"These two insects were obtained by me occasionally,"
the old man said with a faint smile. "These two insects are very peculiar. They can spray poisonous mist and kill many poisonous snakes and fierce beasts."
"Of course, they have weaknesses. They can only spray poisonous mist and cannot fight at close range, otherwise they lose their value."
"So that's how it is."
Zhou Yan suddenly realized that these were highly poisonous insects. Once you got close, you would definitely be poisoned to death, and no one could stop them.
"I plan to take these two insects back to the mountain stronghold to breed," the old man said. "Are you willing to return to the mountain stronghold with me?"
"Can I?" Zhou Yan was overjoyed.
"Of course, no problem," the old man nodded with a smile.
Zhou Yan was ecstatic. He had long been tired of city life. Now that an opportunity had arrived, how could he miss it?
Thus, with the old man's help, Zhou Yan successfully escaped and got into a carriage, returning to the city.
In a certain inn in the town.
"Zhou Yan, you're back."
Seeing Zhou Yan return, Fatty Wang immediately greeted him with a broad smile.
"Mm." Zhou Yan nodded slightly and went straight to his room to rest. After washing up, he lay on the bed and fell fast asleep.
Last night's fierce battles, although victorious, had left him exhausted, and he needed to recover.
In a daze, Zhou Yan had a dream.
The dream was hazy and unclear. He could only vaguely see several magnificent palaces suspended in the air, bathed in radiant light and vibrant colors.
"Huh? What is that..."
Zhou Yan looked surprised and opened his eyes wider, finally seeing clearly. In the center of the palace complex, a giant pillar stretched across, reaching into the clouds.
At the top of the giant pillar was a huge egg, its surface shimmering with brilliant light and exuding a powerful aura.
This aura was dense, like a vast ocean, profound and unfathomable, making Zhou Yan feel breathless.
"Rumble..."
The giant egg trembled, emitting dazzling silver light. With a booming sound, cracks appeared in the egg, revealing wisps of silver light that were extremely dazzling.
A moment later, the silver light receded, revealing its true form.
It was an egg, crystal clear, jade green in color, like emerald, shimmering with a rainbow luster.
"Chirp..."
Instantly, a young bird flew out. Its wings flapped, stirring up a strong gust of wind that rattled the windows and immediately broke through the roof, soaring into the sky.
All of this unfolded in slow motion, like a movie, awe-inspiring.
Zhou Yan was surprised to find that as soon as the young bird left the nest, a blurry phantom figure appeared, solidifying into substance. It was the old man.
At this moment, the old man sat cross-legged, forming hand seals. His finger movements were subtle and complex, appearing slow but actually fast, finally stopping at one point.
Then, the old man extended his palm and struck down, the hand seal merging into the young bird's body.
Buzz buzz...
In an instant, the young bird flapped its wings and flew higher and higher, eventually disappearing from sight.
"Alas."
The old man sighed and shook his head. "Young man, you have very bad luck. Newborn chicks are the easiest to tame, so I took the liberty of adopting one."
As he spoke, the old man looked around and muttered softly, "Over the years, no one but me knows of this place."
"It's a pity, my life is nearing its end. I probably won't last a few more days..."
"Never mind, when I pass away, this secret will naturally be kept forever..."
As he spoke, the old man's figure gradually faded, becoming ethereal, and disappeared into the distance...
"Whoosh..."
At this moment, a black shadow shot in from outside the window and landed on the table. It was two black butterflies, each about the size of a palm.
The butterflies flapped their wings, then flew out the window again, landing on the table and continuing to flap their wings as if searching for something.
"Huh? These two little butterflies are a bit strange."
Zhou Yan pondered, his attention focused on the butterflies. Suddenly, he noticed that at the tail of the two butterflies, there was a faint golden thread.
The golden thread was slender, with a metallic luster, and very conspicuous, resembling Zhou Yan's hair.
"Hiss!"
Zhou Yan gasped, his heart pounding with surprise and apprehension. His heart beat faster. "Could it be that these two butterflies are the gift from that mysterious expert?"
"No matter what, these two butterflies won't harm me, so why not?"
As the thought crossed his mind, Zhou Yan took out two pieces of talisman paper and stuck them on the backs of the black butterflies, saying softly, "Please stay here for now. Once I settle down, I'll find someone to get you a good mother."
The black butterflies flapped their wings, as if they understood, and then flew away, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
"What beautiful butterflies."
Saying this, Zhou Yan stroked his chin and mused, "Perhaps I can ask someone to help me create a batch of 'Jade Pattern Spirit Butterflies' for sale."
He acted on his thoughts immediately. Zhou Yan paid and found a shop, asking the owner to help order materials.
Soon, the supplies arrived one after another. Zhou Yan selected materials suitable for making jade talismans and prepared to start working.
"Huh? Zhou Yan, why are you buying so many materials?" the shopkeeper asked curiously.
"Heh, I'm just bored and want to try it out," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
In fact, the shopkeeper didn't know that Zhou Yan wanted to make talismans and refine talisman ink to enhance their spiritual energy.
In the cultivation world, talismans were divided into five stages: beginner talisman ink, intermediate talisman ink, advanced talisman ink, talisman treasure, and the Grandmaster of Talismans, the Talisman Saint.
Talisman brushes were used to draw talismans with talisman ink. Talisman ink was divided into ordinary talisman ink, infused with spiritual energy; low-grade talisman ink, possessing mortal spirituality; intermediate talisman ink, possessing spirituality; and high-grade talisman ink, containing runes and embodying mysterious power.
To make talismans, ordinary talisman ink had to first be refined into ordinary talisman paper, and then intermediate talisman ink had to be burned into ashes with spiritual fire before it could be used to draw spiritual talismans.
This was the second step, called 'guiding ink'.
"I see. Then I wish you success in creating talisman ink."
The shopkeeper offered a kind compliment and then walked away to attend to other matters.
A moment later, Zhou Yan took out his talisman brush, inkstone, and various materials.
"The talisman brush and inkstone are of ordinary quality. They should be successful."
Zhou Yan pondered, adjusted his mood, focused his mind, and wielded the brush tip, dipping it in cinnabar before vigorously applying it.
"Swish swish..."
The brush moved like a dragon and snake, its strokes sharp as knives, completed in one go.
"Whoosh..."
As the strokes were drawn, a brilliant radiance flashed, and complex patterns appeared on the talisman paper.
Zhou Yan quickly copied a portion of it and tucked it into his bosom, a bright smile on his face, muttering to himself, "The talisman ink is done. Only the talisman paper is left."
"I hope this turtle shell talisman paper won't disappoint me..."
Along the way, Zhou Yan had flipped through ancient texts and knew a little about talisman paper.
Talisman paper was the ancestor of talismans.
Legend had it that in ancient times, talisman masters were prevalent and could use talisman paper to draw talismans to attack magical artifacts, elixirs, magical tools, and spirit pets...
Talisman paper, made from special materials, was tough and durable, and expensive. Not only was it scarce, but its production was also difficult and costly.