Stop grinding, I'm really just a free spirit.

Chapter 10 Cherishing Talent, Beautiful Jade

Chen Bai remained calm, extending two fingers to pinch a miscellaneous talisman and gently shaking it.

The useless talisman that Yueyi had initially underestimated suddenly emitted a warm, faint white light, and a gentle breeze began to blow around it.

This inconspicuous breeze gently swept by, ruffling the stray strands of hair at her temples, and stirring the once serene and tranquil heart of Fairy Yueyi.

The reason was simple: the gentle breeze was none other than the miscellaneous talisman held in Chen Bai's hand.

She stared, dumbfounded, at Chen Bai's slightly twitching brow, and said incredulously:

"Fellow Daoist, could it be that... you have already grasped the essence?"

"That's right... uh..."

Just as Chen Bai was about to reply, a sharp pain shot through his brow.

Even the breath from his mouth and nose carried a slightly salty, bloody odor.

His innate spiritual energy was already excessively depleted, and even with a strong foundation, it couldn't withstand his repeated consumption; after he forcibly activated the talisman once again, it immediately caused a backlash against Chen Bai's physical body.

Suppressing the metallic taste rising in his throat, Chen Bai quickly put down the talisman in his hand, closed his eyes to rest, and thought to himself, "My spiritual energy has been depleted too much; it will probably take several days to recover. Right now, even activating a miscellaneous talisman is a bit of a struggle."

He looked pale as gold paper, with bloodshot eyes, and his whole body seemed weak and listless.

After a brief examination, Fairy Yueyi could tell that these were symptoms of excessive depletion of innate spiritual energy.

As intelligent as she was, how could she not know that the stack of talismans in front of her was probably drawn by this young man at great personal risk, disregarding the loss of his spiritual energy?

He only wanted to show off his talent in front of her... but he was met with cold words in return.

Thinking of this, a complex expression appeared in Fairy Yueyi's beautiful eyes:

"I never imagined that this Fellow Daoist Chen Bai, despite his young age, would possess such astonishing Dao wisdom and be so diligent... It seems I misunderstood him yesterday."

Le Yi immediately recalled Chen Bai's shameless behavior yesterday, how he had quietly "borrowed" a large amount of materials from her while pretending to be oblivious.

"It must have been tough on him!" Le Yi smiled faintly, and the resentment in her heart vanished instantly.

In Le Yi's view, Chen Bai, as a mortal, went to great lengths to seek the Dao, and even dared to take advantage of the "immortals." He also grasped the proper measure and revealed his talent in a timely manner. He was like an uncarved stone that accidentally chipped off a corner, revealing a rare and beautiful jade.

Unbeknownst to her, Fairy Yueyi developed a slight fondness for Chen Bai, and his image gradually became more vivid and complete.

However, this slight goodwill was not romantic love, but rather a result of appreciating his talent.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally stood up, walked to Chen Bai, and extended a slender finger to touch his brow.

He transformed his own wisps of breath into pure spiritual energy, nourishing Chen Bai's nearly depleted innate spiritual light.

With the nourishment of Fairy Yueyi's fetal breathing, Chen Bai's complexion improved significantly and gradually became rosy.

"Hmm."

Chen Bai opened his eyes, and what came into view was Fairy Yueyi's fair and delicate hand, which touched his brow, feeling cool to the touch.

A pleasant, virginal fragrance lingered around the tip of her nose.

More importantly, her flowing sleeves revealed a glimpse of her fair wrist, the allure of which was quite captivating.

For a moment, he was stunned.

"Pah, you...you little scoundrel!"

Fairy Yueyi blushed instantly, withdrew her hand as if electrocuted, and turned her head away, ignoring him.

Chen Bai realized what was happening and hurriedly explained, "Fairy, please let me explain! I didn't mean to, I was just overworked yesterday and was a little out of it..."

Chen Bai was getting anxious, wishing he could slap himself in the face. Why wouldn't he listen to reason?

