I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Book 2: Chapter 53: The Talisman in Blood

Vol 2 Chapter 53: The Talisman in Blood

Zheng Fa was not some kind of bloodthirsty maniac.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

The reason he was so interested in this man’s blood stemmed from a shocking discovery—there were talisman patterns in it!

When the disciples from Uncle Master Pang’s lineage had captured him, the man had been on the verge of death. If not for the faint warmth still lingering in his chest, he might have already been buried.

When Zheng Fa first saw him, his limbs were ice-cold and rigid, his breath so weak it was barely perceptible. Black-red blood had trickled from his lips.

He had hesitated.

Should he even save this man?

The innkeeper had described him as a bit of a fool, sure.

But he was a disciple of the Great Freedom Demon Sect. Whether his words had been genuine or an act was uncertain.

And even if he was dumb enough to actually admire Jiushan Sect, Zheng Fa could not fully trust someone from the Demonic Path—not when the Demon Ancestors had complete control over their descendants.

The senior brothers had brought him back mainly to extract information.

Even Zheng Fa—who had been raised in modern society—knew better than to extend kindness toward a member of the Demonic Path.

They had confined the man to a remote house, far from the sect’s core, covered in restrictive talismans to prevent any unexpected incidents.

Then, two days ago...

The man was still unconscious.

Zheng Fa had been practicing Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes, a secret technique from Uncle Master Pang, when he accidentally caught a glimpse of the blood at the corner of the man’s lips—

And made an astonishing discovery.

There were talisman patterns in his blood!

It wasn’t unusual for cultivators to have spiritual energy within their bodies.

But for Jiushan Sect cultivators, spiritual energy was chaotic, only following a structured pattern when actively circulated.

This man, however—his blood itself was circulating energy in the form of talisman patterns.

No... not talismans.

It had taken several days of observation for Zheng Fa to confirm that the patterns in this man’s blood were different from the talismans they carved in void space. Ř₳ɴОBΕs̈

Using the Three-Sub-Talisman Law, he analyzed it:

The Five Elements Sub-Talismans in the man’s blood were exactly the same as regular talismans.

But the other two sub-talisman types were completely different.

The main difference? Quantity and variety.

If he labeled the two unknown sub-talisman types as Type A and Type B, then—

Type A sub-talismans were significantly fewer in variety.

Type B had only two types—and every single talisman in his blood contained them.

This discovery fascinated Zheng Fa.

He suspected this had something to do with the fundamental nature of demonic cultivation techniques.

But there was one major problem—the moment his blood left his body, the talisman patterns would fade within half an hour.

This meant Zheng Fa had to extract fresh samples daily.

To keep the man alive, he had even applied healing talismans.

Either those talismans were too effective, or this man had an unbelievable will to survive—

Because today...

He woke up.

When the young man regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Yuan staring at him.

“What’s your name?” Zheng Fa asked.

The young man remained silent, clearly reluctant to answer. After a long pause, he finally said,

"Lin Bufan."

“Nice surname,” Zheng Fa nodded. “But the name needs work. Drop the ‘Bu’ (Not), and you’ll achieve great things.”

"?"

For the first time, Lin Bufan's dead-eyed face showed a hint of confusion.

"Now that you're awake," Zheng Fa continued, "you should realize that you've been captured by Jiushan Sect."

"You and your companion—what was your objective in coming here?"

The moment he heard this, Lin Bufan's expression shifted.

“What happened to him?” he asked anxiously.

"Dead."

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Yuan exchanged glances—so these two really were close.

Lin Bufan’s eyes dimmed. He had expected this.

"And his body?"

"Cremated. Buried."

Zheng Fa answered frankly.

He had personally insisted on burning the corpse—leaving a body from the Demonic Path lying around was not an option.

“Buried by the riverbank where he died.”

"Cremated..."

A New Perspective on Talisman Theory

But Zheng Fa didn’t dare investigate further.

He didn’t even dare draw the sub-talisman.

Because who knew—

What if it summoned a Demon Ancestor?

A Breakthrough in Talisman Seals

"Junior Brother!"

A panting Li Nuo ran toward Zheng Fa, shouting excitedly.

"I did it! I did it!"

"...Did what?"

Zheng Fa raised an eyebrow, watching Li Nuo’s overjoyed expression.

"I successfully created a talisman seal!" Li Nuo beamed. "A Spirit-Nurturing Talisman Seal!"

"...Seriously?"

Zheng Fa was genuinely shocked.

He hadn’t expected much—after all, Li Nuo’s father had died in an explosion just to create one talisman seal.

Yet, after less than a month of research, they already had results?

"What's the cost?" Zheng Fa asked.

"...No cost!"

"?"

"You remember how you drew blood from that guy earlier? Well, I asked for some and tried using his blood."

"..."

"And it worked!"

Zheng Fa turned to look at Lin Bufan’s room, his thoughts deepening.

"Just his blood?"

"At least, it doesn’t work with Jiushan Sect disciples' blood," Li Nuo replied with certainty.

"You actually tested that?"

Zheng Fa's eyes widened.

"Well, when I couldn’t afford spirit beast blood, my father and I used our own."

Zheng Fa fell silent.

That actually made sense.

If there was one major difference between Demon Sect blood and Jiushan Sect blood—

It was the talisman patterns inside.

"Junior Brother, demon sect heretics deserve to be wiped out!" Li Nuo’s eyes gleamed with righteous fervor.

"Their blood is worthless!"

"..."

Well.

Compared to spirit beasts, Demon Sect disciples had way too many advantages—

Spirit beasts required careful breeding, constant nourishment, and extreme care.Demon Sect disciples? They could eat, sleep, and cultivate on their own.

In the past, when the Immortal Sects fought against the Demonic Path, they simply killed their enemies.

After all, the risk was high, and the rewards were low.

But now...

This was actually beneficial to righteous cultivation.

Thinking about it that way, Zheng Fa suddenly understood why Li Nuo was so excited.

There was just one problem...

A Consult with the Sect Master

"Master," Zheng Fa asked as he sat in the Sect Master’s grass hut, "if someone grows a spirit plant for centuries, and we harvest it—will they come for revenge?"

"...Who?"

The Sect Master thought for a moment, then asked suspiciously,

"Did you mess with Uncle Master Pang’s Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo? That would be unwise. He treasures that thing. As long as it's not dead, just return it to him."

"...No, Master, I’m talking about the Demonic Path."

"Oh. The Demonic Path? Why should we be polite to them?!"

The Sect Master slapped his chest proudly and declared,

"The Immortal and Demonic Paths do not coexist! There’s no need for honor! If anything happens, you have me—your Master! I’ve slain my fair share of demon cultivators!"

"Alright then..."

Zheng Fa grinned, reassured by his master’s shamelessly protective attitude.

"So, tell me—whose ‘spirit plant’ are you planning to cut down?"

"Oh, no big deal—just the Great Freedom Demon Sect’s Demon Ancestor."

The Sect Master fell into deep silence.

After a long pause, he slowly said,

"...How about I uproot Uncle Master Pang’s Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo and give that to you instead?"

"......"

"I told you—disciples are nothing but trouble! Each one more reckless than the last!"