27: I defeated the Tianxiahui with my mouth

Day one of the system freeze, the mountain wind howled mournfully.

The bluestone path, usually bustling with people and overflowing with spiritual light, was now dead silent, with only the rustling of wind through bamboo leaves.

Zhang Xuanyi leaned back in a creaking bamboo chair, legs crossed, a handful of melon seeds in his hand, cracking them with a ‘crunch’.

He was so leisurely it was as if the desolation before him had nothing to do with him.

His tattered cloth stall was now truly living up to its name, empty and devoid of any spiritual light, like an abandoned rag.

“Senior Brother! My dear Senior Brother! What time is it already, how can you still sit there so calmly?!”

A Che was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth around the stall, each step making the bluestone slab hum.

“The bastards from the Under Heaven Society have already spread the word! Everyone’s saying your ‘divine talismans’ are completely ineffective, that your spiritual source has dried up, and they’re going to use this opportunity to completely clear us out of Jingguan Mountain Pass!”

His voice held a tremor, the fear of the unknown.

This stall was their root, a miracle created by his Senior Brother’s own hands, but now, the miracle seemed to be heading towards its end.

Zhang Xuanyi didn’t even lift an eyelid, merely spitting the melon seed shells precisely into the bamboo basket at his feet, and said faintly, “What’s the rush? Let the bullets fly for a while.”

Before his words faded, a heavy, uniform sound of footsteps came from below the mountain path, approaching from a distance, carrying an undisguised sense of oppression.

Three figures appeared at the bend of the path, all dressed in the Under Heaven Society’s distinctive dark black uniforms, with surging cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread on their chests.

They carried a heavy black lacquered wooden box, and the leader was tall and thin, with a hooked nose and eyes filled with icy coldness, a sneer undisguised at the corner of his mouth.

“Daoist Zhang, still well, I hope.” The leading deacon spoke with a fake smile, his gaze contemptuously sweeping over the empty, tattered cloth stall.

“Chairman Yan asked us to convey his regards. We heard your stall has completely fizzled out now? I’m afraid you can’t even print a single sheet of the lowest quality yellow paper anymore, can you?”

Zhang Xuanyi finally stopped cracking melon seeds. He slowly raised his head, and his usually languid eyes were now filled with a profound, bottomless calm, like an ancient well, without a single ripple.

“Are you here to buy talismans, or to collect a corpse?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was like an invisible heavy hammer, striking hard at the hearts of the three deacons.

The hooked-nose deacon’s face stiffened, then he sneered and waved his hand sharply.

“Clang!”

The two people behind him heavily set the black lacquered wooden box on the ground. He stepped forward and opened the lid.

Instantly, a rich scent of cinnabar and ink mixed with paper permeated the air.

Inside the box, ten thick stacks of yellow talismans were neatly arranged, each one’s pattern and brushstroke identical to the “photocopy yellow paper” Zhang Xuanyi had sold before.

“Collect a corpse? Daoist Zhang, haven’t you seen the situation clearly yet?” The hooked-nose deacon triumphantly picked up a stack of yellow paper, patted it in his hand, making a crisp sound.

“We have already deciphered the ‘form’ of your talismans and successfully mass-produced them! This one box is just a sample. In the warehouse, there are ten thousand, a hundred thousand more! Your market, your followers, from today onwards, will be completely wiped out!”

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of condescending pity: “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll know what to do. Hand over the ‘main body’ of your stall. Chairman Yan said he can leave you a way out, let you get out of Jingguan.”

On the mountain path, some villagers and rogue cultivators who had rushed there early with hope in their hearts, seeing this scene, all showed despair.

They had seen the Under Heaven Society’s imitations before; although their effects were far inferior to the genuine articles, they had the advantage of being cheap and plentiful.

Now that Zhang Xuanyi’s stall was silent, and the Under Heaven Society was expanding its market with lightning speed, it wouldn’t be long before people would only know of the Under Heaven Society, and not of the once-divine Zhang.

In this deathly silence, Zhang Xuanyi suddenly stood up.

As he moved, the old bamboo chair seemed to groan under the strain.

He walked to the front of the stall and, without warning, slapped the empty stall surface with his palm.

“Clap!”

A crisp sound made everyone’s hearts jump.

“Do you know why your yellow paper, even if it floods the streets, is ultimately just a piece of waste paper?” Zhang Xuanyi’s gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the three deacons, his voice suddenly rising.

“Because what you painstakingly copied is merely its ‘form,’ not its ‘wish’!”

