Chapter 106
An awkward silence lingered among the gathered cultivators for a long while.
A few Talisman Masters standing to one side barely managed to soothe their trembling hearts at the nonchalant remark that flowed from Baek-Cheong’s lips.
Her tone, answering as if it were nothing special, instead felt as though it completely denied their entire lifetimes of effort.
If it had been an insulting shout, they could have at least reprimanded her head-on.
“Were you just showing off this whole time?”
“How could you act so rashly without knowing your place?”
“How can you speak so easily of a talisman that even the Talisman Masters of Our Sect must dedicate a couple of years to barely get accustomed to it?”
Such shouts rose to the very tips of the Talisman Masters' throats.
But they could not bring themselves to voice them.
Reprimanding a Qi Condensation child with outstanding aptitude in talismans simply for being too talented was a bad look to begin with.
Above all, the fact that this young child was an outsider hanging around a True Disciple of the Biun Sect weighed on their minds.
Furthermore, despite not being a Talisman Master, the child carried around her own set of paper, brush, and ink that looked expensive at a single glance.
Her Attire, too - a finely woven silk robe with a neatly groomed appearance - clearly revealed that she was a Scion raised in a noble Clan.
The sight of her casually pulling a pill from her Storage Platform and tossing it into her mouth was also not the behavior of an ordinary child.
It was obvious that if they carelessly messed with her, they would be the only ones in big trouble.
The Talisman Masters pushed aside their feelings of indignation and ultimately had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.
However, not every cultivator present remained silent.
A few cultivators took an interest in the small jade bottle Baek-Cheong had tossed into her mouth while drawing the talisman.
The sight of highly pure spiritual energy surging seamlessly all at once through her Dantian straight to the tip of her brush was not something commonly seen with ordinary pills.
They hadn’t gotten a good look at what the pill was, but the aura it gave off did not seem ordinary.
Unlike the gazes of the Talisman Masters, somewhat intrigued eyes gathered on Baek-Cheong.
“I don’t know which Clan this child belongs to, but it seems she carries around quite a rare pill.”
“This is a pill that instantly makes up for the lack of spiritual energy for a 2nd-Tier Talisman… I have never seen such a pill before.”
The cultivators carefully exchanged words among themselves.
Soon, a cultivator standing to one side let out a dry cough and hesitantly approached Baek-Cheong.
“Little Dao Friend. It seems you took a pill while drawing the talisman; may I ask what kind of pill it was?”
The cultivator spoke cautiously.
A cultivator who had entered Foundation Establishment was showing courtesy to a young child merely in Qi Condensation, even calling her “Dao Friend”.
Faced with a rare pill they had never seen in their entire lives, their curiosity couldn’t help but precede their status.
On the other hand, Baek-Cheong spoke without much thought.
“It’s an Inscribed Spirit Gathering Pill?”
The face of the cultivator who asked the question, as well as the surrounding cultivators, stiffened in unison.
Several cultivators could even be seen letting out small groans from their lips at the same time.
“D-did you say an Inscribed Spirit Gathering Pill?”
“Are you saying a mere Spirit Gathering Pill has an inscription carved into it?”
“Isn’t a pill inscription a pattern that is only carved onto the surface of a pill when the Heavenly Dao grants its permission in the first place? Is it even possible for such an inscription to be carved onto a 1st-Grade Low-Tier Pill like a Spirit Gathering Pill?”
The cultivators exchanged noisy chatter among themselves.
They seemed utterly unable to accept the sight of a young child pulling out an Inscribed Spirit Gathering Pill and tossing it into her mouth as if it were nothing.
Amidst their noisy chatter, one cultivator clapped his hands together as if something had come to mind.
“Ah, come to think of it, wasn’t the pill an Inscribed Spirit Gathering Pill released at the Baeksang Pavilion auction in Yeonha Immortal City?”
The cultivator brought it up while looking back at the others beside him.
