WBICDPH Chapter 47 Part1

Chapter 47 – The Mysteries of Talismans

After Zheyu finished speaking, Qingyu Terrace fell into a long silence.

Moyuzi’s dull gray eyes seemed to light up again, while Liuxun lost her earlier fiery edge. She frowned slightly, slowly fanning herself as she considered whether Zheyu’s suggestion was feasible.

Lin Jin stood among them with his head lowered, his heart pounding.
He thought Zheyu’s idea sounded great, but it wasn’t his decision to make—and no matter how he looked at it, he was the one who stood to gain the most, so he didn’t dare say a word.

After a while, Zheyu waved a hand.
“Alright, stop hesitating. I’ll ask you directly, Xiao Mo. If we do things my way, you’ll have to run between Nanqian and Dongli, serve two masters, and handle double the coursework. Can you handle that kind of hardship? If you can, we’ll go with this plan. If not, you’ll choose today between Elder Yu and Elder Xun.”

Lin Jin knew Zheyu was giving everyone an out. He didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately bowed deeply.
“To receive guidance from two masters at once would be the blessing of three lifetimes for this disciple. If I’m given that chance, I’ll be grateful beyond words—how could I complain about hardship?”

Moyuzi naturally had no objections. All eyes turned to Liuxun, the only one who hadn’t spoken yet.

Zheyu curved his lips into a faint smile.
“Well, Sister Liuxun? What do you say?”

Liuxun crossed her arms and thought for a moment before lifting her chin and flicking her sleeve.
“You said it yourself—you won’t complain about hardship. If you’re willing to run back and forth, that’s your business. But if I ever catch you slacking off or failing my tests, you’ll regret it.”

That meant she agreed. Lin Jin’s heart filled with joy, and he bowed again.
“Thank you, Elder Xun!”

“Still calling me ‘Elder’?”
“Oh… thank you, Master!”
“That’s better.”

Just like that, Zheyu’s few words resolved the conflict. Later, Lin Jin formally performed the disciple ceremony on Qingyu Terrace and officially became the sole direct disciple of both Elders Moyuzi and Liuxun.

Unfortunately, the chaotic “battle of the century” between the two elders couldn’t be avoided—only now they argued not over who got the disciple, but over how much time they got with him.

Moyuzi initially proposed splitting each month evenly: fifteen days in Nanqian and fifteen days in Dongli. Liuxun refused. She cultivated both talismans and formations and insisted that her direct disciple do the same, since Lin Jin clearly had the talent.

Moyuzi swallowed his pride and divided the month into three ten-day segments—ten days in Nanqian and twenty in Dongli. Liuxun still wasn’t satisfied. She argued Lin Jin didn’t need that much time learning about little beasts and plants, and since he ate and slept in Nanqian anyway, that time should count toward Moyuzi’s share.

Moyuzi didn’t want to argue—more importantly, he couldn’t win—so he ended up with a humiliating five days a month: two days early in the month, two in the middle, and one at the end. The rest of the time, Lin Jin had to study in Dongli.

Although both sects were on Misty Rain Mountain, Dongli’s atmosphere was nothing like Nanqian’s.

Nanqian’s buildings were simple, especially the beast-taming area—practical above all else. Lin Jin and Moyuzi each had a small bamboo hut, and their courtyards were messy and full of vegetables and spirit herbs.

Dongli, however, was elegant and refined. Liuxun believed deeply in aesthetics, and the sect reflected it—low-key luxury, scholarly elegance everywhere. As Lin Jin entered, disciples respectfully greeted him with “Senior Brother!”

Used to Nanqian’s casual environment, Lin Jin was overwhelmed. He forced himself to act properly and composed as he greeted people all the way to Liuxun’s study, sweating nervously by the time he arrived.

When he entered, Liuxun stood by a bookshelf flipping through a book. She glanced at the sundial outside and snorted.
“Another minute and you’d have been late. Lucky you.”

Lin Jin quickly bowed.
“This disciple was at fault for keeping the Master waiting!”

She gave him a once-over and frowned slightly.
“Did you oversleep, or are you just slow?”

He sat across from her, honestly.
“I didn’t oversleep. I just took a little longer eating breakfast with Master Yu. I’ll be faster tomorrow.”

“You’re a cultivator—why are you copying that old man’s mortal habits? What a waste of time! Starting tomorrow, go into fasting!”

Lin Jin trembled but protested quietly,
“But… if I don’t eat… I’ll be hungry…”

“If you fast properly, you won’t be hungry!”
She slapped the desk, making him jump again.

Seeing how timid he looked, she sighed and relented.
“Fine, eat if you want—but don’t waste time on trivial things again!”

“Yes, Master!”

She rummaged through the desk and handed him talisman diagrams, paper, and cinnabar ink.
“Alright, start drawing. Don’t be nervous—just do what you did in the hardship realm. And that broken split brush of yours? Put it away. Use this one.”

She gave him a basic third-tier talisman brush—the standard tool all Dongli disciples received.

Lin Jin straightened instinctively, carefully prepared the brush and paper, and began drawing according to the diagrams.

Liuxun watched while fanning herself. Today, she’d prepared diagrams from tiers one through nine—one per tier—simply to see how far this self-taught kid could go.

The results shocked her.

Lin Jin completed tiers one through seven in a single attempt. Even with tiers eight and nine, though the paper burned twice, he ultimately succeeded with surprising ease.

For most talisman cultivators, each tier jump required exponentially more effort and understanding. Some never even approached tier eight or nine in a lifetime—yet Lin Jin handled them effortlessly.

After finishing nine talismans, he looked up at the empty table.
“Master… I’m done.”

“I saw.”
Though shaken inside, Liuxun coughed and forced a calm expression.
“Ugly… but acceptable.”

She waved her fan and asked,
“Tell me—what’s your understanding of the Dao of Talismans?”

He hesitated.
“Combining spiritual power and spells… and putting them into paper?”