter if one has twelve spiritual roots? That sword cultivation prodigy who once shook all Nine Thousand Prefectures—was he not still—"

"That's because he didn't have a good master," Ning Lili said without a moment's thought, wrapping her arms around Bai Yue's and giving it a little shake, "Master treats me the best!"

Bai Yue smiled warmly: "Go write your thousand-word talisman reflection."

"......"

On the first floor of Qianxuan Pavilion, it seemed as though a gaze had settled upon him.

Chen Moqing turned his head slightly and saw the old man from yesterday lurking behind the counter, seeming to want to say something but holding back.

He gave the old man a slight nod of acknowledgment; the old man started, then returned the nod.

Along the main street, the young cultivator walked at an unhurried pace, his loosely tied dark hair drifting casually against his slender waist.

Cradled in the crook of his arm, the round little fluffy ball was holding an osmanthus cake and nibbling at it in small bites, its manner entirely graceful.

Chen Moqing glanced down at it: "White sugar cake eating osmanthus cake."

Cang Shun: "?"

The moment the snow-white beast raised its paw, Chen Moqing tucked the little fluffy ball into his arms, his palm gliding with practiced ease from that small head all the way down to the fluffy tail.

The little fluffy ball that had been on the verge of puffing up went still, settling softly against his forearm, its round beast-eyes narrowing contentedly.

After two seconds, Cang Shun seemed to feel something was not quite right, and raised its head again.

A gentle breeze swept past the dark hair that fell loose, revealing a fair and composed profile. Those eyes were cast slightly downward, carrying a faint warm glow.

"......"

Fine—he was a great demon. He would not stoop to bickering with him.

Cang Shun unhurriedly raised a fluffy paw and gave the hem of Chen Moqing's robe a single pat.

Chen Moqing returned to the inn. Bai Yue moved with impressive efficiency, and within just two or three days had gathered most of the materials needed for the Spirit-Guarding Talisman—only the final one remained.

Half a day later, she sent a message talisman to Chen Moqing: "Young friend Jiang, I apologize—it may be a few more days yet."

"The century-old spirit bamboo nodes needed last have been swept up at high prices by the Liu family. It seems word leaked out beforehand, and they learned I was searching for Spirit-Guarding Talisman materials."

"I have already put in a request to the other branch pavilions. It should arrive within another half month."

After Xue Qi's death, the Liu family had remained completely still—as though this person had never existed. That they would suddenly make a move now was no surprise to Chen Moqing. They had likely guessed that the one who truly needed the Spirit-Guarding Talisman was him; after all, the only person Bai Yue had been in contact with recently was him.

【If they want revenge, why did they not come to your door the day after you killed that worthless piece of trash?】

Cang Shun clutched a dried fried whitebait, regarding the matter with considerable disdain.

"Xue Qi was nothing but a pawn to them—dead, he becomes a discarded piece," Chen Moqing leaned back against the window frame and watched a fine rain soak into Qingzhu City, "They don't know my true strength, and likely still think I am also at the Golden Core stage."

The Dongzhou Prefecture was merely one small world among the six thousand lower prefectures. Golden Core was already the pinnacle of strength in this place; the Liu family patriarch himself was only at the mid-Golden Core stage.

Cang Shun sneered: 【And yet they were foolish enough to provoke you from the start, then hit a wall of iron and didn't dare make a sound—reduced to using underhanded tricks.】

【Why do you humans always harbor so many scheming thoughts?】

He glanced down at the dried whitebait in his paw, then added: 【You excluded.】

Chen Moqing: "Good kitty."

Cang Shun: "???"

The snow-white beast bristled indignantly, scratched the hem of Chen Moqing's robe once more with its paw, then took its dried whitebait and retreated to the other side of the room, refusing to acknowledge him any further.

Less than half a day later, Chen Moqing received another message talisman.

"All gathered."

"Liu Yu, the eldest young master of the Liu family who recently returned, quietly had someone deliver several sections of century-old spirit bamboo. He had been away elsewhere all along and only returned to the Liu family these past few days—I had not expected you to be acquainted with him as well."

Several sections of bamboo, lustrous as jade, floated in the air; one of them had a small smiling stick figure drawn on it.

