The improved female villains regained their memories.

The foreigner put down his bowl and smiled, "It seems I'm doomed to die."

Yang Pingsheng fell silent.

The charge of colluding with barbarian thieves has been established; the foreigner is indeed doomed.

“Pingsheng, I know you and Xiaorong get along very well. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

"Please speak."

“There’s an item I’ve placed under a stone in the corner of the backyard. Go find it and give it to Su Murong.”

Yang Pingsheng's lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said, "Okay."

“There is a wooden box and some silver coins buried there. You can take the silver coins, but you must deliver the wooden box to Su Murong.”

"understood."

"In that case, I have no other requests."

After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and recalled a past event.

That was my past as a spirit talisman master.

----------

Choosing the spirit talisman route? We've already tempered our bodies and purified ourselves, why choose this route?

"He actually submitted a memorial to the imperial court, saying that he wanted to create talismans that do not require spiritual energy. What qualifications does Gui Jianchou have? Even our late emperor could not solve such a problem, yet he, a mere minor immortal who has just tempered his body and removed impurities, dares to touch it."

"The decline of spiritual energy is an inevitable trend. Instead of seizing this opportunity to advance to the Earth Immortal realm and receive royal support, he still wants to make mortal talismans. I really don't understand."

"Ghost's Sorrow!" On a dark and windy night, the mysterious man severely injured Ghost's Sorrow with a single palm strike, then trampled all of Ghost's talismans under his feet and looked down at him from above.

"I don't know where you got this idea from, daring to talk about drawing talismans using popularity. Now, I'm officially warning you, stop researching talismans based on popularity."

"You..." Gui Jianchou wanted to say something, but spat out a mouthful of blood. The spiritual energy injected into his body did not dissipate. He looked up in horror and suddenly realized that the other party was actually an Earth Immortal.

But he showed no fear; instead, he endured his injuries and angrily questioned:

"Who are you, and why are you stopping me? Drawing talismans with spiritual energy is a great thing that benefits the world. I don't understand why you insist on stopping me."

"Don't you understand?"

The mysterious man sneered, then stomped his foot, destroying all of his research findings.

"The decline of spiritual energy is an inevitable trend. His Majesty has already issued a decree that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the spiritual energy of the spiritual springs within the royal family does not decline. Anyone who enters the Earth Immortal realm before the decline of spiritual energy can receive royal support to ensure that their cultivation does not decline, and may even have the possibility of advancing further."

As the mysterious man spoke, he stepped forward and kicked Gui Jianchou far away: "And you bastard, instead of thinking about walking the right path, you insist on doing this 'popularity talisman drawing' thing. We cultivators are supposed to follow the will of Heaven. On the contrary, your idea of ​​using popularity to draw talismans is truly rebellious."

"No, that's not it! Drawing talismans based on popularity is not treasonous. Only by drawing talismans based on popularity can we truly address the problems caused by the depletion of spiritual energy!"

"Shut up!"

The mysterious man, in a fit of rage, knocked him unconscious with a single blow and took all the research results from his arms.

"If she weren't a princess, why would I waste my breath talking to you like that!"

The mysterious man destroyed all the research results and left.

----

"...Stop researching popular talismans."

Gui Jianchou stared at the princess before him, his eyes wide, and asked tremblingly, "Xin'er, are you going to stop me too?"

"I'm not trying to stop you, I'm trying to save you." The beautiful princess in front of me pursed her lips and turned her face to the side, saying, "After tempering your body and removing impurities, the right path is to cultivate immortal techniques and become an Earth Immortal. I've already spoken with my father. As long as you become an Earth Immortal, he will marry me to you and let you enjoy royal support, living a life of comfort and ease."

Ghost-sorrow stood there dumbfounded.

The princess took a step closer and said softly, "My lord, why do you insist on studying the art of drawing talismans based on human energy? Put it down and stick to the path of deadly techniques. You still have time. Once you reach the Earth Immortal realm, we will get married. With my father, the Emperor, there will be no problem for you to advance further."

The fragrant scent drew near, and she lowered her head, sobbing uncontrollably, "I know my husband's ambition, but drawing talismans is ultimately not the right path. My husband, please don't study it anymore. I have no other desires in this life, as long as we can stay together."

The princess's voice and breath, like fragrant rice wine, made Gui Jianchou tremble.

However, he took a step back.

"I……"

He clenched his teeth and pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but he didn't.

The princess looked up in surprise and stared at him blankly.

"I'm sorry, Xin'er, I... I have to..."

The princess is gone.

