193: Chapter 193

Chapter 193

As the original body's memories flooded him like a tide, Li Yunshu gradually understood his identity.

"Baishui Town, Li Yunshu..."

He raised his hand and only then noticed that his arm was as thin as skin and bones.

In his memory, the original body wasn't so poor that he couldn't afford food, so why was he starved to this state?

He put on his robe, stepped into his shoes, and stumbled to the Eight Immortals table in the room, too hungry to have any strength.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the bronze mirror on the table. The man in the mirror had a gaunt face, chapped lips, a paper-white complexion, and somewhat disheveled hair.

It was clear he had a good foundation, eight-tenths as handsome as himself, but this was no longer him.

Indeed!

He still hadn't broken that rule—those who were ugly not only weren't qualified to Transmigrate, but also weren't qualified to be Transmigrated into.

Wait a minute!

As more and more memories merged, Li Yunshu quickly understood why the original body had become like this—he had encountered a ghost!

"Encountered" was a verb; he had been drained of his Pure Yang Qi.

Just then, his mind heard the System's notification sound.

【The Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence System has been activated!】

Immediately, a System panel appeared in his mind.

【Name: Li Yunshu】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer 99/100】

【Talisman Dao: First Grade 22/100】

【Pill Dao: First Grade 28/100】

【Cultivation Technique: Heavenly Profound Art Beginner 80/200】

System!

Li Yunshu was about to cry... He was in another world, at Qi Refining Second Layer, slightly proficient in Talisman making, with a System, and a promising future!

Thump, thump, thump!

Urgent and heavy knocking came from the courtyard gate. Li Yunshu suppressed his thoughts and, bracing himself, walked out of the room.

"Coming, coming..."

This body was too weak; he felt a bit light-headed when walking now.

He opened the courtyard gate, and a middle-aged man stood outside.

"Steward Liu."

Seeing Li Yunshu open the door, Liu Lu spoke with a smile.

"Didn't you say you wanted to sell this courtyard before? We already have a buyer."

"Steward Liu, please come in."

Li Yunshu quickly stepped aside, inviting the visitor into the house.

Baishui Town was one of the four districts and eight towns under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Profound Sect. It was located on the outskirts of the Heavenly Profound Sect, where the Spiritual Qi was much denser than in Mortal residences, which was conducive to Cultivation.

Therefore, it attracted many Loose Cultivators to buy or rent houses here.

The original body's parents were both Cultivators at the Late Stage of Qi Refining. His father also Cultivated Talisman Dao, and his mother also Cultivated Pill Dao.

Years ago, the couple spent everything they had to buy this courtyard in Baishui Town outright.

However, a few days ago, they entered the Mizang Forest to search for Spirit Medicine and never returned.

Neighbors who luckily escaped said that their group encountered a beast tide, and his parents died in the Yao Beast tide.

'Li Yunshu' had extremely poor Cultivation Aptitude, and even now, he was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer.

Without his parents' protection, 'Li Yunshu' knew he couldn't keep this courtyard and couldn't live here long-term.

So, he wanted to sell the courtyard and then move to a Mortal town to live.

And Liu Lu was the steward of the Heavenly Profound Sect stationed in Baishui Town, so selling the courtyard required finding him.

However, Li Yunshu, who now understood the whole story, did not quite agree with the original body's approach.

Because he suspected that the original body's death was related to Liu Lu, who was in front of him.

The female ghost had just left, and Liu Lu came to his door this morning.

Could it really be such a coincidence?

Talking about selling the house was a pretense; he most likely wanted to see if he was truly dead.

Liu Lu didn't know what he was thinking. After entering and sitting down, he glanced around the courtyard as if looking at his own home.

Li Yunshu deliberately brewed a pot of good tea and then asked.

"I wonder how many Spirit Stones the other party is willing to offer?"

"Six Low-Grade Spirit Stones." Liu Lu raised his hand and made a gesture.

Hearing this price, Li Yunshu's hand, which was pouring tea, trembled.

"How much?!"

Liu Lu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he continued with a forced smile.

"Six Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

"Steward Liu must be joking. It cost six High-Grade Spirit Stones to buy this courtyard back then."

Li Yunshu sat down after pouring the tea, but he couldn't accept this price at all.

In Baishui Town, buyers and sellers of houses did not meet; only Liu Lu acted as an intermediary to facilitate the deal.

Of course, no one knew how much benefit Liu Lu gained in the middle.

But this time, Liu Lu wasn't just looking for benefits; he wanted to devour him whole.

Not to mention that housing prices in Baishui Town had soared over the years, this courtyard alone cost six High-Grade Spirit Stones when it was bought.

One High-Grade Spirit Stone could exchange for at least ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

Liu Lu's fingers traced the teacup, his tone calm.

"To be honest, you're only at Qi Refining Second Layer. Even if I gave you High-Grade Spirit Stones, could you take them out of Baishui Town?

I have some friendship with your parents. If the deal goes through, I'll send people to escort you out of Baishui Town to live in a Mortal town."

