Chapter 54

At night, the commercial street was already quiet and desolate. Today's winter rain had caused the temperature in Jin Ling Prefecture to plummet; the ground was wet, and the air was cold and gloomy.

A car drove slowly to a stop before Luoyun Zhai. A young woman in a business suit jumped from the passenger seat, first opened an umbrella, then walked silently to the rear door, opened it carefully, and held her hand above the door frame to shield the occupant, her demeanor serious and respectful.

A figure slowly emerged from inside the car.

Her neck was long and swan-like, her temperament elegant. She wore a purple cheongsam, tailored to fit closely, outlining her slender figure. Her hair was tied in a bun, combed with meticulous precision.

Her face was clean, with light makeup applied. A pair of exquisite rimless glasses sat on her nose, adding a touch of scholarly air to her already striking beauty.

Judging by her face, the woman was about thirty. She leaned out of the car, stood in place, and looked up at the sign reading "Luoyun Zhai" above the shop, frowning slightly.

"There is still a trace of ill fortune left. Senior Brother, you must have offended a high master."

The woman in purple shook her head slightly and sighed.

The young woman in the business suit beside her spoke in a low voice: "Elder Zi, the wind is strong outside. Perhaps you should wait in the car."

"No rush. Bring my things," the woman in purple said slowly, her expression calm.

She possessed a natural aura; her voice was not loud, nor was her tone particularly severe, yet it seemed to carry an air of imperiousness that could not be defied.

The woman in the business suit was her assistant. Hearing this, she said nothing more, turned, took a flat wooden box from the car, opened it gently, took out a white jade compass, and presented it to the woman in purple with both hands.

The woman in purple held the white jade compass in her left hand, calculated with her right fingers, then paced toward the street on the left side of the shop, walking along the outer perimeter wall.

The assistant hurriedly followed with small steps, striving to hold the umbrella over the head of the woman in purple.

Moments later, the woman in purple stopped beneath a corner of the wall, looked down, and said: "Cut the bricks here."

"Yes."

Although the female assistant agreed verbally, she looked at the umbrella in her hand, hesitated, and said: "Let me take you back to the car to rest first, then I will come back..."

The woman in purple frowned: "How can a person of the Mystical Gate be so precious? Rain is water without roots from the sky, naturally formed. With such behavior, where did you learn such affectation? Give me the umbrella!"

Saying this, the woman in purple took the umbrella from the assistant's hand, then watched as the assistant walked to the corner of the wall, squatted down, took out a small utility knife, and began digging at the bricks with her head down.

The woman in purple held the umbrella over the assistant's head, occasionally giving instructions: "The second one on the left, cut it out and show me. Hmm... good, right here..."

In just a few short minutes, although holding an umbrella, the fine rain had wet the tips of the woman in purple's hair. She seemed entirely unaware, only her eyes lighting up when the assistant finally handed her a piece of talisman paper, half-rotten from the rain, found in the brick crevice.

"As expected."

She took the talisman paper in her hand, gently unfolded it, glanced at the runes on it, then extended a fingertip to gently rub the cinnabar on it.

"I actually do not recognize these runes, but they appear to be from a very high-level talisman art. The talisman paper and cinnabar are merely common goods, likely bought randomly in a shop," the woman in purple frowned. "This is strange. How could a high master who understands such talisman arts use such inferior talisman paper and cinnabar?"

The woman in purple pondered briefly, then shook her head: "The opposing side must have buried more than just this one talisman, but since the talisman power has already been exhausted, there is no need to search for the rest. Let's return to the car."

The assistant quickly took the umbrella, held it carefully, and guided the woman back to the car.

After getting in, the woman sat in the back seat. A flow of aura naturally moved through her body. Within a short while, the dampness from the rain that had originally stained her hair and clothes evaporated completely.

The assistant in the front was carefully packing things away, then looked up and saw a car slowly approaching in the distance. The assistant immediately said in a low voice: "Elder Zi, Uncle Qing has arrived."

"Mm."

The woman in purple pushed the door open again, got out of the car, and stood under the eaves of the shop.

After a car drove up and stopped, Uncle Qing stepped out. He wore a peaked cap on his head and a greatcoat over his body, looking gloomy. Only upon seeing the woman in purple did he quickly take two steps forward: "Junior Sister, why did you arrive early?"

The woman in purple remained calm: "It is no matter. I have only arrived ten minutes early."

Seeing that Uncle Qing was about to say something else, the woman in purple shook her head: "I have already inspected the surroundings. Let us return and speak."

"Ah? You have already inspected it?" Uncle Qing seemed somewhat uneasy: "Should we not go into the courtyard to take another look?"

"No need. I have already understood what is happening. Let us return first; I have something to discuss with you."

Uncle Qing seemed quite uneasy, but seeing the woman in purple's cold expression, he dared not say anything more.

The two got back into the car. The two cars drove away one after another, leaving the commercial street. Moments later, they arrived at a quiet small street, turned into a small courtyard, and stopped.

This place seemed to be a tea house. The courtyard was quite clean, with only some flowers and plants planted, and no excessive furnishings.

Inside the tea house, the hall was not large. Beside a tea table carved from a tree root, four chairs were arranged, all clearly made of red sandalwood.

After Uncle Qing invited the woman in purple to sit, he intended to brew tea himself, but a flicker of impatience passed through the woman in purple's eyes. She turned her head and said to her assistant: "Go pour me a cup of water."

"Hey! You are at my tea house now; why drink water? I am brewing tea for you right now. A friend sent me some excellent Jin Jun Mei. Junior Sister, you..."

"Water can clear the mind," the woman in purple said coldly. "As for Senior Brother, with famous teas and luxurious mansions, every furnishing in this tea house is something of immense value. I dare not drink the tea here."

