Chapter 140: The Treasure in the Cabinet

"Alright, I remember. According to what Sister Yutong said, since the Three Realms Emissary has already distributed the tokens this year, does that mean I have no chance of going to the Three Realms Bazaar? Also, is one token strictly limited to a single person?"

Zhang Shouzhen asked with a furrowed brow. Since the Three Realms Bazaar appeared in Longdu, it was highly likely that the Three Realms Emissary would search for destined individuals right here in the city. What were the exact rules governing this? If he could manage to get his hands on a token for the Three Realms Bazaar, he would very well be able to find the sun tuckahoe herb. With that herb, he could drive the demonic Qi out of Jiang Litian's body.

In truth, he had also considered asking Tianbao for help, or even getting Xiong Kun to personally purge the demonic Qi. However, Qing Yutong had made it crystal clear that the demonic Qi had already invaded deep into the body; even if those experts came in person, they would likely be powerless to stop it.

"It is true that the tokens have all been distributed, and naturally, a token can only represent one person. The Three Realms Bazaar is managed with extreme strictness; even our bronze corpses wouldn't dare to act presumptuously inside. However, getting a token is not entirely impossible, because the powerful and influential families in Longdu generally manage to secure a few. We can use this lead to track down a token, though it's best to do it within three days. Three days from now, the guiding emissary of the Three Realms Bazaar will arrive at the side of those who hold the tokens and lead them to the bazaar."

Qing Yutong toyed with the scalpel in her hand as she offered the explanation.

"Hehe, the Old Ancestor should have a token to the Three Realms Bazaar, right? Given his abilities, acquiring one should be effortless for him."

Zhang Shouzhen's eyes narrowed slightly into a chuckle.

Tieniu and Qing Yutong exchanged a helpless glance. Tieniu awkwardly cleared his throat a few times and said, "Young Master, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The master of the Three Realms Bazaar is your Old Ancestor's sworn enemy. Many years ago, your Old Ancestor caused absolute chaos on their turf, nearly collapsing the entire bazaar. Ever since that incident, that old fellow has never sent a token our way again, and not even we subordinates have a single one, alas."

"Since that's the case, I can only rely on other connections."

Zhang Shouzhen nodded. The very first thoughts that came to his mind were the Jiang family, the Mountain-Moving Sect where Fan Xiaopang resided, and even his own sect, the Heavenly Dao Sect. Any of these should afford him a chance to obtain a token.

"Let's head back to the hospital first."

Qing Yutong patted him on the shoulder and climbed into the driver's seat.

Inside the car, she sent messages to the others. A short while later, Zhang Shouzhen drifted off to sleep in the passenger seat; after all, Tianbao's forceful destruction of the Supreme Purity Demon-Slaughtering Talisman had left him with considerable injuries.

When he finally woke up, he found himself lying in a hospital room, though Jiuer was not inside. Having lost all drowsiness, he reached out and took out his phone, discovering that replies had already come in. Sure enough, Jiang Mingyue had messaged back, stating that the Jiang family possessed a token and was willing to gift it to Zhang Shouzhen.

However, transactions within the Three Realms Bazaar were strictly conducted through bartering, rendering external currency useless. Therefore, to visit the bazaar, one had to prepare specific items, such as yellow paper talismans, stone talismans, magical artifacts, or medicinal ingredients.

Ordinary talismans probably wouldn't hold much utility; after all, anyone capable of visiting the bazaar was no ordinary character, and they would surely look down upon basic charms. That being said, he should prepare the Azure Dragon lineage's Evil-Exterminating Dharma Blade Talismans, as well as the Supreme Purity Demon-Slaughtering Talismans from the *Supreme Purity Secret Record*. Both of these could be considered high-grade talismans.

With this in mind, Zhang Shouzhen switched on the room's lights, took out his tools, and began drafting yellow paper talismans. However, yellow talismans were considered the lowest tier of charms, utterly incapable of bearing runes imbued with overly potent power, such as lightning talismans.

