Chapter 3

Li Wan, who had spent many years at the Daoist temple, had seen many ordinary people come to learn the art of cultivation. He understood that jade talismans were rare in the mortal world, and selling them would be more profitable than directly exchanging spirit stones for silver.

In the evening, in his room,

Li Wan held a carving knife, focused his mind, and took out a small, translucent white jade the size of a peach pit. He cut off the ends, turning it into a flat stone slab as thick as a fingernail, and then began to carve Daoist runes on one side.

The shape of the Daoist runes resembled a bird but was not quite a bird, known as Dao patterns.

Dao patterns were originally natural patterns formed by the accumulation of qi, revealing the principles of nature. Later, they were learned and gradually evolved by ancient cultivators.

Drawing the correct Dao patterns not only revealed the principles of heaven and earth but also possessed special functions. This knowledge was essential for making talismans, refining artifacts, setting up arrays, and even cultivating various magical techniques and spells. In the middle and ancient eras, many cultivation manuals were directly recorded using these Dao patterns.

In the cultivation world, not being able to recognize Dao patterns was like being illiterate, and one would suffer significant losses.

Li Wan used the simplest method to carve Dao patterns directly onto spirit stones, taking advantage of their ability to absorb the essence of heaven and earth and form arrays on their own. As the saying goes, the details reveal the truth. Although making jade talismans looked simple, even a slight deviation would render the entire spirit stone useless and the talisman-making process a failure.

This is why jade talismans cannot be pre-carved or mass-produced using other methods.

For ordinary people, making jade talismans was not very profitable and could even result in a loss. However, Li Wan's technique was very proficient, as if he had been through countless trials. With each cut and stroke, the Dao pattern array was completed without any errors, significantly reducing costs.

One by one, Clear Mind Talismans were made, and then Li Wan began to carve other types of jade talismans, such as Dust-Repelling Talismans, Insect-Driving Talismans, and Moisture-Preventing Talismans...

Except for the last few, which were destroyed due to the significant energy consumption, all the other jade talismans were successfully completed.

By now, he had already made over a hundred jade talismans.

The next morning, Li Wan left the temple and walked for three to four miles to the town at the foot of the mountain.

In front of the gates of the major orthodox sects, there were usually named-disciple training grounds, and below these grounds were small towns. Since the sects' roots were in the secular world, and the secular disciples were involved in many mortal affairs, when new disciples came to learn the art of cultivation, their servants and families would stay in these towns. The various needs of these people would form bustling market towns.

Li Wan hurriedly found an empty spot at the end of a street, laid a thick cloth on the ground, and took out the jade talismans he had made overnight. He sorted them by type and neatly arranged them.

Then he began to call out, "Come and see, high-quality jade talismans, one tael each, only one tael of silver each!"

He was an orphan from a poor family and had worked as a laborer before becoming a named disciple, so he was very familiar with street vending.

Li Wan's calls quickly attracted the attention of a few young masters and misses. One of them asked half-doubtfully, "Is this senior brother a disciple of the Righteous Sect?"

Behind them were a few servants, and it seemed they were wealthy secular families seeking to become named disciples.

Li Wan smiled and said, "Junior brothers and sisters, you are correct. I am a named disciple of the sect. Seeing that the new disciples are in need of aids for cultivation, I have come here to sell them at a discount."

"Is that so?" A slightly older wealthy youth muttered to himself.

In the market at the foot of the mountain, there were indeed people selling spirit herbs, talismans, and even rumored to sell elixirs, but those in the know understood that these named disciples were just boasting to sound impressive. How could they have such miraculous effects!

Some even sold fake medicine or useless junk.

He was worried that Li Wan might be one of these fraudsters.

Li Wan, knowing his concerns, said frankly, "You can go and check other places. Jade talismans with the same function cost at least one and a half taels, but I am selling them for just one tael, which is much cheaper." He then said to the older youth, "You seem to know a lot about the sect. If you don't believe me, you can try them yourself."

The older wealthy youth nodded and casually picked up a few jade talismans, weighing them in his hand. Suddenly, his expression changed, and he whispered something to the others.

The wealthy young masters and misses looked delighted and quickly said, "We'll take them, we'll take all of them."

