Just then, a hand suddenly reached out from behind me and snatched the talisman from the grocer's hand. "Who!" I exclaimed, instinctively turning around.
I saw the Death Apostle standing behind me, his eyes wide as he examined the talisman in his hand, muttering to himself, "Could this be the legendary Ultimate Xie?!"
The grocer chuckled at my surprise and said, "Your friend has quite an eye... Indeed, this is the Ultimate Xie. Not only can it ward off evil and bring blessings, but it can also turn misfortune into fortune. As far as I know, there are only nine of these in existence, and I happen to have one..."
Confused by their cryptic conversation, I asked, "If you possess such a treasure, why not use it to resolve the disaster here instead of waiting for us?"
The grocer sighed, "At first, I didn't understand the true power of this item. It was only after these events unfolded that I began to investigate and eventually learned about it by chance. However, since I only have one talisman in my possession, I dare not use it recklessly. If I were to use it incorrectly, not only would I waste this precious item, but it could also lead to greater disaster."
The Death Apostle paid no attention to our conversation and returned the talisman to the grocer, demanding, "Tell me honestly, where did you get this thing?! Who are you really?!"
Hearing this, I turned back to look at the Death Apostle and noticed his serious expression as he fixed his gaze on the unassuming grocer. At that moment, I realized that Li Zhisheng had also awakened and was silently standing by, listening to our exchange.
Seeing the Death Apostle press for answers, the grocer hesitated before saying, "Well then, since you've already caught on, there's nothing more for me to hide. To tell you the truth, this talisman was created by my ancestors. My family is one of the four ancient families that developed this type of talisman paper. If it weren't for that fact, I doubt that wealthy merchant would have sought me out, and I wouldn't have gotten into such big trouble..."
As the grocer fell silent again, we chose not to press further but patiently waited...
After a long pause, he finally spoke again: "In our line of work, there's a saying you may have heard: 'Listen for changes in wind and water; seek out yin and yang. Seek life amidst death; find your fate.' This phrase directly reflects the value of us Feng Shui Masters—it is meant to seek ways to save lives and help those in suffering escape their plight. That's why we have these talismans capable of subduing spirits. However, over time, they have been exploited by those with ulterior motives and transformed into what we see today. Though it pains me greatly, due to my lack of skill in learning this craft, I feel utterly helpless; I've not even learned a fraction of my ancestors' talisman-making techniques..."
As he expressed his deep sense of inadequacy with regretful gestures and lamentations about his family's legacy coming to an end with him, tears of remorse streamed down his face.
Seeing this unfold, I hurriedly comforted him: "You're still alive! Don't lose hope; there might still be a chance..." Even as I said this, I found it hard to believe myself because I had witnessed how Yin Li had met his end.
"You don't need to comfort me..." the shopkeeper said. "I'm not afraid of death; I just hate myself for being useless, for not properly passing down the family craft. Now I have to rely on you all to make up for the mistakes I've made. It's truly..." He raised his hand as if to strike himself. I quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't do that. You know it's people with ulterior motives who are using you, so don't be too hard on yourself..."
However, the Death Apostle didn't seem to care about the shopkeeper's lament. He changed the subject and asked, "Do you still have any charms left? If you do, we can buy them from you at a high price..."
The shopkeeper shook his head. "You've helped me so much; I don't even know how to repay you. Don't sell it; you can have it all for free. But this is the only one I have left; the others aren't even worth mentioning. You probably wouldn't want them..." He handed me the single charm he had left. "Take this one; it will be more valuable in your hands than in mine..."
Seeing this, I hesitated for a moment before accepting the charm he held out with both hands. I immediately felt the powerful energy contained within it. "I hope it can be useful when we confront Onizuka..." I murmured to myself as I carefully stored the charm away.
Afterward, since it was still dark, everyone asked the shopkeeper about his background, hoping to find clues regarding how to break the mark on me. However, what he shared was mostly about the origins of the Yin and Yang factions and Feng Shui Masters, offering no hints about what I wanted to know.
Even so, I gained a deeper understanding of the fate of Feng Shui Masters and the backgrounds of Yin Masters and Yang Masters.
It turned out that long ago, Yin Masters, Yang Masters, and Feng Shui Masters all originated from an ancient tribe led by none other than Cangjie, the creator of Chinese characters.
This man called himself Cangdi and later learned the arts of Yin and Yang Feng Shui from the Classic of Tortoise at Luo Ruin Water. This Classic of Tortoise is what we now refer to as Luo Shu, which is considered the origin of all Yin and Yang Feng Shui techniques. However, for reasons unknown, these practices eventually split into three factions: Yin Master, Yang Master, and Feng Shui Master. Each faction developed its own methods while also possessing ways to counterbalance each other. Yet now it has devolved into this state where many charlatans use the title of Feng Shui Master to deceive others, while Yang Masters engage in harmful practices, leaving Yin Masters detached from worldly affairs.
By the time the shopkeeper finished his tale, it was already bright outside. The Death Apostle and Li Zhisheng listened intently while I was left somewhat confused by it all. Yao Long had fallen asleep midway through. However, that was understandable; after all, he hadn't slept at all last night and seemed utterly exhausted lately.
Seeing him asleep, we didn't wake him but instead lifted him onto a wooden "bed." Afterward, we went out for a quick meal and discussed our plans to take action against Onizuka that very night.
Leaving the restaurant, we each returned to prepare. I went back to the Inn to retrieve my belongings and rested for a while before meeting up with the Death Apostle and Li Zhisheng at the shop again.
When we returned to the shop, Yao Long was awake, and Hu Fang was standing at the door. She seemed to have already learned about everything from Yao Long.
As soon as she saw me, she insisted on going together, and now she already knew how to use the Void Spirit.
I was puzzled, thinking, "Wasn't she supposed to have lost a Void Spirit? How is it that not only is she fine now, but she has also learned how to use the Void Spirit?"
At that moment, Li Zhisheng beside me spoke up and enlightened me. He said, "The Void Spirit that was implanted in Hu Fang has completely disappeared; what remains is a Void Spirit that I cannot see clearly..."
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