“Use that brush.”

  With Xu Renlu’s permission, Li Xin picked up the brush. The crimson bristles flowed softly, and the handle carried the faint imprint of hands that had gripped it for years. And then, the moment he dipped the brush into the ink.

  What?

  The brush writhed as if it were a living creature. When he applied force, it slipped away, and when he gripped it harder, it resisted roughly. It was not just his grip—his entire wrist shook. It was like a single beast trying to move of its own will.

  “If you try to force that brush, you’ll get hurt.”

  At the old man’s words, Li Xin narrowed his eyes. Then there was only one way—he had to tame it.

  He relaxed his strength and did not go against the brush’s flow. So as not to be swept away by its momentum, he steadied his wrist and slowly matched his body to the brush’s movement.

  In that instant, the brush moved first instead. His wrist could not keep up. Before he could even draw a stroke, the ink looked ready to spread across the paper.

  I can’t let it drag me along.

  Li Xin drew a deep breath and adjusted the angle of his wrist by the slightest margin. As he focused his will at the tip of the brush, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

  The brush’s resistance, the surging of energy, the will trying to escape his grasp—he suppressed it all. Like holding the reins of a rampaging horse, he did not lose his center.

  The first stroke was drawn across the White Pine Paper. Within the long flowing ink line, three minute tremors were embedded. Those tremors were not mistakes—they were the fuse that awakened the fragrance and lit the fire—they were the medium for manifesting the talisman.

  Xu Renlu watched Li Xin in silence. Outwardly expressionless, yet within his gaze, a not insignificant ripple arose.

  …He wasn’t dragged along by the brush.

  He was still inexperienced, he had not drawn out the brush’s full capability.

  But…..

  Does he really have no master?

  The hand that ground the ink, the feel of dipping into the ink, the movement of the brush—they were not clumsy imitations, but motions ingrained into the body. And above all, there was intent within the stroke completed that way.

  He completely understands the strokes of the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.

  Xu Renlu clicked his tongue without realizing it. Talisman crafting was not merely the technique of drawing lines. Each stroke carried its own law, and the flow of energy was predetermined.

  To encounter such a kid outside the Qingshan Sect.

  While Xu Renlu sank into deep thought, Li Xin was completely focused on the talisman crafting. Before drawing the next stroke, he muttered unconsciously.

  “…A good brush.”

  At those words, a faint smile spread at the corner of Xu Renlu’s lips.

  “Hoo—”

  Holding the brush, Li Xin took another deep breath.

  The second stroke. The tip of the brush glided across the paper. On the surface, it looked like nothing more than a simple vertical stroke.

  The direction changes here.

  If the first stroke was ignition, the second stroke was diffusion. At the final moment of lifting the brush, he twisted his wrist by an extremely slight amount. A small change in angle, yet that change left a vibration, like ripples, at the end of the stroke.

  It spread. The fragrance energy awakened in the first stroke scattered radially along the second stroke. Two strokes drawn side by side.

  Li Xin set the brush down. He neither took a deep breath nor exclaimed in admiration. He had simply drawn it according to the orthodox method described in the talisman manual.

  “I’ll draw the second one as well.”

  Without even a moment to catch his breath, Li Xin picked up the brush again. It was his first time handling both the brush and the Concealing Fragrance Talisman, so there were many minor mistakes. With his current sensation, his current concentration, he could clearly complete a better Concealing Fragrance Talisman. But at that moment, a seemingly indifferent voice from behind stopped Li Xin’s hand.

  “That’s enough.”

  “Shouldn’t I draw a few more?”

  Xu Renlu slowly shook his head. His expression remained blunt, but an odd lingering feeling was held within his gaze.

  “There was the worth of three hundred jeon in your brushwork just now.”

  For a moment, Li Xin could not say anything. Because he could tell from the tone that it was not a joke.

  “Why? You’re not going to say now that you won’t buy that brush, are you?”

  At the sudden words, Li Xin hurriedly shook his head.

  “N-no. Of course not.”

  “Then that’s fine.”

