“`
“I’ll have to ask someone about this.”
Chen Mu’s social network was extremely limited.
When it came to inquiring about secretive information, he could only think of Jie Jia.
This old man was a great assassin, backed by a mysterious organization with the most well-informed intelligence.
…
At West Market, Chen Mu made his way to Tianyi Studio like it was his own backyard.
As soon as he entered, he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
He stepped back and looked at the signboard again, Tianyi Studio, no mistake.
Currently, there were neither coffins nor antiques in the store.
Three ropes stretched across the ceiling of the room, and hanging from them were peace charms folded into triangles.
On the left were four or five curio stands, with rusty bronze mirrors, wooden swords with black lightning-like cracks, and delicate pagodas with little bells…
Each and every one was for warding off evil and protecting homes.
The city has just been troubled by evil spirits, and you’ve already started selling evil-warding artifacts?
Chen Mu cast a calm glance at Jie Jia, who was squinting behind the counter on the right.
“Why am I not surprised at all.”
“What’s the matter?” Jie Jia asked indifferently.
Chen Mu unconsciously looked around.
He leaned close to the counter and whispered, “What’s this about the city being troubled by evil spirits?”
Jie Jia’s eyes slowly rolled, glancing at Chen Mu, and a flash of surprise passed by.
Then his expression returned to being as calm as a still well, and he flicked his right index finger out, pointing into the air.
Following the direction of his finger, Chen Mu saw the peace charms slowly drifting in the air.
Chen Mu was utterly perplexed.
Jie Jia said nothing, his eyes rolling once again, glancing at the sleeve of Chen Mu’s left arm.
Chen Mu’s face suddenly darkened.
“Why can you always find out where I hide my money bag?”
Chen Mu understood.
“You want me to buy something? Fine!”
Chen Mu gritted his teeth and plucked off a peace charm.
“Can you talk now?”
“Five silver pieces.” Jie Jia flipped his right hand and extended it in front of Chen Mu, speaking faintly.
Chen Mu: “…” Extortionist!
He had no choice but to pay up.
After all, who else had a monopoly on information?
Jie Jia flipped his right hand over, and the five silver pieces disappeared.
“Qingshan County Government Office has an Evil-Repelling Mirror, there’s no problem,” Jie Jia said calmly.
Chen Mu’s heart relaxed.
An Evil-Repelling Mirror? The County Government Office has such a treasure?
Immediately, he became suspicious again: “That’s not right, a lot of people have died recently due to the evil spirits in the city.”
“There are always some that slip through the net,” Jie Jia said indifferently.
Chen Mu was momentarily at a loss.
“What if I come across one?”
Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu, “Accept your fate.”
Chen Mu immediately felt a tightness in his chest.
“What exactly are these evil spirits?” Chen Mu asked irritably, “Is there a way to counter them?”
The existence of evil spirits is not something new.
Da Liang had coexisted with evil spirits for countless centuries.
There had to be methods of dealing with them.
Jie Jia’s eyes turned, fixing on the sleeve of Chen Mu’s left arm.
Chen Mu: “…”
…
At Ping’an Square, in the third residence on the west side.
Chen Mu sat in a pitch-dark room, muttering to himself.
“Ghosts…”
Jie Jia had told him that most evil spirits were caused by ghosts.
These monsters were formless yet substantial, invisible to ordinary people unless they wished to be seen.
Ghosts were adept at morphing into various terrifying things.
They could drive a person insane with fear and then take advantage of the situation to suck out their soul.
The various kinds of ghosts and demons in folk tales were mostly their illusions.
Ordinary people facing them usually had a slim chance of survival.
Fortunately, there were ways to fight against ghosts.
First, it was best to have an Evil-warding Artifact, like the Evil-Repelling Mirror in the County Government Office.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have one.
As for those sold by Jie Jia… better left unmentioned.
Second, mastering the Shape Cultivation Technique.
A fully mastered Shape Cultivation Technique had incredible uses and could provide a slight resistance.
But he had only achieved Bone Transformation.
Third, practicing special Martial Arts.
Some special Martial Arts could suppress ghosts to some extent.
But it would be hard to find even one such technique in all of Qingshan County.
“Jie Jia is so confident, is he not afraid of ghosts?”
Is it treasures? Cultivation Techniques? Or a fully mastered Shape Cultivation?
“`
…
The next day.
Chen Mu, unusually, did not practice his martial arts.
