Hide in the world of gods and demons

Chapter 88 Robbed
Inside the talisman-making room.

Chen Li played with the storage bag with great affection.

He would occasionally put various magical artifacts in and out.

"If I had possessed this storage bag in my past life..."

He can come up with nine ways to make a fortune in a flash.

"It's a pity that he was overlooked in this world!"

"Perhaps it's because of the refining process, I can sense the location of this storage bag no matter where I am. So I'm not too afraid of it being stolen!"

Of course, this anti-theft capability is quite limited.

If the thief can't be caught in a short time and is refined by someone, then there's nothing that can be done.

"I don't know how strong the storage bag is, but it shouldn't be that weak... After all, it's standard equipment for high-level cultivators, so it's probably hard for Qi Refining stage magic tools and spells to damage it."

After studying it for a while, Chen Li picked up a clean velvet cloth and carefully wiped it, removing any remaining fingerprints and sweat stains, and then patted a cleaning talisman on it.

Seeing that the surface had become shiny and new again, he was satisfied and gently put the precious storage bag, worth eighty mid-grade spirit stones, into his sleeve.

He then picked up the "Notes on Common Talisman Making Methods" that he had bought yesterday, calmed himself down, and began to study it carefully.

Half an hour later.

Chen Li put the book aside, took out a talisman, picked up a pen, and dipped it in blood ink.

The brush moves swiftly, drawing with the grace of dragons and snakes.

After half a breath.

The pen stops, the symbol is complete.

The calming talisman has been successfully drawn.

"This kind of first-tier, third-level talisman is no challenge for me now," Chen Li thought to himself.

He checked the game panel.

really,

Despite having only drawn the Tranquility Talisman once, the skill had already skipped the beginner level and gone directly to the proficient level.

Chen Li picked up the calming talisman and activated it with his spiritual power.

The talisman instantly ignited.

At the same time, magic descended.

Chen Li pondered it carefully for a while.

"It doesn't seem to have much effect... Maybe I don't have enough distracting thoughts right now. The effect of the calming talisman is to gather up distracting thoughts and make one's mind clear, and I just finished drawing the talisman, so I don't have many distracting thoughts to begin with."

Chen Li's heart stirred.

He got up and drew another calming talisman.

Then he picked up a storybook passed down from the secular world and began to read it.

The author of this book has a good writing style, and the various plots are described in a delicate and vivid way, making the reader feel very immersed. Moreover, there are action pictures every few pages. Although they are a bit rough and not realistic enough, they are full of poses.

This made him very restless.

"Just in time!"

Chen Li picked up the calming talisman and quickly activated it.

next moment.

It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head, instantly dispelling all the distracting thoughts in my mind.

The words that were once thrilling and captivating now seemed bland and tasteless, like chewing wax. Although he became more focused, the content no longer held any appeal for him.

"If used properly, this talisman can have miraculous effects!" He put down the book, lost in thought.

……

The following days.

Chen Li spends half a day every day researching ice magic, as well as exorcism talismans and protective charms.

Life has become a little more fulfilling, but otherwise it's been no different from before.

Autumn came quickly; not long ago it was still the height of summer, but now the autumn winds are already chilly.

Perhaps sensing the approaching winter, more and more people were robbing people. Every time I walked on the street, I could often smell the stench of corpses coming from the houses.

Let it rot slowly.

No one claimed the body.

As for the corpses that are carelessly thrown into the woods, they are even more common. There is no need to search for them deliberately; wherever flies and insects gather, that is where the corpses are.

The entire shantytown seems to be slowly disappearing.

Life and vitality gradually dissipated, replaced by lifelessness and silence.

At the same time, incidents involving evil spirits are becoming more and more frequent. This was rare in the past, but now it has become a topic of conversation in the streets and alleys, especially in the market where cultivators gather.

Although Chen Li has never seen it in person, his protective talisman has inexplicably become hot several times while walking on the street.

He didn't think these things could hurt him.

But out of fear of the unknown.

Chen Li still avoided these special areas.

That day, he had just finished breakfast when Zhang Shuniang came running over in a panic.

"Uncle, please go check on my father!"

Chen Li's heart skipped a beat: "What happened to your father?"

“My father was beaten,” Zhang Shuniang said.

Chen Li was speechless; this girl was even breathing heavily when she spoke.

I thought something had happened.

"How could your father have been beaten so early in the morning? I didn't hear a sound," Chen Liqi said.

“He went to the market to sell talismans again this morning,” Zhang Shuniang said in a panic. “His face was swollen when he came back, and all his belongings were stolen. My father told me not to tell you, so I ran away secretly.”

"Thank goodness, I'm alive and well. Come on, take me to see him."

