From Paper Craftsman to World-Suppressing Immortal

On the carriage, Zhang Zhixuan took the newspaper handed to him by Liu Ling, unfolded it, and saw without even looking that the headline on the front page was about himself.

"Tianjin's two heroes solve a bizarre case, and their profound martial arts vanquish evil spirits."

Looking at the main text, it's a long and detailed account of how he and Pei Shouzhen fought the sorcerer in the abandoned house that night, and how they vanquished the evil spirits. It's more exciting than a storyteller's tale.

What about "a Taoist disciple wielding a peach wood sword, stepping on the Seven Star Steps, making hand seals and chanting incantations, with the True Martial Emperor possessing him"? And what about "two sorcerers who were actually spider demons in disguise, with hundreds of years of cultivation, their murderous aura soaring to the heavens, ordinary people who touched them would die, a fierce battle that darkened the sky and obscured the sun and moon, and finally the two heroes joined forces to strike and subdue the evil demons"?

Scrolling down further, there are accompanying pictures, including photos taken by the reporters that day showing the two looking disheveled.

"What the hell? It's written in such a fantastical and mysterious way, as if these reporters witnessed it firsthand..."

Zhang Zhixuan was speechless. Sure enough, no matter what era or what kind of media it was, they didn't care about the truth of the matter in order to create a news sensation. They focused on starting with a pen and making up the content. As long as it could go viral, they would write anything.

Seeing Zhang Zhixuan shake his head and sigh, Liu Ling chuckled and handed him another stack of newspapers: "Want to read some more? We have all the big and small newspapers in Tianjin."

"Sister Liu, is this some kind of collecting obsession?" Zhang Zhixuan was both amused and exasperated, but he still took the stack of newspapers and sat in the carriage to read them.

The content of these newspapers was largely the same as that of the first one. Among them, the newspaper called Shuguang Xinbao published the most and most complete photos of Zhang Zhixuan and Pei Shouzhen, and even photos of the inside of the witchcraft cave that other newspapers had not taken.

Upon seeing these photos, Zhang Zhixuan immediately recalled the female reporter who moved as nimbly as an eel that day. Even Captain Lu was helpless against her, constantly referring to her as "my young lady." It seemed that the female reporter had quite a background and status.

"It's not just in the newspapers; now, children all over Tianjin are singing 'Clap your hands, sing it all the way through, Tianjin has produced two immortals, their skills in the Xuanmen are superb, they catch great demons in the dark of night, protect the neighborhood, ensure peace, and all demons and monsters are scared away!'"

"The storytellers in the taverns and teahouses have created a new story called 'The Two Heroes Break the Xuan Yin Formation at Night,' and every performance is sold out. I heard that even Guanghe Tower is putting on a new play, and the lyrics have already been written."

After listening to Liu Ling's explanation, Zhang Zhixuan clicked his tongue, feeling a chill run down his spine. He was overwhelmed with anxiety. He flipped through the rolled-up newspaper twice, sighed, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"How's it going? Little Zhang's become a celebrity now, shouldn't we pick a day and treat your Sister Liu to a nice meal?"

"Sister Liu, whatever you want to eat, we'll arrange it anytime, no need to pick a day," Zhang Zhixuan said with a smile.

Looking at Liu Ling's charming face and smelling the faint, elegant jasmine fragrance, Zhang Zhixuan couldn't help but compare it to the scene of their first meeting. On that day, Liu Ling was always serious and unsmiling, making people feel that she was strong and cold.

Today, Liu Ling was different. Her words and actions were playful and joking, and she talked a lot with me, as if she were a different person.

"Deyuanju's hot pot is excellent. The hand-cut fresh mutton, cooked in a copper pot, is very authentic. Their sesame seed cakes and braised beef are also superb. Oh, and Yankelou also has many of my favorite dishes, especially roast duck, boiled tripe, scallops with vinegar, stir-fried shrimp, and oxtail..."

When it came to Tianjin's delicacies, Liu Ling knew them like the back of her hand, her mouth flowing like she was reciting a menu. Just then, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the leader of the group called out from outside, "Master, we've arrived."

"Okay, I understand." Instantly, Liu Ling reverted to her usual aloof and distant demeanor, gave a curt reply, and stepped out of the carriage first. Zhang Zhixuan suppressed a laugh, having roughly guessed Liu Ling's personality, and followed behind her. The two of them got out of the carriage one after the other.