“I heard Yak-seon of the Yeonha Baek Clan crafted it himself. I’ve also heard news that Lord Yak-seon is on the verge of becoming a 5th-Grade Alchemist.”
“Hoh… If that’s the case…”
The cultivators' gazes briefly crossed among themselves before gathering on Baek-Cheong once again.
If it was a young child casually eating a pill personally crafted by Yak-seon of the Yeonha Baek Clan, their guessed identity narrowed down to one.
A few cultivators kept their mouths shut and carefully examined Baek-Cheong’s Attire.
The fact that a child merely in Qi Condensation was hanging around a True Disciple of the Biun Sect, the fact that she carried her own expensive paper, brush, and ink despite not being a Talisman Master, and the neatness exuding from her Attire meant she wasn’t from an ordinary Clan - all of this organized itself in their minds at once.
“I had already heard the rumors that the Golden Branches and Jade Leaves of the Yeonha Baek Clan would be coming to the Biun Sect around the time of the New Year’s Banquet, but…”
A cultivator standing to one side muttered quietly.
Another cultivator beside him opened his mouth, cold sweat running down his spine.
“…The Inheritor Disciple of the Pacheon Sword Saint.”
Someone confirmed the young child’s identity, as if putting an end to the matter.
The cultivators who had been running their mouths about the young child just moments ago instantly lost the color in their faces.
They even broke into cold sweats because the child they had carelessly mocked held a status that even the Biun Sect could not recklessly touch.
“I must… I must go to another place for a moment. I have some business.”
“A-as it happens, I have a schedule, so I think I must take my leave.”
The cultivators who had thrown the first sneers slipped out of their seats faster than anyone else.
The cultivator who had approached Baek-Cheong showing interest in the pill just a moment ago also couldn’t bring himself to continue speaking and quietly backed away.
Among the cultivators inside the Courtyard, no one could approach Baek-Cheong’s side.
Even the gazes that had been gathering just a moment ago scattered in all directions.
“Why is everyone acting like that?”
Baek-Cheong looked around for a moment with a bewildered expression.
She had no idea what to make of the cultivators' ever-changing attitudes.
Even when she quietly thought back on it, she hadn’t said anything special.
She had just copied the talisman, and when asked how she drew it, she had merely answered that one just needed to copy it exactly.
On top of that, regarding the pill, she had merely answered that the pill she tossed into her mouth was an Inscribed Spirit Gathering Pill.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Tilting her head, she shifted her gaze to her own talisman placed neatly next to the Platform.
A deep blue fire energy was still swaying above the Pahwa Talisman she had crafted at the end.
Its color was twice as deep as that of the talisman she had seen in the demonstration, and its fire energy was also much fiercer.
For a talisman she had drawn for the first time, it was a satisfying result.
“Well, I suppose I drew it decently enough for a first attempt.”
Baek-Cheong let her gaze linger on the talisman for a moment, looking at it with pleasure.
Meanwhile, Talisman Master Yeon, who had been straightening his Attire on the Platform, slowly came down.
Even as the cultivators stealthily slipped away, Talisman Master Yeon did not take his eyes off Baek-Cheong.
Soon, Talisman Master Yeon approached Baek-Cheong’s side and calmly brought his hands together.
It was distinctly different from the way he had had a trembling voice on the Platform just a moment ago.
“Dao Friend Baek-Cheong.”
“Yes?”
“May I risk being impolite and have a word with you for a moment?”
Talisman Master Yeon lowered himself and boldly addressed Baek-Cheong as a Dao Friend.
There was even a certain resolve imbued in his demeanor.
“Senior Yeon, please speak comfortably.”
Baek-Cheong withdrew her pleased expression and showed courtesy.
Talisman Master Yeon paused for a moment, then shook his head and continued speaking.
“Today, I saw Dao Friend Baek-Cheong’s skill up close with my own two eyes. The skill of someone who is not a Talisman Master copying 1st-Grade Talismans in a single stroke was extraordinary enough, but the sight of you drawing even the 2nd-Tier Pahwa Talisman is something I have never seen in my entire life walking the path of talismans.”
