novelraw Chapter 55 : Applying Talismans Is Truly a Technical Skill
Chapter 55 : Applying Talismans Is Truly a Technical Skill
Chapter 55: Applying Talismans Is Truly a Technical Skill
“Running water clearly knows to cherish flowers♪~”
“My true identity is merely to deliver fortune♪~”
“If this journey can be considered joyful~ then this life has not been in vain♪♪♪~~~”
The light in the room was dim.
Cold and piercing.
On the bed, two Yin Corpses sat side by side.
Their postures were astonishingly identical. Their skin bore an unnatural porcelain-white tone, faintly reflecting a bluish-gray sheen in the darkness.
Their clothes had been lowered to their waists, piled into soft folds of fabric, while the ties across their chests hung loosely.
Fang Chang stood by the bedside, humming a tune, pressing a talisman onto Zhao Yuntong’s chest.
The touch beneath his fingers was cool and resilient, like silk that had been stored for a long time.
The edges of the talisman curled slightly; he gently smoothed them down.
The vermilion was vivid.
Firmly adhered.
However, the surface it was applied to was too soft—uneven, rising and falling—making it difficult to keep perfectly flat.
The uneven areas required some force to press down properly.
In comparison,
Zhang Su’s was slightly easier to apply—not because of size differences, as their proportions were actually similar.
But because she was somewhat shy and reserved, not fond of being seen.
Thus, comparatively, there was a bit less movement.
Cold energy seeped in.
The Yin Corpses’ crimson eyes were half-open, their pupils unfocused, their irises covered with a thin gray film.
Clearly,
both women were in a disconnected state.
Ordinarily, teasing them was one thing, but when it came to proper maintenance, Fang Chang did not allow any resistance.
Although Zhao Yuntong had been a corpse for a long time,
with the assistance of the coffin, her Yin Energy circulated naturally and did not require overly strict care.
However, after forcibly battling the Pure Yang Rod over the past two days, the Yin-Yang balance within her body might have been disrupted. Reapplying some Yin-Nurturing Talismans was a precaution.
The raised areas were sealed.
Next came the front and rear yin points.
Fang Chang manipulated both corpses to continue removing their clothing, adjusting their positions…
Well, this part need not be described in detail.
The posture was somewhat improper.
It was only necessary to know that applying talismans inevitably involved close contact. It was by no means something Fang Chang desired—this was purely maintenance of Corpse Puppets.
Yes.
That was exactly it.
After finishing everything,
Fang Chang supported himself on the bedframe and stood up, patting his overworked lower back before storing the Yin Corpses back into the Black Tortoise Square Cauldron.
【Dual Cultivation Prodigy】 was indeed worthy of being a golden trait.
On the first day, Fang Chang had caught her off guard, gaining a complete advantage, pressing forward aggressively.
But in the following days of repeated battles,
the other side gradually adapted. By the late stages, it became like a flood overwhelming a golden mountain.
With the ground wet and slippery, he found it difficult to maintain control.
In one stroke, he went from being the driver controlling the race car to the one being tossed around by it.
Knocked dizzy and disoriented.
“......”
Moderation was still necessary.
He shook his head and left the room.
He strolled leisurely to the inn’s first-floor hall.
“Young Master Fang, would you like lunch?”
The waiter greeted him warmly, smiling like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Fang Chang rubbed his nose, his hands still carrying a faint lingering feminine fragrance. “Pack it in a food box.”
“Right away~~ Please wait a moment~~”
The waiter had clearly expected this. He turned and went to the back kitchen, returning shortly with a food box.
Fang Chang took it, his sleeves swaying as he left the inn.
“Take care, Young Master Fang~~”
Amid the waiter’s call,
the desolate breeze of Ascension Town swept through, carrying fallen leaves and dust, colliding against the tightly shut doors of the shops along the street.
Barely any customers.
Open once every three years, sustain for three years.
Ascension Town had peak and off seasons, divided by the Ascension Ceremony.
Fang Chang drank his goji berry tea while swaying his way out of town.
