At the entrance of the residential complex, I parked the car and said, “I’m going to buy some cigarettes!”

Soon, I returned with my purchases.

Besides cigarettes, the rest were essentials for drawing talismans, which were just yellow paper and cinnabar.

I thought I would need a brush at first.

But after carefully recalling the content of the book, it should be drawn by hand!

Some powerful talismans even require biting one’s finger and mixing in some blood!

Entering the room, Sun Jiao opened her arms and said with a blissful face, “Your place is so comfortable, full of Yang Energy!”

I said, “If it’s comfortable, come by often. From now on, we’re practically family!”

Sun Jiao said, “Then you have to mention me more in front of Granny Zheng!”

“Of course!”

I turned on the air conditioner and the fan, and said, “You sit for a while, I’m going to take a shower!”

After the shower, I came out wearing a bath towel and found Sun Jiao looking at me with a strange expression.

Feeling guilty under her gaze, I asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sun Jiao pointed at the yellow paper and cinnabar in the plastic bag and asked, “What’s all this about?”

I was prepared for this question and said, “It’s for dealing with evil sorcerers!”

“I guessed as much!”

Sun Jiao smiled proudly, “To deal with evil sorcerers, you must learn from the barbarians to control the barbarians!”

“You’re really smart!”

I was startled, thinking she had seen through me!

After resting for a moment, I began to draw talismans.

First, I cut the yellow paper into a fixed shape, then mixed the cinnabar with water and ground it.

Everything was ready!

Dipping my right index finger in cinnabar, I recalled the process and began to draw on the yellow paper.

Starting with the simplest, I drew a immobilization talisman!

The immobilization talisman is similar to the ghost-suppressing talisman I used on Sun Jiao before.

The difference is, the ghost-suppressing talisman can only suppress ghosts, while the immobilization talisman can immobilize anything!

Talismans are divided into many schools.

Talismans with the same function may have different names and drawing methods, but they all share the same principles and achieve the same ends.

Another difference is the seal.

The seal is like a modern company’s stamp; each company has its own stamp, which makes a contract effective when applied.

The seal is the stamp of the talisman-drawing world.

Each school has its own unique seal.

The school I learned from is a bit strange.

Not only does it not have a name for its books, but it also doesn’t require a fixed seal!

After drawing the talisman, just pressing down with the thumbprint is enough!

Simple, convenient, and quick, it’s a breath of fresh air in the world of talisman-drawing!

“Done!”

I picked up the immobilization talisman, blew on it to dry it faster.

Sun Jiao curiously asked, “What talisman is this?”

Seeing that the talisman paper was almost dry, I said, “An immobilization talisman!”

With that, I pressed it onto Sun Jiao’s forehead!

After pressing it, I felt uneasy.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Ten seconds passed, and Sun Jiao still stood there, motionless.

“Done!”

I was overjoyed inside.

I couldn’t believe I had actually succeeded in drawing the immobilization talisman!

“Zhang Yuan, what… what’s happening?”

Sun Jiao was immobilized there, her voice trembling.

Another difference between the immobilization talisman and the ghost-suppressing talisman is that after the latter takes effect, the ghost not only is immobilized but also can’t make a sound, while the immobilization talisman only immobilizes the body without affecting speech.

I said, “Just learned the immobilization talisman, not bad, right?”

“Definitely not bad!”

Sun Jiao urged, “Hurry up and release me!”

“Don’t rush!”

I drew another hopping talisman and affixed it to a blank spot on her body, saying, “Let’s try this one!”

The hopping talisman is a prank talisman; after being affixed, one will hop forward with feet together like a zombie, not stopping even when hitting a wall!

After affixing the hopping talisman, Sun Jiao indeed began to hop.

However, she still had the immobilization talisman on her, so she couldn’t hop forward and could only jump up and down in place, repeating the cycle.

“Interesting!”

“Who would have thought the functions of talismans could be stacked!”

I tried several combinations in succession and found that some talismans’ functions could be stacked, while others would not take effect.

