Chapter 41: 41 The Third Talisman Refinement

Chapter 41: The Third Talisman Refinement

Ever since he had Immortal Yao Zhen, Ning Xuan no longer needed horses.

The qualitative difference between a First-Rank Celestial Master and an ordinary practitioner lay in the fact that "the consumption of mountain-moving spells was drastically reduced, and they could be cast instantaneously." Previously, when Ning Xuan watched that practitioner, the man had to exert his utmost strength just to barely entangle the Three Great Kings of a mountain-crashing bear demon with "Golden Serpents Emerging from the Earth" in order to lock it down. But if it were Chounu or Immortal Yao Zhen, they would simply use the Celestial Master Seal to smash things crudely and violently everywhere; if they couldn't smash it, they could directly transform the Seal into a massive golden mountain and drop it.

The qualitative difference between a Second-Rank Celestial Master and a First-Rank one lay in the fact that "the consumption of low-level earth-遁 (escape/burrowing) spells was drastically reduced, and they could be cast instantaneously." This was reflected in the way Immortal Yao Zhen walked—she practically floated, because it cost no effort at all. Of course, it was unrealistic to expect her to use earth-遁 continuously without pause or many times every single day.

However, for patrolling the territory of a Prefecture, a Second-Rank Celestial Master was more than capable.

Since they had roughly identified the species of demons within and the truth regarding the black smoke, the two began to take action to resolve it.

Immortal Yao Zhen led Ning Xuan to first collect the flesh and blood of the Fragrance-Stealing Rats, placing them in a special jade bottle for subsequent alchemy.

Afterward, she led Ning Xuan in a rapid escape. In a few leaps, they covered several miles. She sensed the ley lines within a ten-mile radius, pinpointing the location and general distribution of the "Head-Bearing Black Smoke" and the "Human-Skin Demons," and then left the killing to Ning Xuan.

The two thousand prefecture soldiers and the hundred-odd martial artists from the Jianghu brought earlier finally came into play.

Token after token of prohibition seals began to be erected.

By dawn, the two began to encounter scattered soldiers and martial artists from Ping'an Prefecture.

While those people were not qualified to recognize Ning Xuan's identity, they knew of "Realmen" (Immortals). Upon seeing the miraculous methods of the two, they naturally understood them to be "powerful Realmen" sent from above, and thus chose to cooperate.

Three days later...

Ning Xuan finally met up with Tang Chuan.

Tang Chuan was, of course, not dead; the "Human-Skin Demon" at the relay station was a liar.

Upon seeing Ning Xuan's Tiger Tally of the Anyuan General, and seeing Immortal Yao Zhen beside him, Tang Chuan chose to obey without a second word.

He was, by nature, a man of the Emperor and possessed some knowledge regarding the reforms. His daughter was still in the Divine Soldier Camp in the Imperial Capital; seeing the Emperor's decree now, he understood that the Emperor still recognized him as one of his own, so he certainly wouldn't cause any trouble.

After a few exchanges, Tang Chuan also understood the characteristics of those "Human-Skin Demons." This truly felt like "a bucket of cold water being poured over his head"—he had previously sent quite a few people to suppress the demon calamity.

Now it seemed that the more people he sent, the more human skins he was delivering to the enemy.

Thinking about how those "Human-Skin Demons" could also seize the power of their victims during their lifetime, Tang Chuan wished he could slap himself.

He had practically sent more than half of the prefecture's experts to their deaths.

Upon learning of Ning Xuan's "Containment Plan," Tang Chuan cooperated with all his might.

He was the true Prefect of Ping'an Prefecture; with his mobilization, many things no longer required Ning Xuan's attention.

However, they were still lacking experts.

At that moment, a purple-robed Celestial Master leading thirty demon-plague martial artists appeared before Ning Xuan.

That Celestial Master was naturally sent by the First Madam of the Qin family. Upon arriving, he realized that instead of fighting to the death, he only needed to provide defensive support, so he decisively led everyone to reveal themselves.

"General Anyuan, patrolling the surroundings of Hanzhou and even the entire Jiuzhou Dao is inherently the duty of Great General Qin. Moreover, our two families will soon become even closer," the Celestial Master smiled, being quite polite to the young general.

After the Qin family's Celestial Master departed, Tang Chuan's gaze grew deep. Stroking his beard, he said in a heavy voice, "General Ning, you must handle the Qin daughter with great caution."

Hearing this, Ning Xuan began to feel a headache coming on.

Even if Tang Chuan hadn't said it, Ning Xuan knew that the Emperor's "Divine General Plan" clearly conflicted with the "Old Guard Generals."

Now that he had participated in the "Divine General Plan" and been enfeoffed by His Majesty, he had to avoid any intersection with the "Old Guard General Faction" to maintain the path of a pure official, which was the only way to ensure longevity.

