Chapter 57

Chapter 57

◎Teeth Itching, Want to Bite◎

Ji Nanxing needed to go back and prepare for the Cold Clothing Festival. In addition to paper offerings, he also needed gold ingots.

The gold ingots he folded were something that lingering spirits couldn't buy even with money from the outside world. Infused with the life force of the living, each gold ingot burned was large and solid, with a high gold content.

Xiao Ye only learned from Ji Nanxing that the legendary Broken Money Mountain actually existed.

The Broken Money Mountain is a mountain in the underworld made up of piles of damaged currency. The items sent from the mortal world to the underworld through burning are becoming more varied. Besides the basic paper money, there are also large-denomination hell banknotes. Of course, these can't be used in the underworld, and even the quality of paper money varies.

The better-quality ones can barely be used as currency, while the poorer-quality ones are directly piled onto the Broken Money Mountain, completely unusable.

The paper offering shop they just visited also sold paper money, but it was very expensive because their paper money was made of gold and silver foil. Burning it would ensure it reached their ancestors. Xiao Ye also pre-ordered some, but it was too expensive, so he didn't order much.

Upon hearing that Ji Nanxing was going back to fold gold ingots, Xiao Ye thought that sincerity was the key. If he was sincere enough, maybe the gold ingots he folded could be used by his ancestors. So, he insisted on going home with Ji Nanxing.

However, after finally folding one gold ingot, Ji Nanxing knocked it out of his hand with a look of disapproval.

Seeing the small ingot fall to the ground and his empty palm, Xiao Ye complained, "Naonao, this is not right. As a beginner, shouldn't you be more tolerant and encouraging? If this one isn't folded well, I'll just try harder next time. How could you just knock it away?"

Ji Nanxing took the paper from his hand, "Stop folding. Even if you fold a thousand or ten thousand, they won't be of any use."

Xiao Ye, deprived of his ingot-folding rights, asked, "Why? Is it because I'm not a Taoist, so the things I fold can't be used?"

Ji Nanxing unfolded the ingot on the ground, wiped away the yang energy, and refolded it, "Because your yang energy is too strong. The gold ingots you fold are also infused with yang energy. Lingering spirits are afraid of yang energy. If you burn something infused with the yang energy of the living, how can those in the underworld use it?"

This was also why the gold ingots he folded could even open the gates of hell. The high concentration of yin energy made them valuable. The underworld officials were impoverished, and those who could become underworld officials were likely centuries-old ghosts who no longer received offerings from the mortal world. They depended solely on the meager salary from the underworld, which was far from sufficient.

The three major ghost festivals each year were also opportunities for the underworld officials to earn some extra income. If they received a pile of ingots infused with yang energy, they would likely be furious.

Xiao Ye sighed, sitting beside him, "Success and failure both hinge on yang energy. Is my greatest purpose in life just to keep you warm?"

The gold-foiled paper fluttered in Ji Nanxing's fingers, and in less than a minute, a beautiful little ingot was folded. Ji Nanxing placed the folded ingot aside and looked at Xiao Ye, who was staring at him eagerly, "Your existence is, of course, for your own sake, not for others."

Xiao Ye, "But I want to help you."

Seeing Xiao Ye's genuine desire to help, Ji Nanxing thought for a moment, then took out a stack of talismans from his room and found a video, "This is the most basic Yin-Dispelling Talisman. Your yang energy is potent. If you can draw the talisman and imbue it with your yang energy, it should be far more effective than ordinary talismans."

Xiao Ye clicked on the video, watching the instruction on drawing talismans, "There are videos like this? Aren't these supposed to be secret teachings?"

Ji Nanxing, "This is considered an internal resource among Taoists, though it's not entirely secret. After all, even if it's spread, not everyone can draw them. Even if someone copies it exactly, if the talisman doesn't take form, it's useless. It all depends on whether the person has talent."