He suddenly pointed to a worried-looking woman holding a vegetable basket not far in front of the stall: “Auntie Wang! Did you use my true talisman yesterday to drive away the rats in your house?”

The woman, called Auntie Wang, was startled and subconsciously nodded: “Yes, Divine Master Zhang, your talisman was truly effective. After sticking it up for one night, all the rats ran away!”

Zhang Xuanyi’s voice echoed through the mountain path: “Did you hear that? She used the talisman, solved her problem, and in her heart, she developed trust and gratitude for this talisman. This ‘wish power’ will be left on the talisman paper! And my stall can reabsorb this scattered wish power and make it its own! This is the true cycle, the natural way of Dao! But what about your paper?”

He pointed to the box of imitations, his eyes full of disdain: “Does anyone believe in it? Does anyone wish for it? It’s just a pile of dead objects smeared with cinnabar! Even if you make a million, ten million sheets, you will never be able to ignite that one true spark of human heart within them!”

His words were resonant, like a great bell, causing the three deacons to look at each other, speechless.

They only knew how to imitate talismans and study spiritual energy fluctuations; how could they have ever thought there was such a thing as “wish power” involved?

Zhang Xuanyi no longer paid attention to them. He turned to Su Qingzhu, who had been standing not far away, holding a peculiar jade token, and asked, “Is the livestream on?”

Su Qingzhu nodded heavily. The jade token in her hand was a specially made livestreaming artifact, and at this moment, the camera was precisely aimed at the stirring crowd.

Zhang Xuanyi took a deep breath and declared loudly, “Fellow villagers, fellow Daoists! Today, our shop is temporarily closed! We’re not selling talismans, only lessons! The name of the course is — ‘How to Distinguish True Dao from False Dao’! Those in the front row, you can grab a stool and sit down!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously silent crowd instantly erupted.

The desperate villagers seemed to have found their backbone, bursting into laughter, and some truly brought stones and wooden stumps from nearby, gathering around with great interest.

“The Under Heaven Society says my talismans are ineffective, so I will teach everyone what true talismans are!” Zhang Xuanyi’s voice, amplified by the livestreaming artifact, spread to every corner inside and outside Jingguan Pass.

“True talismans have three core elements! First, ‘Heart Seal’! The talisman maker’s mind and intention are one, controlling the brush with spirit, imprinting their own Dao onto the talisman paper! Second, ‘Qi Guidance’! Drawing upon the Qi of heaven and earth, not just simple spiritual energy. Qi is the origin of all things, and this is the source of talisman power! Third, and most importantly, ‘Wish Acceptance’! The user of the talisman, with a heart full of wishes, activates the talisman with wish power. After the talisman is formed, the wish power returns to heaven and earth; this is the endlessly regenerating Great Dao!”

He spoke fluently, explaining profound talisman principles in the simplest and most understandable language.

The villagers and rogue cultivators present listened raptly, while the faces of the three deacons from the Under Heaven Society changed from stunned to livid, then to ashen.

The counterfeit yellow paper they had brought seemed so ridiculous and superficial in contrast to Zhang Xuanyi’s “public lecture.”

In the distance, the Iron Lady, hidden in the crowd, watched this scene.

This wall was more solid than any magical formation.

On the third day, at dawn.

Before the Under Heaven Society’s counter-propaganda could fully take shape, an unexpected person appeared on the mountain path.

Shen Zhao, the mother whose beloved son Xiao Man’s soul had been damaged by a fake talisman, now walked step by step to the stall, holding Xiao Man, who had regained some of his vitality.

Her expression was incredibly firm, without the slightest hesitation. She took out an ancient bronze seal from her bosom and placed it heavily on Zhang Xuanyi’s stall surface.

“I, Shen Zhao, using the ‘Mount Longhu Outer Sect Seal of Trust’ as collateral, hereby declare to all fellow Daoists in Jingguan!” Her voice was clear and resolute, spreading in all directions.

“The disaster my son Xiao Man suffered was all due to seeking small gains and trusting false Dao. Daoist Zhang corrected the chaos with true Dao, and for this kindness, my Shen family will remember it! From today onwards, if this stall incurs any karmic debt, I, Shen Zhao, will repay it entirely! Whoever dares to touch this stall, first ask for the sword of my Shen family of Jingguan!”

“Mount Longhu Outer Sect Seal of Trust”!

A collective gasp of cold air rippled through the crowd.

