4: Golden Talisman, Sergeant Wang Liu

By this time, the sky was gradually darkening, and twilight enveloped the firmament.

Seeing more and more people gathering below the stage, the Daoist in yellow robes seemed to nod with satisfaction and said loudly:

"Fellow elders and neighbors, I am the ninth Disciple under the Cult Master of Huang Tian Cult—the Venerable Golden Light!"

"I will soon perform the Great Law of Huang Tian of our Holy Cult. Under the radiance of the golden light, it can not only ward off evil and avoid disasters but also save the dying and heal the wounded, curing all diseases."

After speaking, he flipped his wrist, and a palm-sized yellow Talisman paper covered with strange runes drawn in cinnabar appeared in his palm.

The Talisman paper looked ordinary, yet there was a faint shimmer of spiritual light flowing through it.

The crowd below suddenly fell silent, and all eyes were focused on that Talisman.

The Venerable Golden Light looked pleased with himself, muttering something under his breath as if reciting an incantation.

Then, he pointed his fingers like a sword and jabbed forcefully at the Talisman!

"Protector of Huang Tian, let the golden light shine everywhere! Haste!"

Hum—!!

With a soft hum, the yellow Talisman ignited spontaneously and instantly transformed into a ball of dazzling golden light!

The light was not scorching, but pure and bright.

Like a small sun suddenly rising, it dispelled the darkness within a hundred-zhang radius.

The city walls, flags, the crowd, the ground... everything was coated in a layer of golden glow, making every detail visible!

"A miracle! It's truly a miracle!"

"The huang tian supreme god has manifested!"

"This light feels so comfortable..."

"Long live the Cult Master! Long live the Venerable Golden Light!"

The commoners below had never seen such a feat before. They were instantly in an uproar, which then erupted into mountain-shaking cheers and kowtowing.

The fanatical atmosphere reached its peak.

Yu Xuzi stood at the edge of the crowd, the remaining golden afterglow reflected in his pupils, his heart filled with waves of emotion.

That was not an illusion, but a true technique of Talismans!

By using spiritual items containing spiritual essence to carry runes and activating them with magic power or incantations, one could trigger the Spells pre-inscribed within.

"It's actually the method of Talismans... exactly what I'm currently lacking!"

Yu Xuzi's eyes lit up.

Besides the simplest method of Qi Refining cultivation, his Basic Qi Refining Art only recorded a mere dozen or so basic First-tier Spells that used his own magic power. It had no mention of the various immortal arts like Talismans, Alchemy, or Artifact Refining.

If he could gain some insight into the path of Talismans, it would be of great benefit, whether for self-protection against enemies or for assisting his cultivation.

"The Yellow Heaven Cult... since I've run into you right after coming down the mountain, it must be fate!"

"Regardless of whether you succeed in the end, let me record this for you."

Having made up his mind, a light flashed in Yu Xuzi's eyes, and he quietly retreated.

Although he coveted the Yellow Heaven Cult's method of Talismans, he had no intention of hiding his identity and cultivation to infiltrate the cult.

He didn't even have enough time for his own cultivation, so how could he have the leisure to follow the Yellow Heaven Cult and fight everywhere?

Moreover, in the future, there would inevitably be battles between Cultivators of the Yellow Heaven Cult and the Yu Kingdom's imperial court. He had only been practicing for a short time and shouldn't rashly get involved.

He only needed to watch silently and record everything... Time flew by, and two months passed.

At the beginning of June.

Qichuan County had already restored normal order.

The Yellow Heaven Cult did not engage in burning, killing, and looting as many commoners had previously expected; instead, they fulfilled the functions of the government well.

In fact, because of policies like distributing porridge to the needy and confiscating land from noble families and landlords to distribute to the commoners, combined with their occasional use of Golden Light Talismans to play at being gods and win over the hearts of the people, their image among the commoners continued to improve.

In other words, the rule of the Yellow Heaven Cult was gradually stabilizing.

Yet, the army of the Yu Kingdom's imperial court was still nowhere to be seen.

At sunset.

Southeast of the county town, outside a small courtyard.

A burly man wearing a yellow turban was gently knocking on the courtyard gate.

"Thump~ Thump~ Thump~"

"Is Big Brother Jade Void at home? It's me—"

Before he could finish, the courtyard gate suddenly opened.

"Creeeak~"

Looking at the familiar figure before him, the burly man gave a simple smile and said, "Big Brother is indeed at home. Look at what good stuff I've brought you?"

He raised his right hand triumphantly.

