Chapter 202: Chapter 195: The Unmentionable Fragility
Under the protection of Liu Qing’s shield, Jiang Cheng was able to advance from the fourth level to the fifth level of Qi cultivation within half a semester of enrollment at Lotus University.

Ever since the Fishing Talisman earned him his first pot of gold, Jiang Cheng intentionally set aside a considerable amount of Spirit Stones to purchase cultivation resources and enhance his cultivation level.

The effect of blindly cramming in cultivation resources was very significant.

First, it took just over a month to help Jiang Cheng ascend from the third level to the fourth level of Qi cultivation; then, nearly three more months to elevate him from the fourth level to the fifth level of Qi cultivation.

Advancing two levels in less than half a year, this rate of cultivation was already quite fast.

At the current rate, before entering Tongtian Sect, Jiang Cheng was even confident in making a rush for Foundation Establishment.

In the past, such a thing was unthinkable.

Indeed, cultivating with money truly made a difference.

Jiang Cheng swallowed a Spirit Gathering Pill and briefly consolidated his newly improved cultivation level.

His primary task at the moment wasn’t to enhance his cultivation level, but the case of the fourth prince!

The fourth prince died in the Jiaofang Division, and on the night of his death, the associated female cultivators either threw themselves into wells or disappeared, leaving not a single witness. In the end, by connecting it with the case of Minister Gao from the Ministry of Revenue who had learned the Joyous Union Skill from Concubine Lu, it was inferred that the Hehuan Sect assassinated both the fourth prince and Minister Gao, pinning the blame on Hehuan Sect, thus closing the case.

But Concubine Lu had no reason or motive to kill Minister Gao. The Hehuan Sect also had no reason to retaliate against the court.

The case of the fourth prince was forcibly closed, full of doubts.

To eliminate witnesses, resulting in the female cultivators of the Jiaofang Division “committing suicide by throwing themselves into wells,” the real culprit was still at large.

The legal system of Liang Kingdom faced an unprecedented challenge.

The only good news now was that due to the recent commencement of construction work in the royal mausoleum, it was not appropriate to kill, hence Concubine Lu’s life was temporarily not in danger.

Jiang Cheng could slowly investigate the case.

Following Jiang Cheng’s previous line of thought, the key to solving the case lay within the Hehuan Sect.

However, “Madam Tan” from the Jiaofang Division, who had ties with Hehuan Sect, had mysteriously disappeared, resulting in the abrupt end of the trail leading to Hehuan Sect.

Hehuan Sect, a notoriously infamous sect of the Demonic Tao, had been lying low under the rule of Immortal Sects for thousands of years.

Due to its “non-killing” cultivation philosophy and relatively moderate actions, disciples of Hehuan Sect could easily blend into the diverse crowd.

A group of handsome men and beautiful women appeared even more normal than typical people.

Even the Immortal Sect powers couldn’t eradicate Hehuan Sect, let alone Jiang Cheng alone.

So how to find Hehuan Sect?

Jiang Cheng fell into deep thought.

At that moment, Jiang Cheng’s communication talisman rang. It was Bai Xiaohe calling.

“Hello, Elder Sister He?”

“Jiang Cheng, can you come to our store for a bit?”

“What is it?”

“Um… my leader wants to meet you.”

“Leader?”

Bai Xiaohe’s leader is either from the Capital’s main store of Tongbao Pavilion or an Elder from the Outer Sect. They want to see me?

Jiang Cheng didn’t quite understand, but he chose to make the trip.

After all, being called upon for a face-to-face conversation by someone high up in Tongtian Sect was an honor he should not refuse.

Tongbao Pavilion’s Huayuan Road Store.

Store Manager Jiang Cheng arrived at his loyal store with his roommate Liu Qing in tow.

Although in name, Jiang Cheng had no subordinate relationship with Tongbao Pavilion’s Huayuan Road Store.

But after the Plant Autonomy Talisman and Willpower Empowerment Talisman, everyone at Huayuan Road Store had witnessed Jiang Cheng’s miraculous strength to revive the dead.

It could be said that as long as Jiang Cheng made a move, their Huayuan Road Store could easily become number one in the Capital.