Although it was only an Outer Sect Seal of Trust, it still represented the face of Mount Longhu, the orthodox Daoist sect!

Shen Zhao’s action was tantamount to staking the entire Shen family on Zhang Xuanyi’s seemingly desperate stall!

What was even more shocking came next.

As Shen Zhao’s words fell, more than a dozen cultivators with various auras emerged from behind her.

Among them were the strong man whose injuries had been worsened by a fake “healing talisman,” and the scholar whose mind had been disturbed by a fake “calming talisman.” They were all people who had been harmed by the Under Heaven Society’s fake talismans and had been enlightened by Zhang Xuanyi, either directly or indirectly.

They said nothing, simply walked silently around the stall, sitting or standing, spontaneously forming a human wall, guarding this small stall with their bodies.

The persuaders sent again by the Under Heaven Society, facing such a display, found their words turning bitter in their mouths.

Zhang Xuanyi remained leisurely, only this time, he offered the persuader a freshly brewed cup of clear tea.

“Go back and tell your Chairman Yan.” Zhang Xuanyi said softly, looking at the tea leaves floating in the cup, “He wants to industrialize and mass-produce magical arts to dominate the market. This idea is bold and interesting. However, he made one mistake — Dao has never been a cold assembly line, but rather that warm spark of belief within people’s hearts. He can make a hundred thousand pieces of waste paper, but it’s not as good as me receiving ten thousand ‘I wish to believe in true Dao’ statements.”

The persuader, holding the still-warm cup of tea, was speechless and retreated.

He knew that in this war without gunpowder smoke, the Under Heaven Society had already lost.

On the seventh day, the night was cool as water.

The seven-day period of system freeze was about to end.

When the last guardian on the mountain path went down to rest, a familiar and aged figure appeared silently in front of the stall.

It was the mysterious Old Accountant.

He said nothing, only pulled out six rusty copper coins from his sleeve, scattered them casually, and let them fall to the ground.

He looked down for a moment, his cloudy eyes.

“Heaven and earth are inverted, the fate plate moves southeast… the branch market awakens in the north.” The Old Accountant let out a long sigh, “It’s time. You should go meet that ‘other you’.”

He picked up one of the copper coins and handed it to Zhang Xuanyi.

That coin was older than the others, with a faint “Market” character deeply etched on it.

Before Zhang Xuanyi could ask, the Old Accountant’s figure vanished like a wisp of smoke into the night.

Zhang Xuanyi held the copper coin, which still carried a hint of coolness, and fell into thought.

Another me?

Branch market?

Just then, he suddenly felt an extremely slight tremor from the tattered cloth in his sleeve, which was the main body of the stall.

Immediately after, a cold and familiar prompt quietly appeared in his mind:

【System freeze ended.】

【External ‘wish power’ detected providing continuous supply, system energy mode has automatically switched.】

【spirit coins… accumulating…】

Zhang Xuanyi was startled at first, then threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

His laughter echoed through the empty valley, full of relief and boldness.

“So that’s it… so that’s it! My Dao Market has never lived by your system… it lives by the hearts of heaven, earth, and people!”

He suddenly shook his sleeve, and the tattered cloth stall flew out in response, slowly unfolding.

This time, it was no longer its unremarkable appearance.

On the cloth surface, billions of stars seemed to slowly flow, forming a deep and vast star map.

And the old copper coin with the character “Market” etched on it, which he held in his hand, also emitted a faint light at this moment, resonating wonderfully with the star map on the stall.

A brand new system prompt clearly popped up:

【Detecting ‘Dao Market Branch Node’ activation signal… Signal source locked…】

【Coordinates: Northern Territory · Luo Hun Valley.】

【New mission issued: Establish ‘All Laws Return to Market’ cross-domain connection channel.】

Zhang Xuanyi put away the copper coin, the smile on his lips growing more intense.

He turned to look at Su Qingzhu, who had appeared behind him at some point, and laughed, “Get your interview notebook ready, we might be going on a long trip.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on the distant northern sky, his eyes sparkling with unprecedented light.

“I heard that up north, there seems to be someone else setting up a stall.”

At the edge of the stall, in the darkness, the Iron Lady and Shen Zhao stood side by side.

They exchanged glances, without words, only silently began to prepare their gear, their eyes filled with unspoken understanding and determination.

The night was deep, and the tattered cloth stall lay quietly on the bamboo chair, the star map on its surface surging with dark currents, as if accumulating the first ray of dawn.

A storm that would sweep across the Northern Territory was about to begin from this insignificant small space.