Chen Li followed Zhang Shuniang to Zhang Yan's house.

Before anyone was even seen, a sigh could already be heard.

Zhang Yan was lying stiffly on the bed, sighing incessantly. His face was swollen like a pig's head, his eyes were almost closed, and blood was still flowing from his forehead. He looked extremely miserable.

He was beaten so badly that his face was unrecognizable.

"puff!"

Logically speaking, it's inappropriate to laugh when someone is in such a miserable situation.

But Chen Li couldn't help but look at that face.

Hearing the noise, Zhang Yan turned his head and saw Chen Li. His body stiffened abruptly, feeling extremely embarrassed, as if he had completely lost face.

That brat! I told her a thousand times not to tell the neighbors, not to tell the neighbors, and yet in the blink of an eye, she brought them here. Is she trying to drive me to my death?

Zhang Yan glared at Zhang Shuniang with resentment.

"Father, I'm just worried about you," Zhang Shuniang said weakly.

Chen Li forced a laugh: "Are you alright?"

"Not bad!" Zhang Yan turned his head away from Chen Li and said in a muffled voice.

"Tell me, what happened?" Chen Li asked.

At first, Zhang Yan hesitated and was too embarrassed to speak, but after Chen Li pressed him repeatedly, he finally told her about his experience in detail.

There's really nothing much to say about the process.

It was just an ordinary robbery. I didn't provoke anyone. I was just walking down the street when I was suddenly ambushed by a few people. After surrendering, I was beaten up.

Not only were all his valuables, such as spirit stones, magical artifacts, and talismans, taken away, but his clothes were also stripped off. The only saving grace was that he survived.

"Judging from what you've said, these thugs are all quite powerful. Why would they strip you of your clothes? You were wearing a priest's robe when you went out, weren't you?" Chen Li asked.

“In the current situation, how could I possibly go out wearing a monk’s robe? It’s just an ordinary old robe,” Zhang Yan said dejectedly. It was an utter disgrace.

"That shouldn't be the case, it's not worth much money." Chen Li said, puzzled, then a thought suddenly struck him, and his expression turned serious: "Are you sure you weren't being followed?"

Zhang Yan's expression froze.

I was naked at the time, feeling ashamed and panicked, and I was hiding everywhere. For a moment, I didn't care about being followed or not.

"You mean?"

"The reason they spared your life might not be because you're lucky, but because they're trying to catch a bigger fish with a long line. You're very likely being targeted!" Chen Li said.

The atmosphere fell silent.

Zhang Yan didn't even bother lying there like a corpse. He got up from the bed and gritted his teeth, saying, "These heartless beasts, how can they be so cruel? I'm moving back to the old house now. I wonder if someone has taken over it yet!"

"Heh, if you're really being targeted, moving anywhere won't help." Chen Li sneered, making sarcastic remarks: "I told you not to sell talismans, not to sell talismans, but you wouldn't listen, as if you were suffering a great loss. Now look what's happened, you're almost at risk of your life!" Even with a heavy weight on his chest and a heart full of worry, Zhang Yan couldn't help but blush with embarrassment upon hearing this.

Fortunately, you couldn't tell anything from his current complexion.

“Uncle…” Zhang Shuniang looked at Chen Li.

"Fine, for Shuniang's sake, I'll handle these thugs. I'll go outside and check the situation first."

After Chen Li left.

"Father, thank goodness I secretly went to see Uncle. If I had listened to you, we would all be finished. You were even yelling at me just now," Zhang Shuniang said, taking credit.

"Sigh, we've really lost face this time. It's all because Dad is useless!" Zhang Yan sighed.

“Father, you’re already very capable, but Uncle is even more capable!” Zhang Shuniang said earnestly.

“You…” Zhang Yan felt that he would be driven to his death by this daughter sooner or later.

Chen Li returned quickly.

"How is it?" Zhang Yan asked anxiously.

"I guessed right, your house is indeed being watched. However, I've only spotted one; the rest will probably arrive tonight. To avoid alerting them, let's deal with them all then," Chen Li said.
"There shouldn't be any danger now, so I'll head back first."

"Sigh!" Zhang Yan wanted to say something to express his gratitude, but couldn't bring himself to say it. In the end, he could only sigh and say, "Shuniang, please see Fellow Daoist Chen off. But, for your own safety, you should stay at Fellow Daoist Chen's house and not come back for now."

"Father, I won't leave. I want to stay with you."

"Listen to me!" Zhang Yan scolded sternly.

Combined with that unrecognizable face.

Chen Li almost burst out laughing again.

……

Zhang Shuniang eventually followed Chen Li away, tears streaming down her face.

"Uncle, will my dad be alright staying at home?"

"Hard to say!" Chen Li said.

