Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 873 Spring chill shrouds the sky, golden light breaks through the dawn (Part 2)
The kid was heading towards the mining area.

Xiao Ran and the others decided to go with Qi Jinguang to take a look.

The others didn't go with Qi Jinguang because they wanted to see what this kid was up to.

They followed from a distance and saw Qi Jinguang run all the way to the edge of the mining area. He then took out a table, talismans, and cinnabar from his spatial storage and began to sit down and quickly draw talismans.

"What is he going to do?" Wu Man looked at Qi Jinguang in confusion. She saw that the boy drew talismans extremely fast, even faster than Jin Chanzi. Often, he would draw a talisman with a touch of his vermilion pen.

Each talisman seemed to shimmer with golden light. Xiao Ran swept it with his spiritual power and found that although the talismans were simple, they contained a special Daoist charm.

With this skill alone, he surpasses countless others. Xiao Ran has seen Dai Long and Jin Chanzi draw talismans, but neither of them can match the beauty of Qi Jinguang's.

"Dong Dong!!"

The sound of gongs began to echo through the mining area.

The miners began to emerge from their shacks with expressionless faces, carrying picks and other tools, preparing to head towards the mining area.

Yesterday's chaotic battle involving hundreds of people, though a small-scale conflict, still caused considerable impact, as some people were unable to find a single five-colored stone.

Without the five-colored stones, there were no supplies, and naturally, it was another day of hunger.

People walked forward numbly.

The sound of a horn blared again.

Today's price of multicolored stones is 403. Prices have rebounded. Keep it up, brothers! With just one multicolored stone, your destiny can be changed!

Prices have rebounded because most people went home empty-handed yesterday.

However, the mere increase of 3 pieces of ghost money was clearly insufficient to pique the interest of these miners.

Many people were still hesitant, wondering whether to use their money to buy amulets or try their luck on the sidelines.

Just then, the person walking in front suddenly stopped.

Some people looked ahead in confusion, only to see Qi Jinguang standing in front of a table, intently drawing talismans in his hands.

Just then, dawn broke, and the sunlight struggled to pierce through the thick, leaden-gray clouds, as if the only beam of light in the world was precisely and gently enveloping him.

The dim light that fell around him was not swallowed up by the wind and snow, but instead seemed to be gathered and purified by an invisible force, suddenly becoming bright and warm.

The miners stopped in their tracks, as if frozen in place. Most of them were ordinary people struggling at the bottom of society, or low-level beginners, with mortal eyes who could not see through any profound Taoist techniques, let alone understand the mysteries of the flow of fortune.

But at this moment, their hearts, hardened and numb by suffering and despair, clearly felt it!
It was a touch that reached the very depths of the soul.

Warmth! Peace! Like a hot spring suddenly gushing from frozen earth, it instantly soothed their frozen bodies and withered hearts.

Hundreds of pairs of cloudy, tired, and weathered eyes were now fixed intently, almost greedily, on the only source of light in the snowstorm, on the young figure bathed in strange golden light.

Their eyes quickly shifted from initial bewilderment and astonishment to an unbelievable shock, followed by an indescribable surge of complex emotions—awe, confusion, but above all, a throbbing of fear like a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood.

At this moment, Qi Jinguang raised his head and waved to the miners at the front.

The group exchanged glances, their faces filled with suspicion, but their feet unconsciously continued to move forward.

"Here you go. Don't buy any more of those so-called protective charms. This will ensure you're unaffected even if you go down at least 500 meters."

Qi Jinguang handed a talisman to the miner in front of him.

Looking at the cinnabar-yellow talisman in their hands, the miners exchanged glances. They could sense that this talisman was extraordinary; just holding it in their hands gave them a warm feeling.

It was as if the oppressive chill and heaviness that had seeped into my bones were suddenly dispelled at this moment, and I became clear-headed, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, and even my breathing became much smoother.

Grade D cursed item [Golden Light Talisman] requires no activation.

Privilege 1: Golden light protects the wearer, allowing them to resist D-level curses and continuously provide them with talismanic power.

Privilege 2: Taoist magic and supernatural powers. If the wearer recites the Golden Light Mantra, they can receive Taoist blessings for a short period of time, with golden light protecting their body and all evil spirits being driven away.

The effect, the entries! How can these compare to those poorly made, shabby wooden signs that don't even have a proper entry?!
A miner gripped the talisman tightly, as if grasping at a straw, his fingertips trembling.

With this, they no longer need to timidly try their luck in the shallows; they can muster the courage to go down, to the middle layers of the mine, or even deeper!

The colorful stones scattered there are the real treasures.