"Tea, in itself, can wash away turbid qi, but the tea in Senior Brother's place, every sip, is drinking luxury."

Uncle Qing was stunned and stammered: "Junior Sister..."

The woman in purple sighed: "It is not that I intend to lecture Senior Brother the moment we meet, but truly, with such behavior, where does it look like a person who cultivates?"

Uncle Qing shook his head: "With Junior Sister in the sect, and your magical arts being divine, I, as the senior brother, naturally take a little secret lazy..."

Pausing, Uncle Qing said with a bitter face: "This time, your senior brother has taken a huge fall, having been severely tricked. I have been waiting anxiously for your return, asking you to intervene and help me resolve this. Yet as soon as you arrive, you do not even look at my shop, do not drink the tea, and only lecture me."

"Enough, Senior Brother, no need to play the victim with me," the woman in purple said coldly. "I have already seen that shop of yours and have a clear understanding in my heart—indeed, a high master acted against you, burying several talismans over there."

Having finished speaking, the woman in purple took out the piece of talisman paper she had just retrieved from the wall crack and placed it on the tea table.

Uncle Qing carefully picked it up and looked at it again and again.

"No need to look; the talisman power has already dissipated," the woman in purple said with a headache, frowning. "These runes are very sophisticated; I have actually never seen them before. However, I can generally identify them; they should be a talisman art that gathers yin qi."

Seeing that Uncle Qing seemed confused, the woman in purple was secretly disappointed, but she patiently explained anyway.

"By burying them in several specific directions, one can gather the surrounding yin qi and concentrate it into your residence. Snakes, insects, rats, and mice love places with yin qi the most."

"Fortunately, your shop is on the commercial street, bustling with human energy, so creatures like snakes and scorpions are rare."

"However, there are several restaurants on the street, so there must be many rats. Once the talisman power activates, it will attract all those rats from the surroundings into your shop."

Hearing this, Uncle Qing was also curious and picked up the talisman again to look at it once more.

The woman in purple shook her head: "I already said you don't need to look; even I cannot fully understand these runes."

Uncle Qing's face turned red, and he put down the talisman paper: "Then, can Junior Sister find out who the opposing party is?"

"Why find the opposing party?" the woman in purple asked with a faint smile.

"Of course to repay them in kind! Junior Sister, you do not know; this time my losses were huge! The reputation of Luoyun Zhai was hard-earned, yet it collapsed in a single day. Now everyone in the trade is spreading rumors that Luoyun Zhai has encountered some evil. With this, who would dare to come to my door to seek me out?

"I invested heavily in building Luo Yun Zhai over these years! Not to mention, the annual rent alone exceeds a million. Now I can't even open the doors, and I likely won't be able to do business for some time. With such massive losses, how can I accept this?!"

"So what?"

"So I asked my junior sister to return, of course, to help me find the rival and then vent my anger on them!" Qing Shu said viciously.

The woman in purple robes looked at Qing Shu, then sighed softly: "Senior brother... you don't think your junior sister can handle the whole world, unbeatable by anyone, do you?"

"Uh..."

"My master did indeed entrust me to look after you before he passed, but the world is vast, with countless talented and extraordinary people. Do you really think relying on me allows you to run rampant without fear?"

As the woman in purple robes spoke, her expression grew colder: "How many times has this happened? Senior brother... I warned you long ago that acting this way will inevitably bring disaster. Although the Profound Arts are mysterious and hidden, using them to deceive people will, if you encounter an iron wall, sooner or later leave your head bloody and broken!"

Qing Shu's face darkened: "Junior sister! I asked you to return to help me. I've suffered enough this time... look at me! I was beaten just two days ago, and the bruises on my face haven't even fully faded! My shop was ruined like this, I..."

"Fate cycles, karma returns!" the woman in purple robes said coldly: "Senior brother, you have also studied the arts. The very first page of our sect's scripture bears these eight characters. Have you forgotten them?"

Having finished speaking, the woman in purple robes slowly rose: "Since Senior brother remains obstinate, I, your younger sister, can do nothing. I shall take my leave!"

Seeing her rise, Qing Shu's face instantly filled with panic. He hurried forward to block her, his complexion shifting between green and red, his tone becoming more humble: "Junior sister! Junior sister! Don't go, don't go... I, oh dear, how did we get angry while talking?"

"I won't argue back. Let's sit and talk. If you wish to scold me, then scold me more. I will listen obediently, is that not enough?"

"You are my only junior sister. If you do not help me, no one else in the sect will help me..."

The woman in purple robes glanced at him and shook her head: "I will speak plainly, Senior brother. This rival's talisman arts are profound; the talismanic runes are so complex that even I cannot fully understand them.

As for the cultivation level of an opponent with such profound talisman arts, I cannot fathom it at all.

Yet such a grandmaster was offended by you and came to deal with you... use your brain and think!

If they can create a talisman that gathers Yin Qi, do you think they cannot create even more powerful and profound talismans?"

The opponent likely held back when striking!

What if the talisman paper buried in your shop, instead of gathering ordinary Yin Qi that attracts rats... gathered Blood Fiend Qi?"

Whether you would still be alive to stand here and speak with me is uncertain!"

Qing Shu's body trembled; only then did he truly feel fear!

"Junior sister, don't scare me. Is the opponent... really that powerful?"

"Don't say 'I don't know.' The talisman drawn by the opponent is one I have never seen before; it is truly extremely profound. Moreover, the opponent used the most ordinary and inferior talisman paper and cinnabar to draw such a profound talisman—I admit I do not possess such ability."

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【There are two weeks until the Spring Festival. I'm announcing in advance that there will be no breaks during the Spring Festival.】

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