My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 2 Evil Spirits
In the quiet library, the only sound was the faint rustling of a brush against the table.

The rag used to wipe the water stains gradually became wet and soaked.

Chen Mu immersed himself in practicing calligraphy, finding endless joy in it.

He had never been so focused on anything before.

In his previous life, he had considered practicing calligraphy.

I bought a calligraphy practice book, wrote two lines, and couldn't resist turning to look at my phone. I persisted for two days, but eventually gave up.

The same applies to life.

Sometimes I wake up one morning feeling like I'm living a mediocre life and want to change, but the next day I fall back into the same old ways.

That feeling of being awake and then drowsy is like "sleep paralysis," a nightmare from which you can't wake up.

But in this life, he faces the even more tedious and difficult-to-learn calligraphy, a style of writing that was completely unfamiliar to him just a day ago.

Chen Mu, however, burst forth with unprecedented enthusiasm.

The feeling of knowing how to improve the next character after writing just one was so captivating and exhilarating!

Around 2 p.m., Chen Mu's stomach started growling.

Hunger roused him from his reverie.

The water-written ink on the desktop is slowly drying.

The gray walls reappeared before my eyes.

Writing: 8056/10000/First Order;
Chen Mu savored the lingering feeling of satisfaction.

He was extremely grateful to whoever had brought him here.

……

Lunch was brought by the young Taoist priest Chengming.

Three coarse grain vegetable pancakes, a plate of boiled leafy greens, and a bowl of thin porridge.

Chen Mu wolfed down his food, finishing it all in a flash, much to Cheng Ming's surprise.

After seeing Chengming off, Chen Mu continued to bury himself in practicing calligraphy.

The water in the brush-washing basin was changed again and again.

The rag was wrung out and then soaked again.

Chen Mu stopped practicing when the light dimmed and his vision blurred, and began to repeatedly pound his aching back with his hands.

Writing: 8673/10000/First Order;
On the gray wall, his writing skills improved dramatically once again.

"Unfortunately, it's still not as good as its predecessor."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Mu shook off the water stains on the brush and quietly hid it in the inner pocket of his wide sleeve.

There's a deadline for copying scriptures. The Taoist temple won't allow him to linger here eating and staying for free.

In order to catch up with his predecessor's level as soon as possible and complete the copying of the sutra, he had to work overtime to continue practicing calligraphy when he returned to his room.

He had abhorred this kind of overtime work during his rest time in his previous life, and wished he could curse the company managers' ancestors for eighteen generations.

Now, however, they are somewhat eager to try.

……

Two figures stood in the shadows outside the moon gate in the west courtyard of Qingfeng Temple.

"Uncle He, did that scholar act strangely today?" a middle-aged Taoist priest in his thirties asked solemnly.

He is Chengyi, the first disciple of Abbot Fengren of Qingfeng Temple.

Huo Gong He Daoren glanced at the dark guest room not far away and frowned: "I specifically tested it twice today, but I didn't find anything unusual."

"The Heartless Bell rang inexplicably last night; an evil spirit must have entered the Taoist temple!" the Taoist priest said coldly. "Everyone in the temple practices martial arts and has vigorous energy, except for that scholar who is thin and weak; he is the most likely to be possessed!"

“But he didn’t do anything out of line during the day except practice calligraphy with water.” He Daoren was still unsure: “Could it be that the evil spirit has been scared away by the Heartless Bell?”

"You're saying he's practicing calligraphy?!" Cheng Yi couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

"I've seen him write; the structure is harmonious, and the handwriting is elegant. He writes so well, why does he need to practice calligraphy?!" Cheng Yi scoffed. "Is he really possessed by an evil spirit?!" Daoist He's face turned pale.

Although Qingfeng Temple is dedicated to purifying evil spirits, that is actually the work of the abbot, Feng Ren.

He Daoren had been a fire worker all his life, but he had never seen such an inexplicable and strange thing.

The thought that he might be face to face with an evil spirit sent a chill down his spine.

"Then...shall we go and tie him up?"