For a moment, everyone's breathing became rapid, and for the first time, a glimmer of hope appeared in their cloudy, numb eyes.

"How much...is this?"

The miner's voice was hoarse; he was prepared to give up all the talismans he had in his possession for this one.

Those around him held their breath; the air seemed to freeze, and the only sounds were the howling wind and snow and their increasingly frantic heartbeats. Qi Jinguang raised his head, the morning light falling on his young and determined face, his clear, bright eyes reflecting the complex expressions of the others.

His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the wind, making it clear to everyone: "Governing the world and helping people is the foundation of my Taoist school. I don't need money, take it."

The crowd erupted in cheers!
"Free of charge? Really free of charge??"

"Did I hear that right? It's free?!"

"This...this talisman is a hundred times stronger than that broken wooden plaque worth 120! It's free?!"

"Is this for real? Or is it just another scam?"

Incredible shock, ecstasy, and whispered doubts instantly intertwined, forming a tremendous wave of sound.

Someone rubbed their eyes hard, pinched themselves, and wondered if they were still trapped in that cold, desperate dream.

Some people, however, remained skeptical and observed from the sidelines.

But many people are just hoping; since they're already doomed, they're willing to give it a try, regardless of whether it's a new tactic or not.

After all, life is getting harder and harder these days, and the little money I have left over from the dead is not even enough to buy new supplies.

An old miner who had received the talisman trembled violently with the deep wrinkles on his face, and turbid tears rolled down his cheeks without warning, mingling with the dirt and frost on his face.

His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he simply pressed the warm talisman tightly against his chest, as if protecting a lost treasure that had been found again, and bowed deeply in Qi Jinguang's direction.

"Those who have received the talismans, keep moving forward. Don't fight or cause chaos!" Qi Jinguang raised his voice again, his tone carrying a youthful clarity and decisiveness. "If you need these, I can keep drawing them; everyone will get one."

These words acted like a stabilizing force, instantly calming the somewhat out-of-control crowd.

After a brief period of commotion, an unprecedented order began to emerge among the people.

Those who received the talisman treated it as if it were a sacred object, carefully hiding it close to their bodies. Their faces were filled with a dreamlike daze and ecstatic joy as they walked towards the mine entrance, looking back every few steps. They were no longer numb ants; their spines seemed to have straightened a bit.

"Ruzi can be taught."

Watching Qi Jinguang's actions from a distance, Xiao Ran and the others saw Jin Chanzi nod with a look of satisfaction.

Qi Jinguang's move, seemingly an act of great mercy, actually tore a crack in the cold order of the mining area, aiming directly at the source.

This is a very clever move.

With these talismans protecting them, people in the mining area could easily go down and collect more colorful stones.

Most importantly, these talismans are free, which is equivalent to interrupting a point in the industrial chain that was originally used to constantly exploit, oppress, and force them to their deaths.

In fact, the rules in the mining area are just like the thirty-three taels of silver rule during the Qing Dynasty.

The so-called "33 taels of silver rule" was calculated by the Qing government, which found that an average middle-class family could earn about 33 taels of silver a year by working themselves to the bone.

However, maintaining a family's expenses for food, clothing, housing, transportation, weddings, funerals, births, aging, illnesses, and death requires thirty-six taels of silver.

The annual difference of three taels becomes a heavy shackle that ordinary families find difficult to overcome. In order to make up for the deficit, ordinary families basically cannot rest. They can only take odd jobs in their spare time, or cut back on food and clothing, or borrow money, struggling to make ends meet.

Once a person is confined to thirty-three taels of silver, they will never be able to escape.

However, if this person can break the thirty-three taels of silver rule, even a slight change is enough to accumulate over time and gradually change their life.

At this moment, Qi Jinguang's actions have created a breakthrough in the most basic operating code of the mining area, giving everyone hope.

With hope and confidence, these miners will gradually be able to break free from the control of the mining area.

As more and more people received the talismans and rushed to the mining area, the people who were originally responsible for selling the talismans soon realized that something was wrong.

It's normal for one or two unlucky people to be unwilling to buy amulets on ordinary days. But if someone is unwilling to even buy amulets, it means that their usefulness is almost at its limit, and it wouldn't be a pity if they died.

But this morning, not a single miner bought the amulet.

The man in charge of selling the amulets panicked.

Having no idea what had happened, they immediately sent someone to investigate.

When the man selling amulets learned that his business had been stolen by a young outsider, his expression changed drastically.

"Damn it, they're stealing our business! They dare to steal from us! Baldy, go and tell the adults!"

"San Gou, call for help."

The man grabbed his weapon and instantly summoned dozens of men, who rushed toward Qi Jinguang with murderous intent.

(End of this chapter)