Chapter 8

From the title, it seemed to be a travelogue recording the experiences of this Zhang Tianshi in subduing demons, not much different from the storybooks he had seen before, mostly fabricated tales of the strange by later generations.

Shen Luo didn’t pay much attention to it, shook off the dust on it, and put it in his sleeve pocket.

After that, he flipped through the remaining tables and chairs but found nothing else of value, so he had to give up and leave the storeroom, returning to the Green Stone Platform.

The meditation room on the Green Stone Platform was a two-story row of buildings, with about twenty small rooms on each floor, where a part of the disciples of the temple lived concentrated.

Shen Luo’s meditation room was on the right side of the first floor, adjacent to the cliffside.

The meditation rooms of the disciples were not large, containing only a bed and a set of table and chairs, and Shen Luo’s was no exception.

As soon as he pushed open the door, a strong scent of pine incense hit him, causing Shen Luo to wrinkle his nose involuntarily.

The temple had plenty of sandalwood and pine incense, and it never discouraged the disciples from using them, as these items that helped to concentrate and calm the mind usually made it easier for people to enter a meditative state.

However, others would only light one stick, with a slight fragrance, but not like him, making it so strong that it was almost choking.

But, there was no other way.

Shen Luo’s room was mostly shaded by a crooked pine tree at the cliffside, making it naturally cool and damp. On the table, there were dozens of ancient books he had collected from various places in the temple, most of which were moldy, and the smell was obvious.

If not for the pine incense to suppress it, the room would be unbearable.

Shen Luo was used to it. He sat down at the table by the wall, took out the newly acquired "Zhang Tianshi’s Demon Subduing Chronicles" from his sleeve pocket, and placed it on the table.

The book looked decent, except for the mold spots on the cover, which were rather disgusting, but the rest was relatively intact, much better than most of the books in Shen Luo’s collection.

He first picked up the water pot on the table and drank half a pot of water, resting for about half an incense stick before he felt better.

He opened the cover of the ancient book, revealing a yellowed page with a drawing of a short and plump Taoist wearing a lotus crown and a seven-star robe, one hand making a seal, the other holding a sword, with a fierce expression.

It seemed to be a portrait of Zhang Tianshi, but the lines were rough, and it looked more like a sketch. After all, if a real person looked like this, it would be more terrifying than any ghost or monster.

Shen Luo smiled, flipped past the page, and began to read the content.

As soon as he started reading, Shen Luo was immediately drawn in. The book was indeed a collection of strange tales, recounting the many anecdotes of Zhang Tianshi subduing demons and ghosts in the Lingnan region.

The book did not specify the time, so it was impossible to verify, but the place names were clearly written, and they could be found and verified today, suggesting that it was not too long ago.

This Zhang Tianshi was a Taoist master, skilled in alchemy and talisman techniques, capable of refining golden elixirs and creating talismans. In the book, he subdued numerous ghosts and various demons such as rat spirits and fox enchantresses.

Shen Luo had read many such strange tales before, and the content was not particularly novel. The ghost and demon techniques described were not as varied or exciting as in other novels, mostly just the cliché plots of ghosts haunting and demons bewitching.

However, what Shen Luo couldn’t put down was the detailed description of the techniques used to fight evil spirits. One story mentioned a wealthy man being troubled by a fox enchantress, and Zhang Tianshi gave him a duster to hang above the door, which solved the problem.

The book also mentioned other peculiar methods, such as using black dog blood to write talismans, using a butcher’s knife to subdue ghosts, and using ancient coins to suppress evil.

At the end of a few stories, there were even drawings of the talismans used, with intricate brushwork that seemed to be done in one continuous stroke, giving them a unique and powerful appearance.

However, after a closer inspection, Shen Luo noticed something was off.

Some of the talismans he had seen posted on doorways in the temple and in other books had the same names and similar designs, but there were noticeable differences in the brushwork.

After a few glances, Shen Luo immediately started searching through the pile of old books on the table and quickly pulled out a more dilapidated book, with the cover completely gone.

This old book had only a few thin pages at the beginning that were still readable; the rest of the pages were decayed and stuck together, and would crumble into pieces with the slightest force.

The book was titled "Secret Manual of Talisman Techniques," a specialized ancient book recording talismans passed down through the ages, including many rules and taboos for making and using talismans.

In this book, talismans were roughly divided into three categories based on their functions: "Transformation, Subjugation, and Attack."

Talismans like the "Transformation of Evil Spirits" and "Disaster Relief" belonged to the Transformation category, while "Peace" and "House Protection" talismans belonged to the Subjugation category. The Attack category was vaguely described, with few details, but it mentioned talismans like the "Fire Talisman" and "Small Thunder Talisman."

Among all the talisman types, Shen Luo was most interested in the attack talismans. The scene of Master Luo using a yellow talisman to subdue yin energy left a deep impression on him, and he still remembered it vividly.

However, the books he could access had very little information on this type of talisman, adding a layer of mystery to them.

If he encountered yin spirits or other ominous things, a "Peace" or "Protection" talisman might ensure safety, but if he faced real ghosts or demons, attack talismans would be a safer bet.

Unfortunately, the readable parts of the book were mostly general content, and the detailed descriptions of the talismans and their drawing methods were in the latter part, which was almost entirely unreadable.

Shen Luo flipped through some of the content at the beginning and found that the "Peace" talisman was still intact. Since "Zhang Tianshi’s Demon Subduing Chronicles" also had this talisman, he immediately compared them.

"Hmm, they are indeed the same," he said to himself, taking a deep breath.

"Bang..."

At that moment, the evening drum sounded, snapping Shen Luo out of his thoughts.

He looked up and saw the sky outside the window, realizing that it was already evening without him noticing.

Since he came up the mountain, he had been very interested in these ghostly and strange matters. Apart from practicing the Small Yang Transformation Technique, he couldn’t practice techniques like the "Qingyang Hand" yet, so he spent most of his time reading these books.

He hadn’t expected to spend half a day on this today.

He shook his head, smiled to himself, tidied up the books on the table, stood up, and walked out of the room.

About a hundred meters to the right of the Three Pure Ones Hall, there was a flat cliff with several independent small courtyards built on it. The inner disciples of the temple lived there, each having a small courtyard, not mixed with other disciples.

At this time, the sky was already quite dark, and there were three figures gathered outside one of the courtyards.