130: Rely on mountains and they will fall, rely on talismans and they will be gone, only strength remains!

Hot blood splattered onto the unfolded divination cloth, staining it with large patches of striking crimson.

His profound aura, originally as deep as the ocean, suddenly dissipated like a punctured air sac, and he visibly withered before their eyes.

His once rosy face instantly became covered in wrinkles, and his eyes were filled with unbelievable shock and fear, as if he had glimpsed some great terror capable of collapsing heaven and earth!

"No... impossible!" the old man's voice was hoarse and trembling, as he stared intently at the character "Dao" on the paper, which still glowed with a faint light.

Then he suddenly looked up at Qin Wangchuan, whose expression remained calm, as if he was looking at a monster that should not exist in this world.

"Who... who exactly are you?!" the old man panted with difficulty, each word accompanied by flecks of blood, "The strangeness of your fate is unprecedented... neither human nor Immortal, neither Immortal nor human... traceable back to the primordial era... Pfft!"

Before he could finish speaking, another mouthful of fresh blood gushed out, clearly indicating a severe backlash, making it difficult for him to continue speaking.

Only now did he understand that the young man's earlier remark, "Senior shouldn't be afraid, right?" was not a question, but a calm statement.

It even... carried a hint of imperceptible pity.

Qin Wangchuan looked at the old man, who was instantly severely injured, with no surprise in his eyes, only a faint sigh, his tone still gentle:

"I did warn Senior."

Even Li Heavenly Emperor couldn't divine it when they first met, so how could you?

He reached out his hand, and a trace of extremely pure and gentle Immortal Qi of Longevity emerged from his fingertips, gently tapping the old man's glabella, attempting to stabilize his dissipating Qi.

"Senior should first calm his mind and Qi, and stabilize his injuries before anything else."

The old man felt that pure and extreme vitality, far beyond his imagination, entering his body, barely suppressing his turbulent blood and Qi, but the shock in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest, instead growing more intense.

He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but another mouthful of blood spewed out.

This scene startled passersby, who frequently turned their heads.

It wasn't until the old man's trembling hand pulled out a Medicinal Pill and consumed it that his condition improved slightly, yet he looked at the medicine bottle with some heartache.

"A Nine Revolutions Medicinal Pill..."

Just like that, it was gone.

What a loss!!

"Let this old man be..."

He hoarsely squeezed out two words, then suddenly fell backward, lying on the ground.

For a moment, he even doubted life itself.

Qin Wangchuan returned to the old locust tree, set up his banner as he had yesterday, spread out the indigo coarse cloth, and neatly arranged the Talismans one by one.

After yesterday's practice and comprehension, the Talismans he drew today had a noticeably more restrained and harmonious spiritual glow, especially the Fire Talisman; its violent power had been tamed, lying quietly there, yet possessing an awe-inspiring might that made one's heart palpitate.

"It's time to try more types of Talismans."

He had just sat down and hadn't even had time to grind the cinnabar when Pang Jie's figure appeared at the street corner, timidly looking over.

Upon being discovered, he walked over.

"Little Immortal... I, I didn't use that Talisman yesterday."

Qin Wangchuan looked up at him, his tone calm: "Oh?"

"Wan Xingxuan... didn't come last night." Pang Jie pursed his lips, his voice a few shades lower, "I thought about it all night, even if he did come, I might... not be able to do it."

The cinnabar brush in Qin Wangchuan's hand paused slightly, and he finally looked at him directly: "Why?"

Pang Jie counted on his fingers, saying earnestly: "I thought about it carefully, killing him is indeed wrong."

"Putting aside whether this Talisman can kill him, even if it really does, the Azure Heaven Holy Land will send someone else."

"Even if there's no one else, if someone similar bullies us next time, I won't have a second Talisman."

He looked up, and although there was still unwillingness in his eyes, there was also a touch of clarity: "It's treating the symptoms, not the root cause."

After a pause, he added in a low voice: "And... although I'm not afraid of death, if I die, no one will take care of my mother."

Qin Wangchuan listened quietly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He had originally thought this boy was just blinded by hatred, but he hadn't expected him to figure all this out overnight.

"So, you've come today to return the Talisman?" Qin Wangchuan asked.

Pang Jie quickly clutched his waist pouch, shaking his head like a rattle-drum: "Of course not, I, I paid Spirit Stones for it!"

His small face turned crimson, fearing the Talisman would be taken back.

"If I don't need it now, I'll always be able to use it later!"

"Of course, it's best if I don't need it."

Seeing that Qin Wangchuan had no intention of taking it back, he rolled his eyes and naturally sat down on the low stool in front of the stall, placing his hands neatly on his knees, his back straight:

"Actually... I want to learn a skill from Little Immortal!"

"Skill?" Qin Wangchuan raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat amused.

He himself was learning and using these Talismans on the fly.

"It's drawing Talismans!"

Pang Jie's eyes sparkled as he pointed at the Talismans on the stall, "I realized last night that relying on mountains, mountains will fall; relying on Talismans, Talismans will run out—"

His voice suddenly lowered, yet it carried an unprecedented firmness, "Only the power in one's own hands is the true reliance."

"This way, even if Wan Xingxuan, or someone stronger, comes, I won't be afraid!"

Qin Wangchuan shook his head: "That's a good idea, but find someone else."

"I'm almost too poor to sleep on the streets; teach you a skill?"

The light in Pang Jie's eyes visibly dimmed, his voice tinged with unconcealed disappointment:

"Little Immortal is joking... I know that someone like you wouldn't lack a place to stay. You just... just don't want to take me on."

He took a deep breath, his fingernails digging deep into his palms: "I know I'm foolish, have nothing to my name, and can't even offer a decent apprenticeship gift. These words must sound utterly ridiculous to you."

Suddenly, Pang Jie looked up sharply, a stubborn flame burning in his eyes: "But this might be my only chance!"

His thin body knelt heavily on the bluestone slab, but his back remained straight: "Even if I can only be a servant to sweep your courtyard! If ten years isn't enough, then a hundred; if I can't learn a tenth, then half a tenth—please, give me a chance to knock on the door!"

Qin Wangchuan looked at him for a long time before slowly speaking.

His first sentence extinguished Pang Jie's fervent hopes.

"Obsession is like fire, power is like oil—"

"Someone like you, once they gain power, will only bring disaster."

Qin Wangchuan looked at Pang Jie's determined eyes, sighing inwardly.

Whether it brings disaster depends partly on the person, and partly on the teacher.

And Geniuses are often not good teachers.

Moreover...

Thinking this, Qin Wangchuan stood up and pulled Pang Jie to his feet, his tone softening a few shades: "Though I cannot teach you, there are others watching you."

"In the near future, you will surely embark on the path of cultivation."

After speaking, his gaze meaningfully swept over the old man feigning death in the distance.