Wang Kui had teamed up with Tian Can several times and knew his character. Seeing that he still wouldn't let up, he frowned and reprimanded him, “Tian Can, she’s right, and watch your attitude.”
Tian Can remained unconvinced. “She’s just a frail talisman cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment Stage. If I wanted to, I’d have a hundred ways to kill her.”
Wen Jingshu couldn't be bothered with pleasantries and directly tossed him a high-grade first-rank Exploding Talisman.
Caught off guard, Tian Can was instantly blasted into an exploded hairstyle.
Before anyone else could speak, Wen Jingshu threw him a Healing Talisman.
In just three breath-spans, Tian Can’s external injuries were mostly healed.
Wen Jingshu still held another Exploding Talisman, looking at Tian Can as she said, “Fellow Daoist Tian, would you like to try again?”
Tian Can’s expression turned ugly, and he dared not utter another word.
Talisman cultivators who could draw both auxiliary and offensive talismans were truly annoying.
Wang Kui watched Wen Jingshu reveal this skill, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.
Most talisman cultivators, in pursuit of combat prowess, primarily drew offensive talismans or talismans for supportive offense, such as Gale Talismans or Spirit-Stagnating Talismans.
Few talisman masters were willing to draw healing talismans.
If you asked why? It was because such talismans were useless to talisman cultivators themselves. Even if they were injured, they had plenty of pills prepared.
Others might lack money, but talisman cultivators didn’t, so there was no need to waste talisman paper drawing healing talismans.
Wen Jingshu, a talisman cultivator, drew healing talismans purely out of frugality.
She had calculated the costs: if she used talisman paper to draw healing talismans, the cost would indeed be higher than pills. However, if she grew Yingxing Grass herself, made her own talisman paper, and used demon beast blood she hunted for drawing materials, the cost would directly drop by ninety percent!
Even with her current immense wealth, Wen Jingshu still grew a significant amount of Yingxing Grass on Little Spirit Peak and inside the Shengsheng Bead. With Xu Zhizhi and Mu Yanghe as her generous helpers making talisman paper, Wen Jingshu had practically achieved talisman paper freedom!
Wang Kui saw Tian Can chastised and had no intention of comforting him. He had disliked him for a long time; if it weren’t so hard to form a team here, he would have kicked him out on the first day. It was fortunate that a strong-willed talisman cultivator had joined. If Wen Jingshu could truly keep him in check, that would be excellent.
“If you’re ready, let’s go.”
The captain had spoken, and the other three had no objections. The four officially set off for Songhuai City.
Along the way, they would pass through Eastern Jiangyuan Valley, and their mission also required them to collect some spiritual plants there.
Wen Jingshu had known before that Jiangyuan Valley was vast in scope. It was said that Jiangyuan Valley traversed the entire Eastern Azure Continent like meridians. Back then, she had only heard about it and felt nothing particular. Now that she had reached the easternmost part of Eastern Azure, there were still Jiangyuan Valley mountain ranges, which surprised Wen Jingshu a little.
The scenery of Eastern Jiangyuan Valley was completely different from Western Jiangyuan Valley, where she had previously trained near Qingyun Sect.
Western Jiangyuan Valley was more like a primeval forest, with mostly flat terrain, towering ancient trees, and a dark, damp environment.
Eastern Jiangyuan Valley, however, consisted of endless mountain ranges, with blue skies and white clouds, and fresh air. Entering the mountains felt less like training and more like an outing. Even the demon beasts that sprang out were relatively small.
But small didn’t mean easy to deal with. Their speed was much faster than larger creatures, and a moment of carelessness could result in a scratch.
Tian Can had held a grudge against Wen Jingshu for her previous actions and had been looking for an opportunity to harm her along the way. As the group crossed another mountain peak, Tian Can silently followed beside Wen Jingshu. When they passed a dense bush, Mei Yu, who had been inconspicuous until then, suddenly cried out, “Watch out!”
Wen Jingshu instinctively dodged, and a black and red venomous snake missed its target, slithering away in a flash. Wen Jingshu gave Tian Can a puzzled look. Tian Can felt uncomfortable under her gaze and forced himself to say, “Why are you looking at me? I didn’t attract that venomous snake!”
“You female cultivators love to apply perfumes and flower powders. It must be your scent that attracted it. If you get bitten, that’s one thing, but don’t involve us.”
Tian Can made no secret of his discrimination against female cultivators in his words. Mei Yu heard it most often, yet she truly couldn't beat Tian Can. Coupled with her timid personality, her family had favored sons over daughters even before she entered the Dao, so she often heard such remarks. She had thought things would improve after entering the Dao, but she unexpectedly encountered the acid-tongued and harsh Tian Can again. She didn't dare provoke Tian Can; she was used to it from home, and it was no different now.
Some male cultivators resented female cultivators, either because they were bitter about not winning the favor of beautiful female cultivators, or because they envied male cultivators who pursued female cultivators and gave them resources and treasures, while no cultivators gave them resources.
Some male cultivators came from the mortal realm, where patriarchal societies were prevalent, and that clueless male chauvinism was brought into the cultivation world as well.
Wen Jingshu wouldn't tolerate him. As a talisman cultivator, she had often encountered such male cultivators. She grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and slammed his head fiercely against a nearby tree trunk, with such force that it broke the tree.
“If Fellow Daoist Tian doesn’t know how to speak, I don’t mind giving you a Mute Talisman so you can never speak again.”
Wang Kui and Mei Yu hadn't expected Wen Jingshu to act so decisively. Tian Can was humiliated once more, furious to the point of death, and circulated his spiritual energy, intending to break free from Wen Jingshu’s restraint. He was just a talisman cultivator; how could she ride roughshod over him?
“Liu Ru, don’t push your luck! Today, I’m going to teach you a good lesson!”
Then Tian Can discovered that no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free from her grip. His face flushed crimson as he resisted again and again, but she didn’t budge an inch. Wen Jingshu said indifferently, “Alright, I’ll be waiting right here for you to teach me a lesson.”
“Can’t break free? If you don’t make a move, then it’s my turn to act, alright?”
Wen Jingshu again grabbed him by the back of his neck, dragged him to another tree, and with a loud bang, Tian Can’s head broke another tree.
Although most cultivators were tough-skinned, and Tian Can was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, merely breaking a tree shouldn't cause too much injury. However, Wen Jingshu had secretly used her strength, and Tian Can felt a splitting headache, his face covered in blood. His miserable appearance was a stark contrast to his sanctimonious demeanor from earlier.
Wen Jingshu ignored him, dragging him to slam into four more giant trees before finally venting her frustration. The delicate female cultivator threw Tian Can aside like a dead dog, then dusted off her hands as if there were dirt and said,
“Fellow Daoist Tian, don’t blame me for being too heavy-handed. It’s just that your mouth is truly unpleasant.”
“This time you met me, and this maiden was kind enough to spare your life. Next time, if you meet a ruthless character, whether you’ll even see tomorrow’s sun is unknown.”
Wen Jingshu spoke the truth. Lower-tier cultivators were like Gu worms being refined, full of scheming calculations. A moment of carelessness could lead to being maliciously killed and devoured until not even a speck remained.
Just like Tian Can, who clearly saw the venomous snake but deliberately let it bite Wen Jingshu.
And just like Wen Jingshu, who directly used her higher cultivation and physical strength to teach him a lesson.
The logic for lower-tier cultivators to survive was: if you have no strength, just know your place!
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