Chapter Fourteen: The Tortoise Shell Talisman

Watching the young girl’s brow slowly relax, the lady could no longer hold back her tears. “Xiaoxiao, are you feeling better?” she cried.

It was only at this moment that Chen Mu learned for the first time that the girl's name was Yan Xiaoxiao.

Yan Xiaoxiao opened her misty eyes, as though she had awakened from a long and terrible nightmare. Looking down, she saw her mother weeping in her arms, then glanced at her father standing behind her mother. Turning back to comfort her mother, she said gently, “Mother, don’t cry. Look, I’m awake now, everything’s all right…”

Before she could say anything more, she noticed a third person at her bedside—a man wrapped tightly in a cloak. With a weak voice, she asked, “Who are you?”

Yan Jingtian hurriedly interjected, “Mind your manners! This is Master Mu, the one who saved your life. Shouldn’t you be thanking him?”

Hearing the meaning behind her father’s words, Yan Xiaoxiao instantly corrected her tone, saying, “Thank you, Master Mu, for saving my life. I did not recognize you and was disrespectful just now, please forgive me.”

Chen Mu waved his hand, indicating Yan Xiaoxiao should rest well, then turned to Yan Jingtian. “Lord Yan, now that your daughter has recovered, shall we discuss the matter of my reward?”

With that, the two men left Yan Xiaoxiao’s boudoir and made their way to the main hall.

Yan Jingtian was very generous, agreeing to give Chen Mu a hundred sets of materials for refining Sha Pills, which matched Rou’er’s original plan. According to her calculations, a hundred sets should be enough to open the seventy-two Yuan Meridians of Earth Fiend. The moment Yan Jingtian offered a hundred sets, Rou’er, who was perched on Chen Mu’s back, agreed immediately.

Next was the alchemical furnace. Yan Jingtian had purchased one directly from the Fancheng Auction House and gifted it to Chen Mu. Crafted from red gold, it was a second-grade furnace. For a weapon, he chose a high-tier Profound Gold Sword suitable for the Yuan Foundation Realm.

Considering that Chen Mu did not own a storage ring, Yan Jingtian thoughtfully presented him with one, placing all the items inside.

Chen Mu reflected that his earnings in the small town near Starwatch Valley were mere trifles compared to the value of these treasures.

The next matter was to select from the treasury. Leading Chen Mu, Yan Jingtian brought him to a basement, where a large iron door was set into the right-hand wall.

The iron door was tightly sealed, clearly restrained by some special technique. Yan Jingtian chanted incantations and traced sigils in the air, causing points of light to flare across the door. Only when he finally ceased his actions did the door slowly swing open.

Following Yan Jingtian through the doorway, Chen Mu’s eyes widened with amazement. The room was filled with dazzling heavenly materials and earthly treasures, magical artifacts, and weapons of all kinds.

Only Rou’er, with a hint of disdain, muttered inwardly, “All rubbish.”

Seeing Chen Mu bedazzled by the treasures, Rou’er immediately communicated with him mentally, “These so-called heavenly materials are of no use to you, and all these magical weapons are only suitable for the Yuan Pill realm. If you take them, you’ll only invite trouble upon yourself. Come, let’s look elsewhere.”

Hearing this, Chen Mu pouted but trusted Rou’er’s judgment, surveying the room while Rou’er extended her senses through the treasury. Yan Jingtian, watching Chen Mu’s indifferent gaze sweep over his collection, felt a touch of embarrassment; clearly, the young man had no interest in these things.

After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Rou’er’s attention settled on a tortoiseshell fragment engraved with intricate runes. The shell was ancient, exuding an aura of long-forgotten years.

Rou’er signaled Chen Mu to choose this item. Though puzzled, he still trusted her judgment.

Rou’er called out, “Lord Yan, I have made my choice. I would like this tortoiseshell fragment.”

Yan Jingtian was taken aback. “That one? I found it in some ruins. It does have a bit of history, but I’ve never discovered anything special about it… Are you sure you don’t want to pick something else?”

“No, this will do,” Rou’er replied firmly.

Yan Jingtian sighed. “Very well.”

Having selected the treasure, Yan Jingtian and Chen Mu exited the treasury.

On the way out, Chen Mu asked Rou’er through their mental link, “Rou’er, what exactly is this tortoiseshell? What caught your eye about it?”

