Above the Great Dao

"I'll take them all."

The brocade-clothed guard said, "But that's still not enough. You're a Talisman Master?"

Chen Shi hesitated a bit, then nodded. Although he did not possess the Divine Embryo and was unable to retain Mana, as long as he stimulated the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, he was still capable of crafting talismans.

The brocade-clothed guard ordered, "You follow me and draw some extra Peach Talismans on the spot!"

Chen Shi was still hesitating when the brocade-clothed guard threw a large ingot of Silver at him, a horseshoe-shaped ingot, weighing, upon estimation, a fifty taels.

Chen Shi had never seen such a large piece of silver before, so he immediately grabbed his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, packed them in his book box, and called out to Black Pot, asking, "Where shall I draw them?"

The brocade-clothed guard glanced at Black Pot with a hint of surprise and said, "Follow me."

Chen Shi hoisted his book box on his back and followed the guard. The two headed out of the village along a road that led into the mountains. Chen Shi asked with confusion, "Young Master, where are we headed?"

The brocade-clothed guard laughed, "Don't call me Young Master. My name is Li Guang, and I serve my family's young master. Of course, we're headed into the mountains. My young master is on a hunting expedition in the mountains and has already set up camp. He intends to win the favor of several young ladies, hence the need for more Peach Talismans."

"I see."

Chen Shi suddenly realized and said, "May I ask how to address your young master? I wouldn't want to show any discourtesy when meeting him."

The brocade-clothed guard Li Guang replied, "My family's young master's family name is Li, a prominent household in Water Buffalo County."

Chen Shi's eyelid twitched and his heart raced violently, his voice becoming somewhat hoarse, "The Li Family from Water Buffalo County? Could this Young Master Li possibly be Li Xiaoding, Scholar Li?"

His voice trembled slightly.

Fortunately, Li Guang did not notice and inquired, "You've heard of my young master's reputation?"

Chen Shi quickly steadied his emotions and replied with his head lowered, "Scholar Li secured the top position in the village examination, who wouldn't know of his name?"

Li Guang laughed heartily, "Although my young master did well in the examination, his true level... heh heh, is merely the result of coming from a noble background."

Chen Shi's heart continued to thump wildly, with blood buzzing in his head.

Li Xiaoding of Water Buffalo County was precisely the young master the purple-clad lady from the Zhao family mentioned, the one who had robbed him of his Divine Embryo, reducing him to a cripple!

He originally ranked first in the county examination, destined for a bright future, but was secretly attacked by a high-level expert from the Li Family, who pried open his skull and stole his Divine Embryo!

From then on, Young Master Li's career soared, while he was left disabled, drinking medicinal concoctions and taking medicinal baths daily, occasionally experiencing the excruciating pain as if a ghostly hand was squeezing his heart, to the point where even his father, Chen Tang, no longer acknowledged him as his son!

He had even forgotten all of his past memories, not even knowing who his own mother was!

Over these days, he had pondered countless times about revenge, fantasizing about dismembering Young Master Li. Now, the opportunity for vengeance had finally arrived! "It's just that I am still a cripple, without True Qi, unable to utilize spells... but Grandfather once said that my physique has become sufficiently robust, able to defeat Government Officials in the Divine Embryo Realm. As long as I don't give them the chance to use their spells, I might be able to kill Young Master Li!"

A fierce aura surged through Chen Shi, but he was still somewhat uneasy, "Can I truly kill a Cultivator in the Divine Embryo Realm?"

These past few days he had practiced the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, yet was unsure of how far he had progressed, feeling absolutely uncertain about his ability to kill Li Xiaoding.

Before realizing it, he followed Li Guang into the mountains.

The campsite chosen by Li Xiaoding and the others was situated between hills, with water flowing from the mountains, larger than a stream yet not quite a river.

The first thing that caught his eye was four Mongolian yurts, three white and one yellow, along with four fine horses.

The three brocade-clothed guards had removed their upper garments, remaining in their sweat-soaked lappets, as they dug trenches and set up cheval de frise, seemingly intent on constructing a small fort for an overnight stay in the mountains.

