The old woman placed a worn leather frame atop the workbench and took out an iron knife. The blade looked dull, but at its tip, dark, dried blood had thinly seeped in.

  “This is the inner hide of a demonic beast. The outer skin has already been removed, and the flesh has been scraped off once.”

  The old woman hooked the leather onto the frame and looked at Li Xin.

  “Now your task is to cleanly remove the remaining flesh.”

  Li Xin accepted the iron knife the old woman handed over. It was quite heavy.

  Starting with real practice right away, huh.

  Once he grew somewhat accustomed to the knife’s weight, Li Xin carefully placed his hand on the leather. The surface was rough. Even with a light press, he could feel a faint trembling response.

  “The demonic beast is dead, but the energy inside it is still alive. Do not stimulate the energy—strip it away carefully.”

  Li Xin slowly regulated his breathing and lifted the knife. Tilting the blade slightly, he began to scrape the surface with steady pressure.

  The thin membrane of blood left on the leather peeled away and wrapped itself around the blade. The subtle vibrations transmitted through his fingertips, the unpleasant stickiness crawling up the knife. As he repeated the motion, a sour stench stabbed at his nose. The blood was still lukewarm, and from within it rose a heat that felt as though something were writhing. When he scraped a little too deep, the leather twitched and trembled faintly.

  “You touched it.”

  The old woman’s brief remark, and then, the energy surged in. His vision blurred, and his heart jolted violently. What burrowed in through his fingertips was the killing intent (殺氣) engraved into the demonic beast’s instincts.

  This is…

  It felt as though the gaping maw of a living demonic beast were right before his eyes. The old woman waved her hand, dispersing the energy. His blurred vision returned to normal. The old woman’s face remained unchanged. She looked calm, as if she had anticipated this situation.

  “Try again.”

  Li Xin wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded.

  “Yes.”

  He lifted the knife again, and drew up his concentration. This time, even slower, even thinner. He relaxed his strength and gently pushed as if merely brushing the surface.

  The energy was still rough, but it no longer rampaged blindly. As long as he did not stimulate it first, nothing happened. Having learned from one mistake, he did not err a second time.

  After several repetitions, the peeling work came to an end. As if there had been nothing there from the beginning, the leather revealed a smooth surface. The old woman nodded with a satisfied expression.

  “You’re better than I expected. Killing intent always digs deeper into those who are afraid.”

  Li Xin silently nodded. This was his first time directly encountering the energy of a demonic beast. Maintaining focus before killing intent, soothing the minute tremors in his fingertips—it was far more difficult than he had expected.

  “Next, we deal with the blood.”

  The old woman took out a small jar from beneath the bench. When he opened the lid, a pitch-black liquid sloshed inside.

  “This is demonic beast blood. It’s already been neutralized by simmering it with medicinal herbs.”

  When Li Xin unconsciously stepped closer, the old woman raised her hand to stop him.

  “Do not touch it carelessly. From now on, you handle it with tools.”

  The old woman took out a thin bronze tube and carefully drew up the blood. She poured it into a small ceramic vessel and added a pinch of colorless powder.

  The instant the powder touched it, the blood churned violently. The dark red liquid writhed as if alive, then smoke rose and it gradually settled down. The color of the liquid slowly shifted to a lighter red.

  “This process calms the residual energy in the blood and allows it to mix with external materials.”

  Li Xin nodded and immediately picked up the tools to follow the same procedure, but his first attempt failed. Because he added too much of the colorless powder, the liquid turned cloudy and soon clumped together thickly.

  “You suppressed the energy, but too much causes the blood to congeal.”

  The old woman gave brief advice. Li Xin reflected on his mistake and tried again. This time, he reduced the amount of powder by half. He also consciously slowed the speed at which he transferred the liquid with the bronze tube. He did not rush, instead focusing on the flow of the material.

  A faint wisp of smoke rose, and the liquid gently swayed. Soon, the red liquid settled clearly.

  “Good. Remember that sensation.”

  Li Xin realized something. Handling the byproducts of a demonic beast was not about controlling its energy, but about understanding and refining it. The demonic beast was already dead, but its blood and hide were still alive. Only by fully accepting these traits could one truly create a Demonic Beast Talisman.

  By the time he finished his work and arrived home, the sun had already set. Due to the tension that had lasted all day, his entire body felt as heavy as a thousand jin. It felt as though traces of demonic beast energy still clung to his fingertips, and his mind was hazy, as if shrouded in fog. Even so, Li Xin immediately picked up his brush. Talisman crafting was Li Xin’s foundation. Even if his body were exhausted to the point of collapse, he never skipped his once-a-day talisman practice. Today was no exception.

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  However….

  First sheet, failure.

  Second sheet, the ink bled.

  Third sheet, the stroke went astray.

  Fourth, fifth, sixth… all failures.

  Failed Warm Heart Talismans piled up one by one on the desk. Li Xin put down the brush and looked at his fingers. They were trembling. Very slightly.

  There’s still energy lingering.

  This was not merely a matter of willpower. The demonic beast’s energy embedded in his body was gnawing at his mind, but Li Xin did not give up. He pushed aside the six failed talismans and picked up the brush again.

  “I can’t collapse over something like demonic beast energy.”

  It wasn’t even a living demonic beast, just the byproducts of a dead one. The Warm Heart Talisman was, by nature, a talisman meant to steady the mind. If the mind wavered, the strokes were bound to go astray. He took a deep breath in, then slowly exhaled. Erasing stray thoughts, suppressing the killing intent, he regained his composure.

  Drawing a stroke is revealing the grain of the heart.

