Chapter 2: Talismans (Part 1)

Fu Warrior Baoléi, originally named Guo Leí, was called Baoléi because of his voice that sounded like thunder. Over time, no one remembered his real name anymore. He was the second-in-command among the Guo family’s Fu Warriors, but since no other Fu Warrior would take him in, he could only stay at the Guo family as a guard.
“Elder, Uncle Guo Yi and the others have returned! Uncle Guo Yi is seriously injured! Hearing that there’s a talisman master at Guike Fang, we rushed over… Please save him!”
Even though Baoléi tried to lower his voice, it still sounded like rolling thunder.
Elder Guo Daguan seemed dazed, seemingly not believing the news. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality and said urgently, “Hurry! Bring him in quickly!” He then ordered everyone to leave, stood up, and walked over to Chen Chunzhai, saying with a wry smile, “Old Chen, I’m truly sorry to have to trouble you.”
Chen Chunzhai said nothing, only nodding slightly.
Guo Daguan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The Guo family will cover all expenses, plus an additional 1,500 Black Talisman Coins.”
There was a commotion at the door as a large group rushed in, most of them Fu Warriors, many of whom were shirtless. Guo Shier saw that these Fu Warriors were covered in patterns.
Four strong men carried a simple stretcher, on which lay a burly middle-aged man who was unconscious. When the stretcher was placed on the table, someone lifted the animal skin covering him, revealing layers of patterns on his body so dense that his skin was barely visible. Four huge cracks ran from his left chest to his right abdomen, with blood continuously seeping out.
Chen Chunzhai stepped forward, followed closely by Guo Shier—this was a great opportunity to observe. Having seen many deaths in his past life, he wasn’t afraid of Guo Yi’s bloody state. His calm demeanor impressed Chen Chunzhai even more, raising his opinion of this young man.
“He’s a Fu Warrior Master! He’s actually a Fu Warrior Master!”
There was only a single character difference between Fu Warrior and Fu Warrior Master, but their meanings were completely different. Fu Warriors were lower-level fighters, while Fu Warrior Masters could operate independently. Advancing from Fu Warrior to Fu Warrior Master was extremely difficult—requiring not only a large amount of money and resources but also careful training from talisman masters and Fu Warriors.
Elder Guo Daguan’s forehead was covered in sweat. He understood why Chen Chunzhai was annoyed and hurriedly said, “Old Chen, Guo Yi didn’t follow any talisman master or Fu Warrior. He was trained by our Guo family…”

Chen Chunzhai was finally relieved. Generally, to reach the level of a Spell-Warrior, one would rely on a Spellcaster or a Rune Master. Yet Guo Yi, with the full support of the Guo family, had also reached that level. Such high-level combat skills were a treasure to any family.

Chen Chunzhai said indifferently, “I thought he was just a Spell-Warrior!”

Guo Daguan hurriedly replied, “Please rest assured. I know the rules. If we can save him, the Guo family… will surely reward you generously! Truly generously!”

The two subtly discussed the price. If Guo Shier were still the same as before, he would have understood nothing, but now he was completely different—he immediately grasped that they were negotiating terms. It was also clear that Chen Chunzhai was very assertive; it seemed he only needed a promise from the clan leader and wasn’t afraid of the other party going back on their word or playing tricks.

Chen Chunzhai said, “Bring a basin of hot water and call a few quick-witted kids here!”

The clan leader exclaimed, “Hurry! Get someone here right away!”

Guo Shier said, “Grandpa Chen, let me help!”

“You? Aren’t you afraid?” Chen Chunzhai was deeply impressed. An eight-year-old child who dared to step forward in such a bloody situation—his calm expression showed he wasn’t afraid at all.

After asking a question instinctively, Chen Chunzhai said, “Alright, go and clean the wound!” He thought it would be a good opportunity to assess Guo Shier.

Guo Shier had been a soldier in his past life and was very familiar with basic wound cleaning and dressing.

Guo Shier brought a large wooden basin, picked up a piece of coarse cloth, and began cleaning the wound. The wound was terrifying; judging from its shape, it had been inflicted by the claws of some horrible beast. After washing away the blood and dirt, he found that although the wound was frightening, it wasn’t fatal. The person’s unconsciousness was likely due to excessive blood loss.

The wound was large, but it hadn’t damaged any internal organs—only torn through the flesh, so the cleaning was quick. Guo Shier realized that despite being only eight years old, his strength was no less than that of an adult in his past life.

“Done, Grandpa Chen.”

Chen Chunzhai’s eyes sparkled with amazement. This kid’s technique was quite unusual—his wound-cleaning was extremely fast and thorough, not like that of a novice. He didn’t seem like an eight-year-old at all but rather like a battle-hardened Rune Alchemist. He said, “Not bad, Shier. Where did you learn this?”

Guo Shier replied, “It’s just cleaning the wound. What’s so hard about it?”

