Chapter 114: The Gathering, the Beast-Skin Talisman, and the Threshold

Chen Yushu glanced into the shop as he passed, noticing a tall, burly man speaking with old Fu.

Soon, the man walked out. He merely offered a slight nod upon seeing Chen Yushu, then hoisted the large coffin onto his shoulder and headed straight toward the coffin shop across the way.

"Two sticks of incense worth of cultivation. His vital energy is thick and robust, no weaker than an internal-martial artist. Is he a dual practitioner of martial arts, or does he use specialized body-tempering techniques from the occult arts?"

A flicker of brilliance flashed in Chen Yushu’s eyes. Using his Spirit Sight, he quickly gauged the man’s strength. Two sticks of incense worth of cultivation was quite significant. His vital energy was also exceptionally formidable, comparable to an internal-martial artist. As for whether he practiced martial arts, Chen could not be certain. He had learned that the occult world possessed its own unique body-tempering methods, allowing one to possess a physical strength capable of wrestling with Vajras. In ancient times, this was known as the path of the body cultivator; at high levels, despite not cultivating internal power, they could brawl with zombies and fight with a ferocity surpassing that of martial artists.

"Who is this man? Does he live in the coffin shop?"

The thought crossed Chen Yushu’s mind, but he did not dwell on it. He soon returned home and took out the "Stake-Hosting Technique" to study it once more.

"The Stake-Hosting Technique allows one to shift the damage from an attack onto a host object. The manual states that the preferred host objects are gods or spirits. Since everyone in the occult world offers incense to gods, they naturally share a connection, allowing them to borrow power—provided they offer incense afterward. Beyond that, there are demons, ghosts, and monsters. Once a contract is signed with these entities, one must provide compensation: vital energy, essence, lifespan, or tributes. The cost is often much higher. For instance, Master Zuo signed a contract with that child ghost, raising it into a vengeful spirit. Only because they were blood relatives did the ghost restrain itself, balancing the consumption of the troupe’s vital energy and lifespan. Otherwise, the troupe would have suffered deaths long ago..."

Chen Yushu mused silently. Unlike others in the occult, he did not offer incense to gods. He had always relied on his own bitter, solitary practice. He utilized only his own power, unlike those who borrowed the power of "gods." In the early stages of cultivation, such borrowing had great benefits, such as entering deep meditation more quickly or the sensation of "divine assistance," which could accelerate progress by a fair margin. The price was simply daily offerings, and once one reached a certain level, they might be compelled by the entity to run errands. These "gods"—the Earth God, the Kitchen God, temple deities, and ancient sages canonized by human belief—truly existed. Even Uncle Zhong from Beijiao Village had the habit of worshipping the Earth God. Previously, Chen Yushu had been ignorant; his limited understanding of the trade came from Li Chao’s *Records of Seeing Ghosts*, and he had simply followed the manual step-by-step. Now that he knew more, he had no need to borrow power from gods. His meditative state had reached the level of "Constant Stillness," and his cultivation speed was already as fast as a "Walking the Yin" practitioner could possibly go. Offering incense now would be counterproductive and might even invite unwanted scrutiny.

Gods! They were divided into good and evil. Temple keepers were, to some extent, the earthly manifestations of these "gods," acting as their agents. If an ordinary person burned incense for peace, it was one thing; but if a cultivator "borrowed the law," they were bound to perform tasks. While it was essentially a mutually beneficial arrangement, many were coerced into committing evil.

"Therefore, I cannot use gods to perform the Stake-Hosting Technique. I must rely on 'spirits' or demons and ghosts..."

Chen Yushu thought. Spirits, of course, referred to the spirits of ancestors. Coming from a mountain village, the best approach would be to borrow the power of ancestors to ward off disasters. But at the thought of the situation in Beijiao Village, he shook his head. The spirits in the ancestral hall were gone. How could he borrow them? Even now, ten years later, while some ancestral spirits might have "birthed," they would be too weak and unsuitable; using them might harm the "ancestors."

"It seems I have no choice but to borrow from demons and ghosts."

