Blue light flashed, and blood splattered.
Flesh from one side of the brawny bandit's cheek was torn away by a blue glow, revealing his gruesome gums, a truly terrifying sight.
"Damn it! I'll kill you all!"
The burly bandit's face drained of color. This sneak attack nearly cost him his life. He didn't care about the pain anymore and immediately activated a Golden Light Talisman he kept on him, ready for a direct confrontation.
In an instant, golden light shimmered around him, forming a magical energy shield.
"Erniu!"
However, Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu abandoned him without hesitation, both turning their attention to the five initial-stage Qi Condensation bandits in the distance who had been blasted by fireballs and were covered in ash.
"Ah..."
With a cry of agony, Li Erniu and Lin Chang'an charged into the group like tigers among sheep. With their skilled and precise coordination, they instantly killed two bandits.
Li Erniu, who cultivated an earth-elemental technique, swung his broadsword with immense force, while Lin Chang'an's Azure Bamboo Sword artifact moved like a venomous snake striking.
They directly aimed for vital points.
Furthermore, a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator fighting initial-stage Qi Condensation cultivators was an absolute crushing victory.
"Damn it!"
Seeing their ruthless tactics, the burly bandit leader behind them roared in anger and alarm:
"Misunderstanding! Fellow Daoists, this is all a huge misunderstanding, like a flood washing away the Dragon King's Temple!"
The burly bandit clearly mistook Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu for fellow bandits. After all, their extensive experience and methods in ambushes clearly showed they were seasoned veterans.
First, they used a spiritual steed as bait, then suddenly attacked from behind. After forcing him to use his Golden Light Talisman, they unhesitatingly abandoned him and turned to kill the others.
This was because using the Golden Light Talisman would impose some restrictions on movement.
These two were clearly more experienced bandits than he was.
However, in that brief moment, four initial-stage Qi Condensation bandits had already been killed by Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu working together.
Another bandit had been burned to a crisp by the flames moments before.
"Damn it! You local bandits are ruthless!"
Seeing their merciless, swift kills, the burly bandit roared, wasted no more words, slapped on a Divine Movement Talisman, turned, and fled.
He didn't hesitate in the slightest.
Even while fleeing, the burly bandit gritted his teeth, fiercely throwing his storage bag in another direction, while also shouting:
"Fellow Daoists, I admit defeat today!"
In just a short moment, five more corpses lay on the ground.
Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu didn't pursue. Instead, they immediately began collecting the spoils of war.
Lin Chang'an used his outer garment to pick up the storage bag the bandit had thrown away, and then the two of them mounted their spiritual steeds and left the scene.
Two hours later, after confirming no one was following them, they finally relaxed.
"Brother Lin, that person is a veteran."
"Indeed. When he fled, he didn't head towards our spiritual steeds; instead, he escaped into the mountains. This shows his extensive experience. If we had pursued, there might have been a trap."
If they could set an ambush and counter-kill, their opponents could also set traps.
After all, they were both rogue cultivators from the lower ranks; none of them lacked rich combat experience.
Lin Chang'an felt a bit of regret because he had also set a trap on the spiritual steed.
Having struggled in the cultivation world for so many years, their cultivation might have advanced slowly, but the art of survival had long been ingrained in their bones.
"Brother Lin, these five people actually had forty-two spiritual crystals! It's a shame there wasn't a single artifact."
After checking the spoils of war for traps, Li Erniu excitedly pulled out a handful of spiritual crystals.
Lin Chang'an also inspected the storage bag. Sure enough, it was poisoned.
After using magical energy to blow away the poisonous powder on the storage bag, and with both of them mentally prepared, the storage bag was indeed empty.
"Brother Lin, this person is very cunning."
Li Erniu looked on with resentment, "He clearly doesn't know how many people he's harmed."
Lin Chang'an nodded slightly, "This person is at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. If we had fought him head-on, we might not have fared well."
Being a bandit was indeed a primary way to get rich, but wealth came with risk, and it could also be lost with risk.
Although the storage bag was empty, the storage bag itself was worth three spiritual stones.
However, the next moment, Lin Chang'an tossed the cleaned storage bag over to him.
