As Ji Wushuang dined, she lifted her elegantly arched and radiant phoenix eyes, casting a curious glance toward Zhuang Xuan.
Caught in her gaze, Zhuang Xuan's expression wavered inexplicably, as though he had glimpsed fleeting visions of vast clouds and endless time. Yet, upon closer inspection, it appeared to be nothing more than a trick of the mind.
Zhan Fan promptly beckoned him over, ruffling his hair with a playful gesture akin to parents nudging their children toward elders during festive seasons. "Little Wushuang, this is my eldest disciple, Zhuang Xuan. His talent is exceptional, and he is already a Level Four Talisman Master."
Zhuang Child Xuan: "???"
Ji Wushuang offered a soft smile. "Greetings, Uncle-Master Zhuang."
Zhan Fan chuckled warmly. "Oh, no, no. If you'd like, simply call him by his name."
Accommodatingly, Ji Wushuang called out, "Brother Zhuang."
Still bewildered, Zhuang Xuan was jolted by a hearty slap on the back of his head from his ever-unpredictable master. "Why are you standing there dazed? Greet her!"
A sly plan brewed in Zhan Fan's mind. He was always scheming to strengthen the bond between Ji Wushuang and Hongfu Peak. Since Wushuang showed no interest in wealth but relished good food, he knew that culinary delights could only go so far. What if, someday, she began cultivating and abandoned such indulgences? Then how would he keep her favor?
When Zhan Fan's eyes landed on his prodigious eldest disciple, inspiration struck.
Hehe, his eldest disciple was not only immensely talented, with a near-perfect single-water spiritual root, but also gentle, handsome, and refined. Reaching the Nascent Soul stage before a century old was no small feat. His warm and jade-like demeanor, courtesy of his water affinity, had already garnered admiration from countless female cultivators.
If Wushuang took a liking to him, all the better!
What?
Too old for her taste?
No problem—there were always younger disciples to consider.
If an old puppy won't do, there's always a young pup!
"Cough, cough. Junior Sister Ji."
"Don't be so formal; just call her Sister Wushuang."
"Uh… Sister Wushuang…"
"Perfect, perfect!"
Zhan Fan's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, looking at Zhuang Xuan as if he were a cherished daughter about to marry.
Zhuang Xuan: "…"
A chill crept over him as goosebumps prickled his skin.
Ji Wushuang, noticing the growing audience, elegantly yet voraciously polished off her meal before standing. "Brother Zhuang, will you join us to observe?"
Zhan Fan nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, join us."
"Very well, let us proceed."
As they entered a space shielded by a special barrier to prevent divine sense eavesdropping, Zhuang Xuan began to sense something was amiss.
When Jin Fuxi placed the hide of a fifth-tier magical beast (at the Nascent Soul stage) before Ji Wushuang, along with cinnabar made from beast blood and finely powdered crystal stones, Zhuang Xuan was nearly struck dumb.
Wait!
What was Master and Jin Fuxi up to?
Were they actually going to let Ji Wushuang draw talismans with these materials?
This was fifth-tier magical beast hide!
Even a single misplaced stroke would ruin it completely!
No matter how abundant their spiritual stone reserves were, such extravagance was sheer lunacy!
As Zhuang Xuan prepared to step forward and stop this madness, Ji Wushuang had already picked up the jade brush, her strokes flowing across the talisman paper like a dragon in flight.
Her poised demeanor and unhurried expression gave the illusion of a true Talisman Master at work.
It was over!
Too late!
Resources wasted!
To craft talisman paper from raw beast hide required extensive refinement, consuming countless rare herbs and special spirit ores.
Zhuang Xuan felt his heart bleeding at the thought—what a waste!
Meanwhile, Zhan Fan ignored his disciple's dazed expression, rushing forward eagerly. "How did it turn out? Did it succeed?"
Ji Wushuang nodded and handed over several freshly drawn talismans. "It went well. I managed to create ten Spirit-Sealing Talismans, ten Explosive Talismans, ten Illusion Talismans, ten Exorcism Talismans, ten Hundred-Cure Talismans, and ten Misfortune Talismans."
Zhan Fan and Jin Fuxi recognized most of these, but the last one puzzled them.
"Little Wushuang," Zhan Fan asked, "what is this Misfortune Talisman?"
Ji Wushuang had crafted it on a whim after observing Mo Lanyi's ability to siphon fortune from others. If destiny, an intangible and mystical force, could be manipulated, she was confident she could do the same. Spending a few days designing the Misfortune Talisman, she had yet to test its effects.
"Oh, it brings misfortune when applied. I created it myself and estimate it to be of the fifth tier."
If any other disciple dared to squander fifth-tier materials for "innovation," Zhan Fan would undoubtedly teach them a lesson harsher than the northern winds.
But since it was Ji Wushuang, Zhan Fan simply turned a blind eye.
Ji Wushuang thoughtfully warned, "Be cautious when using the Misfortune Talisman. It hasn't been tested yet."
"Of course, of course."
As the three conversed, Zhuang Xuan stood numb with disbelief.
He could barely comprehend the exchange between his master and Ji Wushuang.
Those talismans were clearly useless, devoid of even a trace of spiritual energy! Yet they spoke as though Ji Wushuang had succeeded!
Self-created talismans?
Who did she think she was—an ancestral founder?!
Utterly absurd!
And the worst part? His master actually believed it!
This couldn't continue. He needed to find a healer to examine his master's mental state. Had something gone terribly wrong with his mind?