I have a composite mirror

Chapter 43 [Zhen·Soul Devouring]

"Junior Song."

Bai Cailing stepped forward and greeted them.

The young man looked up and saw Bai Cailing, and quickly bowed:

"Senior Bai! You're here too?"

Bai Cailing smiled and waved her hand, then pointed at Gu Shenyan:

"This is junior student Gu Shenyan. He recently wanted to learn how to draw talismans and needs some materials."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingyuan's gaze fell on Gu Shenyan, and he carefully examined him.

"So it's Brother Gu. I am Song Qingyuan. I have long admired your name."

"Since Senior Sister Bai brought Brother Gu along, then he's one of us."

He pointed to the items on the table:

"These talisman materials are all old items that I've accumulated at home."

"To my shame, my father was once a prominent figure in the provincial capital's talisman world, known as 'Song Yibi' (Song the One-Stroke Master)."

Unfortunately, some unforeseen events occurred later, and the family fortunes declined.

"These materials are all from those stockpiles from back then, and they've been stored in the warehouse ever since."

"I took it out this time to exchange for some money to supplement my household expenses."

As he said this, a hint of self-deprecation crept into his voice:

"After all, there are three younger siblings in the family who need to go to school, and the expenses are considerable."

So that's why Bai Cailing brought me here.

Since the Song family is a family of talismans and incantations, the quality of these materials is naturally guaranteed.

Moreover, the price will be cheaper when dealing with surplus old goods.

"This is 'Spirit Yellow Paper'."

Song Qingyuan began by introducing:

"It is made by mixing mulberry bark and paper mulberry bark, and it takes forty-nine processes to become paper."

"The paper also contains a little bit of herbal juice, making it perfect for drawing talismans."

"If you can successfully draw a talisman on ordinary yellow paper once out of ten attempts, that's considered pretty good."

"Using this spirit yellow paper can increase the success rate."

He pointed to the stacks of papers in front of him:

"There are three hundred here, divided into three stacks, each stack costs one dollar."

Gu Shenyan picked up a sheet and examined it carefully.

The paper is indeed exceptional, with fine fibers and excellent toughness.

He ran his fingernail across it lightly, but it didn't leave a mark.

Gu Shenyan nodded and said to Song Qingyuan:

"I'll take all three stacks of paper."

Upon hearing this, Song Qingyuan's face lit up with joy: "Thank you!"

The three oceans also represent a decent income for him.

Gu Shenyan paid the money and then looked at the cinnabar next to him.

"This is 'Spiritual Sand'."

Seeing that there was still business, Song Qingyuan quickly introduced:

"It is made by using the finest cinnabar, adding realgar, orpiment, musk, and more than a dozen other medicinal materials, and undergoing special processing."

"The talismans drawn with this spiritual sand are not only more effective, but also last longer."

"Each bottle weighs three qian (approximately 15 grams) and costs one jiao (approximately

Gu Shenyan picked up a bottle and uncorked it.

A faint medicinal fragrance wafted out, and the cinnabar was bright red, like blood, with fine and uniform particles.

He bought three bottles of spirit sand, spent three silver dollars, and then bought several wolf-hair brushes.

In addition, I bought some auxiliary materials, such as yellow mounting paper, paperweight, inkstone, and ink sticks...

All in all, it cost several dollars.

By the time he had bought all the materials, he had spent a considerable amount of money.

In total, the materials for the talismans alone cost nearly ten silver dollars.

But these are all necessities, and none of them can be omitted.

Gu Shenyan packed everything away, secretly making plans in his mind.

He brought a total of fifty silver dollars with him on this trip, and now he has about forty silver dollars left.

The exchange will continue.

A little while later, a slight commotion came from the other side of the hall.

Everyone looked over and saw a young man in a brocade robe slowly walking towards the table.

He was carrying an exquisite sandalwood box with copper clasps, which looked quite sophisticated.

"It's Duan Yulou!"

Someone in the crowd whispered.

"I heard that the second young master of the Duan family has brought a lot of good stuff this time."

Princess Bai then added from the side:

"The Duan family specializes in making rubbings of the Life Fire Diagram and is quite well-known in the provincial capital."

"Although it can't compare to the official products of the Xuanzheng Division, it still has basic guarantees."

"At most, there may be some incomplete or incomplete parts, but there will be no counterfeit products that have been altered or have problems after being practiced."

In front of the table, Duan Yulou had already opened the sandalwood box.

