Chapter 25: Indulgence Part 1

Huo Zhi tidied up and opened the door. Outside stood disciples of the Blissful Union Sect. Two low-ranking disciples wore their hair in serpent coils, with decorative forehead ornaments, powdered faces, and peach-blossom cheeks. Large portions of their arms and legs were exposed, and they wore anklets and bracelets with small bells that chimed with a pleasant, crisp sound.

Their escort, Mei’er, was dressed somewhat more ornately, with more complex earrings and hair ornaments. A veil covered her face, but her overall style was similar.

Standing before her, these figures gave Huo Zhi a sense of refreshing coolness, and her mood lifted a little.

The Blissful Union Sect was truly a feast for the eyes.

“These are the handmaidens our Sect Leader instructed us to arrange. These two disciples will remain to serve the honored guests. Also, here are the things we’ve prepared: Talisman Robes, Spirit Food, Calming Incense, Cleaning Talismans, Healing Talismans… If the honored guests require anything else, please let us know.” Mei’er didn’t look too pleased as she spoke.

Huo Zhi looked at what had been prepared. Everything was high-quality and exquisite. The designs, the boxes they were in, the trays they were held on—all were elegant and impeccably classical. Moyi Guihua was quite thorough. Although Mei’er looked unhappy, she didn’t dare disobey Moyi Guihua’s orders. The Sect Leader clearly commanded authority within the sect.

“Thank you very much. I don’t need any attendants. I’m not an honored guest, just someone imposing on your hospitality for a few days before leaving. I apologize for the trouble,” Huo Zhi said politely, not wanting any conflict with the members of the Blissful Union Sect.

“You’ll leave?” Mei’er seemed disbelieving. The Sect Leader, with her status, was treating her like this, and she still planned to leave?

“Yes, I will. It’s just that I currently have nowhere else to go, so I ended up here. Has someone already come looking, or is Qin Ceyi giving your Sect Leader trouble?” Huo Zhi asked, looking at Mei’er.

Mei’er looked at Huo Zhi and paused. She hadn’t expected the woman to ask so directly. Seeing Huo Zhi’s clear, sincere eyes, Mei’er’s anger suddenly diminished somewhat.

This woman had an ethereal, pure fairy-like appearance. Such a rare type was indeed a novelty in the Blissful Union Sect.

“Just tell me, it’s fine. If there’s truly trouble, I’ll leave and think of another way,” Huo Zhi said.

“…You don’t… you don’t need to leave. The Blissful Union Sect already had many enemies. The Sect Leader was previously wounded by two old fogies when saving several female disciples of our sect. This time, to stop Qin Ceyi, she clashed with him repeatedly. She overtaxed her energy, her old injuries recurred, and her condition has worsened. The entire sect has always relied on the Sect Leader to shoulder everything. If something happens to her, what will happen to the ten thousand disciples of our sect?” As Mei’er spoke, she grew worried.

“So that’s how it is. Healing Talismans don’t work on Sect Leader Moyi’s old injuries?” Huo Zhi asked. Moyi Guihua always acted so wantonly and unrestrained; she had no idea she carried such an injury.

The original story never mentioned it. Probably because the Original Male Lead and the author simply didn’t care, so it was never brought up.

“Healing Talismans only heal external wounds. The Sect Leader’s problem is with her meridians. It requires an Earth-Grade Three-Pattern Meridian Cleansing Talisman to repair. But that talisman costs over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Here, it’s priceless and impossible to buy,” Mei’er said.

“Earth-Grade? That is indeed very rare. Mei’er, you don’t need to worry too much for now. I will also think of a way regarding the Meridian Cleansing Talisman. After all, I bear some responsibility for this matter. Sect Leader Moyi has helped us greatly,” Huo Zhi said.

An Earth-Grade talisman… Huo Zhi was currently unable to draw one. Even after reaching the Core Formation stage, it would likely be very difficult. Only a Nascent Soul cultivator could draw one. At her current level, she probably couldn’t even manipulate the talisman materials.

“It’s good that you have the heart. I hope you are as good as your word,” Mei’er paused before speaking. If even the current strength of the Blissful Union Sect couldn’t purchase a Three-Pattern Meridian Cleansing Talisman, what could Huo Zhi, expelled from her sect and hunted everywhere, possibly do? She just hoped Huo Zhi would leave the sect quickly to prevent Qin Ceyi from eventually finding his way here and clashing with Moyi Guihua again.

“I will leave soon. Don’t be so unhappy on my account. I’d feel even more indebted then,” Huo Zhi said. Once Linlang recovered, they would leave together.

“Farewell. If you need anything, instruct the two of them,” Mei’er was startled by Huo Zhi’s words. She quickly composed herself, said this with a stern face, and turned to leave.

“Goodbye, then,” Huo Zhi waved.

She didn’t get a notification for recording a beauty’s Happiness Value, but hopefully, she was feeling a bit better?

Huo Zhi dismissed the two female disciples, telling them to amuse themselves. She fiddled with the items they brought, lit the Calming Incense that could aid mental power recovery, and stayed by Linlang’s side to cultivate.

