After wolfing down his meal, Lü Zhong sat cross-legged on his bed to cultivate.
Once he finished refining the Spiritual Qi from his meal, he began absorbing nature's spiritual energy from his surroundings, just as he always did.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it seemed like he was absorbing slightly more Spiritual Qi than before.
After a dozen or so Minor Circulations, his cultivation had improved slightly.
It wasn't much, but many small gains would eventually add up to something substantial.
Sensing that his Spiritual Power was fully restored, Lü Zhong slowly opened his eyes.
He opened his mouth and exhaled a puff of Dense Qi, beginning to weigh his options.
'Should I continue practicing the Breath Concealing Skill, or should I make some Seven Profound Arrow Avoidance Talismans to sell?'
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
'Who could that be? I just paid rent not long ago, so they can't be here to collect it.' Lü Zhong wondered as he got off the bed and walked to the door. He reached out to open it, but his hand shot back as if shocked.
Remembering the blood-stained Talisman Paper, he instantly grew wary. He called out softly through the door,
"Who is it? I don't think I recognize your voice."
The voice from outside replied after a moment. "I just moved in next door. When I saw someone was living here, I thought I'd come and introduce myself." The voice was unremarkable, just a little hoarse.
Upon hearing this, Lü Zhong thought to himself, 'Moving to Qingliu Ruins now? Is this guy nuts?'
After a moment's thought, he decided to open the door and meet them.
'Since we're neighbors, we'll be seeing each other around. If I turn him away now, it'll be awkward to ask for help in the future.'
Still, he needed to take proper precautions.
Lü Zhong clutched the Fireball Talisman in his left hand, then reached out with his right to open the door.
CREAK. The patched-up door swung open.
Standing outside was a cultivator who looked like an old farmer. His sharp features were tanned to a bronze, and his skin was wrinkled and weathered. Several deep lines were etched into his forehead as if carved by a knife. He wore an ill-fitting linen tunic, and the cuffs of his matching linen trousers were splattered with mud.
'Could... could he really just be an old farmer?'
Lü Zhong was taken aback by the man's appearance.
Although the man looked just like an old farmer, Lü Zhong didn't dare show any disrespect. He quickly cupped his fists with a smile. "I am Lü Zhong. How may I address you, Fellow Daoist?"
"Zhao Lin. The village teacher gave it to me," the old farmer stated his name, then smiled. "But I prefer the one my parents gave me. Fellow Daoist Lü, just call me Zhao Fugui."
Zhao Fugui…
The corner of Lü Zhong's mouth twitched, but he didn't take the man's words at face value.
After some polite small talk, Zhao Fugui gave him a stack of blank Talisman Paper, calling it an introductory gift.
"My family grows Talisman Grass, and I heard Fellow Daoist Lü is a Talisman Maker. If you ever need to buy Talisman Paper, just come to me. I'll give you the absolute best price!" At this, Zhao Fugui's eyes lit up, and he looked as if the words "Buy my Talisman Paper" were written all over his face.
"I will, I will!" Lü Zhong said with a faint smile.
He watched until the man had entered the small courtyard across from his before turning and going back inside.
He looked at the Talisman Paper in his hand. It didn't seem like something from one of the small workshops in Qingliu Ruins. The surface was perfectly smooth, without the slightest imperfection. The craftsmanship was clearly superior to the paper he had used before; it most likely came from a large-scale talisman paper workshop.
'Would an ordinary person really move to Qingliu Ruins right now?'
Shaking his head, Lü Zhong didn't dwell on the thought.
Since the man hadn't shown any ill will, he wasn't about to be foolish enough to call him out.
It was better to pretend he hadn't noticed a thing. That way, he might still be able to buy some good, cheap Talisman Paper.
...
「Time flew, and nearly half a month passed.」
Lü Zhong shut out the world and single-mindedly immersed himself in practicing the Breath Concealing Skill.
It had to be said, trying to figure out the correct pronunciation for the spells on his own, without any guidance, was incredibly difficult.
Thankfully, a special phenomenon occurred whenever he pronounced a spell correctly.
This was the only way Lü Zhong could tell if his pronunciation was right.
With the help of the Gray Mist Space, which allowed him to review memories of the correct pronunciations, he stumbled forward through constant trial and error. He had now mastered the sixth spell.
And that was only half of the total number of spells required.
At this rate, he feared it would take him the better part of half a year to master the Breath Concealing Skill.
"I really miss the Sound Recording Conches at the Magic Technique Pavilion," Lü Zhong sighed.
Unfortunately, the Magic Technique Pavilion had been destroyed during the Demon Cultivator invasion, and most of the Magic Technique Books inside had been looted.
The Sound Recording Conch for the Breath Concealing Skill, in particular, was nowhere to be found.
According to street rumors, the Pavilion Master, unable to afford rebuilding the Magic Technique Pavilion, had already sold it.
When he passed by the Magic Technique Pavilion a few days ago, he'd seen workers putting up scaffolding. It looked like the new owner was indeed starting to rebuild, but there was no telling when it would be finished.
As for when it might reopen, that was anyone's guess.
...
「The days passed, and the Lantern Festival finally arrived.」
On this day, the White Silk that had long hung from every door was taken down.
In its place were hung decorative lanterns painted with festive patterns.
Lü Zhong bought two as well, lit the candles inside, and hung them over his doorway.
He looked at the lanterns and nodded in satisfaction.
'Mm, now it feels like a festival.'
Just then, the gate to the opposite courtyard slid open, and Zhao Fugui, the old farmer, walked out carrying two lanterns.
It seemed he was also preparing to hang lanterns by his door.
But unlike Lü Zhong's bright red lanterns, the ones Zhao Fugui held were white. They had no designs on them whatsoever—just a plain layer of snow-white paper.
No matter how you looked at them, such lanterns seemed completely out of place for the Lantern Festival.
To him, they looked more like funeral lanterns.
Seeing Lü Zhong peek out, Zhao Fugui greeted him warmly, grinning. "Fellow Daoist Lü! How's that Talisman Paper I sold you working out?"
"It's... it's quite good," Lü Zhong answered honestly.
The Talisman Paper the man sold him was indeed high-grade.
It had even increased his success rate in making Talismans by a small margin.
"I'm glad you like it! Make sure to give me plenty of business in the future!" The moment the topic turned to business, Zhao Fugui became animated again, like an ox in heat. It was honestly a bit much to handle.
"I will, I will!" Lü Zhong deflected, struggling to end the conversation.
He went back inside and shut the door.
Peeking through a crack in the door, he saw Zhao Fugui bring out two Papermen and place them on either side of his entrance.
'The blush on their cheeks was an unnatural red, their faces a ghastly white. No matter how you looked at them, they were just plain creepy!'
'Is he celebrating the Lantern Festival or preparing for a funeral?'
Just one extra glance at the two Papermen sent a chill down his spine, and he didn't dare look any longer.
'This is too creepy! I can't let this be. I have to buy some Evil Exorcism Talismans tomorrow, or I'll be too scared to sleep.'
His mind made up, Lü Zhong took out his Fireball Talisman again. Only by clutching it tightly in his palm did he dare to try and fall asleep.