"Brother Lin, this!"
Looking at the storage bag in his hand, Li Erniu scratched his head awkwardly, while Lin Chang'an teased him:
"Didn't you say before that maybe one day you'd have a storage bag? Look, here it is."
Facing the teasing, Li Erniu scratched his head awkwardly, but he grinned at the storage bag, playing with it admiringly.
He couldn't bear to buy a storage bag himself, but finding one like this was different.
"Erniu, when we go back, remember to exchange this storage bag for another one, to avoid being recognized."
"Don't worry, Brother Lin."
They had both been disguised on their journey, so they weren't afraid of being recognized.
But a storage bag was hard to say; who knew if it had any hidden markings that might be recognized by acquaintances.
Therefore, items obtained from bandits should be quickly spent to avoid being traced by observant people.
Li Erniu received the storage bag and also gave the forty-two spiritual crystals from their spoils to Lin Chang'an.
Lin Chang'an didn't refuse. Even between the best of friends, it was better to clearly separate interests when it came to money.
The exchange of spiritual crystals for spiritual stones inherently involved an markup.
Just as Erniu was about to return the Golden Light Talisman and the Divine Movement Talisman, Lin Chang'an didn't take them back. Instead, he said:
"Be careful on the way back. We'll talk about it when we return to the market. And Erniu, I'll need you to ask about the conditions for being an external talisman master for the Zhou family."
Li Erniu scratched his head awkwardly. As a son-in-law living with the wife's family, he didn't have the standing to negotiate terms.
"Then, Brother Lin, I'll go back and inquire for you."
Lin Chang'an smiled and nodded. He naturally knew that his abilities, while perhaps envied by ordinary rogue cultivators, were nothing in the eyes of an established Foundation Establishment clan like the Zhou family.
Unless he possessed the ability to craft first-grade superior talismans, he wouldn't receive special courtesy from the Zhou family or be hired as an elder.
Elders and external talisman masters were not to be confused.
The two finally returned to Green Bamboo Mountain Market without incident.
This time, Lin Chang'an noticed that the number of cultivators in the market had increased significantly.
The gathering of unfamiliar cultivators, while bringing more excitement and business opportunities to the market, also brought instability.
Erniu returned to the Zhou family, first returning the spiritual steed, then heading straight to the family's administrative office.
A cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, even a first-grade mid-level talisman master, was not important enough to alarm the family's Foundation Establishment ancestors.
"Lin Chang'an, the rogue cultivator who came to the market with you twenty years ago..."
Zhou Antai, a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator over eighty years old with white hair and beard, was currently the Zhou family's steward.
Facing this elder, Li Erniu respectfully nodded repeatedly.
"Grandpa Zhou, Brother Lin was able to craft excellent first-grade inferior Golden Light Talismans a while ago, and he has now broken through to the fourth level of Qi Condensation."
Li Erniu reported in meticulous detail, because a Foundation Establishment clan like the Zhou family wouldn't easily recruit outside cultivators.
They wouldn't be negligent on the most basic identity checks, unless you were a first-grade superior talisman master.
Only with ability could one enjoy special privileges.
"This person's background is indeed clean."
Zhou Antai stroked his white beard, nodding secretly. He had been diligently cultivating for the past twenty years and hadn't caused any trouble.
After confirming his identity, Zhou Antai nodded and instructed:
"Alright, since this person is interested, then have him come tomorrow."
"Thank you, Grandpa Zhou."
Li Erniu beamed with a smile upon hearing this, repeatedly cupping his hands in gratitude.
Zhou Antai smiled at this scene. Among the sons-in-law living with the family, he liked Erniu the most, not just because his descendant had married Erniu.
The main reason was Erniu's honest nature, without so many tricks and turns.
Just as Erniu was about to take his leave, Zhou Antai reminded him:
"Erniu, the market has been a bit unstable lately. If you have nothing to do, stay out of trouble. Also, your storage bag, change it for one from the family when you go down, to avoid being targeted at this sensitive time."
"Yes."
Erniu happily withdrew, not only because of the storage bag but, more importantly, because Lin Chang'an's matter was settled.