When the functions repelled each other, only the talisman applied first would work!

Sun Jiao was tormented by my experiments, and eventually, she started crying out of frustration, asking, “Did Granny Zheng arrange all this?”

I had tried enough.

And I really couldn’t draw anymore.

Drawing talismans may seem simple and easy on the surface, but it’s actually very draining on mental energy!

The same goes for techniques like Qi observation.

Looking too much not only makes you dizzy, but your eyes also hurt!

At this point, Sun Jiao was almost covered in talismans!

I tore them off one by one, saying, “You’ve worked hard. Catching the evil sorcerer, you must be credited with a great achievement!”

After removing the talismans, Sun Jiao let out a “yelp” and collapsed on the floor.

I helped her up and said, “Let’s stop here for today, we need to get some sleep!”

“Just stopping here?”

Sun Jiao’s eyes were filled with terror as she stammered, “You mean… we’re going to continue tomorrow?”

“Of course!”

I said, “Evil sorcerers are not so easy to deal with; we must be fully prepared!”

“Still drawing talismans?”

I thought for a moment and said, “Not necessarily, there are also Feng Shui formations, acupuncture, and the seventy-two Yin-Yang techniques!”

Just hearing the names scared Sun Jiao out of her wits, and she weakly said, “Do you really have to practice on me?”

I said, “This is a matter of great importance; I don’t trust anyone else!”

Sun Jiao said, “Then I’ll just grab someone over, and after you’ve practiced, I’ll eat them to eliminate future troubles!”

“That won’t do!”

I immediately rejected the idea, “I have principles and a bottom line in what I do!”

“Alas…”

Sun Jiao sighed, “If it weren’t for Granny Zheng, I wouldn’t bother with you!”

I said, “Rest assured, Granny Zheng sees all your efforts!”

“Fine then!”

Sun Jiao said, “I’ll go back today!”

I grabbed her, “It’s so late, stay here with me!”

Sun Jiao shook her head vehemently in fear, “That really won’t do! You have the Yin-Yang marriage mark on your back, and if we have relations, Granny Zheng will sense it!”

“Is that so?”

I was startled.

After all, on Longhu Mountain, Wen Rou and I didn’t hold back!

Of course, that was on Longhu Mountain, and even if Granny Zheng knew, she couldn’t do anything to me.

Sun Jiao curiously asked, “Didn’t Granny Zheng tell you?”

“Of course she did!”

I lied without blinking an eye, saying, “Just staying here to cool down doesn’t necessarily mean something has to happen! You have to trust my self-control!”

“But…”

Sun Jiao blushed, hesitating to speak, “But I don’t trust myself.”

“Huh?”

I glared, “What do you mean? You’ve fallen for me and want to sleep with me?”

Sun Jiao bit her lip, looking unbearably shy, “Ever since… ever since that time, I keep fantasizing, it’s all your fault, so annoying!” With that, she stomped her foot and ran off.

“I’m dizzy!”

I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror; I was indeed very handsome, appealing to both humans and ghosts!

No wonder the campus beauty chased after me in college!

Of course, being skilled was also a factor!

Some people are handsome early on, handsome at ten or even a few years old, but by their twenties, they start to go bald, gain weight, and deform.

I, on the other hand, am the type that gets more handsome over time!

When Sun Jiao agreed to cooperate with me, an idea for making money came to my mind!

To be precise, a scam!

Sun Jiao would scare people, and I would exorcise ghosts!

However, this is not a long-term plan.

Scamming might make some quick money, but it can’t last forever, and you have to move on after each shot!

Once Sun Jiao left, the temperature in the room immediately rose.

I directed the air conditioner’s vent at the big bed and turned the fan to the highest setting, ready to sleep.

Just as I lay down and hadn’t turned off the light yet, the doorbell suddenly rang.

“Who is it?”

I checked the time; it was already midnight.

Who would come to find me so late?

Not many people know I live here!

“It’s me, Zhao Yao!”

The landlord’s voice came from outside the door.