Cultivation: I can solidify equipment attributes

The materials for making talismans had just been bought and hadn't even been unpacked when there were two knocks on the door.

Li Yuan got up and opened the door.

Wang De was standing outside the door.

He was still wearing the same blue robe, exuding a calm and reserved aura. His face was square, and the short beard on his chin had grown a bit longer than before he left.

"Captain, you're back." Li Yuan stepped aside.

Wang De didn't go inside; he just stood at the doorway, his gaze lingering on Li Yuan for a moment.

The stop lasted longer than usual.

"Sixth level of Qi Refining?"

His tone was relatively even, but that pause spoke volumes.

When he left, Li Yuan was still at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

There are many geniuses in the cultivation world, but Wang De himself admitted that he had only met two or three.

Li Yuan is one example, but it was something he developed later in life.

"I broke through a while ago," Li Yuan said.

Wang De hummed in agreement and turned his gaze away from Li Yuan.

"Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the room, and Wang De sat down at the table. He glanced at the talismans and spirit ink on the table, and then looked at the several cloth bags piled in the corner.

Li Yuan sat down by the bed and waited for him to speak.

Wang De didn't rush to get down to business; instead, he answered the question that Li Yuan hadn't asked.

"I've gone to investigate Zhao Wu's line of work."

Li Yuan paused slightly.

Zhao Wu was the first rogue cultivator to sell scrap ore in the market. He wore a jade pendant with a blue inscription and secretly probed the market's defenses.

That was a long time ago.

Wang De rested his elbows on the table and kept his voice down.

"After Zhao Wu ran away, that lead never went out. The things you found before—the jade pendant, the medicine, the concealing jade pendant of the Crow Claw Gang—were investigated one by one, and the family found more things than we thought."

Wang De didn't go on to elaborate on the details, but paused for a moment.

"Before coming back this time, I basically figured out the connection behind Zhao Wu. I can't go into the specifics, but it's definitely related to the Li family."

Wang De withdrew his hand from the table, leaned back in his chair, and the conversation turned to business.

"I have a task for you."

Li Yuan looked at him.

"The Wang family owns several mines in the southwest, and one of them recently needs additional manpower to guard it."

Wang De paused.

"The mine is located closer to the border area between the two places than the market town. Although it's not on the front line, it's not exactly in the rear either."

He glanced at Li Yuan.

"By the way, how did your talisman-making skills go?"

"You've gotten the hang of it; your fireball talisman drawing is alright."

After hearing this, Wang De's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he was somewhat surprised.

But then he shook his head.

"I estimate it's not too high."

He muttered something to himself, then looked up at Li Yuan.

"I was thinking of seeing if I could arrange for you to be placed in the back, since it would be easier if you knew how to make talismans. But you're only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and it's hard to get anyone to put you in the back with that level of cultivation."

Wang De tapped the table twice with his knuckles.

"It's not the front line, but the mines definitely need capable fighters. You, with your Qi Refining Level 6, are perfect for guarding it."

"What mine?"

"It's a spirit mine belonging to the Wang family," Wang De replied briefly. "The output isn't large, but the quality of the ore is quite good, and it's one of the sources of supply for the Wang family's weapon-refining hall. Now the two families are constantly exchanging goods on the border, and that mine isn't far away, so it can't be left unattended."

"This mine can also yield spirit stones."

Who will lead the team?

"Bring it yourself." Wang De took a thin document from his sleeve and pushed it over. "You have a few men with you. When you arrive, you'll hand it over to the original guards at the mine."

Li Yuan took the document and glanced at it.

The list contains six names, most of whom are at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining, with only one at the fifth level.

Li Yuan saw a familiar name: Sun Liang, Qi Refining Level 3.

"We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning." Wang De stood up, dusted off his clothes, and then left Li Yuan's residence.

Before dawn the next day, Li Yuan packed his things.

The storage bag contained talisman-making materials, pills, finished talismans, a spirit-gathering bowl, and some miscellaneous items. A spirit-detecting disc hung from his waist, and he was equipped with a soul-revealing mirror. He was dressed neatly in his patrol uniform.

After leaving the residential area, walk along West Street towards the west gate of the market.

The meeting point is at the intersection outside the West Gate.

When Li Yuan arrived, there were already four people standing there.