Chen Yushu muttered, feeling no concern. There was a method known as "Forced Casting." He did not fear the backlash of ghosts or their demands for payment, because the biggest difference between him and Master Zuo was that he could "subdue" ghosts, while the other could not.

Time passed. Soon, the sky turned dark.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

At midnight, a knock came at the door. Chen Yushu packed his finished talismans into his satchel and walked over. Tonight was the meeting Shi Hao had spoken of. He had already prepared everything. Opening the door, he found Shi Hao waiting outside, disguised in a straw hat and a black cloth covering his face. Clearly, no one wanted their identity revealed at this gathering.

"Brother Chen," Shi Hao greeted.

Chen Yushu nodded, donned his own hat and mask, and said, "Let’s go."

They walked in silence toward the east side of the town. Before long, they reached a pavilion. It was still within the borders of Jianghuan Town, near a small temple dedicated to a general named Zhao Junwu. A local native who had risen from a foot soldier to a general, he was a man of true battlefield merit. After his death, the imperial court had titled him the "General of Wind and Clouds," and the locals had built a temple for him. Of course, decades later, the incense offerings had dwindled, and only during festivals did the locals offer a few sticks as a show of respect.

A few people were gathered here, looking lost. Clearly, they were curious onlookers who had heard rumors of the occult gathering.

"The message said this pavilion. Why are there so few people?" Shi Hao looked bewildered.

Chen Yushu didn't suspect Shi Hao of lying; they had dealt with each other enough to trust one another. He scanned the environment, and a look of realization dawned on him.

"A formation has been set here. Only those truly in the trade can see it," Chen Yushu whispered. The others were simply curious laypeople. This formation was designed specifically to keep them out. Even if they were skilled in their own local circles, without the "incense cultivation" threshold, they were naturally excluded.

"How do we get in?" Shi Hao asked urgently.

"Walk the Yin!" Chen Yushu murmured.

At that moment, a tall, burly man with a thick-necked, fierce face arrived. Without a word to anyone, he walked toward the pavilion and suddenly threw his body forward—disappearing instantly.

The others saw this, but their faces fell; they had no idea how he had "entered." Some tried to mimic his path, but upon hitting the space, they remained where they were, some even tripping and falling, leading to curses of frustration.

"That’s the man carrying the coffin I saw today," Chen Yushu thought. The man had changed his attire, which was why he hadn't recognized him at first.

"Brother Chen, I don't know how to 'Walk the Yin' yet," Shi Hao said with a sheepish smile. He had other ways to enter, but calling upon his "Immortals" just to walk through a door would be far too embarrassing.

"No matter, I’ll take you in." Chen Yushu didn't mind. He grabbed Shi Hao and took a step.

Suddenly, Shi Hao felt his vision blur, and before him appeared a bustling street. It was like a market, with stalls on both sides and people walking about, occasionally squatting to inspect wares.

The meeting had begun! Shi Hao was visibly excited. "Brother Chen," he said, not daring to wander off.

"Let’s go in."

Chen Yushu joined the crowd. There were more than twenty people, most of them heavily disguised. He headed straight for the stalls. Most sold antiques, and a few offered soul bones. To his surprise, he even saw some manuals—*Tiancheng Stake Technique*, *Sardin Boxing*, *Vital Skin-Refining Scripture*—all martial arts manuals.

There were only ten stalls in total. Most of the items didn't interest him, and he felt a pang of disappointment. This was far from the grand occult gathering he had imagined. He approached a stall selling old artifacts. Previously, he would have ignored them, but since learning how to "Open the Altar," he understood their value. They could increase the thickness of his "Wall," preventing the ghosts he judged from seeing him. Only when they could not see him would they feel the necessary awe for him to capture and judge them.

He bought two jade stones and two iron artifacts for thirty taels each, spending 120 taels. He then looked through the manuals but found them vastly inferior to what his pharmacy taught, causing the elderly stall owner to frown in disdain. Chen Yushu shrugged helplessly.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A new stall had appeared, selling talismans. He didn't lack talismans, but out of habit, he walked over. *Evil-Warding Talismans, Cleansing Talismans, Spirit-Calming Talismans, Disease-Removing Talismans*... These were all formed talismans with spiritual resonance.

