Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 7: Small Sect

The middle-aged man with the thin face watched as the talisman paper was sold out in an instant, his expression growing darker by the moment. Not only had he failed to obtain one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, but he had also used the talisman paper he purchased for ten mid-grade spirit stones.

It was like trying to draw water with a bamboo basket—an effort in vain.

Suddenly, the middle-aged man with the thin face stepped forward and shouted loudly, "The Swift Movement Talisman that is usable across all stages is only sold for ten mid-grade spirit stones, and there are still so many left. I advise you not to buy it. No one knows where these talisman papers come from. It won’t be long before some talisman sect issues a warrant for them."

"Is he saying that we stole the talisman paper from another talisman sect?" Xia'er turned to ask Senior Sister.

"I don’t believe this talisman paper is yours," the middle-aged man with the thin face stubbornly asserted that the talisman paper could not have been drawn by Ye Su.

Ye Su lifted her eyelids and glanced toward the thin-faced man in the middle of the crowd. "The level of the Wuxing Sect’s talisman masters isn’t impressive, but you sure are skilled at slandering others."

A stir went through the crowd. Someone actually dared to insult the Wuxing Sect and claim that its talisman masters were unskilled.

The middle-aged man with the thin face retorted, "What a ridiculous statement! The Wuxing Sect is the largest talisman sect in the cultivation world today. If you look down on the Wuxing Sect, then what kind of powerful sect do you belong to?"

Xiyu raised her head and said, "A small sect, yet still stronger than you."

This was the first time the middle-aged man had encountered such an arrogant talisman master. He couldn’t help but grow angry. "Impudent child!"

Ye Su stood up and stretched her back. "Since that’s the case, would you be willing to let everyone here be a witness?"

Immediately, someone from the crowd shouted, "Of course, go ahead!"

"Since this person claims to be from the Wuxing Sect and believes their sect’s level is high, why don’t we compare today?" Ye Su bent slightly and dusted off her clothes. "You draw a talisman, and I will draw one right after. Let’s see whose talisman paper is superior."

The man could not even recognize the transformed Swift Movement Talisman, and he was already nitpicking over ten mid-grade spirit stones. He clearly wasn’t an inner disciple of the Wuxing Sect. His level was likely ordinary.

Ye Su wanted to provoke him into a competition to see how a true talisman master drew talismans.

In case she lost, she would simply draw a Swift Movement Talisman on the spot to refute the earlier claims of the middle-aged man with the thin face.

The middle-aged man agreed. He never expected anyone to come up with such a challenge. A real talisman master would need to learn a talisman technique, not just glance at it and be able to replicate it. They would also need to connect with the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Since the two of them were going to compete, even a "good Samaritan" borrowed two tables from a nearby restaurant for them to use.

The middle-aged man took out some yellow talisman paper, cinnabar, and a white jade gold pen, which had gold at both ends. He then turned to look at Ye Su, who was taking out a pile of wrinkled yellow paper and a simple, even frayed pen. He almost laughed out loud.

For a talisman master, the most important things were the pen, followed by the talisman paper and ink.

Looking at the materials she had prepared, he knew right away that her skill level couldn’t be very high.

The middle-aged man’s confidence quickly returned. He spread out the talisman paper, pressed his wide sleeves with his left hand, and held the white jade gold pen in his right hand. Dipping it lightly in the cinnabar ink, he closed his eyes to guide the spiritual energy into the pen.

Ye Su keenly noticed a sudden change in the spiritual energy surrounding the middle-aged man with the thin face. It began to rapidly condense and flowed into the white jade gold pen. When he opened his eyes and put pen to paper, the spiritual energy followed the cinnabar ink and settled onto the talisman paper. He was drawing very slowly, as if there were tremendous resistance blocking his every stroke.

The middle-aged man with the thin face struggled to maintain the same pause at each stop; otherwise, if he faltered, the entire talisman would fail. As the ink continued to fall, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. It wasn’t until the talisman was completed that the spiritual energy in the air stagnated and was drawn into the talisman diagram, with a flash of golden light.

Ye Su observed the entire process clearly, but she was unaware that the crowd only saw the middle-aged man sweating profusely as he drew the talisman, without noticing any surge of spiritual energy.

