By the time the two returned to the residential building, night had already fallen.
Zhang Xianyu’s stomach was growling loudly from hunger.
After a whole night of chaos and an exhausting day, he was utterly famished.
Lin Wushui was hungry too, but he was always good at keeping up appearances, so no one could tell.
Zhang Xianyu found some ingredients in the fridge and quickly cooked two simple dishes, then boiled two big bowls of noodles.
The two of them made do with this for dinner.
Afterward, they washed away their exhaustion and went to rest.
That night, Zhang Xianyu didn’t sleep well.
He vaguely dreamt of Lin Wushui, who wore a red robe and looked ghostly pale.
Lin Wushui leaned slantwise against a stone, handsome and debonair, but the words he spoke sent a chill down the spine: “How can the evil ghosts of hell compare to the wickedness of the human heart?”
When Zhang Xianyu woke, only vague fragments of the dream remained.
He thought to himself, why did Lin Wushui steal his line in the dream?
There were classes in the morning.
Zhang Xianyu steamed a few frozen buns and gobbled them down before rushing off to school.
After finishing two big classes in the morning, he had no classes in the afternoon.
Zhang Xianyu turned down lunch invitations from Luo Danqing and Zheng Pang and hurried off to pick up a package at the courier station.
—The twenty sheets of Zhu Red Talisman Paper he had ordered had arrived.
Spending sixty thousand at once on talisman paper was extravagant for Zhang Xianyu, who was usually thrifty.
He kept thinking about that huge sum of money and how he needed to earn it back quickly with interest.
Since he had no classes in the afternoon, he planned to go home and start drawing talismans right away.
The package was wrapped very securely.
Zhang Xianyu peeled through three layers before finally seeing the Zhu Red Talisman Paper.
No wonder it was so expensive — compared to ordinary Yellow Talisman Paper, this red paper seemed to shimmer with a faint radiance.
Just holding it, he could feel the flowing qi within.
There was a reason it was so pricey.
After counting all twenty sheets, Zhang Xianyu took out his brush and cinnabar prepared in advance. E
ach sheet was money, so he was extra careful while drawing, afraid one wrong stroke would ruin the talisman.
As a result, he spent twice the usual time meticulously drawing twenty red talismans.
Aggressive and protective talismans sold well on the Transaction Board, so Zhang Xianyu split the order evenly between “Wuleifu” and “Diamond Talisman.”
Once finished, he took photos and sent them to Xie Dingxin, asking how many talismans to reserve for him.
Xie Dingxin called almost immediately.
He wanted all of them but, thinking it best to leave some for Zhang Xianyu to sell himself and build connections, he reluctantly requested only five of each type.
Zhang Xianyu gave him a discount, selling each for ten thousand.
He also mentioned the Soul Release Ritual for the Pan Di sisters.
Since Xie Dingxin had just received talismans from Zhang Xianyu, he naturally didn’t ask for payment for the ritual.
He just told Zhang Xianyu to come by tomorrow so the temple could prepare.
Zhang Xianyu agreed, finally feeling relieved that a major matter was settled.
After hanging up, he logged into the APP and listed the remaining ten talismans for sale.
Within moments of posting ten red talismans—five Wuleifu and five Diamond Talismans—his page was flooded with comments asking if they were real.
After all, Zhang Xianyu’s profile showed him as a novice Daoist who had just passed the basic exam.
Who would expect such a small-time Daoist to have so many red talismans?
Some even suspected a scam.
Meanwhile, Qu Gaolai had been watching Zhang Xianyu’s homepage closely ever since selling him twenty sheets of red talisman paper a few days ago.
At first, Qu Gaolai worried the novice might waste the paper and come back to cause trouble.
Later, he developed an inexplicable sense of anticipation—though even he didn’t understand why.
That afternoon, Qu Gaolai habitually logged into the APP and clicked onto Zhang Xianyu’s page, only to be stunned by what he saw—ten freshly drawn red talismans listed for sale!
The comment section under each link was packed with questions about authenticity, with most people asking if the talismans could be verified by a moderator.
Qu Gaolai understood their concerns well.
Shaking, he checked his bank balance, then hesitated no longer and bought five red talismans—three Wuleifu and two Diamond Talismans.
If others doubted the authenticity, he certainly didn’t.
After all, Zhang Xianyu had bought the talisman paper from him.
While others hesitated, they soon noticed half of the ten talismans had suddenly sold out.
Everyone was shocked.
People had been waiting and watching, but now someone had acted fast and snapped up five talismans, breaking the stalemate.
This spurred the quicker buyers to snatch the remaining five in minutes, buying regardless of authenticity.
Those left behind were dumbfounded and furious.
Zhang Xianyu, however, remained completely unaware of the silent frenzy he had stirred on the Transaction Board.
After listing the ten talismans, he had buried himself in studying.
The academic pressure at Jiangcheng University was considerable, but so were the generous scholarships.
Zhang Xianyu had his eyes on a scholarship and was determined to perform well on his final exams, so he focused on his studies.
It was only the next day that Zhang Xianyu discovered the rush on his talismans.
On a bus to Taiqing Temple, he remembered his talisman listings and checked the APP.