Xiao Ye watched the video seriously, "Is this the talisman you usually use?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, "Not really. These basic talismans are actually used less frequently. I prefer the Thunder Talisman, which is one of the more offensive types among talismans. Like the ghost you encountered the other day, a few Thunder Talismans would have stopped it from causing trouble. But Thunder Talismans are rare and often hard to come by. I have a friend who's very good at drawing them, but he's too lazy. Every time I ask him, he refuses unless he's out of money."

Xiao Ye, "So, if we encounter a powerful ghost, the Thunder Talisman can save lives?"

Ji Nanxing nodded, "You could say that. Whether it's a Taoist or an ordinary person, carrying a Thunder Talisman can indeed save lives at critical moments. The charm bag I gave you earlier contains a Thunder Talisman. If you encounter a powerful yin entity, that talisman can buy you some time to escape."

Xiao Ye thought for a moment, "Do you have a video on how to draw the Thunder Talisman? I'd like to see it."

Ji Nanxing found it for him. Resources like this were open to the public within the guild. After all, this kind of thing also depended on talent. Some people grasp it immediately and can draw it perfectly in one go, while others might copy it for ten years, making it look identical, but if the lines aren't connected, it's just for show and useless.

That's why the guild often held open classes, teaching talismans and spells, giving some self-taught Taoists who accidentally stumbled onto this path a chance to learn systematically.

Xiao Ye rewatched the video several times. Instead of using the talisman paper Ji Nanxing gave him, he took some draft paper and practiced drawing it a few times. Then, he picked up a brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and began drawing on the yellow talisman paper.

Ji Nanxing ignored the person beside him who had finally quieted down. In addition to folding ingots for the underworld officials, he also prepared offerings for the Ji family ancestors and his own sect. The stuff he folded was top-notch, and he was the one doing it almost every year.

Fortunately, the Cold Clothing Festival wasn’t as grand as the Ghost Festival, so the scale of the offerings wasn’t as large, and he didn’t need as many gold ingots. He folded a bit each day, and by the Cold Clothing Festival, a few pounds would be enough.

Noticing it was getting late, Ji Nanxing stretched his fingers, grabbed his phone, and asked, “What do you want to eat? Takeout or the restaurant downstairs?”

Xiao Ye, who had claimed the other side of the coffee table, held up the talisman he’d drawn and said proudly, “Naonao, check it out, I’m done!”

Ji Nanxing glanced over and saw the red cinnabar on the yellow talisman paper still damp, but the thunder talisman had already formed. To him, the cinnabar lines were connected, faintly glowing with spiritual light. Clearly, this was a thunder talisman packed with spiritual power.

Xiao Ye shook the talisman and blew on it, hoping to dry the cinnabar quicker. “Did I do it, Naonao? Is it usable? I followed the video, so it should be all there, right?”

As he talked, he checked the talisman against the paused image on the tablet. The talisman had complex patterns, and he’d been meticulous in matching them exactly.

Ji Nanxing took the thunder talisman and asked, “How’d it feel drawing it?”

Xiao Ye replied, “It was okay, nothing special. The brush wasn’t as smooth as a pen. It was a bit rough on the talisman paper, but I managed. My grandpa’s got some nice brushes; maybe I’ll snag one, and it’ll make drawing smoother.”

Ji Nanxing thought it wasn’t the brush’s fault. Items charged with the five elements’ power naturally had some resistance. Otherwise, why would Xia Junyan only draw talismans when he’s broke? Drawing one talisman took a lot of energy, and you had to use your own spiritual power to push through the resistance.

But for Xiao Ye, it was simple and effortless. For the first time, Ji Nanxing really saw what talent could do.

Seeing Ji Nanxing silently holding the talisman, Xiao Ye thought he’d failed and sighed, “Maybe I need more practice. I won’t use your talisman paper and cinnabar; this stuff’s probably pricey.”

Ji Nanxing shook his head, “You did it. I was just shocked. It’s rare for someone to nail it on the first try, especially with a high-level talisman like the thunder one.”

Xiao Ye’s face lit up with joy, “Really? Can this talisman be used?”