He was left alone, standing there with his head down.

--------------------

“Chou’er, stop studying popularity-based talismans! Do you know that because of your actions, your father… your father…”

In the main hall of the house, the old mother sat there weeping uncontrollably, while Gui Jianchou knelt there, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Mother, I'm going to find them and demand an explanation!"

"What explanation do you want! How can you still not understand! The one who has been blocking you all along is none other than the current emperor! Your research has touched his sore spot. My child, you still refuse to back down, so he is going to take action against your father."

Ghost Fear was stunned.

His mother continued to cry and plead, "Please, I beg you, for your father's sake and for your mother's sake, stop researching the Qi-based talisman. You are a cultivator who has been tempering your body, and you are only one step away from becoming an immortal. Go and bow down to His Majesty, give up your research, and His Majesty will not hold it against you."

"Mother, the decline of spiritual energy is an inevitable trend; only the power of human energy in drawing talismans can..."

"Becoming an immortal and joining the royal family is the natural order of things!" the old woman suddenly scolded. "Are you going to kill your father for your research?!"

"Mother, I...I won't give up."

"You unfilial son! You unfilial son!! You're going to ruin our family!!!"

His mother's cries pierced the sky, and he knelt there, too afraid to move.

But his heart remained steadfast.

----

"...The Heaven-Suppressing Talisman Master Gui Jianchou has disregarded the Emperor's grace and committed heinous crimes. His honorary title is hereby revoked, he is demoted to a commoner, his family property is confiscated, his father is exiled to the frontier, and his remaining female relatives are to be sent to the music and dance troupe. This is the imperial decree!"

Inside the majestic palace, the eunuch announced the crimes of the Ghost-Seeing Sorrow.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I am innocent!!"

He struggled and roared, but the figure on the high position did not cast a single glance at him. The princess beside him sighed in disappointment and turned her face away.

Despite the indifference of the officials, the cold stares of the eunuchs, and the pressure from the escorting soldiers, Gui Jianchou struggled angrily but was dragged away.

Before he was dragged out, he could still hear the officials whispering among themselves.

"Outrageous! This guy is a madman."

-------

The Yan Kingdom arranged a marriage alliance, and the new bride was none other than that princess.

"Is he the one who terrified ghosts, the genius boy who once had the best chance of becoming an Earth Immortal?"

"Yes, that's him. He doesn't take the killer route; he doesn't even want that kind of marriage."

"He's a madman. It's said that the princess even threatened to commit suicide for him, but it was no use. In the end, she was still forced to marry him."

"Useless. He can't even protect his own woman."

"Exactly, they're crazy for not trying to break through to the Earth Immortal realm when they have the chance."

"Fool."

"idiot."

A barrage of insults, a chorus of bewilderment.

Gui Jianchou stood on the hillside, watching the wedding procession gradually disappear into the distance.

He returned home dejectedly. The original mansion had been replaced by a thatched hut, and on the table in the hut was the old black book he had found.

Next to the black-covered ancient book were some talismans drawn by popular artists. He looked at those talismans, crying and laughing at the same time.

Family ties, romantic love, everything is gone.

He laughed and cried, like a madman, and continued to immerse himself in his research.

He believed that someone would understand him.

There definitely will be.

Chapter 144 Respect Me for a Lifetime!

Ten years later

He stared blankly at the popular talisman in front of him.

This talisman is his only achievement in the past ten years.

They gave up everything—their lover, their family, their future—but this is all they got in return.

He waved the talisman, and the resulting shockwave only raised dust, with an impact force of about three meters, not even enough to kill a rabbit.

As he watched, images kept flashing through his mind—the princess's smile, his parents' expressions, and another version of himself.

Regret?

He laughed heartily, tears welling up in his eyes.

There was no place for him in the city, so he moved to the mountains in the wilderness. In recent years, he has lived the life of a primitive man, with his mind preoccupied with drawing talismans to attract attention.

"I will not give up, no matter what, I will not give up."

He swallowed all the suffering and tears, gritted his teeth, ignored the power of the popularity talisman, and continued to devote himself to the research.

One day, a mysterious person arrived after hearing the news.

Because of the depletion of spiritual energy, impurities were reborn in him. He raised his head and looked at the person in front of him without fear.

"What? The spiritual energy has already begun to decline, and the emperor still won't let me go? Is he going to send someone to kill me?"

“You’re mistaken, Ghost-Fearer. I’m not one of the Emperor’s men.” The mysterious man smiled, not minding at all. “However, I did come here for your research.”