Lao Gong doesn't know when he came out. He fell onto Jiao Ying's shoulder, muttering quietly, "I'm lucky, it's painful..."
"Lucky" refers to our profession being lucky, and "it's painful" naturally refers to Xia Qiu.
However, to get back to the topic at hand, the main purpose of our line of work is just to get some practice, and by the way, to observe the effects of the copper pestle.
"Lucky" may not necessarily be true.
At most, they won't get the rewards for the tomb land announcement.
In seven days, this matter will be voided.
The notice will be re-posted.
As for what will happen after that, it's not something we can control.
In the late night, there were no cars outside Sheep Shepherd's Village, and Jiao Ying had no intention of staying here longer. So we started walking back on foot.
We waited until we reached the national highway before we flagged down a ride into the city. By the time we returned to our accommodation, it was already dawn.
Jiao Ying was not in a good mood, so she went back to her room to rest.
At first, my attitude was also ordinary, but at this moment, all the confusion and discomfort disappeared. The reason is very simple. There are too many dirty and complicated things in the world.
Most people are simply in a state where they have no one to turn to.
Perhaps, the saying "good is rewarded with good, and evil is rewarded with evil" applies here.
Even the most evil people, though they may temporarily enjoy a period of prosperity and luxury, will eventually have to face the bitter end of misery.
After resting for a whole day, in the evening I went out of my room, and Jiao Ying was already sitting there silently in the courtyard.
The fading sunlight cast a glow on her face, and she sat with a dazed expression, perhaps still thinking about Xia Qiu.
I didn't know what to say, and this needed time to heal. So I took out the Four Rules of Truth and sat down beside Jiao Ying to study them.
This encounter with Xia Qiu has given me some insights.
With the copper pestle by my side, I should have no trouble facing a ghost at the level of the Five Hells.
My Daoist techniques will gradually progress, and my strength will grow stronger.
This once again brought me back to Sigu Mountain and to Sun Zhuo.
The last time, he took away my lifeline, and Sun Zhuo seemed like a corpse.
But Mingjing Zhenren took him back, and Ma San also said that Sun Zhuo still had another yang shen ming left on him, which had grown from Xu Nan's lifeline.
Time...
I have time to cultivate my Daoist arts properly, and Sun Zhuo also has time to regain his strength!
Wait for three or five years, when my Daoist arts will be accomplished, what about Sun Zhuo? He might have already recovered to his full strength, even further with the help of Mingjing Zhenren?
Before, whatever I did, I had to rely on qi, rely on external forces. Now that I have a certain strength of my own.
Should I first settle for a temporary peace, waiting to confront him head-on later, or seize the opportunity while Sun Zhuo is still recovering, and strike while the iron is hot?
I studied the talismans deep into the night, and I thought a lot as well.
Jiao Ying broke in and said that we should go out for something to eat first.
I nodded and also wanted to discuss this matter with Jiao Ying.
We found a roadside barbecue stall nearby and ordered a lot of food. While we were eating, I brought up the ideas from the day.
Jiao Ying seemed a bit troubled and then told me that she had actually thought about this long ago. When we left the village near the Red Ghosts and went to Du'E Temple, she had wanted to say something.
I had not brought it up before because I thought she might have better ideas.
Now that we've brought it up, it's true that Sun Zhuo's situation is more pressing than my personal affairs.
The Luo family issue has been dragging on for ten years, while the family my father came from has stood for an unknown number of years.
I need time to accumulate strength to deal with that matter, but it doesn't necessarily require a long time to plan for Sun Zhuo.
Just like Ma San had said, I didn't go to Sigu Mountain just for fun. It was to go somewhere and deal with Sun Zhuo's matter, and it wasn't just my own business.
Perhaps we can contact Ma San now and ask him what to do, that might be better?
After saying that, Jiao Ying picked up a skewer of meat that was still sizzling with oil, took a couple of bites, and chewed while looking at me seriously.
I sighed lightly, and both of us almost came to the same conclusion.
I took out Ma San's phone number and dialed it, but the system indicated that it was out of service area.
I dialed it twice more, but still couldn't get through.
Ma San is either inside Mingfang or has gone somewhere without signal.
Jiao Ying noticed that I couldn't get through the phone, and looked at me with a question in her eyes. I told her my speculation.
She nodded and said that it's not urgent at this moment, and it won't disrupt our current plans.
I nodded in agreement, Jiao Ying was right.
As for Ma San, with his strength, I don't need to worry about him facing any trouble.
About two in the morning, I returned to our accommodation with Jiao Ying, just as we were about to go to our rooms to rest. However, Jiao Ying took a phone call and her expression changed. She seemed surprised and confused.
She responded with a couple of ums, and then ended the call.
"Is something wrong?" I looked at Jiao Ying.
"Liang Yu called me," she replied.
"I immediately furrowed my brow," I said.
"Two things, both related to us," Jiao Ying spoke again.
I didn't interrupt Jiao Ying and indicated for her to continue.
Jiao Ying pursed her lips before revealing the details.
In fact, when she first contacted Liang Yu to gather help, she mentioned this to him. Could we find a blacksmith with deepfoundation who specializes in making such protective and exorcism talismans specifically for that purpose.
This matter was related to the Four Rules of Mingjing. She always felt uneasy knowing that the mirror was destroyed, especially knowing that I needed it.
I finally understood, and my brow furrowed tightly.
"Did she find someone?"
"Yes..." Jiao Ying nodded, and softly added, "That blacksmith once made a compass for the Lord himself, as well as many other talismans and sacred objects. Many famous Daoist masters in Jianghuang City even sought his help in forging bronze. If...he could help us, perhaps there would be hope."
I closed my eyes, and my heart thumped wildly, nearly jumping out of my throat.
Four Rules of Mingjing...
The craftsman...
"Could it be that Liang Yu mentioned some conditions?" I looked at Jiao Ying and locked eyes with her again.
The first thing is that he found the person we need, so the second should be about conditions.
This condition is likely not easy, which is why Jiao Ying had that expression earlier.
"No conditions were mentioned," Jiao Ying shook her head, her expression seemed complex, mixed with a hint of frustration.
"What did she say?"
I was genuinely puzzled. If there were no conditions, why was Jiao Ying's expression so gloomy?
"It's another matter. Someone found her and asked her to invite us to meet, and even offered to send us gifts," Jiao Ying continued.
This only deepened my suspicion.
Before I could ask, Jiao Ying said, "The people from the Grave Site."
My pupils constricted suddenly, and my heart sank.
What does it mean for the people from the Grave Site to send us gifts?
"Shall we go?" Jiao Ying asked me in an unnatural tone.
"Oh, no..." Lao Gong suddenly appeared and stared at my face with a blank expression, saying, "The yellow, red, and purple qi of your lifeline indicate wealth and prosperity, with profits flowing into your account."
"Sir, you're going to be rich!"
In Lao Gong's view, my facial features were good.
But even I know that my current face doesn't look good.
There was a vague speculation in my mind, why would the people from the Grave Site be looking for me.
Jiao Ying's expression was so bad, which probably matched my thoughts along the way.
But... why?
