Dingding was walking this way when she saw the two confronting each other, their momentum growing stronger and stronger, so she hurriedly stopped in her tracks.
Black Pot came up beside her, nodded at her gently, indicating that she could stand with him.
Dingding was puzzled in her heart, but she still stood by Black Pot’s side, feeling an inexplicable sense of safety.
"Is this the man who caused the death of over a thousand people in the village, as well as my foster mother’s transformation into an Evil Spirit? Why is he provoking Mr. Chen?"
She wondered, "If he didn’t provoke Mr. Chen, he could have continued to commit evil in the village without being discovered by Mr. Chen. Could it be that he wanted to use Mr. Chen’s hand to rid the village of my foster mother?"
The date tree foster mother became an Evil Spirit because of the Green-robed Scholar and had been killing the strange creatures made by the Green-robed Scholar’s talismans; there was indeed a deep grudge between the two.
"No, that’s not right! Although the date tree foster mother is very powerful and has become eerily strange after transforming into an Evil Spirit, it does not pose a threat to a Talisman Master like him. His actual target is Mr. Chen! He lured Mr. Chen here intending to observe Mr. Chen’s strength during the duel with the foster mother!"
Dingding suddenly had a thought in her mind that seemed to answer her previous question.
But was this thought really her own?
She felt as if this thought had been forced into her mind by someone else, that she had never thought this way at all!
Her hair stood on end, "Who put this thought in my mind to answer my question?"
Dingding quietly moved a little further from Black Pot.
Black Pot looked up at her with a melancholic gaze.
Dingding moved a little closer again, thinking, "Could it be that there is nothing wrong with Black Pot, and I’m overthinking it? I didn’t sleep well last night, always suspicious... Wait, is this thought mine, or one Black Pot imposed on me?"
She was somewhat unable to distinguish for a moment.
How is Black Pot more like an Evil Spirit than the foster mother?
"Chen Shi, I bear you no grudge, but someone has commissioned me to kill you."
The Green-robed Scholar smiled faintly, leisurely speaking, "The person who commissioned me probably fears the West Capital Butcher greatly, suspecting that he faked his death. Thus, through me, they intend to force out the West Capital Butcher. If he is indeed alive, seeing his grandson on the verge of death at my hands, he certainly won’t be able to resist saving him."
Chen Shi, upon hearing this, questioned, "If my grandfather is indeed alive, wouldn’t you be in danger?"
The Green-robed Scholar sighed, "They offered too much, so much that I could not refuse. And, I am excited by the hunt, eager to also experience the Northern Sect’s talismanic skills."
"Northern Sect talismans?" Chen Shi didn’t quite understand.
"Talisman arts of the world are divided into two schools, the Northern Sect people of Qianyang Mountain, who claim to be the orthodox lineage; their talismans originate from Taoist Skill and are classified into talismans, incantations, and seals, corresponding to Divine Appearance, Divine Name, and Divine Language."
The Green-robed Scholar, with his hands behind his back, said, "The Talismanic Assembly compiled by the founder of the Northern Sect, Qianyang Mountain person, is utilized by the court and has always been considered essential reading material for cultivation. Even the village examination in the autumn and the Imperial Examination in the spring would test on the content. Those who fail can’t become a Scholar. Chen Shi, you are a Northern Sect Talisman Master. You are proficient in the content of the Talismanic Assembly, and I saw you earlier moving your brush with swift spirit, imbuing your mindset and spirit through the ink, already possessing the temperament of a Northern Sect Grandmaster. You taking the Scholar exam would certainly rank within the top three!"
Chen Shi stood tall and proud, yet humbly said, "My mastery in talisman creation is mediocre, and what I’m truly skilled at is the Literary Examination. So what is the Southern Sect talismanic school?"
The Green-robed Scholar replied, "The Southern Sect is the Hidden Sect, the one I belong to. The talismans, incantations, and seals of the Southern Sect have already broken free from the shackles of the Northern Sect’s talismans. The Northern Sect’s talismans are rigid, unable to detach from Divine Appearance, Divine Name, and Divine Language, lacking adaptability, merely describing divine beings. But my Southern Sect studies the essence of life, even creating life, creating divine beings, creating Evil Spirits! We can control divine beings, and surpass them!"
He proudly smiled, "Our Southern Sect lineage traces back to Five Lakes Wanderer. Five Lakes Wanderer compiled the ’Talisman Creation Treasure,’ which is the supreme scripture for our Southern Sect!"
Dingding, hearing this, wore a puzzled look, thinking, "Five Lakes Wanderer? This name sounds familiar, as if the lady mentioned it before..."
Chen Shi became solemn, "A dying person’s words are often good. You speak more pleasantly than the people I killed before. What is your name?"
Just as the Green-robed Scholar was about to answer, his vision darkened, and Chen Shi’s figure had already reached a yard in front of him, his body flipping over, his right leg fuelled by surging Qi-Blood, thick as the pillar of the Heavenly King Hall, chopping down towards his neck!
Shock crossed the Green-robed Scholar’s face, while at his feet, light blossomed and a peculiar talisman pattern emerged on the ground.
Thunder Sound erupted in his ears, caused by Chen Shi’s movement being so swift, the sweeping kick seemed to crack the air, creating the thunderous sound!
The Thunder Sound resonated, assaulting his spirit, and the talisman at his feet hesitated slightly!
And in just that brief moment, Chen Shi’s leg had already chopped down on his neck.
The Green-robed Scholar felt his brains nearly shake loose after being kicked, heard the sound of bones breaking in his neck, and could no longer care about Southern or Northern Sects, as he hurriedly crushed the substitute charm drawn on peach wood.
His head was knocked off by Chen Shi’s leg, whistling through the air to become a wooden head, while his body changed into a peach wood stake.
His body reappeared yards away, coughing blood profusely, hands supporting his neck.
His substitute charm had acted too slowly, failing to fully offset the force of Chen Shi’s leg.
"A substitute charm? If you are an inheritance of the Southern Sect, why use a Northern Sect talisman?"
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