Chapter 72 Yang Sixu

After Yang Huazhang left, Jiang Chen continued selling his Talismans.

Since Yang Huazhang was in the West Market, quite a few people recognized him.

Seeing that even Yang Huazhang was buying Talismans, it really piqued the interest of many people for a moment.

Before long, a woman wearing rough hemp clothing walked over, acting somewhat timidly as she said:

"Great Master, my little girl has been having convulsions recently, as if she has provoked something unclean. Doctors haven't been able to help. Could you please take a look?"

"Take these two Talismans and keep them close to your daughter. If you see no effect, come find me again tomorrow."

Jiang Chen casually picked up two pieces of Talisman paper from his stall and handed them to the woman.

The woman awkwardly set down her vegetable basket, wiped her hands on her clothes, and then cautiously took the Talisman paper.

"Thank you, Great Master, thank you, Great Master. How much for this Talisman paper?" By the end, her voice had grown faint, like a mosquito's buzz.

Jiang Chen said indifferently: "Five wen for one, ten wen for both."

In the evening, Yang Huazhang returned to the residence in high spirits.

He was clutching the yellow Talisman tightly against his chest.

Inside the house, General Yang Sixu had just returned from the government office and was tasting some tribute tea recently bestowed by the Saint.

According to the Saint, this tea was specially developed by the Miao people of Annan and could suppress the Evil Qi within his body.

Bang!

With a loud noise, the teacup in General Yang Sixu's hand jolted. Had he not controlled it with his powerful cultivation, the tea would have spilled everywhere.

"Father, Father, I've found something that can cure your Evil Qi!" Yang Huazhang burst in from outside, beaming with joy.

General Yang Sixu took a deep breath. Forget it, he thought, he might as well indulge the child he had adopted.

"Where did you find this thing? Even the bald donkeys at Dacien Temple can barely solve my Evil Qi."

"Or are you saying you went to look for those bald donkeys?"

"That's not it, Father," Yang Huazhang said excitedly.

"I met a Daoist selling Talismans in the West Market today, so I bought one. With this Soul-Calming Talisman, Father won't have trouble sleeping at night anymore!"

General Yang Sixu understood immediately what was going on. How could a true Daoist expert set up a stall in the market to sell Talismans?

He chuckled: "You have a good heart, but I've had this ailment for years and have grown used to it. How much did you pay for this Talisman?"

"Father, it wasn't expensive, just one gold coin, but this Talisman is truly useful!" Yang Huazhang gestured excitedly, trying his best to make General Yang Sixu believe him.

General Yang Sixu gave a bitter smile. His adopted son had never practiced Cultivation and didn't understand the symptoms of having one's body invaded by Evil Qi.

In fact, generals who led armies all had this problem to some extent.

However, this year, in order to repel Annan, he had been forced to overdraw the military Evil Qi, concentrating the Evil Qi of an army of one hundred thousand onto himself.

One could imagine how immense the pressure was. In the end, he successfully defeated the Annan commander and slaughtered tens of thousands of the Annan army.

But he was also plagued by the Evil Qi, leaving behind aftereffects that left him in constant pain.

Evil Qi could assist in Cultivation, but Evil Qi that was too overwhelming would cost one their life.

After returning, even the current State Preceptor, Grand Master Zhang Guo, was helpless, able only to temporarily suppress the invasion of Evil Qi within his body.

He had said: Only by inviting several Immortal Masters from the Maoshan Sect to descend the mountain would it be possible to cure the Evil Qi within his body.

Li Hanguang was skilled in spiritual inscriptions and could use Daoist methods to peel away and dispel the Evil Qi.

Ye Fashan was most skilled in the Talisman Arts, with accomplishments in Talismans far exceeding his own cultivation, and he could also use the Talisman Arts to remove the Evil Qi for him.

While Grand Master Zhang Guo's cultivation was not inferior to Li Hanguang's, most of his learning was used for divination and calculation, and he bore the responsibility of stargazing.

He really had no spare time to treat General Yang Sixu's injuries.

However, General Yang Sixu was not familiar with the Maoshan Sect, and with many official duties, it had been delayed until now.

"Do you know that this Evil Qi of mine is not as simple as you think? Even the State Preceptor isn't sure he can cure it. How could a Talisman you bought casually from some unknown Daoist be useful?"

Perhaps because he lacked fatherly love growing up, General Yang Sixu was very fond of this adopted son.

Hearing General Yang Sixu say this, Yang Huazhang gradually lost his confidence.

That's right, if that person were truly so capable, why would he be reduced to selling Talismans on the street?

"I'm sorry, Father, I was too reckless."

Yang Huazhang was somewhat dejected. He had hoped to save his father some suffering, but it turned out to be a futile effort.

"Since this Talisman is useless to you, Father, I'll go return it to him."

Yang Huazhang pulled the yellow Talisman from his chest, took one look at it, and started walking out.

General Yang Sixu hadn't cared at first, only subconsciously looking toward Yang Huazhang's actions.

However, at this glance, his eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly called out to stop him.

"Wait!"

Yang Huazhang turned back in confusion, "What is it, Father?"

"Let me see that Talisman in your hand."

Upon hearing this, Yang Huazhang was overjoyed. As expected, Jiang Chen hadn't lied to him; the Talisman was real, otherwise his father wouldn't have noticed it. It was just that it might not be useful for his father's painful ailment.

"Father, this is the Talisman I bought from that Daoist."

General Yang Sixu took it and observed it carefully. As he took the Talisman paper, he discovered that it immediately began to heat up slightly.

As the Talisman paper heated up, he actually felt the pain in his body being suppressed a little.

And wisps of Evil Qi were being gradually dissipated!

This Talisman was actually useful against the Evil Qi accumulated in his body!

Although it was like a drop in the bucket, it was already the most effective method he had seen so far.

The Evil Qi in his body was like a festering sore; even if he used his True Qi to wear it down, it was of no use, and would instead cause his True Qi to become tainted with Evil Qi as well.

The Evil Qi of an army of one hundred thousand—how could it be easy to break?

"What is the name of the Daoist who gave you this Talisman?"

"His name is Jiang Chen, and his Dharma name is Xuan, Xuan... Great True Lord Xuanyi? Yes, it seems to be Great True Lord Xuanyi!"

"Jiang Chen, Great True Lord Xuanyi..." General Yang Sixu frowned. He did not recall such a high-ranking Daoist expert in his mind.

But to be able to draw a Talisman with such power, he certainly could not be an unknown person in the Daoist world.

Most importantly, since he could draw such a Talisman, perhaps he had a way to treat the Evil Qi within his body.

Or perhaps he could simply draw thousands of such Talismans, and bit by bit, the Evil Qi could be worn away.

"In that case, tomorrow I will accompany you to meet this Daoist. Since he is hiding his identity to sell Talismans in the market, he is very likely an Immortal Master from the Daoist world traveling the human realm!"

"Father, does this Talisman actually work for you?!"

General Yang Sixu nodded with gratification, "Indeed, ever since I returned from that battle, I have never felt as comfortable as I do today."

This was not physical comfort. In the past, Grand Master Zhang Guo had suppressed the Evil Qi within him, managing to make him feel no pain at all.

But he knew his own situation; that was treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

If he continued to let the Evil Qi ravage his body, he would have no chance of reaching the fifth realm, the Sea of Suffering, in this lifetime, and his Lifespan would also be greatly reduced.

But today, this Talisman truly gave him hope for recovery.