He looked up at Li Yunshu, a hint of threat in his eyes.

"How about it?"

Li Yunshu glanced at Liu Lu's fingers tracing the teacup and sighed inwardly.

He could have just robbed me, but he still gave me six Low-Grade Spirit Stones. What a good (beast) person!

If Li Yunshu had only been suspicious when he first saw Liu Lu,

Then now he could almost be certain that the female ghost was sent by Liu Lu.

The other party first openly agreed to help 'Li Yunshu' post the house-selling information, but secretly intended to embezzle this courtyard.

What buyer offered six Low-Grade Spirit Stones? That so-called buyer was ninety-nine percent likely Liu Lu himself.

It made sense, as only 'Li Yunshu' was left in this family.

If he died at home, this courtyard would become ownerless property and would naturally be confiscated.

And Liu Lu, as the steward of the Heavenly Profound Sect, had a lot of room for manipulation. Selling it off would bring a large sum of Spirit Stones into his pocket.

The other party couldn't act openly, so he sent a female ghost to kill him.

What a clever scheme!

Li Yunshu did not immediately refuse but tentatively asked.

"Steward Liu, this is not a small matter after all. Can you give me a few days to consider?"

"Of course, but don't take too long. I'm afraid the buyer might change their mind."

"I understand, I understand." Seeing Liu Lu get up to leave, Li Yunshu immediately stood up as well, and then politely added, "Steward Liu, please have a cup of tea before you go."

"No, thank you. You should think about it carefully."

After seeing Liu Lu out of the courtyard, Li Yunshu returned to the room, heavy-hearted, and poured the tea in the cup onto the ground.

What a pity for a packet of Soul Devouring Powder, he didn't even drink it.

After drinking this, combined with the corresponding Talisman, one could turn the person into their Puppet.

This was something the original body's father had left behind. He had just wanted to use it to control Liu Lu to save his life, but he didn't expect the other party didn't drink the tea at all.

In his previous life, he bought a house with a loan but hadn't moved in yet. In this life, he had a house bought in full but couldn't live in it. Didn't I Transmigrate for nothing?

【Name: Li Yunshu】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer 99/100】

【Talisman Dao: First Grade 22/100】

【Pill Dao: First Grade 28/100】

【Cultivation Technique: Heavenly Profound Art Beginner 81/200】

The so-called Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence means that as long as you work hard, you will gain something; as long as you Cultivate diligently, you can improve.

He had only tried Cultivating the Heavenly Profound Art once, and his proficiency had increased by 1 point.

Looking at his Qi Refining Second Layer Cultivation, he seemed to know what he should do.

Logically speaking, Cultivating a Cultivation Technique could improve one's Cultivation.

However, the original body's Cultivation Aptitude was too poor, so he had been stuck at Qi Refining Second Layer for a long time, unable to make any progress.

He wondered if he could raise his Cultivation by continuing to Cultivate the Heavenly Profound Art.

If this System could bypass his Cultivation Bottleneck, then he still had hope of living in Baishui Town.

Thinking of this, he even forgot his hunger.

He returned to the bed, sat cross-legged, and continued to Cultivate diligently!

Dusk.

As the Spiritual Qi circulating in his Meridians returned to his Dantian, he finally broke through the Bottleneck that had plagued him for a long time.

Qi Refining Third Layer!

He seemed somewhat disbelieving that he had broken through to Qi Refining Third Layer so easily. He opened the System again to confirm.

【Name: Li Yunshu】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Third Layer 1/100】

【Talisman Dao: First Grade 22/100】

【Pill Dao: First Grade 28/100】

【Cultivation Technique: Heavenly Profound Art Minor Achievement 3/400】

Not only had his Cultivation improved, but the proficiency of the Heavenly Profound Art had also reached Minor Achievement.

From the data when the System was activated, the original body had already reached the last step to breaking through to Qi Refining Third Layer.

However, limited by his natural talent, he had always been unable to break through this Bottleneck.

If he didn't have the System, he might have been stuck at Qi Refining Second Layer for his entire life.

Whew—

After verifying the System's abilities, Li Yunshu's body gradually relaxed. Now he finally had hope of establishing himself in Baishui Town.

Given enough time, he would certainly be able to Breakthrough to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, and even the Late Stage of Qi Refining, or even the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Of course, what he lacked most now was time.

The news of his parents' death in the Mizang Forest would spread soon.

By then, besides Liu Lu, who knew how many others would target him?

Thinking of Liu Lu, Li Yunshu also recalled the female ghost from last night.

In this world, if a person had strong obsession or resentment before death, their Soul would transform into a Yin spirit, which was what he knew as a ghost in his previous life.

There were many ways to control Yin spirits. He knew of Soul Banners and Soul Control Bells alone.

Fortunately, the original body's father also left him many life-saving Talismans.

After all, they often went to Mizang Forest to hunt Yao Beasts, and leaving a son at Qi Refining Second Layer at home was always a bit worrying.

Li Yunshu's hand reached into his sleeve, and his brow suddenly furrowed.

