Seeing that Valmont was seriously contemplating his words, Bai Qi felt terrible. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Tell me the auction house address, and I'll send the Shadowkhan over."
"Well..."
Seeing Valmont's hesitant demeanor, Bai Qi instantly understood. "The reward for this talisman will be given to you in full."
With the Sacred One's promise, Valmont readily disclosed the auction house's exact location.
"Alright, what's the second talisman?"
Valmont swiped on his tablet. A foreigner in an adventurer's outfit grinned at the camera, holding the Snake Talisman in his right hand.
"This man is Wesley, an archaeology show host. A few days ago, his expedition team was exploring a cave near the Anakonda Falls and found a talisman. Clearly, this person doesn't know its value and donated it to the Imperial Museum, where it will be exhibited tomorrow."
"Do you know the Snake Talisman's exact location?"
Valmont shook his head regretfully. "Unfortunately, the Imperial Museum has excellent security. My subordinates have tried multiple times but couldn't pinpoint the Snake Talisman's location. We'll have to find a way to steal it during the exhibition."
Bai Qi looked at the Snake Talisman on the screen and stroked his chin.
The original plot also had this part. The Snake Talisman was originally found by Tohru and Jade, but Wesley got there first and snatched the prize. This time, his injury delayed Tohru, preventing him from joining Wesley's expedition team. He hadn't expected that without Tohru and Jade, the expedition team would still find the Snake Talisman and bring it back. Was this the power of plot?
Now, the problem was how to steal the Snake Talisman from the museum.
In the original plot, Tohru infiltrated the museum to steal the Snake Talisman and encountered important characters, including Shendu, one of the key members of the Dragon Council. After a series of comical mishaps, the Snake Talisman was safely stored in Section 13, with almost no involvement from the Dark Hand.
However, this time he was in charge, so he would never let Tohru take the Snake Talisman.
Bai Qi turned to Clouseau and said, "Clouseau, go to the museum tomorrow night and bring me the Snake Talisman."
"No problem, Sacred One. No prey can escape my grasp."
Upon receiving his first mission from the Sacred One, Clouseau immediately stepped forward to pledge his loyalty.
Valmont panicked. "I can do it, Sacred One! I was the one who discovered this talisman first."
Bai Qi waved his hand. "Don't worry, you'll have your share of benefits once the talisman is obtained. Now, go get my discharge papers."
Bai Qi didn't want to stay in this place for another second, especially with the special aromatherapy his father had prepared for him filling the air.
With Valmont's arrangements, Bai Qi was soon discharged from the hospital.
Although his injury had caused Bai Qi considerable hardship, it also provided him with a valid reason to take extended leave from school.
For ease of operation, Bai Qi paid for Valmont to buy a villa opposite the Imperial University.
Others might not know, but Bai Qi knew that Spider-Man's true identity, Peter Parker, attended Imperial University. It was a sure bet to place the house near the university if he wanted to recruit more "talents."
The efficiency of the Shadowkhan was remarkable. That very night, they successfully retrieved the Rat Talisman from the lampshade at the auction house and presented it to Bai Qi.
With the Rat Talisman, Bai Qi could break free from the statue's limitations and regain his mobility. However, Bai Qi wasn't in a hurry to place the Rat Talisman back onto the statue.
Since the Sheep Talisman, Bai Qi had sensed that while each talisman's return restored his strength, it also drew increasing attention from the dark chi. Furthermore, the righteous chi was also starting to notice him.
It was evident that the dark chi, having been "abused" by the righteous chi for so many years, was itching for a comeback. Bai Qi was certain that once he gathered all twelve talismans and broke the seal, the dark chi would flood into him, granting him a power-up buff.
Bai Qi wasn't against the dark chi's help, but compared to the righteous chi, the dark chi, having been "abused" for so long, was far too weak. When the dark chi showed signs of a counterattack, the righteous chi would inevitably lead the protagonist group to confront him, and he would be sealed again.
Therefore, before that happened, Bai Qi needed to strengthen the dark chi as much as possible, or interfere with the righteous chi through other means, to prepare himself adequately.
There was also the Rabbit Talisman.
Through Clouseau's investigation, he learned that the boss behind the demons was Norman Osborn. As the owner of a military-industrial complex and the future Green Goblin, Norman Osborn possessed some influence. However, since he dared to provoke him, even though he belonged to the dark forces, Bai Qi decided to eliminate him.
To take down Norman, Bai Qi couldn't act personally, as it would undoubtedly attract the protagonists' interference. He would have to rely on his subordinates. But the problem was, the only capable subordinates he currently had were the hunter Clouseau. Even the original Black Tiger Afu hadn't appeared yet. Valmont's Dark Hand could bully ordinary people, but they would be no match for Norman.
Fortunately, Valmont had brought him the Mask of Shendu. If things went south, Bai Qi could have Clouseau wear the mask to temporarily boost his strength.
However, the mask still contained Shendu's consciousness. Prolonged wear would inevitably lead to being influenced by the mask, as Sheriff Black was a prime example in the original series. Therefore, Bai Qi wouldn't use this card unless absolutely necessary.
If the mask couldn't be used, he would find a way to enhance Clouseau's strength.
After a bit of rummaging, Bai Qi found a blood magic technique in his memory that was particularly suitable for Clouseau.
He called Clouseau and asked him to come to the villa, bringing along bear and leopard blood – blood from two different animals.
Although Clouseau didn't understand why the Sacred One needed these items so late at night, he brought the blood to the villa.
Upon arriving at the villa, Bai Qi instructed Clouseau to undress.
Initially, Clouseau looked at Bai Qi strangely at the command. But when he heard that it was to use the blood of three animals to enhance his strength, he immediately took off all his clothes. If Bai Qi hadn't stopped him, Clouseau would have likely even removed his underwear. Sultan Novel Network.
This enhancement was simple: using the blood of these three animals as a medium, Clouseau would gain the strength of a bear and the speed of a leopard through blood magic.
Bai Qi found a knife and drew bear and leopard patterns on Clouseau's arms and legs respectively. Then, he poured the corresponding animal's blood onto each pattern, followed by chanting a spell for the wounds to absorb the blood and take effect.
The entire process was extremely bloody. Yet, Clouseau, as the one experiencing it firsthand, endured the pain without a single cry.