"Master."
"Master."
As Ying Caihong emerged, Yoko and Mark each called out.
Yoko's tone was filled with a mix of respect and concern, while Mark's was purely respectful.
Upon seeing Mark, Ying Caihong immediately adopted a pitiful expression, her dark and golden eyes gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.
"The world is filled with evil deeds; the heavens are sending down a great calamity. You must follow me to open the Goddess Tomb and retrieve the other shore flower to avoid this disaster."
"Following the master's teachings."
"Following the master's teachings."
Yoko and Mark nodded as if their souls were being controlled, only capable of bowing their heads in agreement.
"Cough, cough…"
Cao Yi let out a light cough.
This cult leader was so engrossed in her role that she forgot where she was.
Sure enough, upon hearing Cao Yi's cough, the pity on Ying Caihong's face turned to embarrassment, fear, and regret.
Fortunately, Mark was looking down and didn't see; otherwise, he would be utterly shocked. Just a moment ago, she was a god-like master, now resembling a child caught doing something wrong and afraid of being scolded.
"Find the tomb raider quickly."
Having started, she couldn't back out now. Ying Caihong steeled herself, composed her expression, closed her eyes, and instructed in a flat tone.
"Understood."
Mark acknowledged and left without looking back, not even mentioning the Daoist or the Daoist temple.
Once Mark's figure completely disappeared, Ying Caihong changed to a sheepish expression and explained, "To deal with foolish people, one must use the form of religion to hypnotize them, making them believe that what they do is right."
Religious hypnosis!
Cao Yi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
This cult leader had no real power; the only way she could make people obedient was likely through drug control, like the Day Moon Sect and the Divine Dragon Island.
"Here's a Citibank card with five million dollars inside."
Ying Caihong took out a black card from her handbag and placed it on the stone table.
"Hmm."
Cao Yi nodded calmly, showing a bit of the demeanor of someone who views money as nothing.
"Daoist Priest, I'll leave my mobile phone here for easy contact."
Ying Caihong placed her mobile phone down as well.
In the Goddess Tomb, there were both the illusion-inducing other shore flowers and the thousand-year corpses. The danger level was truly hellish! All her hopes rested on this Cao Daoist Priest with extraordinary power.
Cao Yi still responded with a simple "Hmm."
"Excuse me, Daoist Priest, I'll take my leave now."
Ying Caihong forced a smile and walked out.
"Goodbye, Daoist Priest."
Having not met before, perhaps due to the inherent traits of the Eastern people being soft towards the hard, Yoko's attitude improved significantly compared to before.
"Safe travels, two laypersons."
Cao Yi replied politely.
As the two walked away, Cao Yi picked up the black Citibank card, his eyes glinting with intrigue.
Five million dollars was a significant sum, whether in this era or the modern day.
At that moment, a peculiar, husky yawn echoed.
Cao Yi set down the card and turned to follow the sound. Near the wall, Howlingsky was yawning, blinking sleepily as he looked around.
After all that had happened, so noisy, yet this lazy dog hadn't woken up.
Just how tired could it be?!
"Yawn…"
Howlingsky yawned again, burying his head back into his body.
He fell asleep again!
Cao Yi was completely defeated by this lazy dog.
"Ding! The host has completed the hidden task of manifesting twice in front of the plot character Ying Caihong."
"Reward (1): Volume One of the Complete Talismans, function: unlimited."
"Reward (2): Magical artifact-level Three Pure Bells, function: dispel illusions, used in conjunction with corpse-driving talismans."
"Reward (3): Magical artifact-level peach wood sword, function: can deal with corpses, protect the house, and ward off evil."
"Please choose one."
The system, which had been silent since his arrival, sent a prompt.
Which one to choose?
Volume One of the Complete Talismans had broad applications.
The Three Pure Bells could deal with the other shore flower.
The peach wood sword could handle corpses.
One second, two seconds… three minutes passed, and Cao Yi still hadn't made a choice.
"Ten seconds remaining. If the host does not choose, it will be considered a forfeit."
In the final second, Cao Yi made his choice.
"I choose reward one, Volume One of the Complete Talismans."
Reason:
The Three Pure Bells and the peach wood sword were too singular, giving a sense of neglecting one aspect for another.
Boom!
With a loud bang, a golden light curtain appeared a few steps away, blindingly bright, and then, like fairy flowers scattering, a stack of talismans fell one after another.
Before long, it turned into a pile.
Meanwhile, the otherworldly "Yellow Court Scripture" on the stone table zoomed over, merging with the stack of talismans to form a new book, with the words "Volume One of the Complete Talismans" written in golden characters on the cover.
Cao Yi reached out to take it; the first page was a healing talisman.
It looked somewhat familiar!
After studying it closely, Cao Yi turned and entered the room where various Daoist supplies were kept, rummaging through until he found a tome thicker than a Chinese-English dictionary—the "Complete Guide to Daoist Talismans."
Having not been touched for a long time, it had gathered a layer of dust, turning dark upon contact.
Cao Yi found a cloth and carefully wiped it clean, opening it to page sixteen, letting out a sigh of relief.
The healing talisman in Volume One of the Complete Talismans was not exactly the same as the one in the Complete Guide to Daoist Talismans.
It seemed that the modern world had not preserved the genuine teachings.
Of course, in the modern context, even if one had the genuine teachings, it wouldn't matter.
After putting the Complete Guide to Daoist Talismans back, Cao Yi took Volume One of the Complete Talismans to the desk, spreading the book open in one hand while laying out the talisman paper with the other. He picked up a pen, his mind racing with thoughts of what had occurred since obtaining the system and the five million dollars he had just received, feeling restless.
"My mind isn't settled."
Cao Yi set the pen down and retrieved texts from the side desk, including "The Secret of Unity," "The Commentaries on the Secret of Unity," "Lü Zu's Cultivation Classic," "Lü Zu's True Scripture Song," "The True Scripture of Penetrating Mystery," "The Copper and Iron Talismans," "Five Spiritual Texts," and "The Song of Breaking Confusion and Correct Path." He hugged them and made his way to the stairs, flipping through them one by one.
One minute, two minutes… one hour… four hours passed, and his mind was filled with scriptures, leaving no room for anything else. Cao Yi returned to the desk, ground the ink, and held the brush, waiting until his mind calmed down before letting the brush tip touch the paper. The talisman's head was formed, and after a series of fluid strokes, the body of the talisman was completed. With the final stroke, the tail of the brush appeared on the paper.
A small suction force emanated from the healing talisman, and Cao Yi immediately felt a slight drain of his spiritual energy.
Rustle…
The healing talisman trembled incessantly, as if blown by a strong wind.
At the same time, faint explosive sounds echoed in the air, indicating that it was communicating with the primordial energies of heaven and earth.