While in Hollywood, I used Taoist magic to quell American terrorism.

With the rent issue resolved, Cao Kun felt much more relaxed and slept exceptionally well that night.

The next day, Cao Kun went to the bank and deposited the amounts on the two checks into his account.

After returning, he began to try drawing talismans.

The father of the original owner ran a metaphysics shop, so he naturally had no shortage of things like yellow paper, cinnabar, and talisman brushes.

Although none of the ritual implements are real, these things are still fine and can be used.

There are two types of talismans.

One type has a standard structure and format, which is rigid and cannot tolerate any mistakes.

There is another type, which has no structure whatsoever; it depends entirely on the intention of the person drawing the talisman.

Given Cao Kun's current cultivation level, the second option is naturally out of the question.

I can only honestly draw the first one.

A standard talisman consists of the following components: talisman head, name, decree, binding rope, heavenly pillar, earthly pillar, requested item, wind and fire wheel, talisman core, and sword.

Each of these parts must be drawn correctly, following the standard structure and format.

Moreover, even if an ordinary person draws the correct structure, exactly the same as a real talisman, it's useless.

It doesn't possess any power.

Because ordinary people don't have magical powers, nor can they invite gods to possess them.

This is what's being sold at Wenxintang right now.

Cao Kun took out a few and looked at them. The structure and format were fine, but they just didn't have much energy, so naturally they didn't have any effect.

Typically, before drawing a talisman, one needs to fast for three days, bathe and burn incense, and offer sacrifices to inform the gods.

After it is done, the next step is to invite the gods to possess you and use their power to draw the talismans.

The so-called "inviting a deity to possess one's body" does not actually involve inviting a deity down to live inside one's body.

Instead, they invoked a mysterious power that exists in the world.

After being possessed by a deity, you will not become a different person. Instead, you will feel a sensation of energy within your body, and your body will feel bloated.

There was such a scene in a Hong Kong zombie film from the 90s.

A Taoist priest invited the patriarch to possess him. After the success, his body was inflated as if it had been blown up, almost turning into a ball, which greatly increased his strength and made him invulnerable to swords and spears.

However, this is just a dramatic performance. A true invocation of a deity will not cause the body to visually swell or grow larger, but it will actually produce a strong sense of energy and a feeling of swelling.

Cao Kun did not immediately begin invoking the gods and drawing talismans.

Instead, they don't use any power; they first familiarize themselves with the structure and format of talismans.

Otherwise, if you successfully invite the gods but are not familiar with the structure and format and keep making mistakes, you'll be completely lost.

After three days, Cao Kun felt it was about time.

He prepared all the necessary items for drawing talismans, stood in front of the table, and closed his eyes.

Three days of fasting, bathing, burning incense, and offering sacrifices are for ordinary Taoist priests who have not yet attained official rank. The purpose is to help them empty their minds and make it easier for them to invite deities to possess them.

Cao Kun is now a third-rank teacher, so this step can be skipped.

Cao Kun stood in front of the table, closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and shut out all external thoughts.

He united his spirit and energy to communicate with the mysterious power that exists in the universe.

For a long, long time, Cao Kun remained motionless, like a statue.

He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly, Cao Kun abruptly opened his eyes.

He felt a surge of energy enter his body, and his body felt slightly swollen and aching.

Cao Kun opened his eyes, grabbed the talisman brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and began to draw talismans.

That energy, along with the movement of his talisman brush, was locked within the runes.

Drawing talismans requires a single, continuous stroke.

This "qi" refers to that feeling or sensation.

It doesn't mean that you can't stop writing; it has to be done in one stroke.

Rather, the pen may break but the meaning continues, and the meaning may break but the spirit continues.

Only by maintaining a constant concentration of Qi can one successfully draw an effective talisman.

Suddenly, Cao Kun stopped writing; his momentum died down.

The talisman in front of you is now useless.

Cao Kun shook his head, feeling that the Qi sensation in his body had weakened considerably.

He took a deep breath and continued drawing the second talisman.

But he had exhausted all his energy and still couldn't get a single card.

"Talismans are indeed not that easy to draw."

Cao Kun sighed inwardly, feeling a wave of mental exhaustion.

After resting for a while, Cao Kun tried again.

This time, when all the Qi was used up, he finally succeeded in drawing a talisman.

This is a calming talisman; Tongxintang also sells the same talismans.

To the naked eye, the two are almost identical.

But the painting Cao Kun created, in his own opinion, possessed a mysterious energy.

The other one is unremarkable; you can't feel anything special about it.

Holding the successfully drawn talisman, Cao Kun smiled.

As Cao Kun continued drawing, the success rate finally improved, although it didn't become too high.

"Charm for calming the mind, charm for marital harmony, charm for lawsuits, charm for exams, charm for treating infantile convulsions, charm for calming fright, charm for curing illness, charm for suppressing evil spirits, charm for protecting the home, charm for binding the soul, charm for guiding the soul, charm for suppressing corpses, charm for protection, charm for eliminating disasters, charm for attracting disasters..."

As Cao Kun examined the various talismans in his memory, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer variety.

There are even harmful talismans that attract misfortune.

However, after consulting the gods several times, he is now quite exhausted and can no longer paint.

As soon as he lay down on the bed and his head hit the pillow, Cao Kun fell into a deep sleep.

clap clap clap...

The sound of the glass door being slammed open pulled Cao Kun from his sleep.

Cao Kun opened his eyes and felt much better.

However, Cao Kun was somewhat annoyed that his peaceful sleep had been disturbed.

He went outside, opened the door, and saw a black man in his forties standing outside the glass door.

Cao Kun has this man in his memory.

This man, named Lawrence, lived next door and also sold metaphysical items.

However, compared to his father, he was relatively focused, selling only items for Western charlatans.

This man had an afro and always wore a black robe. He claimed to be able to communicate with spirits and talk to the dead.

His shop was very dark, with only a few red lights, which created a sense of mystery.

Perhaps it's this sense of mystery that makes his business so much better than Wenxintang's.

Customers come and go from his shop from time to time.

In comparison, Wenxintang can be described as deserted.

"Cao, I'm glad you're still alive."

Upon seeing Cao Kun, Lawrence smiled broadly, seemingly genuinely pleased.

Cao Kun asked emotionlessly, "Lawrence, what is it?"

Lawrence said slowly, "I've come to ask you to repay the money."

Cao Kun was taken aback and searched his memory: "I don't remember owing you any money."

Lawrence: "It's not you who owes it, it's your father. He's gone, so of course you should repay this money."

Cao Kun didn't argue: "Is there an IOU?"

Lawrence: "I trusted him completely at the time and didn't make him write an IOU."

Cao Kun: "I'm sorry, I can't repay this money."

Whether you pay it back or not is not up to you.

Lawrence waved his hand, and three burly men with black hair immediately came over.

These three men were all tall and burly, and they stared fiercely at Cao Kun, creating a very intimidating atmosphere.

"Your father said before he died that if he couldn't pay back the money, he would use the items in the shop and the remaining rent to pay it off."

"Cao, you don't have many days left to pay your rent, and you can't possibly afford the rest. By taking over your shop now, I'm actually helping you."

Lawrence stepped forward: "You have one hour. Take your personal belongings and leave."

Cao Kun smiled as he stared at Lawrence's dark face.