The middle-aged man with the thin face was extremely satisfied as he put down the pen. This Vajra Talisman was the best one he had drawn in the past few months.

He lifted his head proudly and said, "The Vajra Talisman can resist a full-force strike from the early stage of Foundation Establishment."

"The talisman master of the Wuxing Sect truly lives up to the reputation!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"Can it really block a full-force strike from the early stage of Foundation Establishment? Talisman Master, are you selling this talisman?" someone else asked.

The surrounding crowd started to chatter excitedly. The middle-aged man with the thin face raised his hand, signaling them to quiet down. "Don’t rush, there are still people who haven’t begun drawing their talismans."

He then looked at Ye Su and raised his chin, "Your turn."

Ye Su stood at another table, holding a brush she had brought from Qianji Sect. Though it was frayed, it was still usable.

She lowered her head, carefully smoothing the brush’s tip, then dipped it in the cinnabar ink on the table. She proceeded to draw an identical talisman to the one the middle-aged man had just drawn.

It was effortless and relaxed.

"Done," Ye Su put down the brush and said. She vaguely felt that her talisman should have been a success.

The crowd didn’t react at first; she had drawn the talisman so quickly, it was as if a normal person had merely written a few characters.

Only the middle-aged man with the thin face’s expression changed dramatically. He was a talisman master, so how could he not feel the surge of spiritual energy that had just occurred?

This person had guided the spiritual energy into the pen with ease, drawing with such freedom—it was something beyond his capability.

The middle-aged man subconsciously recalled the time he had witnessed an inner disciple of the Wuxing Sect drawing talismans. It had been as effortless as Ye Su’s drawing, but that person had been one of the most talented disciples of the sect.

Could she be as skilled as an inner disciple of the Wuxing Sect?

The middle-aged man’s face grew even paler. He didn’t need to continue the competition to know that he had lost.

"How about it?" Ye Su asked. "Would you like to let someone try these two talisman papers?"

The middle-aged man quickly pressed down on the talisman he had drawn, his eyes shifting as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Finally, he mumbled, "You win." This talisman could easily sell for one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, enough for him to live comfortably for a while. He wasn’t about to let someone try it for free.

"Not going to continue the competition?" Ye Su asked regretfully. She had hoped for at least a few more rounds so she could see more new talismans.

While the crowd was still discussing the outcome, the middle-aged man with the thin face quickly packed up all his tools and, holding the completed talisman, pushed his way out, vanishing into the crowd.

He had given up his pride, but the talisman had to be sold.

Ye Su: "…"

This talisman master certainly knew how to bend and stretch.

"Little Daoist, are you selling this Vajra Talisman?" the first person who had rushed to buy the Swift Movement Talisman earlier now squeezed forward and asked.

"Yes," Ye Su said, picking up the talisman paper. "The highest bidder wins."

"Fifty mid-grade spirit stones!" someone from the crowd called out.

"Seventy mid-grade spirit stones!"

"I’ll offer eighty mid-grade spirit stones!"

"I’ll give one hundred mid-grade spirit stones," the first person to rush forward said directly.

Once she set the price, no one else bid.

The Vajra Talisman was good, but it could only resist a full-force strike from the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Anything above one hundred mid-grade spirit stones could already buy better defensive talismans or protective magic tools.

Ye Su glanced around at the crowd and handed the talisman paper to a female sword cultivator in green robes standing in front of her. "It seems you’ve offered the highest price."

The green-robed sword cultivator smiled slyly. "Your Swift Movement Talisman is even better than those from the Wuxing Sect. Perhaps the Vajra Talisman is even stronger. Since there’s only one, I’d better raise the price so no one else takes it."

Ye Su took a careful look at the woman. She appeared to be in her thirties, with an ordinary appearance. Her clothes were made of rough fabric, and there were numerous scars on her hands. The sword she held was also unremarkable.

This was a rogue cultivator.

Ye Su accepted the spirit stones, then turned and quickly drew another Vajra Talisman. She handed it to the green-robed sword cultivator. "One hundred mid-grade spirit stones for two Vajra Talismans."

The green-robed sword cultivator was stunned for a moment before cupping her hands in gratitude. "Thank you, Daoist."