The flood of comments almost froze the app. Initially, everyone asked if the talismans were genuine; later, they inquired if more were available.
Some even offered higher prices, hoping to buy first next time.
Zhang Xianyu scrolled through for a while before giving up—the comments were overwhelming.
He checked the Transaction Board, where the talisman listings had been sold out and automatically removed.
Among the four buyers, one was a familiar face—the person he’d bought the talisman paper from.
Zhang Xianyu couldn’t help but smile.
He had spent sixty thousand buying the paper, but was now selling each talisman for thirteen thousand, quickly earning back his investment with profit.
The buyer left a message, though with some skepticism, assuming Zhang Xianyu knew a skilled talisman artist.
They wanted to get introduced to this expert and offered to cooperate on talisman paper purchases in the future.
That was a good idea. Zhang Xianyu sent a friend request and just as the bus stopped, he turned off his phone and got off.
Today, he had come to perform a Soul Release Ritual for the Pan Di sisters.
Taiqing Temple had already set up the ritual space.
Zhang Xianyu greeted Xie Dingxin and explained the situation with Pan Di and Zhao Di.
Upon hearing this, Xie Dingxin cursed Chen Yang as a scoundrel, still unsatisfied, he encouraged Zhang Xianyu to report him.
“There’s a reporting function on the APP. Write down the location, the details, and the information about the accused clearly, and upload any evidence. The Daoist Association will send people to verify. If it’s true, Chen Yang’s Daoist Certificate will be revoked, and he’ll be blacklisted.”
From ancient times to now, charlatans have never been lacking—pretending to be Daoists from various sects to swindle people.
Especially in small places where management is lax, unscrupulous people easily exploit loopholes.
If it was just about taking money, it might be forgivable.
But Chen Yang profited while indirectly causing the deaths of the Pan Di sisters—his crimes were unforgivable.
Although the police would prosecute him once the truth was uncovered, just having his name linger in the Daoist Association disgusted people.
Following Xie Dingxin’s advice, Zhang Xianyu reported Chen Yang.
Xie Dingxin finally felt relieved and began preparing the ritual for the sisters.
The entire Exorcism Ritual lasted a whole day.
Xie Dingxin sympathized deeply with the sisters and performed the Soul Release Ritual diligently, even composing a prayer for blessings, hoping they would be reborn into good families in the next life.
By the time the ritual finished, it was evening.
Xie Dingxin escorted Zhang Xianyu out and suddenly recalled a message from the Daoist Group chat yesterday, teasing, “You’re famous now—many people are looking for news about you.”
A previously unknown little Daoist had suddenly listed ten red talismans in one go, which was bound to attract attention.
Zhang Xianyu felt a bit worried.
“Will they come to the school looking for me?”
He feared these people might disrupt his studies.
Xie Dingxin shook his head.
“Some will probably come looking, but since they’re interested in your talismans, no one dares cross the line. We live in a society governed by law now—even if they have some abilities, they won’t dare threaten you. Instead, they’ll try to learn more about you and win you over.”
Xie Dingxin shared a lot of insights, which Zhang Xianyu took to heart, preparing himself for future challenges.
But his worries were just beginning.
The winter holiday arrived, and Zhang Xianyu packed his luggage.
He spent several days preparing local specialties and gifts before saying goodbye to Lin Wushui and heading back to Tuanjie Village for the New Year.
Lin Wushui was a little unhappy.
“You said no one’s home anymore. Why go back?”
Zhang Xianyu smiled gently, “Even though Master isn’t here, that’s still my home. I haven’t been back for a long time—I want to go see it.”
Since he said that, even if Lin Wushui was displeased, there was nothing more to say.
Lin Wushui called Lin Ming to send over some high-end tobacco and liquor, shoving it all into Zhang Xianyu’s suitcase.
“Take these with you as gifts.”
Zhang Xianyu wanted to refuse, thinking it too extravagant, but seeing Lin Wushui’s sullen silence, he understood the other’s mood.
Having lived together for so long, they knew each other’s temperaments well.
So he accepted the gift, promising to bring back cured fish and meats.
The aunts in Tuanjie Village made excellent preserved foods, and he planned to pay someone there to prepare some to bring back to Jiangcheng as gifts or for himself.
Seeing that he accepted, Lin Wushui brightened a little.
The next day, Zhang Xianyu dragged his packed suitcase and backpack onto the bus heading home.
Nothing had changed much in Tuanjie Village since he left.
On the way, he ran into the village chief—Zhang Shaoying’s father—who warmly invited him to sit and chat for a while.
The chief relaxed after learning that Zhang Xianyu was doing well at school.
After leaving the chief’s house, Zhang Xianyu was pulled into conversations at almost every home he passed.
The villagers remained warm and kindhearted.
He earnestly explained his situation to ease their worries.
By the time he finally returned to the temple, it was already four or five in the afternoon.
He cleaned the temple inside and out, organized the gifts he’d brought, then delivered them house to house.
Dinner was at the village chief’s home.
Zhang Xianyu tried to decline but couldn’t refuse the hospitality, so he ate there.
Over the following days, nearly every family invited Zhang Xianyu for a meal.
He couldn’t turn down their kindness.
After visiting all the relatives he knew, New Year’s Eve finally arrived.