Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery
Chapter 34: Wise Choice

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Wise Choice

(The previous Chapter had errors about speed, which have been corrected.)

Feeling alone isn’t accurate; it’s highly subjective.

An adult’s stride is about seventy-five centimeters long. Next, Chen Li measured the ground step by step with his feet, then ran again while silently counting seconds, and eventually estimated his speed at roughly sixty meters per second.

Of course, this was still a rough estimate; the margin of error was huge. Moreover, the terrain he ran across was the wilderness, uneven and complex, covered with lush weeds and vines.

If he wasn’t careful, he would be tripped up and thrown into mid-air.

But then again, this wasn’t Earth. There were no synthetic tracks here, and reality wasn’t some sentimental race. When he truly needed to make a run for it, the terrain would probably be even more challenging.

As a comparative test, Chen Li then took off his robe and tried again.

This time, running felt many times harder. His speed didn’t even reach 30 meters per second. The resistance from the headwind was too substantial, like running headfirst into a typhoon, his body uncontrollably drifting.

Chen Li put on his robe, happily patted the nonexistent dust off, and grew fonder of the nondescript Daoist robe the more he looked at it.

"Those ten mid-grade Spirit Stones were well spent!"

Chen Li figured that most Cultivators who practiced Sword Flight probably wore robes embroidered with an ’Air-Transforming’ Array. Otherwise, at such high speeds, without any guardrails or safety seats on the flying swords, no matter how good their balance was, strong winds could still blow them off.

In the following time, he repeatedly practiced running, striving to adapt to various complex terrains. It wasn’t until almost noon that he headed towards the shanty area.

When he neared his home, he sensed that something was off—the air was filled with the scent of blood, the streets were deserted, and everyone’s doors were tightly shut.

"What’s happened now?"

Chen Li’s heart tightened, and he quickened his pace. He had just gotten home, and before he could look for Lin Gui to find out what was going on, Lin Gui hurried over.

"Did you hear? Qiao Guanyuan was assassinated?" Lin Gui whispered stealthily.

"He died?" Chen Li responded in surprise.

"Eh, not yet! He was slightly injured. They say it was done by another gang. Ah, you should’ve seen it. The night patrol was like madmen, searching everywhere. Several people on the streets died." Lin Gui said with a tense face:

"I’m really unlucky to have come to this desolate place. I haven’t had many peaceful days, and I’m constantly on edge."

"Other places probably aren’t much better. The ancestor of the Longevity Sect has fallen. The entire Longevity Domain is probably like this by now. Here is still relatively better; at least no Foundation Establishment Cultivator has taken to the field personally." Chen Li countered.

"That’s true!" Lin Gui agreed.

Both sighed deeply, facing each other without words.

"Can you find a way to another domain?" After a while, Chen Li asked.

"Where is there a way? This place is too remote. There’s only a small market. Even businesses with considerable power wouldn’t come here to trade across domains." Lin Gui shook his head.

The two talked for a long time and came up with no solutions, ending up just sighing.

It wasn’t long before they each returned to their homes.

...

"Forget it, given my current strength, I don’t have much to worry about. If it comes down to it, I’ll just have to kill a few more people."

Sitting in the talisman-making room, Chen Li steeled his resolve.

He began to work on making talismans.

Calm the mind.

Steady the breath.

Pray for the blessings of heaven and earth.

After a set of rituals,

Chen Li rolled up his sleeves, picked up the brush, and as soon as the brush touched the paper, he drew two ’Evil-Repelling Talismans’ in a row, both successful, with still about half his spiritual power remaining.

He put down the brush and dried the blood-ink on the surface, then placed it atop a stack of Evil-Repelling Talismans.

"Alas, the stockpile keeps growing, and now the marketplace is so tough, I don’t even know who to sell them to," he sighed inwardly, picking up the stack of talismans and counting them, finding a total of 38.

They were not like the hot-selling Featherweight Talismans or Amulets.

Evil-Repelling Talismans had never sold particularly well; even in the bustling market times, setting up a stall for a morning could, if lucky, yield six or seven sales, but on an unlucky day, only two or three would be sold.

And since they were lower-rank first-order talismans, many Loose Cultivators knew how to make them, creating quite a competition.

"But now that I’ve reached the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, perhaps I can try making Arrow-Evasion Talismans," Chen Li reflected thoughtfully.

Arrow-Evasion Talismans belong to the same category as Evil-Repelling Talismans, both being mid-level first-order talismans, but the latter corresponds to the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, whereas the former corresponds to the fifth level—though it is quite common to draw talismans one level higher than one’s own.

With his current realm of the fourth level of Qi Cultivation, he should just manage to draw them.

Arrow-Evasion Talismans are also a type of defense talisman.

Once activated, they can generate a defensive force field, although their defensive power is much less compared to the renowned high-level first-order Amulets; they have the same market price as Evil-Repelling Talismans: one Low-grade Spirit Stone each.

However, by comparison, they are much easier to sell.

With that in mind, Chen Li took the scroll of "Eight Methods of Talisman Crafting" and began to study it carefully.

...

In the following days, the surrounding area was in complete chaos; Qiao Guanyuan’s night patrol group and the nearby Giant Bear Gang had several fierce clashes, with countless casualties on both sides, causing the Loose Cultivators around to dare not venture out easily, for fear of being affected.

That day, as Chen Li was returning from the market after purchasing talisman paper and blood-ink, he was stopped by three men:

"Are you Chen Li, Chen Daoist Friend? I am Zhao Ding from the Giant Bear Gang."

"May I know what Zhao Daoist Friend wants with me?" Chen Li halted, looking at the other and asking while being inwardly on guard.

Zhao Ding stood tall, a full head taller than Chen Li, with a broad and rugged appearance; his complexion was dark, and his wide Daoist robe was on the verge of becoming fitted wear on him, showing none of the Cultivator’s immortal grace, and instead, resembling a thug.

"I’ve long heard of Chen Daoist Friend’s great reputation. Qiao Guanyuan, merely a Loose Cultivator in the early latter phase, is ambitious enough to dream of dominating this land of Loose Cultivators, but sadly his strength does not support his ambitions, and his downfall is only a matter of time. I believe Chen Daoist Friend is a wise man who understands the times and will make the wise choice," Zhao Ding said with a laugh.

He didn’t dare to disrespect someone who, according to legend, could kill three mid-phase Qi Cultivation experts with a flick of the fingers.

Having previously sent people to assassinate Qiao Guanyuan, he was also wary of retaliation of the same kind.

"Rest assured, Zhao Daoist Friend, I am by nature inclined towards peace and not fond of conflict; I am not interested in taking sides with either of you, nor will I interfere with your fights," Chen Li replied with a smile, facing Zhao Ding’s veiled threat.

"Haha, that’s for the best, Chen Daoist Friend. I believe we will meet again. Let’s go!" Zhao Ding laughed heartily, satisfied with the answer, and then called his men to leave with strides.

...

"After threatening me, shouldn’t they give a generous gift to win me over?"

Chen Li watched their retreating figures, the smile gradually fading from his face.

"I guess there’s no avoiding trouble after all."

He was almost regretful for revealing his strength, but then he thought again that if he hadn’t, he would probably still be at the third level of Qi Cultivation now, lacking the money to buy Qi Replenishing Pills or Daoist robes.

"This damned world, why is it so hard to cultivate in peace and pursue longevity?"

He shook his head and hastened home.

ps: I won’t stay up late tonight.