With virtue

Meanwhile, Zhao Yunshu spent three hours drawing talismans, and Liu Qimei also spent three hours playing the pipa.

The young Taoist priest finally put down his pen, exhaled a long breath, and felt that his whole body was sore and weak, as if he had been fighting with someone all day. His mind was even more tired than that!

Drawing talismans is not like wielding a sword; it doesn't consume physical strength, but rather one's spirit and energy. Every stroke of cinnabar on the yellow paper requires one to infuse it with their own vital energy, ensuring that the brushstrokes and the breath remain unbroken.

At this moment, not only was his vital energy depleted, but even his water and fire energies were exhausted, and his inner vision had dimmed. He just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Let's take another look at what I've accomplished in the past two days!

Two Yellow God amulets—needless to say, although not as good as Master's, they are quite effective.

Two toothache-inducing talismans, inscribed with "Southern red worms, come to eat my teeth," are designed to cause excruciating pain to the teeth of any ghosts or monsters that are afflicted with them.

Three cinnabar beam-raising talismans are used to invite the ancestral spirits and the six gods of destiny. As long as they are pasted on the main beam of the house, they can invoke the door gods and protect the home. They are most effective in dealing with yin houses occupied by evil spirits, so he drew more than one.

Two Nine-Insect Extermination Talismans. This is for my own use. The Three Corpses and Nine Insects can cause illness. The patient's nightmares of fighting are all caused by these insects. Among them, the Three Corpses cause internal evil, while the Nine Insects are external evil. Burn these talismans, sprinkle the ashes into water to make talisman water, and drink it to remove external evil and suppress the disease.

However, this only temporarily removed the nine insects and suppressed them for a while; after an hour, the effect ceased.

The last one was the "Six Jia" talisman, which he had painstakingly drawn and ruined many times before finally completing it. This talisman was inscribed with the names of the six Jia, and could be used to exorcise ghosts when pasted on a ghost, ward off evil spirits when pasted on oneself, and give objects the ability to break evil spirits and suppress ghosts when pasted on them. It could be said to be a versatile talisman, and in terms of value, it was no less than the demon-subduing talisman drawn by his master!

Over the course of two days, we drew a total of ten pictures, and all the materials were used up.

Needless to say, he ruined a lot of drawings; his talisman-drawing skills were still insufficient. If it were given to an old Taoist priest, he could probably draw twenty.

But none of that matters anymore. Just the fact that these ten have been completed has given the young Taoist priest a lot of confidence!

Looking out the window again, the sun had moved from the east to the south, and Liu Qimei's pipa playing gradually became a little tired. Although the melody was not out of tune and the fingering was not broken, the strength of her plucking the strings was not as full as it was in the morning. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and her fingertips were slightly red, but she still sat upright and never complained of being tired.

Zhao Yunshu quickly said, "Seventh Sister, let's call it a day!"

After speaking, he picked up some loose silver from his pocket and said, "This is your reward. Go and rest. Playing the pipa is also exhausting. Three hours of playing is no easier than what I did. By the way, you don't need to come tomorrow. I have to go out for a while, at least three to five days, at most ten days to half a month. Take care of yourself."

Liu Qimei took the silver coins, her lips moved but she didn't say anything. She just gave a soft reply, bowed to Zhao Yunshu, and then turned and left with her pipa in her arms.

When he reached the door, he turned back and closed it.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhao Yunshu collapsed onto the bed, sprawling out as if all her bones were broken.

Drawing talismans until his energy was completely depleted was more unbearable than fleeing a famine. If it weren't for Liu Qimei's pipa, he probably wouldn't have been able to endure these three hours!

He was trying to sleep, but his stomach started growling unexpectedly. He then realized that he had been so focused on drawing talismans since breakfast that he hadn't even had a sip of water.

Helpless, he got up again, dragging his aching legs, and walked to the window of the guest room to look down.

There was a group of idle men lying down below. When they saw the second-floor window open, they all looked up, knowing that there were guests in the inn who needed their services.

Zhao Yunshu glanced around the crowd and immediately spotted the boy who had been waiting for Liu Qimei under the locust tree.

He was squatting on the very edge, squeezed in with the adults.

Zhao Yunshu leaned halfway out, waved at him, and called out, "Hey kid over there, yes, it's you."

The boy looked up and loudly replied, "What are your orders, Daoist Master?!"

"Five coins. Bring me two roast chickens from that roast chicken shop in the south of the city! Hurry, or I'll hold you responsible if they get cold on the way!"

The boy reached out and steadily caught the money bag, his eyes lighting up as he loudly replied, "Alright! You wait here, sir, I'll be right back!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned around and darted out. His two little legs moved so fast that he was even more agile than the few burly idle men next to him. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared around the corner of the alley.

No wonder this kid was able to become a layabout at such a young age and still manage to make a living; he's really fast!

Several idlers nearby watched as the packet of copper coins flew into the child's hand, and then watched the child run away with longing expressions. They all looked somewhat disappointed. One of them muttered, "Why didn't the Taoist priest call us? I'm not slow either."

Zhao Yunshu ignored him and went back to lie down.

I'm so tired.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, hurried footsteps came from downstairs. The boy, still out of breath, shouted, "Master! The roast chicken is here! From the one in the south of the city, fresh out of the pot, piping hot!"

Zhao Yunshu gestured for him to hang the roast chicken in the bamboo basket used for serving food at the inn's entrance. He then casually pulled two coins from his waist, wrapped them in paper, and tossed them down, saying, "You ran swiftly, here's a two-coin reward for you to buy some candy!"

"Thank you, Taoist Master! I kowtow to you! May you have boundless blessings and wealth in all four seasons!" The young man knelt on the ground, kowtowed twice, picked up the money, and left happily, not wanting to stay there any longer.

Most of the idlers around him were acquaintances, but it was still too dangerous for a young boy to openly earn money and keep it on his person. He should find a place to hide first and then go to other places to look for work!

This is the wisdom of getting things done!

Zhao Yunshu didn't care about any of that. He was starving, so he devoured the roast chicken, washed his hands after eating and drinking his fill, and went straight to sleep without even taking off his clothes.

Meanwhile, the young Taoist priest was half asleep until late at night.

Then, a noise came from outside.

He was jolted awake by the muffled thud, his eyelids heavy as if filled with lead, his mind still a fog.

He was about to turn over and continue sleeping when he heard a loud banging sound from outside the door. He frowned, and his anger surged.

He was exhausted from drawing talismans these past two days. He finally managed to eat and drink his fill and fall asleep. If he hadn't been disturbed, he probably would have slept until the next day. But being woken up in the middle of the night made him angry and he got up immediately.

He yanked off the covers, strode to the door, flung it open, and yelled downstairs, "What are you doing?! It's the middle of the night, can't a person get any sleep?!"

But outside the door, in the lobby of the inn, a burly man, upon hearing this, pointed at the young Taoist priest and said, "What's it to you! Go back to sleep!"

After saying that, he grabbed a woman and tried to leave.

The woman didn't cry or scream; she was just held by him like that.

Zhao Yunshu frowned and looked closely.

That woman was none other than Liu Qimei!