I was selling peach wood swords on a live stream, how did I become a Taoist ancestor?

Li Jun spent an entire night studying the book "Complete Collection of Taoist Talismans".

The book records all sorts of talismans, such as talismans for protecting the home, talismans for peace, talismans for five thunderbolts, talismans for exorcising evil spirits...

The drawing technique was so complex it made his scalp tingle.

"How long would it take to draw something so realistically...?"

Li Jun looked at the crooked lines in the book and sighed.

He decided to start with the simplest thing—a peace charm.

The amulet in the book was completely different from the one he had printed before.

The structure is more complex, with more strokes, and there are dense annotations on the side.

"A talisman head, a talisman core, a talisman base... and even an incantation?"

Li Jun was overwhelmed by what he saw.

The amulets he printed before were simply the two characters for "peace" with a fancy border, purely for aesthetic purposes.

Who knew there were so many intricacies involved?

However, if you're going to learn it, learn the proper way.

Li Jun took out yellow paper and a brush, and began to copy the patterns in the book stroke by stroke.

The first one is crooked and twisted, like an earthworm crawling.

The second one is slightly better, but the stroke order is wrong.

The third one, the fourth one...

Before we knew it, it was almost dawn.

Li Jun looked at the dozens of scraps of paper on the table and rubbed his aching wrists.

too difficult.

This is much more difficult than carving a peach wood plaque.

Strangely, although his drawings were ugly, he was inexplicably focused on the drawing process.

Each stroke is deliberate, with a pure and focused mind.

It's as if the whole world has been reduced to just paper, pen, and ink.

When he finished drawing the fiftieth picture, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

The pen in his hand seemed to come alive, flowing smoothly across the yellow paper.

Talisman head, talisman core, talisman foot...

All in one go.

By the time he came to his senses, a complete amulet had been drawn.

Although it's still not particularly beautiful, the structure is complete and the strokes are smooth.

Most importantly, this talisman looks pleasing to the eye.

It's like it was meant to be that way.

"That's interesting."

Li Jun picked up the talisman and examined it against the light.

Yellow paper with red printing, gleaming softly in the morning light.

"I don't know if it will even work..."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, put away the talisman, and prepared to pack his things and go to sleep.

Just as I stood up, there was another knock on the gate.

"Is Master Li here?"

The voice is very young.

Li Jun glanced at the time; it was 6:30 in the morning.

So early?

He went over and opened the door.

A young man in his early twenties stood outside the door, with a buzz cut, wearing a deliveryman's uniform, and carrying a box in his hands.

"Are you Master Li Jun?" the deliveryman asked.

"it's me."

"Please sign for your package."

Li Jun took the order and looked at it.

Sender: Northern Mountain Patrolman.

It's that format again!

He signed the papers and took the box.

The box wasn't big, but it was very heavy.

"What is this?" Li Jun muttered as he opened it.

Inside is...

A set of carving tools.

Dozens of carving knives of all sizes, from roughing knives to finishing knives, are available.

The material is clearly not ordinary; the blade gleams with a cold luster in the morning light.

There are also whetstones, polishing cloths, woodworking clamps...

It's all professional-grade stuff.

There is a note on top.

To do something well, you must first have the right tools.

I hope you will accept this small token of my appreciation.

Respectfully presented by a mountain patrolman from the North

Li Jun was completely stunned, holding the carving knife.

How much does this cost?

Although he wasn't an expert, judging from the workmanship and materials, it was definitely not a cheap product.

And then there was that box of books from yesterday...

"Are all these people that rich?"

Li Jun scratched his head, feeling that things were getting increasingly wrong.

First, the night watchmen of the southern city delivered books, and now the mountain patrolmen of the northern lands are delivering tools.

Should we send materials to the east and west next?

He carried the box back to his room, where the old Taoist priest was already up and practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

Seeing the box Li Jun was carrying, the old man stopped what he was doing and walked over.

"What is this now?"

"These are carving tools given to me by someone." Li Jun put down the box. "Master, look at this knife, this material..."

The old Taoist priest picked up a carving knife and squinted at it.

The blade has smooth lines, a sharp edge, and a small seal character engraved on the handle.

"Zhao".

"Zhao?" Li Jun leaned closer. "Is it a brand?"

