Nothing major happened for the next ten days or so. I continued practicing the spell-breaking talisman as usual.
But there seems to be some unknown magic at play, holding me back. The more I care, the more chaotic my mind becomes.
It's like a handful of sand; the more I try to hold onto it, the more it slips through my fingers.
There are only ten days left before the Death Curse takes effect, but I feel like I'm blocked from moving forward.
My heart couldn't help but feel anxious.
Uncle Ma sat down next to me, as if he could read my mind: "Believe in yourself, don't overthink it, and calm yourself down."
"Worrying too much can cloud your judgment and affect your concentration."
"You may not realize it yourself, but your talent in drawing talismans surpasses that of ordinary people, and even surpasses that of many Taoist disciples, so there is no need to worry."
"Find the feeling of drawing the exorcism talisman, and try again."
I nodded, carefully considering Uncle Ma's words, and picked up the brush again.
With a light touch, it's as if everything else has disappeared from my sight.
It was as if I was standing in a pure white world, and suddenly a huge talisman appeared in front of me. The pattern was the antidote talisman.
I reached out to touch it, but it felt as if I had passed through air.
I stared intently at the enormous talisman before me, completely absorbed.
I subconsciously traced the incantation on the talisman in the air with my finger, and the pattern I drew gradually appeared in the air.
The incantation seemed to come alive, crashing violently into the giant rune and merging with the patterns on it.
A dazzling light suddenly shone from the giant rune, and it gradually became solid.
I reached out and touched it, but this time I didn't pass through the talisman; instead, I grabbed it in my hand.
The surrounding scenery blurred, and the blank world and the giant talisman were nowhere to be seen.
At this moment, I was sitting on a stone bench, holding the talisman I had just drawn in my hand.
I slowly came to my senses and stared blankly at the talisman in my hand, my mind seemingly blank.
I tilted my head to look at Uncle Ma, and saw that Uncle Ma also had an expression of disbelief on his face.
I looked down and carefully examined the talisman in my hand, even touching it with my left and right hands interchangeably, as if afraid that I was dreaming.
I succeeded?
I looked at Uncle Ma again, and saw him nod with satisfaction.
My confusion instantly turned into surprise and joy.
I... I did it!
"Uncle Ma! Uncle Ma, I...I did it! I really did it!"
But at that moment, I didn't realize that I was laughing and then tears were streaming down my face, uncontrollable.
Two warm streams slid down his face and dripped onto the stone table.
"I...I really did it, Uncle Ma, thank you, thank you so much!"
Uncle Ma didn't say anything, he just looked at me quietly, but his face always had a kind smile on it.
I could see my father's image in his face.
I was stunned at that moment. I had succeeded, which meant that I didn't have many more days left to spend with Uncle Ma!
For some reason, I still feel a little lost.
These days, I have been receiving meticulous care and guidance from Uncle Ma.
It also showed me that there are people like Li Xue in the world.
Twenty short days, yet more exciting than my twenty years.
I hesitated...
I don't know what to choose, or what to do. Maybe this is how the story ends.
Why is this joy accompanied by loneliness?
I remained silent, my mind in turmoil. I had clearly succeeded, so how...?
Uncle Ma stood up, patted my shoulder, and walked into the main hall step by step.
A short while later, Uncle Ma came out carrying a bowl of water.
Uncle Ma placed the bowl on the stone table and looked at my puzzled face: "Drip the blood onto the talisman, just in case something goes wrong."
Then he took out a silver needle and placed it on the stone table.
I picked up the silver needle and poked it into my finger; a blush slowly appeared on my finger.
I pressed my finger down slightly, and blood slowly dripped onto the talisman.
It all happened so suddenly that I didn't even feel any pain.
Uncle Ma picked up the Death Curse from the table and held it between his index and middle fingers:
"White Star, ever-changing and formless, dispelling disasters and averting calamities, instantly vanishing spirits, White Star Lord, as commanded by the law."
As the incantation was recited, the talisman spontaneously combusted, and the ashes slowly dripped into the bowl of water.
Before long, the talisman had burned out, and the ashes of the talisman floated on the surface of the bowl of water.
Uncle Ma brought the talisman water to me, and I took it and drank it down in one gulp.
Contrary to expectations, it wasn't as bad as I imagined. The water had a warm, slightly burnt smell, but the taste was no different from plain water.
The moment I drank the talisman water, I felt a little dizzy and my body was swaying, as if I would collapse at any moment.
In a few moments of disorientation, it felt as if the whole world had gone blank...
When I opened my eyes again, I was already lying on the bed in the side room.
"So it was all a dream? I was wondering how I could draw the antidote so quickly."
"And that incredibly huge talisman, heh, I guess I've been too tired lately..."
I shook my head with a wry smile, and was about to get up, leaning on the edge of the bed, when I suddenly felt a pain in my fingers.
I raised my hand and saw a barely perceptible bloodstain on my index finger.
It's not a dream!
My brain immediately relayed this message to me.
I jumped up quickly and rushed into the yard without a care for my image, only to find that there was no one there.
I paused briefly, then immediately went into the main hall and saw Uncle Ma sitting on a stool reading a book.
For some reason, I felt incredibly at ease at that moment.
Uncle Ma looked up at me, who was in a panic, and asked with a puzzled expression, "What's wrong? What's the rush?"
I stared at Uncle Ma for a long time, but didn't know what to say. Perhaps our story had already ended the moment I drew that unspelling talisman.
I bowed deeply to Uncle Ma.
Uncle Ma put down his book, pushed back his chair, and walked over to me. He put his hand on my arm and said, "Your parents are safe and sound. If nothing unexpected happens, the sorcerer who cast the curse on you is already at your house."
My eyes widened: "What!"
I quickly turned to leave, but Uncle Ma stopped me: "Don't panic, he has already suffered a backlash and must be in excruciating pain, feeling as if a hundred insects are tearing at his body."
"To alleviate the symptoms, you must drink a drop of your blood."
"He had no choice but to go to your house to find you."
“Let’s go, I’ll go with you to take a look. If necessary, I’ll take him back to the Taoist Association for processing.”
“People with such dark magic can’t be kept in police cells.”
Hearing Uncle Ma's explanation, I finally felt relieved.
But I also wondered in my heart who was so cruel as to want to kill my parents!
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