How should he kill her?
She was definitely from the Mo Clan. The Mo Clan practiced the Zhen Shi Si Lu, the Four Dictums of Earthbound Law, using voice commands to reshape physical reality.
They were powerful, yes, but they were also easy to kill.
If he had not hesitated and had immediately struck her larynx, it would have been difficult for her to counterattack.
Gu Yuze shook his head. No, he was underestimating her.
She was a practitioner; he was a novice. She would have had some defensive tools on her.
He no longer possessed the overwhelming spiritual energy he once had. He needed to relearn the way he fought. If she had been a malevolent ghost, he would already be dead—or worse, possessed.
*In the absence of anyone to talk to, Gu Yuze did what he always did when he was alone: strategize imaginary battles in his head.
"Disciple Gu, reporting for duty." He announced the Chores Yard. Novice disciples were required to complete two hours of chores or missions every day. Failure to meet the necessary chore quota by the end of the month would result in additional punishments.
The Lingyun Sect was truly a handful.
The woman gazed at him, her brown eyes stern.
"Name?"
"Gu Yuze."
Her eyes widened slightly as she studied him for a long moment. 'Definitely not the Ghost Incense Vigil then,' she muttered, before looking at her laptop.
You are assigned the same duty as before—making talisman paper. Your supervisor is Yi Hai.
Gu Yuze blinked. Making talisman paper? He almost slapped his head. Of course—someone made them; they didn't just magically refill in his drawer.
"Thank you. Where can I find him?"
The woman narrowed her eyes. She seemed to be holding back from saying something. "The Bamboo Grove."
Gu Yuze nodded, briefly wondering if stress balls were already sold in this era.
The Bamboo Grove was behind the Talisman Hall, and Gu Yuze arrived within twenty minutes.
It was impossible for him to mistake the place. Slender bamboo stalks towered like silent guards.
There were seven students in the clearing at the Bamboo Grove, and Gu Yuze walked to the one with the most spiritual energy.
"Greetings. Senior Brother Yi."
The young man was tall with sharp eyebrows that furrowed the moment they saw him.
Ah! Could one person, just one person, be excited to see him?
"Gu Yuze. You are late."
Gu Yuze did not give any explanation; he just bowed slightly.
Yi Hai pursed his lips and continued, "You also missed six days of work. That is twelve hours. Wang Ming and Xu Qing told me the three of you have some kind of agreement."
Wang Ming. He recalled the threatening messages that he had received from the other disciple and Xu Qing; she must have been the disciple that knocked on his door the first time that he arrived.
He clenched his fist and unclenched it. The two of them, he just wanted to give a sound beating.
"Senior Brother Yi, I don't have any agreement with Wang Ming and Xu Qing."
Yi Hai nodded unconcerned, "That means the both of them also owe twelve hours each. Go and join Chen Fan."
Making Talisman Papers was not easy. Lingyun Sect only used three-year-old bamboo from the northern grove. The bamboo was then cut into strips and soaked in water for 49 days.
For the entire 49 days, seven disciples chanted daily. If done well, the water would turn faintly green by day 30. Then strips were then beaten with a sandstone mortar in a 9-7-5 pattern. 9 heavy strips, 7 light and 5 twists.
The fourth step was to pour the pulp onto a hemp-screen frame, and place jade weighted slabs on it.
Gu Yuze wanted to thank Heaven that he came during this fourth step. It was very easy to learn, and the entire building had images of the entire process of making talismans, so he just had to follow the directions.
"Before, you would ask me to help you. I am glad you can do it on your own." Gu Yuze was focused on using his spiritual energy to lift the slab when he realized that the person was indeed talking to him.
"I didn't hear you." Gu Yuze said as he waited for the man to repeat himself.
"Get me?" The disciple looked confused, pausing in his actions of moving the frame to the open yard.
"I mean, I did not hear you. What did you just say?" Gu Yuze also stopped working and faced the disciple. What was it this time? An insult?
The disciple wore the same sash as he did, which showed that he was a novice disciple. His braided hair had little ringlets at the end, and there was a large smile on his face.
"You must have had a breakthrough. You can move the slab by yourself. Well done. I told you if you continued to practice on little things at your dorm, it would be much easier."
Was he mocking him?
No, those pink eyes were sincere and aglow.
Gu Yuze felt like there was something stuck in his throat. How long had he been here, and he was already getting unfamiliar with goodwill? He recalled the gloomy aura in the center of the little ghost king's brows.
This disciple that spoke to him now must have equally advised the little ghost king. It must have been difficult to grab the branch, or even worse, the little ghost king might not have known it was a branch at all.
Could he blame him? Gu Yuze had been in his body less than a week, and he could barely recognize sincerity anymore.
What an annoying situation!
"Thank you. I have been working hard. Could you recommend some books that could help?"
The young man's eyes widened, and then he smiled even wider. "Yes." He scratched his head. "There is this one that I used all through my first year. It is a manual. It would be very helpful. I just hope that no one had checked it out. Okay, I will check it out tomorrow and give it to you."
It was just pure sincerity, and yet... Gu Yuze looked at him. "Is there anything you want in return?" I can do your share of tomorrow's work."
The youth laughed loudly, "Why are you always in a hurry to do my chores?' His eyes twinkled as the frame gently lifted in the air and was moved outside the yard. The youth wiped his brows and then turned to him, "If you really want to pay me back, then don't lower your head when Wang Ming comes, and if he scolds you, shout back at him, and the light in your eyes now, could you keep it?"
Gu Yuze's lips twitched, "That is three things, not one."