Chapter 19: Time Management

"A low-ranking clerk like him has gained nearly 3,000 merits in less than a year?"

Ma Qin rubbed his eyes, doubting if he had read it correctly.

As an eighth-ranked inspector, it was somewhat acceptable for Shi Xiaohan to have over 6,000 merits. After all, the higher the official rank, the more advanced tasks they could undertake. Solving a major case might earn them thousands of merits at once.

But Gu Xu was just an insignificant small clerk who usually received low-paying tasks, dealing with worthless "wandering spirits" or doing menial jobs for officials, scraping together meager rewards.

To earn a few hundred merits every month was truly exaggerated.

Could it be that Gu Xu, this guy, never ate, slept, or cultivated and was constantly focused on completing tasks?

But the problem was, if he was always doing tasks, how did he find the time to cultivate? And how did he reach the first realm of cultivation in less than a year?

Ma Qin couldn't make sense of it.

He silently decided that if there was a suitable opportunity, he would definitely ask Gu Xu for advice on time management.

......

A moment later, Ma Qin arrived at the entrance of the storage room.

The old man guarding the room was engrossed in playing with crickets in a cage and didn't notice his arrival at all.

Ma Qin's gaze fell on the "Price List" at the entrance—

"Returning to the Origin Technique" "Dog-Beating Staff Technique," "Bone-Shattering Hammer," "Spirit Gathering Pill"...

They were all ordinary items.

Compared to Qingzhou Prefecture, both in terms of rank and price, they fell far behind.

The only thing that caught Ma Qin's attention was the last line on the price list.

"Improved Supreme Northern Pole Demon-Slaying Ghost-Killing Talisman, capable of annihilating 'wandering spirits.' Price: 15 merits."

"Improved talismans... Only a master of talismans can achieve such a thing!" Ma Qin felt somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect this humble Yishui County to have such rare things, and the price is so affordable!"

Just at that moment, a short and dark-skinned young man arrived at the entrance of the storage room and said to the hunchbacked old man inside:

"Grandpa, I want to exchange a 'Ghost-Killing Talisman'"

The hunchbacked old man reluctantly set aside the cage of crickets he was playing with and took out a "Ghost-Killing Talisman" from a cabinet, handing it to the dark-skinned young man.

"If you don't have any other business, take it and go. Don't disturb my work," the hunchbacked old man said.

The dark-skinned young man took the talisman and grinned, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa!"

Then he turned his head and happened to see Ma Qin standing nearby.

"Hey, are you new here, Uncle?" The dark-skinned young man greeted Ma Qin warmly. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Wang Yang. Nice to meet you!"

Ma Qin touched his scruffy beard and thought to himself, Am I really that old-looking that this kid calls me Uncle? Do I appear that old?

But out of politeness, he forced a smile and replied, "I'm Ma Qin from Qingzhou Prefecture. Nice to meet you too. Let's learn from each other."

"In that case, I'll call you Brother Ma from now on!" Wang Yang, who called himself "Wang Yang," continued, "Brother Ma, are you planning to exchange something at the storage room? Since you're new here, you might not be familiar with the items. Do you need me to give you a tour?"

"You're too kind, young brother!" Ma Qin shook his head and said, "I don't plan to exchange anything. I'm just curious about the improved 'Ghost-Killing Talisman' you just exchanged."

"Ghost-Killing Talisman?" Wang Yang's face immediately lit up with pride. He spoke with an excited tone of voice, "This talisman was personally drawn by our Brother Gu. It can effortlessly annihilate low-level spirits. Not only is it powerful, but the price is also very affordable! You can't find it in any other bureau except ours in Yishui County!"

Our... Brother Gu...

Ma Qin quietly contemplated Wang Yang's words.

He never expected that this humble Yishui Bureau actually hid a master of talismans!

It was simply unbelievable!

Unknowingly, Ma Qin's sense of superiority as an urban official had completely vanished. He no longer dared to underestimate this inconspicuous small county.

In the Great Qi Dynasty, people with cultivation talents were already scarce, one in a hundred.

Among them, talisman masters were even rarer, and most of them were concentrated in the capital or other large cities, inheriting knowledge from renowned teachers.

After all, talisman cultivation was extremely difficult.

In Ma Qin's eyes, it was something that normal people couldn't comprehend.

When he was young, Ma Qin didn't believe in such things either. He bought a book called "Comprehensive Understanding of Talisman Cultivation: From Beginner to Mastery" in an attempt to make some progress and show off in front of his colleagues, casually saying, "Talisman cultivation is just like that, easy to understand, nothing special."

But such scenes could only happen in dreams.

Three days later, with dark circles under his eyes, Ma Qin angrily threw the "Comprehensive Understanding of Talisman Cultivation" into the furnace and cursed, "Talisman cultivation, a waste of my youth. One more glance, and I'll turn into a dog!"

However, in this world, talisman masters, despite their scarcity, held extraordinary strategic significance.

Not only did they possess extraordinary power, but they could also provide significant team enhancements.

For example, mediocre fighters like Wang Yang, after obtaining the improved "Ghost-Killing Talisman," could increase their chances of defeating low-level spirits by at least fifty percent.

And masters of talismans, like the Great Qi Imperial Tutor, could single-handedly arm an entire army.

Therefore, in the Great Qi Dynasty, any accomplished talisman cultivator was sought after by the court and major sects.

In Ma Qin's view, the mysterious talisman master in Yishui County who could improve talismans had clearly reached the level of a master who could easily apply knowledge in various situations. They were an extraordinary expert who concealed their true strength—a truly formidable individual.

Although Ma Qin had entertained the thought that the talisman master might be Gu Xu when he heard the term "Brother Gu"...

He quickly dismissed that outrageous speculation.

No matter how talented Gu Xu was, he was ultimately only a cultivator in the first realm, and it was impossible for him to have such profound knowledge of talisman cultivation.

Moreover, Gu Xu had to cultivate and complete tasks. Even if he didn't eat or sleep, it would be impossible for him to find time to study the complex and esoteric knowledge of talisman cultivation.

"Gu" was not an uncommon surname either.

It was normal for a bureau to have two people surnamed Gu.

The "Brother Gu" mentioned by Wang Yang was probably an unknown hermit expert who, for some undisclosed reason, temporarily resided in the Yishui bureau as a guest.

If Ma Qin could befriend this mysterious talisman master and obtain some talismans from them, he believed his combat prowess could increase by at least twenty percent.

"Wang Yang, my young friend, if it's convenient, please introduce me to this 'Brother Gu'," Ma Qin grabbed Wang Yang's hand, his expression eager. "I've read a bit about talisman cultivation in the past, and I've always admired cultivators proficient in talismans."

"Me too," Wang Yang held onto Ma Qin's hand tightly, excited to have found a kindred spirit. "The person I admire the most is Brother Gu. If you also admire Brother Gu, then we're the best of brothers!"

As the two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, feeling as if they had finally met a like-minded individual, Wang Yang suddenly tiptoed and pointed behind Ma Qin.

"Look, Brother Gu is here!"