The fifth day of the fifth lunar month has arrived, marking the beginning of midsummer.
At dusk, Chen Yun bid farewell to his mentor and set off with a dozen or so young laborers to head for Xigou City, in preparation for Zhang Qian's departure from the mountains the next day.
"Zhang Brother, where do you intend to go on your descent this time?"
"Li Younger Brother, I might go to Luoyang to seek Lin Younger Brother."
"Oh, it seems that Brother Lin has sent a letter? How come I didn't know about it? I thought we were on good terms back then."
"Haha, Ding Younger Brother, do not blame Lin Younger Brother. Luoyang is over ten thousand li away, and a single letter is not easy to send. When he was still on the mountain, he once told me to settle down in Luoyang first before he came down, and we would work together to make a living. Now that he has gone down first as agreed, of course, he will be in Luoyang. Of course, if he is not there, it's fine. I have a relative in Luoyang where I can stay for some time."
"Oh, I was mistaken about Lin Senior Brother."
"As they walked, they chatted."
Chen Yun blended into the crowd and didn't utter a word.
He had originally thought to ask Zhang Qian to bring the Zhongkui talisman with him when he heard that Lin Chen was in Luoyang.
However, Zhang Qian's tone was also uncertain. Chen Yun pondered for a moment and felt that it would be better to wait for Wang Laozhi and Wang Zaixi to return and then go to Luoyang himself to accumulate good karma before descending the mountain to meet Lin Chen.
After all, the Zhongkui talisman is particularly precious.
It is said that Cai Rujin, with his high level of cultivation, can only make one talisman a day.
He must be sure that such a precious object is returned to Lin Chen's hands before he can be completely at ease.
Upon reaching the mountain gate, Chen Yun took out more than a dozen Jiamu talismans he had obtained from Cai Rujin and distributed them one by one. "Brothers, we have a distance of thirty to fifty li to West Gou City. It's impossible to know when we will arrive on foot. For now, please take your Jiamu talismans. Let's quickly head to the city."
A group of people came forward to collect the Jiamu talismans.
Li Si exclaimed, "Chen Senior Brother, you have been studying with the master for several months and now you can make Jiamu talismans? You are truly amazing."
Wang Siyan, Yu Lüping, Tang Master, and others all looked at Chen Yun with admiration and envy.
The number of laborers recruited by the Transmission Temple is not small.
Nowadays, only Chen Yun has truly become a disciple of the master.
This is the reason why everyone envies him.
The admiration comes from the fact that everyone has been at the Transmission Temple for many years, and they all know to some extent that making talismans requires magical power, which is to say, transforming the refined essence into true qi.
Transforming the refined essence into true qi is truly a "mystic" for ordinary people.
Naturally, everyone worshipped him.
As everyone turned to look, Chen Yun, as usual, spoke modestly and humbly, "I have only been a disciple of my teacher for a few months. How could I have the ability to make Jiamu talismans? These are a gift from my cousin Cai."
Li Si was very disappointed and said, "I had originally thought that when you became a disciple of the master, you would be able to immediately cultivate magical power. I never expected that you haven't yet accomplished this. It seems that the path of cultivation is indeed difficult."
Ning Master laughed heartily and said, "If cultivation were so easy, the world would be full of immortals. Chen Master may not have cultivated magical power yet, but since he has become a disciple of the master, he will eventually become an immortal."
Zhang Qian also glanced at the "low EQ" Li Si and said with a smile, "Chen Master is a dragon among humans, with the guidance of a master. It's only a matter of time before he cultivates magical power. Everyone should make a good impression on Chen Master now while they still can, because it won't be easy to curry favor with him in the future."
His second sentence was clearly meant as a joke.
Sure enough, everyone burst out laughing.
"Haha, Chen Senior Brother, don't forget about me, Younger Brother Tang, when you become an immortal."
"Also me, Lao Ding. We are all eating from the same table."
Although a group of people were laughing and joking, their eyes still showed seriousness.
It was evident that they agreed with Zhang Qian, believing that Chen Yun would one day cultivate magical power and become an "immortal." They were thinking of ingratiating themselves with him now.
Chen Yun did not put on airs, and also chatted with the others for a while.
He has indeed cultivated true qi, but he still remains at the ninth level, and it's true that he lacks the ability to make Jiamu talismans.
The main reason is that the days are too rushed. Even with the help of the white jade bead, Chen Yun still has some distance to cover before reaching the eighth level.