Ji Nanxing nodded, and Xiao Ye’s smile widened, “Then I’ll draw them for you from now on. You can have as many as you need, and you won’t have to rely on that lazy friend of yours.”

Ji Nanxing activated the talisman with his spiritual power and saw the red glow of the cinnabar, indicating its strong power. Curious, he asked, “What were you thinking while drawing it?”

Usually, drawing talismans required a clear mind, but people naturally have many distracting thoughts. It’s not easy to enter that state of mind and eliminate all distractions, which is why many people fail.

Xiao Ye replied, “I was thinking that if I could succeed, you’d have plenty of talismans to use. If you encounter a terrifying ghost, having an extra talisman would make you a bit safer.”

He couldn’t see ghosts and didn’t know how to catch them. If possible, he would give all his yang energy to Naonao, but that wasn’t something he could do. If drawing talismans could help Naonao, he hoped he could develop this talent and take care of all Naonao’s talisman needs in the future.

Seeing Xiao Ye’s earnest expression, Ji Nanxing tightened his grip on the talisman. He didn’t quite understand Xiao Ye, or rather, why Xiao Ye was so good to him. He had thought that after their last encounter with a ghost, Xiao Ye would distance himself, but instead, he had become even more attached, always staying close to keep him warm.

Now, Xiao Ye was even learning to draw talismans for him. Ji Nanxing wondered what he could give in return.

Looking at the talisman in his hand, Ji Nanxing said, “This thunder talisman usually costs six thousand per piece. I’ll buy it from you.”

Before he could finish, Xiao Ye pinched his cheek, “Ji Naonao, are you asking for a beating? If I took money from you, what kind of person would I be? From now on, I’ll draw talismans for you, but if you dare mention money again, I’ll strip you and spank you!”

Ji Nanxing pushed his hand away, “You might not be able to beat me.”

Xiao Ye immediately rolled up his sleeves, “Ji Naonao, if I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll start acting up, won’t you?”

Ji Nanxing knew Xiao Ye wouldn’t really fight him, so he dodged to the side of the sofa.

In the past, Xiao Ye wouldn’t have dared to mess around like this, fearing it might trigger Ji Nanxing’s heart condition. But now that he knew Ji Nanxing was healthy and didn’t have a heart problem, he didn’t hold back. He pinned Ji Nanxing’s shoulder with one hand and tickled his waist with the other.

Ji Nanxing wasn’t ticklish, but as he was pinned on the sofa, he glanced at the scattered gold ingots on the floor, “Don’t crush my ingots.”

Each one took a lot of time to fold.

Xiao Ye, however, was momentarily stunned as he looked at Ji Nanxing lying on the sofa. From their playfulness, Ji Nanxing’s hair had become slightly disheveled, falling over his face and ears. When he turned his head, his slender, pale neck was exposed, contrasting with his dark hair, making him look delicate and fragile.

Below were the beautiful and delicate collarbones, faintly concealed by the collar of his shirt, and his hand rested on his shoulder, easily filling his palm with a gentle grip.

The other hand was gripping his waist, so slender and soft, thin and lean, it felt like it could give way with just a little pressure.

But how to sink, where to sink, he was somewhat at a loss, driven only by instinct and the desire in his heart for more.

He wanted to wrap his arms around that slender waist, hold it tightly in his embrace, wanted to press close to that delicate neck, leaving his teeth marks on the pale skin where blue veins were faintly visible.

There was an itch in his heart that he couldn't scratch, wanting to ease it but not knowing how, his teeth itching too, as if he had just grown new teeth in childhood, wanting to bite something to ease the itch.

Realizing that he actually wanted to pinch and bite Ji Nanxing hard, wanting to hurt him and see him cry, Xiao Ye immediately sat up, cursing himself for having such thoughts. How could he have such a bullying thought? What difference was there between him and those scumbags who took pleasure in tormenting the weak?

While silently cursing himself for being inhuman, Xiao Ye reached out to pull Ji Nanxing up, then straightened his clothes: "No more messing around, okay? Look, order whatever you want to eat, I'm going to the bathroom."