It was outrageously powerful.

As for Bai Xiaohe, she was nothing more than a humanoid communication talisman used by their store to contact Manager Jiang.

“Jiang Cheng, Elder Wei Qin is in my office,” Bai Xiaohe approached Jiang Cheng.

“Hmm.” Jiang Cheng nodded.

“He asked for you to go in and see him alone.”

“Alone?”

“Yeah. He seems to be quite serious.”

“Okay, I got it. Liu Qing, you stay outside with Elder Sister He. I will go in and have a private chat with Elder Wei.”

Liu Qing glanced at Bai Xiaohe.

Bai Xiaohe said, “Don’t worry. Jiang Cheng isn’t from the Immortal Sect, so Elder Wei won’t do anything to him.”

Liu Qing wasn’t worried about Jiang Cheng; as long as she was there, nothing would happen to him.

Jiang Cheng pushed open the door to Bai Xiaohe’s office and saw the “Elder Wei Qin” she mentioned.

Elder Wei was a middle-aged man with a well-proportioned physique and at the Core Formation cultivation level, currently sitting on the sofa in Bai Xiaohe’s office.

“Jiang Cheng, right? Come and sit, just to have a casual chat. It’s nothing too important,” he said.

“Alright.”

Jiang Cheng politely took a seat opposite Wei Qin.

“Jiang Cheng, you made the Willpower Empowerment Talisman, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Not bad, having such talent in Tongtian Sect bodes well for a bright future,” he commented.

“Thank you for the compliment, Elder Wei.”

After the pleasantries, the conversation turned serious.

“Actually…” Elder Wei’s tone lengthened, and after hesitating for a minute, he said somewhat sheepishly, “Actually, I am also a user of your talismans.”

Jiang Cheng: ?

Realizing something was off, Jiang Cheng confirmed, “Senior, the Willpower Empowerment Talisman is a first-grade talisman which offers very little enhancement to third-grade elixirs. You shouldn’t be using it much, right?”

“Cough, well, let me explain first to avoid any misunderstandings,”

After saying that, Wei Qin looked at Jiang Cheng with a serious expression, “My partner, she’s a teacher in the Physical Cultivation Department at Hundred Peaks University. Simply put, she is a body cultivator. She doesn’t use spells, just trains her body; you know what I mean?”

Jiang Cheng nodded, “I know.”

“Because of her cultivation technique and body, ever since we became partners, she’s actually been quite dissatisfied with me.”

Wei Qin glanced at Jiang Cheng’s strained face and immediately emphasized with seriousness, “You mustn’t misunderstand! It’s mainly a problem with her body refinement; my abilities are completely normal and can even be said to be quite good.”

“Uh, I understand. You don’t need to stress it, Senior.”

“I must stress it! There can’t be the slightest misunderstanding about this!” Wei Qin insisted stubbornly, feeling a sore point had been prodded by Jiang Cheng.

With no other option, Jiang Cheng consoled, “Okay, I get it. There’s no problem with you, it’s all your partner’s issue. So, what happened next?”

“After that, you know, your talisman appeared, and I heard it was quite effective, so I bought one to try at home.”

At this point, Wei Qin patted Jiang Cheng’s shoulder with tearful eyes.

“Jiang Cheng, your talisman really did me a huge favor!” Wei Qin said, wiping away a tear, “Ever since we got married, I’ve never felt so tough at home!”

Jiang Cheng didn’t even know what to say, “Anyway, as long as you’re satisfied. But about Prince Liang Chu’s incident afterward…”

“I heard about it, I didn’t use the talisman much when that issue occurred. Only about twice a day.”

“But after that, wasn’t the case closed? The talisman itself wasn’t the issue; the primary cause was the Joyous Union Skill of the Hehuan Sect.”

“Right, so you?”

“As soon as I heard it wasn’t a talisman issue and I had been restraining myself for several days, I got somewhat carried away afterward. Mainly because my partner was very satisfied, and I couldn’t say I was incapable. You can understand the difficulties of a married male cultivator, right?”

With a kindly smile, Wei Qin added, “You understand, right?”