All the names on the list were of low cultivation level. The strongest one, who was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, was a silent man in his thirties surnamed Lü. He stood at the front without saying a word.

Li Yuan counted the number of people; there were still two short.

After waiting for a while, a person walked out of the market gate.

He walked at a steady pace, but his posture was somewhat unsteady, as if he was straining to keep up.

Li Yuan got a clear look at the person's face.

Sun Liang.

Sun Liang was wearing a slightly worn patrol uniform, with his waist tag neatly hung up, and from a distance, he looked almost the same as before.

But things change once you get closer.

His face was unnaturally pale. It wasn't the kind of paleness that comes from not being in the sun; it was a grayish-blue pallor, as if something had drained away all the color from him. His cheekbones were more prominent than before, and his lips were somewhat dry.

The eye sockets have become deeper, and the once bright eyes now appear somewhat dull.

But his breathing was stronger than before, though it was still fluctuating.

The fourth level of Qi Refining.

Sun Liang walked closer and saw Li Yuan. He was stunned for a moment, then grinned.

"Deputy Captain Li."

"You've broken through." Li Yuan looked at him.

"Hmm." Sun Liang tightened the package in his hand over his shoulder and smiled, but the smile didn't seem very natural.

"I ate something called the Demon-Breaking Pill a while ago, and it actually made me surge forward."

Sun Liang raised his hand and touched his face.

"That's exactly what it looks like."

Li Yuan didn't reply, but just looked at his face.

Sun Liang awkwardly withdrew his hand and spat to the side.

"The evil energy has damaged my internal organs, so I don't dare to use my full strength in cultivation, for fear of causing further damage to my internal organs."

He sighed.

"I should have known better than to buy that thing. Four floors is four floors, but my body feels like it's made of paper."

After saying that, he shook his head and muttered something under his breath.

"At least it's better than dying out there."

The last person arrived, and the six of them were together.

Li Yuan didn't linger and glanced at everyone.

"Let's go, we'll talk about it on the way."

The group of seven left the market and headed southwest along the wide rammed earth road.

We took the same route to the Treasure Pavilion as last time, but after reaching a fork in the road, we turned in another direction—slightly west, a bit closer to the outer edge of the Yuanheng Mountains.

There weren't many monks on the road.

Occasionally, you'll run into one or two groups of the Wang family, mostly returning from the mining area or the forward outpost. They walk very fast, and their expressions are not relaxed.

Sun Liang followed beside Li Yuan, walking a half-beat slower than the others, his pale face even more noticeable in the sunlight.

After walking for a while, Sun Liang took the initiative to speak.

The group walked for most of the day.

We rested for a while by the roadside at noon, and then continued on our way.

The terrain began to change in the afternoon. The flat dirt road gradually turned into a gravel slope, and the shrubs on both sides shortened, replaced by large swathes of gray-black rock. The air was also much drier than near the market town, and occasionally a very faint mineral scent could be detected.

As the sun began to set, the outline of a mine tunnel emerged from the mountain hollow ahead.

It wasn't a cave entrance, but a construction site carved out of the mountainside.

Three cave entrances of varying sizes are nestled side by side at the base of the mountain wall, supported by rough wooden frames. The largest one can accommodate three or four people walking side by side. In front of the cave entrance is a flat area of ​​firmly trodden gravel, with several wooden sheds built along the edge, under which mining tools and boxes of ore are piled up.

Beyond that was a ring of earthen walls about half a person's height, with several gaps in the walls temporarily patched up with wooden fences.

The sounds of clanging and hammering could be heard from the mine from time to time, and several monks who looked like miners were going in and out of the mine, carrying the newly mined gray-black ore.

A cultivator who appeared to be a guard walked out from behind the wooden shed. He had the aura of a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator. Upon seeing Li Yuan and his group, he came forward to greet them.

"Here for the handover?"

"Okay." Li Yuan handed over the document.

The guard took the document, glanced at it, and nodded.

"I'll show you what's inside and explain the personnel to you."

He gestured with his chin toward the wooden sheds behind him.

"Put your things down first. The place to stay is behind the shed. It's a bit basic, but you'll have to make do."

Li Yuan nodded and led the team toward the wooden shed.

Sun Liang followed at the very back, glancing inside as he passed the cave entrance.

Several dull thuds echoed from the depths of the dark mine tunnel, the sound lingering long.