Xi Mufu was filled with regret.
Why hadn’t she used the props farther away? The range was 500 meters—wouldn’t it have been better to stay clear of the crowd?
But the situation had been urgent, and she hadn’t had time to think it through.
Facing the curious and scrutinizing gazes of everyone around her, she maintained a calm facade, though internally she was already panicking.
“Comrade, you…” The lead officer, Police Chief Zhang from the municipal bureau, fixed his eyes on the knife clutched in Xi Mufu’s left hand. That very knife had been in the assailant’s grasp moments ago, stained with the little girl’s blood. Now, inexplicably, it was in the hands of this young woman. No matter how he looked at it, the situation was bizarre. Even Chief Zhang, who usually dismissed supernatural phenomena, couldn’t rationalize this with any scientific explanation he knew.
Xi Mufu said, “If I told you it came to me on its own, would you believe me?”
Chief Zhang: “…”
The onlookers: “…”
Yeah, right. As if we’d buy that.
Just then, Old Man Chen, the caretaker of the Earth God Temple in town, shuffled over unsteadily and said, “Little Fu is the owner of the Incense Shop.” Her grandfather was no ordinary man—he was a renowned Yinyang Master in these parts when he was alive!” He lowered his voice mysteriously and added, “But twenty years ago, after his wife, son, and daughter-in-law passed away one after another, he quit the trade for good.”
The neighbors nearby suddenly looked enlightened and chimed in—
“Old Xi was truly remarkable. When I was young, he told my fortune and said I’d have three children. And sure enough, I did!”
“Back in the day, whenever there was a funeral in town, people always went to him.”
“My mom told me that when I was seven, I wandered off to play in the graveyard and came back with a high fever that wouldn’t break, even at the hospital. It was Grandpa Xi who saved me.”Old Xi must have passed his skills down to Little Fu!””
Xi Mufu: “…”
Was her grandfather really that legendary?
But from what she could remember, her grandfather had been an ordinary man who never displayed any such abilities. He had forbidden her from getting involved with the Incense Shop’s business. After she got into university, he repeatedly urged her to find a stable job after graduation and close down the shop. Sadly, he passed away before she graduated. If he knew from beyond the grave that she had returned to take over the Incense Shop, he would surely be upset. But she was someone who cherished home and preferred a simple life, so in the end, she stayed in town.
Chief Zhang exchanged uneasy glances with the other officials beside him. The more they heard, the more far-fetched it sounded.
Jingning Town was part of the Witchcraft Cultural Area, and most locals believed in such things. However, many of these stories were just folk legends. As government personnel, they remained skeptical.
After a moment of contemplation, Xi Mufu turned to Chief Zhang and said earnestly, “I have something I need to report to the authorities.”
She had decided to come clean about her dealings with the visitors from another world. As a upright young citizen of China, she had full faith in her country. The strange phenomena in her mind were too extraordinary—only by reporting them to the state could she feel at ease.
·
An hour later, in the office of the Huaining City Municipal Police Chief.
“So, you’re saying that yesterday you encountered two visitors from another world, they bought Incense Paper Money from your shop, and afterward, something in your mind notified you that you had acquired props and a skill?” The reason the knife from the assailant’s hand ended up in yours is because you used the Object Retrieval tool?” Chief Zhang sat across from her, frowning as he repeated what Xi Mufu had just told him.
The several city officials nearby also furrowed their brows tightly, as if hearing a fantasy tale.
Xi Mufu nodded.
Director Zhang: “Can you use this tool again?”
Xi Mufu: “I’ll have to wait until tomorrow. It can only be used once every 24 hours.”
“That’s no problem, we can wait.” Director Zhang paused, “You said you also obtained a [Talisman-making] skill?”
Xi Mufu: “Yes.”
Without holding anything back, she wrote down the Talisman-making knowledge from her mind, including both diagrams and annotations.