To put it more deeply: how long could the Emperor live? As a young general, he should be conserving his strength and maintaining clear allegiances. If he truly wanted to stir up trouble, he should wait for the next, or even the one after that, Emperor.

Tang Chuan's words seemed mature and considered for his sake, but weren't they actually pushing him onto the front lines of conflict?

If he had proactively sought a marriage and been rejected, it would be one thing. But if the Qin family took the initiative and he rejected them, it would be a slap in the face. Heh, the consequences... one could figure them out just by using their feet to think.

To gain a powerful enemy for no reason would plunge everyone around him, and everyone he cared for, into danger.

Immortal Yao Zhen had clearly thought of this as well.

But... her thoughts might be slightly different from Ning Xuan's.

Immortal Yao Zhen said, "The old-system generals listen to orders but not to proclamations; my roots are deep and intertwined, having long served the nation..."

Ning Xuan covered her mouth.

Tang Chuan chuckled, "A parasite of the nation, a state within a state, right?"

Ning Xuan said, "Uncle Tang, if you keep stoking the fire, I'll marry Bingbing and then tell the Qin family I rejected them just for her sake."

Tang Chuan burst into laughter. Looking at Ning Xuan, he nodded and said, "Nephew is truly impressive; you can see through things clearly without being arrogant or impetuous."

Hearing someone praise Ning Xuan, Immortal Yao Zhen became even more certain that she had indeed chosen the right person. She felt happy in her heart, though her face remained as cold as frost-covered peach blossoms, her eyes already held a hint of a smile.

"The Qin daughter is not easy to deal with. Nephew... you must place this chess piece carefully," Tang Chuan gave him a deep look and then said, "This old man must go to mobilize the troops and blockade the borders. We shouldn't pass up the support from Great General Qin, especially since it has been tacitly accepted by General Anyuan, hehe..."

With that, the old fox scurried out of the hall.

Ning Xuan thought of nothing.

Right now, he only wanted to return to the Fragrant Pavilion and ask the madam if, with the recent influx of refugees, she had taken in a few more lovely beauties?

Then, he would listen to music, drink wine, and enjoy himself while listening to beauties tell stories. When he reached a delightful part, he would toss a silver ingot and praise them, saying, "Deserving of a reward."

After a night of revelry, he would go looking for hounds and horses to appraise...

Forget it, hounds and horses were no longer interesting.

Ning Xuan let out a soft sigh.

How lonely.

After becoming stronger, he could no longer play those old games.

He actually quite missed the days of "leading a yellow hound on the left, a hawk on the right, and calling out to friends and companions."

Seeing him sigh, Immortal Yao Zhen thought he was frustrated by the current situation, so she comforted him, "General need not worry. No matter when, this humble Daoist will stand by your side."

Ning Xuan looked at her in astonishment, only realizing the implication after a moment.

Immortal Yao Zhen said with a determined expression, "Upon returning this time, I will begin refining pills for the General. This humble Daoist will do her utmost to assist you."

Ning Xuan sighed, "Only Yao Zhen truly knows me."

Another ten-odd days passed...

The work of defining and blockading the borders was more or less complete.

Ning Xuan and Immortal Yao Zhen were walking through the final stretch of the territory.

Even though it was clearly summer, the place felt chillingly cold.

In the distance, snow was still falling.

Pale, deathly snow.

The towering ice mountains were also deathly pale.

This was the northernmost border of Ping'an Prefecture, so the previously non-existent ice mountain was now visible.

"I have already reported it. The Zixia Temple in the Imperial Capital has given this ice mountain a name to consolidate intelligence."

"What name?"

"The Frozen Hell."

"Quite descriptive. Those frozen corpses do look like frozen ghosts."

"Indeed. Zixia Temple has already dispatched more personnel to investigate and resolve it. The higher-ups told us not to worry about it for now, saying this matter has exceeded the scope of our capabilities."

Ning Xuan nodded in agreement. "Well said."

He quite liked that phrasing.

It meant he didn't have to worry about this ice mountain anymore.

However, Ning Xuan suddenly felt Immortal Yao Zhen's small fist tighten beside him. She closed her eyes tightly and murmured, "I am not reconciled... I will definitely break through to the Third Rank as soon as possible."

Ning Xuan was amused in his heart, but he kept a straight face, clenched his own fist, and said, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west."

He believed this phrase could provide emotional value to the "dead woman" beside him, thereby extending the period during which she "wouldn't talk back."

However, after the word "west" fell, he waited for several breaths but received no response.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye.

Immortal Yao Zhen had vanished.

He glanced again; the soldiers accompanying them to blockade the territory had also vanished.

He tilted his head back...

A pitch-black moon hung high in the sky, casting a bright, pure light that illuminated the grim Frozen Hell in the distance.

*Slap!*

Ning Xuan gave himself a hard slap.