My master had taught me this talisman in advance.
He wanted me to first familiarize myself with the drawing steps of the "Yin-Yang Four Divine Evil-Breaking Talisman."
Because Master believed my talent was excellent.
It wouldn't take long for me to break through the late stage of the Spiritual Spring realm and reach the Qi Gathering realm.
It was good to have me get familiar with it beforehand.
He hadn't expected me to master it so quickly.
But who knew, when I drew it for the seventh time, it was successful.
And that, without even reaching the Qi Gathering realm.
This caught Master completely off guard, leaving him greatly shocked and speechless.
In his astonishment, he was even choked by the smoke.
"Cough, cough, cough, no way?"
"Master, you see for yourself!"
I happily handed the talisman to Master for him to examine.
Master incredulously took the talisman from my hand and examined it closely.
The head, tail, and core of the talisman, though not perfect.
The power of the talisman might only be twenty to thirty percent.
But it was indeed drawn successfully...
"Good heavens, you kid are really something!"
Master seemed a bit embarrassed.
After all, he had previously said it took him three days to draw this talisman.
He had drawn at least a hundred or so, back and forth.
Daoist Master Tang on the other side, whether he was a senior martial brother or junior martial brother, took five days.
But I, after only a few attempts, succeeded.
This was the gap in talent.
Master was also a man who valued his reputation.
Although happy in his heart, he felt his face was a little too hot.
But he still pretended to be calm and cleared his throat:
"The student surpasses the teacher.
You're good, boy, very good.
Continue practicing that, I'm going out for a walk..."
With that, Master dropped the talisman in his hand and left the shop, his face somewhat flushed.
Seeing Master's reaction, I couldn't help but smile.
But I didn't pay much attention and continued practicing in the shop.
Business was average today, about twenty orders.
People buying incense and candles, paper money, and inviting deities.
Outside of work hours, I spent all my time drawing talismans.
And for the next few days, everything was calm and peaceful.
Except for the time I was playing games with Mo Ting and mentioned that I saw the Soul Reapers, Black and White Impermanence, on the Ghost Festival, which startled him immensely.
There were no other novelties.
After several days of practice, I could now proficiently master the drawing of the Evil-Breaking Talisman.
My success rate had also increased from one successful draw in ten to eighty percent.
The talismans were also getting better.
This afternoon, as usual, I was drawing talismans and organizing various items for sale in the shop.
Master suddenly received a phone call.
I didn't pay much attention.
I only heard Master say "uh-huh" a few times on the phone before hanging up.
Then I heard Master say to me:
"Xiao Qin, we have to work overtime tonight. Come out with me!"
Hearing Master speak like this, and seeing his troubled expression, which seemed related to that phone call.
I put down my work and asked Master:
"Master, what happened?"
Master raised his eyebrows slightly and then said:
"Something happened in Longgang Mountain. It seems there's been an incident.
Three people have already died, I need to go and see."
Upon hearing Longgang Mountain, I thought of the time Master asked me to sell ghostly goods at the ghost temple on Longgang Mountain and the encounter with the fox old lady.
Seeing Master's anxiousness, and knowing that people had died.
I also put on a solemn expression:
"Master, do you know what happened?"
Master shook his head slightly:
"Not clear yet. Pack your things, and bring more glutinous rice this time. Let's go immediately..."
"Okay! I'll get ready right away."
I quickly replied and then hurried to gather my equipment.
The Seven Star Peach Wood Sword, Eight Trigram Mirror, glutinous rice, talismans, everything was prepared.
Master also finished packing his things quickly.
Then, Master and I left the shop directly.
We called for a ride-hailing car and headed towards Longgang Mountain.
Longgang Mountain is in the northern part of the city, about a forty-minute drive.
By the time we arrived, it was already five in the afternoon.
The place we arrived at was a construction site at the foot of Longgang Mountain.
The construction site had stopped work, and a cordon was set up at the entrance.
Several workers were standing around, chatting.
Master made a phone call to say he had arrived.
A moment later, a middle-aged man wearing a white cap rushed out of the construction site.
Seeing the man come out, Master took me and walked over.
As soon as the man approached, he respectfully called out to my Master:
"Master Gu! It's been hard on you to come all this way."
Master waved his hand:
"No trouble, Manager Ma. What happened?"
When the man called Manager Ma heard Master's question, his expression immediately turned grim.
He glanced around, then lowered his voice and said:
"Master Gu, our construction site might have encountered an evil presence!
And, and possibly a zombie..."
Upon hearing the word "zombie," I couldn't help but show surprise.
This was a fierce entity.
Once it appeared, if not eliminated promptly, it could bring disaster to a region.
Not only I showed surprise, but Master's expression also became very somber.
But he didn't interrupt Manager Ma, continuing to listen.
Manager Ma recounted everything he knew, the cause and effect of the incident at the construction site.
Manager Ma said that five nights ago.
The construction team had blasted open an ancient tomb on the mountain ahead.
At that time, some workers secretly went in.
They wanted to find some antiques and make a small fortune.
But upon entering the tomb, they found the burial chamber was empty except for a coffin.
The workers didn't think much of it and used a crowbar to open the coffin.
As soon as the coffin was pried open, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Black mist began to billow from the coffin, seeping out uncontrollably...