On the other end of the line, Jiang Xuxu listened to Zhou Hehe's words and remained silent for only a moment before directly switching to the video call function.
Zhou Hehe didn't hesitate to accept the video request. On the screen, the man who had looked so shrewd and well-dressed just yesterday was now visibly exhausted.
Through the video, Jiang Xuxu noticed the dark circles under Zhou Hehe's eyes and the faint traces of Yin Qi surrounding him. She remarked calmly, "There is indeed residual Yin Qi on you. However, the other party probably only intended to play a joke on you. They are no longer there."
Jiang Xuxu spoke with a flat tone, but on the other end, Zhou Hehe's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. His voice jumped an octave in pure shock. "A joke?!"
He had almost died! What kind of joke was that?! He had honestly thought he was about to depart for the afterlife right then and there!
"Yes." Jiang Xuxu remained indifferent to his surprise, her expression as steady as ever. "When I gave you the talisman, your face showed no signs of impending death."
This meant that even if he had encountered a ghost, the entity had no intention of actually killing him. In the circle of fierce ghosts, as long as one didn't set out to end a human life the moment they struck, it could technically be classified as "playing a joke."
Judging by the aura of the residual Yin Qi on Zhou Hehe, he had indeed run into a fierce ghost. However, the ghost had been wounded by her Protection Talisman and wouldn't be bothering him again for a while. Therefore, Jiang Xuxu wasn't in any rush.
Zhou Hehe looked like he was about to burst into tears. So as long as he didn't die, that thing was just allowed to mess with him as much as it wanted?
Even though he heard Jiang Xuxu say the ghost had left, Zhou Hehe couldn't bring himself to feel at ease. He insisted on buying several more Protection Talismans from her.
Although Jiang Xuxu felt it was unnecessary, she never turned down business that came knocking. "A Peace Talisman is three thousand each, and a Protection Talisman is six thousand..."
"What's the difference?"
"A Peace Talisman enhances your personal fortune and ensures everything goes smoothly. A Protection Talisman guards your body and can ward off calamities."
Before Jiang Xuxu could even finish, Zhou Hehe spoke up impatiently, "I'll take ten of each!"
Jiang Xuxu was silent for a beat. "...Hoarding and reselling talismans is prohibited."
Zhou Hehe gave a bitter smile. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that our program is in the preparation stage, and we're bound to encounter a lot of these sorts of things. I need to have them ready for the frontline staff."
His reasoning was sound, so Jiang Xuxu reluctantly accepted.
Zhou Hehe was about to double-check a few more things when his eyes shifted. He saw what looked like a small doll, resembling a "ginseng baby," sitting on Jiang Xuxu's shoulder. Then, in the blink of an eye, the thing... seemed to move.
Zhou Hehe felt a chill sweep over him, and the hand holding his phone began to shake. "Master... Master Jiang... your shoulder... there seems to be..."
Jiang Xuxu noticed his voice and the camera frame shaking. She looked down instinctively and saw the little sprout had somehow climbed onto her shoulder. It was staring at the phone screen with eyes like little black beans, full of curiosity.
Since Zhou Hehe's fortune was low and he had just encountered a ghost, it was normal for him to see one now. She explained, "This is just a little Infant Spirit I've temporarily adopted. Don't worry about it."
On the other end of the screen, Zhou Hehe's eyes widened even further. After a long silence, the video call ended with a sharp click.
Jiang Xuxu didn't mind. A short while later, she received an address from Zhou Hehe. She walked over to her desk with the little Infant Spirit and opened a wooden box. Inside were various talismans she had drawn in her free time, categorized neatly. After counting them out, she packed the twenty talismans Zhou Hehe wanted and sent them via a flash delivery service.
Seeing her inventory suddenly emptied, Jiang Xuxu glanced at the sky and decided to draw a few more while Chu Beihe was away.
She laid out the yellow paper and cinnabar. As she focused her breath and lifted her brush, the Spirit Gathering Array beneath her feet began to draw in spiritual energy from all directions.
Jiang Xuxu's temperament became focused and refined. She lowered her brush, and the moment it touched the paper, a spiritual glow seemed to follow the nib. As her brush moved like a soaring dragon and a slithering snake,
and before she could finish her stroke, a speck of golden light suddenly flew out from a small gift box nearby. In an instant, it merged into the spiritual glow at the tip of her brush.
The spiritual light under her brush instantly intensified. Jiang Xuxu instinctively finished the final stroke. A flash of golden light erupted the moment the talisman was completed, vanishing a second later.
Jiang Xuxu stared in astonishment at the Protection Talisman. Judging solely by the spiritual energy imbued within it, its power was more than double that of her previous ones. Her gaze shifted to the small gift box on the table.
Inside was the Nine-Tailed Fox Brooch that the Big Boss had given her. She opened the box and saw a faint golden light radiating from the tips of the brooch's nine tails. There was no need to ask; this golden light undoubtedly belonged to a certain "Big Boss."
She hadn't expected that an object that had passed through Chu Beihe's hands would carry his golden light. Moreover, as she had suspected before, this light could drastically enhance the power of her talismans.
...It was incredibly useful.
Jiang Xuxu felt her Dao Heart waver slightly. When a strength that usually required steady, hard cultivation suddenly had a way to "cheat," the temptation was difficult to resist.
She looked at the Nine-Tailed Fox Brooch, her face showing a rare look of internal struggle. After a long moment, she pressed a hand to her chest and with great effort, put the brooch away along with the enhanced Protection Talisman.
There were no shortcuts in cultivation. Other people's things, no matter how good, were not her own. If she developed a habit of relying on the golden light's enhancement, her talisman arts would never progress.
Of course, she decided to prepare a few more Lightning Summoning Talismans like the one that had summoned Purple Lightning after being enhanced by the golden light. They could save her life in an emergency. Jiang Xuxu felt there was nothing wrong with that logic.
The preparation for the program Inspiration was much faster than Jiang Xuxu had imagined. Almost as soon as Starry Entertainment finalized the contract with the Lemon Platform, the news of the broadcast was posted online.
Once the guest list was released, it immediately attracted the attention and anticipation of countless netizens. This was primarily because one of the invited guests was a top-tier idol of the moment: Gu Jingmo.
The third young master of the Gu family in the capital, he was a true scion of a wealthy family. Not only did he have a powerful background and exceptional looks, but more importantly, he had genuine talent.
Though he started as an idol, he exploded in popularity through his acting skills. A Xianxia drama he recently starred in had become a phenomenal hit, making him a household name.
Even more significantly, this was his first time as a regular guest on a variety show. While his fans celebrated across the internet, they were also furious after seeing the other guests!
"I'm so happy to see my brother's variety show debut, but can someone tell me if something's wrong with the casting?"
"Same question. Why did he accept this show? Some of the other guests are just amateur influencers!"
"Good heavens, what kind of motley crew is this? I feel so bad for my brother!"
"This Xue Yining only debuted at the beginning of the year, right? A total nobody is recording a show with my brother?!"
"At least that one is in the industry. Look at that guy Shang Luhis Weibo bio says he's a senior brother from Qingfeng Temple!"
"I remember this Jiang Xuxu. She's the top scholar from the Haishi Gaokao a few days ago! The one who chose the Taoist Academy."
"Aaaah! I knew it! The next step for an internet celebrity is to debut! Even top scholars are no exception!"
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