  Slowly, one stroke. After drawing the first stroke, he carefully added the second atop it. Spending far more time than usual, Li Xin finally completed a single Warm Heart Talisman.

  [You have completed a Warm Heart Talisman.]

  [Composure has slightly increased.]

  He felt something subtly settle within his chest. His rough breathing calmed, and his clouded vision cleared. That single success filled Li Xin with confidence.

  Keep going.

  He dipped the brush in ink again and lifted it. Traces of the demonic beast still remained, but perhaps due to the effect gained from the Warm Heart Talisman, his fingertips felt a bit lighter.

  Again, one stroke. This time, he did not fail. Each stroke found its proper place, forming a complete shape.

  [You have completed a Warm Heart Talisman.]

  [Composure has slightly increased.]

  With the second one, he understood clearly. The Warm Heart Talisman was not merely for emotional regulation. The energy flowing out from demonic beasts—the killing intent. It had the power to quietly suppress even that alien energy.

  It might be a better talisman than I thought.

  Killing intent shakes the mind. It stiffens movement and twists the flow of energy. Fear seeps in, judgment grows clouded, and eventually one cannot fully exert their strength.

  But if composure increased? One would not be swayed by killing intent. One would not be afraid. One would regain a shattered center and straighten wavering energy. It did not directly increase combat power, but composure might, in actual battle, exert an even greater effect than any offensive talisman.

  Li Xin quietly closed his eyes. Someday, when he faced an enemy who sought to kill him, this talisman’s effect might become the final shield that supported him.

  ***

  Li Xin repeated the same process day after day. Treating hides, refining blood, becoming accustomed to tools.

  In the process, he came to a realization. That his manual dexterity was quite decent. After watching him for several days, the old woman no longer gave any particular instructions. She merely observed in silence, occasionally nodding. Around that time, Li Xin naturally learned the old woman’s name—Xu Hui.

  He did not know if it was her real name, but that was the name officially registered with the Talisman Union. Within the Union, the rumors about Xu Hui were as follows: She had no close colleagues, no disciples—an isolated figure who valued only herself.

  But Li Xin rather liked that aspect. There was no unnecessary talk, no interference, and it was a structure well-suited for securing practical benefits.

  After registering his name as Xu Hui’s assistant, Li Xin naturally came to understand the internal structure of the Talisman Union as well. The benefits of officially joining the Union were clearly substantial. A wide range of talisman knowledge accessible only to affiliated talisman masters. Rare Talisman Methods unobtainable on the open market, And above all, with enough contribution points, one was even given the chance to learn Child Stroke.

  Child Stroke—mastering it allowed one to create new talismans or gain a deeper understanding of the structure of existing ones. For those who made a living through talisman crafting, it was a dreamlike prospect.

  But what was the price to be paid for those benefits?

  Li Xin shook his head. The Talisman Union was not a simple technical guild. Internally, it was divided into factions, and conflicts of interest with merchant associations were intricately entangled. Joining was not the end of it. Reports, meetings, clerical work, emotional labor, jealousy, surveillance…

  Li Xin did not want to bear such waste. What he wanted was only one thing—Talisman Methods. More specifically, the foundational structure and operating principles of talismans. Although their sale was prohibited by merchant associations due to interest disputes, the classification level of such information itself was not particularly high. It was merely access that was restricted. With a certain level of contribution, such information was often provided even to external collaborators. If that was the case, there was no need to formally join.

  It’s better to stay quiet and just take the benefits as a collaborator.

  At present, Li Xin was accumulating contribution points by handling material processing under Xu Hui’s name. It was not direct compensation from the Union, but a limited cooperative relationship based on the contribution points Xu Hui had accumulated over many years. It was merely simple labor, so it drew no attention from anyone. Moving beneath the surface and taking only practical gains—this was Li Xin’s most preferred approach.

  However, there was one condition that absolutely had to be maintained for this. His relationship with Xu Hui. If she felt displeased even once, or withdrew her trust, everything would be over. The contribution points, the information, and the connection to the Union itself. That was why Li Xin became even more cautious. He spoke little, concealed his emotions, and poured sincerity into every task—not rude, but not overly familiar either.

  Maintaining a delicate sense of distance, Li Xin slowly built trust. And at the end of that trust, there might even be the Demonic Beast Talisman Method that Xu Hui was hiding.

  Opportunities come to those who move quietly.

  As Li Xin ran his fingertips over the leather, he smiled faintly.

  Time passed quickly.

  Li Xin worked silently, yet without rest. The blood spoiled quickly, and the hides were finicky. But in return, his sense for handling energy grew sharper. All of these processes became yet another form of training for honing his talisman instincts.

  Then one day. As Li Xin was finishing his work as usual, Xu Hui suddenly spoke to him.

  “You don’t need to come for a while.”

  Due to their nature, Demonic Beast Talismans required materials procured differently from ordinary talismans. The hide and blood had meaning only when harvested from a freshly killed demonic beast. Moreover, since Xu Hui only prepared as much as she herself would use, the quantity was not large.

  Li Xin felt an inexplicable trace of regret. He wanted to witness the talisman crafting process of Demonic Beast Talismans. To see that rare process with his own eyes, Li Xin quietly suppressed that regret.

  Don’t be impatient.

  Demonic Beast Talismans were a high-difficulty Talisman Method. An area that his current self could not even dare attempt.

  Now is the time to solidify the basics.

  Through this experience, he keenly felt how lacking his foundation still was. To think that his mind could be shaken by mere demonic beast byproducts. He would soon be able to fully internalize the Warm Heart Talisman, and he had also accumulated enough contribution points to purchase a new Talisman Method. Now was the time to focus in earnest on talisman crafting itself.