The Xuanmen’s atmosphere was so harmonious before the Ghost King’s emergence.
Even if there were disputes, they were minor skirmishes. Coupled with the many omissions in the transmission of Xuan術 (mystic arts), this made the Xuan术 world incomparable to the era when the Ghost King resided.
It was precisely because of this that the Ghost King’s emergence caught the entire Xuan术 world off guard. And it was also because of this that the female lead could suppress the younger generation of the Xuan术 world after only a short period of study.
In a society governed by law, many people would not turn into vengeful ghosts. Even if they did, their resentment would dissipate because the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Now, the public’s demands of the Xuan术 world were no longer about catching ghosts or subduing demons, but about fortune-telling, turning luck, seeking wealth, and geomancy.
Times were changing, demands were changing, and the focus of Xuan术 was also different.
The Xuan术 world of peacetime was, of course, incomparable to the warring period in which the Ghost King existed.
Even she, her talismans were researched from a more practical perspective.
This Xuan术 world, although feeling increasingly in decline and more prone to developing into charlatanism, was something Lin Yan liked very much.
Having experienced war and the apocalypse, Lin Yan knew that for ordinary people, peace was the most important thing.
She would stop the Ghost King at all costs; she could not let him destroy the current harmony.
The next day, Lin Yan did not go out to set up her stall. She stayed in her room to prepare cinnabar. However, she entrusted the stall to Lin Fang, a talkative junior sister.
The prepared cinnabar exuded spiritual energy. Lin Yan cut her palm with a dagger and mixed her blood into the cinnabar.
As soon as a drop of Lin Yan’s blood touched the cinnabar, it scattered like water into hot oil. The spiritual energy emanating from the cinnabar surged as if boiling.
When Lin Yan felt she had added enough blood, she took out a box of ointment and applied it to the wound on her palm.
After Lin Yan’s blood was mixed into the cinnabar, the spiritual energy emitted by the cinnabar began to shimmer with a golden hue.
After applying the medicine, Lin Yan nonchalantly continued to stir the cinnabar. Once it was thoroughly mixed, she portioned some into an inkstone and stored the rest in a small jade box.
Jade could isolate spiritual energy, and cinnabar stored in a jade box could preserve its spiritual energy.
Yellow paper was laid out on the table, one sheet at a time. Lin Yan picked up her talisman brush to draw. Others needed to burn incense, bathe, and calm their minds to draw talismans.
Lin Yan was much more casual when drawing talismans, but her skill was very high. Lin Yan’s talismans were very popular among the younger generation.
As soon as the Lin family’s stall was set up, it was surrounded by onlookers. Before Lin Fang could even display the talismans, people started to specify the types they wanted.
Although the crowd around the stall was large, they were very orderly. Lin Fang noted down the talismans they wanted and then categorized the talismans she had brought.
Everyone received the talismans they needed from the Lin family's stall.
“Lin family junior sister, how many of the talismans here were drawn by your senior sister?” someone in the crowd asked curiously.
“Many, but they are all mixed together. Whether you can get one depends on your luck,” Lin Fang replied, handing him the talisman he wanted.
“The talismans drawn by our senior sister have always been our teaching material. We even imitated her characteristic marks. So, unless they are used, we cannot tell which ones were drawn by our senior sister.”
This was, of course, a lie. Lin Yan’s talismans had more spiritual energy. The talismans sold here were all drawn by the younger generation of the family.
Although their efficacy was not as great as Lin Yan’s, and perhaps even inferior to their own, it was only slightly less.
They were not fake, and she sold them at a lower price, thirty percent below market value. However, her stall did have talismans drawn by Lin Yan, such as the spatial talisman used to store all the other talismans.
However, this talisman would not be sold. The spatial talisman would be auctioned on the last day of the trading fair.
After all, only Lin Yan could draw this spatial talisman, and the success rate was not very high.
Senior sister had been very busy recently. Although she didn’t know what she was busy with, Lin Fang could sense the feeling of an impending storm. Therefore, even though they desperately wanted this spatial talisman, they did not disturb Lin Yan.
But they never expected Lin Yan to give each of them one before they departed.
Now, this spatial talisman in her possession was the most valuable thing she had.
Lin Fang’s stall was only open for half a day before all the talismans she had brought were sold out. In the afternoon, Lin Fang closed the stall and went shopping.
The entire venue of the trial大会 (assembly) was like a grand gathering, and everyone participating was having a good time.
When the trial assembly officially began, everyone’s anticipation was at its peak.
The first event was the talisman exchange. Families skilled in drawing talismans presented their achievements from the past five years (the trial assembly was held every five years).
Lin Yan represented the Lin family. She then presented the spatial talisman she had researched.
Fortunately, Lin Yan succeeded on her first attempt after taking the stage.
Although the spatial talisman was a form of overwhelming advantage in this exchange, the talismans presented by other families were also very novel.
After explaining the principles of the spatial talisman to others, Lin Yan went to examine the talismans presented by other families skilled in drawing them.
The Lin family was renowned for their talisman drawing, so other members of the Lin family also paid close attention to the talismans presented by those families.
The talisman exchange lasted for two days. The members of the Lin family felt they had gained a great deal, especially those who followed Lin Yan and received her guidance, as their talisman-drawing skills had improved significantly.
The talismans they drew were not wasted; they were directly sold at stalls, exchanging them for more raw materials.
People from other families also felt they had gained a lot. Lin Yan was very generous; regardless of whether she knew them before, she would impart her knowledge without reservation to anyone who came to her for guidance.
For a time, the entire trial assembly was filled with a strong atmosphere of learning.
“This girl from the Lin family is truly remarkable,” said an elder presiding over the assembly.
“Indeed. She has good talent and a kind disposition. With her around, these young people have become much more motivated,” said another elder, stroking his beard.
“Alas, youth is wonderful. When we participated in the trial assembly back then, we were also this age,” sighed an elder wearing a black Tang suit.
“Don’t talk about it. You used underhanded tactics to win back then!” the elder in a Taoist robe beside him said dismissively.
“And how were you any better? Didn’t you rely on your master’s spiritual artifact to win?”
On the high platform, where no one was paying attention, several old men, with a combined age of several hundred years, quarreled like elementary school students.
However, they still paid attention to their image. After all, they were all prominent figures in their respective families or sects and had to maintain some dignity.
Therefore, the younger generation below had no idea about the childish side of their seemingly immortal elders.