Chapter 128: Talismans and the Peddler

Wu Xian shook his head.

The queue here had ended; he could now enter the Temple Grave, so he stopped watching the awkward performance of the two and slipped inside with practiced ease.

Wu Xian had come here many times before.

As soon as he entered, he saw another large-browed statue had turned around.

This was the Heavenly Official—Southern Pole Elder Star.

His worship reward was a damaging talisman: the 'Curse'!

On the altar before the statue lay two incense burners, one silver and one copper, meaning Wu Xian could worship twice; inside the Temple Grave, there was still another statue—the Dragon King of Guangde.

Wu Xian thought for two seconds.

He placed both incense burners before the Southern Pole Elder Star statue and inserted both sacred incense sticks into them.

Wu Xian could have used the two incense sticks to worship the two statues separately, but that would leave only one statue available for worship the next time he exited the room.

He did not want to put himself in a position with no choices, so he used all his worship opportunities on the Southern Pole Elder Star.

Amid a thick, cotton-candy-like cloud of white smoke, six talismans appeared before Wu Xian.

The three Treasure talismans were the Gale Wind Incantation, the Golden Wheel Incantation, and the Earth Spike Incantation.

The three Common Item talismans were the True Fire Incantation, the Insect Devourment Incantation, and the True Water Incantation.

Of the six talismans, Gale Wind Incantation, True Fire Incantation, and True Water Incantation were all straightforward—literally releasing gale winds, true fire, and true water as their names suggested.

True Water Incantation was slightly special, as the water it released could be drunk and also repelled evil spirits.

But Wu Xian decisively discarded these three overly direct incantations.

Thus, among the Common Item talismans, only the Insect Devourment Incantation remained for Wu Xian to choose.

The effect of the Insect Devourment Incantation was to release ten Yellow Spring Dragon Lice; these lice grew in the Yellow Spring, feeding on decaying corpses or ghostly flesh, and would not stop until they had devoured all the enemy's flesh.

There were three release opportunities, meaning thirty Yellow Spring Dragon Lice were available for battle.

But even Yellow Spring Dragon Lice were still just lice—easily crushed underfoot—and their direct killing power was certainly inferior to True Fire Incantation.

Wu Xian chose the Insect Devourment Incantation only because the parasitic gu had stirred him, so he wanted to play with some insects too.

Among the Treasure talismans,

besides the direct-attack Gale Wind Incantation, Wu Xian liked both the Golden Wheel Incantation and the Earth Spike Incantation.

The Golden Wheel Incantation could activate three times; each time it released a golden light wheel lasting ten seconds, possessing extreme cutting power capable of easily piercing through evil spirits' flesh.

The Earth Spike Incantation caused a one-cubic-meter spike to erupt from the ground; its shape was determined by the caster, and its material by the ground's composition.

Wu Xian pondered again and again.

He still felt the Earth Spike Incantation had greater practicality, so he made his choice—two brand-new talismans appeared in his hands.

After rubbing the two talismans, Wu Xian did not rush to leave; instead, he slapped himself hard.

Crack!

Wu Xian's head tilted sideways.

This was not self-abuse—it was testing the effect of 'Naturally Thick Skin'.

His head had been knocked askew, proving he'd used great force, yet Wu Xian felt only slight pain on his face; when he checked with the Shield Mirror, not even a palm print remained.

"Ha, now I'm truly thick-skinned in the physical sense."

Wu Xian laughed and slapped himself a few more times—each time, it was painless; only with extreme force did he feel noticeable pain.

Clearly, the effect of 'Naturally Thick Skin' was very pronounced—it was like putting on an invisible leather armor, greatly enhancing Wu Xian's survivability.

But what Wu Xian most wanted to see was not this.

Hssst!

Wu Xian focused his mind—and spikes erupted all over his body.

He had been a white hedgehog before; now he was a black hedgehog.

When he chose 'Naturally Thick Skin', he had intended to combine it with the Filthy Armor, since the Filthy Armor was, strictly speaking, also an extension of Wu Xian's mutated skin.

Wu Xian briefly tested the strength of these black spikes, then straightened his chest, a slightly bloated smile spreading across his face.

Previously, his spikes had been sharp but too fragile—easily falling off under pressure; now they were far more stable, harder, and sharper, greatly improving their practicality.

"If I stack on some Hard Qi Art next…"

Wu Xian chuckled.

At first, he had looked down on stacking defenses, but now he felt he hadn't stacked enough.

Testing complete.

Wu Xian no longer delayed; he walked up the stairs.

As soon as he stepped outside,

Wu Xian noticed the atmosphere had changed.

Guan Daorong sat quietly, bare-chested, as Aunt He cleaned and re-bandaged his wounds; the mood had become harmonious—he had no idea what had happened between them.

Wu Xian shrugged.

The remaining living people having a better atmosphere was, after all, a good thing; he had no interest in prying into their gossip.

Also,

the Peddler's Grave was open, meaning another keyholder had chosen to enter the sealed grave to enhance themselves.

When that person emerged,

Wu Xian would gather everyone together to exchange information and disclose intelligence.

Of course,

not about the guest chamber banquet hall—but about the intelligence gained in the Wandering Physician's Grave. The Wandering Physician had not warned Wu Xian against speaking out, so Wu Xian had no obligation to keep his secrets.

Nothing about the giant leech, the Willow Immortal Aunt, the Master, the Minor Restoration Pill, or the stealing of lifespan to exchange for potential was kept secret.

This information isn't given for free.

Soon, Wu Xian obtained information about the Peddler's Grave from Wei Dian.

The Peddler's Grave contained a corpse and several cargo baskets.

The corpse belonged to the peddler; no one knew how he died, but his death finally made one of the eight rooms a true grave.

Most of the peddler's goods had rotted to ash over time, but the two statues he carried with him still faintly emitted divine light.

One was the Statue of Tian Guan — Five Manifest Wealth Gods; the other was the Statue of the Outer Deity — Many Treasures Tathagata.

The peddler carried these two statues, praying they would bless his business with booming sales and daily fortunes, but he died before becoming rich — these two statues gave the Lotus Juanren a chance to shop.

The information about the Peddler's Grave revealed no risks, but it wasn't useless; at least everyone now knew they needed to enter the Peddler's Grave holding Sui Incense to claim the reward, avoiding waste of a precious opportunity.

The exchange of information broke the previous awkward silence; they began speaking openly, without revealing room secrets, and the atmosphere finally grew somewhat lighter.

Wei Dian's laughter was no longer chilling; Qie's chanting of sutras brought peace to all; the socially outgoing He Dama further lifted everyone's spirits…

While joining the lively atmosphere, Wu Xian kept secretly observing.

His main targets of observation were Xu Fenglan, Teacher Luan Jing, and Boss Yu — he suspected these three people dressed in mourning clothes had all been replaced by malevolent spirits, like Old Zhao.

Yet during the conversation, these three revealed no flaws; their words held no contradictions, their movements showed no signs of the inhuman, only their personalities were excessively cheerful, as if they felt not the slightest worry…

Amid Wu Xian's doubts.

The sun gradually set behind Luoshan; they were about to begin their third entry into the rooms.

(End of Chapter)