After breakfast, he hurried to the Bafang Tower to listen for news.
It was said that last night, someone died in the ancient Luo alley south of the city, their eyes gouged out and their legs twisted like twined ropes, a sight too horrific to bear.
The catchpole from the County Government Office had already sealed off the ancient Luo alley in the south of the city.
Chen Mu felt a flutter of panic.
In the afternoon, he ran to the Tianyi Studio to seek advice.
This old fellow was greedy for money, but he only recognized money.
If he had some special cultivation techniques, maybe Chen Mu could buy one.
“Leave it to fate,” Jie Jia said indifferently.
Chen Mu immediately felt despair.
This feeling of life being out of one’s own hands was just too unbearable.
Thinking about going home at night, there might be a ghost hiding under his bed, Chen Mu felt his whole body bristle with goosebumps.
“Really no way at all?” Chen Mu asked, still hopeful.
Jie Jia ignored him completely.
“Last time I saw on the black market that someone was selling Evil-warding Talismans, allegedly drawn by the Taoist priests from Qingfeng Observatory,” Chen Mu inquired tentatively.
“Interested? I’ll give you a ten percent discount,” Jie Jia said.
Chen Mu: “…” So that was also from your stock!
“Does it work?” Chen Mu asked with a hint of hope.
“Anyway, no one has come back to return it,” Jie Jia declared calmly.
Chen Mu: “…” Why do I feel like something’s off about that statement?
If it works, indeed, no one returns it.
But if it doesn’t work…
Could they even come back to return it?!
Chen Mu could only return home with a dejected expression.
“I’m just an ordinary citizen; as much as I hate it, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Qingshan County is so big, it’s not possible I’d just happen to encounter an evil spirit, right?” Chen Mu comforted himself.
“Forget it, better to stay indoors as much as possible.”
“Stay away from places crowded with people, avoid places with few people, and steer clear of places known for sinister events.”
“Sigh, leave it to fate…”
…
West Market, Tianyi Studio.
Early in the morning, Jie Jia opened the door.
As usual, he cleaned and wiped down the shop inside and out until it was spotless.
Then he sat up straight behind the counter.
These past few days, the city was abuzz with talk of evil spirits.
The Evil-warding Treasures he sold here were doing fairly well.
As for whether they worked? That would only be known if one actually encountered an evil spirit.
A number of customers came in one after the other all morning.
There was even a wealthy family who commissioned an Exquisite Pagoda from him.
He raked in a full sixty-six silver pieces!
The delighted Jie Jia could not help but raise his eyelids a notch higher.
Around noon, just as he was preparing to go out for lunch.
An enticing aroma wafted into his nostrils.
He couldn’t help but salivate at the scent.
This kind of delicacy, he had only smelled such soul-stirring deliciousness once before at Da Liang’s capital’s Number One Restaurant.
There were no restaurants or eateries in the area. Which household was cooking? They truly had remarkable culinary skills.
Shaking his head as he was about to leave.
Suddenly, a familiar feeling struck him—didn’t he recognize this aroma?
Instinctively, he followed the scent out of Tianyi Studio.
He wound around the corner and walked toward the residential area behind Tianyi Studio.
The more he walked and smelled, the more familiar the aroma became.
Somehow, an image of a familiar figure flashed through his mind.
Looking at the house before him, how was it that it adjoined the back wall of Tianyi Studio?!
Jie Jia leaped over the wall and into the yard.
He looked up to see a familiar figure wearing an apron and carrying a dish.
Chen Mu: “…”
“What a coincidence, why not share a bite?”
Jie Jia: “…”
The aroma was indeed becoming more familiar.
“Don’t get me wrong, I really didn’t add anything extra to the dish this time,” Chen Mu said earnestly.
“Why are you here?” Jie Jia asked, his face darkening.
Chen Mu explained seriously: “I had someone check it out, this place is a Feng Shui treasure land, living here can avert calamities and prolong life.”
Jie Jia looked at Chen Mu speechlessly.
Can’t you come up with a more reliable reason?
“You aren’t planning to use me as a deterrent for ghosts, are you?” Jie Jia, recalling the other party’s recent actions, suddenly widened his eyes.
Thinking I’m not afraid of ghosts, so he moved in right next to me?
What am I, a paperweight?!
“Jie Lao, honestly, you really have too many misunderstandings about me!” Chen Mu sighed with an expression of helplessness.
Jie Jia’s face instantly turned black.