If he angered Fairy Yueyi, causing the dozens of talismans he had painstakingly drawn to be implicated, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Chen Bai touched his brow, his expression one of delight, and quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Oh? It doesn't hurt anymore! Fairy, you're truly a miracle worker! You were just a moment ago looking dazed, it's really strange..."

Fairy Yueyi watched his performance with a half-smile.

Chen Bai gave an awkward laugh. Seeing that Fairy Yueyi didn't believe him, he then reached out to touch the talisman, trying to prove himself.

"If you continue to be so careless about your health, you may die young next time."

With a wave of her hand and a breath of energy, Fairy Yueyi took the stack of talismans into her hand and spoke in a cold tone.

Chen Bai awkwardly withdrew his hand and obediently sat down.

"You must be short of money right now, right? Is this enough?" Fairy Yueyi casually tossed two spirit stones, which rolled around on the stone table.

Chen Bai's gaze was immediately drawn to the two small stones.

I almost couldn't resist reaching out and taking it.

"But... that stack of talismans seems to be worth more than two spirit stones, doesn't it?"

Chen Bai hesitated for a moment, but he clearly remembered it.

Besides the ten ninth-grade spirit talismans below, I clearly also drew twenty-two miscellaneous talismans that did not reach the grade. Could it be that Fairy Leyi is deliberately punishing me for my previous rude behavior?

"That's a huge sum of money—two spirit stones and twenty-two talisman coins!"

Chen Bai felt heartbroken and thought it over again and again.

He finally gave in:

"Alright, alright, consider it payment for the fairy's medical expenses. Besides, I got to feast my eyes on it..."

Seeing Chen Bai nod silently, Fairy Yueyi was secretly pleased, thinking that he was embarrassed to accept her gift.

"Refusing to accept charity is indeed a sign of the integrity of ancient cultivators."

Fairy Yueyi's beautiful eyes rippled slightly. She raised the stack of talismans in her hand and said, "I will accept these dozens of miscellaneous talismans from you, and consider the extra spirit stones a gift to you."

After saying this, the fairy held her head high and walked away without looking back.

Chen Bai stared in disbelief, then picked up the two spirit stones in humiliation, stammering, "Is this...is this correct?"

Who told him to act "inhumanly" yesterday? Today, he was outmaneuvered by the fairy and turned the tables on him. He deserves it.

"Well, with these two spirit stones, it should be enough to cover the rent."

Chen Bai shook his head with a wry smile and walked out of the courtyard, his steps not as hurried as when he came, but rather more relaxed.

After Chen Bai left, Fairy Yueyi sat in front of the dressing mirror in the main room, glancing out the window, her mind in turmoil.

"I never imagined that such a talented person could exist in this remote and impoverished place."

Such talent in the art of talismans is simply inconceivable—even my cousin, a true disciple of the Seven Emperors Sect known as the "True Seed of Talismanic Arts," is no more than this, is he?

Fairy Yueyi rested her chin on her hand and casually placed the stack of talismans she had collected on the table.

In fact, for those who practice fetal breathing, most of these miscellaneous talismans are already worthless; this is because the fetal breathing within the body can exert profound effects, such as generating fire, attracting wind, and removing dust, etc., which can be achieved by consuming a small amount of fetal breathing.

The fact that Le Yi was willing to spend two spirit stones to acquire these dozens of miscellaneous talismans was simply because she had her eye on Chen Bai's talent and was betting on him in advance.

Thinking this, her gaze naturally fell upon the stack of talismans.

Hidden beneath dozens of miscellaneous talismans, several unusually complex talismans seemed to be revealed...

Fairy Yueyi paused, as if she had suddenly thought of something, and hurriedly pushed it aside, revealing ten clearly different talismans underneath.

That was none other than the [Qi Gathering Talisman] that Chen Bai had painstakingly drawn.

In the dressing mirror, Fairy Yueyi seemed to be petrified, her beautiful face slightly blank. She recalled the words she had just spoken, and her cheeks and ears immediately turned red.

Her lips moved slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with shock, and she murmured, "A ninth-grade spirit talisman..."