Chen Chunzhai was speechless for a moment. He stepped forward to Guo Yi, examined him carefully for a while, and said, “Chief Guo, more than seventy of the talismans on his skin are damaged and must be removed… Don’t worry about the wounds. I have four talisman pills, which should be enough. However, once his condition improves, you’ll still need to find a talisman master to repair them with talismans.”
Guo Daguan repeated, “I understand… I understand! Please, Master Chen, proceed with the treatment.”
Chen Chunzhai stared at the wound, and a wooden needle the size of a chopstick appeared in his hand, covered with countless patterns. The tip of the needle gently moved along the patterns around the wound. Guo Shier was close enough to see the tip of the needle glowing.
As the needle moved, the patterns on Guo Yi’s skin gradually disappeared, revealing the skin’s natural color. After about half an hour, the skin around the wound was clean, with no patterns visible. Chen Chunzhai retracted the needle, and a green leaf appeared in his hand.
Upon closer inspection, Guo Shier realized the leaf was very special—covered with countless layers of patterns that seemed endless. A faint fragrance wafted from it, a medicinal scent. He thought, “Is this a talisman pill? It’s amazing—completely different from the medical methods of my past life.”
Chen Chunzhai placed one of the talisman pills on one of the wounds and gently tapped it with his finger. Suddenly, Guo Shier felt a clear ripple in his soul. He was astonished, thinking, “Is it using soul power to activate the talisman pill? But how is soul power applied?”
What happened next left Guo Shier completely stunned.
The talisman pill melted quickly and spread along the wound, causing it to heal rapidly. After about two or three minutes, only a thin red line remained at the wound site. Chen Chunzhai had used four talisman pills to fully heal the wound. Although Guo Yi was still unconscious, he was no longer in life-threatening danger.
Chen Chunzhai washed his hands and said, “Chief Guo, we’re lucky this time. I happened to have four talisman pills. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to save him. Well, for the wound cleaning, I’ll charge 160 Black Talisman Coins. Each talisman pill… will cost 2,000 Black Talisman Coins.”
Guo Daguan readily agreed, “Great! Thank you, Master Chen! Thank you!” He knew Chen Chunzhai’s price was not high—just the cost price. If he had to buy talisman pills from a specialist like the one used earlier, it would cost at least 2,600 to 3,000 Black Talisman Coins. Of course, he understood that buying from Chen Chunzhai as a talisman master meant a different price compared to buying directly.
“Black Talisman Coins?”

Guo Shier pondered to himself—was it possible that instead of gold and silver as currency here, they used black talisman money? What did black talisman money look like? How come he hadn’t known anything about it before?
“Young Master Shier!”
Guo Shier turned around and saw Puo Er standing timidly to the side. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Young Master Shier? Uncle Puo Er, what’s wrong?”
Puo Er wore a humble smile and said, “Young Master Shier is now a nobleman; I dare not address you as before.”
Guo Shier shook his head. He didn’t like such opportunism and said, “Uncle Puo Er, is there something?”
Puo Er glanced fearfully at Chen Chunzhai and whispered, “Young Master Shier, your master and mistress invite you to go home. If possible… could the talisman master also come along…”
Chen Chunzhai turned his head, scaring Puo Er into silence.
Guo Shier also planned to go home anyway. After all, Guo Liang was his father in this life, even though he didn’t care much about him. He said, “Grandpa Chen…”
Chen Chunzhai heard him clearly and nodded, “Mm, I’ll accompany you home.” It had only been half a day, yet he already liked this extraordinary child very much.
Guo Shier had expected this outcome and smiled, “Thank you, Grandpa Chen.”
Chen Chunzhai said, “Let’s go. It’s getting late.” Only four talisman warriors followed him; the rest were still with the group of children, responsible for protecting them.
Following Puo Er, they soon arrived at the doorstep.
Guo Liang, along with his six wives and several domestic talisman warriors, respectfully welcomed Chen Chunzhai into the room. He instructed the servants to bring lavish food—still the same as usual: large pieces of meat, big pots of soup, and large plates of steamed buns.
Chen Chunzhai didn’t hesitate. Neither of them had had dinner yet. Guo Shier, especially, was starving, so he immediately started eating heartily.
There were no rules about dining here—as long as one could eat their fill, that was good enough. Soon, the food on the table was gone. The servants brought copper basins of hot water, and after washing their faces and hands, everyone sat down again.
Only then did Chen Chunzhai take a closer look at Guo Liang. He was somewhat surprised and said, “Huh, are you a spellcaster?”
Guo Liang sighed, “Yes. It’s a pity I’ve never been able to advance, so I had to come back to marry and have children, to contribute to my family. Hehe, I’m just an ordinary fire spellcaster.”
Chen Chunzhai asked, “How many talismans can you use?”
Guo Liang replied, “Twenty to twenty-five talismans. Any more and I can’t handle it.”
Chen Chunzhai nodded and said, “Twenty-five talismans is quite good. Hmm, after using twenty-five talismans, how long does it take before you can use them again?”

Guo Liang said, “Fifteen minutes—this is the fastest recovery time.”
Chen Chunzhai asked, “That’s quite a good Fire Spellcaster. What types of fire-based talismans can you use?”
Guo Liang showed a hint of embarrassment and said, “Only two… the Rocket Talisman, which can shoot about fifty steps away, and the Explosive Fire Talisman. Hehe, just these two. It’s a pity I can’t find any other fire-based talismans that suit me.”
Guo Shier didn’t understand a word of what they were talking about, as if it were written in a foreign language. But he tried hard to remember so he could find the answers later.