Seeing Uncle Ma's certainty, Li Xue calmed down and resumed her pregnant state: "Master, I'll listen to you, I'll go down."
Uncle Ma nodded: "Okay, in the next life, don't make the same mistake again."
After saying that, Uncle Ma pulled out a talisman: "The gates of Yin and Yang open, ghosts must not come, the Yin soldiers are commanded, open!"
Uncle Ma waved his hand, and a large door shrouded in black mist opened in the hall: "Go."
Li Xue looked at the door, slowly walked to it, bowed to Uncle Ma, turned and went inside. Then the black door slammed shut.
I watched this scene, unsure of what to say.
This day was arguably the most thrilling and exciting day of my twenty years, as I witnessed scenes I may never see again in my lifetime.
Uncle Ma raised his hand and waved it in front of my eyes: "What's wrong?"
I snapped back to reality and shook my head: "N-nothing..."
Uncle Ma patted me on the shoulder: "You were a little scared just now, but you're fine now. Let's go back after I've taken care of the rest."
I nodded.
Uncle Ma did indeed take out his phone, dialed a number, and said, "Hey, Mr. Sun, things are settled here."
I could even hear Sun Mengcai's fawning laughter through the microphone: "That's great, Master Ma, you truly are amazing. I'll transfer the remaining payment to you right away."
Uncle Ma said coldly, "Boss Sun, you'd better watch yourself. Going too far will hurt you."
Uncle Ma then hung up the phone.
As for what happened to Sun Mengcai, that remains unknown.
Uncle Ma and I went downstairs, preparing to drive back that evening, because we had reached a consensus: we didn't want to see Sun Mengcai's face again.
Uncle Ma drove to an intersection and stopped. I asked, puzzled, "Uncle Ma, why did you stop?"
Uncle Ma unbuckled his seatbelt: "I just received a message that my nephew is nearby, so I'm going to deliver some things to him."
I couldn't help but wonder, who exactly was this "nephew" that Uncle Ma was talking about?
Uncle Ma got out of the car and walked down the slope at the intersection, where he saw a black SUV parked.
Looking out the passenger window, I saw a tall, thin figure get out of the other car. He was wearing a hood, so I couldn't see his face.
Uncle Ma took out a stack of talismans from his backpack and handed them to the man, then handed him a copper coin sword from the side of his backpack.
The other party took the copper coin sword, bowed to Uncle Ma, and hurriedly got into the car and left.
Uncle Ma watched the departing vehicles before turning back to his car.
Without saying a word, Uncle Ma fastened his seatbelt, stepped on the gas, and hit the road again.
I also became a little curious about this so-called junior apprentice. That copper coin sword was probably used to deal with ghosts and monsters.
After all, Uncle Ma is so capable, his apprentice must also be truly skilled.
We walked in silence until around four in the morning, when we returned to Uncle Ma's antique shop.
We were all exhausted by the end of the day, so we all went back to our rooms to sleep.
The world before my eyes gradually darkened, and I saw Li Xue lunge at me with a ferocious expression, asking me why I wanted to kill her. I struggled constantly, but she still grabbed my neck. I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I fought back desperately, but I was powerless.
Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I heard a voice calling out, "Sister Chen Xi, Sister Chen Xi."
I suddenly opened my eyes, my heart pounding wildly. I swallowed hard and let out a long sigh.
Was it all a dream?
I turned to look at the bedside and saw Lingling standing there, staring at me with her big, watery eyes: "Sister Chen Xi, what's wrong?"
"Did you have another nightmare?"
I lay on the bed, feeling utterly exhausted, staring at the ceiling, and nodded.
What happened last night has truly left a shadow in my heart.
Although as I listened to Li Xue's story later on, I somewhat forgot that she was a female ghost.
But once it's all over, the chilling feeling is undeniable.
I glanced at my phone; it was already noon.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes, supported myself against the edge of the bed, and got out of bed.
After washing up and having lunch, I prepared to draw talismans on the stone table in the courtyard.
I opened the book of talismans that Uncle Ma had given me, and was dazzled by the variety of talismans.
I found the antidote, picked up a brush, and began to practice.
Before we knew it, an afternoon had passed. Just as Uncle Ma had said, the steps to undo the curse were extremely complicated.
I tried dozens of times throughout the afternoon, but without success.
In the end, I found a page in a book about how to draw exorcism talismans. This time, I drew one successfully after three attempts.
I stretched and glanced to the side, only to find Uncle Ma sitting on the stone bench next to me. I couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, Uncle Ma, when did you get here? I didn't even notice!"
Uncle Ma slightly curled the corners of his mouth: "Not bad, the fact that you didn't notice me coming over proves that you're already engrossed."
"You're doing great; it seems you've been putting in a lot of effort."
I smiled shyly: "Really? I thought I hadn't done something right."
Uncle Ma shook his head, his approving gaze making me feel a little embarrassed: "Alright, that's enough for today. To achieve this in just three days has already exceeded my expectations."
"Let's go inside and have some food. You must be exhausted after a whole afternoon of mental exertion."
I didn't force myself, because I could already feel that my energy was almost completely depleted.
Perhaps due to excessive mental exertion, I ate an unusually large dinner.
As night fell, I went out into the yard and looked at the starry sky outside, and I couldn't help but feel lost.
Can someone like me really do that?
Or, what should I do after I succeed?
I've witnessed a side of this world that no one else knows. Can I really go back?
Can I really go back to my old, ordinary life, finish my studies peacefully, find a nine-to-five job, and live a simple and uneventful life?
I finally understand why Uncle Ma initially suggested I consider becoming his apprentice.
Because once you embark on a journey, you'll never linger on the scenery again.
The mundane past is now like a sky obscured by dazzling fireworks.
The sky is vast, but I can only see a small patch in front of me. Fireworks are extreme, but they are a different kind of scenery in life.
The moment the fireworks burst open, they left an indelible mark on my heart.
In just a moment, it can ignite everything in my life!
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