CH 11.2

the members of the caravan on the ground stared up, stunned.

the evil cultivator sensed something amiss, turned his head to look, and his face turned ashen.

in an instant, the twelve talismans surrounded him from all directions, adhering to the acupoints all over his body!

in a breath, binding.

a red string flew out from lin shuang’s sleeve, suspending him behind her sword.

“!”

the evil cultivator’s face was like ashes.

“how is it possible… how could one manage to draw twelve talismans simultaneously with one’s divine sense?” zhou xuanwu’s eyes stared blankly; his words incoherent.

lin shuang, hearing this let out a chuckle as she pulled the evil cultivator, whose body was covered in talismans, to the ground with the broadsword.

“you, a good student, must not have heard of the technique of copying as a punishment.”

“?”

“copying a book twice as a penalty, why not hold two pens in one hand and write the same thing twice simultaneously?”

“with proper training, why can’t one control six brushes with one hand, simultaneously using both the left and right hands? just twelve identical copies…”

“!”

“!!”

zhou xuanwu’s gaze seemed to be scalded. he felt as though a gate leading to a new realm of cultivation had slowly opened before him.

xiao qi couldn’t help but look at the sword in his hand.

*

the caravan set up a bonfire next to the humanoid pit.

over the fire, they suspended an iron pot they had brought along, cooking millet porridge. besides it, they roasted steamed buns and mountain chicken over the firewood.

“many thanks to fairy lin and immortal zhou for saving our lives.”

sun lao stood up gratefully.

“it won’t be a problem if we arrive at hongxing town a bit later.”

the passage through the one-line heaven gorge was blocked by the hammer’s destruction, so they had to take a detour.

“i estimate at most half a day delay.”

lin shuang accepted the chicken leg handed to her by a female martial artist with a momentary pained expression.

half a day’s delay?

wouldn’t that ruin her plans for tomorrow’s schedule?

she had changed the plan for tonight’s observation of the one-line heaven moonlight to a bonfire barbecue party to stabilize her emotions. now, she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

she looked at the fallen evil cultivator covered in talismans by the bonfire, and the fierce animosity in her eyes made even xiao qi beside her feel slightly uncomfortable.

xiao qi hurriedly comforted, “i searched his waist and found a bag of holding. inside were 3,200 spirit stones, a second-level flying sword, and some revival pills and foundation establishment pills.”

“also, a reward of 5,000 spirit stones…”

lin shuang sighed with an “ah” sound, “an inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but gold can’t buy back time.”

xiao qi: “…”

zhou xuanwu, who was gripping two wolf hair brushes in his right hand, nearly lost control.

if it weren’t for the fact that outer disciples were not qualified to practice time-related techniques, he might have thought that she had perfected it!

“tomorrow, when we reach the destination,” lin shuang finished her chicken leg and wiped her hands, “we’ll need about two days for the return journey.”

for the return journey, there was no need to bring along the mortal members of the caravan; they could travel at full speed using their swords.

“we can only make the best of it and use up everything within two days.”

“?”

late into the night, the two of them finally received lin shuang’s plan.

【evil cultivator utilization plan (two days): …

chen period – early chen period: xiao qiqi and the evil cultivator spar, advancing the vajra technique…

…

noon period – early noon period: zhou xuanwu and the evil cultivator engage in pursuit, improving talisman skills.

last hour period – after the last hour period: xiao qiqi and the evil cultivator spar again, refining the heavy mountain sword…

… lin shuang and the evil cultivator spar, perfecting sword techniques…

…]

zhou xuanwu remained silent, as did xiao qiqi.

this was the rhythm of squeezing every last bit of potential out of the evil cultivator.

“ah, much more comfortable.”

after finalizing the plan, lin shuang breathed a sigh of relief, and a rosy hue of contentment finally graced her jade-like cheeks.

wasting two hours but gaining back two days and nights!

she was back on track.

xiao qi and zhou xuanwu: “…”

with satisfaction, lin shuang put away the wolf hair brush, her mood restored, and she fell asleep peacefully.

grandma dean, today she didn’t waste any time. she’s been living well and working hard.

*

“the “vajra technique, with each breakthrough, your body becomes tougher.”

“in the initial stage, gang qi circulates on the surface of your muscles…”

at the foot of the mountain.

under the life-threatening attacks of the frenzied evil cultivator, xiao qi mumbled to his blocked ears and explained to him.

learning pyramid:

– saying and doing achieves a 90% learning effect.

– teaching the other person in the manner of a master deepens self-understanding.

amid the attacks of life-threatening danger, xiao qi occasionally halted his movements and had insights.

“i see, do you understand?”

“i don’t understand, let me explain again…”

“ah, i see now… let me explain again…”

evil cultivator liu ba, who could read simple lip movements: “…”

after each explanation and practice, xiao qi’s comprehension of the second layer of the vajra technique deepened.

then came sword techniques, mental techniques, and cultivation methods… they were reviewed repeatedly according to the ebbinghaus curve.

xiao qi gradually turned the tide.

two days later, zhou xuanwu held two talismans in his hand and continued to wear that unattractive appearance.

however, his swordsmanship and mental techniques, just like xiao qi’s, rapidly broke through during life-and-death duels.

when meng zi, stepping on the gathering spirit talisman wooden table, arrived and finally met the returning trio, he saw the swollen and unrecognizable face of liu ba, the one-armed vajra hammer.

upon seeing him, liu ba seemed to be seeing a loved one, tears streaming down his face.

“it’s you!?

take me away!”

“i’d rather you hack me to death! take me away!!”

meng zi: “??”

he turned his head and saw lin shuang, whose face was sunbathing on a broadsword nearby, with a healthy rosy complexion.

lin shuang turned her head and also saw him… and the slightly familiar square wooden table he was stepping on.

his brow twitched.

hers also twitched.

author’s note:

lin shuang: at that time, i was disgusted by this style.

**”memoir of the 134th generation zhao sect leader chapter 11″: ** “later, senior sister never admitted it, but she was disgusted by her ugly talisman table.”

**”cultivation symbol compendium”: ** starting from that year, talisman tables became hard to find, and their prices rose every year. it’s said that lin fairy had higher aspirations and rarely created the humorous artworks of her youth. however, there’s a rumor that lin fairy found the peculiar design of this talisman table matched only with the esteemed meng zi. it’s well-known that he doesn’t care much for tidiness.

meng zi: …? let me tell you, thank you…*