Free Web NovelChapter 288: Chapter 287: The Daoists Suddenly Became Important
Johnson flew backward and passed out. The two men from the Taoist Office were a little stunned. Although they had seen the effects of a Celestial Spirit Talisman in videos, experiencing it firsthand was still completely unexpected.
In the eyes of a Cultivator, this blast of Gang Qi, imbued with the Celestial Light of the sun and moon, was as bright as a star. Ordinary people, however, were completely unaware of it; they could only feel the gentle sea breeze.
So, the most shocked person at the scene was none other than the old Daoist with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
He had hurried over just moments before. As he fixed his gaze on Johnson, he kept the cigarette in his mouth, even taking a quick drag.
But after the two Celestial Spirit Talismans sent Johnson flying and knocked him unconscious, he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks. He stared blankly at the middle-aged and young man duo, his mouth slightly agape. The half-smoked cigarette fell from his lips to the ground, unnoticed.
Johnson being sent flying alarmed the nearby passersby. The middle-aged man and the young man both rushed forward to help him up.
"He’s out," the young man said, checking Johnson’s breathing. "Not dead yet."
The middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief. "Good, as long as he’s not dead. Call for backup."
The young man nodded and waved toward the side of the road. A blue and white car drove over, and a few officers got out to help carry Johnson into the vehicle.
Seeing the officers take action, the surrounding crowd relaxed. A few enthusiastic onlookers even came forward to help. The scene was quickly handled, and they watched as the car started up and headed for the nearest hospital.
The middle-aged man and the young man didn’t go with them, remaining at the scene.
"Will it be okay if we don’t go with them?" the young man asked, still a little worried. "What if he wakes up and goes berserk?"
"Don’t worry. Even if he wakes up, he won’t be able to use any techniques for a few months. Let him go recover first. Besides..." The middle-aged man gave a dry laugh and looked at his partner. "We’ve used up our Celestial Spirit Talismans. What good would you be if you went?"
"Huh?" the young man asked in surprise. "You didn’t bring a spare?"
The middle-aged man whipped his head around. "You actually brought a spare? This is such an important item. Aren’t you afraid of getting a formal reprimand if you accidentally waste one?"
The young man pulled a Yellow Talisman, folded into a triangle and smudged with some ash, from his inner pocket. "Compared to a reprimand, my life is obviously more important. Besides, didn’t the briefing say they’re consumed one by one and won’t trigger at the same time?"
The middle-aged man curled his lip and said defensively, "I was just worried about the what-ifs."
As he said this, the middle-aged man felt around in his own inner pocket and pulled out a handful of ash. "Well, what do you know. It really turned to ash. I just felt a bit of heat on my chest a moment ago, no burning sensation at all."
"Me too," the young man said. "And the other Celestial Spirit Talisman right next to it is completely fine."
"A Protective Talisman?" a voice suddenly spoke up behind them, making both men jump.
They whipped around to see an old Daoist with graying hair and a beard standing behind them, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the Yellow Talisman in the young man’s hand.
"Its energy is restrained, drawn but not unleashed. How is that possible?" the old Daoist said in disbelief. "The one who drew this Talisman is a true master! Incredible!"
At this, the old Daoist looked up at the two men. "That foreigner who went flying just now... was it because this Talisman sensed a threat and automatically counterattacked?"
The middle-aged man couldn’t help but swallow. They were well-trained. While they couldn’t claim to be hyper-aware of their surroundings at all times, it should have been impossible for someone to sneak up behind them completely unnoticed.
But not only had this old Daoist appeared behind them out of nowhere, his words were also highly professional. He was clearly a Daoist who had cultivated Inner Breath True Qi, just one who hadn’t been brought in by the Taoist Research Institute yet.
"Greetings, Daoist!" The middle-aged man performed the Meridian Technique salute. "Are you a Daoist from Lao Mountain?"
"Huai Yi of the Golden Mountain Sect. A pleasure to meet you both." The old Daoist cupped his fists in return, his eyes still filled with curiosity.
He could tell that these two were part of "the system." But for people within the system to be carrying a Taoist Talisman that seemed immeasurably powerful even to him—the contrast was just too jarring.
If he weren’t also a member of the Taoist Sect who had cultivated Inner Breath True Qi, he would never have even dared to imagine such a thing.
That was why he couldn’t resist revealing himself to ask about it. Firstly, he wanted to know the origin of this Protective Talisman, and secondly, he wanted to meet the master Daoist who drew it.
"Would it be possible for me to inquire about this Protective Talisman?" Taoist Huai Yi got straight to the point, not wanting to make things difficult for them. "Or, if I wanted to ask about this, which department should I file a report with?"
The middle-aged man and the young man looked at each other, unsure how to answer.
In the end, it was the middle-aged man who spoke. "You’ve also cultivated the Taoist Sect’s Inner Breath True Qi?" freeweɓnøvel.com
"Yes." Taoist Huai Yi nodded and instinctively took a drag, only to realize he didn’t have a cigarette. He then reached into his robes, pulled out a pack of Yuxi, and politely asked, "Smoke?"
"Have one of mine! Have one of mine!" the middle-aged man quickly pressed down on Taoist Huai Yi’s hand. He then pulled a pack of premium cigarettes from his own pocket and respectfully lit one for the old Daoist.
Taoist Huai Yi didn’t stand on ceremony. He took a comfortable drag, blew out a smoke ring, and turned his gaze back to the middle-aged man.
"About that... we do have confidentiality regulations," the middle-aged man said, choosing his words carefully. "But since you’ve already cultivated Inner Breath True Qi, you’ll find out sooner or later. Please be patient."
"Oh?" Taoist Huai Yi raised an eyebrow.
"We’re from the Taoist Cultural Exchange Support Office," the middle-aged man explained. "For the past few months, we’ve been compiling a list of all the Daoists in the country who have cultivated Inner Breath True Qi. Has anyone from our office contacted you before?"
Taoist Huai Yi shook his head. "I’ve been traveling recently. I haven’t met anyone from your department."
The middle-aged man gestured to his partner, who immediately took out a small notebook and started writing. "Taoist Huai Yi of the Golden Mountain Sect. May I ask which temple you cultivate at, and could we get your contact information?"
Taoist Huai Yi was perplexed.
Though a bit bewildered, Taoist Huai Yi still replied, "I cultivate at Taiqing Palace on Lao Mountain. My phone number is..."
The young man nodded repeatedly, jotting everything down.
The middle-aged man, meanwhile, began explaining to Taoist Huai Yi about the Taoist Office’s work in protecting secret scriptures, restricting their transmission to foreign individuals, and so on.
Taoist Huai Yi was utterly flabbergasted. He felt as if he had been transported to a Cultivation World. The Taoist Sect’s scriptures in the palace, the work of passing on the lineage, and even he himself had all suddenly become incredibly important.
"Are you sure you haven’t made some kind of mistake?" Taoist Huai Yi explained. "Although I’ve also cultivated Inner Breath True Qi, I’m not powerful at all. The person who is Drawing Talismans for you is the truly powerful one. It’s like the difference between an elementary schooler and a college student, or the difference between one and ten thousand. They’re both numbers, but they’re several zeros apart!" freewebnoveℓ.com
The middle-aged man smiled meaningfully. "An elementary schooler can grow into a college student. And once you have one, ten thousand isn’t really that far away."
