Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

At this moment,

the street in front of Qiao Guanyuan’s residence was abuzz with a grand banquet. With distinguished guests filling the seats, the air was lively and noisy with an endless stream of dishes and delicacies made from Spiritual Objects being served.

"You’ve all worked hard these past few days, Qiao raises a cup to you all," Qiao Guanyuan, brimming with energy, stood up, bowed with his hands clasped in front of him, and then raised his cup, declaring loudly. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

There was no sign of the despondency from the assassination attempt a few days ago:

"Additionally, Qiao would like to take this rare opportunity to make a few announcements. First, from now on, there will be no more Night Patrol Squad; we will change our name to the Spirit Tiger Gang."

"It’s about time. The Night Patrol Squad never sounded quite right."

"Yes, Boss Qiao."

"Great name; it’s powerful!"

Qiao Guanyuan pressed his hands down, and everyone immediately fell silent. He continued, "Secondly, I have decided that within ten days, I will bring down the Ju Xiong Bang (Giant Bear Gang), and make Zhao Ding pay a bloody price."

As he said this, he tilted his head back and drained the cup of Spiritual Wine, then fiercely threw the cup to the ground, where it shattered.

"Good!"

"Kill the bastards."

"What’s Zhao Ding anyway, to dare to contend with our Boss Qiao!"

"And to think they’d resort to assassination, truly despicable and shameless scoundrels."

"When we the Night Patrol Squad... no, the Spirit Tiger Gang first started, the Ju Xiong Bang (Giant Bear Gang) were still nowhere in sight."

The gang members all stirred, their faces red and ears hot, banging on the tables until they rang out.

Qiao Guanyuan sat down with a smile brimming on his face, receiving toasts from everyone, each one more flattering than the last. He changed his cup, laughed loudly while talking, and drank as the wine was served, his spirits high and demeanor proud.

As the wine flowed and spirits warmed,

a gang member came hurriedly, whispering a few words to Qiao Guanyuan.

Qiao Guanyuan’s smile gradually faded, a hint of coldness appearing on his face: "Send a few more men to keep an eye on him, see if there’s any unusual activity!"

...

The Talisman Crafting Room.

The desk was cluttered with various discarded talismans and sheets of draft paper, densely scribbled with all kinds of incomprehensible symbols.

For Chen Li, the Arrow-Evasion Talisman was a completely new talisman, with no fragmented memories to draw upon; he had to fumble and research his way through from scratch.

Each talisman had strict standards for its initiation and activation, with the technique of the brushstroke alone demanding meticulous attention—when to be flexible yet firm, when to be soft yet unyielding, when to deliver strong force, and when to continue smoothly without break... Coupled with the various techniques for channeling Spiritual Power, the complexity multiplied endlessly.

Knowledge from books often contained profound meanings in sparse words, and besides being crudely and briefly described, sometimes critical details were deliberately withheld, all of which Chen Li had to painstakingly discover and navigate through like laying mines.

Fortunately, unlike when he had just transmigrated and was too embarrassed to even afford a few talisman papers,

Chen Li, now wealthy and bold, could afford countless attempts and didn’t fear failure.

He took out another piece of talisman paper.

Skillfully performing the ritual of heart-calming, breath-steadying, and blessing from the heavens and earth, after the ceremony,

Chen Li rolled up his sleeves, picked up the brush, dipped it in blood ink, and began to write smoothly. Yet, halfway through, the talisman paper slowly emitted a hissing sound as it began to smoke.

Another drawing, another failure!

He picked up the discarded talisman, carefully examining it for possible mistakes, then took out paper and pen to start summarizing his experiences from this attempt. As he wrote, he couldn’t help but feel a mounting irritation.

"Why am I wasting my time on this!"

"Why am I cooped up in this damned Talisman Crafting Room drawing these useless, damn talismans!"

Looking at the pile of discarded talismans and drafts before him, he wished he could throw them all into the trash and out of sight.

Hearing the sound of chopping wood outside and feeling irritated, he simply put down his pen, stood up, and left the talisman-making room, ready to take a walk outside and change his mood.

The late autumn evening sunlight fell on his face, carrying a faint hint of warmth.

The balding trees stubbornly clung to their last few dry leaves, as if boasting they hadn’t completely lost their foliage.

"Chopping wood, huh!" Chen Li made small talk.

Zhou Hong, holding an ax, sat on the giant rock by the door, chopping firewood with each strike. Since Gao Bo’s death, she seldom went out on adventures anymore, and Chen Li often saw her at home. Gradually, their relationship had warmed up.

Zhou Hong glanced at him and said, "Such nerve!"

Chen Li immediately felt spirited and laughed, "Chopping wood is my forte. Move over, move over, I’ll help you!"

Zhou Hong refused several times, but couldn’t hold out against Chen Li, so she picked up her red robe and reluctantly made room for him.

Chen Li sat down in the middle of the giant rock, took the ax, propped up a log, and started to chop the firewood skillfully: "From now on, let me handle the tough and tiring jobs. As someone who practices Body Refinement, I’ve got plenty of strength to spare."

Zhou Hong watched Chen Li, seemingly lost in thought, fidgeting with the corner of her clothes. After hesitating for a while, she timidly opened her lips, "I appreciate your sentiment. Do you really want to be with me? Think it over well, I’ve been with a man before."

As she spoke, her face turned red.

"Ah!" Chen Li was caught off guard. Zhou Hong’s train of thought always caught him by surprise. The conversation was going fine, so how did the topic suddenly change like that? It seemed like they were on completely different wavelengths.

An impulse rose in his heart, and he blurted out, "I want to be with you."

Zhou Hong’s face was red, her coyness mixed with a hint of allure. She gave him a seductive glance, then bowed her head and turned to go inside.

What did that mean?

She left without a word?

What about the firewood?

Should he... go in and ask?

Chen Li’s heart thumped wildly, the ax slipping from his grasp to the ground as he followed her in, dazed.

...

That night...

Zhou Hong lay softly in his arms, chattering incessantly:

"Now that we will live together, you’ll manage the home. I have some savings here too, and I will hand them over to you when the time comes... Just, try to stay away from the brothels in the future. Those women all practice corrupt techniques, and going there too often can ruin your health."

Chen Li couldn’t handle this blanket statement: "I... I haven’t been going anymore!"

"If you say you haven’t, then you haven’t," Zhou Hong uncharacteristically replied tenderly, her face full of longing for the future, "From now on, you’ll draw talismans to provide for us, and I’ll take good care of you at home. We’ll lead a peaceful life and stop going on adventures."

"Yeah!" Chen Li nodded, aware that she was recalling the chaos of that night, and he comforted her: "It’s all in the past!"

...

Chen Li’s yin and yang were in harmony, dispelling the irritability brought on by his failed talisman drawing.

Early the next day.

Chen Li sat back down in the talisman-making room, refreshed.

Thinking back to last night, he couldn’t help but smile, heh heh!

Even though he had been impulsive yesterday, utterly beguiled by the charms of a woman, now that he was sober, he felt there was nothing to regret.

Zhou Hong was quite attractive and had a nice figure. Despite her seemingly brash exterior, at her core she was a traditional woman. Once settled in a domestic life, she would respect her husband and follow his lead.

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t really a widow; she had never married, and at most had a former boyfriend, who was now deceased.

What more could he ask for?