Seeing Xiao Zhuang’s agreement, the System didn’t delay. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and the Talisman Compendium, which claimed to form its own path, was imprinted directly into his mind!
Thanks to the cheat bestowed by Brother System, the built-in automatic Sinicization of minor languages across multiple realms of the universe was incredibly considerate.
If this were modern times, he could use this skill to apply for the position of chief translator in a tribe on the African savannah.
Unfortunately, the characters were too obscure and difficult to understand. Xiao Zhuang could only read them over and over again, evoking the bittersweet feeling of reliving his senior year of high school.
He started by tracing them with his finger. Once he could fully grasp and integrate the knowledge, he would be able to use his finger as a brush and his own Spiritual Power as ink to draw talismans in the air.
He could even use his own body as the talisman paper, allowing the miraculous effects of the talismans to act upon himself.
Xiao Zhuang flipped through the entire book of Talisman Untearable from start to finish and picked out the Swift Movement Talisman and the Strength Talisman to study!
Overwhelming force defeats all techniques—if you can’t win, run fast. Better to master these two life-saving skills before thinking about anything else!
The road to Qianyu City was relatively smooth, and although the carriage rocked, it wasn’t bumpy. That Miss Bai, noticing Xiao Zhuang was sleeping, even reminded Young Master Xue to keep his voice down—quite considerate of her!
Around noon, the coachman said the horses needed a rest, so they got off the carriage to have lunch.
Young Master Xue volunteered to catch rabbits. And honestly, a dog catching rabbits was a perfect match for his skills. In no time, he returned with three plump rabbits.
The coachman, who knew what kind of creature he was, was clearly a carnivore as well and volunteered to clean the rabbits by the river!
Soon, Xiao Zhuang discovered another of Miss Bai’s virtues: she had somehow unlocked the Culinary God skill. The rabbits were roasted to perfection—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, neither gamey nor tough. They were so delicious it felt like one could swallow their own tongue.
He had initially thought this fox spirit was the seductive and frivolous type, but he never expected her to be such a virtuous wife and loving mother. Just for her cooking skills alone, Xiao Zhuang decided to include her in his circle of companions.
As for Schnauzer, it went without saying—he had already thought of names for their future children.
Bai Xiu’er was also quite satisfied. This Young Master Xue was clearly simple-minded. Though he was captivated by her beauty, he showed no lewd intentions. He was someone she could get along with!
As for that Xiao Zhuang, she couldn’t quite figure him out. He was young and had low Spiritual Power, yet he always gave her a sense of incongruity, as if he wasn’t just an ordinary youngster!
Young Master Xue claimed to be from the Snow Wolf Clan, but Xiao Zhuang wouldn’t reveal anything about himself. She had no idea what he was!
But it didn’t matter. All she needed was someone to help her leave the Monster World. Nothing else was important.
Sigh, she wondered where her younger sister was now. With her personality, would Bailing even accept her?
Their journey was quite peaceful. Whenever they encountered villages or towns, they would stop for the night. Young Master Xue paid for everything, Miss Bai cooked, and Xiao Zhuang, being a child, was only responsible for having fun!
Schnauzer found it strange to see him gesturing and tracing patterns on his clothes. Xiao Zhuang didn’t hide it and said he remembered being taught talisman drawing at home and was just practicing.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, the three monsters widened their eyes, looking at him as if he were a freak.
“Why are you all looking at me like that? Is there a problem?”
Young Master Xue scratched his head. “Even though Uncle stole you from Lingjian Sect, you have Demon Markings on your forehead, so you’re clearly a Demon Cultivator. How can a Demon Cultivator know how to draw talismans?”
“Demon Cultivators can’t draw talismans?” Xiao Zhuang was also puzzled. He genuinely didn’t know.
Bai Xiu’er immediately nodded. “Perhaps you’re just too young, Shisan. But this is common knowledge!”
After a demon cultivator gains enlightenment, their demonic power transforms into spiritual power, and their previous cultivation methods become obsolete!
Even if they could continue practicing, it would involve first cultivating demonic power and then converting it to spiritual power—a two-to-one exchange rate that’s simply not cost-effective!
Therefore, most enlightened demon cultivators choose to join Sects as disciples. Even if they can’t enter one of the Five Major Sects, they’ll opt for smaller affiliated sects to continue learning!
