Chapter 411: King Yama Casts His Brush

Lu Jin and I had a personal grudge, but if word got out that I had secretly learned the Profound Truth Dao Method, the issue would escalate to threatening the very foundation of their sect. The Profound Truth Dao might send people even harder to deal with to Jiangcheng.

"I shouldn't use the Profound Truth Dao Method unless I absolutely have to. If I'm truly backed into a corner..." The crimson glint in my eyes flashed and vanished, quickly returning to normal.

Back at the Adult Shop, I took out the cinnabar and yellow paper Blind Liu had given me, along with the Dragon-Carving Brush I got from Lu Jin, and calmed my mind to draw talismans.

After failing over a dozen times, I finally succeeded once.

Using the yellow paper as a base, I dipped the brush in a mixture of cinnabar and glutinous rice to draw the talisman. The Talisman Core was a miniature pardon decree, inscribed with the incense of the common people and the blessing of the Three Purities.

This was a Hundred Pardons Talisman, newly learned from the Detailed Explanation of Profound Truth Dao Methods after I broke through to the Breath Regulation Realm on the eve of my eighth live stream.

First, a pardon for a thousand years of sin; second, a pardon for ten thousand years of sorrow; third, a pardon for fleeting illness; fourth, a pardon for disasters of water and fire; fifth, a pardon for the plague of thieves; sixth, a pardon for the frailty of children; seventh, a pardon for the debts of a past life; eighth, a pardon for verbal disputes; ninth, a pardon for misfortune upon the home; tenth, a pardon for stagnation of the household.

Although it was only a Lesser Vehicle Talisman, it contained the wishes of the masses, condensing the holy dao through the hearts of the people. It could not destroy demons and evil spirits, but it could protect the wearer from the harassment of yin souls and ghostly entities.

I didn't draw these talismans for myself, but to give to Er Gou and the others for self-defense. As a practitioner of the Yin-Yang Ghost Art, I had no fear of evil yin entities.

It took a full day and nearly exhausted all my yellow paper and cinnabar to produce just eight Hundred Pardons Talismans.

I didn't come away completely empty-handed, though. After this day of practice, my understanding of the talisman dao had deepened. The next time I drew talismans, my success rate would definitely be much higher.

I rested cross-legged until sometime after eight in the evening, when Mr. Gu and I went to meet up with Er Gou and his group.

Entering the taekwondo gym, I saw that Er Gou and the others had fully absorbed the medicinal effects of the pills and ointment. They were brimming with energy, and their skin looked noticeably smoother.

"Jian Ge, your medicine was absolutely miraculous!" Er Gou ran over excitedly, but stopped dead in his tracks the moment he looked up and spotted Mr. Gu. A hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. He still felt a lingering dread when he recalled how easily Mr. Gu had poisoned them all with a mere wave of his hand.

"We're all on the same side. Mr. Gu is here to help me," I said.

The tension between them eased significantly after we shared a meal. Seeing that it was about time, I had Er Gou and his brothers get the cars ready to head to Xinhu High School.

The two vans drove off Ting Tang Road one after another. Since we had plenty of time, I told them not to drive too fast. I leaned against the car door and carefully thought through my escape plan in case the worst happened.

'The Profound Truth Dao and the Three Yin Sect. If they both make a move on me tonight, I'll be in grave danger no matter how many tricks I have up my sleeve.' Over the past few days, I had either been doing a live stream or over in Xinhu City, so they hadn't been able to track me down. Since I had finally shown my face tonight, they definitely wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. 'Orthodox and evil factions teaming up to take me down. I should feel honored.'

I gave a bitter smile. Being targeted by the Profound Truth Dao and the Three Yin Sect wasn't even the worst-case scenario. My real fear was drawing the wrath of the Ghost Mother, or having the Two-Faced Buddha's people track me down from Xinhu; after all, Xinhu High School was very close to the Shuangfo District. 'Buddhas, demons, ghosts, and Daoists. That's four major factions all at once. I'm walking a tightrope over a cliff tonight. One wrong step and I'll be smashed to pieces.'

Watching the bustling traffic outside the window, my gaze gradually hardened. 'I've survived so many life-or-death crises. This time...'

Mid-thought, I suddenly spotted a Daoist priest in black robes staring at me from across the street. A colorful venomous snake was embroidered on his collar. He had somewhat effeminate features and his mouth was moving, as if he were shouting my name.

"Black robes and snake embroidery—that's someone from the Three Yin Sect!" Just as I was about to yell for Er Gou to stop, he slammed on the brakes. The beat-up van swerved and crashed sideways against a nearby tree trunk.

"What happened?" I asked, my head spinning. Fortunately, we hadn't been going fast and were all wearing our seatbelts, so no one in the car was hurt.