Li Wan smiled, "A hundred taels of silver, a small favor, consider it my way of taking care of my fellow disciples."

"Really, thank you so much, senior brother," they said gratefully, all feeling that Li Wan was a good person.

"Hehe, no problem, no problem."

While helping them pack the jade talismans, Li Wan explained the uses of the different types and shared some of his experience from the training ground.

He had been there for ten years and had nothing to hide, so he spoke freely. The older wealthy youth, who was perceptive, knew that these were genuine experiences and quickly instructed the others to remember them.

After they left, it was already half an hour later. Li Wan had sold all his jade talismans and was preparing to pack up.

At that moment, a sarcastic voice came from the crowd, "Oh, isn't this Senior Brother Li? What are you doing here, selling things like a peddler?"

Li Wan turned around, and his face darkened.

The speaker was named Yin Zhi, a servant of Yin Shaohua. He usually relied on the Yin family's influence and looked down on named disciples, making him a complete lackey.

Years ago, Li Wan had saved someone and had beaten him up.

Li Wan snorted coldly, "What are you, to call me senior brother?"

Yin Zhi was taken aback and then filled with resentment.

Given his status, he indeed had no right to call Li Wan and others senior brothers, but everyone usually avoided offending him due to Yin Shaohua's family influence.

Feeling openly despised by Li Wan, Yin Zhi was furious and sized him up.

Seeing that Li Wan ignored him and continued to pack up, Yin Zhi's eyes flashed with a cruel look. He suddenly shouted, "Well, Li Wan, you dare to steal jade talismans! Guards, you saw it with your own eyes, arrest him!"

Two young guards stepped forward, "Senior Brother, someone reported that they saw you selling stolen jade talismans. Please come with us."

"Stolen jade talismans?" Li Wan was stunned, looking strangely at Yin Zhi and the two guards, "Are you three sick?"

"What, with witnesses and evidence, you still want to deny it?" Yin Zhi sneered, acting as if he had Li Wan cornered.

He had no witnesses or evidence, just an excuse to cause trouble.

Thinking of his master's hatred for this person, Yin Zhi was confident he would receive praise and support. If his master was happy, he might even be allowed to join the sect, which would be a great advancement!

Yin Zhi had already planned it out. His master was from one of the three major families of the Righteous Sect, the Yin family. The outer court executive responsible for selecting disciples was an old friend of the family. With this influence, he could find a few patrolling guards, explain the situation, and thoroughly ruin Li Wan!

Li Wan, however, said, "Deny? Do I look like someone who would deny?"

"Good, since you admit it..." Yin Zhi looked at the guards, "Why aren't you moving?"

"Wait!" Li Wan sneered, "Are you sure about this?"

Yin Zhi was taken aback by Li Wan's words and then sneered, "So what if I am... Ah, what are you doing!"

As he spoke, Li Wan suddenly struck out with his large hand and slapped Yin Zhi.

Slap!

Yin Zhi felt the world spin and was knocked to the ground, seeing stars.

"What are you doing, I want to hit you! You dog-like thing, I'm selling talismans to earn money, not seeking revenge on your family. You come to provoke me, are you tired of living? Do you think I'm easy to bully, damn it!"

Li Wan roared and sat on his chest, slapping him again and again.

"Don't think I'm a pushover!"

Li Wan slapped him hard, and in no time, Yin Zhi's cheeks were swollen and red, like a roasted pig's head.

Yin Zhi was completely dazed, his mouth open like a dead fish, unable to speak.

"You, what are you doing... let him go."

The two guards were shocked to see Li Wan attack in front of them.

Li Wan ignored them, cursing and slapping, venting all his anger and frustration.

The two guards were secretly worried that he might kill him, so they quickly grabbed Li Wan's shoulders to pull him away.

However, Li Wan, though seemingly impulsive, had been prepared. He quickly turned and charged at one of them with the force of a bull.

This move, though simple, was a technique that only named disciples could learn.

Li Wan had practiced for years and had perfected the basic Righteous Sect technique. He could hold his own against three to five ordinary martial artists. How could these two guards stand a chance?

With a scream, the guard was knocked flying and landed heavily on the ground, feeling as if his bones were about to shatter.

Then, Li Wan turned and slapped the other guard in the chest, causing him to pale and fall to the ground with a scream.

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