The crowd had not expected such an offer, and a stir spread among them. They quickly asked Ye Su if she would continue selling the Vajra Talismans.

"Sorry, everyone," Ye Su said. "The two Vajra Talismans have exhausted all my spiritual energy. We’ll be back here in the future, and I hope you’ll support us then."

Ye Su hadn’t understood before, but now she realized: just now, the middle-aged man with the thin face had sweated profusely and looked pale after drawing just one talisman. If she kept drawing talismans without restraint, it would likely attract unwanted attention.

"Let’s go," Ye Su called to Xiyu, Xia'er, and Ming Liu Sha as they headed out of the shopping street.

Seeing them leave, the crowd slowly dispersed.

The two young men who had been about to leave after testing the Swift Movement Talisman stood by a stall, quietly discussing.

"Even the talisman master of the Wuxing Sect admitted defeat. What sect are these people from?"

"The Wuxing Sect’s talisman master wasn’t anything special. It’s normal for them to win. These talisman masters won’t get in our way."

"True. The competition is almost here. Let’s focus on refining magic tools and not let other rogue cultivators take the top spots."

……

"Senior Sister," Xia'er counted on his fingers and said, "Forty Swift Movement Talismans and two Vajra Talismans sold for five hundred mid-grade spirit stones. That's more than what we made from refining magic tools, and it was so easy!"

Xi Yu slapped his hand away. "There’s no such thing as easy work. Didn’t you see how the talisman master struggled while drawing those talismans just now?"

Xia'er thought about it for a moment and nodded. "That’s because our Senior Sister is too impressive!"

Ye Su had long been used to Xia'er's flattery, and she remained unfazed as she took out a mid-grade spirit stone. "Let’s exchange it for low-grade spirit stones and buy some buns."

Ming Liu Sha’s eyes lit up, but then he started speaking slowly, "I… want… meat… buns."

"Alright, this one mid-grade spirit stone will last us a long time," Ye Su said. "We’ll keep fifty mid-grade spirit stones for refining materials, and send the rest back to Qianji Sect for the Master and other junior and senior disciples."

After exchanging the spirit stones, the group spent some money to have a pouch of mid-grade spirit stones sent to Qianji Sect, with the recipient listed as the Sect Master, Zhang Fengfeng.

In the cultivation world, there were specialized courier services for sending items. With a little fee, a sword cultivator could deliver items directly to their destination.

Ye Su still had fifty mid-grade spirit stones left, and she asked her junior disciples to buy the materials they needed.

The group entered a material shop for refining magic artifacts, and their eyes nearly dazzled. Materials they had only seen in books before were now right in front of them, within reach.

Ye Su hadn’t yet decided on the magic artifacts to enter for selection, so she wandered around casually.

"I…" Ming Liu Sha leaned in to speak.

"Speak normally, or shut up," Ye Su said. As soon as she saw her second junior brother's expression, she knew he was about to speak slowly and deliberately, which could drive anyone mad.

Ming Liu Sha fell silent, then spoke up, "Senior Sister, I want to buy materials to refine small magic artifacts and sell them. I can still start selling them three months before the magic artifact selection."

Ye Su glanced at him. "You want to earn spirit stones?"

"We won’t be around, and I doubt the other junior disciples will be able to go to Silent Sect," Ming Liu Sha lowered his gaze. "The more spirit stones they have, the faster they can cultivate."

There was an agreement between Silent Sect and Qianji Sect, where the Sect Master would refine magic artifacts for Silent Sect’s disciples every year. The only condition was that disciples of Qianji Sect could occasionally go to Silent Sect to cultivate. However, this agreement was kept under the table. Disciples of Silent Sect were unaware and would often mock and use various methods to deal with Qianji Sect disciples.

In the past, Ye Su and the others had always protected the junior disciples from the front. But now, with them leaving the Sect, those junior disciples were no match for the disciples of Silent Sect.

"Buy it," Ye Su said, glancing at the two other junior disciples who had also started to listen intently. "Once the magic artifacts are finished, we’ll all go together to sell them."

The three of them immediately responded in unison, "Thank you, Senior Sister!" Then they turned to carefully pick out the materials.