Chen Moqing gently cradled the bamboo sections, hearing Cang Shun's voice beside him: 【So then—you had it all figured out from the start?】

Chen Moqing smiled faintly: "A chance encounter with Young Master Liu—how could that be something I could have calculated?"

All the talisman-refining materials that had been delivered were checked over several times, and the Spirit-Guarding Talisman formula was confirmed to be correct.

Cang Shun was wandering idly around the guest room. When he drifted past, Chen Moqing raised a hand: "Would you be willing to stand guard here for me and keep others from entering?"

Cang Shun's brow arched ever so slightly, his chin tilting upward. Not a word.

Chen Moqing: "The incomparably valiant and mighty Demon Emperor."

Cang Shun: "."

The exceedingly valiant Demon Emperor gave a soft, disdainful laugh, then raised his paw and placed it in the palm of the young human whose voice was very pleasant to hear.

In an instant, countless arcs of lightning snaked outward like living things, erupting in fierce silver radiance. Within the howling, surging storm of thunder, an immense figure stepped forth.

It was a beautiful and formidable great demon beast—its form like that of a snow leopard, muscles powerful and fluid, its coat shifting silver in the sunlight with a moonhalo gleam, its scarlet demon eyes like burning flowing fire, blazing and brilliant.

Silver-white lightning coiled around its entire body, radiating an inconceivable aura of majesty, like a sword of thunder cast down by the Heavenly Dao itself.

In this moment, Chen Moqing still could not see through Cang Shun's cultivation— not because the gap between them was too vast, but because this Demon Emperor's rare bloodline was such that it inherently blocked all external perception.

Cang Shun looked down at the human cultivator before him. The lightning wreathing his body slowly retracted, and he dipped his head slightly, seeing his own incomparably valiant reflection clearly in those dark, tranquil eyes.

Moving a little closer.

Chen Moqing's face was buried in a mass of warm fur.

The great Demon Emperor circled around him once with elegant grace, his long thick tail curling lightly around his slender back.

【No one outside can detect Benzun's presence.】

A low, melodious male voice, like the gentle plucking of the finest zither string.

Chen Moqing had originally meant to pet that fluffy head, but after a moment's thought, it seemed somewhat undignified toward this now-enlarged Demon Emperor, and so he withdrew his hand.

Cang Shun fixed his gaze on his palm.

Stared without a word.

Slowly drew closer, and gently dipped his fluffy head down.

Chen Moqing closed his eyes, gathered his focus, and began to refine the talisman.

Cang Shun: "......"

All the talisman-refining materials floated in the air, circling around Chen Moqing. His expression settled into deep, undisturbed stillness, a faint luminous halo gilding his form—like a deity beyond joy and grief.

Cang Shun slowly lay down beside him, his back like a range of sweeping, majestic mountains, his silver-white tail curling with a gentle hook around the young human—like a lake set apart by the mountains at their edge, quietly hiding that clear, beautiful lake among the peaks.

Two sets of materials. Two chances.

Chen Moqing drew his spirit and mind to a single point, slowly opened his eyes, and with his divine sense as his brush, stroke by stroke inscribed the talisman script in the air.

His every stroke carried a weight as heavy and laborious as moving mountains.

As each stroke was set down, a luminous brilliance immediately rose from the line, as though stars were falling one after another from the sky above.

Cang Shun sensed the sharply rising spiritual energy—the breath of a talisman nearing completion.

...As expected, before those wretched people had destroyed his cultivation, this human had been a formidable talisman cultivator.

Cang Shun pressed a paw against the hem of Chen Moqing's robe pooled on the floor, smoothing out the folds, then crumpling it back up, kneading it back and forth.

He kept saying talisman cultivation was useless— sword cultivation was far better; at least when someone bullied you, you could fight back.

...Or better yet, to be of their demon race— that way he could stay in the demon realm.

He watched Chen Moqing without blinking, drifting idly through many such thoughts—and then, in the next instant, those scarlet demon eyes sharpened abruptly.

The young human's figure swayed. A trickle of crimson escaped his pale lips. His dark hair came loose, falling across a pale cheek slick with cold sweat.

The talisman script that had been on the verge of completion collapsed in an instant. The backlash struck— his cultivation, at the peak of Qi Refinement, plummeted in the blink of an eye to the middle stage!

—Talisman refinement had forcibly failed!

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