“…You flatter me.”
“It is not flattery. Though I stay in Yunpil Hall as a Talisman Master, I have never seen an aptitude like yours, junior.”
Talisman Master Yeon’s demeanor was serious, and he continued to speak.
“It is a presumptuous request, but I would like to ask if Dao Friend Baek-Cheong has any intention of seriously entering the Talisman Crafting Art.”
Baek-Cheong took a brief moment and pretended to quietly smooth her hair.
It seemed as though countless thoughts were flashing through her mind, but the reality was quite different.
“How should I refuse?”
In her head, she was merely looking for the right words to refuse naturally.
Talismans was an art that wasn’t too unreasonable to learn well.
However, there was absolutely no reason for her to go out of her way to learn talismans and step onto the path of a Talisman Master.
She already had the separate path of Formations to begin with, and since talismans themselves were handled by applying Formation Glyphs anyway, she would naturally become skilled at them the deeper she delved into Formations.
Besides, the most precious time of her day was the time she spent browsing the forum.
‘I don’t even have enough time to browse the forum, let alone enter the path of a Talisman Master.’
These inner thoughts stealthily brushed past her mind, but she couldn’t say them out loud.
Soon, Baek-Cheong bowed her head once and offered a polite reply.
“I apologize, but I think the path of a Talisman Master will be difficult for me.”
“If you were to walk the path of a Talisman Master, you would surely achieve great success…”
“Since the Sword Saint has taken me in as his Disciple, I believe it would be against my duty to get distracted by another path.”
Talisman Master Yeon could not continue his request and paused for a moment.
Once the name of the Pacheon Sword Saint was mentioned, he couldn’t possibly be ignorant of how far the Heavenly Sword Sect’s protection reached.
“…Indeed, that is true.”
Talisman Master Yeon quietly nodded his head once and let out a small sigh.
No matter how outstanding Baek-Cheong’s aptitude was, it was not a place for a mere Talisman Master to interfere.
However, Talisman Master Yeon could hardly hide his look of regret.
It was clear that if this junior invested even a little time in talismans, she would far surpass him before long.
“Even if Dao Friend Baek-Cheong does not step onto the path of a Talisman Master, please accept this small token of my sincerity.”
Talisman Master Yeon quietly pulled out a Jade Slip Bundle from his Storage Platform.
A small cloud-brush shaped embroidery was neatly stitched onto the silk-wrapped bundle.
As he saw his own Daoist Name stitched on one side, it seemed to be a bundle he usually personally carried.
“These are jade slips I have been recording since I first began cultivating the path of talismans. I have organized the Brushwork Methods from 1st-Grade Talismans to 2nd-Tier Talismans in my own way, and it would bring me a small measure of satisfaction if Dao Friend Baek-Cheong accepted it.”
“…Dare I accept such a thing?”
“Please, accept it.”
Baek-Cheong quietly supported the Jade Slip Bundle with both hands.
Talisman Master Yeon only showed a small sign of relief after quietly watching the jade slips be safely delivered into Baek-Cheong’s hands.
“If you keep it in mind and look at it even once in a while, that alone will be satisfying enough. Should you ever have occasion to step onto the path of talismans, please remember this moment.”
“…I will cherish senior Yeon’s grace well.”
Baek-Cheong nodded and replied modestly.
After tucking the Jade Slip Bundle into her Storage Platform, she observed Talisman Master Yeon out of the corner of her eye.
She couldn’t possibly accept the request to enter the path of a Talisman Master, but a Jade Slip Bundle comprehensively covering up to 1st-Grade and 2nd-Tier Talismans was an item well worth accepting without a second thought.
“Since he was at it, he could have bundled in 3rd-Grade Talismans too…”
She merely pretended to be demure so that these inner thoughts wouldn’t leak out.