PCJ – Chapter 262 The Power of the Talisman

That day, the number of pilgrims had noticeably decreased, and by evening, the courtyard was already empty.

Liu Fengying, with her disheveled hair, seemed to have intentionally sought out Chen Maozhong and his son. She appeared to deliberately part the hair covering her face, revealing a visage that not only lacked the terrifying appearance it had the previous day but also seemed to have rejuvenated by decades, looking as though she had returned to her youth. However, there was now an added hint of allure in her expression.

“You two listen to me carefully. I have borrowed her body to descend to the mortal world to experience the sufferings of the common people. This is a deed of immense virtue, and she will accumulate good karma for it. In the afterlife, she will enjoy wealth and honor, and in this life as well, she will be blessed with riches. So what are you complaining about? You want me to teach a lesson to that family of the Water Master who doesn’t know their place? I will naturally do so. But in the future, you’d better not use my name to flaunt your power outside. Otherwise, I will surely punish you.” Liu Fengying spoke without a trace of emotion, like a wooden puppet capable of speech, with no change in her expression.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Chen Hongming nodded repeatedly.

The father and son exchanged a secret smile. Their goal had been achieved.

In fact, whether or not the Chen father and son went to Chen Shunsheng’s house, that entity possessing Liu Fengying would have gone to Chen Shunchang’s house anyway. It already knew that Chen Shunchang was the elder brother of Chen Dianzhi, and it was now very unfriendly towards the Chen father and son. The drastic reduction in villagers seeking the celestial this day was also attributed by the Chen father and son to Chen Shunchang.

Chen Shunchang had long sensed that something was going to happen; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to Zhang Jiaohua to ask for talismans. Before it even got dark, Chen Shunchang had already closed the courtyard gate, and the whole family went inside, closing the house door as well. Two protective talismans were pasted on the gate, and more yellow talisman papers were pasted around the house. These were all obtained from Zhang Jiaohua and placed in every corner of the house exactly as Zhang had instructed.

Whoosh…

A sudden gust of wind swept through the courtyard, blowing some of the items around, making a loud clattering noise.

The whole Chen family was very tense. Lin Hongfang was so frightened that she was about to cry. “Husband, why is the wind so strong today?”

Although Chen Shunchang was a bit nervous, he bravely said, “What’s there to be afraid of? If anything dares to come to our house to cause trouble, be it demon or ghost, I’ll chop it down with one strike!”

Before he finished speaking, the commotion outside grew louder, as if the entire house was about to be blown away. Then, the tiles on the roof started to rattle as if something was stepping on them. It was as if cats were running on the roof, but it sounded like there were dozens of cats up there at the same time.

“Ah, ah! Something’s on the roof!” Lin Hongfang screamed.

“Don’t panic! It can’t get in! We have protective talismans. Last time, when the wolves entered the village, they didn’t dare touch any house with protective talismans. With so many talismans in our house, I don’t believe they can’t deal with it!” Chen Shunchang reassured her.

Suddenly, something smashed a hole in the roof, and a yellow paper inside the house ignited, emitting a beam of yellow light that shot directly at the hole.

“Woo!”

A miserable scream echoed from the roof. The noise on the roof abruptly ceased, indicating that the entity had suffered a significant setback.

“Open the door, open the door! Chen Shunchang! Don’t think you can hide in your house and I’ll leave you alone!” The gate was being pounded loudly. Chen Shunchang immediately recognized the voice; it was Chen Hongming!

“I knew it was those two bastards causing trouble. Keep the door closed and don’t come out. I’ll deal with those two!” Chen Shunchang knew that if he didn’t go out, the Chen father and son wouldn’t give up. After telling his wife, he prepared to open the door.

“Forget it, don’t go out. Who knows where that thing is hiding. Let’s just stay inside and let those two fools be arrogant,” Lin Hongfang said worriedly.

“Those two cowards are no match for me. I’m not afraid of that thing either; I’m wearing a protective talisman. It can’t do anything to me. Don’t worry.” Chen Shunchang found a sharp axe in the woodshed, opened the door, and walked out. “Wife, close the door quickly!”

Lin Hongfang quickly closed the door and watched the situation outside through a crack, grabbing a kitchen knife, ready to rush out and save her husband if needed.

Chen Shunchang strode to the gate and opened it. The Chen father and son were standing there.

“Chen Maozhong, Chen Hongming! You bastards, I’m out here now. What do you want? Speak up!” Chen Shunchang raised his axe towards them, causing the two to step back in fear. Chen Maozhong even fell to the ground.

Chen Hongming mustered his courage to stand his ground, but his legs were still trembling.

“Chen Shunchang, don’t be arrogant. Don’t think that just because you’re holding an axe, I’ll be scared. Let me tell you, the immortal will help us this time. You just wait to die!” Chen Hongming said, trying to appear brave.

Chen Shunchang swung his axe at Chen Hongming, who quickly rolled on the ground and then scrambled to his feet, running away. Chen Shunchang sneered in his direction, then turned to Chen Maozhong. Before he could lift the axe, Chen Maozhong had already fled after his son.

“Cowards!” Chen Shunchang cursed after them, lifting his axe.

But at that moment, a cold wind blew, and a black mist suddenly enveloped Chen Shunchang.

Chen Shunchang realized that the real danger had arrived. This thing had undoubtedly used the Chen father and son to lure him out. He swung his axe at the black mist repeatedly, but it had no effect. Chen Shunchang was essentially wasting his energy.

A shadow suddenly leaped out of the black mist, pouncing directly at Chen Shunchang. Exhausted from swinging his axe at nothing, he couldn’t lift it in time. The shadow attacked, leaving Chen Shunchang no chance to dodge.

The shadow’s claws, gleaming with cold light, left a trail in the air as they swiftly approached Chen Shunchang’s throat. If they connected, his throat would be slashed open, and with the medical standards in Meizi’ao, Chen Shunchang would be as good as dead.

In this critical moment, a protective talisman on Chen Shunchang’s body suddenly exploded, shooting a yellow beam of light at the shadow.

“Woo!”

The shadow let out a miserable cry and quickly retreated. Chen Shunchang, seizing the moment, threw his axe at the shadow.

“Meow!” The shadow let out a cat-like yowl. When Chen Shunchang ran over, he found only a puddle of blood on the ground. The shadow had vanished. He picked up his blood-stained axe and returned home with a grave expression.

Seeing the bloodstains on Chen Shunchang, Lin Hongfang burst into tears.

“Why are you crying? It’s not my blood. I don’t even know what that thing was. Luckily, I got a protective talisman from Jiaohua; otherwise, I might not have survived this time.” Chen Shunchang said with lingering fear.