14: Chapter 14 The Rejuvenation Talisman! It's finally done!

Seeing Wu Kui's attitude gradually soften, Chen Qingyuan took the opportunity to continue speaking!

"Moreover, these Spirit Stones are definitely not a gift! After the matter is settled, the principal and interest will be returned with both hands! There will be no arrears!"

Silence, still a silence as heavy as a mountain.

Finally!

"Hmph!"

Wu Kui gave a heavy, cold snort and spread his palm. A bulging cloth bag appeared, and with a look of heartache, he slammed it hard onto the table!

"Take it! Count them clearly! Two hundred Spirit Stones, not a single one less!"

A flash of joy flickered through Chen Qingyuan's eyes before vanishing. He hurriedly stepped forward to take it, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and confirmed there were no errors.

"Thank you for your trust, Brother Wu!"

"Cut the nonsense!"

Wu Kui waved his hand irritably.

"I've lent you the Spirit Stones, so don't forget your promise today! The Spiritual Vein! The Spirit Stones! Not a single copper less!"

"Rest assured, Brother Wu!"

Chen Qingyuan cupped his fists with a sincere smile.

"Shazhou Workshop is only so big, and my Chen family's Foundation is also here. The monk can run, but the temple cannot! I would not dare forget what I promised!"

He then added silently in his heart, although that 'temple'... has also been mortgaged, and coincidentally, it was also exchanged for over two hundred Spirit Stones.

With everything settled, the two Chen brothers didn't dare stay longer and took their leave.

Inside the hall, only Wu Kui remained, sitting dazed in his armchair, staring at the empty spot on the table as if still savoring the confrontation just now.

After a long while, he finally spoke faintly!

"Wife... do you think I was hoodwinked by that kid?"

The door curtain of the inner room moved slightly, and a young woman dressed in an elegant blouse and skirt, with a high, protruding belly, slowly walked out.

Her face was gentle as she walked behind Wu Kui, extending her fingers. Green spiritual energy swirled around her fingertips as she tenderly massaged his temples.

"This doesn't seem like you,"

Her voice was soft and carried a hint of a smile. "Usually, you'd compare three shops even when buying a single Medicinal Pill, haggling for half a day.

Today, you handed over two hundred Spirit Stones without even blinking."

Wu Kui rubbed his face hard with his large hand. "Damn it! That kid... every word he said was like scratching at my heartstrings! Especially when he mentioned the child..."

His rough palm subconsciously and gently covered her protruding belly, a rare flash of tenderness appearing in his eyes!

"I can't let... our child's starting point on the path of immortality be worse than other children's!"

...

Meanwhile, on the way home, Chen Qingshan frequently turned his head to look at Chen Qingyuan beside him, his face full of confusion and looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Big Brother,"

Chen Qingyuan didn't stop walking, but a smile curled on his lips. "Ask whatever you want to ask. Isn't it uncomfortable to hold it in?"

Chen Qingshan scratched his head and lowered his voice. "Third Brother, I still can't figure it out! How could you be so sure that 'Iron Rooster' Boss Wu would lend us Spirit Stones?

He's famous for being stingy! Today, he actually... two hundred Spirit Stones! That's almost half the price of a small courtyard!"

Chen Qingyuan looked back in the direction of Wu Kui's residence.

"Big Brother, did you notice the sachet hanging at Boss Wu's waist? It had a faint, almost imperceptible scent of Tranquility Grass."

"Ah? A sachet? I saw it, it looked pretty ordinary."

Chen Qingshan looked bewildered. "What does that have to do with borrowing Spirit Stones?"

"Tranquility Incense is good for nurturing a pregnancy. Don't tell me you don't know such common knowledge?" Chen Qingyuan asked back.

Chen Qingshan suddenly froze in his tracks. "You mean his wife is pregnant?"

He then realized everything and slapped his thigh hard. "So that's it! That's why you said all that about 'striving for a future for descendants' and the 'Wu Immortal Clan'!"

"Exactly."

Chen Qingyuan nodded. "As parents, anyone would strive for a good future for their children within their means; no one would refuse."

Chen Qingshan nodded slowly, asking himself in his heart—if he could lay a good Foundation for Chen Yanchuan, he certainly wouldn't have any other choice.

