I have a composite mirror

When Gu Shenyan walked out of the meditation room, it was already dusk.

He was about to walk towards the school gate when he saw a figure coming towards him.

The man was thin, wearing a faded blue robe, carrying a cloth bag, and walking hurriedly.

As he got closer, Gu Shenyan recognized him—it was Song Qingyuan, who had sold him the materials for the talismans before.

"Brother Song," he said, bowing.

Song Qingyuan looked up at the sound, saw that he was clearly surprised, and then put on a smile:

"So it's Brother Gu, what a coincidence!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Gu Shenyan.

"Brother Gu, are you... coming out of the meditation room?"

"Exactly."

Gu Shenyan nodded, but didn't offer any further explanation.

The atmosphere between the two had become much more distant than during their last gathering.

Last time, Bai Cailing was present, but now that the princess is not here, the other party's enthusiasm has faded considerably.

"I heard that Brother Gu is planning to sell talismans at the academy recently?"

Song Qingyuan smiled and said, "This is a good business."

Gu Shenyan replied calmly, "Brother Song is indeed well-informed."

"Not at all," Song Qingyuan waved his hand.

"Sacred Heart School is only so big, so any little thing that happens will always be spread around."

"Moreover, the circle of talismans is not very large to begin with."

"Now that Brother Gu has entered this line of work, we are now like-minded people."

They claimed to be like-minded, but there was not a trace of intimacy in their tone.

It was more like hunters meeting hunters, merchants encountering merchants—polite to each other, yet wary of one another.

"Brother Gu..." Song Qingyuan probed again, "When did you learn talismans?"

Gu Shenyan looked at him and casually gave a number: "About a month."

"January?" Song Qingyuan was somewhat surprised, then asked, "As for the talisman drawing, is it already...?"

"I only know three basic talismans."

"Water control, water avoidance, and warding off evil are all beginner skills; I cannot claim to be an expert."

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy's expression visibly relaxed.

"I see."

He let out a long breath, and the smile on his face became more genuine:

"To be able to draw three different talismans in just half a month, Brother Gu's talent in talismans is truly remarkable."

"When I first started learning, I spent a whole month practicing with just one talisman."

At this point, Song Qingyuan seemed to have opened up:

"Brother Gu, you may not know this, but although making talismans is a side job, if you can really do it well, it can be enough to support your family."

His voice unconsciously carried a hint of pride:

"Ever since that incident, my family has relied entirely on my skills to make ends meet."

"Although we can't live as lavishly as before, we can still manage to keep the family afloat."

"My three younger siblings all attend private schools, and their tuition alone costs more than ten dollars a month."

"Add to that the daily expenses at home, and the money for my elderly mother's medicine... If it weren't for this art of talismans, we probably would have been starving long ago."

Gu Shenyan listened quietly. This person was quite good at complaining about being poor, which reminded him of some unpleasant experiences from his past life.

"Oh, right."

Song Qingyuan seemed to suddenly remember something, and changed the subject:

"Princess Bai seems to be in a bad situation lately."

He glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before continuing:

"I've heard that the White Deer Prince's Mansion has chosen the wrong side of the government in recent years, and its situation is becoming increasingly difficult."

He shook his head, his tone full of regret:

"It's truly ironic that someone as kind-hearted as the princess has ended up in such a state."

"Now that Brother Gu has gained the favor of the princess, if he achieves something in the art of talismans in the future, I hope you can lend him a hand."

At this point, the boy sighed again:

"Speaking of which, the princess helped me back then."

"At that time, a family tragedy occurred, and my father fell ill from overwork and became bedridden."

"All of our family savings have been used to treat my father's illness, and we can barely afford to pay for my younger siblings' tuition."

"When the princess heard about this, she specially sent someone to deliver one hundred silver dollars, which helped them through the crisis."

"But now I..."

He shook his head with a wry smile: "I can barely take care of my own family, how can I have the energy to help others?"

"I draw talismans every day, busy from morning till night, and my hands are getting sore."

"The little money I earned was just enough to cover the family's expenses."

"My elderly mother's health is deteriorating day by day, and the cost of her medicine is getting higher and higher."

"My eldest sister is going to high school this year, and my second brother's tuition has gone up again..."

He kept rambling on and on, as if he wanted to pour out all his bitterness.

"Brother Song," Gu Shenyan interrupted him.

"It's getting late, and I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

"Oh, Brother Gu, are you leaving already?"

Song Qingyuan wanted to say something more, but seeing those cold eyes, he swallowed his words.

"Well... let's talk another day."

He gave an awkward laugh and stepped aside.

Gu Shenyan bowed respectfully, then turned and left.

After taking a few steps, he could feel a gaze fixed on his back.

But he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

People in this world each have their own way of living.

Song Qingyuan, for example, constantly talked about his hardships, as if afraid that others wouldn't know how difficult his life was.

This kind of behavior is really disgusting.

………………

Time flows like water, quietly passing by.

In the blink of an eye, a week has passed.

The fog had not yet dissipated in the early morning.

A large crowd had already gathered in front of the main entrance of Sacred Heart School.

These people were dressed in various ways; some wore long gowns, some wore mandarin jackets, and some wore Western suits.

Without exception, everyone had a magical implement hanging from their waist and talismans in their pockets.

The chilling atmosphere made passersby instinctively detour.

Gu Shenyan stood on the periphery of the crowd, carrying a cloth bag in his hand.

Inside the cloth bag, twenty talisman papers were neatly folded:

Fifteen water-fixing talismans and five water-avoiding talismans—this was the culmination of a whole week's work.

Every day, besides eating and sleeping, he spends his time drawing talismans, meditating, and then drawing more talismans.

This process was repeated repeatedly, which is how these stocks were accumulated.

He looked at the team that was about to depart, his eyes searching through the crowd.

Soon, that familiar lake-blue figure came into view.

Bai Cailing changed into a smart outfit today, with her long hair tied in a ponytail, making her look heroic and dashing.

She was talking to Xiao Yichen, her face serious.

Gu Shenyan was about to step forward when he caught a glimpse of another figure out of the corner of his eye—Song Qingyuan.

He was also carrying a cloth bag and was standing on the other side of the line.

With a fawning smile on his face, he was talking to a few students who looked like they were there to sell talismans.

Gu Shenyan frowned slightly.

The old saying "competitors are enemies" is indeed true.

He suppressed his distracting thoughts and walked towards Bai Cailing.

"Senior."

"Be careful what you say?"

Bai Cailing turned around and was somewhat surprised to see him: "What brings you here?"

"Of course, I'm here to see my senior off."

Gu Shenyan smiled and took out several talismans from the cloth bag:

"And by the way... do some small business."

Bai Cailing looked at the talisman in his hand and nodded knowingly.

"You've certainly had a busy week."

She took the talisman and examined it, somewhat surprised:

"The quality of this talisman... is truly excellent."

"You flatter me, senior."

Gu Shenyan humbly replied, "I'm just a beginner; I can't compare to those veterans."

"It's already very good."

Bai Cailing returned the talisman to him: "How much do you plan to sell this talisman for?"

"One water-fixing talisman for the two oceans, and one water-avoiding talisman for the three oceans."

Gu Shenyan quoted a price: "It's a bit cheaper than the market price, after all, this is... a product without any manufacturer's name, address, or production date."

Bai Cailing couldn't help but laugh after hearing this: "That's honest."

"However, this price might upset some people."

The girl glanced meaningfully at something not far away.

Gu Shenyan followed her gaze and saw that Song Qingyuan was also looking in their direction.

Their eyes met, and Song Qingyuan nodded at him, but his smile was somewhat stiff.