Chapter 4: Glorious Sunshine, Sunrise in the East! The Demon-Slaying Talisman!
Zhang Beixuan turned to the old village chief and requested, “Village Chief, could you prepare some yellow paper and cinnabar ink for me?”
Upon hearing Zhang Beixuan’s request, the old village chief grinned and said, “We’ve had them ready for a while. They’re right at the doorstep.”
Zhang Beixuan wasn’t surprised. In these villages, almost every household had these items. He walked directly to a nearby table, and the old village chief and others brought out finely ground cinnabar, yellow paper, and brushes. Zhang Beixuan had mastered the art of drawing talismans over the past three years, but in the past, they were just ordinary talismans. Now, with his cultivation, he could infuse them with spiritual energy. He picked up the brush and began to wave it, channelling his spiritual energy.
The room resonated with a mystical magic:
“Glorious sunshine, sunrise in the east.”
“I pardon with this talisman, sweeping away all malevolence.”
As the incantation filled the room, a faint golden light appeared at the tip of the brush. This sight left the old village chief and others around him wide-eyed with amazement!
People rubbed their eyes in disbelief, desperately trying to ensure they were not seeing things. It really was a golden light!
They exchanged astonished glances with each other, but nobody dared to interrupt. They simply watched Zhang Beixuan in awe as he continued. He was drawing a talisman meant to exorcise evil spirits and break curses.
“Subdue demons, turn into auspiciousness.”
“Hasten as if following orders!”
With the final command, the talisman suddenly came to life. Without any wind or external force, it lifted off the table.
Li Xiaojia also quickly knelt down, her delicate face soaked in tears. The old village chief and the others joined them, looking at Zhang Beixuan with pleading eyes.
Zhang Beixuan waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, now that I’m here, I’ll take care of things.”
“Please stand up. I need to examine what Li Shan vomited, and I understand that the incident occurred by the riverbank?”
This time, Zhang Cuihong didn’t speak. The old village chief nodded, “Indeed, Little Celestial Master. Early this morning, I found Li’s boy by the riverbank at the back of the village. He had collapsed there.”
Zhang Cuihong added, “It was just yesterday when Xiaojia returned home. My husband wanted to prepare a fish dish for her and insisted on setting some nets by the river at night. That’s when this happened.”
Zhang Beixuan listened and smiled thoughtfully.
“Alright, Zhang Auntie, I understand,” Zhang Beixuan said. “Please prepare a fishing rod and some clothes for me. I’ll personally go to the riverbank now.”
As for why he needed to change clothes, Zhang Beixuan didn’t want to reveal his identity and scare off whatever was causing trouble. The river behind the village stretched for miles, and he didn’t have time to search inch by inch.
The night gradually grew darker. In the mountain village, the sounds of insects filled the air. A young man wearing slightly oversized clothes hummed a tune as he carried a folded stool and a fishing rod with a bamboo pole on his shoulder. He strolled leisurely along the village path.
No one could understand the joy of a fisherman!
Not far ahead of him was a graveyard, with hundreds of graves standing solemnly. In the darkness, it appeared particularly eerie. Zhang Beixuan passed through the graveyard, and a cold wind blew. He raised an eyebrow and looked at the old graves.
“Get out of the way for this Daoist! I don’t want to play with you today because I have important matters to attend to today. If you don’t have eyes, be careful that I dig up your grave!”
With Zhang Beixuan’s stern warning, a terrifying aura briefly flashed and dissipated.
The cold wind that had blown abruptly came to a halt. Zhang Beixuan glanced at it but didn’t pay it much mind. He returned to his relaxed demeanour. These were just lonely spirits and wandering ghosts in the graveyard, harmless and mostly responsible for scaring lost souls or living people who accidentally entered. Though a Taoist, he had no interest in dealing with these kinds of spirits and ghosts.