Very few demons achieve enlightenment—roughly one in a thousand—and hardly any would waste such a rare gift!
Enlightened demon cultivators can practice any cultivation methods from the Five Major Sects and wield any spiritual artifact powered by spiritual power. The only exception is talismans!
They can use pre-made talismans, but they cannot create them!
In thousands of years on the Two Realms Continent, there has never been a single documented case of a demon being able to draw talismans!”
Xiao Zhuang looked puzzled. “What’s the principle behind this? Isn’t drawing talismans just about using spiritual power to activate patterns? After enlightenment, demons are no different from human cultivators. Why can’t they draw talismans?”
Young Master Xue was equally confused. “I only know what my teacher taught me, and he learned it from his teacher. How would I know the reason?”
Bai Xiu’er seemed never to have considered this question either. It was like cats eating fish and dogs eating meat—an unquestioned assumption held for millennia. Nobody had ever really investigated the underlying principle!
The carriage driver?
The driver looked completely blank. His family had maintained low cultivation levels for generations, and anything beyond common knowledge was irrelevant to him. He’d better just focus on driving!
While nobody in the Monster World drew talismans, materials like cinnabar and yellow paper still existed. When they stopped at a town for lodging, Bai Xiu’er thoughtfully bought some for Xiao Zhuang, suggesting he try to see if he could succeed.
Xiao Zhuang didn’t refuse. He cut the yellow paper into strips, carefully recalled the brushstrokes he’d mentally rehearsed thousands of times, and concentrated on channeling spiritual power through the brush tip.
The brush moved like dancing dragons and snakes—completed in one fluid motion. As he lifted the brush after the final stroke, the entire talisman paper flashed with spiritual light. He had actually succeeded!
“Holy crap, you actually did it! You’re amazing, Shisan!” Schnauzer exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. “What kind of talisman is this? For slaying demons? Should we test it?”
Bai Xiu’er snorted delicately. “What are you saying, Brother Xue? All three of us are demons. Who would we test it on?”
Schnauzer scratched his head awkwardly. “Heh, I forgot!”
Xiao Zhuang hadn’t expected it to be so easy either, but they needed to test its effectiveness.
Without overthinking, he casually stuck the talisman on Schnauzer’s forehead.
Young Master Xue looked like he was about to cry. “Shisan…”
Bai Xiu’er was stunned. Weren’t they supposed to be on the same side?
Why was he attacking directly?
“Master your first technique, then strike your own comrades”?
Seeing their nervous expressions, Xiao Zhuang burst out laughing. “Relax! Who said talismans are only for slaying demons? This is a Strength Talisman—it increases power when applied! Try it out, Brother Xue!”
Try? How?
There wasn’t anything particularly heavy in the room to lift.
True to his husky nature, his thought process was anything but ordinary.
Since there was nothing to lift with his hands, he decided to test it with his feet instead. Young Master Xue suddenly raised his foot and stomped down.
CRACK! Schnauzer’s right leg smashed through the floorboards and landed on the head of a guest downstairs, followed immediately by an ear-splitting howl of pain.
Xiao Zhuang hadn’t expected the Strength Talisman to be so effective. He quickly tore off the talisman and called for Bai Xiu’er to help pull the idiot out.
The innkeeper came rushing upstairs to assist. After much commotion, they finally managed to haul Schnauzer onto the bed.
This guy, being of demonic physique, wasn’t likely to break his legs outright, but getting his crotch jammed in the floorboards was truly agonizing—his face had turned purple by now.
The innkeeper was quite decent, instructing the waiter to fetch a doctor while also urging the handyman to repair the floorboards immediately.
Amid the chaos, the man who’d been stepped on downstairs came storming up.
With a giant footprint stamped on his forehead and his two friends covered in wood splinters, the trio looked like a bunch of eccentric misfits!
Xiao Zhuang immediately turned his face away, afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold back his laughter.
Their main combatant was currently nursing his bruised pride—and other sensitive areas—so provoking a fight with the other side would put them at a serious disadvantage.
The three men, fierce and menacing, clearly weren’t satisfied with the innkeeper’s attempts to placate them. They aggressively moved to drag Schnauzer off the bed and give him a beating.
Bai Xiu’er secretly rolled her eyes, then quickly put on a tearful, delicate expression, offering a frail, trembling curtsy to the three brutes.