"Damn it, I almost hit someone!" Er Gou swore, wiping cold sweat from his forehead with lingering dread. "I was just crossing the T-Junction, driving normally, and this kid suddenly bolted right off the sidewalk!"

Er Gou and I got out and rushed to the front of the van to check. At the T-Junction, a young mother was sitting on the ground, clutching a terrified little boy in her arms.

"I've got a dashcam in this van! Everything that just happened is on video, so if you're trying to run a scam, you can save your breath!"

Er Gou cursed his rotten luck. The young mother, however, didn't get angry. Instead, her face was filled with apology, and she spoke with a slight sob. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what's gotten into this child lately. It's like he's possessed or something. He keeps doing dangerous things and I just can't control him."

If Er Gou hadn't slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel at the last second, that boy would have been crushed beneath our tires.

"If you can't control him, beat him! Filial sons come from under the stick," Er Gou barked fiercely at the boy. Then he quickly added, "That's how my old man raised me."

The boy in his mother's arms finally seemed to process the shock. He burst into loud, wailing tears that made everyone frown.

"Er Gou, have Xiaoma stay behind to wait for the traffic cops. We need to go—we can't afford to waste time."

Er Gou jogged over to inspect the front of the van. When he saw there was no serious damage, he breathed a sigh of relief and told the young mother, "Watch your son. Next time he runs out like that, I might not be able to swerve in time."

"Yes, yes, I'll definitely keep an eye on him. Xiaoyun, go apologize to the two uncles!" The young mother let go of the boy. Xiaoyun was a little timid, but after apologizing to Er Gou, he trotted over to me.

I didn't think much of it and was just about to get into the van when I noticed the little boy was already in front of me, his steps getting faster and faster. I suddenly realized something was wrong and activated my Judging Eye. Under the traffic lights, a second, twisted and deformed face had surfaced right over the boy's own face!

"Oh no!" I sprang away from the spot like a leopard, but I was a step too late.

The little boy lightly grabbed my hand. Through my Judging Eye, I clearly saw him slip a black invitation card into my palm.

"A King Yama Notice!"

My mind instantly grew hazy. As I looked down the long street, the crowds of people on either side seemed to fade away. At the corner of the intersection, a black figure and a white figure seemed to be staring right at me.

They both wore tall hats. One hat read 'Peace Under Heaven', while the other read 'Prosperity Upon Sight'.

The two figures bowed in the rear. Immediately after, another figure appeared. He wore a flat-topped imperial crown and the dragon robes of the Ten Courts. I couldn't make out his face, nor could I tell if he was a phantom or a real person, but he raised a brush and wrote a single word in my direction: Death.

"When King Yama calls you to die at the third watch, who dares keep you until the fifth?" The phantom dissipated, transforming into the young Daoist priest in black robes, who walked away laughing.

Inside my Kidney Aperture, the Three-Eyed Ghost Infant let out a shriek. Only as the Yin energy accelerated its circulation did my consciousness finally return to my spirit platform.

"Black and white impermanence, coming to harvest my soul?" My five senses fully returned, and I looked down.

The black notice had vanished in the blink of an eye. The dark veins on the back of my hand bulged, forming a faint but unmistakable character: Death.

I looked back at the little boy. His face had gone ashen, and he had fainted on the ground. His mother screamed and ran over. The surrounding crowd fell into chaos; some people were calling the police, others dialing 120. I was the only one leaning against the van, not saying a word.

The little boy was innocent; he had been manipulated by a ghost. As for the mastermind behind this, I had already guessed it. It was the Daoist in black I had just seen. With that venomous snake embroidered on his collar, he had to be a disciple of the Snake Lord Lineage.

'When a ghost enters a living body, it needs to lay dormant for seven days, or even up to half a month, before it can barely influence a living person's will. Just when did he start setting up this trap?' I thought, watching the noisy crowd, my mind a tangled mess. I hadn't even met with Lu Jin from the Profound Truth Dao yet, but I had already fallen for a vicious scheme from the Three Yin Sect. A King Yama Notice guaranteed death with no chance of survival. The black and white impermanence would appear beside me anytime, anywhere, until my soul scattered.

'The Three Yin Sect won't pass up such a good opportunity. The King Yama Notice should just be the first step in their plan.' With the Three Yin Sect and the Profound Truth Dao making their moves at the same time, the situation was already showing signs of losing control. I clenched my hand marked with the word Death and looked toward the other side of the city.

'Am I still going to save Wang Yu?'

The ambulance arrived quickly, and the boy was taken away by the doctors. His mother never stopped crying, all the way until the ambulance doors closed.

As the crowd dispersed and the road returned to normal, Er Gou noticed my grim expression and came over. "Jian Ge, we should go."

"Yeah, it's time." I covered the back of my hand and sat back in the van, looking out the window, my fingernails digging deeply into my flesh.

"Let's move out!"