The County Guard gave Lu An a glance, his brow slightly furrowed, and remained silent.
In his heart, he muttered to himself that Gu Chuanfei's junior was quite impolite. Junior cultivators should not interrupt conversations between elders.
Gu Chuanfei waved his hand and explained.
"Friend, you misunderstand. Lu Xiaoyou is not my junior."
"I came today to visit you and to introduce Lu Xiaoyou to you."
The County Guard was somewhat surprised. Did this person have some special significance?
He had been the County Guard for many years and was a perceptive individual. His eyes shifted, and he spoke.
"Although this young friend's cultivation is not high, his demeanor is extraordinary. He seems like a dragon among men. I wonder if he has any skills that could open my eyes?"
Lu An stepped forward and said loudly.
"This junior does not have any great abilities, only a slight understanding of talismanic arts."
"Oh? Is this young friend a talisman master? What grade are you?"
Lu An shook his head calmly.
"I have not participated in the talisman hall assessments, so I am not considered a talisman master."
The County Guard frowned, his interest immediately waning.
He glanced at Gu Chuanfei, somewhat puzzled by his intentions.
What are you thinking by recommending a talisman master without any rank?
Upon this realization, the County Guard was somewhat displeased, and his expression grew cold.
Gu Chuanfei was anxious and quickly said to Lu An:
"Don't keep us guessing, young friend. Please show the County Guard the talismans."
Lu An, hearing this, calmly took a talisman from his storage bag and presented it to the County Guard.
"Please take a look, sir."
The County Guard glanced at it casually and then his expression froze.
"A second-grade Peace Talisman, did you draw this?"
He was skeptical. Although the talisman was of a lower quality, it was a second-grade talisman. With Lu An's Qi Refining level of only the fifth layer, how could he have drawn it? According to his knowledge, even those with strong divine senses could only draw such talismans in the later stages of Qi Refining.
Lu An did not explain. Instead, he released a strand of divine sense towards the County Guard.
The County Guard's heart moved. He did not resist but carefully observed the divine sense.
After a moment, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise and then realized.
"I see. Although your divine sense has not reached the Foundation Establishment stage, its refinement is almost on par with it."
"This must be the reason you can draw a second-grade talisman?"
Lu An nodded and withdrew his divine sense.
"Your observation is sharp. My divine sense is more refined than usual, which is why I can draw second-grade talismans."
"Although I have not participated in the Talisman Hall assessment, it is only because I missed it, not because I cannot pass. This Peace Talisman is proof of that."
The County Guard responded with an "mm," clearly agreeing with this statement, and then asked:
"May I know why you are seeking me?"
Lu An bowed respectfully and replied:
"To be honest, I have offended the Fang family of Yongning City. The reason I am safe now is that the Fang family has not yet discovered my presence here."
"If they come looking for me in the future, they will certainly not let me go. I hope that when that happens, the County Guard can offer assistance."
Upon hearing this, the County Guard pondered for a moment and then slowly shook his head.
"The Fang family is powerful. Although I am not afraid, I do not wish to provoke such a strong enemy. Young friend, you should seek other assistance."
While he was somewhat interested in the Peace Talisman, it was of lower quality and not very useful.
Lu An remained calm and instead turned to Elder Mu.
"May I ask, Elder Mu, how old are you this year?"
Elder Mu was taken aback by the question. He glanced at Lu An and replied calmly:
"I am just turned one hundred and forty this year."
Lu An nodded and continued:
"Foundation Establishment lifespan is around one hundred and fifty years, so you have not much time left, Elder Mu."
Elder Mu was quite accepting of this fact, merely nodding in acknowledgment.
Lu An looked at everyone, noticing that the County Guard also seemed aware that Elder Mu did not have much time left.
"Given Elder Mu's situation, if you want to extend your life, there are only two options."
"One is to break through to the Core Formation stage. If successful, you would gain an additional five hundred years of life and could continue to live comfortably."
"The other is to seek rare heavenly materials to extend your lifespan, but such materials are not easily found."
"So ultimately, the goal should be to focus on breaking through to Core Formation."
"However, Elder Mu's health is frail and his vital energy is severely insufficient. The probability of breakthrough is likely very low."
Everyone agreed with this statement, especially the County Guard, who had deep feelings for Elder Mu. However, his own cultivation had surpassed Elder Mu's, who was stuck in the later stages of Foundation Establishment and unable to advance further.
Even he had no solution.
Could Lu An have a method to solve this?
Realizing this, the County Guard looked at Lu An with urgency, waiting for further details.
Seeing his reaction, Lu An knew he had their attention and said:
"I have a method that might resolve Elder Mu's urgent situation, but the success rate is not very high. Whether to try it or not is entirely up to Elder Mu."
"Please speak freely, young friend."
Lu An nodded and continued:
"It is well known that the chances of breaking through decrease with age due to insufficient vital energy and unstable divine soul."
"I have two talismans: one can enhance vital energy, and the other can stabilize the divine soul. If used during the breakthrough, they might be helpful."
Elder Mu quickly asked:
"Are they the Fang family's Blood Burning Talisman and Soul Locking Talisman?"
Lu An nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, that's right."
He had previously informed them about the Fang family, so there was no need to hide it now. These two talismans were well-known and reached the second-grade quality. Using them together, along with the Peace Talisman, might significantly improve the chances of breakthrough.
Although breaking into Core Formation was extremely difficult, it was still better than Elder Mu attempting it with his old and frail state.
If Elder Mu took this gamble and succeeded, he could enjoy a few more hundred years. However, if he failed, he would immediately die, losing even the last ten years of his lifespan.
That's why Lu An left the decision entirely to Elder Mu.
To gamble or not to gamble, Elder Mu hesitated.
On one side was a slim chance of reaching Core Formation, and on the other was a stable ten years of survival. He found it difficult to decide.
At this moment, everyone fell silent.
Even the County Guard did not interrupt Elder Mu's thoughts, allowing him to make his own decision.
After a long pause, a determined look appeared in Elder Mu's eyes as he clenched his fists.
"I have lived a full life and am not short of these last ten years. I will take this gamble."
"But young friend Lu, are you truly capable of drawing these two talismans?"
To be clear, he needed high-quality talismans, not inferior ones. If the talismans were of inferior quality, it would be better to directly purchase from the Fang family.
But high-quality, even top-grade second-grade talismans were not something the Fang family would sell even if the County Guard intervened.
So he had never considered such an option.
Lu An confidently nodded and said:
"I can, but I will need some time."
With his current divine soul strength, he could support the drawing of second-grade talismans. Additionally, with the insights from his spiritual light, it should not take too long to complete them.
The County Guard and Elder Mu were skeptical but looked at Gu Chuanfei, who nodded in confirmation. Only then did they begin to believe in this possibility.
Before either of them could say anything, Lu An spoke again:
"As for the Fang family..."
"Young friend Lu, rest assured. If you can help Elder Mu regain hope for the Core Formation path, I will do my best to ensure your safety, regardless of whether you can reach the Core Formation stage or not."
"Moreover, it's uncertain when the Fang family will discover you. By then, you might already have the means to protect yourself."
Lu An shook his head; self-protection was impossible unless he could advance to Core Formation. Achieving such a realm would still take him at least a hundred years.
However, he still bowed and said:
"Thank you, Senior. I will certainly do my best regarding Elder Mu's matter."
"There is one more thing I am unclear about. What did you mean by the beast tide you mentioned earlier?"