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Shen Ting's methods were despicable and unscrupulous. Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Lin was in a car with his trusted aide, Li Chengjun, heading home. Li Chengjun expressed his concerns, saying, "Boss! Shen Ting is not a good person. If he takes action, it will definitely be underhanded. Should we strike first?"
Li Chengjun was Xiao Lin's personal bodyguard, and their bond was akin to that of brothers. Therefore, Li Chengjun held great respect for Xiao Lin, who treated the young man like a son. After pondering for a moment, Xiao Lin replied, "Jun! I've been rivals with Shen Ting for many years. I know he is cunning and treacherous, and he doesn't play by the rules. However, I believe he won't go too far this time; we just need to be cautious."
Xiao Lin's kindness made Li Chengjun feel uneasy. Just as Li Chengjun was about to voice his concerns, Xiao Lin continued, "Don't worry. Shen Ting and I have been in business against each other for a lifetime, and he has never won. This time will be no different! This mine will definitely belong to us!"
With that, Xiao Lin closed his eyes to rest. His actions left Li Chengjun speechless; ultimately, he decided not to express his worries. Soon after, their car returned home. However, Li Chengjun insisted, "No! Even if the boss feels this way, we must remain vigilant. The Shen family is not to be underestimated!"
At this point, Li Chengjun took out his phone and called a well-known geomancer from the south. Having seen much of the world, Li Chengjun understood that in China’s business circles, physical confrontations were rare; threats often came from unseen forces. He had witnessed how harmful feng shui could be and immediately thought of the geomancer as a potential ally against the Shen family.
"Hello? Bro! What's going on? Is Mr. Xiao in danger?" A man answered the phone from an inconspicuous incense paper shop in a southern alley.
"Brother! You guessed it right," Li Chengjun recounted everything that had happened that day in detail.
After listening intently for a moment, the man replied, "You're right to be concerned; Shen Ting is not a good person. It's very likely he'll hire someone to deal with Mr. Xiao. I'll head over there now to protect Mr. Xiao as a way to repay him for his kindness in the past!"
"Great! Brother! I'll meet you outside!" Li Chengjun said before hanging up.
On the other end of the line, the man began rummaging through his incense paper shop after ending the call. He gathered various items: a Peach Wood Sword, Copper Coin Sword, Bagua Mirror, compass, Yellow Talisman Paper—everything was hastily packed into a bundle as he prepared to close up shop.
Just then, Xiao Yefeng arrived at the incense paper shop. Seeing the man packing up, Xiao Yefeng asked curiously, "Hey? Brother Li, what are you doing?"
"Oh! It's you, Brother Xiao! I'm heading out for something important. You're here to pick up that batch of yellow paper, right?" The man replied as he set down his bundle and began searching beneath the counter until he finally produced a neatly cut stack of yellow paper.
The three-inch wide, five-inch long yellow paper was neatly stacked. Although it was made of yellow grass paper, it gave off a delicate feeling. This was something Xiao Yefeng had frequently used over the past six months. Ever since the incident half a year ago, Xiao Yefeng had realized that while Ling Kong's talismans were convenient, having a few stored talisman papers on hand could be useful in critical moments.
Thus, Xiao Yefeng began researching how to preserve the talismans he knew in the form of talisman paper. He didn't have to worry about the brush; he had taken Yuan Xun's brush for this purpose. As the one responsible for capturing Yuan Xun, it was only natural that this trophy belonged to him. However, having a brush meant he also needed ink and paper.
Vermilion Ink was easy to find; he just needed to channel his spiritual energy while drawing the talismans. However, finding the talisman paper proved to be a challenge. After searching throughout the southern region, Xiao Yefeng finally discovered this shop three months ago. The shop didn't even have a signboard and was located deep within an alley. If it weren't for Xiao Yefeng sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations from purified evil spirits, he might never have found this place.
The owner of this shop was a man named Li Chengjie. In the sorcerer community, he could be considered an unemployed wanderer, somewhat similar to Xiao Yefeng. Li Chengjie also inherited Feng Shui techniques from his family but unlike Xiao Yefeng, who learned through various means, Li Chengjie practiced traditional oral transmission. He usually made Paper Men and paper money to make a living and occasionally performed exorcisms, calculated auspicious dates, and offered naming services. At a higher level, he dealt with ghost-catching tasks, essentially functioning as a Yin-Yang Master known in folklore.
Li Chengjie had some reputation as a Yin-Yang Master in this area and charged reasonable fees, ensuring peace for his clients. By chance, he became acquainted with Xiao Yefeng when Xiao Yefeng came to purchase yellow paper and cut it into talismans. Over time, they exchanged information about their identities, although Xiao Yefeng still hadn't revealed anything about the Metaphysics Society.
