Chapter 141: Qiansheng the Young Girl

The characters "Silver Sand Mud" were strikingly written on the wooden box. Zhang Shou-zheng eagerly took out the box, walked over to the desk, and placed it upon it.

The wax seal on the wooden box was still intact. He gripped the box with five fingers and exerted a gentle force, causing the wax seals on both sides to crack. He pulled off the lid to reveal a round porcelain jar nestled inside. Opening the jar, he finally beheld the silver sand mud.

The function of this silver sand mud was essentially the same as cinnabar, used for drawing talismans, but silver sand mud was far more precious than cinnabar.

Generally, if a mistake was made while drawing a talisman with cinnabar, the entire talisman would be ruined. Silver sand mud, however, was different; it possessed an inherent characteristic that allowed it to be patched and corrected during the drawing process. Furthermore, talismanic papers drawn with silver sand mud were vastly more powerful than those drawn with cinnabar.

If Zhang Shou-zheng were to draw the Evil-Slaying Dharma Saber talisman now—he being at the initial stage of the Diurnal Realm—using this mud would grant the talisman the power of the mid-Diurnal Realm.

This was truly a rare and precious treasure, and using silver sand mud should guarantee a 100 percent success rate for every piece drawn.

Aside from these, the cabinet also contained a thick stack of sheepskins, cut to roughly the same size as yellow talisman paper. These sheepskins had been treated with a special medicinal concoction, numbering over a hundred sheets. These sheepskins were capable of bearing powerful talismans; for instance, the sword talisman that Guo Gui-xiang had previously produced was inscribed on a sheepskin scroll. Likewise, the Five Thunders Orthodox Method of the Azure Dragon lineage could also be used, though the Li family's Taiqing Divine Talisman was even more destructive, likely beyond the endurance of these sheepskins—otherwise, Li Ta-gu would not have inscribed his thunder talismans on jade pieces.

After making all preparations, Zhang Shou-zheng took out a tiny incense burner, carefully selected a stick of Mind-Concentrating Incense, placed it inside, and lit it. The incense emitted a faint white mist that seemed imbued with spiritual energy, drifting continuously into Zhang Shou-zheng's body.

He had already decided that on this trip to the Three Realms Market, aside from obtaining the Diurnal Poria, he would also see what else he could trade for.

Therefore, he intended to draw upon all hundred-odd sheepskin scrolls using the silver sand mud, and he would also bring along a few sticks of Mind-Concentrating Incense.

A night passed, and Zhang Shou-zheng remained full of spirit. Although the items on the desk were somewhat cluttered, he had successfully drawn thirty Evil-Slaying Dharma Saber talismans and five thunder talismans of the Azure Dragon lineage. Once unleashed, these thunder talismans would summon five bolts of descending lightning with immense destructive power.

Drawing these talismans required the expenditure of one's own magical power and primordial spirit, making it heavily taxing. By early morning, his head was spinning and buzzing. He yawned, tidied up briefly, and pushed open his bedroom door. Jiu-er did not seem to be around.

The sun had not yet risen, and standing atop the mountain provided an excellent opportunity to practice the Azure Dragon Spirit Eye. Therefore, he left the hospital and headed toward higher terrain.

Before long, he reached the summit of the mountain. Passing through the woods, Longdu City came into view not far away. The entire city appeared somewhat hazy, with dense, heavy clouds seemingly lingering in the sky above. The metropolis was permeated with an industrial atmosphere; he could even spot the large factories in the suburbs, their chimneys billowing thick smoke that drifted toward the sky over Longdu with the wind.

Just as Zhang Shou-zheng sat down, his ears suddenly twitched. Rustling sounds came from the woods behind him. He abruptly spun his head around, but the eerie surrounding sounds vanished instantly. A faint fragrance, accompanied by a subtle scent of blood, drifted into his nostrils.

"Who is hiding in the woods? Come out now, or I won't be polite!"

Zhang Shou-zheng drew the broken sword from his waist, his expression turning gloomy.

He glanced at a patch of bushes not far away, suddenly bent down to pick up a small stone, and flicked his wrist. The stone shot forth like a piercing arrow, plunging straight into the foliage.

"Ouch!"

A girl's voice, as clear and sweet as an oriole issuing from a valley, rang out. Zhang Shou-zheng tipped his toes and dashed straight toward the bushes. But before he could reach them, the soil beneath his feet churned, and emerald vines burst through the earth, winding and lashing toward him.

Zhang Shou-zheng's expression changed drastically. With a flick of his wrist, several sword gleams flashed, instantly severing the vines. Yet, the moment the severed vines touched the soil, they seemed to come alive again, transforming back into slender tendrils that lashed at him.

"Who on earth is this, sneaking around and ambushing me from the shadows?!"

Although the girl's voice was genuinely pleasant enough to momentarily daze him, the fact that she could manipulate vines to attack indicated she was a formidable entity. Moreover, these vines had sprouted directly from the ground without any visible spells being cast or talismans displayed—it was utterly bizarre.

"Hmph! Clearly, you ambushed me first, yet you turn around and accuse the victim! Shameless!"

The voice remained delightful; even while scolding, it sounded pleasing to Zhang Shou-zheng's ears. When he snapped back to his senses, a wave of panic washed over him, fearing she had cast some kind of alluring enchantment. Yet upon second thought, there were no anomalies in the surroundings, and the girl hadn't even shown her face—how could it be an enchantment? While he was distracted, the vines had already closed in, binding him tightly.

To Zhang Shou-zheng's relief, however, the vines carried no lethal poison; after tightly binding him, they simply ceased moving.

At that moment, a girl dressed in exotic, unorthodox attire stepped out from the bushes. The very first glimpse of her made Zhang Shou-zheng's heart skip a beat, completely stunned by her breathtaking beauty.

The girl wore a pale emerald long dress that revealed her snow-white arms. Her long hair cascaded down to her ankles, and she wore a colorful crown upon her head. In her hands, she held a scepter twisted from dead branches. She possessed a pair of clear eyes as bright as the autumn moon, a cherry-like mouth, and a delicate, uptight nose. At that moment, she was glaring at Zhang Shou-zheng with a trace of annoyance.

Zhang Shou-zheng swallowed hard. Seeing her walk toward him, he suddenly remembered that he had attacked her with a stone. His face instantly flushed red as he stammered, "Little sister, just now I thought some evildoer was lurking in the dark, so... I am truly sorry."

The girl pursed her lips and glanced around. Zhang Shou-zheng noticed a faint bloodstain across one of her arms, as if the slightest movement might tear the wound open anew. Furthermore, though the girl looked full of vigor on the surface, her lips were somewhat pale.

"Fine, I won't blame you. I can only blame my own carelessness for startling the dragon..."

The girl said with a hint of exasperation.

Zhang Shou-zheng broke out in a cold sweat and corrected her, "It's 'startling the snake'..."

The girl waved her arm impatiently, pouted, and feigned a fierce expression as she demanded, "My name is Qian Sheng. What's your name? Why are you here? If I hadn't seen that you possess righteous energy and aren't an accomplice of that fiend, I would have thrown you down the mountain long ago!"