  Xu Renlu slowly rose to his feet. His expression was no different than before, but his tone had softened slightly.

  The wooden door of the Script & Brush Pavilion closed quietly. With the newly purchased brush held to his chest, Li Xin slowly walked down the alley.

  The talisman crafting just now. Thinking back, it had been nothing special. Grinding ink, mixing fragrance powder, lifting the brush and drawing strokes.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Li Xin had merely drawn them in sequence, exactly as explained in the books. That talisman was, after all, nothing more than an ordinary Concealing Fragrance Talisman anyone could draw, yet Xu Renlu had said it.

  “That it had the worth of three hundred jeon.”

  He could not understand it at all. What exactly had he recognized? Handwork? Concentration? Or delicate control of energy? He did not know for sure, but he decided not to think too deeply about it.

  The result was good, anyway.

  With a single ordinary talisman, he had bargained for three hundred jeon and obtained the brush he had coveted, and most importantly… It was an experiment.

  For the first time, Li Xin had drawn a talisman in front of another person.

  [You have completed the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.]

  [The energy of concealment seeps into your body.]

  Even when the notification window appeared, Xu Renlu showed no reaction at all. That meant he had sensed no strange energy, no unusual flow. Which meant—Li Xin’s ability applied solely to himself. It could not be detected from the outside, nor could it be discovered. This fact brought Li Xin great relief.

  If it had been discovered, I’d have had to live my whole life avoiding people’s eyes.

  High-level cultivators possessed many means beyond common sense. For someone at merely the second layer of the first realm like Li Xin, it would not be difficult at all for them to scrutinize his every move. If, during that process, something strange were discovered, what would happen then?

  That was why Li Xin had accepted Xu Renlu’s proposal. If he did not prepare in advance, he would not be able to respond. Fortunately, the experimental result was positive.

  Li Xin let out a small breath.

  ***

  Only after returning home did Li Xin face reality. In his hand was a single brush worth 1,500 jeon, but his pouch was empty. Truly, not a single coin remained.

  “Forget pills, I don’t even have materials to draw one talisman.”

  Muttering softly, Li Xin gave a bitter smile. The only thing left was one item. Pitch-black ink that he had shoved into a corner, calling it useless. That alone.

  If it’s a Strength Talisman or a Lightness Talisman… I should be able to draw it with just this.

  His resolve was set. Now was the time for practice and real combat. He had to get used to the brush and develop a feel in his hand.

  After a long time, Li Xin headed for the market. Near a stone wall slightly removed from the center. That spot, where a shabby wall blocked the wind, was a familiar stage for Li Xin. Picking up a piece of wood, he used a stone to write characters on it.

  『Strength Talismans, Lightness Talismans drawn here.』

  He spread out a cloth and sat on the ground, and soon the first customer approached.

  “Can you do one Strength Talisman?”

  Li Xin silently held out his hand. The customer, as if accustomed to it, handed over a sheet of white paper. It meant he wanted a talisman drawn on it.

  Li Xin slowly lifted the brush, and focused on the sensation reaching his fingertips. A high-quality brush made from the tail hair of a Scarlet Blood Horse. It was certainly a good brush. However, it was somewhat light for drawing a Strength Talisman.

  If there was insufficient pressure when drawing a stroke, the energy would fail to penetrate into the paper and instead disperse outward. The line would scatter, and the finish would be loose. So he paid even closer attention to the sensation at his fingertips.

  This brush lacked pressure. Then he lowered his wrist and let the energy remain in the body of the brush rather than at the tip.

  A Strength Talisman required thick, solid lines. He had to create strokes that felt as if they carried weight. So the line would not break at the tip of the brush, he pushed it into the paper as if pressing down.

  “It’s finished.”

  After that, whenever customers came, he lifted the brush, and when they left, he quietly sat again. As payment, he received two sheets of white paper per talisman. Most wanted Strength Talismans, but occasionally there were customers who sought Lightness Talismans. At such times, he had to completely change his sensation. This time, the brush was heavy. Li Xin adjusted the strength in his wrist and let the energy remain on the outside of the brush. So that the brush merely brushed lightly against the paper, he drew thin, smooth lines with only the tip.

