Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Dali Temple Canteen

Cui Bianxu sat alone inside, scooping up a bowl of shredded chicken noodles. Beside him were three neatly arranged bowls of shredded chicken noodles and twice-cooked pork noodles. Jiang Shangxian sat across from him, his cheek in his hand, watching the live broadcast of the meal. "Why didn't Wang Sizhi eat breakfast?"

"Qingxuan has been staying at Wutong Temple outside the city for the past few days. He brought people to search."

Of course, Wang Mingqian also went together. He would have been worried if Wang Leisheng was alone.

"So, the murderer has been found?" Jiang Shangxian chatted with him while asking about gossip. Her appearance can only be described as pretty and cute, not a great beauty. If she wants to pick up handsome guys, she has to be more proactive.

Cui Bianxu shook his head: "It shouldn't be him."

The look in the eyes of those who have killed someone and those who haven't is completely different. If Qingxuan really killed someone, he is really good at pretending: "Qingxuan said that the ink he used to draw the talisman was bought from someone else."

"Did he say who was selling this sinister thing?" Yes, it was a sinister thing, using human oil and human blood to make ink. Jiang Shangxian felt that this was simply evil magic.

Cui Bianxu finished his first bowl of noodles, pushed the empty bowl aside, and took a bite of a bowl of twice-cooked pork noodles before continuing, "He said this ink is called Tongyou, and he bought it in the ghost market. Recently, someone in the ghost market has suddenly started selling this ink, and it's extremely expensive, a small piece costs one or two taels of gold."

"Hiss..." As expected, the more bizarre things are, the more expensive they are. Jiang Shangxian couldn't help but think of things like the Thai Kumantong. Although she didn't know much about them, just thinking about them made her think that such things would be very expensive.

However, the fake Taoist priest was so rich! She was equally jealous of everyone who was richer than her. On the contrary, Jiang's mother, who was waiting to hear the news and see if her talisman could be compensated, was excited: "Oh, how dare such a dirty thing sell it for such a high price?"

Thinking that her talisman had become wrinkled, she couldn't help but feel a little conflicted. She definitely couldn't wear this thing. Not only her, but no one in her family could wear it either. The old and the young in her family would be in trouble if they were hit by this dirty thing.

Cui Bianxu was still very polite to Jiang's mother: "Whether this thing is real or fake, it was painted with that kind of ink, I'm afraid it can't be a good thing. Madam Jiang, it's better to clean it up as soon as possible."

"That ink is so expensive, is there something special about it?" Jiang Shangxian thought very intuitively. No matter whether this ink is really useful or not, sales are all about a gimmick, otherwise why would others spend a lot of money to buy it?

"Rumor has it in the Ghost Market that talismans drawn with this ink can communicate with the gods."

Although Cui Bianxu relayed these words, he clearly scoffed at the idea: "I don't know why a god would need to communicate with something so sinister."

Jiang Shangxian highly agreed with this statement: "So, Qingxuan bought this ink in order to make his talismans more effective?"

Is this person mentally ill? If it were modern times, she would definitely maintain a long-term relationship with Qingxuan. Such a person is definitely a potential customer for selling health products.

Her grandmother once spent 20,000 yuan on a white plastic chair, claiming it could cure all diseases!

"Well, Mr. Cui, when Wang Sizhi comes back soon, if he needs any money..." Jiang's mother was still a little embarrassed and said shyly, "I bought five amulets for peace, but they cost a whole string of coins. I'm going to return them to him. Can I get my money back?"

Jiang Shangxian raised his hand honestly: "Mother, I gave my piece to Erlang."

Jiang's mother glared at her fiercely. "What a damned girl!" Her palms started to itch again. Fortunately, Cui Bianxu was there, so she couldn't beat the child in front of her future uncle.

When Qingxuan first arrived in Chang'an, he found that it was difficult to live there. There were countless famous Taoist priests in the city. As a foreigner, he lowered the price of talismans again and again, but people were still unwilling to pay. He originally planned to move somewhere else in the spring.

On the first night of the New Year, Qingxuan, who had no one to reunite with, thought of going to the ghost market to buy some cheap yellow paper and cinnabar. Passing by a small stall, he heard a man who was wrapped up very tightly and had a hat on his head covering his face hawking some ink made from the essence of human beings. Using this ink when drawing talismans can enhance the effect of the talismans a hundred times.

Although Qingxuan didn't believe it at first, he went forward to watch for a while based on the principle that since he was already there, it was normal for a Taoist to make elixirs. He could do it too, but his level was very average. His master's sect belonged to a small and insignificant sect, and there was not a single book of elixir recipes handed down.

What he learned were all what his master taught him, which he memorized in his head. There were few types and they were all common stuff. The color of the ink was a little strange and oily. He couldn't tell what it was made of, but it looked a bit awe-inspiring.

Especially when the mysterious stall owner said that a small piece would cost three strings of coins, he suddenly understood!

Aren't truly good things supposed to be expensive and mysterious? Especially in a place like the Ghost Market, where the crowds were so numerous, whether real or fake was unknown, but he definitely couldn't afford to go there. But a place like this where no one cared...

Qingxuan deserved this good fortune! With this thing, as long as he sold the first batch of talismans, even if he lost everything, as long as it worked, why would he be worried about not having business later?

At that moment, all the blows Qingxuan had suffered in Chang'an disappeared. He took out the nine strings of money he had accumulated over the years and bought three pieces of ink.

The best-selling items during the New Year are amulets. After Qingxuan returned home, he drew more than a dozen amulets and eight amulets to dispel evil spirits overnight. When he was drawing the amulets, he felt that the ink was unusual. He had a strange mental connection while drawing, which made him more certain that he had picked up a treasure.

Qingxuan was so excited that he didn't sleep all night. He just felt that he had to make a name for himself in Chang'an City and revitalize his master's school. He rushed to the city before dawn. He didn't feel tired even though he didn't sleep all night.

Jiang's mother continued with a sullen face, "On the morning of the second day of the New Year, I ran into him selling amulets. I was so busy this year that I almost forgot about it. He was selling them cheaply, only ten cents each, so I bought five."

What she said was not entirely true. She had forgotten about it at first, and when she remembered it was already the 29th day of the lunar year. As everyone knows, the closer to the lunar year, the higher the prices. When she went to buy it, the amulet that usually sold for 50 wen had risen to 99 wen. Those damn Taoist priests said that the 99 wen amulet meant longevity and would ensure that the person lived to 99.

Bullshit! According to this statement, wouldn't the amulet that you usually buy for fifty cents only give you half a life?