Family Cultivation: My Ancestral Home Gets Infinite Upgrades

"The core process of making talisman paper using spirit beast skin consists of four steps: material selection, initial treatment, spirit tanning, and shaping."

"Every step must be taken with utmost care to preserve the spiritual essence contained within the animal hide, so that a talisman paper that can truly bear the spiritual power of the talisman can be made in the end."

In a room whose walls were covered with all sorts of wild animal pelts, Miao Ruolan explained to Jiang Fu'an beside her:

"The first step in selecting materials is to choose 'living skin' that has just been killed and whose spiritual energy has not yet dissipated."

"Those that are damaged or have been stored for too long should not be used."

Jiang Fu'an listened very attentively, nodding from time to time.

This time, he specially invited people from the Miao people to teach him how to make talisman paper.

He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to learn the craft himself.

In case something unexpected happens in the future and the Miao people leave, there won't be anyone left who knows how to make talismans.

Miao Ruolan bent down and carefully examined the wild boar skin that Jiang Fu'an had just peeled off himself.

The leather is intact, the cut is smooth, and there are no holes or tears.

A look of approval appeared in her eyes as she looked up at Jiang Fu'an and smiled:

"Excellent, sir. You peeled this hide beautifully, without damaging the surface at all. It seems you have quite a talent for leatherworking."

"Heh, it's just a matter of practice. I usually do all the pelt work myself when I hunt."

Jiang Fu'an smiled slightly, and then asked:

"So what should we do in the second step?"

Miao Ruolan spread the leather out on the table and continued her explanation:

"The second step is to cleanse and degrease the skin. This isn't difficult, but it requires meticulous work."

"First, you need to remove the hair. Use a small knife to gently scrape along the direction of the hair roots, being careful not to scratch the skin, otherwise the spiritual energy will be lost through the wound."

"If you encounter particularly stubborn hair, you'll need to apply some 'hair removal powder'."

The skin in Jiang Fu'an's hand was just an ordinary wild boar hide, something he used for practice.

He wasn't afraid of making a mistake, so he immediately took the knife and, following Miao Ruolan's instructions, used the tip of the knife to scrape the skin with a steady and light wrist.

His hands didn't stop, and he asked:

"Can this 'hair-corroding powder' be bought with gold or silver?"

Miao Ruolan shook her head:

"No, that won't do. It's made by a pharmacist using several medicinal herbs; ordinary shops don't sell it."

"You have to go to the markets frequented by cultivators and exchange them for spirit stones."

"However, the price isn't too high, so the owner doesn't need to worry."

After talking for the past few days, Jiang Fu'an has learned that "Pharmacist" is one of the many arts of cultivating immortality.

They are skilled at concocting various medicinal liquids: some can heal wounds and prolong life, while others can kill silently.

Seeing that his technique was becoming more and more skilled, Miao Ruolan continued:

"After the hair is removed, the skin is clean."

"If it's just the skin of an ordinary wild animal or a semi-spirit beast, just soak it in clean water. Once the skin is soft, scrape off the fat, fascia, and remaining flesh."

"If it's a genuine spirit beast hide, then it needs to be soaked in a medicinal liquid like 'Qingling Dew'."

"The final step is to place the treated leather in a cool, well-ventilated place to dry slowly."

"Never expose it to the sun or bake it with fire, otherwise the spiritual energy will dissipate and the skin will become brittle."

Jiang Fu'an listened while his hands continued working.

He suddenly realized that several kinds of medicine would be used in the whole process.

It seems that if we want to produce talismans in large quantities in the future, we'll need to train a pharmacist.

Half an hour later, Jiang Fu'an finally finished removing all the fur from the entire pelt.

While the hides were soaking, he asked again:

"And what's the third step?"

Unexpectedly, Miao Ruolan shook her head:

"You can't learn the third step yet. That's a process used only when making 'high-quality talisman paper'."

"After you finish the second step, just cut the leather to a size of three inches long and one inch wide."

