Rain continued to fall over Riverfall County.
Thin droplets pattered against the stone courtyard of the Spirit Warden Bureau, gathering into shallow puddles that mirrored the dull, gray morning sky. A faint mist clung to the ground, and the scent of wet earth lingered in the air.
Ma Qin stood beneath the pavilion that housed the Merit Ranking Stone, his gaze fixed on the glowing characters carved across its ancient surface.
Second place.
Li Shen.
Three thousand five hundred and eighty merits.
For a long moment, Ma Qin didn't move.
The rain whispered softly beyond the pavilion, but he seemed not to hear it.
Finally, he rubbed his eyes and looked again.
The number remained unchanged.
"A clerk… earning that much merit in a single year?" he muttered under his breath.
He could understand Lin Qingyu's score. As a senior inspector, she frequently handled dangerous missions—cases involving powerful spirits that naturally yielded large amounts of merit.
But Li Shen?
A junior clerk usually dealt with trivial matters—wandering souls, minor hauntings, or running errands for higher-ranking wardens.
At best, such assignments earned a few dozen merits per task.
Yet this man had accumulated thousands.
Which meant there was only one possible explanation.
"He must be accepting missions every day," Ma Qin murmured.
But the thought immediately gave rise to another question.
If Li Shen spent all his time completing assignments…
When did he cultivate?
And how had he advanced to the peak of the First Spirit Realm so quickly?
The contradiction gnawed at him.
For a while, he remained standing beneath the pavilion, the quiet drizzle filling the silence around him.
Eventually, he exhaled slowly.
Perhaps later—if the opportunity presented itself—he would ask the young man directly.
With that thought, Ma Qin turned away from the pavilion and wandered deeper into the bureau compound.
---
The rain softened into a gentle drizzle.
Near the inner courtyard stood a modest building that served as the bureau's storage hall.
Inside were the manuals, talismans, pills, and various tools that wardens could exchange using their hard-earned merit points.
Ma Qin stepped beneath the doorway, brushing a few raindrops from his sleeve. His gaze drifted toward the wooden board hanging beside the entrance.
Rows of items were carved neatly into its surface.
Cultivation manuals.
Weapon techniques.
Spirit-detection charms.
Qi-gathering pills.
His eyes skimmed across the list.
Nothing particularly impressive.
Compared to the vast resources of larger prefectures, the selection here was painfully ordinary. Most of the items were common tools any mid-sized bureau could acquire.
Ma Qin was just about to turn away when a line near the bottom of the board caught his attention.
Refined Spirit-Banishing Talisman — Effective against Wandering-Class spirits — Cost: 15 merit
Ma Qin leaned closer, narrowing his eyes.
"Refined talisman?"
His brows rose slightly.
Improving an existing talisman design was no small matter. It required an exceptional understanding of the Dao of Talismans—a field so intricate that even seasoned cultivators often failed to grasp its deeper principles.
Normally, such work was the domain of skilled talisman masters.
For a small county bureau like Riverfall to possess something like this…
It was unusual, to say the least.
Just as Ma Qin was pondering the matter, a voice suddenly rang out from the entrance.
"Old man! One Spirit-Banishing Talisman!"
Ma Qin turned.
A short, dark-skinned young man had just walked into the hall, shaking rainwater from his sleeves.
Behind the counter sat a hunched old caretaker. The man appeared far more interested in the small cricket cage beside him than in the newcomer.
Without even lifting his head, the old man reached behind him, grabbed a talisman slip, and flicked it forward across the counter.
"Take it and stop shouting."
The talisman slid neatly into the young man's waiting hand.
He grinned broadly.
"Much appreciated!"
Only then did he notice Ma Qin standing nearby.
"Oh?" the youth said, strolling over with casual curiosity. "Haven't seen you around before."
He extended his hand with an easy smile.
"My name's Wang Yang. New faces are always welcome here."
Ma Qin hesitated briefly before accepting the handshake.
"Ma Qin," he replied calmly. "I arrived from Qingzhou Prefecture."
Wang Yang's eyes brightened with interest.
"So you're from outside. Planning to exchange something?"
Ma Qin shook his head.
"I was just looking."
He gestured toward the wooden board.
"That talisman you bought… the refined one. Who created it?"
At the mention of the talisman, Wang Yang's chest puffed out with unmistakable pride.
"Oh, that?" he said enthusiastically. "That's one of Li-brother's creations!"
"Li-brother?"
"Our Li Shen—no, wait—… uh…" Wang Yang scratched the back of his head awkwardly before continuing. "Anyway, the talisman master here. He improved the design himself."
Ma Qin's expression shifted.
"A talisman master… in this bureau?"
"That's right!" Wang Yang said excitedly. "This talisman can destroy wandering spirits instantly. Cheap, reliable—everyone here uses them."
Ma Qin felt a flicker of disbelief stir in his chest.
Talismans were notoriously difficult to master.
Even in major cities, true experts were rare.
For a remote county like Riverfall to house someone capable of refining talisman designs…
It seemed almost implausible.
For a brief moment, a strange thought crossed his mind.
Could this mysterious talisman creator be Li Shen?
But he quickly dismissed the notion.
Impossible.
Even geniuses had limits.
If Li Shen truly spent his days cultivating and completing missions, how could he possibly find the time to master the intricate theories behind talisman crafting?
No… the surname "Li" must belong to someone else.
Perhaps a hidden expert temporarily residing in the bureau.
The more Ma Qin thought about it, the more intrigued he became.
If he could establish a connection with such a person, acquiring powerful talismans in the future would become far easier.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Wang Yang's arm.
"Brother Wang, if it's not too much trouble, could you introduce me to this talisman master?"
Wang Yang's eyes lit up immediately.
"You admire him too?"
"Of course," Ma Qin replied with a sincere nod. "Anyone who studies the Dao of Talismans deserves respect."
Wang Yang instantly clasped Ma Qin's hand with both of his, looking deeply moved.
"Then we're kindred spirits!"
"My idol is Li-brother!"
The two men laughed awkwardly together in the rain-damp courtyard.
Then suddenly—
Wang Yang rose onto his toes and pointed behind Ma Qin.
"Speak of the devil…"
Ma Qin turned.
Footsteps approached along the stone path.
Through the drifting curtain of rain, a tall figure in a simple blue robe walked steadily toward the storage hall.
His expression was calm.
His posture relaxed.
At his waist hung the jade token of a Spirit Warden clerk.
Wang Yang waved energetically.
"Brother Li!"
Ma Qin's eyes widened slightly.
So this…
Was Li Shen.