Chapter 59: Reforging the Demon-Sealing Coin

“Boy and girl?!”

Zhou Peide, upon hearing this, froze stiff, staring at Yuan Qu in disbelief: “He’s not even a Dharma-line disciple—why does he need these? And in Xianyang City? Does he want to die?!”

“My dear Master Zhou…”

Yuan Qu shook his head slightly. “Rules are just rules. If everyone followed them, how could so many rise to prominence?”

“If Left Counselor Lu had followed rules, could he have climbed to his position?”

“If my Master had followed rules, would he have taken me as a disciple?”

“If I had followed rules, could I have handled all the dirty work my Master assigned? How could the Zhou family have gained its current status?”

“Rules are made for fools. Throughout history, which king, marquis, general, or minister ever rose to power by following rules?”

“Hmph. If we followed rules, Zhou Bai’s revenge wouldn’t even be owed!”

Seeing Zhou Peide still hesitating, Yuan Qu sneered: “Master, do you really think Master doesn’t know what I’ve done?”

“Master Chen runs his shop in Xianyang, doing his business—no one from the Enforcement Hall has come to bother him. If he isn’t afraid, why are you?”

Zhou Peide’s expression flickered between doubt and resolve. After a long silence, he finally growled: “The brokerage house is under your control too—finding a few shouldn’t be that hard…”

“Hard!”

Yuan Qu shook his head. “If it were that simple, why would they need us? The birth dates and hours must match exactly. I’ve already checked every possible source.”

“Aren’t you the one who keeps the roster of young boys enrolled in the village fist associations? Their birth dates and hours are all recorded. Master Chen still needs three more. If you help him gather them, avenging Zhou Bai becomes effortless.”

“Besides, Master Chen himself said Zhou Bai’s injury isn’t beyond cure…”

“What?!”

Zhou Peide shot to his feet, incredulous: “Master Wang summoned several top medical experts—all said it was hopeless. Is he lying to us?”

Yuan Qu shook his head. “I’ve delivered the message. Whether you believe it or not, Master, that’s your choice. Once he completes the task, he’ll likely leave immediately.”

“Master, once this opportunity passes, there won’t be another.”

Zhou Peide took a deep breath and stood up to leave.

“Tomorrow, I’ll bring you the roster…”

……

Watching Zhou Peide’s retreating figure, Yuan Qu exhaled slowly.

Creak~

The main hall’s door slowly opened, and a tall figure stepped out, clad in a red robe, adorned with floral hairpins—it was Zheng Heibei, boss of the Iron Knife Gang.

He sneered, sprawling into a chair. “That old bastard has always looked down on us. Even when begging for favors, he acts like this. Why bother with him?”

“You don’t understand!”

Yuan Qu turned and sat down, sipping tea calmly. “In Xianyang’s current situation, the ones in the most danger are us.”

“Old Zhang and the others are fixated on us. Given Master’s nature, he’d abandon Zhou Bai without a second thought—then he’ll sacrifice our lives to cleanse himself.”

“Big deal.”

Zheng Heibei scoffed. “Since the day I became his disciple, I knew this day would come. If things turn bad, I’m already planning to flee.”

“Flee?”

Yuan Qu’s eyes flashed with dark fire. He glanced around, then lowered his voice: “This empire I’ve built took me years of blood and sweat. You’re willing to abandon it? I’m not.”

“That old ghost thinks he can get away with dragging the Zhou family into this too? Let’s see if he can still stay clean when it all collapses!”

Zheng Heibei said nothing, fell silent for a moment, then spoke: “What about that group of swordsmen? What if…”

“There is no ‘what if’!”

Yuan Qu cut him off sharply. “That Zheng guy isn’t loyal—he’s been secretly preparing, hoping to replace us once Master sells us out. But he doesn’t know those swordsmen? They’re all mine.”

“A penniless beggar—what does he think he can do against me?”

“Remember: we’re on the same rope now. If you don’t want to end up hunted across the rivers and lakes, cooperate.”

“Hmph. That old bastard was right about one thing.”

“The one who laughs last is the winner…”

…………

Hss—! Hss—!

Before dawn, Sha Lifei was jolted awake by the noise in the courtyard.

The sounds of planing wood, chiseling, and sawing rang out everywhere.

“Breakfast’s ready! Breakfast’s ready!”

“Uncle, what are you cooking today? It smells amazing!”

“Sour noodle soup, covered meat, vegetable tofu…”

Sha Lifei had been half-asleep, buried under his quilt—but the smell made his mouth water. He flipped up instantly, disheveled, and bolted outside.

The courtyard was indeed bustling.

The carpenters were drenched in sweat, despite the chill of autumn morning—each head steamed with exertion as they cleaned up and prepared to eat.

When Sha Lifei reached the front courtyard, his nose nearly twisted in outrage.

Six giant cauldrons stood in the yard, flames leaping. Two boiled sour noodle soup, two steamed covered meat, two simmered vegetable tofu—the aromas seeped straight into the nose.

Wang Daoxuan and Li Yan squatted on the steps, bowls in hand, slurping noodles with covered meat and tofu, sweat pouring down their faces.

“You two!”

Sha Lifei’s lips trembled with rage. “You had food this good and didn’t call me?!”

Li Yan lifted his large bowl, chopsticks clinking as he stirred, swallowed the last bite, belched, then sneered: “You were sleeping like a dead pig—couldn’t wake you even if we screamed. Now you blame us?”

“Hahaha!”

The carpenters burst into laughter. Sha Lifei forgot to argue, rushed over, grabbed a bowl, and squatted beside them, eating with eyes bulging and neck straining.