What's the difference between premium talisman paper and regular talisman paper?

Jiang Fu'an pressed for an answer.

After getting to know Miao Ruolan, he discovered that this girl knew a lot about the common knowledge of the cultivation world, which was a good opportunity for him to learn more.

Miao Ruolan showed no impatience.

After all, his whole family now lives with Jiang Fu'an, and they rely on this employer for everything, including food, clothing, and daily necessities.

She smoothed her hair behind her ear and patiently explained:

"Ordinary talisman paper is used to draw low-grade and mid-grade talismans, while premium talisman paper is used to draw high-grade talismans."

At this point, she looked at Jiang Fu'an:

"Master, are you still unaware of the difference between the three grades of talismans: superior, middle, and inferior?"

Jiang Fu'an nodded truthfully.

He genuinely didn't know that.

"You must have heard of the early, middle, and late stages of the Qi Refining period, right?"

Miao Ruolan asked again.

"I've heard of that."

The division of cultivation realms is something that even mortals have heard of to some extent.

Moreover, Jiang Fu'an had read many fantasy novels in his previous life, covering topics like Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul...

He was very familiar with these great realms, and each great realm was divided into three stages: the beginning, the middle, and the end.

Miao Ruolan nodded:

"Once you know, it's easy to explain. The first, second, and third tiers of talismans correspond to the major realms of a cultivator."

"The three grades of first-order talismans—upper, middle, and lower—correspond to the initial, middle, and later stages of the Qi Refining stage."

"The power of a first-grade low-level talisman is roughly equivalent to a spell cast by a Qi Refining early stage cultivator."

"Thank you for clearing up my doubts, Miss Ruolan."

Jiang Fu'an cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone sincere.

Just then, a burst of laughter and chatter came from outside the door.

Yue'er and the two Miao children ran past the door like a gust of wind, seemingly playing around.

Yue'er used to be alone, but now she finally has two playmates of similar age.

As for Shi Tou, that child was always engrossed in practicing martial arts and rarely played with his sister.

Fortunately, he possesses the "devouring body," so although practicing martial arts consumes a lot of energy, he can replenish it quickly by eating a lot.

Now, Shi Tou is no longer satisfied with just practicing "Soaring Step" and "Wind and Thunder Saber Technique".

He also asked Jiang Fu'an to teach him a hidden weapon technique called "Qiankun Yizhi" recorded on the animal skin scroll.

This skill allows one to use magical power or pure physical strength to manipulate small objects such as pebbles, coins, and knives to injure enemies.

Stone is naturally strong, so this is perfect for him.

Miao Ruolan watched Yue'er's retreating figure and suddenly asked:

"Master, Yue'er... has her spiritual root been tested?"

"Not yet. She just turned seven this year and hasn't had the chance to undergo the imperial court's annual spiritual root test."

According to the rules, Yue'er will be able to take the test next spring.

But Jiang Fu'an had some hesitation.

He already has a child in the sect who is cultivating, and he doesn't want to send all his children there.

Even if Yue'er didn't have a spiritual root, he was still worried that her "beast spirit body" would be exposed during the test.

Miao Ruolan then earnestly instructed:

"Master, you must send Yue'er to get tested next year."

"I've heard that people who are born with excellent spiritual roots are all blessed with good fortune."

"The probability of having offspring with spiritual roots has greatly increased."

Seeing that she brought up this topic, Jiang Fu'an took the opportunity to ask:

"I've heard of the concept of luck, but I wonder if luck increases the chances of offspring having special physical attributes?"

"Of course!"

Miao Ruolan nodded.

Jiang Fu'an asked again:

"When testing one's spiritual root, can one also detect if they possess a special constitution?"

"This... I don't think so."

Miao Ruolan pondered for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly:

"The methods for detecting spiritual roots and detecting physical constitution seem to be quite different. The latter is much more complicated."

"Generally speaking, people first determine if they have spiritual roots before they specifically test their physique—after all, spiritual roots are the foundation of cultivation."