“Currently, there’s only the Cleansing Talisman,” she explained. “This Talisman-making skill is level-based. The higher the level, the more advanced the talisman diagrams provided, and the greater the variety. Right now, it’s at level 1, with only the Cleansing Talisman. Level 2 will unlock the Protection Talisman… followed later by the Five Thunder Talisman and Wealth-inviting Talisman, among others.”
Director Zhang picked up the paper and looked at it. The image was blurry and indistinct, impossible to decipher clearly. Although the annotations were in Chinese characters, they were obscure and difficult to understand.
The city officials passed it around, feeling it was profoundly mysterious.
Talisman-making is a form of Xuanxue. The officials discussed whether to invite Shanqun Abbot from the city’s Tianyou Temple. Abbot Shanqun is quite renowned in the city, serves as the vice president of the provincial religious association, and is considered an authority in Xuanxue.
Before the officials could finalize their discussion, a staff member knocked on the door outside: “Abbot Shanqun is here.”
Director Zhang: “…”
He had a personal relationship with Abbot Shanqun. Sometimes, he would wonder if Shanqun truly possessed the ability to predict events.
“I heard that an Xuanxue genius has emerged in Jingning Town, and you’ve invited her to the city,” said Abbot Shanqun, who was fair-skinned and plump, heading straight for Xi Mufu as soon as he entered and giving her a big smile. “This must be young friend Xi, right? I heard you used a technique to snatch the knife from the criminal and saved the kindergarten children. Truly an honor for our Xuanxue community!”
The incident of the criminal holding kindergarten students hostage had been temporarily suppressed and hadn’t spread online, but it had circulated on a small scale within the city. Upon hearing about it, Abbot Shanqun rushed over immediately. Such a remarkable genius—he had to see her with his own eyes.
Mainly because Xuanxue is in decline these days, with many techniques lost to time. A high-difficulty technique like Object Retrieval was something he had never seen in his life—probably not even the Taoists from Longhu Mountain could perform it. Therefore, he was convinced that Xi Mufu was a genius.
Xi Mufu: “…”
She wasn’t, she hadn’t.
Abbot Shanqun studied her facial features: “A full and broad forehead, wide ear openings, a well-defined jawline—indeed, intelligent and blessed with good fortune.”
Xi Mufu: “…Thank you.”
Director Zhang couldn’t stand it any longer and pulled Abbot Shanqun aside: “Why are you so excited? Sit down first.”
Abbot Shanqun shot him a glance: “How could I not be excited? This is a Xuanmen genius that appears only once in a hundred years. I must report this to the provincial level immediately. It’s best to recruit her into our association. We absolutely cannot let such a genius remain among the common people.” As he took out his phone to send a message to the provincial religious association, he excitedly added, “In the last Xuanmen Competition, our province lost to Longhu Mountain from the neighboring province. Now, with a genius like young friend Xi, we’re sure to win the championship in the next competition!”
Xi Mufu: “…”
She really wasn’t a genius!
“Would you like to join our Tianyou Temple?” Abbot Shanqun enthusiastically extended an invitation. “You can even become the abbot if you wish. I’ll serve as your deputy.”
Xi Mufu: “…”
No, thank you.
Director Zhang shook his head and said, “We certainly support this as it concerns the province’s honor, but Comrade Xi Mufu still has some issues to resolve at the moment. We cannot hand her over to you just yet.”
Shanqun Abbot wasn’t anxious either, since the prodigy wasn’t going anywhere.
“Oh, is this a talisman?” Shanqun Abbot noticed the papers on the table, picked one up to examine, and grew excited again. “This should be the long-lost Cleansing Talisman from ancient times. The diagram is complete… Modern talisman diagrams all have missing parts, greatly reducing their effectiveness. This is the first time I’ve seen such a flawless diagram!”
He stared intently at Xi Mufu, “This must have been passed down from your grandfather, right? Truly a profound family legacy!”
Xi Mufu: “…”
So this Talisman-making technique was actually this impressive?