Wan the Shopkeeper arrived too, smiling, holding his long pipe. “Li Brother, finished eating? Come, let’s go see the drum.”

Li Yan’s eyes lit up. He hurried after him. “Already done? So fast?”

“Hah! How could it be?”

Wan the Shopkeeper chuckled as he walked. “A single drum—from selecting wood, cutting planks, stretching, drying, to skinning and nailing—it takes at least ten steps for an ordinary one. Our ‘Wensheng Pavilion’ craftsmanship requires over twenty.”

“It always takes over a month.”

“But you’re lucky—the rhinoceros hide you brought back a while ago? I already had my people prepare it. That saved us plenty of time…”

As he spoke, he led Li Yan to the back courtyard.

Unlike the front, this was Wan’s living quarters. Tools were scattered everywhere, all made of premium wood, polished to a glossy sheen.

Li Yan even caught the scent of incense—clearly, these were no ordinary items.

On the rack, the lightning-struck jujube wood had been cut, roasted, and shaped into curved planks, neatly arranged to dry.

!.

Jujube wood is naturally dense and tough; with the lightning-strike patterns, it possessed an unusual beauty.

Li Yan formed the Yang Seal and inhaled—the scent of fierce, blazing heat flooded his nostrils, clearing his mind instantly.

It was the heavenly lightning essence embedded in the wood.

Even unrefined, it already held such power—no wonder it was considered top-tier material for crafting.

Li Yan couldn’t help but smile.

Wan the Shopkeeper added: “There’s another matter I must tell you, young master. I’ve halved the drum’s size.”

“Not because I’m stingy—but once this drum is forged into a true artifact after consecration, if it were the size of Qin or Han war drums, you’d damage your spirit after just a few strikes.”

“I know your situation. Cultivation isn’t something achieved overnight, but you must practice the hidden force constantly—otherwise, it’s like rowing upstream. This size is perfect.”

“This lightning-struck jujube wood is a celestial treasure. Just dry it for a few days, then skin and nail it—within seven days, you’ll have your treasure.”

“I’ll follow your advice, Elder.”

Li Yan nodded gratefully, understanding the elder’s kindness.

“One more thing.”

Wan the Shopkeeper pulled a wooden box from his robe, opened it carefully—inside lay a length of leather cord, plain-looking, yet Li Yan immediately sensed a powerful incense scent, mixed with a chilling, solemn aura.

Wan whispered: “Since we reduced the size, the leftover lightning-struck wood is mine—but I won’t let you lose out.”

“Among the rhinoceros hides I retrieved, one had already cultivated a Dao. It was offered at the Doumu Court’s Taibai Shrine. I turned its hide into this cord, meant for the drum tassel.”

“I kept some aside. Give me your sword tassel.”

Li Yan’s eyes lit up. He quickly pulled out the Three Talismans’ Demon-Sealing Coin sword tassel.

Wan the Shopkeeper effortlessly unbound it, then entered the inner chamber, lit three incense sticks before the ancestral statue, and began weaving.

His hands moved like lightning. After each knot, he formed a seal, muttered incantations, pointed at the knot, then proceeded.

Li Yan could sense—each knot infused a chilling, malevolent energy mixed with incense.

Binding the Malevolence!

His eyes widened.

Wang Daoxuan had told him: a blade isn’t sharp without rigidity; a talisman isn’t potent without malevolence. The head and core of a talisman are merely basics—true efficacy requires “binding malevolence” and “entering the divine name.”

“Binding malevolence” means infusing the talisman with Gangqi and malevolent energy.

“Entering the divine name” means inscribing the deity’s true name.

Only after these two steps is a talisman truly effective.

Wan the Shopkeeper could weave binding malevolence into artifact crafting—his lineage was clearly extraordinary.

Then again, if Wang Daoxuan hadn’t warned him, who would’ve guessed this gentle-faced old shopkeeper was actually a senior elder of the Xianyang Artisan Guild, with cultivation two stories high?

Finally, before the three incense sticks burned out, Wan the Shopkeeper finished the sword tassel.

The new tassel was even more plain, completely concealing the Three Talismans Devil-Sealing Coins and even suppressing their scent; unless activated, it was indistinguishable from an ordinary object.

Li Yan took it and immediately beamed with delight.

From now on, he no longer feared the Three Talismans Devil-Sealing Coins drawing unwanted attention.

After finishing the tassel, Master Wan looked visibly weary, smoked a few puffs, and smiled, “This tassel can also be hung on a war drum; if you strike the drum to expel evil, its power will double—but I fear your spirit cultivation is insufficient to activate it.”

“Thank you, Elder.”

Li Yan bowed deeply with clasped hands.

Master Wan waved his hand. “No need. Zhao the Donkey told me—if not for your help, I never would’ve retrieved the lightning-struck wood, and my plan would’ve failed.”

“We rogue sorcerers can’t match the orthodox Daoist sects; we must support each other.”

“Elder, you are benevolent and righteous!”

Li Yan bowed again in thanks.

Master Wan had truly helped him greatly; combined with the gold gained from the bandit stronghold, once the matter in Xianyang was settled, he could head to Mount Taibai to build the Tower of Contemplation.

With the magical artifact completed, his spirits soared.

He stayed another day; near noon, growing truly bored and seeing no pressing matter, he gathered some wine and dishes, planning to climb the mountain to drink with Zhao the Donkey.

But before he could leave, a man rushed into the courtyard in panic, fell to his knees with a thud, and wailed:

“Master Wan, Zhuangzi has been kidnapped—please, help save him!”

As he spoke, he banged his head against the ground, his forehead streaked with blood…

(End of Chapter)