They felled trees using their spells, stripped branches away, and Chen Shi glimpsed faint arc-shaped lights flashing in the air, almost invisible, only to see the air ripple slightly before trees as thick as the mouth of a basin fell. He couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

"Grandfather was right; against spells, I would be dead with a single move," he thought to himself.

Spells were hard to see and even harder to dodge.

Two guards dressed in brocade were setting up a barbecue stand, arranging some fruit on it.

Another guard was fiddling with a weapon rack that held an assortment of short knives, long spears, crossbows, and the like.

In front of the yellow Mongolian yurt were several lounge chairs, with parasols hanging above to block the sunlight.

On the middle lounge chair was a young man with his robe open, chubby, weighing around 300 pounds. He wore a blue robe, half-unbuttoned, with a white undergarment that was also undone, revealing his snow-white flab.

"He must be Li Xiaoding, the young master of the Li family!"

Chen Shi's eye twitched slightly. The camp was not large. The three guards by the palisade stakes were only about ten paces from Li Xiaoding; the two by the barbecue stand were about a pace and a half away, and the guard by the weapon rack was even closer, less than ten feet away.

Six guards, plus the one leading the way, made seven in total.

Seven individuals capable of killing him with a single move!

Should these seven utilize their spells, he would certainly die!

"Master, the Talisman Master has arrived." Li Guang bowed and smiled, "We're running low on Peach Talismans, so I took the liberty of having him come to the camp to draw them on the spot."

Chen Shi's heart pounded wildly, lowering his head, worried that Li Xiaoding might recognize him.

After all, it was his Divine Embryo that Li Xiaoding had harvested.

The portly Li Xiaoding raised his head, surprised to see that the Talisman Master was just a boy in his teens. His gaze then fell on Black Pot following behind Chen Shi, and he exclaimed in astonishment, "There's also a dog! Whistle, whistle! Come here!"

Black Pot wagged his tail, head lowered, and bashfully approached Li Xiaoding.

Li Xiaoding threw a piece of meat, and Black Pot, face to the ground and grinning widely, wagged his tail furiously, the epitome of fawning.

"This dog is great!" Li Xiaoding laughed heartily, seemingly oblivious to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi felt a sense of relief, mixed with some anger. Li Xiaoding had not recognized him, obviously never having seen him before.

To such a scion of a powerful family, there was no need to recognize the wretch from whom he had taken the Divine Embryo. He just enjoyed the benefits the Divine Embryo brought him. Matters like taking someone's Divine Embryo were handled by others.

Li Guang led Chen Shi to a table to the side, about eighteen or nineteen paces away from Li Xiaoding, and said, "You draw here, make twenty pieces. Young Master, will twenty suffice?"

Li Xiaoding laughed, "The more the merrier! The young ladies from the neighboring Ding and Zhao families of Water Buffalo County are also encamped nearby. If I can win their favor, it could greatly improve my standing within the Li family. Besides, those ladies from the Ding and Zhao families are quite charming and make my heart itch. I must have them all."

He sat up, stroking Black Pot's head and continued with a laugh, "As for you, you'll get your share too. Any excess Peach Talismans are for you. As for the maidservants of the Ding and Zhao families, take them if you can!"

Hearing this, the brocade-clad guards all burst into laughter and worked even harder.

Chen Shi put down his bookbox, took out brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and spread them out, his mind much steadier.

These seven guards had floating footsteps and lacked vital energy, each one hollowed out by indulgence in wine and pleasure. Although they possessed the power to kill Chen Shi with a single strike, they had lost the vigilance that a guard should have!

Chen Shi had followed his grandfather in the mountains for years, encountering many ferocious beasts. Those beasts were calm, composed, their bodies relaxed yet ready to deliver a lethal blow at any moment!

But these seven guards were too relaxed, lacking the alertness of those beasts.

Chen Shi even felt that at any time, he could kill any one of them!

"At such a short distance, I could reach Li Xiaoding in two steps and kill him with one move!"

Chen Shi surveyed his surroundings and dismissed the thought.

After killing Li Xiaoding, he wouldn't have even a moment to escape before the seven guards would bombard him with spells.

Suddenly, a daring idea crossed his mind, "If I'd be killed by those seven after killing Li Xiaoding, then what if I took down all seven guards instead?"