“I do. Of course, I do.”

Faced with Elder Wei’s sincere gaze, Jiang Cheng couldn’t help but sympathize.

Wei Qin said, “I originally thought this blissful life would continue, but a few days ago, I suddenly discovered I couldn’t perform.”

“You couldn’t perform? Your partner hasn’t practiced the Joyous Union Skill, has she?”

“It’s not that I couldn’t perform due to time, but I felt numb. Do you understand what I mean?”

Jiang Cheng really wanted to say he didn’t understand, but faced with Elder Wei’s “sincere” gaze, he had no choice but to understand.

“So you mean you feel very dull to the sensation?”

“Correct,” Wei Qin nodded, “It’s more accurate to say I hardly feel anything at all, even a hammer strike wouldn’t hurt.”

“I still suggest you not try a hammer.”

“I haven’t, but that’s what my wife thinks. She didn’t believe it and wanted to test it with a hammer.”

Jiang Cheng’s face twitched involuntarily, thinking to himself, Is this how body cultivators play? I must never choose a body cultivator as my partner in the future!

“I came to you this time to ask if there’s any way you can help me rise to the occasion again?”

Wei Qin asked with genuine sincerity.

Jiang Cheng replied just as earnestly, “You should stop using it, rest more, and don’t take any medicine; you should be able to recover on your own in a few years.”

Upon hearing the answer, Wei Qin became even more sincere, almost pleading, “No! Jiang Cheng, you must think of a solution for me. I can’t hold out for years! Next time, if she doesn’t take a hammer but switches to a sword, then I’m done for!”

A literal sense of being done for.

Jiang Cheng quickly explained, “It’s just that, the mechanism of the talisman is such. You’ve simply used it too much, causing your body to become desensitized. You’re at the Core Formation stage, although your yang energy is overdrawn, eating some restoratives and using them less, you should still be able to hold up. But desensitization is a kind of self-protection of the body, and I really, don’t have a solution for that.”

“No! You’re Jiang Cheng, you must have a way!” Wei Qin said through clenched teeth, pulling out a top-grade spirit stone and placing it on the table.

“Is this enough? I can find another way if it’s not.”

Jiang Cheng hurriedly refused, “No, it’s not about the money.”

Wei Qin earnestly persuaded, “Jiang Cheng, listen to me. So many of your Willpower Empowerment Talismans have been sold, there must be many people like me in the same situation. You could just release a new talisman to address the insensitivity issue, specially tailored for us; there’s definitely a big market for it!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng was taken aback.

He thought Wei Qin’s suggestion actually made a lot of sense.

Although the intended purpose of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman was to aid in digesting elixirs and enhancing the effects of other talismans, due to its potential to tap into the body’s potential, quite a few buyers used it for bedroom activities.

After Prince Liang Chu’s incident, such bedroom behavior should have been curtailed.

Those who were still using the talisman extensively, like Wei Qin who didn’t fear overexerting himself, or the male disciples of the Hehuan Sect who relied on cultivation through dual cultivation, would end up desensitized.

The Immortal Sect might not be able to find the Hehuan Sect, but the Willpower Empowerment Talisman could lead to them!

If I could develop a talisman that helps those desensitized recover their sensitivity, the male disciples of the Hehuan Sect would have no reason not to buy, and they should come to me on their own initiative.

“Elder Wei, I will consider the creation of a new talisman,” Jiang Cheng said.

Wei Qin was overjoyed and urged Jiang Cheng to notify him immediately if there was any news.

Just as Jiang Cheng let out a sigh of relief, Shen Menghan sent him a communication talisman.

“Jiang Cheng, can you come to the Miaodan Workshop store on Fuyang Road?”

“Is someone looking for me?”

Shen Menghan’s voice was full of surprise, “How did you know?”

“Is it because of the Willpower Empowerment Talisman?”

“Are you, learning divination?”

“I think I know what it’s about. Wait for me; I’ll be there soon.”

Wei Qin was quite right about one thing.

There’s a significant demand for a new talisman that helps a portion of empowered users address their “embarrassingly delicate issue.”

It’s the kind of product that practically sells itself.