Chapter 101: A More Efficient Way to Demolish

The next morning, Chen Xiyi returned to the inn with a small bundle of yellow paper and cinnabar. The entire city was under martial law.

When he came back, Bai Jun was just waking up and was in the main hall of the inn, having plain rice porridge with a few managers.

Seeing Chen Xiyi enter, he quickly waved him over to join them.

Chen Xiyi didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down. The inn attendant was very perceptive and brought him a bowl of plain rice porridge.

“How was your sleep last night?” Bai Jun asked mysteriously.

“Not bad. How did your outing go last night?” Chen Xiyi asked in return.

“Ah, don’t mention it. The first part was great, but then something happened. This whole Dongtai City is under martial law now. Our departure will probably be delayed. Who knows if the lockdown will be lifted in ten days.” Hearing Chen Xiyi’s question, Bai Jun’s face fell.

For the merchant caravan, this meant significant costs.

The Bai Family Caravan had to cover all expenses for food, lodging, and other necessities for the entire group. Of course, any additional personal spending by caravan members in Dongtai City was their own business.

Besides the cost of feeding people and horses, there were also fees like warehouse rental. These were no small expenses.

“Martial law? Why the martial law? Is a war about to start?” Chen Xiyi was somewhat puzzled. It couldn’t be because he demolished seven or eight small villas and courtyard houses last night, could it? That seemed impossible.

“No way. Commander Xu’s strength in this area is top-notch.” Bai Jun said, giving a thumbs-up. He seemed very confident in Commander Xu’s capabilities.

“Oh, then why?” Chen Xiyi gulped down the plain rice porridge noisily, swallowing it all before asking further.

“From what I heard, several wealthy households in the city had problems. The people who reported it said their houses were eaten by something. If it was just one house, it might be nothing, but several families experienced this. That’s serious.” Bai Jun didn’t hide anything and told him directly.

Chen Xiyi thought, “Oh no,” inside. So it really was because of his actions that the city was locked down under martial law.

“So, what likes to eat houses?”

“How should I know? But they’re all targeting those luxurious mansions. We don’t need to worry. If you don’t have anything to do, you should go out and stroll around more. By the way, when did you go out this morning? Why didn’t you wander longer?” Bai Jun took the opportunity to inquire about Chen Xiyi, seemingly changing the subject.

“Well, it’s mealtime. I came back for breakfast and will rest a bit before going out again.” Chen Xiyi was also vague, deliberately ignoring the question about when he left.

He couldn’t very well say he hadn’t returned all night.

Because Chen Xiyi had always stayed in the carriage reading books during the journey, he appeared somewhat reclusive in the caravan. Some people probably knew him, but their impression was likely still that of a rather solitary scholar hitching a ride. So, apart from Bai Jun, others in the caravan didn’t pay much attention to Chen Xiyi.

Therefore, no one knew he hadn’t returned last night.

As for the innkeeper and attendants, they didn’t have the mind to bother about Chen Xiyi. The Bai Family Caravan had booked the entire inn, and the number of people kept them too busy. So they also didn’t know Chen Xiyi hadn’t come back last night.

“Heh, so you really went out. How were the figures of those ladies at the brothel?” Bai Jun seemed to have misunderstood Chen Xiyi.

Chen Xiyi felt a black line form on his forehead. “I don’t know. I haven’t tried them. Maybe you can go try later and share your experience with me?”

“No problem, I’ll share it with you then. Maybe if you go after me and mention my name, you can get a discount. Anyway, I’ve got to go; I have an appointment with Young Master Xu for tea.” Bai Jun rinsed his mouth with tea and left the inn with several guards.

Young Master Xu was Commander Xu’s son.

Chen Xiyi watched Bai Jun leave. His ability was really something; he managed to get connected to Commander Xu’s line in just one night.

“Please take your time, everyone. I’ll go back to rest first.” Chen Xiyi smiled and greeted the managers, then left on his own.

The managers responded politely but didn’t pay much more attention to Chen Xiyi. They were quietly discussing something among themselves.

Chen Xiyi overheard a few bits from afar. They were just discussing how to handle the upcoming situation.

Back in his room, he took out the talisman-making materials.

‘The Object Manipulation Talisman is a broad category. It appears in both the Rogue Cultivator texts and the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters and the Du’e Spirit Child. But the Qi Mechanism used and the effects produced are different.’

‘I won’t consider the ones from the Rogue Cultivator or the Du’e Spirit Child. The Object Manipulation Talismans in those can’t compare to the one in the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters. After all, the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters specializes in environmental Formation Arrays, so its research into the Object Manipulation Talisman is definitely deeper.’

‘The full name of the Object Manipulation Talisman in the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters is the Uncertain Authority Object Manipulation Talisman. Compared to the other Object Manipulation Talismans I’ve obtained, it is stronger in every aspect. Essentially, it’s part of a set. Besides the Object Manipulation Talisman, there are also Mountain-Splitting Talismans, Earth and Stone Talismans, and a series of other talismans used for construction.’

Of course, these talisman names are long because they need to distinguish them from those of other traditions.

The Object Manipulation Talisman in the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters is called the Uncertain Authority Object Manipulation Talisman, while the one in the Du’e Spirit Child is named the Clear Spirit Follow-heart Object Manipulation Talisman.

If the Object Manipulation Talisman from the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters focuses on construction, then the one from the Du’e Spirit Child pays more attention to detail and fine control.

Even though they are all for object manipulation, there are differences.

These differences start from the very beginning, when the Primordial Spirit born from the Qi Refinement and Spirit Cultivation method differs.

Even talismans with the same name can have different emphases and effects. It’s impossible for different traditions to have completely identical talismans or spells.

