Chapter 258 Clever Use of a Talisman with an Error (1/2)

Three days later.

“Tao, what are you doing?” Ge Ming asked out of curiosity as he watched Ning Tao bent down poking around in the kitchen.

Ning Tao did not turn back, casually answering, “Catching mice.”

Ge Ming furrowed his brows. “The kitchen is new; I’ve also cleaned it thoroughly. How could there be any mice? Are you checking for hygiene or are you trying to deduct my pay?”

Ning Tao stood up. “Check my foot. I need mice for something.”

“For barbecue or to make wine?” Ge Ming asked again.

“To make medicine!” Ning Tao did not bother talking to him any longer and left the kitchen.

Ge Ming mumbled, “Mice could be used for medicine? A miracle doctor indeed. How incredible. How could he be so talented?”

Under a tree in the field, Qing Zhui and Su Ya were chatting.

“Sister Su Ya, how old are you?” Qing Zhui asked, smiling gently.

“18… and a half,” Su Ya said. She was in fact just 18, but it was unsure why she had added the “half”.

Qing Zhui heaved a sigh. “It would be great if you were 20. You can get married if you were 20.”

Su Ya blushed. “Sister-in-law, I don’t want to get married so soon. I’m not done having fun yet.”

“Then when do you want to get married?” Qing Zhui asked.

Su Ya said, “When I’m 29 at least. Sister-in-law, why do you ask?”

Qing Zhui sighed again. “I can’t afford to wait that long. Sigh, looks like you’re not suitable. I’ll have to look for someone else.”

Su Ya was puzzled. “Sister-in-law, what do you mean?”

“Nothing much. Your brother is here,” Qing Zhui said.

Su Ya looked over, and saw Ning Tao walking over while mumbling to himself. It was not sure what he was talking to himself about. Her heart felt warm and fuzzy for an instant when she saw Ning Tao, yet it was followed by a faint feeling of sadness. Even though she had acknowledged Ning Tao as her older brother and Qing Zhui as her sister-in-law, the teenage girl in her was still constantly hesitating. Until then, she still couldn’t help but think about Ning Tao. She would even dream of him sometimes. Who could she confide to about such a matter of the heart?

But Su Ya only pretended to look happy, and greeted “brother” Ning Tao as he approached.

Ning Tao acknowledged them, then asked, “Have you all seen any mice?”

Su Ya asked curiously, “Why are you looking for mice?”

Ning Tao answered, “To make medicine.”

Su Ya shook her head. “The Sunshine Orphanage is newly built, there won’t be any mice here. Go to the village if you want to catch some. How about I go get Sister Lu for help?”

Ning Tao said, “I think it’s better that I go on my own. She’s the village chief after all. Being a leader, how could I make her help me catch mice?”

Qing Zhui giggled as she said, “Brother Ning, why didn’t you ask me for such a help? I can catch you as many mice as you want.”

Ning Tao then came to realization. Mice were the natural prey of snakes. With such a snake beauty present, did he need to fret over not being able to catch any mice?

Asking a snake was better than asking a person, indeed.

“Go go go, let’s go catch some mice.” Ning Tao could no longer wait.

He had finally managed to acquire a paper talisman which he could draw and use, so it was natural that he was excited to try it out. Over the past three days, he had been staying in the Sky Clinic cultivating his spiritual power, studying the runes and crafting talismans.

He could not even bother to gather the spiritual material for crafting the talismans, and instead took that wooden chest from the Scriptures & Scrolls Store apart. He then searched for instructions to make homemade paper online. He first made it into wooden pulp using the delicate perfumed tripod and lastly made it into medium paper using the traditional method.

Everything had been prepared, except the one last ingredient, mouse blood.

Qing Zhui followed Ning Tao out of the entrance.

Su Ya said, “I want to go too, let me join you.”

Ning Tao said, “What are you going to do there? Mice are scary, you better not go. Just stay at home to study your nursing knowledge.”

Su Ya pouted. She was evidently unhappy, but did not continue following them.

Ning Tao was not worried about Su Ya being afraid of mice; he was actually worried of Su Ya being afraid of snakes. He did not know how Qing Zhui was going to catch the mice. What if she revealed her snake demon form? Would Su Ya not be scared to death?

Once out of the entrance, Qing Zhui led Ning Tao around the orphanage and into the woods behind the orphanage. The woods were completely secluded; not a person was there, and neither were there any mice.

Ning Tao said, “Qing Zhui, where are the mice? Quick, get me one.”

“Okay,” Qing Zhui responded, then transformed into a snake immediately, hissing with her tongue stuck out.

In an instant, a few mice escaped from a cave.

Hiss hiss hiss…

Qing Zhui’s hissing grew stronger and the mice from the cave lay on the ground shivering in fear. They did not dare to run away even if they wished to.

Ning Tao went up and caught one. He then grabbed a porcelain bottle and the Blade of the Solar Eclipse from his small medicine chest, then made a cut on the mouse. Fresh blood flowed from the mouse’s wound and dripped into the porcelain bottle. After cutting up a few more mice, the porcelain bottle was filled with fresh mouse blood.

With the mouse blood acquired, Ning Tao did not return to the Sunshine Orphanage. Instead, he took Qing Zhui straight back to the House of Sword Pavilion Cave.

Mouse blood, incense ash and medium paper had all been acquired. Ning Tao mixed the mouse blood and incense ash together according to what he had learned from the “Runes Handbook”. After that, he dipped his right index finger in the blood and drew the talisman on the medium paper with his spiritual energy activated.

Qing Zhui was shocked as she watched on, and said, “Brother Ning, didn’t you say you were making medicine? You’re drawing talismans now.”