"No, the moonlight is high tonight, making the evil spirits even more sinister. We'll wait until tomorrow, until tomorrow morning when we'll lure him into the Ancestral Hall and suppress him directly with the Heartless Bell!" Cheng Yi said with resentment.

This evil spirit is indeed incredibly audacious, daring to cause trouble at Qingfeng Temple.

Moreover, ordinary evil spirits are not intelligent, but this evil spirit even knows how to practice calligraphy in an attempt to deceive others. It is definitely not an ordinary evil spirit!
"Can it work?" Daoist He asked anxiously.

"When possessed by evil spirits, the spirit and body are not in harmony. The Heartless Bell is most adept at capturing souls and is the nemesis of evil spirits!" he said sincerely, offering words of comfort.

“Uncle He, this is a talisman left by my master. Keep it close to your body tonight. With it, you can rest easy. Tomorrow, everything will be as usual. Don’t let anything slip.” Cheng Yi took out a yellow paper talisman from his sleeve. The patterns on it were as red as blood. Under the moonlight, it even had a crystal-clear feel.

"And Chengming, he's young and easily affected by evil spirits. Tomorrow morning after breakfast, take him to the back mountain to plant vegetables. I'll personally guide this scholar!" Chengyi carefully instructed.

"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you!" He Daoren felt relieved.

He had no desire to encounter evil spirits.

……

The next morning, in the library.

Chen Mu, sporting dark circles under his eyes, unfolded a piece of white paper about the size of two palms.

These are pre-cut sheets of paper for copying scriptures.

"The Gate to the Root, wondrous beyond compare..."

A page of scripture was written in one go.

Chen Mu placed the brush on the brush holder mountain and compared it with the scriptures copied by his predecessor.

"Phew...it's finally done."

With a thought, a gray wall appeared before my eyes.

Writing: 103/10000/Second order;

It was worth the all-nighter.

Fearing that the people in the Taoist temple would notice something amiss, Chen Mu dared not light the oil lamp.

Fortunately, the full moon hung high last night, enough for him to practice calligraphy under the moonlight.

"Young Master Chen, you're here early today." A voice suddenly rang out at the door.

Chen Mu was startled and looked up, only to be met with a face that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

He recognized the man; he was Cheng Yi, the chief disciple of the Taoist temple, who had recruited his predecessor to copy scriptures.

Last night, he recalled his past life's memories and discovered that he had copied seven sutras in total, and the payment was generous—one hundred copper coins. If he saved every penny, it would be enough for him to live on for more than a month.

Good morning, Master Chengyi.

"I shouldn't have disturbed Young Master Chen while he was copying the scriptures, but I do have a favor to ask, so I had no choice but to take the liberty of visiting." His demeanor was sincere and relaxed, adorned with a warm smile. But inwardly, a slight tension gripped him. He couldn't be hasty, couldn't be impatient, and couldn't alert the enemy!

"Please speak?" Chen Mu looked at Cheng Yi with curiosity.

“A devout believer visited today and promised to take a copy of the Thousand Character Sutra home to worship. This morning I discovered that the sutra I had copied in advance was only the last one, and it had an extra ink spot.” Cheng Yi looked troubled.

“That believer is a good friend of my master, so I dare not neglect him. I thought of Young Master Chen. Young Master Chen’s handwriting is elegant and beautiful. Could you please help me make an urgent copy?” Cheng Yi looked at Chen Mu with a sincere expression and reached into his wide sleeve to take out a small gray cloth bag: “It’s just a small tip for the writing, nothing more.”

"No problem, where are the scriptures?" Chen Mu took the bag and readily agreed.

“This scripture is a bit special. It’s engraved in the Ancestral Hall of the Taoist temple. I’ll have to trouble you, Young Master Chen, to bring your writing brush and ink and go to the Ancestral Hall,” Cheng Yi said apologetically.

“No problem, time is of the essence, let’s go now.” Chen Mu did not hesitate and turned to pack up his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone.

A sincere gesture, a fist clenched tightly beneath wide sleeves!
Become!