Even the Supreme Purity Demon-Slaughtering Talisman was merely a relatively rare demon-slaying charm rather than a truly powerful one. The formidable talismans contained within the *Supreme Purity Secret Record* were simply beyond his current level of comprehension. Furthermore, as the Old Ancestor Li Tagu had once mentioned, the Daoist arts contained within the Heavenly Book were far more profound and powerful.

He walked over to a cabinet, opened the wooden doors, and began searching through the contents inside. Knowing that he would be staying here for a period of time, Li Tagu had personally instructed Tieniu to have certain tools prepared for him.

He simply had been too busy these past few days and had neglected them. Upon opening the cabinet, a faint, herbal fragrance immediately drifted out, instantly refreshing his spirit. Inside the cabinet sat numerous small boxes, each bearing the name of its contents written on a strip of paper.

"Concentration Incense?!"

Zhang Shouzhen stared blankly at the characters written on one of the boxes, then reached out and pulled it out. The wooden box carried a certain weight to it. As he brought it closer, he realized that the refreshing fragrance was indeed emanating from within this very box. Unlike most of the other boxes whose edges were sealed with wax, this particular box looked as though it had already been opened—the wax seals on both sides had been broken, which explained why the aroma had escaped.

He removed the lid to find neat rows of sandalwood inside—no, this was Concentration Incense. These sticks of Concentration Incense were as thick as a little finger and a foot long, pitch-black throughout, with silver runes shimmering across their surfaces, giving them a remarkable texture. There were about twenty sticks in the box, and each single one was worth a king's ransom.

Qingxu had once mentioned Concentration Incense to him. This type of incense was exclusively used among the upper echelons of the Daoist gates. True to its name, Concentration Incense could stabilize and nourish the primordial spirit. If the primordial spirit suffered minor injuries, burning this incense would allow for a swift recovery.

For instance, if an ordinary person suffered severe fright, their soul would weaken and might even detach from the physical body. The soul was the spirit, and it was also the primordial spirit; thus, such a condition was also referred to as a primordial spirit injury. If Concentration Incense could be lit before the soul completely dissipated, those weakened spiritual fragments would gradually recover. One could easily imagine how precious this incense truly was.

Aside from its miraculous efficacy, the materials used to create Concentration Incense were extremely rare. It was refined from over a dozen precious ingredients, including dragon saliva harvested from the deep sea, the heartwood of the Soul-Nourishing Tree, and mother-of-pearl from the East Sea. The silver patterns shimmering across the surface of the incense sticks were soul-gathering talisman arrays inscribed by masters, making them exceedingly rare.

The box of Concentration Incense he now held in his hands was a priceless treasure. Even if placed inside the Three Realms Bazaar, it would likely be snatched away in a frenzy, for this item produced remarkable effects whether used by ghosts, demons, or humans. Previously, Zhang Shouzhen's mind had been tightly linked to the Supreme Purity Demon-Slaughtering Talisman; when the talisman shattered, his mind suffered a backlash that stirred up his vital Qi, causing him to vomit blood.

Although these treasures were immensely valuable, to prevent any lingering hidden ailments from plaguing his primordial spirit, he decided to use the Concentration Incense.

Though he had long anticipated that the items given to him by the Old Ancestor wouldn't be ordinary, something of this value was normally reserved only for lineage heads even within the Heavenly Dao Sect; ordinary disciples would only be rewarded with it after making monumental contributions to the sect. He raised his hand, gazed at the Azure Dragon thumb ring on his thumb, and rubbed his head. Acting as a lineage head certainly felt a bit pathetic in his hands.

Compounding his focus once more, his gaze fell back into the cabinet. There were over a dozen wooden boxes in here, and none of them were likely to be ordinary.

As his eyes swept across one of the boxes, he covered his mouth in a startled gasp: "Silver Sand Mud!"