  The work that began around midday continued until before the sun tilted westward. Thirty-five completed talismans. Seventy sheets of white paper gained. Perhaps due to the excessive work, his fingertips were slightly swollen and red, and his elbows ached.

  This brush is familiar to my hand now.

  One-stroke talismans drawn for the first time since advancing his realm. At first, they felt unfamiliar, but soon he understood.

  Too easy.

  With stabilized energy through cultivation, both the concentration and consumption required to draw a single stroke had drastically decreased. Now, just by gathering energy at his fingertips, it felt as though the stroke was already half complete. That was why everyone clung to cultivation more than talisman crafting. Cultivation was the fastest shortcut to raising the level of talisman crafting.

  Good. Now let’s go buy materials for the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.

  After packing up, Li Xin immediately headed toward the alley where medicinal vendors gathered. The narrow, winding path, and the familiar scent of herbs tickled his nose.

  I don’t have much money, so I should look around a bit more.

  The stall he usually went to was around the middle of the alley, but Li Xin walked further to save as much money as possible.

  At the end of the alley, he suddenly stopped in a corner where foot traffic thinned. A shabby tent fluttered in the wind. Under its shade, a boy nodded off sleepily. He looked about the same age as Li Xin. In front of the boy, miscellaneous items were scattered in disorder. Broken magic tools, a worn-out compass, bundles of spirit herbs so withered they were practically dried husks.

  Looks like he looted someone’s cave.

  Items left behind by cultivators of the past. In vulgar terms, they were also called the trash of the dead. It seemed someone had already been here, as most usable items were gone, leaving only useless remnants. The boy must have gathered all the junk he could find, hoping to sell at least something. A few passing cultivators merely glanced at it and quickly turned away. Li Xin also tried to pass by naturally, but…

  That is…?

  Among that pile of junk, there was one item that caught Li Xin’s eye. On one side of the boy’s stall, atop a piece of worn cloth, lay a single sheet of paper. On the yellowed paper, three lines were drawn—a three-stroke talisman.

  However, one of the strokes was abruptly severed in the middle. The flow of energy was completely cut off. A broken talisman was never reused. Because the strokes of a talisman were not mere lines, but pathways of energy—its “veins.” A talisman with severed veins was like a body without a heart. No matter how much energy was infused, it would not respond. But….

  “How much is this?”

  At the sudden question, the boy flinched and looked at Li Xin.

  “…That’s a broken talisman.”

  “That’s why. How much?”

  “Uh. Just give me ten jeon for the paper. No one takes it anyway…”

  Li Xin nodded and took out ten sheets of white paper, placing them in front of the boy.

  “Ah, thank you!”

  Perhaps he had not expected it to sell at all. At the unexpected gain, the boy broke into a wide smile.

  “By any chance, were there any books?”

  Li Xin asked on the off chance, but the boy shook his head. After finishing the transaction, Li Xin took the broken talisman and brought it under the sunlight. The trace of energy clinging to the thin lines. Though nearly faded, there was clearly something there. He traced the end of the severed line with his fingertip.

  ‘This… wasn’t just cut.’

  A trace of a stroke flowing and then suddenly stopping. It looked as though, at that moment, the talisman craftsman had been interrupted by something, or had deliberately stopped—an unfinished talisman. A broken talisman and an unfinished talisman were completely different things.

  Was the talisman craftsman attacked mid-drawing?

  The first two strokes of this talisman were strangely exquisite. The lines were vividly alive, and the traces of passing energy remained clear. That meant the talisman craftsman who had drawn it was no ordinary figure.

  I picked up something interesting.

  Li Xin carefully folded the Yellow Talisman Paper and slipped it into his sleeve. For now, it was nothing more than a scrap of paper, but if the lines could be properly connected, there was a chance it could be revived. If he could complete a three-stroke talisman with his own hands…

  He was very curious what kind of reward might come from it.