After unlocking his phone and handing it to Ji Nanxing with the food delivery app open, Xiao Ye slipped on his slippers and ran to the bathroom. He needed to wash his face and calm down.

Ji Nanxing didn't notice his odd behavior and simply ordered food on his own phone, choosing a stir-fry from the restaurant downstairs. It was close, and since they often ordered from there, the staff delivered it quickly.

After calming down in the bathroom, Xiao Ye returned to sit on the carpet, looking at the blank talismans, brushes, and cinnabar on the coffee table: "Naonao, is there a market for selling talismans?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "Yes, ordinary people might not be able to tell the quality of talismans, but Taoists can. For someone like you, who carries Yang energy and has integrated the five elements, a single Thunder Talisman could sell for six or seven thousand yuan. But that's the internal price for Taoists within the Management Bureau. For outsiders, such talismans could sell for twenty or thirty thousand yuan. If you sell at a high price, you'll have to donate a part of the profits, or it could have negative effects on you."

Ji Nanxing then looked at him: "Do you want to sell talismans?"

Xiao Ye: "I want to see how many I can draw in a day. I'll keep a stock of one or two hundred talismans for you, and sell the rest. It could be a decent income stream."

Having never worried about money before, Xiao Ye suddenly felt that he couldn't rely solely on his family's allowance. As a man, he needed to be financially independent, or he'd be too easily controlled.

A stock of one or two hundred Thunder Talismans was something even the wealthy Ji Nanxing hadn't dared to imagine: "You don't need that many. Just draw ten for me each month, and sell the rest. I'll set up a guild account for you. Most buyers there are Taoists."

Besides taking on tasks, the Human Realm Network also had many Taoists with a talent for drawing talismans. Some Taoists rarely dealt with ghosts and made a living solely by selling talismans. Selling a few talismans a month was much easier than struggling in the outside world.

However, not many could draw high-level talismans like the Thunder Talisman. At least, Ji Nanxing hadn't seen anyone draw them as effortlessly as Xiao Ye. Perhaps Xiao Ye's earlier joke was true—he really did have a talent for being a Taoist.

But talent aside, Ji Nanxing wouldn't let Xiao Ye walk down that path. If one could live as an ordinary person, who would want to bear more responsibilities than others?

Drawing talismans was harmless, as it was a straightforward transaction without karmic repercussions.

This was the first time Xiao Ye had heard of the Human Realm Network app. Watching Ji Nanxing create a secondary account, he asked curiously: "Don't secondary accounts need to be verified?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head: "A verified Taoist account can apply for three secondary accounts. The actions and items sold on secondary accounts can be traced by the backend. If there are any issues, the main account holder will be held accountable. So don't say anything reckless on there—the responsibility falls on me."

Xiao Ye ruffled Ji Nanxing's hair: "Do I seem that reckless? I wouldn't let you shoulder the blame for me."

As Xiao Ye explored the Human Realm Network, the food Ji Nanxing ordered arrived from the restaurant downstairs. Xiao Ye was enthusiastic: "Let's eat first. Afterward, you can fold the gold ingots while I draw talismans. I want to see how many I can draw in a day."

Ji Nanxing: "Just because you succeeded once doesn't mean you'll succeed every time. First, watch more videos and listen to the explanations from experienced Taoists. Get the basics down before jumping into drawing talismans."

Seeing Ji Nanxing fussing over him, Xiao Ye smiled. Despite his youth, he was quite the worrier.

While the two were eating, Xie Paner rushed through the door in a hurry. Her forward rush was abruptly stopped by the intense Yang energy in the room. Unable to stop in time, Xie Paner screamed for help.

Ji Nanxing casually waved his hand, slapping Xie Paner against the door with a thud.

Xiao Ye looked up, puzzled: "What happened? A flying insect?"

It shouldn't be possible in such cold weather.

Ji Nanxing took a bite of his garlic spare ribs: "Just a careless ghost. It almost ran into you."