He followed a forest path, passing through a bamboo grove.
Before long,
he saw, at the foot of the Canglan Mountain range, three thousand stone steps neatly laid out, ascending layer by layer into the rolling clouds.
—This was the main path of the Ascension Ceremony, opened once every three years.
But at this moment, a mysterious Five Elements barrier blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from entering.
About a hundred steps away,
stood a solitary, weathered stone stele.
The surface was covered in cracks and deep green moss, bearing only a single character: “Wait,” surrounded by wild grass.
And around the stele, scattered in small groups, sat several people.
Each sat cross-legged with eyes closed, their robes damp with night dew, a few fallen leaves from the previous night resting on their shoulders.
Before each of them, faint stone steps appeared within the mist, crystalline like jade, revealed only to them.
“Entering the mountain after the Direct Disciple Trial?”
Fang Chang smiled.
He had no intention of listening to Cheng Hua.
In his life, Fang Chang never relied on others.
Cheng Hua might be trustworthy, but Canglan Mountain was not hers to decide.
Besides,
if he entered after the trial, what benefit would he gain?
He casually found a spot to sit.
Opening the food box, the aroma of roasted chicken immediately spread, causing those waiting in meditation nearby to frown or waver.
Quite a few showed expressions of disgust—clearly, Fang Chang was not doing this for the first time.
He paid them no mind and began eating heartily.
A middle-aged man nearby could not take it anymore.
“Fellow Daoist, if you think to take advantage by filling your stomach beforehand to pass the Six Thief Inner Demons, then you are mistaken. Once you sink into the demonic realm, such sensations will be beyond your control.”
“Who said I’m trying to take advantage?”
Fang Chang tore into the crispy chicken skin, juices splattering. “I’m just here to make you all jealous.”
“......”
The middle-aged man angrily flicked his sleeve and ignored him.
On the other side, a disheveled woman with a head full of tangled hair turned her head. Her body exuded a sinister aura.
Yet she swallowed hard, her face full of longing.
“Fellow Daoist, could you spare me a leg… half would do.”
Fang Chang smiled and tore off a whole chicken leg for her.
The woman was overjoyed, taking a bite eagerly before suddenly remembering something.
She cupped her hands, speaking unclearly with food in her mouth, “I am Zhong Ling, from the Black Stone Desert. Your gift of this leg—I will never forget it!”
Hearing “Black Stone Desert,” Fang Chang feigned surprise.
“A talent from the Outer Regions.”
“Hardly a talent.”
Zhong Ling scratched her head, a bit embarrassed.
Fang Chang glanced at the coffin behind her, stroking his chin.
“Fellow Daoist is also from the Corpse Refinement Path?”
“Mm… yes.”
“What a coincidence. I am Fang Chang, also of the Corpse Refinement Path.”
He smiled and cupped his hands. “Though I cannot compare to the talents of the Outer Regions—I am merely a wandering cultivator from the Nine Provinces.”
Zhong Ling’s eyes lit up instantly, shining even brighter against her grimy face.
“A fellow brother of the same path!!”
The two laughed, exchanging greetings.
They appeared like kindred spirits.
Among the surrounding people, some were from demonic paths, while others were from orthodox sects.
The latter cast disdainful glances.
The two did not care.
They began chatting.
Fang Chang asked curiously, “What happened? Isn’t the Black Stone Desert good? Why come here and endure the attitude of these righteous folks?”
“Don’t even mention it!”
Zhong Ling slapped her thigh angrily, sounding like a middle-aged man.
“The black wind baleful aura in the Outer Regions—even cultivators can barely withstand it, let alone mortals. The Corpse Refinement Path relies heavily on corpses… last year, the baleful aura surged, the weather changed repeatedly, people died off completely, and the sect couldn’t hold on anymore!”
“That’s actually a thing?”
“Of course! Now everyone in the Outer Regions is saying—the Heavenly Dao is about to change! Heaven can’t tolerate cultivators taking whatever they want anymore! It’s going to deal with us!”