Chen Xiyi gave a swift flick of his hand. His Primordial Spirit activated the Qi Mechanism required for the Object Manipulation Talisman. As the brush dragged the cinnabar trace on the yellow paper, a freshly made Object Manipulation Talisman was completed.

“It’s drawn so ugly. Will it really work?”

Looking at the crooked runes and the sealed Qi Mechanism within, it seemed successful based on visual inspection.

But his drawing was truly ugly, so ugly that he felt embarrassed to look at it.

This wasn’t surprising. He had never used a brush before, and he hadn’t written anything for ten years. Being able to draw it like this was already quite impressive.

“Based on my reasoning and research, it probably isn’t affected.”

Chen Xiyi knew that the yellow paper, the cinnabar, and even the drawn runes were essentially just carriers. The structure of the Qi Mechanism was the fundamental part.

If it were someone who wasn’t a Qi Refiner, they might have failed. But Chen Xiyi had a Primordial Spirit. As long as he understood the principle, the external appearance didn’t matter.

Although Chen Xiyi thought there was no problem in theory, because it was so ugly, he still needed to test it.

He took out the Alloy Pickaxe, used the Qi Mechanism as an adhesive, and then manipulated it with his Primordial Spirit.

The Alloy Pickaxe flew around under his control.

“Very smooth, and the consumption doesn’t seem high.” Judging from the current Qi Mechanism consumption in the Object Manipulation Talisman, it could probably last about three hours.

He estimated it was because of issues with his drawing, which affected the Qi Mechanism structure and the carrier. It was usable, but not perfect.

If these Object Manipulation Talismans had quality grades, his talisman would be, at best, of poor quality.

So its duration, load capacity, and other aspects were somewhat lacking.

But it was okay. This wasn’t a big deal for Chen Xiyi, or for any Qi Refiner, really.

Making one Object Manipulation Talisman only required him to draw it in one stroke. It wasn’t like those lower-level professions who hadn’t become Qi Refiners yet, who needed specific times, places, and precise techniques to produce one.

“Ugly it is, but it doesn’t stop me from using it, and the cost is very low.”

Both the time cost and material cost were really nothing for Chen Xiyi.

Later, when these tasks were done, he would see if he could make a talisman printing Ritual Implement. Then, he could just add materials and print them continuously. But the difficulty was significant. The printing itself wasn’t the problem; the issue was how to seal the required Qi Mechanism into the talisman and form the necessary structure.

‘I’ll research that when I have time. For now, I’ll draw talismans. Besides those Western-style buildings and courtyard houses, there’s a whole street waiting for me to demolish.’

The talisman printing Ritual Implement wasn’t urgent. He didn’t need it right now, and preparing in advance didn’t apply to this thing yet. After all, for many things besides the Object Manipulation Talisman, he had alternatives.

In just one hour, Chen Xiyi turned all the materials he bought into Object Manipulation Talismans.

Next, Chen Xiyi took out the three basic facilities: the Workbench, the Workshop, and the Furnace, to start making the pickaxes he needed.

Pieces of Iron Ore were put into the Furnace and turned into iron ingots, which were processed again into steel ingots.

Finally, they were made into Alloy Pickaxes.

He made a total of twelve Alloy Pickaxes.

After briefly testing the maximum number he could control with his Primordial Spirit at once, he was somewhat dissatisfied.

Controlling ten Object Manipulation Talismans at once was his limit, and the range was only within one meter.

If he controlled five, it was relatively easy, and the range could expand to ten meters.

For more than five, there was a gradual decline in control, and it became inefficient because using his Primordial Spirit for control definitely consumed energy. However, the consumption was many times less than manipulating objects solely with his Primordial Spirit without the talismans.

‘Then five it is. Although the efficiency might be a bit lower, it’s still much easier than digging with one pickaxe by myself. Plus, the range reaches ten meters, so I can just sit and demolish.’

Chen Xiyi could only accept that.

It was all profit anyway, just more or less.

‘But what about these Alloy Pickaxes? My Primordial Spirit is too weak to extend the Illusion Art that far. If someone sees a bunch of flying pickaxes, it might expose something.’

Chen Xiyi looked at the fox-head Ritual Implement he had taken from Wang Jiu.

He could use this thing to cast spells, but the problem was that the spell targeted people, not the environment. That is, it would make people hit by the spell unable to see the flying Alloy Pickaxes, but it still wouldn’t hide the pickaxes themselves.

The effect was passable, but he was afraid he might get too absorbed in demolishing and not notice someone approaching, which could lead to them being seen.

So, he needed to change it from a spell targeting a person’s Five Senses to one targeting an area, equivalent to entering the illusion as soon as one stepped in.

“Modifying it isn’t difficult, but my half-baked skills might make it somewhat challenging.”

Chen Xiyi’s previous Illusion Art was essentially quite crude; it just relied on overwhelming pressure to bully those who weren’t Qi Refiners.

Moreover, among the two traditions he currently possessed, only the Dragon-Settling Nine Chapters touched upon Illusion Art a bit. The Du’e Spirit Child basically had nothing related to Illusion Art; if it did, it was very simple uses, and more importantly, they required a spirit child.

So he could modify it, but he wasn’t very sure what the final result would be.

It was possible that after modification, it might just break.

“Forget it, I’ll modify it. If I don’t, I’ll have to divide my attention to watch for people anyway.”

This fox-head Ritual Implement was of no use to Chen Xiyi, so it was good to repurpose it. As for the future, he could only deal with it then.

Maybe sometime he would “find” a tradition related to Illusion Art.

After he finished this job, the commotion would definitely be big and would surely draw out the person who set up the formation in Dongtai City.

The homes of the powerful were just the beginning. When that entire night street disappeared, the other party definitely wouldn’t sit still. After all, losing a whole street would affect the entire grand Formation Array in Dongtai City.