Xiao Yefeng visited on average once every ten days, and today happened to be his day to pick up talisman paper. While Li Chengjie was looking for paper for him, Xiao Yefeng's gaze fell upon a package placed at the back of the shop. A three-foot-long wooden sword couldn't be concealed entirely within it, and a corner of a Copper Coin Sword peeked out as well. The octagonal seal on the package clearly resembled a Bagua Mirror!
Seeing these exorcism tools laid out by Li Chengjie piqued Xiao Yefeng's curiosity. With Li Chengjie’s face before him, he performed a divination using his fingers rapidly moving over his thumb and four other fingers. At that moment, Li Chengjie happened to look up at Xiao Yefeng just as Xiao Yefeng noticed the Blood Mist aura between Li Chengjie's brows—a sign of great misfortune.
Moreover, Li Chengjie's eyes were filled with bloodshot veins connected together; this indicated that there was disaster at home. Although they were acquaintances, they had not reached the level of discussing family matters. Seeing that Li Chengjie was preparing for a journey, Xiao Yefeng spoke up: "Brother Li! There’s something I think I should mention to you. I see you’ve prepared so many tools; it seems you’re going into business?"
In any profession, asking about someone’s business is generally considered inappropriate. However, noticing that Li Chengjie's journey seemed perilous and could endanger his family as well, Xiao Yefeng couldn't help but remind him.
Xiao Yefeng's words caught Li Chengjie off guard. Being someone knowledgeable in mystical arts himself, Li Chengjie noticed the calculations at Xiao Yefeng's fingertips and the brilliance in his eyes; he realized that Xiao Yefeng had performed a divination for him. From their interactions over the past few months, Li Chengjie understood that Xiao Yefeng wasn't someone who would pry into others' affairs. Thus, he simply replied: "Yes! A benefactor of mine has been threatened; I need to go help keep watch."
Li Chengjie briefly explained the situation while Xiao Yefeng nodded: "Brother Li, there may be some harsh truths ahead, but I hope you remember them!"
"It’s nothing to worry about!" Li Chengjie smiled in response.
"This journey is fraught with danger. I advise you to reconsider your plans," Xiao Yefeng said. "Moreover, I sense that this matter will involve your family. Although I don't know who your family is, I hope you can gather them together. With your strength, if you can just avoid these few obstacles, everything will be fine!"
Xiao Yefeng's words left Li Chengjie stunned in the shop. After a moment, Li Chengjie clasped his hands together and replied, "Xiao Brother, you truly are an extraordinary person; your calculations are spot on. However, the employer for this mission is a benefactor to us brothers. We cannot abandon someone who has done so much for us. Still, thank you for your wise counsel; I will keep it in mind!"
With that, Li Chengjie handed over the Yellow Talisman Paper to Xiao Yefeng. He then turned to grab his own package and walked out of the shop, locking the door behind him. In front of Xiao Yefeng, he hid the key in a corner of the alley and then smiled as he said, "Xiao Bro, if I don't return in three days, it means I've already died. This shop is my life's work. I know you're not an ordinary person, but I hope that when the time comes, you can take over this shop for me. The techniques for making talisman paper that have been passed down in my family are hidden in a secret compartment behind my ancestor's tablet. I hope you can find someone suitable to carry on this legacy."
Li Chengjie was nearing thirty years old; perhaps it was his unwillingness to accept aging that made him look older despite possessing False Spiritual Power. At that moment, he appeared as if he were entrusting his life’s work to Xiao Yefeng. It reminded Xiao Yefeng of an older brother on his deathbed, speaking with the same tone Brother Liu had used when he entrusted the care of his sister to him. Seeing another person so devoted and willing to face death stirred a sense of compassion within Xiao Yefeng.
Looking at Li Chengjie’s expression, Xiao Yefeng hesitated before asking, "Aren't you afraid I might steal your family’s secret formula?"
"Perhaps others would be, but not you. To offer such sage advice to someone you've only just met shows that you have a pure heart," Li Chengjie replied. "It's getting late now; let’s part ways here! Don’t forget my words!" With that, Li Chengjie shouldered his package and turned toward the exit of the alley.
At that moment, Xiao Yefeng pulled out his business card—his own card that had been specially prepared for him after joining the Metaphysics Society. After all, members of the Metaphysics Society needed a way to connect with one another; their ranks spanned across all of China, with many members unfamiliar with each other. This specially made card was more reliable than any identification.
"Brother Li, here’s my business card. Call me if anything comes up!" Xiao Yefeng said as he tossed the card toward Li Chengjie.
Li Chengjie had already reached the mouth of the alley and saw his brother waiting for him in a car. Hearing Xiao Yefeng's voice made him pause and turn back to look at him just as a pristine white card flew past him like a shooting star and finally lodged itself into the wall behind him. Glancing at the card embedded in the wall and then back at Xiao Yefeng waving goodbye, Li Chengjie carefully retrieved the white card and tucked it into his pocket before waving back and heading toward his brother's car.
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