In his memory, the original body had placed the Talismans in his sleeve.

After a careful search, he looked down at his empty sleeve, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

The Talismans were gone!

As if he had thought of something, he quickly opened the drawers in the room.

Empty!

Then, he ran to his parents' room, pulling open drawer after drawer.

Gone, all gone!

All the life-saving Talismans on him, and all the valuable items in the house that could be taken, were gone.

That Yin spirit last night!

After taking his life, that Yin spirit had taken all the valuable items it could carry.

Understanding the whole story, Li Yunshu's heart sank to rock bottom.

Now he had nothing to protect himself with. What if that Yin spirit came again tonight?

According to his memories, that Yin spirit had used charm to bewitch 'Li Yunshu' last night.

With his Qi Refining Third Layer Cultivation, he was probably no match for that Yin spirit at all.

Li Yunshu stood still, carefully analyzing his current predicament.

Liu Lu didn't directly attack him during the day, which meant he still had some scruples.

He looked at the neighbor next door, who had moved in half a month ago and seemed to have some friendship with the original body's mother.

However, since returning from Mizang Forest, he hadn't left his courtyard, seemingly also quite injured.

It's better to rely on oneself than on others; he couldn't count on anyone else.

As long as he safely got through tonight, there would be a turn for the better tomorrow.

If that Yin spirit came again... an Evil Warding Talisman!

Li Yunshu ran to the Talisman-making room and opened the drawer where Talismans were kept.

Indeed, the useful Talismans here were also gone.

He looked at the stack of Talisman Materials on the table. The medium for Talismans was not yellow paper, but specially treated beast hide to carry power.

Each qualified beast hide that could be used for drawing Talismans was as thin as a cicada's wing, and different Talismans required different beast hides.

Fortunately, the Talisman paper used to make Talismans had not been taken.

That Yin spirit didn't know its worth; the Talisman brush on the table, which was quite valuable, was also left for him.

Li Yunshu looked at the darkening sky. Only by making an Evil Warding Talisman as soon as possible could he gain a greater sense of security.

In the original body's memory, there was a method for drawing Evil Warding Talismans.

However, to make Talismans, Mental Energy and Spiritual Qi were indispensable.

The original body's Cultivation had been stuck at Qi Refining Second Layer, so he had tried several times but never succeeded.

Now that his Cultivation had broken through to Qi Refining Third Layer, the success rate of making Evil Warding Talismans should increase somewhat.

At the same time, he could also improve his Talisman-making proficiency.

Making Talismans wasn't just about picking up a Talisman brush and drawing. Before making Talismans, there were many rituals to perform.

After washing his hands and rinsing his mouth, he lit three incense sticks, recited a divine invocation, and consecrated the Talisman brush and all the necessary Talisman Materials with incense.

He calmed his mind and Qi, removing all distracting thoughts from his heart, bringing his Divine Sense to a state of Kong Ming.

The original body's Talisman making was only at the Beginner level, and doing these things helped to improve the success rate of Talisman making.

So Li Yunshu dared not omit any step. After faithfully completing the rituals, he picked up the Talisman brush.

Calming his mind and concentrating, the moment he picked up the Talisman brush, his gaze fell on the Talisman paper.

He held his breath, his eyes focused and serious.

At the same time, the Spiritual Qi in his body steadily and slowly flowed into the Talisman brush.

Everything went smoothly, but just as he was about to complete the final stroke, an unexpected change occurred.

The drawn Talisman suddenly became distorted, and the Talisman paper also became wrinkled.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

Once the drawing failed, that Talisman paper was wasted.

Making Talismans wasn't just about knowing how to draw; it greatly tested the coordination of Spiritual Qi and Mental Energy within the body. Only with perfect cooperation could the energy be preserved within the Talisman.

"Indeed, it's not that easy."

Fortunately, there was still a lot of beast hide at home used for making Talismans, enough for him to continue diligently Cultivating.

Failure, failure, failure... After repeated failures, Li Yunshu realized that he had underestimated the difficulty of drawing Talismans.

However, at this moment, he seemed to have entered a flow state.

Everything around him was forgotten; only the Talisman remained in his eyes.

If he failed, he would switch to another Talisman paper and continue drawing. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but his mind gradually gained some insights into making Evil Warding Talismans.

Moreover, he gradually understood why he had failed before.

His hand seemed to have formed muscle memory, and the Talisman brush moved like a Dragon and snake on the Talisman paper, flowing smoothly.

It's done!

As the final stroke was completed, he could faintly feel the power contained within the Evil Warding Talisman before him.

At this moment, the Spiritual Qi in his body was almost depleted, and even his head felt a bit swollen.

He slightly moved his stiff neck. Only then did he realize that night had already fallen without him noticing.

He glanced at the proficiency of Talisman Dao in the System, which had also changed.

【Talisman Dao: First Grade 34/100】

Thump, thump, thump—

Just then, the door was suddenly knocked, followed by a head peeking in.

"Young Master."