A large roast chicken, half a catty of sliced braised beef, a box of pastries from the street next door, and two jars of strong liquor.

Yu Xuzi raised an eyebrow, then stepped aside and said as he walked, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Big Brother lent me silver and taught me how to read and be reasonable. These are all great kindnesses. My mother taught me from a young age to repay kindness, and I haven't forgotten."

Hearing this, Yu Xuzi's expression softened. He walked to the stone table in the corner of the courtyard and gestured with his hand:

"Sit down and eat together."

"Sure!"

The man smiled and placed the items in his hands on the table, opening them one by one, muttering, "I originally wanted to buy a roast duck, but the shop was closed."

"Looking at your radiant face, has something good happened? A promotion or a fortune?"

Yu Xuzi sat down first and asked with a calm expression.

This man was named Wang Liu, and his nickname was Xiao Liuzi.

Yu Xuzi had met him by chance in the county town.

Despite his burly build, he was only fifteen years old, two years younger than Yu Xuzi; his robust physique was entirely a natural gift.

As for his identity, one could tell by the yellow turban wrapped around his head:

He was now a soldier of the Yellow Heaven Cult.

"Big Brother has a Wisdom Eye. I followed the army and captured the commandery city half a month ago, earning some merit."

Wang Liu smiled happily and said, "So I am now a centurion, in charge of a hundred or so soldiers!"

"Is that so? Then congratulations."

Yu Xuzi smiled in agreement, took a bite of the braised beef, and raised his wine jar in a toast.

Having captured Nanlin Commandery City, the Yellow Heaven Cult now held two of the nine commanderies of the Yu Kingdom.

The power of the Yellow Heaven Cult had grown significantly again, and with Cultivators backing them, they likely wouldn't perish suddenly in a short time.

And such a young centurion, as long as he didn't die young, would surely achieve great things within the Yellow Heaven Cult in the future.

"It's also thanks to Big Brother teaching me to read and telling me many principles. The Captain appreciates me very much and often praises me for being adept in both civil and military affairs. Otherwise, even with merit, it wouldn't have come to me."

...An hour later.

The sky had turned completely dark.

Wang Liu had already left. Yu Xuzi closed the courtyard gate and returned to the house with a calm expression.

Lighting a lamp and grinding ink, he picked up his brush and began to write.

Historical Records of the Huang Tian Cult!

His acquaintance with Wang Liu was no accident.

Besides Wang Liu, he had also met many other members of the Yellow Heaven Cult over the past two months.

There were soldiers from the army, minor officials, and so on.

After all, he was a Cultivator. Although he did not yet have the Divine Sense that only Dao Foundation Stage Cultivators possessed, his mental perception was already far beyond that of ordinary people.

By making an effort to befriend them and not being stingy with money, he could basically get what he wanted.

As for where the silver came from?

There was plenty to be found by simply robbing a few Gangs or bandits.

By now, he had a clear understanding of the basic origins of the Yellow Heaven Cult, several major events before and after the rebellion, their internal operating system and division of labor, and their current general movements.

Before long, Yu Xuzi stopped writing.

Then, with anticipation, he looked at the mark on the palm of his right hand. With a thought, his consciousness appeared inside the bronze pavilion.

The illusory figure held a scroll of gray book in his hand and placed it on the jade platform at the entrance of the pavilion.

Several breaths of time passed, and the bronze pavilion showed no reaction.

"Still not working..."

"Is it because my collection isn't comprehensive enough? Or must I wait until after the Yellow Heaven Cult is destroyed to leave a complete record and receive a reward?"

Yu Xuzi withdrew with a slight sense of regret, guessing the reason in his heart.

But whatever the reason, he would have to try slowly in the future.

"It's just that the power of the Yellow Heaven Cult is growing larger and larger, shaking the world like oil on a fire. It probably won't be quelled in a short time."

"Moreover, the Yu Kingdom's imperial court has actually made no move until now. Could it be that those few minor skirmishes before made them retreat? That shouldn't be the case."

"Are they wary of the Yellow Heaven Cult's Cultivators? Doesn't the State Preceptors Mansion exist? Can't they take action?"

"Or do they have some other plans?"

After thinking for a while, Yu Xuzi, having no clues, shook his head and gave up.

In any case, who won or lost had nothing to do with him, and he didn't care.

Cultivation!

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, five centers facing the sky.

Yu Xuzi slowly operated the Basic Qi Refining Art, absorbing and refining the extremely thin Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence in the air. The magic power in his body was advancing towards the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.