Zhang Shuniang's tears fell even faster immediately.

Women really are made of water.

Chen Li stopped teasing her: "Don't worry, nothing will happen during the day."

Zhang Shuniang wiped away her tears and said, "You're not lying?"

"I'm not lying!" Chen Li immediately changed the subject: "How's your talisman learning going?"

"I can already draw cleansing talismans, and now I'm learning to use silence talismans!"

"You're learning very quickly," Chen Li said with a smile.

Zhang Shuniang couldn't help but laugh.

The two walked into the house.

"Why is Shuniang crying? What happened?" Zhou Hong asked Chen Lidao when she saw Zhang Shuniang's tearful eyes.

"Her father was robbed again this morning, but it's not over yet..." Director Chen briefly explained.

Including this time, Zhang Yan has been robbed twice now.

Sigh, what bad luck!
There is no one else.

……

Night fell quickly.

Chen Li leaned against a large tree, his whole body shrouded in shadow, and closed his eyes to rest.

Dressed in a grey robe, he blended perfectly into the darkness, inconspicuous at all.

He waited quietly.

Time passed second by second, and he remained motionless like a statue. As midnight approached, there were finally faint footsteps approaching. Chen Li looked in the direction of the sound.

Four masked men in black moved swiftly.

"They're finally here, damn it, they've been keeping watch over me for almost all night."

Chen Li cursed under his breath, then gently shook his stiff muscles. Blood flowed through his body, and his body quickly became more active.

He emerged from the shadows and walked toward the four men in black.

A chilling murderous intent permeated the air.

He walked faster and faster.

"Who goes there!" a man in black said in a deep voice.

Chen Li did not answer.

From brisk walking to sprinting, after three steps, the speed reached its limit. At the same time, a protective talisman was quickly activated.

"No, retreat quickly!"

The men in black felt their hair stand on end and their scalps tingle.

But it was too late.

One second they were fifty meters away, the next they were right in front of them.

A man in black felt a strong gust of wind rush towards him, and a figure rapidly enlarged in his pupils. In the nick of time, he only had time to slap a protective talisman on himself. The next moment, a sword light flashed like lightning.

The protective shield, along with the body, was cut in two.

After killing one person, his speed did not slow down in the slightest. His figure was like a ghost. Before one sword light had disappeared, another sword light appeared. It was as fast as a white horse passing through a crack, and as fast as lightning.

icy!

Sharp!

A chilling atmosphere prevailed!

In the blink of an eye, the men in black fell one after another.

The sounds of flesh being pierced rang out clearly in the quiet of the night.

Chen Li's speed was too fast; the man in black couldn't react in time.

When I came to my senses.

He had already rushed into the crowd at high speed, drawn his sword and started killing. In addition, due to extreme panic and confusion, he did not launch a single attack until the last man in black was killed.

The entire process, from the start of the sprint to the end, took only two seconds; from the start of the killing to the end, it took only half a second.

It was like a massacre.

Until Chen Li sheathed his sword.

The four bodies then collapsed to the ground one after another.

Blood and internal organs flowed all over the ground, a scene of carnage.

"After entering the late stage of Qi Refining, my thinking and reaction speed have indeed become much faster." Chen Li stood in place, lost in thought: "If it were before, I would not have been able to handle things so easily."

This time, even scolding didn't work.

"My strength has increased!"

The courtyard door opens.

Zhou Hong quickly came over, followed by Zhang Shuniang.

The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood. Zhang Shuniang's face was pale as she suppressed her fear and stood behind Zhou Hong, her eyes darting away, unable to look at the corpses cut in half.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Hong asked.

"They're just a bunch of rabble, how could they possibly hurt me!" Chen Li said.

Hearing the commotion, Zhang Yan was just coming out when he heard the words. His heart skipped a beat, but he pretended not to hear. He walked up to the person and bowed deeply, saying, "I am deeply grateful for your great kindness. I will never forget your help."

"Oh, you're too kind, you're too kind. It was just a small favor for me." Chen Li quickly stepped forward to help Zhang Yan up. "Alright, the smell of blood is strong here! Let's take Shuniang back quickly."

At Chen Li's urging.

The two left quickly.

Next, Chen Li searched each of the corpses.

Unfortunately, the harvest was limited. Apart from four mid-grade magic artifacts and some talismans, there was nothing else, but it was better than nothing.

He used traction techniques.

Under the influence of an invisible force, the corpses floated up and formed a long line, following him toward the grove of trees. There, he 'dug' a large pit and filled the corpses into it one by one.

Chen thought for a moment and then threw down a few more talismans to ward off evil.

"Since you're already dead, you might as well behave yourself!"

Then they pulled up a large amount of soil to bury the body.

(End of this chapter)