But then he thought of a more realistic problem. "But... what if ten years from now, he really does what he said and goes back on his word? Wouldn't we be inviting a wolf into our house?"

Chen Qingyuan stopped walking, his voice calm yet firm!

"Big Brother, whether he goes back on his word in ten years doesn't depend on him, it depends on us!"

"If our Chen family is powerful enough to intimidate the region in ten years, would Wu Kui dare to go back on his word?"

"Conversely, if our Chen family is still weak and pathetic in ten years, then even if he keeps his promise, what confidence would we have to ask for the Spiritual Vein back? We probably wouldn't even be able to defend it!"

"So,"

"Whether it is effective or whether the promise is kept, the key lies not in whether Wu Kui is trustworthy, but in whether we ourselves are strong enough!"

Chen Qingshan took a deep breath and nodded heavily. "I understand! You think more clearly and further ahead than I do!"

Before he could continue questioning, Chen Qingyuan spoke directly.

"As for these borrowed Spirit Stones..."

Chen Qingyuan patted the Storage Pouch at his waist.

"Wu Kui reminded me today. The Zhang family's strength is indeed not to be underestimated. Both the Clan Chief and the Grand Elder are at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining; facing them head-on is definitely not the best strategy.

We need to make thorough preparations and cannot pin all our hopes on Wu Kui alone."

"You borrowed the Spirit Stones to...?" Chen Qingshan vaguely guessed.

"Buy a formation!" Chen Qingyuan spat out the words, his tone carrying a hint of ruthlessness. "Buy a killing formation that can trap enemies, kill enemies, and reverse the tide of battle!"

Upon returning home, the two brothers immediately split up to take action.

Chen Qingshan held his long saber, sweating profusely in the small courtyard, every move steady and powerful.

The saber wind whistled as he did his utmost to adjust his body and spirit to their Peak state, preparing for the upcoming Breakthrough to the Late Stage Qi Refining.

Meanwhile, inside Chen Qingyuan's left wing room.

On the desk, charred remains of talisman paper were scattered all over the floor!

Chen Qingyuan sat cross-legged on a futon, his face appearing somewhat pale due to the excessive consumption of magic power.

On the desk before him, only one last piece of yellow talisman paper remained—this was the very last one left after his third purchase of Materials!

And to get these talisman-making Materials, the over one hundred Spirit Stones obtained from selling the Fragrant Wood Beads had already been exhausted. If he wanted to continue making talismans, he would have to sell the chiyang warm jade as well!

Thinking of this, Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but feel his heart tighten.

One must know that over three hundred Spirit Stones could buy a small courtyard in the workshop market,

And for an ordinary Mid Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, it was not easy to save three to five Spirit Stones after a month of hard work.

The amount of Spirit Stones he had thrown in, one after another, was enough to make many Loose Cultivators gape in shock.

The key was... despite such a huge investment, he hadn't succeeded even once!

Success or failure depended on this one move!

Chen Qingyuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and forcibly suppressed the irritability in his heart.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the talisman structures regarding the 'Rejuvenation Talisman' from the Taiyi Talisman Scripture lit up one by one.

Every turn, every flow of spiritual energy, was imprinted with absolute clarity in the depths of his Divine Soul.

When he opened his eyes again, his heart was as clear as a still well.

He picked up the talisman brush, its tip soaked in Spirit Ink, and held his arm suspended over the talisman paper, steady as a rock.

He set the brush down!

The brush tip lightly touched the talisman paper. A fluid Spiritual Vein, following the rotation of his wrist, slowly began to flow across the paper.

A fraction too much and it would explode; a fraction too little and it would be ruined.

The brush moved like a soaring dragon!

Spiritual energy flowed and blended between the talisman paper and the brush tip. Gradually, a sense of vitality was quietly born upon the paper.

"Congeal!"

Chen Qingyuan gave a low shout in his heart as the final stroke landed!

Buzz—!

On the talisman paper, all the runes suddenly lit up in unison!

The spiritual light lasted for several breaths before slowly withdrawing, finally becoming completely contained within the talisman paper.

Success!

Rejuvenation Talisman! Success at last!

Chen Qingyuan let out a long breath of turbid air, put down the talisman brush, and picked up the Rejuvenation Talisman from the desk to admire it closely.

A huge sense of accomplishment and an indescribable joy welled up in his heart, instantly dispersing all his fatigue.