Previously, Huo Zhi hadn’t cared much about her cultivation level. Her main goal was Linlang’s happiness and her cultivation improvement. Now she saw it clearly: with her low cultivation, Linlang suffered alongside her. She needed to cultivate diligently, break through to the Core Formation Stage, and elevate her level.

Huo Zhi hadn’t cultivated for long before Moyi Guihua returned with people, bringing even more items.

“The talisman materials you requested are all in this Storage Bag. Some are too delicate and require special preservation methods—they can’t be stored in a Storage Bag. They’re all here,” Moyi Guihua said to Huo Zhi after having the items set down.

“Thank you, Sister Moyi. Ah, Sister Moyi, could you have someone label all these items with their names? I don’t recognize some of them,” Huo Zhi said, looking at the items arranged on the table.

“…You don’t even recognize the materials, and you’re planning to draw talismans?! This is pure waste. It would’ve been better to just buy a Spirit Recovery Talisman directly,” Moyi Guihua placed a hand on her forehead.

“I’ve… forgotten some of it. Just confirming,” Huo Zhi felt embarrassed. In this world, she’d only heard the names of these high-level materials, never actually seen them.

Moyi Guihua waved her hand and instructed a disciple to take care of it.

“Take off your clothes. Let me see how your Positioning Talisman is doing. If your previous damage starts forming a circuit again, it’ll be bad luck if that old fellow Qin Ceyi follows it here,” Moyi Guihua said.

“Let’s go into the inner room.” Huo Zhi glanced at the unconscious Linlang and the several low-ranking Blissful Union Sect disciples sorting items, then spoke and walked further inside.

Moyi Guihua looked at Huo Zhi’s retreating back, smiled, and followed.

Once inside the room, Huo Zhi loosened her sash and pulled her clothes down into an off-shoulder style. She swept her hair to the front, letting Moyi Guihua examine the Positioning Talisman on her back.

“Fairy Yuheng, your skin is truly like ice and jade. Even your shoulder blades are exquisitely beautiful. Join the Blissful Union Sect. It’s truly a waste for a beauty like you not to join us,” Moyi Guihua’s voice came from behind Huo Zhi, thick with innuendo.

“Sister Moyi, please address the matter at hand first,” Huo Zhi said. This elder sister always loved speaking so flirtatiously; it made Huo Zhi somewhat embarrassed. It was a good thing she was in her Dao of Ruthlessness state; otherwise, she wouldn’t even know how to speak.

“So pure and upright. Oh dear, I like you even more.” Moyi Guihua laughed coquettishly.

“…Sister Moyi, just take a look already. If Qin Ceyi comes to catch me, I can’t fight him,” Huo Zhi’s forehead creased with dark lines.

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing. Let me see… So you didn’t just scratch your skin to destroy it previously. Your Little Cinnabar Bird has some skill, it seems.” Moyi Guihua examined the Positioning Talisman on Huo Zhi’s back and sighed at a line that looked as if an eraser had been dragged across it.

“How long until it’s restored?” Huo Zhi asked.

“With this level of damage, it could last about two or three days. It’s already repairing itself now,” Moyi Guihua said.

“You said before you could help me completely remove it. Can it be erased entirely, leaving no trace?” Huo Zhi asked. Partially destroying it, leaving a vestige, still felt deeply unsettling.

“Of course. It’s just somewhat troublesome. It’ll take several days, and you’ll have to endure it—it’ll be a bit painful,” Moyi Guihua said.

“No problem. I need to draw talismans every day. In that case, I’ll trouble you, Sister Moyi, for an hour or half an hour each day to remove it. Would that be possible?” Huo Zhi asked.

“It can be done. There’s no need to do anything today; it can still hold. I’m rather curious about your talisman-drawing skills. Profound-Grade talismans are not easy to draw. I barely draw them myself anymore; I just buy them now. Drawing them myself doesn’t even cover the material cost—it’s a waste of time and effort,” Moyi Guihua said.

“I haven’t drawn one before, so I don’t know if I’ll succeed. If I fail and can’t draw them, can the materials all be returned?” Huo Zhi finished adjusting her clothes and turned to ask.

“…Little one, aren’t you being a bit too hasty? Ah, whatever, whatever. You just happen to be my type. The materials can be kept in the sect’s inventory. We do train Talisman Masters within the sect. They’re all just mediocre, though, wasting plenty of materials,” Moyi Guihua said.

“Well then, thank you. I’ll give it a try first,” Huo Zhi nodded.

She truly was a bit uncertain. The Spirit Recovery Talisman was extremely complex.

When she originally designed it, she referenced a diagram of the brain’s neural network, extracted a part of it, and made it into a circular shape.

In terms of demanding precision, she could draw it perfectly identically on a computer, but drawn by hand, each piece would inevitably be slightly different.

Huo Zhi went out and began familiarizing herself with the various materials. She then recalled the pattern of the Spirit Recovery Talisman in her mind and tried drawing a draft on some scrap paper.