Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

In the talisman-drawing room,

Chen Li played with the storage bag, unable to part with it.

From time to time, various magic artifacts were put in and taken out.

"If I had this storage bag in my previous life..."

He could think of nine great schemes to make a fortune without much effort.

"Regrettably, it’s been buried and wasted in this world!"

"Perhaps due to refining it, I can sense the bag’s location no matter where it is. It’s not that easy to steal!"

Of course, its anti-theft capability was quite limited.

If the thief wasn’t caught in a short time and someone else refined it, then all would be lost.

"I wonder how strong its defenses are, but it probably isn’t that fragile... After all, it’s standard issue for high-ranking cultivators, and Qi Cultivation Stage magic artifacts and spells probably can’t damage it."

After examining it for a while, Chen Li took a clean piece of velvet cloth and carefully wiped away fingerprints and sweat stains before applying a Cleaning Talisman on it.

Looking at the surface restored to its gleaming, new condition, he was finally satisfied and gently placed the precious storage bag, worth eighty mid-grade spirit stones, into his sleeve.

He then picked up the "Notes on the Experience of Commonly Used Talisman Drawing" he bought yesterday, calmed his mind, and began to read carefully.

Half an hour later,

Chen Li set the book aside, took out a piece of talisman paper, picked up the brush, and dipped it in blood ink.

As soon as the brush touched the paper, it moved as swiftly as a dragon or snake.

After a brief moment,

the brush stopped, and the talisman was complete.

The Serenity Talisman was drawn successfully.

"Such a first-class, level three talisman poses no difficulty for me now," Chen Li thought to himself.

He checked the game panel.

Indeed,

although he had only drawn it once, the Serenity Talisman skill had already skipped the beginner level and reached the proficient level directly.

Chen Li picked up the Serenity Talisman and stimulated it with spiritual power.

The talisman instantly ignited.

At the same time, mana descended.

Chen Li felt the effects for a while.

"It seems to have little effect... Perhaps my mind isn’t cluttered enough right now. The Serenity Talisman is supposed to gather scattered thoughts and purify the mind, but I just finished drawing the talisman and didn’t have many distractions to begin with."

With a thought,

Chen Li got up and drew another Serenity Talisman.

He then picked up a secular novel that had come from the mortal world and began to flip through it.

The book’s author was skilled, with a detailed and vivid depiction of various plots and a strong sense of immersion. Moreover, every few pages included action illustrations that, although a bit rough and not very realistic, were rich in posture.

He was so engrossed that he couldn’t contain his restlessness.

"Now’s the perfect time!"

Chen Li quickly activated the Serenity Talisman.

The next instant,

it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, clearing all distracting thoughts from his mind.

The text, which had previously been so exciting and alluring, now seemed insipid and tasteless, like chewing wax. Although his focus had sharpened, the content no longer had any appeal.

"If used properly, this talisman could have amazing effects!" he set the book aside, deep in thought.

...

In the days that followed,

Chen Li dedicated half of each day to studying the Ice Skill, as well as the Demon Expelling Talisman and Amulet.

Aside from becoming a bit more fulfilling, life went on as usual.

Autumn approached quickly, and what had been the heat of summer turned in the blink of an eye to a chill in the air. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Perhaps sensing the approach of winter, the number of bandits increased. Every time he walked on the streets, he could often smell the stench of corpses drifting from the houses,

left to decay slowly.

Unclaimed by anyone.

Even more common was the sight of bodies carelessly discarded in the groves, with no need to search intentionally; wherever flies gathered, a corpse could be found.

The entire shantytown seemed to be slowly fading away.

Life and vitality were gradually being replaced by deathly stillness and silence.

At the same time, incidents involving evil wraiths became more frequent. Such occurrences were rare in markets where cultivators gathered, but now they had become a common topic of street corner gossip.

Although Chen Li had never witnessed these events firsthand, his Evil-Repelling Talisman would inexplicably grow hot several times while he was on the road.

He didn’t believe these things could harm him,

but out of a fear of the unknown,

Chen Li chose to avoid these special areas altogether.

One day, soon after breakfast, Zhang Shuniang came running in panic.

"Uncle, please come see my dad!"

A jolt of concern struck Chen Li’s heart, "What’s wrong with your dad?"

"My dad’s been beaten," Zhang Shuniang said.

Chen Li was speechless; the girl was panting as she spoke.

He had expected something worse.

"How did he get beaten so early in the morning? I didn’t hear any commotion," Chen Li wondered aloud.

"He went to the market to sell talismans again this morning," Zhang Shuniang explained anxiously, "and when he returned, his face was swollen, and all his belongings had been stolen. My dad didn’t want me to tell you, I sneaked out to do so."

"Good thing he came back with his life. Come on, lead the way and let’s take a look."

Following Zhang Shuniang, Chen Li arrived at Zhang Yan’s home,

where sighs reached his ears before he saw the man.

Zhang Yan lay rigid on the bed, continuously groaning, his face swollen like a pig’s head, eyes nearly shut, with blood still flowing from his forehead. It was a pitiful sight,

as he had been beaten beyond recognition.

"Pff!"

In such a grim situation, it wasn’t right to laugh,

yet Chen Li couldn’t help but chuckle upon seeing the man’s face.

Realizing there was someone around, Zhang Yan turned his head and saw Chen Li; his body stiffened in embarrassment, feeling as though he’d lost all his dignity.

This damned girl, he had repeatedly instructed her not to tell the neighbor, yet she brought someone over while he was momentarily distracted. Was she trying to shame him to death?

Zhang Yan glared resentfully at Zhang Shuniang.

"Dad, I was just worried about you," said Zhang Shuniang feebly.