Therefore, in the end, there was no other choice, and Chen Yun had to ask Cai Rujin to help him make the Bai Bing Huichun talisman.
The group of people said and put on the Jiamu talismans, heading towards the West Gou City.
......
They arrived at the famous restaurant "Ku Man Lou" in the Western Gou City.
The waiter went up to greet them, "Ladies and gentlemen, please come to the upstairs."
Zhang Qian, Li Si, and the others followed closely behind Chen Yun as they were ushered by the waiter.
Suddenly, Chen Yun saw a familiar face at a table outside the door eating.
He couldn't help but pause for a moment and said to Zhang Qian, "Senior Brother Zhang, I have encountered a familiar face. You please take the senior brothers to the upstairs first, and I will be right there."
Zhang Qian replied, "Alright, hurry up."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Qian, Li Si, and other people all climbed up to the second floor.
Chen Yun walked over to the table closest to the door, bowed to the middle-aged man with a slightly pale face, and said, "Uncle San, I hope you're well."
Yes, the man sitting at that table was none other than the human trafficker, Uncle San, who had brought Chen Yun from Daheishan to West Gou City.
Next to him, there was an elderly woman and two middle-aged men.
Hearing the sound, everyone turned to look at him.
Upon seeing him as a Taoist, everyone quickly stood up.
"Have you seen the Master?"
"May the Master be blessed."
Uncle San also greeted first, then showed a look of confusion, "Master, do you know me?"
After entering the Transmission Temple for half a year, not only did Chen Yun grow taller significantly, from 1.5 meters to 1.75 meters, but his thin body also became strong, and more importantly, his appearance had undergone a significant change. It was normal for Uncle San not to recognize him.
He introduced himself proactively and said, "I am Chen Yun from Daheishan."
"You're... Chen Yun... Chen Master," Uncle San looked at him in disbelief, "Oh my, you've changed so much in these past six months. I almost didn't recognize you."
"Maybe the food in the Transmission Temple is better, so my body grew faster," Chen Yun explained casually, and then caringly asked: "Master San, have you gone to Daheishan Black Stone Village since then? How are my parents and grandparents doing?"
Uncle San sighed and said, "Since Brother Chen sold you... for twenty taels of silver, he bought a good field. Although he still lives in poverty, his family will not starve."
In that society, the price of one mu of good land was about twenty strings of copper coins, and twenty taels of silver were only enough to buy one mu of land.
In ancient times, land concentration was severe. Chen Yun remembered that his family originally had only one mu of land. Moreover, in ancient times, there were no fertilizers or the like, so the yield was relatively low. One mu of land could produce more than three hundred pounds of grain in a year. Appearances were deceiving. After deducting the husks, there were actually more than two hundred pounds of grain left, which was considered quite good.
That's why since his younger brother and sister were born, Chen Yun's family had fallen into "starvation".
During festivals and holidays, the family had to rely on his grandfather's side for some meat supplies to tide over the shortages.
Those meats were naturally left for the family to eat after the ancestral worship, so Chen Yun could hide some dried meats in those years.
Now that the family has one less mouth to feed and another acre of good land, it's barely enough to feed the whole family.
Just hearing that his family was still poor brought a pang to Chen Yun's heart.
Even if his father sold him off, the ten years of bonding could not be ignored. How could he remain indifferent?
On this thought, Chen Yun took a deep breath, made up his mind, and said, "Uncle San, in a few days I'll come find you. Ask my father to send some silver to me. Don't say it's from me."
Uncle San was taken aback for a moment, "Master Chen, your father sold you off. Let me be frank, selling people is like selling goods. Once the goods are sold, there's nothing to do with the original owner. I've never heard of someone being sold and sending money back to their family."
The words were harsh, but the logic was sound. However, he had been in this world for sixteen years. At least his father, no matter how hard or poor he was, hadn't eaten his own children like others.
This was equivalent to the grace of not killing, and Chen Yun naturally remembered it in his heart.
He smiled and said, "I have food and drink in the Transmission Temple, and I don't have anywhere to spend my money. It's better for them to improve their living conditions."
Uncle San exclaimed, "You truly have feelings and loyalty. If I were Chen's brother, I would regret it to death."
Chen Yun said, "That's why I asked you not to say it was the money I gave. When the time comes, just pick something you like and say it's an expensive antique, then give them the silver."
