1004: Chapter 622 1004: Chapter 622 Although the Taoist nun is a Hall Master, her ability in Talisman Drawing is not that superb.
Mainly because her learning is not meticulous – if she draws ten talismans, having one advanced one is already considered good!
Sometimes those who draw talismans also waste materials.
As to why this happens?
Of course, it’s either her capability to learn is insufficient, or the Cultivation Technique she’s learning is substandard!
She was from a poor family in her childhood, and her parents sold her off.
Consequently, she came to a wealthy family to serve as a maid.
Being a servant there was better than being at home – she could eat a bit better, though she would be beaten when she didn’t perform well!
This was also during a drought in her hometown, when crops failed due to a locust plague and the landlord was still demanding rent.
Seeing her family unable to repay their debts and in danger of starvation, her parents sold her.
At the very least, they could pay off some of their ancestors’ debts and the family could buy rice to survive with the monthly wages from her servitude.
A drought followed by a locust plague made rice expensive.
How much could a little maid earn in a month?
One tael of silver was not enough for her family to buy rice for even half a month, let alone enough for a family of eight to eat porridge!
Gradually, the elderly fell ill and died, then her younger siblings were also sold by the parents, followed by the parents themselves succumbing to illness.
Of course, she knew nothing of this as she was just a little maid, too young and unable to stay by the young mistress’s side or become a chief maid.
All she did was menial work, without any days off.
Luckily, she had food and housing provided.
Even in the mansion, she ate the worst food.
Then, something even more tragic happened: an epidemic broke out.
Not knowing whether her family members were dead or had fled, she finally got a day off to go home and found the wealthy family’s gates tightly closed; even the mansion had become infected.
Every day, people were sent away, it was unclear whether they were giving up on them or sending them for treatment!
Filled with fear, over the course of a year, she had become familiar with her surroundings, so she knew of a dog hole deliberately left by some young masters and mistresses, leading to the street.
She snuck out through this dog hole early in the morning before dawn broke.
After walking non-stop, relying on her memory and seeing the chaos outside, she felt even more fearful.
She occasionally saw people pulling sheets with exposed feet sticking out.
In fear and hunger, she walked back to her village for a whole day, and by the time she arrived, it was getting dark.
She found the entire village deserted!
The whole village had become a no-man’s land, shrouded in heavy Yin Energy.
What terrified her most was that, after the recent outbreak, there might be contagion.
Arriving at home, she saw the tables and chairs covered in dust, and everything in the rooms, even the bed, was broken and tattered.
It was as if no one had lived there for a long time.
She was scared and lost.
“Wooo, Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, brothers, sisters, where did you all go?”
She had just discovered how eerily quiet the whole village was.
Many households she passed were uninhabited, with weeds growing in the yards!
Now both hungry and tired – not to mention there was nothing to eat – just by the musty smell coming from her house, she knew that even if there was food, it should not be eaten.
There wasn’t a drop of water to drink, and ultimately she fainted from hunger.
In the middle of the night, she was awakened by the “squeaking” sounds.
Opened her eyes and saw a few large rats around her!
“Ah, rats, go away, go away…!”
The audacious big rats were not afraid of people and were about to continue biting her, when somehow, it seemed as if someone struck them with a stick, hitting one rat after another.
The rats felt pain but realized it wasn’t the child hitting them; all they could feel was the chilly coldness in the summer.
With injuries and broken tails, the rats fled in terror.
Instead of being scared, she actually felt relieved at this scene.
“Not bad, not bad.
You’ve got some potential.
Out of pity for you, I’ll take away your family’s ghosts and you too.
Would you agree to go with us?”
An elderly man’s voice.
She looked at the man, always feeling that he was suppressing something, a formidable air about him!
Being young, she did not understand what the ‘family ghosts’ he mentioned were.
All she knew was that she was hungry and exhausted, and that this stranger seemed like a lifeline she desperately needed to grab on to.
Although she could have gone back to her main house and continued to be a maid, her family was gone and she didn’t know if she would get infected if she returned.
This old man seemed so powerful; perhaps she could follow him and learn abilities!
She nodded obediently and followed behind him quietly, too tired and hungry to speak.
The Taoist took out two steaming buns from his cloth bag.
These were white buns, which she could not even eat while working in a wealthy family!
“Are these for me?”
“Eat.
I’ve taken you in as an Outer Sect disciple; I have no interest in collecting corpses.”
She ate the buns, perhaps too thirsty, they got caught in her throat.
“Cough cough cough!”
“Here you go…” The Taoist handed her a gourd water bottle.
“Cough cough cough!”
The little girl took a drink and found it to be alcohol; she had never drunk alcohol before and choked on it again!
Eventually, she recovered.
Under the Taoist’s complicated gaze, she revived after eating the buns.
The Taoist nodded in satisfaction.
A 6 or 7-year-old girl could be trained for a few years to become an attendant!
Here, he continuously collected ghosts and also took in some boys and girls who had been stricken with the plague, barely alive, and brought them in too.
And he administered the antidote to these people, sending them to a secret base to strengthen their sect.
“Follow!”
The Taoist took out a bell from the same cloth bag, ringing it as he walked along.
She took one last look at her home; this glance was a final farewell!