Rou’er sniffed. “It’s not that it caught my eye—everything else is garbage. But this will be useful to you; it can save your life. This is a Tortoiseshell Talisman. If you activate it with the right method, it will shield you from three attacks. From what I can tell, each defense should withstand a full-force strike from a perfected Yuan Pill realm cultivator. That means you can survive three such blows.”

Back in the main hall, Yan Jingtian and Rou’er, still on Chen Mu’s back, chatted idly. Rou’er’s occasional pointers helped clarify Yan Jingtian’s doubts about cultivation.

At that moment, Lady Xiaoyun and Yan Xiaoxiao came to the hall to thank Chen Mu. Yan Xiaoxiao’s face looked much improved, a touch of color returning to her cheeks.

“Xiaoxiao greets Master Mu,” Yan Xiaoxiao said with a bow.

Seeing his daughter, Yan Jingtian said, “Master Mu is not only skilled in alchemy but also possesses deeper cultivation than your father. If only you could become his disciple, how wonderful that would be.”

Hearing this, Yan Xiaoxiao was instantly excited—her father was trying to arrange for her to become his apprentice!

But Rou’er shook her head. “You and I are not destined.”

Yan Jingtian felt a bit awkward at this, but continued, “It’s fine. Master Mu already has a disciple—Chen Mu, the second son of the Chen family. You should spend more time with him.”

“Chen Mu? The famous sickly young master? In what way am I inferior to him? Why would Master Mu accept him as a disciple but not me?” Yan Xiaoxiao protested indignantly.

“Insolence! How dare you judge the master’s disciple? Master Mu, please forgive my daughter’s loose tongue,” Yan Jingtian scolded, bowing apologetically to Chen Mu.

“Chen Mu is far stronger than you. He only became known as a sickly young master because he was poisoned. Even with his cultivation hindered, he persevered and opened the Thirty-Six Heavenly Veins. Could you have done the same in his place? Furthermore, his spiritual power is exceptional—he’s a natural for learning alchemy,” Rou’er said flatly.

“I…” Yan Xiaoxiao was at a loss for words.

Yan Jingtian tried to smooth things over. “Yes, Chen Mu is a fine young man—he’s neither timid nor weak when facing strong foes, and dares to resist. I saw this with my own eyes at the Chen estate. Xiaoxiao, you should spend more time with him. After all, I have a good relationship with Chen Haoran of the Chen family.”

Yan Xiaoxiao hung her head. “I understand, Father.”

Yan Jingtian then asked, “Master Mu, did you say Chen Mu was poisoned? What kind of poison is so potent that even late-stage Yuan Pill experts can’t detect it?”

“This poison does not belong to this place.”

At these words, Yan Jingtian was shocked, and whispered, “Could it be from another empire?”

Rou’er shook her head. She meant it was not of this world, but Yan Jingtian’s narrow view led him to believe it was the work of another empire’s agents.

Since Rou’er did not explain further, Yan Jingtian assumed tacit agreement and fell silent.

After chatting a while longer, Rou’er repeatedly hinted that Yan Jingtian should give more support to Chen Mu’s father, Chen Haoran, sensing that trouble might be brewing and wanting to forge alliances early.

As it was getting late, Chen Mu and Rou’er prepared to leave. After bidding farewell to Yan Jingtian, Rou’er whisked Chen Mu away in a flash, a method that left Yan Jingtian astonished.

Back at the Chen estate, Chen Mu and Rou’er sat face-to-face. Rou’er had him take out the Tortoiseshell Talisman he had just received from the city lord’s residence.

Once the talisman was in his hand, Rou’er began instructing him on its use. The talisman required an obscure incantation to recognize its owner. Chen Mu mimicked Rou’er’s recitation, and the talisman shone brightly before attaching itself to his chest. The shell itself vanished, but the runes remained.

Rou’er nodded, saying, “This is normal. Once the three defenses are used, the runes will disappear on their own. You needn’t worry about them remaining on your chest forever.”

Hearing this, Chen Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now he had three chances to save his life. In all of Great Xia, and even throughout the Yuanyao Continent, the strongest cultivators were at the Nascent Soul realm. Though there were rumors of Divine Soul cultivators, those tales dated back thousands of years, and none were known to exist today.

Moreover, there were fewer than twenty Nascent Soul cultivators across the entire Yuanyao Continent. As long as Chen Mu did not cross paths with these twenty, the Tortoiseshell Talisman would guarantee him three chances at survival, no matter the enemy.