Chapter Forty-Nine: Prosperous Business

As soon as Yunqi planted the flag, a sturdy Miao tribesman came over. He, too, had a head of red hair, marking him as a disciple of Redwood Ridge. The man handed over a long-handled golden melon mace, stained with foul, black water, and spoke:

"Master Daoist, this mace of mine was soiled by a demon from Hundred Barbarians Mountain with black mud. Now it doesn't channel spiritual power smoothly. Can you clean it for me?"

Yunqi took the weapon; it was heavy in his grip. The mace was inscribed with many golden characters, but under the taint of the stinking, filthy water, its spiritual light was dimmed.

This was a particularly vicious method favored by the Demon Cult of the Southern Wilds. They would take the blood of black serpents, gray foxes, long-whiskered mice, three-legged jackals, purple swamp toads—creatures of evil—and mix it with sinister stones and rotting grass. Through secret arts, they brewed a poison that could corrupt spiritual objects—Corrupt Spirit Water. If this vile liquid touched a talisman or artifact, its power would greatly diminish; if splashed on a person, one would at least shed a layer of skin, if not die outright.

In the Southern Wilds, it was called Corrupt Spirit Water, but in Miao territory, its putrid, muddy appearance earned it the scornful name: black mud.

Whether in great wars or daily skirmishes, this was the thing Miao cultivators most hated and feared—not only for its corrupting effects, but because the Demon Cult, finding profit in the practice, did not hunt and exterminate these evil creatures, but bred them for their blood.

Thus, the Miao developed their own countermeasures: cultivators skilled in thunder or fire would use these pure, yang forces to burn away the filth clinging to magical tools. But both the quality of the thunder or fire and the skill of the practitioner were crucial—it had to remove the corruption without damaging the tool itself.

Due to the traditions of Redwood Ridge, most Miao here practiced fire magic, and thunder cultivators were rare.

The Miao tribesman thus asked, "Master Daoist, will you use fire or thunder?"

Yunqi replied he would use fire.

He asked the man to wait a moment. Glancing around, Yunqi saw a straw mat used for resting on the ground, picked it up, and hung it as a curtain in the doorway, leaving the Miao tribesman outside.

Seeing Yunqi hang the curtain, the white dog immediately stood guard outside, glancing around alertly.

"Master Daoist, what are you doing?" the man asked.

Yunqi, holding the Miao man’s weapon, replied with a smile, "Uncle, I’m from Azure Dragon Monastery, and this stall is managed by us. Would I pocket your weapon? Rest assured, I have some secret methods to clean this filth thoroughly."

The tribesman remained half-convinced, but thought to himself, he’s from Azure Dragon Monastery, and even if he ruins the weapon, they’ll compensate me.

Still uneasy, he cautioned, "This golden mace is cast from Yao Mountain gold. It’s hard, but can’t withstand fire refinement. Don’t damage it while burning away the black mud. If you can’t remove it, don’t force it; I’ll find someone who uses thunder magic instead, all right?"

Yunqi nodded, assuring him to wait outside.

Sitting inside the hut, Yunqi circulated his fire magic, summoning a flame to his fingertip. By now his control over fire was quite refined—a slender tongue of flame hovered at his fingertip, which he carefully brought close to the filth, burning only the black water without touching the golden mace.

A hissing sound arose, and the filth bubbled, releasing a foul stench that spread through the hut. Yunqi timed himself: after the span of a tea’s brew, he’d only cleaned away a patch the size of a fingernail.

He withdrew the flame, gathered his power anew, and this time, the fire at his fingertip turned golden—the Solar Bing Fire.

Using this technique again, Yunqi slowly brought the Solar Bing Fire to the filth. Now the black stains melted away like frost in sunlight, turning into wisps of black smoke that, once separated from the mace, were burned by the Solar Bing Fire until not a trace remained, not even the stench.

Yunqi realized this Solar Bing Fire was ten times more effective at dealing with such filth than ordinary fire magic—a natural bane to corruption.

