Chapter 26: The Astronomical Spirit Talisman

The old man treated the talisman as if it were a precious treasure, carefully setting it aside before taking out a small leather pouch from his chest and placing the talisman inside, then tucking the pouch into his pocket. Perhaps the talisman itself wasn't valuable, but what the old man valued was Ling Tian's character. His actions were a sign of respect for Ling Tian; even if the talisman was a flawed piece, he would have done the same. Young people like Ling Tian were rare these days.

"You'd best keep quiet," the old man said coldly, turning to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man snorted disdainfully. "Old man, don't think I won't teach you a lesson just because you're up in years."

Ling Tian stood up in silence, walked over to the middle-aged man, and without a word, grabbed him and dragged him toward the side of the road. The man looked sturdier than Ling Tian—at least on the surface—but Ling Tian hauled him off as easily as if he were a chicken.

"Kid, are you looking to die?" the man yelled recklessly, clearly intent on laying hands on Ling Tian.

Before he could act, Ling Tian kicked him as if he were a ball, sending him flying into the artificial lake by the roadside. Once he hit the water, something remarkable happened: the thick gold chain around his neck floated up to the surface.

Ling Tian returned to his stall and said to the old man, "That fellow was really careless. I was just about to have a good chat with him about life, but he couldn't take it and insisted on jumping into the lake." He shook his head in mock helplessness, as if he were the innocent party.

The old man felt a bit at a loss. The young man seemed decent enough, but when it came to action, he certainly didn't hold back—and was shameless to boot. It was clearly a kick, yet he insisted the man had jumped in himself.

Just then, a group of security guards with armbands came running over, apparently intent on apprehending Ling Tian.

Having already sent one flying, Ling Tian didn't mind dealing with a few more. He was just about to act when the old man waved his hand at the approaching guards and said, "There's nothing going on here. You can all leave. Oh, and pull the man who jumped into the lake out and toss him out of here. He's not welcome back." His tone was calm, yet it carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed.

The security guards, who had come in aggressively, stopped at once, turned, and went to fish the man out of the lake.

Ling Tian regarded the old man thoughtfully. The old man appeared simple and unassuming, but his identity was anything but. At the very least, he was well acquainted with the owner here—perhaps his own status was even higher.

"Young man, go ahead. I'll watch and learn from the side," the old man said with a gesture, making it clear Ling Tian should continue and not bothering to explain the previous incident. After all, they were both clever men; some things needn't be said aloud.

Ling Tian didn't pursue the matter. He calmly resumed making talismans. With his previous experience and his powerful spiritual sense, he managed to craft three talismans in half an hour, failing only one. Even so, that was an impressive success rate. Although Ling Tian's cultivation wasn't particularly advanced, his spiritual sense far surpassed that of so-called enlightened monks and accomplished Daoists.

Nevertheless, after producing so many in succession, Ling Tian found that about half his energy was spent.

On the stall lay three talismans: one talisman for warding off evil and two amulets for protection. Their levels were low—not even first-grade talismans—but here, they were treasures.

"I'll give you a protective amulet," Ling Tian said, handing one to the old man.

The old man accepted it without protest and then pulled out a piece of jade the size of an egg from his pocket. "You gave me something, so I'll return the favor. Here's a piece of white jade I picked up—it's of decent quality."

Ling Tian took the jade, examined it, and found it was indeed a fine piece, imbued with spiritual energy and suitable for making talismans.

There are many materials for making talismans: the lowest grade is yellow talisman paper, a little better is wild animal fur, while jade, emerald, and similar items are considered fairly high-quality materials. Ling Tian planned to use this jade to make a string of protective beads for Mu Qingcheng.

Putting the jade away, Ling Tian said, "I haven't told you how to use the talisman."

The old man asked, "Isn't it just burned with fire?"

Ling Tian was speechless for a moment; clearly, the old man didn't know how to use it at all.

"When you use it, you need to dab your own fresh blood on it, then silently recite the word 'Lin' from the Nine Character Incantation in your heart, and it will activate," Ling Tian explained.

If the user were a martial artist or if Ling Tian himself used it, he could control it directly with his mental power. Ordinary people, lacking spiritual sense or mental force, could only use blood to form a connection with the talisman and then activate it with the 'Lin' incantation.

The old man nodded, silently committing Ling Tian's words to memory. He felt that perhaps Ling Tian's talisman really might have some effect; he was eager to go home and try it right away.

"Sir, my abilities aren't strong, so the effect of the talisman isn't great. But at the very least, it will have some effect," Ling Tian said honestly.

The old man nodded. If Ling Tian had boasted about the talisman's power, he might not have believed him, but now he was more inclined to trust.

Ling Tian continued, "Sir, what do you think would be an appropriate price to sell these talismans for?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "Each of my talismans goes for more than a hundred yuan. The ones you've made are all top-quality; the price should be in the thousands. In fact, I'd say the higher you price them, the better. Nowadays, people in China believe only expensive things are good."

Ling Tian nodded. "Alright, then I'll set a high price."

Just then, a few people walked over, noticing the unusual talismans on Ling Tian's stall. His talismans were smaller than most and the inscriptions on them were vivid and eye-catching.

"Your talismans look special—how much are they?" someone asked.

Sticking to his high-price strategy, Ling Tian replied, "A hundred thousand each, non-negotiable."

A hundred thousand each, with no room for bargaining? The questioner was stunned, and after a long pause, finally said, "Are you robbing a bank?"

"Wrong. This is more profitable than robbing a bank," Ling Tian replied in all seriousness.

Several groups came by in succession, all scared off by Ling Tian's sky-high price.

Soon, word spread throughout the massive city of Sapphire Blue: in the talisman specialty area, a madman was selling talismans for a hundred thousand each. Even if they were made of gold, they wouldn't be worth that much.

The old man's face twitched. He thought to himself, The young man is too honest. I told him to price them high, and that's not wrong, but you can't just set it at a hundred thousand! If you asked for five or eight thousand, maybe someone would buy.

More than two hours passed. Many people came, but none bought a thing. They were all curious to see what a talisman worth a hundred thousand looked like.

Ling Tian didn't care; he wasn't worried about being targeted. In a city of millions, finding someone was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Besides, he wasn't afraid of drawing attention from the authorities—one phone call to the old man would settle everything.