Inside the box, there were more than a dozen scrolls neatly arranged, each wrapped in silk.

"Please take a look, everyone."

The young man unrolled the first scroll.

On the scroll is a monster that looks like an ape but has tiger teeth.

The monster was entirely black with red streaks, its eyes were scarlet, and it was surrounded by a chilling aura.

【Crimson Ferocity - Soul Devourer】

[Life Fire Divine Power: Soul Devouring - Can devour living souls and strengthen baleful energy]

[Rank: Fierce]

"This is a rubbing of the life fire diagram of 'Crimson Ferocity,' which is a hybrid descendant of 'Ferocity.'"

Duan Yulou's voice was steady:

"The Pureblooded Ferocious is a powerful demon of the Fiend level, according to the Classic of Mountains and Seas:"

"The 'Zheng' is described as resembling a leopard with five tails, its cry like that of an infant, and it devours people."

"Although this is a rubbing, it is still quite valuable."

As soon as the words were spoken, someone's eyes lit up.

"How much does this painting cost?" someone couldn't help but ask.

"Since it's just a rubbing, I only ask for forty silver dollars, or you can exchange it for something of equal value," the young man said calmly.

Upon hearing this, everyone hesitated.

Forty silver dollars is no small sum.

Moreover, this is just a rubbing, not the original.

"Looks good but is useless."

Bai Cailing's voice rang out:

"The 'Soul Devouring' of the 'Zheng' is its core life flame."

"The core life flame is the final link before the true form is formed, and it has always been strictly guarded by the major sects, never to be leaked out."

"The rubbing in his hand is most likely an incomplete version that came from some channel."

Even if you buy it, it's hard to tell if it's genuine or fake.

Gu Shenyan felt a chill run down his spine.

Upon closer inspection, he indeed found that the scroll was painted with remarkable realism.

However, the edges of the pattern are somewhat blurry, as if someone had deliberately erased part of it.

Even more frightening is that the annotations beside the illustrations are incomplete, consisting of only a few words, which are completely inadequate to guide practice.

Seeing that no one responded, Duan Yulou became somewhat anxious and unrolled a second scroll.

On the scroll, there is a strange bird that looks like an owl.

The bird was entirely bluish-gray, with its wings spread wide, and a faint, eerie breeze swirled around it.

【Owl - Night Walk】

[Life Fire Divine Power: Night Travel - Allows one to conceal oneself in the darkness, appearing like a ghost or phantom]

[Rank: Fiend]

"This is a rubbing of the 'Owl's' life fire diagram."

He continued his introduction:

"The owl is an ominous bird, often appearing at night, and those who see it are said to suffer misfortune."

"This picture is priced at thirty-five silver dollars."

Despite being a higher-ranking demon of the Fiend level, no one responded.

Gu Shenyan understood.

The life fire diagram of a Fiend-level demon may sound impressive, but it is ultimately just a non-core component.

Even if you buy it, without the core life fire, it's difficult to condense a complete demonic form. In fact, the core life fire diagrams of those ferocious demons are more practical.

"I want that 'Soul Devouring' Life Flame Diagram!"

A young man in a dark blue long gown stepped forward and took out forty silver dollars.

Duan Yulou accepted the money and handed the Life Fire Diagram to the other party.

Seeing that someone had taken the lead, others followed suit.

Duan Yulou then unrolled two more scrolls, namely "Cracked Bear - Rigid Body" and "Jade Scorpion - Venom".

The Rending Bear is a hybrid offspring of the 'Bear'; the Jade Scorpion is a continuation of the 'Scorpion Spirit' bloodline.

Its rank isn't high, but its advantage lies in being the core life force.

Moreover, the origins of these demons are all traceable, and their authenticity can be verified by paying money to the "Mysterious Administration Bureau".

Soon, several people stepped forward to select a suitable Fire Chart.

Gu Shenyan watched quietly from the side, showing no interest in the life fire diagrams related to fire, poison, and strength.

Just as he was feeling disappointed, he suddenly heard Bai Cailing say:

"Wait a moment, there's no need to rush."

"Given Duan Yulou's personality, most of what he brought out in the beginning were ordinary items, used to test the market."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shenyan suppressed his impatience and continued to wait.

Sure enough, after those few fierce-level life-fire diagrams were sold...

Duan Yulou looked around, seemingly to confirm how many people were still willing to buy.

He pondered for a moment, then took out a scroll from his pocket.

This time, however, he appeared to be exceptionally cautious.