So he switched to using only the Solar Bing Fire. In less than half an hour, the golden mace was completely restored, its surface spotless. Yunqi also noticed that, aside from the Yao Mountain gold the tribesman mentioned, several other inferior metals had been mixed into the mace during its forging. These alloys had once complemented the gold, but now they’d decayed, marring the weapon. Deciding to be thorough, Yunqi used Bing Fire to burn away the useless alloys, refining the gold anew.

At last, Yunqi lifted the curtain and saw the Miao tribesman pacing before the stall.

He smiled, handing back the golden mace. "Uncle, try channeling your power into it and see how it fares."

The tribesman saw the mace shining brilliantly, already convinced of Yunqi’s skill. He channeled his magic into it, and the seals on the mace flared. To his astonishment, it flowed even more smoothly than before it was tainted.

In awe, he asked Yunqi how he’d accomplished this.

Yunqi only smiled and waved away the question.

Realizing his impertinence, the tribesman stopped asking and thanked him repeatedly.

Yunqi then took a register from a wooden shelf and handed it to the man. Familiar with the procedure, the tribesman filled in the date, sect, name, and result: Twelfth month, fourth day; Gonggong Village, Redwood Ridge; Guai Xiyin; Grade A.

Yunqi saluted him.

The tribesman was about to leave with his mace when he stopped, turned, and shouted loudly before the stall,

"Everyone! This Daoist from Azure Dragon Monastery is truly skilled—not only did he cleanse my mace, but even refined it further! My spiritual power flows better than ever. Come, try for yourselves!"

Yunqi was a little surprised, but stood and joined the tribesman, bowing to all sides.

Hearing this, the gathering crowd was intrigued. The previous stallkeeper from Azure Dragon Monastery had been missing for two days, and everyone’s tools had been tainted by black mud to varying degrees. At the tribesman’s call, many came over, and Yunqi welcomed them all, instructing them to line up.

With his visualization technique sustaining his energy, Yunqi, though his spiritual core was unopened and his reserves modest, could continuously convert spiritual energy to magic power. Thus, such minor arts could be performed endlessly.

As Yunqi cleansed three or five more magical tools, his reputation spread, and more people gathered. Some noticed the flag before the stall indicated not only cleansing but also talisman drawing. Someone asked Yunqi to draw a fire talisman.

Yunqi agreed with a smile. He knew that Redwood Ridge cultivators mostly practiced yang fire, while Hundred Barbarians Mountain favored yin water magic. Thus, fire talismans were most in demand here—one reason he was entrusted with this duty.

When someone requested a talisman, those waiting for cleansing grew curious and asked Yunqi to draw the talisman first; they didn’t mind waiting.

Yunqi agreed cheerfully. The materials for drawing talismans—paper, ink, brushes—were all provided by Azure Dragon Monastery.

Drawing talismans did not require privacy; those ignorant of the method could not glean anything from mere observation. So Yunqi sat at the table before the curtain and began.

He drew a Yang Fire Demon-Breaking Talisman—perfect for dealing with the evil spirits of Hundred Barbarians Mountain.

With a flourish, Yunqi handed the finished talisman to the requester. "Fellow Daoist, give it a try. This one’s on the house."

He explained how to use it: pinch the talisman’s head, infuse fire magic, recite the command, and throw the talisman.

The man nodded, knowing a talisman’s power must be tested beforehand—too strong or too weak could be deadly in battle.

Taking the talisman, he looked around, spotted a boulder in the river, and leapt onto it.

Facing downstream, he pinched the talisman and recited the command:

"Radiant sun rides the sky, fire chariot clears the way—go!"

He flung the talisman, which ignited mid-air, launching two fire dragons that soared seven or eight yards out, blazing trails like the legendary sun chariot’s wheels, their marks lingering in the air.

Waves of heat swept to both riverbanks. Where water had frozen by the shore, it instantly melted, and snow along the banks dissolved, revealing thickets and grass.

The fire struck the clear surface of the lake, empty and still—its true power untested.

Both banks fell silent.

This marketplace was set up for cultivators below the First Realm, all seasoned veterans of that stage. By rights, anyone sent by Azure Dragon Monastery should be of similar strength—yet the power of this fire talisman was anything but low-tier!

"Master Daoist, I want five!"

"Seven for me!"

"I’ll take two—just two is enough!"

The banks immediately erupted in excitement.