Uncle San nodded in agreement and said, "Very good."
After the conversation, Chen Yun was about to leave, but suddenly felt that Uncle San's face looked strange.
Chen Yun had studied face reading techniques a few days ago, and he had read quite a bit about facial expressions. Therefore, even without activating the face reading technique, he could still somewhat detect abnormalities.
Chen Yun asked in concern, "By the way, Uncle San, you look pale. Is something wrong?"
Uncle San sighed and said with a bitter smile, "If it were illness, it would be better. Alas, the misfortune of our family, let's not talk about it."
The elderly woman and the two strong men on the side all showed a look of sorrow, as if they were especially afraid of it.
Chen Yun didn't like to meddle in others' affairs, so he didn't continue asking.
......
To the second floor.
Having a farewell feast for Zhang Qian with everyone.
During the feast, except for the two girls, Wang Siyan and Yu Luping, everyone else drank quite a bit of alcohol.
When the wine was served three times, everyone presented gifts to bid farewell.
Chen Yun also presented the prepared Qingxin Fu, Anquan Xiezai Fu, Zhenzhufa, and Bai Bing Huichun Feng to them.
As for the Shenxing Fu and the like, he didn't ask Cai Rujin for them.
It's not that he was unwilling to get them for Zhang Qian.
It was not that he was unwilling to ask for them on behalf of Zhang Qian.
In fact, if the journey was particularly far, they would even let Wang Zi Xian or Cai Rujin ride on a cloud to accompany them.
When Lin Chen was sent down the mountain, even if Cai Rujin didn't go to see him off, Wang Zi Xian would still give him Jiamu talismans, Shenxing talismans, or personally accompany him.
Zhang Qian took the talismans and looked at them, feeling surprised and said, "Brother Chen, you actually gave me such precious talismans?"
Tang Master said with envy, "Yes, the Anquan Xiezai Fu is a precious talisman that can protect life and guard against disaster, ensuring the well-being of the home. Wearing it ensures peace and safety when entering and leaving, providing protection against harm from evil people, ghosts, demons, or unexpected events."
Li Si added, "There's also the Zhenzhufa talisman that stabilizes the four corners of a house, expels all ghosts, and eliminates all evil."
Ning Brother's jealous eyes were red, "The Anquan Xiezai Fu and the Zhenzhufa talisman are okay. The Bai Bing Huichun Fu that can be worn at all times not only prevents evil diseases and eliminates evil influences but, if someone really gets sick, burning the talisman and drinking the ashes mixed with water can quickly cure their illness!"
"Brother Chen, you're so generous."
"It must have taken quite a lot of favors for Brother Chen to get these talismans made by Master Cai."
The other disciples, including Ding Brother and Yu Luping, were all discussing this.
No one was very interested in the Qingxin Fu, and there was little discussion about this talisman.
Indeed, Chen Yun knew that the Zhenzhufa, Anquan Xiezai Fu, and Bai Bing Huichun Fu were more practical than the Qingxin Fu, so it was natural for everyone to talk about them more.
As for everyone believing that these talismans were made by Cai Rujin, Chen Yun didn't go out of his way to explain himself. He didn't like showing off.
......
After dinner, the group took a short stroll around Xigou City.
Finally, everyone returned to the end of South Mountain.
Upon reaching the mountain gate, they happened to meet Wang Laozhi and Wang Zixi returning from the outside after completing their accumulation of good deeds.
"Brother Wang."
"Brother Wang."
Everyone greeted them.
Chen Yun also greeted them by going forward and saying, "Brother Wang, Brother Wang Zixi."
Wang Laozhi glanced at Chen Yun for a moment and said in surprise, "Hmm, Brother Chen, it's been a couple of months since we last saw each other. How did you manage to refine true qi?"
Chen Yun replied without arrogance, "Under the guidance of my teacher, I was fortunate to refine true qi."
While Wang Laozhi was slightly surprised by Chen Yun's rapid progress in cultivation, he did not show the same level of shock as Zheng Wensun and Cai Rujin did.
Because they saw that Chen Yun had quickly refined true qi and reached the level of a Ninth-grade Magician, they assumed that Zhongli Quan had taught Chen Yun internal alchemy, rather than traditional methods of transmission.
In fact, Zhang Qian, Li Si, and Wang Siyan, who had heard their conversation, were all greatly surprised. No one had expected Chen Yun to refine true qi and become a true "immortal."