"It's not a brand, it's the craftsman's surname," the old Taoist priest said slowly. "Zhao Family Knives is a three-hundred-year-old brand from the north, specializing in carving tools. It's said that a set of them... costs at least thirty to fifty thousand."

"Thirty to fifty thousand?!"

Li Jun almost jumped up.

"And even if you have money, you can't necessarily buy it," the old Taoist priest added. "The Zhao family knives are only made in ten sets a year, and you have to order them three years in advance."

Li Jun was completely dumbfounded.

His hands trembled slightly as he looked at the box of tools.

"Master...Master, this gift is too much, I can't accept it, can I?"

The old Taoist priest didn't speak, but just stared at the knives with a furrowed brow.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Jun'er, tell your master the truth, what exactly are you selling online?"

"They're just peach wood swords and amulets!" Li Jun quickly explained, "They're all handicrafts, you've seen them before!"

"Handicrafts..." the old Taoist priest muttered to himself, "What kind of handicrafts could warrant such an expensive gift?"

He couldn't figure it out either.

But something unusual must be going on.

"Keep the items for now, but don't use them," the old Taoist priest said in a deep voice. "We'll decide what to do after we figure out what the other party is planning."

"it is good."

Li Jun carried the box back to his room, feeling very uneasy.

He took out his phone, intending to send a private message to "Northern Mountain Patrolman" to ask what it meant.

But when he opened Douyin (TikTok), he found that the other party had already sent him a message.

"Master, are your tools handy? If needed, materials can also be provided."

Li Jun hesitated for a moment before replying, "The tools are too valuable; I can't accept them. Please give me an address, and I'll send them back to you."

The message was sent out, but it disappeared without a trace.

Like the Night Watchman of the South City, I don't reply.

Li Jun sighed. What a mess this is.

……

In the following days, the threshold of Qingfeng Temple was almost worn down by the crowds.

It wasn't someone who came; it was a delivery.

All kinds of express delivery.

"Donghai Tingtao Ke" sent a box of fine yellow paper and cinnabar, as well as several ink sticks of excellent quality.

"Xiling Observer" sent several rare pieces of lightning-struck wood. The wood was charred black but had golden threads showing through it, clearly not an ordinary item.

The "Central Plains Garrison Commander" went even further, sending a complete set of woodworking workbenches with power tools.

Li Jun was stunned by the sight of the "gifts" that filled half the room.

"Master... what exactly is going on?"

Even the old Taoist priest couldn't understand it.

If it were just one or two people giving the gift, that would be understandable.

But these gifts came from all directions, and they were all things that Li Jun needed.

It's like... there's a pair of eyes watching from the shadows, knowing what he lacks, and then providing that.

"Jun'er, have you felt like someone is watching you lately?" the old Taoist priest asked seriously.

Li Jun thought for a moment and shook his head: "No, I just run between the temple and the town every day, and I haven't found anyone following me."

"That's strange..."

The old Taoist priest paced back and forth in the courtyard.

"These people give increasingly lavish gifts, yet they ask for nothing in return, not even showing their faces..."

He stopped and looked at Li Jun: "There's only one possibility."

"What?"

"They're not interested in who you are now, but who you will be in the future."

The old Taoist priest said slowly, "Giving gifts now is an investment. When you achieve success in the future, you will have to repay this favor."

Li Jun was stunned.

"But what can I possibly achieve? I'm just a crafts seller..."

"That depends on what you're selling," the old Taoist priest said, giving him a deep look.

Li Jun felt uneasy under their gaze.

"Master, don't scare me. You've checked all my things; they're just ordinary handicrafts!"

"I know," the old Taoist priest nodded, "That's why I can't understand it."

The master and apprentice stared at each other, both completely bewildered.

Finally, the old Taoist waved his hand and said, "Forget it, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. Keep the things for now, but don't let them go to waste. Write them all down."

"Um."

Li Jun nodded, but he had already made up his mind.

He doesn't need these things for the time being.

Let's figure out what the other party is trying to say first.

However, the worktable... can be installed.

After all, his original table was really too old and wobbly.

Just do it.

Following the instructions, Li Jun spent half a day assembling the worktable.

Electric engraving machine, grinding wheel machine, polishing machine...

Everything is available.

Once plugged in, the machine runs smoothly with almost no noise.