Xiao Ye's expression changed: "Ghosts still dare to come to a Taoist's house? Are they that bold now?"

Ji Nanxing smiled: "I'm temporarily keeping one here. You know her."

"Wait, I do?" Xiao Ye frowned, trying to think, but couldn't recall knowing any ghost.

Ji Nanxing said: "Remember what happened with our homeroom teacher? Xie Paner was the one who caused that car accident."

Even though Xiao Ye knew ghosts existed, he was still a bit surprised. Classmates had previously speculated about supernatural elements in the car accident audio, but the least likely scenario turned out to be true.

Xiao Ye put down his chopsticks: "That Xie Paner is here? Does she have some unfinished business?"

Ji Nanxing: "She's still here, probably because she doesn't want to reincarnate."

He then looked at Xie Paner, who was trying to sneak around Xiao Ye to get closer to him: "What's going on? Why are you so jumpy?"

Xie Paner moved to the corner behind Ji Nanxing: "Why did you tell him about ghosts? He didn't believe before, did he?"

Ji Nanxing: "After running into a ghost once, he believes now. Why do you smell like a living soul?"

Xie Paner quickly said: "I came back to ask for your help! I found a child who clearly has the scent of a living person, so I figured he must have lost his soul. I asked him where he lived, planning to take him back, but on the way, he just vanished."

Ji Nanxing continued eating: "His family might have called his soul back."

Xiao Ye, seeing Ji Nanxing seemingly talking to himself, quietly picked up his bowl. Not being able to see ghosts was a pain; he couldn't hear what they were saying or join the conversation.

Xie Paner said: "But the kid said he didn't want to go back, that his family treats him badly, and he'd get beaten if he went back. If his family really called him back, then okay, but if he ran off on his own, delaying might make it impossible for him to go back."

Ji Nanxing looked at her: "Come over here."

Xie Paner quickly moved closer, staying near the Young Celestial Master, whose classmate's yang energy couldn't hurt her.

Ji Nanxing casually pulled a strand of leftover life force from her, held it in his hand, and with a light pinch, it dissipated.

Xie Paner, being a ghost, could see this clearly, so when she saw a wisp of white smoke vanish at his fingertips, she quickly asked, "What's that?"

Ji Nanxing: "That's the life force from the child. It dissipating means he hasn't returned to his body yet."

Xiao Ye, hearing the key information: "A child lost his soul?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "A child lost his soul, ran away, and doesn't want to return. If he doesn't return within a certain time, the living soul will turn into a dead soul."

Xiao Ye: "Is it easy to find a runaway living soul?"

Ji Nanxing: "We'll know when we go look."

Since they encountered this, they couldn't just ignore it. Ji Nanxing quickly finished the food in his bowl: "An aunt will come to clean up later. Just close the door when you leave."

Xiao Ye also stood up and put on his clothes: "I'll go with you. Even though I can't see any souls or ghosts, I can still help. You said you'd take me to save the world."

Ji Nanxing looked at him helplessly, about to say something when Xiao Ye pulled him out: "Hurry up, let's go."

The sun outside was strong, so Xie Paner couldn't stand directly in the sunlight and had to hide in a yin wood plaque. Following Xie Paner's guidance, they arrived at a small park behind the neighborhood.

Xie Paner: "This is where I met that little boy. I think his home should be nearby. I asked him where he lived to take him back, but he said he didn't want to go back, that it was miserable and painful, that he hurt every day, and he didn't want to return."

"Young Celestial Master, do you think the child might be suffering from domestic abuse? If it's domestic abuse, can we help him? If he can't escape his abusive parents, then living might really be worse than death."

Ji Nanxing looked around, not seeing any ghostly figures. Xie Paner also came out of the yin wood plaque, sneaking around in the shade looking for the child.

Xiao Ye, naturally unable to see anything, asked Ji Nanxing beside him: "See anything?"

Ji Nanxing looked towards a low bush in the play area and smiled: "I see him."