"How much for this Cleansing Talisman?" Chen Yushu asked.

"Eight taels of silver," said the middle-aged vendor, who was not wearing a mask. In the darkness, few could see his face clearly, but Chen Yushu’s vision treated the night like day.

"How should I address you? Are you a talisman maker?" Chen Yushu asked, handing over the money.

"Surname Feng. I’m a talisman maker—what, are you one too?" the man replied, his tone blunt.

"Don't misunderstand, Brother Feng. I just wanted to ask about the material of your talisman paper. It looks much more sophisticated than the pleated paper I usually use."

Chen Yushu had realized that his inability to craft higher-level talismans like the *Golden Armor Talisman* or *Ice Arrow Talisman* was due to the poor quality of his paper, which couldn't hold the spiritual energy. Anything beyond "fine" quality would cause the paper to explode from the excess energy. New paper was vital to him. If he could buy it here, the trip would be worth it.

"This is beast-skin paper. It’s made from the hide of exotic beasts, full of spiritual essence. These beasts understand Yin and Yang and absorb spiritual energy on their own. Their hides are excellent for conducting spiritual energy. Even an ordinary talisman made on this will be far more powerful than one on low-grade pleated paper."

"I see! Does Brother Feng have more? Would you be willing to sell me some?" Chen Yushu asked eagerly.

"Hmm? What do you need talisman paper for?" Master Feng looked suspicious.

"To draw talismans, of course. To be honest, Brother Feng, I am also a talisman maker."

"You? A talisman maker?" Master Feng chuckled derisively. As a master, he knew the difficulty of the craft. It wasn't something just anyone could do. He had spent years under a master's tutelage to learn a few basic types. The youth before him sounded young and likely hadn't even reached the threshold of incense cultivation. Drawing talismans? "Ghost-scrawling" was more like it.

However, he was short on money, and he had his own methods for making paper. Most makers did this to save costs. Seeing Chen Yushu as a wealthy beginner—the perfect "God of Wealth"—his attitude shifted. "I do sell it, but it’s much more expensive than pleated paper."

"Oh? What is the price?"

"Ten taels of silver per stack of ten."

"Ten taels for two stacks. I’ll take twenty stacks," Chen Yushu said directly.

Master Feng was stunned. Twenty stacks—two hundred sheets—was worth a hundred taels. Given his success rate, selling the paper was actually more profitable than selling the finished talismans. "Deal!" he exclaimed, quickly pulling the paper from his pack.

Chen Yushu inspected it, found it satisfactory, and handed over the hundred taels. Both parties were satisfied. To Chen Yushu, this was a massive bargain. In his hands, these two hundred sheets were equivalent to two hundred talismans, worth at least a thousand taels or more. He was now wealthy, having spent 220 taels in total, with nearly 300 taels remaining.

"Brother Chen, come quickly! I just asked around—this is just the trading area. Inside is the actual meeting, where the people of the trade discuss matters," Shi Hao said, pulling him aside.

"Oh?" Chen Yushu asked, "Who is allowed inside?"

"I don't know, but they say only those with more than one stick of incense worth of cultivation can enter."

"Let's go take a look."

They arrived at a gate. It was the temple gate of the General's Temple. A guard blocked their path. "Stop. Only those with more than one stick of incense worth of cultivation may enter."

Chen Yushu calmly withdrew his "Incense-Concealment Technique." The guard’s eyes flashed with spiritual light, performing a "Qi-Gazing" technique. Seeing Chen Yushu had indeed reached the threshold, he nodded. "You may enter. But what about your friend...?"

"My brother is a practitioner of the 'Immortal-Mounting' lineage. They don't use incense, but the Immortals he invites are far stronger than those with only one or two sticks of incense," Chen Yushu explained.

The guard hesitated for a moment, then nodded and let them pass.