Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 8 The Beginning
Three days later, at the crack of dawn.

Chen Li pushed open the door and lavishly activated a 'guiding talisman'.

The talisman burned out quickly.

The next moment, the world's vibrant colors gradually faded, leaving only black and white before our eyes.

"Another dangerous place." Chen Li secretly memorized the location and walked towards the door.

The name "Guide Talisman" is easily misunderstood, as it refers to a direction or road. In fact, it refers to a path of life. It can identify dangerous information such as evil spirits or demons in the surrounding area, allowing people to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune.

Its effective range is approximately 100 meters in radius.

This means that these 'dangerous places' are all located within shantytowns. There could be many reasons for this, such as the ghosts and monsters they keep, or magical artifacts that exude evil energy, all of which could trigger the talisman's reaction.
Unlike before, he's no longer easily alarmed; he's become quite knowledgeable. Most importantly, he's no longer the defenseless individual he was when he first transmigrated.

Not to mention that he had already mastered the willow leaf dart, which was his trump card.

Take, for example, “spiritual energy flick.”

This originally low-level, useless spell seems to have mutated after the proficiency level was broken to 'expert', becoming quite powerful. Within ten meters, it can pierce through gold and split stone, and it still has a certain killing power within twenty meters.

Most importantly, unlike more advanced spells that require incantations and hand gestures and are slow to activate, this spell can be activated instantly with just a thought, as if it were instinctive.

Chen Li believed that as long as he got close enough and the other party had no means of self-defense or was not on guard, it would be difficult for an ordinary rogue cultivator to dodge his sneak attack.

Strength is the foundation of confidence.

He no longer needs to be as overly cautious as he was at the beginning.

Of course, avoiding these dangerous areas is undoubtedly the safest option.

……

The market was sparsely populated in the early morning, not yet at its busiest time. Chen Li carefully selected a spot to set up his stall.

He had already become very familiar with this place by now.

Because we arrived early enough, there were still plenty of good spots to set up a stall.

He chose a spot near the intersection, took out a piece of animal skin from the cloth bag he carried and spread it on the ground, then took out a wooden board with prices written on it and laid out all the talismans he had drawn during this time.

Simply displaying two talismans for warding off evil spirits would undoubtedly appear monotonous and inadequate.

If those low-level talismans can be sold, it could be a source of income.

After doing all this, Chen Li sat on the stone and began to wait anxiously for customers to come to his door.

People were coming and going on the street. Before long, Chen Li had sat down for a while when he welcomed his first customer, a young female cultivator.

The other person squatted down and picked through the items: "These are all the lowest-level talismans. Do you have any lightness talismans?"

"No, that's all."

Just when he thought the business was going to fail, the other party said the next thing:
"Then give me a talisman to ward off evil spirits. Sigh! You don't have enough stock."

As he spoke, he handed over a spirit stone.

Chen Li, somewhat dazed, reached out and took the spirit stone, which still carried the warmth of the other person, and held it tightly.

He felt that even ten or twenty years from now, he would never forget this young female cultivator who looked seventeen or eighteen with chubby cheeks, and he would still remember how bright her pale yellow Taoist robe looked in the sunlight.

And at this very moment, my heart is pounding.

Once the female cultivator had gone far away, Chen Li loosened his grip slightly, squinted his eyes, and didn't dare to look too closely. He glanced around warily before quickly putting the spirit stones into the inner pocket of his shirt.

It took him a long time to calm down.

"Poverty makes people lose their ambition!"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, inwardly cursing himself for being so naive.

It was just an ordinary transaction, yet it turned into such a dramatic affair. It was just a single spirit stone.

With this skill in making talismans, when he starts earning ten coins a month and a hundred coins a year, he'll be ecstatic.

……

Next, his good luck seemed to run out. Apart from selling a guiding talisman for 12 taels of gold, he only managed to sell another talisman for protection against evil spirits near noon.

After closing up shop, Chen Li, holding two spirit stones, headed straight for the talisman shop of the Longevity Sect.

"A ream of talisman paper costs 30 taels of gold! Ten low-grade talisman skins cost one low-grade spirit stone... Thank you for one low-grade spirit stone, leaving 30 taels of gold." A shopkeeper announced loudly in a melodious tone.

Chen Li forced himself to pay, despite the financial pain.

He originally wanted to buy a book about talisman making techniques, but was deterred by the seller's price of six low-grade spirit stones.

The cost of knowledge in this world is beyond Chen Li's imagination, and it is highly monopolized. He doesn't know about other places, but at least in this market, no one dares to pirate it.

After leaving the talisman shop, he then went to the spirit rice shop and lavishly bought ten catties of spirit rice.

Before the two spirit stones could even be warmed in their hands, they were already empty.

"It's true that you can make money in the market and spend it in the market, but don't even think about taking a single penny home."

As Chen Li walked, he sighed inwardly, and his feet seemed to instinctively lead him to a building with carved beams and painted rafters.

Two large red lanterns hung at the entrance of the building, their hazy pink light exuding an ambiguous atmosphere.

A young female nun yawned as she came out of the door. Upon seeing a familiar customer, her eyes lit up.
"Oh my, isn't this Fellow Daoist Chen? It's been so long since you've been here. Have you forgotten about us sisters? Come in, come in and have a seat, and have a cup of hot tea."

The female cultivator was dressed in a red palace gown as thin as a cicada's wing. Perhaps she had just gotten up, as her face still carried a hint of languid weariness. Although she was without makeup, her beautiful face, graceful figure, and charming temperament exuded an alluring aura.

'Is this the legendary courtesan cultivator who practices evil secret arts and can devour a person's bones and marrow?'

'Indeed, it's better than on Earth...'

Chen Li glanced at her and couldn't help but blush. He dared not look any longer and quickened his pace before the female cultivator could get closer. "I have something to do today. We'll talk about it next time."

……

This little incident did not affect Chen Li's pleasant mood at all.

Walking home, his steps were light, and everything before him seemed to come alive.

He was captivated by the strange, gnarled trees, the small fish swimming among the water plants as he passed by the stream, the beautiful birds flying overhead, and even the nameless yellow wildflowers blooming by the roadside.

He looked towards the distant, mist-shrouded mountains:

"I wonder what the world is like beyond the mountain pass?"

There are almost no ordinary people here. At the bottom are independent cultivators, and above them are the disciples of high-ranking sects and the powerful forces behind them. Although the biggest survival crisis has now been resolved.

But life here is really not easy.

There's no hope left in cultivation; now he just wants to live a more carefree life.

But no rush!
Let's earn a hundred spirit stones first.

……

As he passed by his neighbor's house, he deliberately paused for a while, carrying a specially made rice bag from the Changsheng Rice Shop.

It's a pity that the sharp-tongued female cultivator doesn't seem to be here today.

This left him feeling somewhat lost and disappointed.

My initial joyful mood has faded considerably.

(End of this chapter)