Chapter 12: The Power of the Body Protection Talisman.

"It was at some point after 1 o'clock on July 15th, 1996, but I'm not sure exactly how many minutes past." Yang Ying tilted her head, pondering as she spoke.

Xuanqing gave a slight nod.

He took out a turtle shell and then put four ancient coins inside it.

Clatter clatter~

The coins made noise in the turtle shell. These coins were Xuanyuan Tongbao, considered antiques. The four of them had cost Xuanqing a semester's living expenses.

"Try using mana."

Xuanqing thought to himself, then controlled the mana in his Dantian, pouring it into the turtle shell and the Tongbao coins.

Hum hum~

An invisible wave of energy radiated out.

The Tongbao coins in the turtle shell also underwent an indescribable change under this special wave of energy.

Clatter~

The copper coins fell on the table.

Yang Ying looked expectantly at Xuanqing, wanting to know what this meant.

At this moment.

"Huh... Why is this marriage line blank?" Xuanqing frowned slightly.

However, after examining the divination and silently calculating in his heart, he understood why this kind of situation occurred.

It was a sign of disaster, a great danger that could lead to death.

With death, it made sense for the marriage line to be blank.

Moreover, this 'omen' was supposed to happen in Qingping Mountain.

Xuanqing was slightly silent; as a Taoist priest, he should respect people's destiny, but if something happened to this girl in the Taoist temple, he was afraid he would also be in some trouble.

With this in mind.

"Miss Yang Ying, I couldn't figure out your marriage, but I have a Body Protection Talisman here. I hope you can accept it!"

As soon as these words came out.

Doubt appeared on Yang Ying's face.

The man holding the camera by the side also had an expression of suspicion.

Was this young Daoist Priest trying to cheat them with this so-called Body Protection Talisman after all?

"Daoist Priest...How much does it cost?"

Yang Ying looked troubled and hesitated for a moment before carefully saying, "I can... At most, I can donate 200 yuan to the temple."

Although working for the Television Station was a state-owned enterprise, she had just graduated and was in her internship period; her monthly living expenses were just enough to cover her expenses, and she didn't have any extra money.

"Oh? Donating two hundred yuan would indeed work!"

Xuanqing was slightly startled; he had originally planned to give it for free, but since the girl was willing to pay, he wouldn't refuse.

He handed over the Body Protection Talisman.

Yang Ying took the talisman and looked around, but couldn't find a merit box in the Taoist temple.

"Excuse me, Daoist Priest, where is the merit box?"

"Hehe, merit boxes are only found in Buddhist temples. A proper Taoist temple wouldn't have one." Xuanqing laughed and shook his head.

Taoists didn't set up merit boxes because they preferred to provide services for free, though they would charge wealthy and powerful individuals a high service fee instead of focusing on ordinary people.

Eventually.

The two added each other as friends, and then Yang Ying directly sent a red envelope with two hundred yuan.

During this process.

The man holding the camera was constantly tugging at Yang Ying's sleeve, as if reminding her of something. In his view, while Taoist culture was worth confirming, divination and selling talismans were taxes on people's intelligence.

...

As the sky gradually darkened and the two obtained enough information to report back with, they decided to leave the Taoist temple.

"Thank you for your hospitality today, Daoist Priest Xuanqing. It's getting late, so we won't disturb you any longer." Yang Ying bowed slightly.

"Okay!"

Xuanqing nodded, watching the two leave. As he looked at Yang Ying's departing figure, an indescribable expression was hidden in his eyes.

.....

Qingping Mountain.

The path down the mountain was a winding, seemingly endless path.

Yang Ying and the camera man carefully walked down the less than one meter wide stone ladder road.

Those with experience knew that going uphill was tiring, but going downhill was even more dangerous, with the risk of falling if one wasn't careful.

At some point, it started.

The air had become a bit damp, and a dark cloud appeared in plain sight, drifting over from the distance.

Yang Ying wiped the water droplets from her forehead.

Drip~

The summer rain was as sudden as a flash, coming without warning and pouring down heavily in no time.

The narrow path, less than a meter wide, became even more difficult to trek.

Although there were no cliffs on either side of the path, it was surrounded by dense thorny bushes and jagged rocks, and a careless fall would undoubtedly leave one severely injured.

Suddenly.

The danger occurred.

Rainwater blurred Yang Ying's vision, and as she was stepping down, she accidentally stepped on a small shattered rock the size of a glass bead.

In an instant.

Her body lost balance, and she fell violently towards the bushes at the side.

The slope was six meters high, covered with thorny bushes, and many protruding rocks at the bottom. If she were to fall, she might be crippled or disfigured.

"Ah~"

Yang Ying let out a scream, her hands flailing wildly, attempting to grasp something to save her life.

A fortuity occurred.

A vine growing on the edge of the slope hooked onto her clothes, and during her fall, it wrapped around her, stopping her descent completely.

Just like that.

Yang Ying's whole body was entangled by the vine, suspended in mid-air, just a meter above a sharp stone.

It's not hard to imagine.

If it weren't for the vine, what a tragic end she would have met falling onto that sharp stone.

"Yang Ying!"

The man holding the camera's face changed drastically, and he finally reacted, rushing over to where Yang Ying had fallen.

He grabbed the vine, carefully pulling her up until she was back on the ground, finally exhaling in relief.

Back on the ground, Yang Ying collapsed there.

Luckily!

If it weren't for the vine wrapping around her, she would have been done for.

Yang Ying's face turned pale, and her chest heaved violently, clearly shaken by the ordeal.

"Are you... alright?"

"Whew~" Yang Ying took a deep breath, shook her head, and with both hands supporting her body, she stood up with great effort.

After checking herself.

Aside from her clothes being slightly damaged and dirty, she miraculously had no injuries or bruises.

"Could it be..."

As if realizing something.

Yang Ying's pupils suddenly contracted.

She reached into her pocket as if to take something out, only to find a handful of ashes.

The Body Protection Talisman... surprisingly had self-ignited, turning to ashes.

Seeing this.

"Hiss~" The camera man shuddered.

Backing away, he tripped, breathing in a mouthful of cold air.

Both faced each other, their hearts extremely shaken.

Composing themselves.

With her lips trembling, Yang Ying, who had escaped death, felt immense gratitude and admiration for Daoist priest Xuanqing.

"Brother Zhao, you go down first. I want to go up the mountain to thank the Daoist priest for saving my life."

"I'll go with you!" The camera man said after calming down.

And so.

The two changed directions, heading back to Qingping Temple on the mountain.

.....

Qingping Temple.

Xuanqing suddenly opened his eyes.

Just now, he felt that the Body Protection Talisman he had made had been activated.

More importantly.

At the moment the Body Protection Talisman was activated, an invisible, intangible special energy could be felt swirling around him.

"What is this...?"