The Secret Art of Paper Crafting aligned perfectly with the current cultivation framework. It was one of Song Miaozhu's two most vital trump cards.
Unfortunately, this particular trump card could not be revealed unless absolutely necessary. If it were exposed too early, it would only attract unwanted attention and greed.
Now, however, things were different. With the SEIU officially confirming that results from spiritual nurturing varied from person to person, she could begin to reveal some of her spirit creations bit by bit to deter troublemakers and establish her strength.
Most importantly, there were certain techniques within the Secret Art of Paper Crafting that she rarely needed herself. She could start researching how to refine them and maybe even sell them.
For instance, there was the paper figure holding a bowl technique, which could assist in absorbing spiritual energy and restoring one's spiritual power. While it was no match for a proper spirit stone, it was still better than relying solely on personal cultivation for recovery.
Her mind was already brimming with new ideas for making money.
The ghost shop in the underworld continued to rake in revenue, but Song Miaozhu certainly wouldn't mind opening up more income streams. As her cultivation grew stronger, her demand for spiritual energy increased too. Saving up more money could only help, not hurt.
Even earning in regular currency could work. It could be exchanged for hell coins, which in turn could be exchanged for spirit stones.
Thinking about profit got her a little excited. She forced herself to calm down. "Better wait and see. Let's first find out if the spirit creatures others nurture can actually be used by someone else."
Most of the items created through her Secret Art of Paper Crafting could be shared without issues. Things like the bowl-holding paper servants or the spirit armor made from paper clothes could be used directly by others.
More complex methods like cutting paper into servants or cutting paper into soldiers required an extra step—the awakening ritual. But even that could be left incomplete, allowing the user to finish it by binding the item with their own spiritual or ghost power.
There was no need to worry that someone might use one of her creations against her.
After all, all of the awakening rituals were reversible.
Any paper item she personally awakened, she could also dispel. That meant she always knew where the item's weak point lay. She also instructed her little paper servant in charge of browsing phones to keep an eye on updates from the SEIU app. Once the SEIU published their full findings, she would know exactly how to disguise her creations properly.
She didn't have to wait long.
Before a new research report on spiritual nurturing arrived, the SEIU released a different document instead—a new edition of the Laws and Regulations for Cultivators, designed for the post-spiritual-recovery era. It focused mainly on legal issues related to spiritual power and spirit items.
One rule stated that cultivators bore full responsibility for the spirit items they nurtured. If a spirit item caused property damage, the cultivator would be held liable. The SEIU's account suddenly shifted in tone, turning into something more like a law and order channel.
Every day—morning, noon, and night—there was a case study about cultivators and the law.
One day, it was a spirit creature destroying someone's belongings, with the owner getting fined. The next, it was a spirit creature injuring someone, and the owner not only had to pay medical bills but also ended up detained along with the creature. Another day, a spirit creature caused a major accident, resulting in the item being destroyed and the owner getting locked up.
In truth, those who had successfully nurtured spirit creatures were mostly cultivators working with the SEIU's research program. They received direct support and training from the organization. How many of them would really break the law?
These case studies were clearly precautionary tales from the SEIU, a way to warn and educate all cultivators. After just three days of these "law and cultivation" stories, Master Zhang Yunxi from Xiangcheng arrived.
Although the SEIU made the introduction, this meeting was not organized by them. It was a private visit. The meeting location had been chosen by Song Miaozhu herself.
She first heard of Master Zhang Yunxi when she and Geng Qiushan were helping the SEIU craft Fourth-Rank Paper Clothes.
Geng Qiushan had once offered a bounty to have her kidnapped and now his ashes were sealed in an urn. As for Master Zhang Yunxi... to be honest, Song Miaozhu felt a bit uneasy about her visit.
She remembered that Zhang Yunxi had once appeared on the underworld's punishment list. Although it was only for a Class Two offense—perhaps just a case of being tricked by the SEIU—Song Miaozhu still decided to stay cautious and keep a polite distance.
When Zhang Yunxi messaged her on the WeChat app, asking for a time and place to meet, Song Miaozhu gave the address for the Anshou Hall Paper Shop on Huaihua Alley.
Though the leadership at the SEIU's central bureau had changed, the damage caused by Feng Ru and the others still lingered. Most cultivators had become used to purchasing paper offerings for ancestral rites directly through the SEIU app.
However, since the underworld had severed all ties between yin residence and their earthly graves, even those with spiritual sight could no longer see the spirits of the deceased. The brief trend of lavish ancestral offerings had gradually faded.
Her Anshou Hall Paper Shop had not opened in quite some time. Song Miaozhu didn't mind. Even the ingots her little paper servants made during cultivation were now of entry-level quality, fully suitable for sale at the ghost shop.
She had so much in stock that if they weren't selling fast enough, she could even use them for promotional giveaways. No risk of waste.
Meeting someone she didn't know very well at the paper shop was just right. The little paper servant had already cleaned the place. A tea table had been set up by the display window in the front hall.
Just as the kettle finished boiling, an engine roared outside. From her seat, Song Miaozhu could only see the tail end of what looked like a motorcycle?
She stood up to get a better look, but before she reached the door, footsteps entered the shop.
She looked up. "You must be... Master Zhang?"
Although Song Miaozhu had seen photos and even watched a lecture by Master Zhang Yunxi, she still found herself unsure.
The person before her was tall and slim, with her hair in a bun, sunglasses on her face, holding a small cake in one hand and a cup of milk tea in the other. If not for the familiar features and wrinkles on her face, Song Miaozhu would never have guessed this was a seventy-three-year-old woman.
She looked from her own teapot to the cake and milk tea in Zhang Yunxi's hands and suddenly felt like she was the elderly one in the room.
"Yes, it's me!" Zhang Yunxi walked up briskly and sat down across from her. She handed over the cake and milk tea. "Here! I brought these for you."
That's right—Song Miaozhu suddenly remembered Zhang Yunxi had mentioned bringing her a little gift on WeChat. So this was it?
"Hm! You young people all like this kind of thing, don't you? I do too!" Zhang Yunxi had already unwrapped the straw and taken a sip of the milk tea.
"Before the spiritual revival, I wouldn't have dared. But now my blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol are all fine. My body feels better than when I was younger. I can eat and drink whatever I want! There's so much more delicious food and fun stuff now than there was when I was your age!"
Song Miaozhu quietly let out a sigh of relief. This master seemed open-hearted and easygoing. True to her name—Yunxi, joy in the clouds—she brought a sense of ease with her presence. She didn't seem like the scheming type.
"You came alone?" Song Miaozhu glanced behind her.
"The Xiangcheng SEIU folks came with me, but once we arrived, I sent them off to exchange notes with the Lingcheng SEIU team."
"I borrowed a motorcycle from one of the local cultivators and rode over myself. Haven't ridden in years, but it looks like I've still got it!" Zhang Yunxi laughed.