After the two got off the carriage, they saw three mule carts used for hauling paper offerings parked in front, with Liu Ling's horse-drawn carriage at the back. The workers had tidied up the cargo boards of the mule carts and were waiting for their boss to give the order.

Liu Ling's gaze fell upon the dilapidated old house in front of her. Several crooked mud walls formed a courtyard, and the roof of one of the old houses was drafty. Zhang Zhixuan opened the courtyard gate, and there was a shed in the courtyard, where many finished paper figures and horses were placed.

"The paper work in the shed is part of it, and there's some more in the room. All the orders are done. Sister Liu, please check the goods. If there are no problems, we can load them onto the truck," Zhang Zhixuan said.

Liu Ling led a few men into the courtyard, casually picked up a few paper figures and horses, and golden boys and jade girls as symbols, and looked at them: "Load them onto the cart."

As soon as the boss gave the order, the workers immediately started working.

Liu Ling stood aside and went into the house to take a look. She had only been inside for a short while when she pinched her nose and hurriedly came out again: "Zhang Zhixuan, do you usually live here?"

"Yes, the environment is nice, isn't it? An antique old house, down-to-earth, close to nature!" Zhang Zhixuan said with a smile.

Liu Ling scoffed and rolled her eyes: "You've been making paper crafts for Guihoutang for a long time, so why don't you just live in Jincheng from now on? We happen to have several vacant houses in Jincheng. Come on over, you can decide on the rent. The main thing is that if you live closer, I won't have to send carriages to pick up the goods all the time, which will save me some transportation costs."

"Move to Tianjin to live? I need to think about that..."

If it were before, Zhang Zhixuan would have agreed immediately to Liu Ling's offer. However, he had just gained such a great reputation in Tianjin because of a case, so he had to be more cautious. At this time, he was in the eye of the storm, and the bigger the tree, the more the wind would blow. Although living in Tianjin would be good, he would definitely have no shortage of trouble.

Seeing Zhang Zhixuan's ambiguous answer, Liu Ling guessed his concerns and didn't press him further: "Then let me know when you've thought it through, and I'll welcome you anytime."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Sister Liu."

"You're welcome. By the way, I have a few new orders for you. The delivery time is about the same. Take a look." Liu Ling took out a few lists and handed them to Zhang Zhixuan.

Zhang Zhixuan took the order form, glanced at it, and said, "If Sister Liu isn't in a rush, could I delay delivery of this batch of goods by a day or two, please?"

"Delayed delivery? Is there anything else you want?"

Zhang Zhixuan said, "I'm planning to visit my uncle's house in the next few days..."

"Sister Liu, you know all about my mess. My parents died suddenly, and my uncle took good care of me over the years. But I was an ungrateful person back then. Not only did I squander the family business, but even with my uncle's help, I still couldn't change my ways and gambled, which completely broke my uncle's heart."

"The relationship had eased a bit a few days ago, and I thought that now that I've made some money, it would be a good time to go and visit him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ling pondered for a moment before replying, "Let's make this clear first: public matters are public, and private matters are private. I'm pleased that you have such filial piety, but the order can't be delayed too long. I can only postpone it for you by one more day. If you can't deliver the goods by the due date, see how I punish you."

"No problem at all, thank you Sister Liu! Next time we go to Tianjin, Sister Liu, you can lead the way. We'll go wherever you want to eat, it's on me."

"I'll remember that."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the paper figures and horses were packed up by several workers. The lead worker stepped forward to report, "Boss, the goods are all packed up."

"Okay, I'll be right there." After dismissing the shop assistant, Liu Ling took out the pre-prepared cash and handed it to Zhang Zhixuan, saying, "Take this, don't waste the money, use it to buy your uncle a few bottles of good wine."

"Don't worry, Sister Liu, I won't be a spendthrift like before."

"That's good. Alright, I've finished my business, I'm going back now."

After Liu Ling finished speaking, she turned and walked out. Zhang Zhixuan followed closely behind, intending to see her off. Suddenly, he saw Liu Ling stop abruptly, turn around, and say something.

Just then, Zhang Zhixuan came towards them. Liu Ling suddenly stopped, and before either of them could react, they bumped into each other.

Liu Ling lost her footing and fell backward. In a panic, Zhang Zhixuan quickly reached out and caught her around the waist. In that instant, their eyes met.